Finally! This chapter is done! I apologize for the longer than usual wait, but this is the longest chapter yet as there was a lot to cover. Once again, I would like to thank SacredKoopa for assisting me with writing this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
By the way, I forgot to mention at the beginning of the last chapter that the next day was this story's 1st anniversary. I have something special planned for when I hit the 50th chapter milestone, so stay tuned for that.
Within the confines of the sealed Rating Game field, Azazel and leaders from the other factions were fighting off the Khaos Brigade Devils. Thanks to Odin, they were able to pass through the barrier and launch a counteroffensive. Azazel had just finished relaying information on the assault to Melody and her peerage, who were insistent on rescuing Asia and putting Diodora in his place. The match was originally being broadcast throughout the Underworld and the cameras were also taken within the barrier so the Old Satan Faction could send a message. After Azazel had wiped out a considerable number of enemy Devils, he looked in the direction of the temple where Diodora holed himself up in with concern.
"Michael, I need to borrow your Ace for a moment." Azazel looked to the Angel.
"Why do you need her?" Michael questioned after backing up to the Fallen Angel governor.
"Considering how confident the Old Satan Faction is about this attack, even though we saw it coming, I have a feeling there's a possibility the Red Dragon Emperor might use Juggernaut Drive. If that happens, that might be our only means of stopping him." Azazel replied.
"… Very well then."
Melody, Issei, Misaki, Spiral, Aria, Azusa, Hikaru, Katherine, and Akira finally reached the entrance to the temple where Diodora was currently hiding himself inside of. When they reached the end of the chamber, they went through a long hallway until they sensed several presences ahead of them and stopped dead in their tracks as ten small, hooded figures appeared before them.
"Well, hello there, Melody Morag and her servants."
Diodora's voice echoed throughout the temple and Issei looked around trying to figure out where it was coming from.
"Hahaha! Oh, Red Dragon Emperor, it's pointless to try and find my voice. I'm waiting for you in the sanctuary just up ahead. How about we play a little game before I'm ready? Think of it as a substitute for our canceled match. A battle between my pieces and yours. The rules are simple; once you use a piece, you can't use it again until you reach me. Anything else goes. For the first round, I'll be using my eight Pawns and two Rooks. By the way, all of my Pawns have promoted to Queens. Oh, what fun! Eight Queens for my opening gambit! You're okay with that, right? I've heard that all of your servants are especially strong, correct, Melody Morag?"
Melody smirked. "Very well. We'll play your little game for now."
"Melody-sama, are you sure about this?" Issei asked.
"As long as they're holding Asia hostage, we don't have much of a choice." Melody whispered back to Issei before examining the hooded figures around them. "Issei, Akira, Azusa, Katherine, Hikaru, you're up!"
Issei and Hikaru were somewhat flabbergasted by Melody's choice until she motioned everything to huddle up.
"Akira will handle the two Rooks." Melody looked to her aqua-haired Rook.
"Heh, I'm looking forward to this." Akira grinned while cracking her knuckles.
Melody nodded before looking to Katherine. "Katherine, Azusa, you two are going to fight the Pawns and subdue them. Issei, Hikaru, you two will support Katherine and Azusa with your Sacred Gears. I'm sure Issei wants to give Diodora a good wallop, so I won't have you do too much at this stage."
"Thanks, Melody-sama." Issei nodded.
"One other thing, Issei." Melody said. "Hand Katherine a vial of your blood."
"Right."
Issei took a small vial of blood out of his pocket and handed it to Katherine.
"Thanks, Issei!" Katherine smiled cheerfully.
"Oh, there's actually one more thing." Melody raised her finger to them. "Don't kill any of them. They can be brought in for interrogation and… I can't help but feel that something's off about them."
Katherine drank the contents of the vial and the moment she swallowed it, a powerful aura enveloped her body and her red eyes were now glowing. Azusa readied herself by summoning Dyrnwyn from a pocket dimension and its blade burst into flames upon her touch.
"We're taking Asia back! She doesn't belong to scum like Diodora!" Azusa resolutely declared.
"Time to bust some skulls in." Akira said as she came up to the vanguard formation with Katherine and Azusa.
An enormous amount of demonic power surrounded her forearms and her skin in those areas eventually changed color to that of a brilliant blue.
"Whoa! What happened to your arms, Akira-chan?!" Issei asked.
"I've armed them with so much demonic power, that they take on the qualities of a demon." Akira replied. "These Rooks don't stand a chance."
Diodora's Rooks leaped toward Akira, but she stood her ground and as the enemies threw out their punches, Akira grabbed their fists with each of her hands. They tried to break free from Akira's grasp, but they couldn't even move them with the slightest budge.
"Asia-chan finally has a place she can call home." Akira growled under her breath. "We won't let you take that away from her!"
Akira pulled the Rooks toward her and swung them in a single circular motion in the air before slamming them into the floor which caused it to split with huge cracks. The force was so great that both Rooks were rendered completely unconscious.
"Now it's our turn!" Katherine said as she pulled out her rapier.
Issei promoted to Queen before activating his Boosted Gear.
Boost!
Even though Azusa was using her Holy Sword, she made sure that she was only using the blade for feints as she did not intend to kill her opponents. Whenever any Pawns tried to take advantage of those openings, Azusa used her bare fists to take them by surprise and counter their counterattacks. Any Pawns that slipped past Azusa were making a beeline straight for Issei and Hikaru but were all quickly intercepted by Katherine who was moving about the battlefield at incredibly high speeds.
"Bingo!" Hikaru exclaimed as she wore her Sacred Gear over her head. "I created some weak points for you! You should be seeing them soon! Strike those with enough power and you should be able to knock them out, no prob!"
That must be one of the new abilities Hikaru acquired for her Sacred Gear. That's unbelievably helpful! Issei thought.
Explosion!
"Katherine, Azusa-chan! I'm ready!" Issei shouted.
The two young women backed up to Issei and he touched their shoulders as he transferred his stockpiled power to them.
Transfer!
Katherine and Azusa could feel their power increase significantly and they suddenly saw targeting reticles on a particular spot on each of the Pawns. Azusa tapped the reticles on four of them with Dyrnwyn's pommel while Katherine punched the targets on the other four. In one hit, the Pawns were all knocked unconscious. However, Hikaru seemed exhausted and nearly ready to collapse.
"Hikaru-chan! Are you okay?" Issei exclaimed in concern.
"My new power takes a lot out of me." Hikaru stated. "And it doesn't work on people a helluva lot stronger than us, so it's not something we should rely on all the time."
