AN: About time another installment got finished. With this comes the explosive finale to the Loki arc. To anyone who isn't aware, I have released DRE Vol. 0, a prologue to this Vol. 1 (obviously) so go read that if you're interested. The first portion of this chapter is actually a little preview of whats to come in Vol. 0. Other than that, thank you all for your continued support. If it wasn't for you guys then I wouldn't have continued writing for this long.
Pain. Pain flares through my body. I can't move. I'm speared through by multiple weapons, pinning me in place. My lungs fill with blood, forcing me to cough out the crimson liquid. It's suffocating. It's cold. But, I'm no stranger to this sensation.
"Master…"
My voice comes out as a raspy gurgle. My vision hazes over and turns red from the blood running down my face. I'm dying. There's no doubt about it. I can't help but feel empty. Death is just another part of life. A natural order of things.
Then why… Why, when I have forsaken this world… why do I refuse to give in? Even as I lay broken and bleeding, a small, traitorous part of me is screaming at me to fight back. To fight till my very last breath. To not give in to my inner demons.
My eyes turn towards my young master, standing protectively in front of me.
Fool. If you die, then everything we fought for would be for naught.
He says something I can't quite hear.
I see…
So that's why.
Every cell in my body is screaming for me to save him, just like before when I first found him.
How idiotic.
It seems, my Master is would be completely helpless without me.
"Saya!"
I jumped and screamed as the sound of Asia's voice woke me up from my sleep.
The chatter in the room stopped as everybody's eyes turned to focus on me. Valerie, who had been sitting directly across from me, chuckled quietly into her hand
"Ahaha… Haha… S-Sorry…" I sheepishly apologized while rubbing the back of my head.
"Jeez, don't fall asleep in the middle of the meeting. I know you're still recovering, but try to pay attention okay?" Asia chided me with a cute pout.
Instead of lecturing me, Rias just turned her attention back to the discussion on hand, leaving me to sigh and absentmindedly rub at my healing wounds while following along.
That dream again, huh. It's been a while since I last had that one. To be honest, it's not one I enjoy since it reminds me of the kind of person I was before. I guess, in the end, I was only lying to myself to keep from getting hurt.
Well, whatever. It's not like it matters right now.
My gaze falls on Valerie, Bikou, Arthur, and Kuroka who had made themselves at home in my house.
I had survived, naturally, that attack from Fenrir the night we fought Loki, but it left me decommissioned for a day. Apparently, after I had lost consciousness Valerie showed up and drove him off. She certainly has a way of showing up at convenient times.
As a result of her actions, Azazel-sensei thought it'd be a good idea to form an alliance with her to deal with Loki. Of course, at first it was met with a ton of opposition, but with some convincing from Sirzechs-nii-san the others came to terms with it.
So here we are now, using my home as meeting grounds for our anti-Loki alliance.
Unfortunately, though, it seems like we've hid a dead-end. Valerie's intentions are both… clear and uncertain. She says she's doing this just because she wants to fight against Loki and Fenrir, which I don't doubt, but, I also can't help but feel that she has some kind of ulterior motive.
Before long, a consensus had been reached where we would contact one of the Heavenly Dragons to ask about information on Fenrir and Loki. With the discussion reaching an end, everyone decided to take a break before coming back to it, leaving everyone to their own devices.
"Pheeeww! About time!" Bikou exclaimed as he hopped onto his feet. "Hey, hey, dragon girlie, you don't mind if I go use your baths do you?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Go ahead," I replied with a nod.
"Hehehe~. Thanks!"
Whistling cheerfully, the monkey-man sauntered out of the room with his hands clasped behind his head.
"Um… Saya," Asia quietly called for my attention while pulling at my sleeve.
"Hm? What is it?"
Instead of answering with words, she pointed a finger towards Valerie who had settled down into the couch across from us and had begun reading a book.
It took me a moment to realize what she meant by that.
"Oh… You want to thank her?"
Asia nodded while tightening her grip on my sleeve.
I guess she means for saving her from that Dimensional Gap place.
Well, I also kind of want to thank her for bailing us out of that situation with Loki.
Standing up, I took Asia's hand and began walking towards Valerie. Once we got close enough, I cleared my throat.
The silver-haired girl glanced up from her book and smirked when she saw me.
"Why, Saya, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Stepping to the side, I gently pushed Asia, who was nervously playing with the hem of her skirt, forward.
"U-Um… Th-thank you very much for saving me!" Asia said while bowing her head.
Valerie blinked before mouthing a silent "o".
"That's right. You're the girl I pulled from the gap. Don't mention it," she replied with a smile.
"And also, thanks for helping us out with Loki," I added with a bow.
"Hm? Well, Saya, if you really wish to thank me, then I could think of a fair amount of ways you could do so."
Smirking, Valerie dropped her book before her hands shot out and grabbed me and pulled me onto her lap. Almost immediately her hands began to roam across my body.
"Wh-What the hell are you doing?!" I cried while trying to break away.
"I've had my fair share of partners," she whispered into my ear, causing a shiver to run down my back. "But you've captured my interest the most out of all of them."
"Your beautiful face, your slender arms, your modest chest, your toned stomach, your bewitching legs, but most of all… your innate submissiveness. All of those traits just make me want to turn you into my plaything."
Her voice had turned husky as she punctuated each example with a caress as Asia just stood, a conflicted look in her eyes and mouth agape, as she watched me get molested by Valerie.
"S-Seriously, Valerie, cut it out!" I protested and flinched as her hands came dangerously close to crossing the line.
"Y-Yes! Um, I-I don't think it's very appropriate to d-do such things!" Asia added while puffing up her cheeks and trying her very best to look intimidating.
Seeing this, Valerie just smirked and shook her head.
"Well, well, I suppose I have no choice. After all, I want Saya to be begging me for it when the times comes."
The silver-haired girl raised her hands, letting me stand up from my seat in her lap. I detached myself from her with a breath of relief, although my body betrayed my thoughts by yearning for more of her touch. There was no doubt about it, her hands were extremely skilled.
Huffing, Asia took my hand and dragged me away from Valerie who was waving at us with a carefree smile on her face.
The moment we walked out of the room, we came across a somewhat troublesome sight. Koneko-chan was glaring at Kuroka, her hackles raised as her older sister simply smiled back at her.
"Mnya?"
Kuroka's eyes swiveled to meet mine when Asia and I entered the room.
"Nya, nya, how kind of you to join us, nya," Kuroka said in a singsong manner.
"Kuroka…" I glanced at Koneko-chan briefly before moving to stand beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Senpai…"
It looks like the road to recovery for these two will be long and hard. Koneko-chan doesn't seem very pleased to have Kuroka here right now, but hopefully that'll change after we deal with Loki. For now, though, I should just get to know the woman.
"Hey, Asia, can you take Koneko-chan into the other room? I want to talk to Kuroka here in private," I requested.
"Eh?" The former nun just stared at me with a puzzled look on her face.
"Please? Can you do this for me?"
"Ah, um, okay."
As Asia took Koneko-chan's hand and led her out, I stood staring at the older Nekoshou.
"How naughty, Saya. What are you expecting to do with me when we're alone, nya?" Kuroka teased as she gazed at me flirtatiously.
Dangerous. Definitely a sexual predator. If I let my guard down for even a second-
"Hyaugh!"
I let out a strange noise that was a cross between a gasp and a cry when I suddenly felt something wet slide across the shell of my ear.
Whirling around, I saw that, strangely, there was nobody behind me.
What the hell?
"Nya? What's the matter, nya?"
"Er, no, I just thought…"
When I turned back around to face Kuroka I saw her grinning mischievously with her hands folded under her chest.
No way. She couldn't have done anything. I don't sense anyone behind me, and Kuroka hasn't moved an inch from where she's standing either.
Strange…
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt something beginning to stroke my ears and tail.
I quickly covered my mouth with a hand to avoid letting my voice out as the invisible molester continued to touch me.
Okay, for sure Kuroka has something to do with this. She's just standing there watching me with a smug smile on her face.
Placing a hand on her hip, the Nekoshou sashayed towards me, her hips swaying back and forth hypnotically.
"Oh dear, what's wrong, nya? Do you not feel well?"
What the hell is with Vali's team and groping me?! Are they all sexual predators?! Well, I can't really imagine Arthur doing anything like this, but Bikou probably would…
Wait, that doesn't matter right now!
Kuroka was now almost completely on me, pressing her sizable chest into my face.
"If you're sick, I can help take you to your room and take care of you, nya."
This woman is dangerous! Too dangerous! Her attempts at seducing me were slowly chipping away at my self-control. Any more than this and I'm sure I'll cave in to her whims. I'll have to put a stop to this now. Focusing all my willpower into driving away the impure thoughts, I stared up at Kuroka defiantly.
"Hehe…" I managed to chuckle through the debilitating bliss that was emanating from my wolf appendages. "What's your angle, Kuroka? I don't really believe you're the kind to just throw yourself on someone like this."
A look of surprise crossed the woman's face before her sultry smile replaced it.
"Well, well, you're resisting for much longer than I thought, nya," Kuroka said with a hint of surprise. "Alright, I'll tell you. Let's bear a child together, nya."
Even though she said those words in an extremely suggestive manner, there was slight pleading note to it.
"Having a child with dragon-like being would surely make that child extremely powerful, nya," Kuroka continued to explain. "I already tried with Valerie, but she said she only prefers masochists, nya. That's why I'm going to ask you now."
I think… I understand what's going on here now. Except it's getting kind of hard to think with this constant stimulation.
She wants to revive her race. Not only that, but she wants her race to be even more powerful than before.
Crap, body getting hot…
No! No, no, no! Focus!
Shaking my head, I forced myself to drive those thoughts out of my head. As much as I wanted to run my hands all over the seductive Nekoshou's beautiful, smooth skin. To let her toy with my body like-
Stoooop!
No! I can't continue that line of thinking any further!
Shoving Kuroka away from me, I stumbled back and tried to regain my senses again through the haze of lust that had clouded my mind. There's no doubt about it. She's using her abilities to play with my mind. In a situation like this I have to remain strong.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up straight and met Kuroka's eyes with my own.
"Unfortunately," I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady. "You'll have to start raising flags to get to my route if you want those H-scenes. I'm not so easy to just let any old seductress have her way with me."
This time, the Nekoshou was visibly shocked that I had broken free of whatever spell she had placed me under.
"Interesting. I see why Valerie has her eyes on you," Kuroka said while licking her lips. "You really know how to get a girl going, nya. Alright, I'll play your game and conquer your route, nya. Look forward to it."
Kuroka turned her back to me and flashed me a wink before sashaying out of the room, her twin tails swishing playfully behind her.
As soon as she was gone, the twin presences massaging my ears and tail immediately disappeared. Sighing in relief, I crumpled to my knees.
Jeez. I'm sweating so much that my clothes are drenched.
But… I guess Kuroka really isn't a bad person. If she really wanted to, she probably could've turned up the heat and forced me down. The fact that she didn't shows that she's either sane enough to know that hurting me would bring the wrath of the ORC on her, or that she genuinely has a good heart.
Picking myself up off the ground, I began heading to my room to take a nice, cold shower to wash off the sweat and clear my head of the remaining inappropriate thoughts I was having.