"We managed to win the first round." Melody spoke up. "All that's left are the Queen, two Bishops, and two Knights. Let's go."
On Melody's order, they all ran further into the temple until they were approaching three more hooded opponents.
"We have been waiting for you, Melody Morag." One of the figures lifted their hood, revealing themselves to be a mature and gorgeous blonde woman with crystal blue eyes. "I am Master Diodora's Queen. The two young women behind me are his Bishops."
"If you're the enemy Queen, then I guess it's my turn." Misaki stepped forward.
"Spiral, can you and Aria handle the two Knights by yourselves?" Melody asked as she turned to her Knight and his Regalia.
"Aria and I went through some pretty rigorous training with Grimm Red. I'm sure we can take them on without issue." Spiral smiled lightly while Aria nodded with a hum.
Once Spiral assured his King, Melody stepped forward next to Misaki.
"Misaki, I won't let you take these three on by yourself." Melody said. "We're going to need as much of our strength as possible for our battle with Diodora himself."
Misaki nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Melody-sama."
As the two young women took up their fighting stances, Hikaru pulled on Issei's arm and stood on her toes to whisper into his ear.
"… Really? Will that work?" Issei questioned.
"Mm-hm." Hikaru hummed in confirmation.
"Okay…" Issei looked at Misaki. "Misaki?"
Misaki turned back to Issei.
"Um, if you defeat those three, I'll take you out on a date next Sunday." Issei paused before turning back to Hikaru. "Are you sure this will work? I don't think a date will be enough to-"
The air around Misaki chilled to incredibly low temperatures as a smile appeared on her face.
"But of course, Issei-kun."
Melody's lips curled into a soft smile. "You really love Issei, don't you, Misaki?"
"With all my heart."
"Will you just get focused on our fight instead of your insignificant love lives?!" The Queen shouted in irritation.
Suddenly, the bodies of Diodora's Queen and Bishops were encased in blocks of ice and a dangerous aura was surrounding Misaki.
"Don't you dare call my love for Issei 'insignificant'!" Misaki looked at the Queen with searing anger before creating a huge chunk of ice in front of her. "Melody-sama!"
"On it!"
Melody, with her special gauntlets and boots, kicked the ice Misaki had created and enhanced the force so that the block was sent skidding across the floor. The ice chunk crashed into the enemy Queen and Bishops and eventually into a wall. When the dust settled, the ice was broken into pieces and the three women were rendered unconscious.
"Now that those three have been taken care of, only the Knights remain and then we're saving Asia!" Melody proclaimed.
The peerage started moving onward again and stopped when they saw a familiar priest standing before them.
"What's up, bitches?"
Issei growled at the sight of this person. "Freed!"
"It's so good to see you again, Little Issei! Did you miss me?" Freed was as seemingly carefree as ever.
Spiral looked around the room and saw no one else but them and Freed. However, he did notice a pool of blood on the floor.
"You're probably wondering where those two dashing Knights fucked off to…" Freed grinned at the Devils before pulling something out of his mouth, which he revealed to be a woman's finger. "I ate them!"
Hikaru covered her mouth in disgust. "Guys, my Sacred Gear is picking up a strange signature from him. He's no longer human!"
Freed's grin extended into a demented smile as he laughed insanely. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! After that shitty pretty boy defeated me, Vali took me back to Grigori just so Azazel could fire me!"
A repulsive sound came from Freed's body as it began to swell and grow in size, his clothes tearing as his bulk increased, horns sprouting all around his body, a bat-like wing forming on the right side of his back, a gigantic arm forming on the opposite side, and his face melted and drooped to reveal a set of sharp fangs.
"After I was left for dead, the Khaos Brigade found me and promised me power! Gahahahaha! They remade me into a chimera! Bahahahahaha!"
Everyone watched Freed transform with their disgust plain on their faces.
Freed continued cackling. "Gahahahaha! By the way, have you heard about Diodora Astaroth's little hobby? It's so diabolically twisted it brings a tear to my eye!"
What's this asshole going on about? Issei thought.
"It's his taste in women. He's such a lustful individual, but for him nothing tops girls from the Church! Nuns are his favorite!"
'His taste in women'… 'Nuns'… Asia!
Freed's monstrous grin widened. "He only preys on the most fervent believers. His servants, the ones you all just defeated, were all famous nuns and Holy Maidens from around the world! Wahahahaha! That pompous Devil brat seduced those women and broke them until they became his playthings! Oh wait, that's what Devils do, isn't it?! Whispering sweet nothings in the ears of those devoted Holy Maidens and make them fall for him! He really does have a Devil's tongue!"
"Then that means… Asia-!" Issei realized something.
Freed laughed. "Who do you think set up Asia's exile from the Church? None other than Diodora Astaroth! Here's how it goes: One day, this Devil noble who loves fucking religious sisters set his sights on a beautiful Holy Maiden. From the moment he saw her, he wanted to stick his dick inside her. But she was so devoted to the Church that he realized he needed to do some extra work to make her his."
But then… Asia's expulsion from the Church was-
"That dear Holy Maiden was such a kind, gentle, and thoughtful girl and after some digging, he found out she possessed a Sacred Gear capable of healing even Devils. That's when he had an idea: 'If someone saw her healing me, the Church would have no choice but to give her the boot'! That scar he got was a small price to pay if it meant tapping that ass! And why not? That's just how he rolls!"
("I don't regret saving him.")
Those were the words Asia told him around the time they first met.
What the fuck? Issei tried his best to hold back his rage.
"That Devil snob realized that if she were exiled from the Church, her only home, she would have nowhere to go. Without her faith in God, she would have nowhere to turn but to him! Bwahahaha! And what better way to spice things up than adding a dash of suffering to the dish! He could rescue her from the depths of her despair before defiling her until he's had his fill! Breaking her body and mind would be a cakewalk! There's no greater pleasure for a Devil like him to having his way with the most devout maidens! Byahahahaha!"
Issei was clenching his fist so tightly that blood started dripping from his hand and he nearly took a step forward until an arm was held out in front of him to halt his advance.
"Save that rage for Diodora, Issei-kun." Spiral spoke up, his eyes filled with just as much seething contempt as his friend. "Aria and I will deal with Freed ourselves."
Spiral stepped forward with Aria at his side and Issei could see her fury-filled eyes.
"How could he talk about vile things with such glee? I utterly despise people who take pleasure in the misery of others." Aria growled with a chilling tone that was completely opposite to her usual demeanor.