After coming out of a refreshing shower, I was immediately told by Rias that we were heading off to gather information on Loki and Fenrir. As we had discussed earlier, I contacted Saji and kidnapped him to bring him with us to where we were going to speak to Midgardsormr. Apparently, the presence of the other Heavenly Dragons would allow us to contact him so Tannin also had to come with us. In the end, we didn't learn much except for the fact that Mjölnir, or rather a copy of it, would work against Loki, while magical sealing chains called Gleipnir would work on Fenrir. In other words, a good old treasure hunt.
"Guhehehe…"
I accidentally let out a creepy laugh at the prospect of finding more ancient artifacts.
Unfortunately, my dreams were shattered in an instant.
The next day after our meeting with Midgardsormr, the Sitri group and our group were all gathered in the basement of my house when Azazel-sensei suddenly appeared with an ornate war hammer in hand.
"Here, I brought the replica of Mjölnir ," he muttered with a hint of frustration. "Odin was in possession of it all along."
I had thought we would have to go digging into ancient Dwarven Ruins filled with undead monsters, automatons, and traps to find it, but here it was, in front of my face without me having to lift a finger to get it.
I grabbed the handle of the hammer that Azazel-sensei was offering and tested its weight. It was certainly a lot lighter than I expected. Now, if I remember the legends I read about it…
Pouring a bit of magic into it, I reared my arm back and threw the hammer at the wall at the other end of the room. The hammer began crackling with electricity as it flew through the air before striking the wall with enough force to shake the entire building and send cracks from the wall to nearly halfway across the room.
Now that… is a lot of firepower. If this is just a replica than what kind of monster is the actual weapon?
"Woooo!" Bikou whistled in awe. "Good thing you didn't pour too much power into that or else the entire building would've come down on us."
"No kidding…" I murmured as I went to retrieve the hammer and store it inside my Vault.
"Oh, right, Bikou. Sun Wukong and Yu Long are looking for you. The old man told me to tell you that he's going to be reforming you as soon as he has the chance to," Azazel-sensei said nonchalantly.
Almost immediately, Bikou's complexion turned ten shades lighter as sweat began pouring from his forehead.
"Ahaha…" He laughed nervously. "I-I see…"
"Anyways," Azazel-sensei said, turning his attention away from the monkey-man that was having a nervous breakdown and faced us. "I'm going to be going over the plan one more time. The Sitri party is to transport the rest of you including Loki and Fenrir to an isolated location far away from the agreed meeting site. I'll go over the details with them later. Next, Saya and Valerie are to fight Loki while the remnants of the Gremory party and Valerie party are to seal and eliminate Fenrir with the chains. Understood?"
We all answered in collective agreement.
"Good, now Saji."
"Eh?" Saji started when the spotlight suddenly fell on him. "Me?"
Azazel-sensei nodded.
"You'll be going with Saya and Valerie and supporting them with your Sacred Gear."
"Wh-What?! No way, no way, no way! I'll be killed in an instant!" Saji protested while waving his hands frantically.
In response, the Fallen Angel just laughed jovially.
"Don't worry, kid. I'll be having you do some special training at the Grigori's HQ," Azazel-sensei said with a wink. "Of course, if that's okay with you, Sona?"
Kaichou nodded.
"Yes, of course. Please go ahead."
Ah… Looks like Saji's going to be having a taste of what Azazel-sensei believes is training.
Suddenly, flashbacks of my training with Tannin flooded my mind, making me shiver.
Yeah. Good luck, my friend.
I stared at him sympathetically as Azazel-sensei grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him, kicking and screaming, into the glowing magic circle before the both of the disappeared in a flash of light.
For the rest of the day, we were left to our own devices and at some point I had ended up relaxing in the same room alone with Valerie.
An awkward silence pervaded the room until I finally decided to speak up.
"So… What exactly is your goal in life?" I asked her.
Valerie glanced up from her book for a second before snapping it shut and smirking.
"To fight strong enemies, to conquer cute girls, and to beat you at your peak," she answered.
That second part didn't seem to quite fit in with those other two. Wait, conquer cute girls… Does that mean she has a harem?! And judging by what she said to me earlier… she's planning to add me into that?!
For some reason that's even more threatening than her battle lust.
"Well," I said with a sigh. "Unfortunately for you I'm not planning on losing to you and you'll need to raise a lot more of my flags if you want to conquer me."
Valerie chuckled at that.
"I'm looking forward to the time when I can face you for real. Ah… Just thinking about it makes me excited."
Ahaha… I don't think I'll ever get her.
[Partner, are you sure about this?]
"Don't worry, Ddraig. I'd like to think that my mind isn't so fragile anymore. Besides, if anything goes wrong I'm sure you'll drag me out of there, right?"
The dragon sighed at my blatant optimism towards diving into the psyche of the Boosted Gear, which hosts a collective consciousness of evil, apparently. Inside of the Sacred Gear lies the wills of the previous owners that have been stewing in a soup of malice which is why Juggernaut Drive is so incredibly dangerous.
Well… here goes nothing.
Closing my eyes, I emptied my mind before diving into Boosted Gear. When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in an endless pool of darkness while surrounding me was various people of different races and genders standing or sitting in chairs.
They must be the previous owners, but… all of them look lifeless. Their eyes just stare blankly in front of them with no regard to anything else.
Hm… I honestly don't see why Ddraig was so against letting me in here. I can definitely feel the intense pressure, but I'm not exactly at risk at losing myself or anything. It's most likely in a hibernating state right now. As long as I'm not activating Juggernaut Drive, they probably won't affect me.
Well it doesn't look like I'll be able to do much right now so I might as well-
Hyah?! What the-?! Something's touching my body?! Is somebody taking advantage of my defenseless body while I'm in here? I have to get out of here!
Focusing as hard as I can, I try to get my consciousness to return to my body. Once I feel that I have control of it again, I open my eyes to see who my assailant was.
"A-Akeno?!"
My raven-haired senpai was poised on top of me, completely naked with a longing look in her eyes.
"Saya… I… I want you right now… I need you…" she whispered.
Her voice held certain desperation in it. Not the kind of desperation that came with unbearable lust, but the kind that's begging for help.
Immediately my hand went to caress her face.
"Akeno, what's wrong?" I asked as gently as I could.
Although, I can already guess. She hasn't exactly been herself lately when Baraqiel showed up. That fact that he's here now probably brought on a horde of unpleasant memories for her.
"It's…" For a moment there, it seemed like Akeno wanted to spill out everything, but she ended up holding herself back and shook her head. "I just… I need to stay with you… just like this… please…"
Her voice wavered as tears dripped from the corner of her eyes down onto my cheeks.
If she doesn't want to talk about it right now, then its' best if I don't push for it.
Smiling I nodded before sitting up and patting my lap.
"Here," I said. "Lay your head down here. I'll stay with you for as long as you want."
Akeno just stared at my lap looking apprehensive.
Really now. Just because she's technically my senpai doesn't mean I can't take care of her for a change.
Gently taking her head in my hands, I laid her down on top of my lap and began stroking her head.
"It's alright," I cooed. "It's alright. Everything's alright. I'm here with you. I'll always be by your side."
"Ah… Okaa-san…"
Heh. I guess I kind do seem like a mother right now. Kind of funny, considering I've never been an actual mother yet, surprisingly.
The two of us stayed like that for a good while until I heard Akeno's breathing slow down into quiet, drawn out breaths.
Asleep, huh?
Taking out a blanket from my Vault, I draped it over her, careful not to wake Akeno up.
As I was caring for the sleeping girl, the door to my room opened and Rias and Asia stepped inside fresh from the baths.
"A-Akeno? Why are-?"
Before Rias could continue her question, I put a finger to my lips and shushed her.
"Akeno-senpai looks so happy right now," Asia commented
"Yeah… I guess she does. It's nice to see her smiling again," Rias added.
It really is relieving to see Akeno like this.
"Say, you two," I said without looking up from Akeno's glowing smile. "Why don't we let Akeno sleep with us tonight? I'd feel bad for waking her up like this."
"Eh? B-But…"
Rias looked a bit apprehensive at the idea, but Asia immediately nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I think so too. I was worried that Akeno-senpai wasn't going to feel better for a while," she said.
Sighing in defeat, Rias crossed her arms moved to sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Fine. I suppose I'll make an allowance this time."
In my lap, Akeno stirred as if she was about to wake up, but quickly returned to a deep sleep while mumbling something under her breath. I gently picked the girl up and placed her on my bed before climbing in to join her as Rias and Asia quickly fought over each other about who would get to sleep next to me. In the end, Asia managed to secure a spot next to me as I awkwardly tried to hold onto Akeno while Rias was on her other side.
Tomorrow… Tomorrow is our showdown with Loki, but for now… let me enjoy this brief moment of peace.
It's time.
Night has descended upon us as we waited on the roof of a high-rise for the dreaded moment we would have to face Loki and Fenrir.
Baraqiel stood at the very front of our group, arms crossed in front of his burly frame along with Rosweisse who had donned a beautifully ornate silver armor. Tannin hovered menacingly above us as each beat of his wings blew strong winds all over us. Kaichou's group stood at the very back, save Saji who was still training, ready to transport us to the battlefield so Odin can carry out his meeting with the Japanese Gods in peace. Valerie's team stood the closest to us with the girl herself at the front.
Tension permeated the air and it almost made it hard to breath. My heart pounded in my chest so fact I thought it might leap out of my throat at any moment.
It's been so long since I felt like this. The fear and adrenaline that comes with facing a godlike being is unparalleled. I can't even tell if my hands are shaking because I'm so terrified or if I'm just that excited.
"He's here…" Rias whispered as she readied herself just as a hole formed in the space above us.
Right on cue, the trickster god slipped out of the hole wearing a plastic smile followed by the massive grey wolf.
As soon as he appeared, Kaichou's team went into action. They immediately began activating the large scale transportation circle that was readied beforehand as Baraqiel covered the hotel in an invisible barrier.
Even though Loki saw all of this happening, he didn't make a move to prevent it. Instead, his smile grew even wider as he looked down on us.
In the next instant all of us had been successfully transported to a spacious field.
"Kuhuhu. It's cute how you all think you have a chance at beating me," the Norse god taunted while spreading his arms. "Alright. Go on. I'll allow you the first move."
I glanced at Valerie who glanced at me in return before we both nodded simultaneously and stepped forward.
[Balance Breaker: Iron Fortress!]
[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!]
I stood clad in another variant of the scale mail I had formed. The armor now almost tripled my appearance in size. After getting destroyed by Fenrir, I noticed that these two were on a completely different level of danger. That's why I created a new variant that focuses on defense rather than offense. The tradeoff is that I can't move as fast, but the two newly formed tower shields attached to my gauntlets should be strong enough to ward off most attacks. Meanwhile, Valerie stood next to me in her standard Balance Breaker form.
"Puhahahaha! Amazing! I get face the Two Heavenly Dragons together at the same time! Wonderful! Splendid! Superb!"
Not wanting to listen to him ramble on for any longer, I flew towards him, shields raised in front of me as Valerie followed behind me. As soon as magic projectiles began bouncing off of the shields, Valerie boosted out from my cover and circled around Loki who was concentrating his fire on me.