"I find it disgusting that I used to work for this man." Spiral said. "We're kind of opposites in a way. Killing Devils only filled his heart with joy, whereas for me it was guilt and regret. As long as this man… no, this creature lives, he's a stain on this world."
Spiral and Aria stopped a short distance from the psychotic priest.
"Hmm… Where have I seen you before?" Freed scratched his cheek, trying to remember something. "Ah! You're one of those Knights I met back at the church Raynare was using as a base! I see you've finally got yourself a lady! So, tell me, did you fuck yet?"
Spiral and Aria didn't respond or even deign to give Freed any sort of reaction.
"You totally did it! Ha!" Freed laughed. "You look a lot stronger than the last time I met you, but so am I! Strong enough to gobble up those two Knights like chicken nuggets and absorb their powers! Freed is invincible now!"
Their expressions unchanging, Spiral held out his right arm toward Aria and she held up his left arm toward his before a purple glow appeared between them. That glow formed a shape and when it disappeared, there was now a purple sword in Spiral's hand with what looked like instrument strings attached to the blade like it was a guitar. As Spiral pointed the newfound sword at Freed, Aria began channeling a stream of energy to Spiral and everyone could feel the power of his aura increase. Freed began shooting blades from his body, but both Spiral and Aria disappeared and reappeared behind the former priest without getting hit by a single one of them. For a few seconds, Freed was frozen solid, but suddenly his body fell into cleanly cut pieces, with his head rolling across the floor with his eyes widened in shock.
"How… are you this strong?"
Issei's jaw dropped at how quickly and easily the duo of Spiral and Aria had managed to defeat the maniacal exorcist.
"… Heheheh…" Freed's dismembered head chortled. "Well, it's not like you'll be able to defeat Diodora or the guys backing him behind the scenes. And none of you have even the slightest idea of the true horrors of the Longinuses…"
While Freed was giving one more cackle, Spiral stabbed the blade straight through his skull, piercing through his brain and ending his life for good before pulling out the sword and kicking the head to the far end of the room.
"… Finally, some peace and quiet." Spiral spoke up after hearing the head finally stop rolling.
Damn, Spiral! That was badass!
Spiral took a deep breath before turning back to his friends. "I'm fine. Let's go."
Melody and her peerage continued to make their way through the temple.
In a part of the Underworld close to where the Rating Game between Melody and Diodora was held, there were ruins that appeared to be hundreds of years old. Just outside of those ruins stood a few hooded men with collars around their necks, keeping a lookout for anything. Hiding behind a large piece of debris were a group comprised of Rias, Mythra, Akeno, Yuuto, Xenovia, Koneko, Gasper, Fumiko, Kayoko, Karlel, and Morgana. Kayako was watching from the edge to gauge the enemies' actions.
Rias summoned her Power of Destruction with an angry look in her eyes. "Alright, I'll just swiftly elimi-"
"Hold on a moment Rias, look closely at their necks." Karlel immediately put an arm in front of Rias.
Rias looked toward the guards and saw the collars around their necks.
"They might be guarding this place against their will." Karlel surmised. "The Magician is open season, but we should just knock out anyone else."
Rias nodded at Karlel before she summoned a mini communication circle to her ear. "Yuuto, Mythra, Kayoko, move swiftly and knock out the guards. And remember, they are only one of many barriers that we must remove in order to rescue Luke from his captor."
"Understood, Buchou." Yuuto confirmed through the communication circle.
Mythra, Kayoko, and Yuuto immediately vanished, making Rias and the others watch as the two swiftly knocked out the guards with the pommels of their swords.
Rias and the others came out of hiding and moved toward the entrance where Mythra and Yuuto were.
"Great work, you two! Now let's go and rescue Lukie!" Rias declared.
As everyone began to make their way inside, everyone suddenly felt a small power spike. Rias froze for a moment in surprise until Morgana's eyes widened in shock.
"T-that's Luke's Kaelian aura..." Morgana realized. "I don't know who his kidnapper is, but I think they just made Luke angry."
"We need to hurry!" Mythra shouted before rushing into the base by herself.
"Fuck Mythra..." Karlel groaned. "Come on! We're following after her!"
Everyone ran off after Mythra, who was knocking out guards left and right with her high speed and Foresight.
Hang in there, Luke! Mythra thought to herself I... no, we are coming for you! Please be safe until then!
After Mythra took out several guards on her way inside, she saw a group of women running in her direction.
"You think you can stop me?!" Mythra readied herself.
However, Mythra stopped when she saw that three of the women were a Tengu, a nine-tailed Kitsune, and an Elder Oni.
Didn't Morgana mention something about a Tengu, a Kitsune, and an Oni?
Mythra looked through the group to see if Luke was among them, but there was no sign of him and she then stopped the Elder Oni in her tracks.
"H-hey! Did you happen to see a young man with brown hair and hazel eyes? I-I'm here with some friends looking for someone of that exact description." Mythra asked.
The Elder Oni narrowed her eyes at Mythra. "That depends, who's looking for this young man?"
Mythra sighed heavily. "Her name is Rias Gremory."
"... The boy's name is Luke Sigmund, correct?"
"You know Luke?" Mythra was surprised they knew her Wielder's name.
"I do, that young man saved me from captivity. I'm known as Chizue Gouma, and behind me are Mitsumi Iori and Sora Mikazuchi."
"Do you know where Luke is now?" Mythra inquired.
"We insisted that he leave with us, but he decided to go and confront the Magician that kidnapped him." Mitsumi sighed softly.
Sora nodded in confirmation. "He calls himself Manfroy and he serves someone by the name of Roman."
Rias and the others arrived just in time to hear Sora's statement.
"Did you say 'Roman'?!" Rias asked.
Mythra nearly jumped out of her skin when Rias yelled before the Aegis turned around to glare at the redhead. "Fucking hell Rias, do you want Manfroy to hear you screeching?!"
"It's not like it would matter." Sora said. "Luke is probably facing Manfroy as we speak."
Rias marched up to Sora in anger. "And you didn't try and stop him?!"
"ENOUGH!" Chizue stomped on the ground harshly, making the whole place tremor.
Rias froze upon hearing Chizue shout.
Chizue groaned before her face turned serious. "I let Luke go and fight Manfroy. Like I had told Mitsumi and Sora, he needs to fight his own battles."
"Still, he should at least know that we're here for him." Mythra said.
Chizue looked at Mythra in the eyes and saw a raging fire burning within them before sighing heavily. "There's no stopping you from going to see Luke, is there?"