As Loki realized I was acting as a diversion, he immediately turned his attacks on Valerie who swerved through the air, easily dodging all of his attacks. Taking advantage of the opening, I lowered my shields and reared my arm back as I flew towards him.
My fist collided with the barrier Loki had formed around him and I simultaneously consumed all of my Boosts by forcing it into a thruster on my gauntlet. There was a huge explosion accompanied by the sound of glass shattering as I managed to punch through Loki's barrier, but at the same time I was thrown back by the force of the explosion.
"Hoh? Not bad," Loki commented as he raised a hand towards me.
Before he could fire anything though, a thin beam of energy struck him in the back and exploded. The radius of the explosion forced me to fly backwards to avoid getting caught in it. When the dust finally settled, a sizeable crater was made in the ground. The Norse god had disappeared, letting me see Valerie hovering across from me with her finger pointed towards me.
That was certainly surprising. I didn't expect an attack that small to be so destructive.
But…
"Kuhahaha! Not bad! Not bad at all!"
Loki appeared above us while laughing and sneering at us. Other than his clothes being a bit singed, he didn't have a single scratch on him.
Well… Might as well use Mjölnir now.
Drawing the hammer from my Vault, I increased it size and charged at Loki.
The trickster god's eyes widened when he saw the hammer before rage settled on his face.
"Tch. That damn hammer is going to be a problem…"
Since it was so light, I could easily swing the hammer that was twice my size with relative speed. The sparks coming off of Mjölnir now enveloped my entire body as Loki repeatedly dodged away.
"How troublesome…" Loki growled before he snapped his fingers. "Fenrir!"
The grey wolf howled and crouched down, ready to pounce, but before it could move Rias raised her arms and summoned a massive golden chain shot towards Fenrir and wrapped around its body, preventing it from moving.
"Hoh? Gleipnir, is it? Pukukuku…"
Instead of looking surprised or nervous, Loki just started to laugh creepily when Fenrir was captured.
"Sköll! Hati! Come out and play!"
Two separate howls that did not originate from Fenrir resonated throughout the night sky as a pair of wolves stalked through an open portal. One's fur was grey, like Fenrir's but it didn't have the same sheen that reflected the moonlight. The other's fur was golden that seemed to radiate its own light.
Ah… that's right. Fenrir had kids… This could be a problem.
Howling in synchronization, the two wolves ran past Valerie and me and instead charged towards Rias and the others behind us.
Suddenly I felt something explode across my back, sending me reeling.
Dammit! I don't have time to be worrying about the others right now.
Returning my attention back to my fight with Loki, I saw that Valerie had started flinging spells that looked similar to the magic Loki was using to keep him busy. Unfortunately, he either blocked them all or any attacks that hit didn't even put a scratch on him.
"Tch, Mjölnir!" Holding the hammer up towards the sky, I focused all of my magic into it. As the hammer began to grow bigger and bigger, storm clouds began to gather around in the sky above me as lightning crackled across them.
I can feel it! So much power! If it's this, then…
"Scatter!"
Roaring, I brought the hammer down on the trickster god. Along with it, the storm clouds parted to let a massive lightning bolt come crashing down with it. The resulting effect was even more amazing than Valerie's beam attack. The entire world turned white for a second as my eyes were blinded by the immense light and my ears were deafened by the following boom as the lightning struck the ground.
By the time I managed to regenerate my semi-fried retinas and bleeding eardrums, I saw Loki floating in front of me. His robes were in tatters and he was bleeding in several places as well.
So it wasn't enough to kill him, but I did manage to hurt him. That's a start.
Scowling the man spit out a wad of blood before glaring at me, his smile now erased from his face.
"As I thought. That hammer is a problem. In that case, I'll just kill you first."
The Norse god raised his hand at me.
I… can't move?! Shit! I used up too much juice in that last attack!
"You shouldn't underestimate me, you know."
Valerie suddenly appeared behind Loki while saying those words as her fist glowed with a mixture of demonic magic and Norse magic.
Just as her fist was about to connect, a silver blur brushed by Loki and disappeared, taking Valerie along with it. All that was left behind was a slight trail of blood that lead my eyes to where it ended up.
Valerie's armor was shattered as half of her body was held tightly in Fenrir's mouth. She was struggling to force the beasts jaws open, but to no avail as her blood spilled from its slavering mouth.
Dammit! It got free?!
"Kuhahaha! Pathetic! Is that all you can do?" Loki taunted as Valerie tried to fight against the monster.
Gritting my teeth, I flew towards Valerie with both my shields raised.
It managed to cut through my armor last time, but I should be able to survive this now that it's been thickened and reinforced.
My hopes were dashed when a silver flash appeared before my eyes as both my arms were completely and cleanly severed. My arms, along with the Mjölnir replica fell towards the ground as I lost my balance and tumbled through the sky before crashing down next to my severed limbs.
"Kahahaha! Ridiculous! Pathetic! To think that both of the Heavenly Dragons would be beaten so easily!"
"Grrr… Damn you!" Tannin roared in response as he redirected his attention from the golden wolf he had been fighting towards Fenrir.
The silver wolf flashed and reappeared behind Tannin as a multitude of deep cuts appeared across his body.
Impossible…
We don't stand a chance…
My vision began to fade as I watched my comrades try to fight off Fenrir's offspring. No matter how much they wounded the wolves, they would just regenerate in an instant. Not to mention we were steadily getting pushed back. The wounds and fatigue began to pile on. It was too evident. At the same time, multiple shadow versions of Midgardsormr sprouted from Loki's shadow and joined the fight.
Damn! What the hell am I doing just laying around when everyone else fighting so hard.
Gritting my teeth and fighting through the pain, I pushed myself back onto my feet before pulling a bottle of phoenix tears from my Vault and downing the contents. We were supplied with a container of these to prepare for the fight. Each person was given at least five while Valerie and I had ten each.
That's right. What the hell was I thinking? Since when was I the type to just give up?
A hot, searing pain rushed through my body and concentrated on my shoulders where my arms were severed, forcing me back down onto my knees. At the same time, my arms on the ground began burning up and the fire flowed towards where I was missing limbs. The process continued for a few more seconds until the fire began to die down, revealing a pair of charred limbs under them. Soon, the fire damage healed and my arms were back to normal. It was as if them getting cut off was just a bad dream. Once my body finished healing, I began to feel myself begin to rejuvenate. Energy flowed back into my body, returning me to the state I was in before the fight began.
Seeing my revival, Valerie smirked down at me from her position inside Fenrir's mouth.
"Saya," she called. "I'll kill Fenrir. The rest of you deal with Loki and the other two."
What..?
Before I could even ask what she meant, the girl began chanting.
"I, who am about to awaken,"
That's..!
"Am the Heavenly Dragon who has taken the principles of supremacy from God."
So she's planning to use Juggernaut Drive…
"I envy the "infinite", and I grieve at the "dream"."
As Valerie was chanting, I saw Kuroka out of the corner of my eye casting some kind spell at her.
"I shall become the White Dragon of Supremacy."
The chant was coming to an end and strange voices began invading my thoughts. Voices that cursed the world and yearned for destruction. Voices that would drive one mad if they listened to them long enough.
"And I shall take you to the limits of white paradise!"
[Juggernaut Drive!]
As the activation was called out, both Valerie and Fenrir disappeared into a swirling portal.
"Nyaha~. Good luck out there, Val-chan~!" Kuroka shouted over the din of the battle.
I see… So Valerie prepared for something like this. If it's Juggernaut Drive… then maybe she can actually kill that damn thing.
Alright! Psyching myself up, I once again squared off with the mischievous god.
[Balance Breaker Shift: Blade Dancer!]
My crimson armor shifted and changed around me into the familiar battle dress form I created first.
Now that Valerie and I weren't working as a team anymore, I couldn't afford to keep turtling. The best way to move forward now would be to boost my speed and attack to their maximum.
"Akeno!"
Rias' voice carried far across the battlefield as she screamed out for her.
I glanced in their direction just in time to see the golden wolf bearing down on Akeno.
My momentary lull in concentration gave Loki all the time he needed to begin launching attacks at me, forcing me to focus on my fight with him. At the same time, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Baraqiel flying straight towards Akeno with unbridled determination. I swear. Just for a moment there, I thought I saw an image of a beautiful, mature woman that resembled Akeno flying right behind Baraqiel with an equal look of determination etched across her features. Together, the both of them reached out, lightning sparking across their finger tips, before sending a massive attack straight into the side of the golden wolf, sending it flying away.
Ah, of course. I'm not the only one that would charge in blindly for Akeno. Alright, old man. I'm leaving Akeno in your care. I hope your feelings will get across to her.
Turning my back on the battle raging behind me, I returned my full attention to Loki who was still peppering me magic attacks.
Now… the only problem now is to find out how to restrain Loki for me to nail him with Mjölnir. As long as I keep swinging it around blindly, I'll just tire myself out.
But it's clear that Loki's growing more and more frustrated by the fact that I kept dodging his attacks.
"Tch, enough!"
Throwing open his robes, more shadowy snakes slithered out and lunged towards me simultaneously.
As I was rearing back Mjölnir to strike down the conjurations, a different black shadow sprouted out of the ground in front of me and completely devoured the shadow Midgardsormrs. The shadowy mass congregated into a singular form of a traditional western dragon.
"Good! It seems we made it in time!"
An unfamiliar voice crackled through my earpiece.
"Can you hear me, Saya Hyoudou? There's no time to explain thoroughly, but I need you to communicate with Saji! His special training resulted him in going berserk. If he stays like this any longer, he may truly lose his mind!"
Saji… turned into that dragon? Just what the hell did they do to him?
All of a sudden, the swarming mass of shadows twisted and convulsed before multiple tendrils shot out of it and homed in on any life form in its vicinity. Four of the tendrils latched onto my arms and legs while a fifth found its way to my neck and wrapped itself around it. Almost as soon as the first one touched me, I started feel my power being drained away.
Everyone else was in a similar state of restraint on the field. Even Loki seemed to be having trouble breaking free of the draining tendrils.
Dammit! At this rate not only Loki, but all of us..!
Closing my eyes, I focused and tried reaching out with my consciousness. I probed around for any sign of Saji's consciousness, but it was like I was wading through mud.
This… idiot..!
"Saaaaajiiiii!"
Forgoing any finesse, I sent out a mental shockwave to blow away whatever was blocking my access.
"U-uh…"
There! There he is!
"Saji! Can you hear me? It's Saya!"
"Wh-What..? Saya-chan? What's going on? It's so dark."
"Just shut up and focus, okay? You need to listen to my instructions right now."
"Uh, huh? O-Okay. Right!"
"What can you see right now?"
"Darkness… it's almost like I'm surrounded by shadows… wait! I see something! Gold, silver, and… a lot of blurry shapes."
That's a start.
"Alright, listen. Your power is going out of control right now. I need you to focus on the gold and silver forms. Now see if you can find me. I should be right behind you."
"Um… Ah! I think I see you. Yeah. There's no mistake. Your aura is extremely unique so-"
"Yeah, whatever, doesn't matter right now. Now turn one-eighty and focus your power on that guy. Gold, silver, and guy across from me. Focus on those while letting everything else go. I'm counting on you."