"... Luke was right there when he was taken from me..." Mythra tightly clenched her Aegis sword. "I won't let it happen again!"
"... If you want to be by Luke's side, go right ahead." Chizue relented. "But only interfere in his battle if he requests it."
On the highest floor of the ruins, Luke had arrived at a large set of stone double doors that he was able to push open with ease. Manfroy was sitting in a big chair inside and when he saw Luke enter the room, his eyes widened in shock.
"How did you escape my runic barrier?!" Manfroy exclaimed before he realized something. "One of those Youkai women must have dispelled it!"
Manfroy waved his hand into the air as if to summon a magic circle, but nothing appeared.
"You removed the detonation devices, too?!"
"Did you honestly believe we would just lie down when you forced us to breed?" Luke questioned the Magician's logic with agitation clear as day on his face.
"You're a teenage boy whose species is close to extinction! This scenario should be a fantasy turned reality for you! You dare deny your true nature and turn your back on your kind?!"
"I already told you! I refuse to have sex with women who don't even love me! Kidnapping me, Sora, Mitsumi, Chizue, and the other women and forcing us to mate… You're a despicable human being, Manfroy!"
Manfroy was growing irritated by Luke's defiance.
Luke, this man called himself the right hand man of Roman, did he not? Opheria spoke up within Luke's mind. This might be your chance to ask him of Roman's motive.
Luke realized what Opheria was getting at and looked back at Manfroy with a question. "Manfroy, do you know why Roman wants me dead?"
"Hmmm… I suppose I can tell you. Roman wants you dead… because he thinks of you as an abomination."
"Simply because I'm a half-breed?"
"In a way, yes, but it's a deal more complicated than that. From what Roman has told me, when he finally arrived on Earth and saw you, he became terrified of your aura."
"My aura?"
"Now that I've seen you for myself, I can only surmise that what he sensed was both the aura of a Kaelian and that of a Heavenly Dragon, the latter due to your Longinus. Both species have powerful auras by themselves, so their auras combined must contain unimaginable power. However, I believe there is more to it than that. After all, the Gremory family are able to withstand your aura, despite their strength paling in comparison to Roman's."
"Keep going." Luke pointed Ragnell at Manfroy.
"That is the extent of my knowledge for Roman's desire for your death."
"Then I have one more question. You told me that Roman is unwilling to have children, but you never explained why. Can you answer that?"
"Roman never told me the reason why, but I would venture a guess that it's for personal reasons. Once again, that is all I know. If you want those answers, you will need to ask Roman yourself."
Luke quietly started the countdown to his Balance Breaker out of Manfroy's sight and Ragnell disappeared.
"However, I have a question I would like to ask you in return, Sapphire Dragon Emperor." Manfroy placed his hands behind his back and created an orb of magical energy within them. "You say that you refuse to mate with women you don't love you. Are there women who love you outside of these walls?"
Luke's expression softened, but only slightly at the thought of certain women, before sighing softly before his face became serious. "Say I do have women that love me outside of these walls, why ask me such a question?"
"If those women are of supernatural races, then your species will most definitely thrive once again."
"While that is true, why are you so obsessed with bringing back the Kaelian race?" Is Manfroy not aware of the other thousand on Etoulde?
"When I first met Roman, I witnessed the extent of a Kaelian's power against the deadliest rogue Magician in modern history. It was terrifying... but beautiful. He later told me how his species is dying."
Luke rose a brow at this. "Why would Roman tell you this if he wanted not to take up any brides?"
"He only answered because I asked him if there were others of his kind. I couldn't allow your species to die without being known by the supernatural world. Those emotions I felt when I saw Roman's power... I want the rest of the supernatural world to experience it themselves. That is why I wish for the Kaelians to live again."
Luke's eyes narrowed. "And yet you kidnapped innocent women, along with myself, to be used as breeding stock to make Kaelian children. Nothing about that is right!"
"Do you not wish to repopulate the Kaelian? Regardless of the methods, that is your duty."
"It is NOT our duty!" Luke snarled as he flared his Kaelian aura. "You claim it to be, but us Kaelians just want to live our own lives in peace! But it's people like you that make our lives difficult! And it's people like you THAT MAKE ME FUCKING SICK!"
Are you ready to use it, Luke?
Let's do it!
Melody and her servants finally arrived at the deepest part of the temple, seeing a huge device embedded in the wall, adorned with jewels and various glyphs all. Tied down to the middle of the large device was Asia, who appeared to be unharmed.
"Asiaaaaa!" Issei shouted the moment he saw her.
"You're finally here."
Diodora walked out from behind the device with an innocent smile that was a façade of his true nature, the mere sight of which made Issei's blood boil and he started the countdown for his Balance Breaker so he could hit him with everything he's got.
"… Issei?" Asia looked toward the Pawn with her red and puffy eyes, as if she had been crying hard just moments ago.
Issei glared at Diodora, realizing what he had done. "Diodora, you told Asia everything, didn't you?"
"Yes." Diodora answered with amusement. "I went over every little detail. Heheheh, how I want to show you her face when I revealed everything to her. Oh wait, I can because I got it all on video. No matter how many times I see the agony of realization on the faces of those former Holy Maidens, I never tire of it."
Asia started sobbing.
"But it's not enough yet." Diodora continued his monologue. "She's still hopeful that you will all save her, especially that putrid Red Dragon Emperor. You ruined my beautiful plan to make Asia mine. When that Fallen Angel Raynare was supposed to kill Asia, I would intervene, kill the Fallen Angel myself, and revive Asia with an Evil Piece. Unfortunately, I made a miscalculation. I thought you wouldn't stand a chance against Raynare, but that Bishop from that disgusting half-breed's peerage had to offer herself up first and the Sapphire Dragon brat went and killed Raynare on his own. And then Asia became attached to you, Red Dragon Emperor. Because of all of you, my plan had to be delayed far longer than I would have liked. No matter, everything's falling into place now and I can have my fill of Asia."
"Shut up." Issei spoke in a chillingly low voice.
"Asia is still a virgin, right? Excellent. I would hate it if the Red Dragon Emperor had his way with her first. However, it would be fun if she had an affair with another man right in front of the Red Dragon Emperor. Maybe I should force myself on her while she's crying out your name?"
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Issei's eyes went bloodshot as he roared at Diodora and his Devil and Dragon aura suddenly flared out violently, right before he swiftly donned his armor.
Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!
Issei then took a few steps forward before he stopped beside Melody, her face holding a serious but cold look.
"May I?!"
"With pleasure." Melody nodded with her cold expression still on her face.