"R-Right! Leave it to me!"
Almost instantly, I felt the bonds restraining me begin to loosen. Returning my consciousness back to my body, I opened my eyes and saw that Saji had successfully reigned in his powers. Loki and his two pet wolves were still struggling to break free of the tendrils, but the rest of us were now free.
Now… let's end this.
Once again, I began pouring magic into the hammer in my hand, this time filling it up with as much juice as I can.
"Yoooouuu! Get away from me!" Loki screeched as he pointed his finger at me and fired multiple lasers at me in a blind panic. "Do you think you've won?! Diediediediediiiiieeee!"
Not wanting to lose concentration, I took the attacks head on. The lasers cleanly pierced through multiple parts of my body that my armor wasn't covering while easily blasting off chunks of the thin armor as well.
Once I filled the hammer with as much as I could give it, I rocketed towards the immobile god, my entire body enveloped by the lightning sparking off the hammer. Storm clouds filled the sky again as random pillars of lightning fell from the sky and cracked against the ground.
"Scatter! Into elemental dust!"
Roaring, I brought the hammer down full force against the Norse god.
The entire battlefield was enveloped by a blinding white light, and for a brief moment, the world around me seemed to cease to exist.
"Haaaahhh… Finally some peace and quiet…" I let out a heavy sigh as I flopped down onto one of the velvet couches decorating our club room.
That whole ordeal with Loki really took a lot out of all of us, but in the end, a lot of good things came out of it. Most notably was Akeno patching up her relationship with Baraqiel.
Let's see… We managed to capture and restrain an unconscious Loki while eliminating his pet wolves. Valerie… well, we didn't see what happened to her after she was teleported away with Fenrir. I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that she won, though.
I glanced over to the side where Asia was sitting to see her skimming through a guidebook for Kyoto.
That's right. The school trip is coming up soon.
"Saya, we should go shopping when we have time to prepare for the school trip," Asia said, her eyes peeking over the top of the book.
"Indeed," Xenovia added while hitting her fist to her palm. "We need to go underwear shopping in preparation."
Underwear..? How exactly does that fit in to the stuff we have to get?
"If that's the case then a pure white set is a must!" Irina chipped in.
Oh great. Now Irina joined in.
"But I have heard that black lace is trending the most right now…" Xenovia said.
She keeps up to date on lingerie trends? That's unexpected.
"E-Eh..?" Asia looked at a loss at the conversation going between Xenovia and Irina.
Hm… What would look good on each of them…
Asia definitely should wear white… maybe a babydoll to really make her look like an angel. Xenovia I feel would look good in a mature black lace set complete with stockings and a garterbelt. Irina would probably wear a white chemise. It's similar to a babydoll, but more risqué.
Yeah… That would be nice…
"Saya!"
"Eep!"
I jumped in my seat as Xenovia's face appeared mere inches from mine.
"Y-yes?"
I wasn' thinking aloud, was I?
"What do you think?" Xenovia asked as she pulled back and stood with her hands on her hips.
Crap! I was too busy fantasizing so I wasn't listening to the conversation at all.
"U-Uh… Wh-Why don't we go shopping and I'll help everyone pick something out?" I suggested.
"Yes! I thank that's a wonderful idea!" Irina exclaimed while clapping her hands together.
Sighing, I leaned back into the couch and looked at Rossweisse who was sitting in the corner of the room, hugging her knees and mumbling to herself. Apparently Odin just ditched her here when he went back.
Hopping off of the couch I walked over to her side and patted her shoulder.
"Um… Are you alright, Rossweisse-san?" I asked gently.
The woman sniffed and glanced up at me with teary eyes.
"I've been abandoned haven't I?" She whimpered. "Uuu… I've been fired haven't I? I… I… Uwaaaahhh!"
Sobbing, the grown woman threw herself into me and began crying into my shirt.
Ah… Th-this is kind of pathetic isn't it…
"D-Don't worry, Rossweisse-san, I'm sure Odin hasn't abandoned you at all," I said, trying to reassure her.
"But if I go back now I'm sure I'll be chastised for not doing my job properly as Odin's guard!"
"W-Well… I'm sure we can arrange something to do for you here, then…" I said while glancing over at Rias and silently mouthing for help.
My master smiled and got up before she walked over and placed a hand on the Valkyrie's head.
"Yes. That's right. I have already found you a job as a teacher at this school. I've heard you always wanted to be a teacher, right?"
Um… Is this..?
Rossweisse perked up upon hearing that and raised her head to look at Rias.
"Yes that's right. My dream has always to become a teacher, but my duties as a Valkyrie prevented that," she said before her voice wavered. "C-Can I really become a teacher here..?"
Rias smiled and nodded.
"Of course," she replied while taking out some kind of legal document. "See? All the paperwork is already done."
"Ah! It is! It's all there!" Rossweisse exclaimed as she snatched the document and poured over its contents. "Amazing! The pay here is far better than my pay as a Valkyrie!"
Rias' smile changed instantly changed from a good natured one into an evil one.
"You know, if you decide to become a Devil, you'll also receive all kinds of other benefits," she said while producing more documents from seemingly thin air.
I see what's going on here… Odin didn't just forget about her.
Grabbing the documents, the Valkyrie's eyes bulged out of their sockets as she stared at them.
"Th-This is! The insurance is this cheap?! Not to mention there are tax refunds?! These living conditions are far better than in Valhalla!"
Yep. I think I can see where this is going, too.
"In addition, the Gremory household provides benefits such as a section of land to your name that provides a monthly income as well as political protection."
"I see…" Clutching the documents in her hand, Rossweisse jumped to her feet and took Rias' hand. "I'll do it! I will join gladly join you!"