"Ddraig, can you hear me?"
What is it, partner?
"Just for today, give me everything you've got. No holding back."
… Alright.
Diodora laughed as his body became surrounded in a thick, pitch-black aura. "Fantastic! So, this is the Red Dragon Emperor! But I've powered up as well! Thanks to the serpent Ophis gave me, I'll kill you before you-"
Without wasting time, Issei ignited the boosters on his back and blasted toward Diodora, the Pawn's fist plunging directly into the traitorous Devil's stomach before he could even finish his sentence. Diodora vomited out blood along with anything that was in his stomach before Issei pulled his fist back.
"You were going to kill me before what?" Issei rhetorically asked with a low voice.
"Gah!" Diodora stumbled back while clutching his stomach. "How dare you?! I'm a High-Class Devil! The brother of the current Beelzebub! A noble like me will never be defeated by lowly, filthy reincarnated trash like yourself!"
Diodora held his hand out and shot out a volley of demonic energy bullets at Issei. The Red Dragon Emperor simply walked forward, either deflecting the bullets of demonic power with his hands or letting them bounce off of his armor.
Looks like all of that training with Tannin-ossan paid off. Issei thought. I thought this guy might be stronger than Melody, but I'm not even the least bit scared of him.
Indeed. In terms of raw power, you're definitely a force to be reckoned with in your own right.
As Issei got closer, Diodora halted his attacks and tried to run off to a safe distance. Issei activated the propulsion unit on his back to speed toward the noble Devil, but Diodora summoned a multilayered barrier in an attempt to block his attack.
"Vali's barrier was stronger than that!" Issei said as he threw out his fist.
Issei's punched smashed through the barrier like it was made of tissue paper and his fist slammed right into Diodora's face, slamming him into the ground and causing blood to run down his face.
"… That hurt. That hurt! You son of a fuck!" Diodora shouted in anguish. "Why?! My power should be unparalleled! Ophis was supposed to give me unrivaled power!"
Issei lifted Diodora into the air and punched him in the gut with an aura-covered fist before delivering another blow to his face.
"I refuse to be defeated by a disgusting dragon like youuuuuuuuuuu!"
Before Issei could punch Diodora again, he erected another barrier, thicker than the previous one, that stopped the attack.
"Ahahahahaha! See that?!" Diodora boasted. "My demonic powers are infinitely stronger than yours! There's no way a brutish Red Dragon Emperor could ever hope to defeat me!"
"I'll show you what this brute can do!" Issei roared.
Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!
The booster on Issei's back started pushing him forward against the barrier, to which small cracks started appearing before shattering like glass.
"Brute force is all I'm good at, so I can only charge ahead full force!" Issei shouted at a now deathly pale Diodora. "Still, it's more than enough to beat the shit out of you! Don't you ever make Asia cry again!"
Issei threw his fist at Diodora again, who tried to block it with his left hand, but the force was so great that it broke the Devil's hand with a loud and satisfying snap and the strike continued until he was punched in the face again, sending him flying into a pillar in the distance. After hitting the floor, Diodora practically limped to his feet while spitting out some blood and broken teeth.
"Impossible!" Diodora's voice shook. "I'm strong enough to defeat Agares and Bael! I won't lose to a worthless Gremory! I am Diodora from the House of Astaroth!"
Diodora raised his right arm in an attempt to use another demonic power attack, but Issei had closed the gap during his rambling and delivered a left hook directly into his right elbow, cracking his bones and bending his arm in the opposite direction as the repugnant Devil screamed in agony. Issei grabbed Diodora by his collar and held him up into the air. The helmet of Issei's dragon armor vanished to reveal his face as he glared directly at Diodora's face.
"If you come near Asia again, I'll crush your balls into a fine paste, got it?" Issei threatened Diodora before tossing him to the floor and stomping on his leg to break it as well.
"Issei-kun, aren't you going to finish the guy off?" Akira questioned.
Issei shook his head. "Even though he's aligned with the terrorists, killing the brother of the current Beelzebub would cause a lot of political problems. Besides, I'm sure the Great Satans will give this prick a suitable punishment."
With Diodora beaten and cowering in fear, the Morag peerage approached the large device that Asia was attached to. Issei immediately ran up to Asia and gently stroke her head.
"It's okay, Asia." Issei assured her. "We're here to save you, just like I promised. Once we get you out of here, we'll head to the basement and wait for Azazel and the others to rescue us."
Hikaru used her Sacred Gear to analyze the device to discover a means to free Asia from it.
"Are you kidding me?!" Hikaru exclaimed in frustration. "There's no way we can break Asia from those restraints!"
"What?!" Issei looked back at Hikaru in shock.
Suddenly, they all heard Diodora chuckling as he laid on the floor.
"It's no use. That device can only be used once and the moment it activates, it can't be stopped… Not until Asia uses her abilities."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Issei aggressively asked.
"This is a unique barrier created by a Longinus user." Diodora responded. "The same technique that was used to create the barrier around our battlefield. Dimension Lost, the most powerful barrier-type Sacred Gear. It creates an infinitely unfolding mist around the user and can seal anything inside, even transporting any unsuspecting fools into an alternate dimension. Its Balance Breaker, Dimension Create, can forge devices like this from its vapors. Once they are activated, it can't be stopped until it's completed."
"How is the device activated? And what is its ability?" Spiral questioned.
"It was designed to activate when I or someone else gave the signal… or if I was defeated. As for what it does… It amplifies the abilities of the person in its center, Asia, and reverses them."
"If Asia's healing ability is reversed then…" Issei gasped when he realized what would happen.
"What's the device's range?" Spiral demanded of Diodora.
"… The entire battlefield and the VIP viewing room!"
Melody's face paled. "All the leaders of the Three Great Powers could be killed!"
"Did the match between Rias and Sona give you this idea?" Issei asked.
"No." Diodora shook his head. "The Khaos Brigade has been playing with the idea for a while now. That match was the perfect testing ground to prove that it could work."
"There must have been a traitor on the Fallen Angel's side that provided Sona's team that ability as a field test!" Melody said.
Ddraig, can't you do anything? You're a Longinus, too. Issei mentally asked Ddraig.
No, Dimension Lost is a higher-ranked Longinus than Boosted Gear. Once it activates Balance Breaker, it's unstoppable. Remember that there are Longinuses more powerful than yours.
"Dammit! Why did such an overpowered ability have to be one the side of the Khaos Brigade?!" Issei then slammed his fists against the floor. "What are we going to do?!"
Manfroy could suddenly feel a chill run down his spine as Luke became surrounded by a menacing aura that was a shade of blue so dark that it was almost indistinguishable from black.
"Manfroy!" When Luke spoke, his voice was merged with Opheria's. "Your fate was decided the moment you took me for your selfish purposes! Now, you will learn to never invoke our Outrage!"
The aura surrounding Luke suddenly exploded, blowing the roof off of the building as he was suddenly donning his sapphire dragon armor. Just as the roof went flying, Rias and her group arrived on the top floor and were caught off guard when they saw it happen.
"Well, that doesn't look good." Karlel snarked.
They all ran into the room and saw Luke confronting Manfroy as an immense amount of aura was emanating from the young man.
"This aura…" Morgana muttered aloud. "It feels like that of the Kaelian Gods…"
Luke and Opheria's voice then started speaking an ominous chant.
"I, who shall awaken…"
The Art Creation Scale Mail started to transform, its shape becoming more beastlike with wings sprouting from his back, his hands warping into razor-sharp claws, and horns growing from his helmet.
"Am the Heavenly Dragon who stole the principle of creation from God
I crave for the 'infinite', and admire the 'dream'
I shall become the Sapphire Dragon of Creation…"
The transformation stopped and Luke's armor now took the appearance of a sapphire-scaled humanoid dragon.
"And show you the possibilities within the sapphire sea! Juggernaut Drive!"
Luke let out a deafening roar that forced everyone close by to cover their ears.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!"
Issei, Melody, and their group suddenly heard a bestial cry that echoed throughout the battlefield, Diodora cowering in fear at the sound.
"Don't tell me we've got to deal with whatever the fuck that is now!" Akira groaned.
"Don't be so glum, Akira! Maybe it's friendly!" Katherine said.
"That was…" Melody was surprised as she recognized a part of the voice. "Luke."
"I knew it was friendly!" Katherine cheered.
Issei looked at Melody in shock. "How do you-"
Partner, your rival seems to have activated his Juggernaut Drive.
What?! Issei thought to Ddraig. Won't that kill him?!
No, not immediately. I have a feeling his Kaelian aura is giving him some time. I'd say he has about ten to fifteen minutes before his aura runs out. At that point, his life is definitely at risk. For now, just focus on saving your friend.
Issei looked back at Asia and his eyes widened as he saw that the restraints are connected directly to her.
"Asia! I made you a promise that I would protect you, whatever it takes! We're going back home together! Mom and Dad are waiting for us!" Are you ready for this, Ddraig? I'm going to need all the power you can muster!
Are you going to use Dress Break on her?
Issei placed his hands on the restraints and began stockpiling power.
Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!
"Balance Breaker Boosted Armor Break!"
The jewels in the Boosted Gear Scale Mail emitted a brilliant red light as the stored power flowed through Issei's hand and into the restraints. Asia's clothes started to shred into pieces, although her underwear was still intact, and cracks started to form in the device with the restraints being the first thing to break, freeing Asia.
"It worked!" Issei exclaimed before his armor disappeared and he dropped to one knee.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see Melody.
"Did you just use a modified Dress Break on Asia?" Melody asked.
"Well, I thought since the device was attached to Asia that it would be considered clothing."
Melody smiled. "You'll have to tell me about it later. I'm very impressed that you managed to keep Asia's underwear on this time."
"Well... I suppose you could say Luke-kun is rubbing off on me."
"Yes!" Melody grinned as she patted Issei on the back. "You're finally becoming a gentleman like Lukie! I'm so proud of you Issei!"
As Issei smiled, Akira came running up to Asia and wrapped her into a bear hug.
"Asia! Thank goodness you're okay!" Akira was tearing up as Asia was in her arms.
"Asia, how are you doing?" Issei asked. "Diodora told you a lot of horrible things, didn't he?"
Much to Issei's surprise, Asia shook her head. "No, I'm alright now. I was shocked at first, but I felt better when you came to my rescue." She then turned to Melody and the others. "Miss Melody, everyone, thank you so much for helping me."
"You don't have to call me 'Miss' all the time, Asia." Melody lightly chuckled. "When in private, you can just call me Melody. We're friends, after all."
"… Okay, Melody." Asia thought about it for a second but agreed and hugged her King.
"I'm glad you're okay now, Asia." Azusa came up to her and gave her a small smile.
"Yeah, you deserve a lot better than that jerk!" Katherine cheerfully said.
"Asia?"
Asia looked to Issei, who had held out his hand to her.
"Let's go home."
"Right! B-but I need to pray first!" Asia clasped her hands together.
"What are you praying for?" Issei asked.
"It's a secret." Asia bashfully replied.
Suddenly, a pillar of light rained down from above and enveloped Asia. The moment the light disappeared, Asia vanished along with it, leaving everyone in a state of shock. However, the one who was the most shocked was Issei.
"… Asia?"
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The transformed Luke had used his enhanced strength to rip off Manfroy's right arm with ease, blood pouring out from the Magician's shoulder.
"What's the matter?!" Both Luke and Opheria's voices echoed from the armor. "You were so confident earlier! I guess you're not so tough when you're missing an arm, are you?!"
Manfroy tried to cast a healing spell to regenerate his lost arm, but a spear that looked like Gradivus protruded from Luke's right arm and pierced the Magician's left arm clean off.
"AAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH! Y-you damned brat!"
Luke stomped over to Manfroy, snarling as the Magician tried to run away in fright. "Why are you running Manfroy?! Get back here and fight me like a man!"
"This... this is the unrestrained power of the Paradise Dragon..." Manfroy's voice shook as he tried to run away. "No man would be willing to stand against that."
"You seem to forget one thing Manfroy." Luke immediately appeared in front of Manfroy. "I'm also a Kaelian, meaning..." A blade that looked like Falchion sprouted from his wrist. "You cannot escape my wrath!"
Manfroy suddenly felt his body fall to the ground. As he hit the floor, he realized he could no longer feel or move his legs as Luke had cut them off in a flash. Luke put his massive dragon head right at Manfroy's before he let out a loud roar, making the man nearly have a heart attack when he saw the sharp teeth of the dragon before him.
I knew dragons and Kaelians were powerful, but I didn't think they could be this terrifying! Manfroy thought as he looked at Luke in absolute horror. I should have realized sooner that there was no way I could control such a monster!
Luke then ceased his roaring and backed away before he caught a new scent. "One of your allies?"
"Over there." Karlel pointed Rias and the others toward the sky where she and Luke could sense a presence.