Ah… the mind of a single adult woman with no past experience is quite… fragile it seems. Looks like whoevers scheme this was ended up going off without a hitch.
Rias took out a Rook piece, her final Evil Piece, from her pocket and placed it in Rossweisse's hand.
"Very well. I welcome you into our Peerage."
The room glowed with a red light as the chess piece sank into the Valkyrie. A moment later, a pair of bat-like wings sprouted from her back.
So we have a full Peerage now. Not to mention it's full of pretty girls of all types. Well Gasper is a male, but… he may as well be female at this point. Ah… instead of hell, this feels more like heaven.
After the ritual was finished, Rossweisse turned to face the rest of the room and bowed.
"I look forward to working with you all. Now that I have become a Devil, I feel I should reintroduce myself. My name is Rossweisse, a former Valkyrie working under Odin."
""Yes, we look forward to working with you, too.""
With this, another chapter in this life has come to a close with the arrival of a new ally and the excitement for the impending school trip. Although we've all been through some rough times, I feel like its peaceful times like these that make life truly worth living.
-Stat Sheet-
Master: Rias Gremory
Evil Piece: Pawn (x8)
Name: Saya Hyoudou
Titles: The Dimensional Ruler, Blue Messiah, Conqueror, Hound of the Vatican, Holy Blue Knight
Sex: Female
Race: Half-Beast Reincarnated Devil (Wolf-type)
Height: 5'5" (167cm)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Parameters:
Strength: B+
Endurance: B+
Agility: A++
Magic: C++
Luck: A++
Weapons: Varied
Known Unique Weapons: Holy Lance Longinus [Unusable], Crimson Sun Blade, Holy Moon Sword, Holy Sword Caledfwlch [Unusable], Clarent, Neith's Holy Bow, Sessho-Seki Fragments, Claiomh Solais, Joyeuse, Vorpal Sword, Deux Xiphos, Qing Long Yan Yue Dao, Laevateinn, Gan Jing and Mo Ye, Tyrfing, Hrunting, Dainsleif, Balmung, Valmanway, Burtgang, Kunitsuna, Muramasa, Parchment of Omniscience, Ascalon
Skills:
Magic Resistance: E - Somewhat reduced magic damage.
Battle Continuation: A - Makes it possible to fight even with deadly wounds and stay alive unless a fatal blow is received.
Charisma: C- - Slightly boosts the morale and abilities of nearby allies.
Collector: EX - Hoarded an uncountable number of rare items.
Disengage: B - The ability to safely break away from combat.
Eye of the Mind (True): C+ - Heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.
Pioneer of the Stars: EX - An unique skill given to heroes who became turning points in history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" are turned into "events that can be realized".
Abilities:
Boosted Gear: EX - A Sacred Gear that holds the ancient dragon Ddraig. It has the ability to double the user's strength every ten seconds as long as the user's body can handle the strain.
Balance Breaker – Blade Dancer: EX – An alternative form of Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker that combines it with the Dimensional Vault to summon blades.
Balance Breaker - Iron Fortress: EX - An alternative form of Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker that forgoes speed and offense for thicker, magic resistant armor.
Dimensional Vault: EX - A collection of items that Saya has collected during her journeys. It has an unlimited storage space.
Reincarnate: EX - An ability to revive from the dead.
Mold Reality: N/A
Awakening: EX - A psuedo-time stop ability that involves slowing down one's own perception of time by speeding up the body's processes. It has adverse effects on the user.
Dash: EX - A 1.25x speed boost to movement speed. It will last indefinitely until the user runs out of stamina or combat begins.
Jump: EX - A super jump that can clear mountains. The user will be completely vulnerable before to after the jump.
Adventurer's Insight: EX - The ability to sense areas of civilization, dungeons, ruins, and treasure. It has a maximum range of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles).
Mad Enhancement: A - Increases one's parameters but trades their sanity for it.
Bash: A++ - A strong physical attack that also inflicts damage to the user.
Seismic Slash: A++ - An area of effect attack with a bladed weapon that creates a shockwave by striking the ground. It has a maximum range of 5 meters.
Iron Wall: B+ - A purely defensive technique that gives near impenetrable defense with a shield but the user becomes completely immobile.
Hero's Ballad: (N/A)
Z***ra Weave: (N/A)
Shadow Clone: B - Creates a physical clone that takes up half the user's stamina.
Flash: D - Briefly blinds surrounding enemies with a bright flash from a camera.
Power to Dominate a Dimension: (N/A)
Infinity Dimension: EX - A barrage of items from the Vault that uses magic as a propulsion system.
Shift: EX - An ability to change one's age. It can only be used once a day and cannot be reversed for 24 hours.
Shundo: A - An instant movement technique that is akin to teleportation using either magic or ki.
Bullet: B+ - A projectile of concentrated magic energy fired from a finger gun.
Elemental Prowess: D++ - An affinity for utilizing all elements of magic.
Makiage: A++ - An advanced sword technique that can only be used against experienced swordsmen. By striking a certain point of the opponent's sword at the right time during an overhead attack, one can disarm them by flinging their sword into the air.
Harem Progress:
Rias Gremory: Rank 10 (MAX)
Akeno Himejima: Rank 10 (MAX)
Asia Argento: Rank 10 (MAX)
Yumi Kiba: Rank 10 (MAX)
Koneko Toujou: Rank 10 (MAX)
Xenovia Quarta: Rank 10 (MAX)
Gasper Vladi: Rank 8
Valerie Lucifer: Rank 8
Rossweisse: Rank 2
Ravel Phenex: Rank 8
Irina Shidou: Rank 6
Kuroka: Rank 5