Rias gasped when she saw a large bird made of ice flying high above their heads.
The ice bird descended toward the top floor of the building and after it reached a certain height, a person jumped off of its back and landed in front of Luke and Manfroy. When they stood up, they were revealed as a stern-looking woman in her mid-twenties with long blonde hair that reached past her waist and wearing a conservative black military uniform.
Luke turned around with a stomp and snarled at the woman. "Grrrrr..!"
The woman was shocked seeing a blue dragon with a limbless Manfroy laying behind it, until she connected the dots and her face returned to being stoic. "Ah... I see, so you are Luke Sigmund, the Kaelian Abomination."
"Are you here to kill me on Roman's behalf?" Luke queried as he readied himself.
The woman shook her head. "No, in fact, I believe killing you would lessen the livelihood of your species being able to thrive once again." She held her tightened fist to her chest as if saluting. "I am Aleksandra (Age 25), Commander of Lord Roman's Guard."
Luke made no response, he just kept watching Aleksandra.
Aleksandra noticed Luke's uneasiness. "If you're wondering why I'm here, I was originally going to take Manfroy behind you so Roman could punish him for his deeds. But it seems you have it all under control."
Luke turned back to Manfroy before he slowly lifted up his foot. "Say goodnight, monster."
Manfroy immediately knew what Luke was going to do, but he wasn't even given a chance to yell as Luke crushed the Magician with his foot. Aleksandra winced at Manfroy's end while the others weren't very surprised that Luke killed the Magician.
"That was for kidnapping me, Sora, Mitsumi and Chizue, you asshole." Luke suddenly gritted his teeth before he turned to Aleksandra. "If you truly aren't going to kill me... then help me shatter the armor of the Juggernaut Drive. Activating it was easy, but I didn't even think of how to get out of it."
Aleksandra and Luke stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the woman nodded.
"… Well, since you killed that traitor, I suppose it's the least I could do since I made it all the way here." Aleksandra examined Luke's Juggernaut Drive dragon armor for several seconds before nodding. "I'll need to damage your armor, then you can probably will yourself out of the Juggernaut Drive afterwards."
Luke nodded and Aleksandra looked up at the ice bird above her.
"Sasha, can you strike this man with an ice spear? Just one powerful enough to damage his armor."
The large bird named Sasha screeched in response to Aleksandra's request.
Rias was confused as to what Aleksandra was doing. "Um, can someone explain to me what that woman is doing?"
Karlel then explained to Rias. "She's having her Sacred Gear, Freezing Archaeopteryx, attack Luke, hoping to help him dispel his Juggernaut Drive."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Fumiko asked.
"It's less dangerous than being in Juggernaut Drive for too long." Karlel responded. "He's currently using his Kaelian aura to maintain control, but that won't last forever. At that point, his lifeforce will be quickly drained until he's dead."
Everyone gasped in shock, except for Morgana, not knowing the backlash of using Juggernaut Drive.
"If you knew that, why didn't you stop Luke from using it?!" Mythra angrily questioned.
"Ask Opheria." Karlel shrugged. "She's probably the one who told Naughty Boy to use it."
Mythra gnashed her teeth. "I'll be sure to give her an earful when we're all out of this."
Aleksandra watched as Sasha readied a powerful attack before she looked at Luke and gave him a big smile.
"I hope you'll be able to help Roman someday, and maybe consider him a great uncle, like how you consider his daughter your aunt."
Luke's eyes widened at Aleksandra's words. "How do you-?"
"Know about Ruby? Roman tells me everything, including stories about his many battles with his old friend, your father if I recall."
Luke wanted to ask Aleksandra more questions, but then he was suddenly hit by a powerful ice attack from Sasha, making him roar in light pain. There was a small dent in his armor, but Luke felt the instability and used that opportunity to make the Juggernaut Drive armor disappear, his body returning to normal before falling over.
Aleksandra blushed lightly seeing what Luke truly looked like and couldn't help but squeal internally. Roman, why would you try to kill this cutie?! He'd make an amazing great nephew for you!
Before Luke hit the floor, he felt someone grab him and stop his fall.
"Luke! Are you okay?! That Magician bastard didn't hurt you, did he?"
Luke looked up to see the worried face of Mythra, making him smile at her.
"No, Manfroy didn't touch me. I'm perfectly fine." Luke then looked at Aleksandra with a serious face for a moment until he gave her a small smile. "Thanks."
Aleksandra smiled back and she finally noticed that there were a large number of women who had come to rescue him. Manfroy didn't need to kidnap this boy.
Rias and the other women ran over to Luke and Mythra before the young man was suddenly hugged by the redhead and Akeno, making Aleksandra chuckle and step back a few inches.
Because the future of the Kaelians looks pretty bright to me. Aleksandra then turned to Sasha. "Let's go Sasha, I think we're done here."
Sasha cooed lightly.
"Hold on a second."
Aleksandra turned to see Luke shakily get to his feet with the help of Mythra and Morgana before he gave her a serious look again.
"I want you to deliver a message to Roman for me."
"What is your message?" Aleksandra asked.
Luke's eyes glowed brightly, the galaxies swirling at insane speeds. "I wish to meet with Roman someday, along with Ruby by my side. Now, should Roman be willing to peacefully talk, that's wonderful. But should he try to kill me again, just because of what I am..." He then scowled. "I'll show Roman what a true 'God' looks like, one fresh out of mercy."
"... I will be sure to give him your message... And I hope that you three can talk this out..." Aleksandra got onto Sasha's back before the giant ice bird took off into the horizon.
Luke watched as Aleksandra left before Mythra suddenly got into his face with a glare.
"Um... Mythra?"
"Opheria, I know you can hear me!" Mythra pointed directly at Luke's chest. "Why did you let Luke go through with that?! If he ended up stuck in that Juggernaut Drive, he would've died!"
Suddenly, Falchion appeared in Luke's hand before it began to vibrate.
Okay. Firstly, I knew of the risks, Mythra. I would've never suggested Luke to use Juggernaut Drive otherwise. Secondly, a Magician with their hands is when they're at their strongest, which is why I had Luke use Juggernaut Drive in the first place. And lastly, Luke needed a way to destroy all of those seals on his body.
"I had seals?" Luke blinked in surprise at that information. "I thought the seals President placed on my Evil Pieces were all released before our match against the Sitri peerage."
"Opheria isn't talking about those seals..." Morgana shook her head. "She's talking about the seals I put on your Kaelian abilities."
"What… what do you mean?" Luke felt confused by what Morgana was saying.
"When Sophia and Laelius were still alive, they had asked me if I could seal your Kaelian aura, abilities and powers away, that way the Evie wouldn't find you. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. We'll tell you more once you're home."
Luke merely just nodded at Morgana right before he heard Opheria speak up again.
W-wait. This aura... No... I-it couldn't be!
"Opheria? What's wrong?" Luke asked in concern.
Ladies, Yuuto Kiba, Gasper Vladi! Get away from Luke, now!
Rias was immediately concerned. "Why? What's-?"
There's no time for questions, Rias Gremory! A very powerful Dragon is making their way here and they're headed straight for Luke! I don't know what they want, but none of you can be in the way when they get here!
Karlel's eyes widened as she had a hunch who Opheria was sensing. "… You heard her! We need to get out of here!"
"You can all go! I'm staying here with Luke!" Mythra declared.
Karlel walked up to Mythra with a glare. "Mythra, this is non-negotiable! If it's who I think it is, they'll kill you before Luke can even take you back to Olympus!"
As Mythra and Karlel argued, Luke just barely noticed something approaching from the horizon at incredible speeds.
Opheria, do you know what's coming?
I do, they're known as the Dragon God of Infinity, a being just as powerful as the Dragon of Dragons.
Infinity? Luke suddenly remembered something Opheria told him a while back.
(The Ouroboros Dragon, a being of infinite power. The only one God would never cross.)
Luke swiftly turned to Mythra. "Mythra! Do as Karlel told you and get out of here while you still can!"
Mythra was surprised to see the seriousness on Luke's face, but she could also easily notice the panic and worry in his eyes. She looked at him for a moment before she sighed softly and hugged the young man into her bosom.
"Please... be careful." Mythra then kissed Luke's forehead before she ran off with Karlel and the others.
Once Luke could no longer see the ladies, Yuuto, or Gasper, he sighed heavily. When will the Ouroboros Dragon arrive?
...They're already here.
Before Luke knew it, a figure floated in front of him. That figure appeared to be a curvaceous woman with long black hair and black eyes with a small amount of dark black and purple eyeliner decorating them, a circular symbol of a snake eating its own tail on her forehead, and infinity sign hoop earrings on each of her ears. Her outfit consisted of a black and purple gothic Lolita dress that left most of her front completely exposed with nothing covering her nether regions and only two black X's hiding her nipples. Luke felt his jaw drop when he laid his eyes on the woman. However, Opheria seemed to be incredibly surprised.
Oh my, they didn't look like this before.
"So, that mysterious aura came from you..." The young woman spoke with an emotionless, but curious tone.
The voice that came from the young woman sounded rather seductive, even though her tone was emotionless, sending pleasurable shivers down Luke's spine. The young woman then noticed his eyes before she gently placed her hand on his cheek, making him blush profusely.
"Such interesting eyes you have... They are not only mystifying... they speak volumes of your power..."
Luke's face had turned a shade of red that probably hasn't been seen before as the young woman's dainty hand was on his cheek and her breasts were nearly pressing on the young man's chest.
"U-u-ummmm..."
The young woman looked into Luke's eyes before tilting her head. "Is there something the matter?"
"Y-you... y-y-your b-breasts..."
"Hm? What about my breasts?" The young woman seemed confused for a moment until she hit her fist onto her palm in realization. "Ah! I see. Hmmm, well if it'll make you join me, then I suppose I shall do as you ask."
With a swift movement, the young woman removed the two black X's covering her nipples. Luke got an instant nosebleed upon seeing her nipples and she walked up to him before hugging the young man, pressing his head in between her breasts.
"Go on, do what you will with them."
WHAT IS UP WITH THIS GODDESS OF A WOMAN?!
In the background, everyone else was watching Luke's interaction with the young woman, and Rias and Mythra were not happy about it.
"What does that skank think she's doing?!" Mythra growled as she crushed the part of the wall she was gripping with her bare hands.
Rias had her Power of Destruction in her hands as her eyes practically glowed. "I don't care who that slut is, nobody seduces my Lukie and gets away with it..."
"You two are really going to challenge the Ouroboros Dragon?" Karlel asked them.
Rias and Mythra froze before they turned comically white.
"Y-you mean..?" Rias pointed at the woman
"That's the O-Ouroboros Dragon God..?" Mythra also pointed at mysterious lady.
"Although, this is quite interesting." Karlel stroked her chin. "Last I recall, Ophis took the form of an old man."
Akeno giggled lightly. "To think Lukie-kun can even gain the attention of Goddesses, uhuhuhu~." She turned to Fumiko with closed eyes and a smile. "What do you think Fumiko-chan?"
Akeno soon opened her eyes and was surprised to see Fumiko pouting at Luke and Ophis.
"For Luke-sama to have such affection from a Dragon God... He's quite the fortunate soul." Kayoko commented.
Koneko simply gave the Ouroboros Dragon a death stare. "Busty gecko skank…"
"I'm not even sure I can even compete with that..." Xenovia said dejectedly.
Yuuto merely chuckled nervously, while Gasper was shaking with fright.
"S-she's not going to eat us, is she?" Gasper asked aloud.
"If we're lucky, none of us will be dying." Morgana replied.
Ophis continued to hug Luke until she slowly turned to where everyone else was hiding and tilted her head. "Why are you all hiding from me?"
Everyone froze in absolute terror when they heard Ophis ask that.
Ophis then looked down at Luke. "Are they enemies?"
Luke snapped out of his flustered stupor and immediately shook his head. "N-no! They're my friends, Ms. Ophis."
"Don't be so friendly with her!" Mythra shouted.
"All she's doing is hugging me!" Luke lifted his arms in the air with an incredulous look on his face.
"Luke, we saw her suffocating you with her breasts!" Rias pointed out.
"I am at face level with Ophis' breasts, President, what do you want me to do?!"
"Ophis, what do you want with Naughty Boy?" Karlel cut to the chase.
Ophis saw Karlel and waved at her. "Hello Azazel's spawn."
Did Ophis become an airhead since I last saw her? Karlel became agitated.
"I sensed this boy's aura. I want him to join me." Ophis said.
"You mean…" Karlel blinked in shock. "You want Naughty Boy to help you kill Great Red?"
Ophis adorably tilted her head in confusion again. "Is this young man's name 'Luke' or 'Naughty Boy'?"
Karlel stared at Ophis for a minute before she turned at Luke with a grin.
I don't like that grin. Luke shivered when he saw Karlel grinning at him.
Karlel then turned back to Ophis. "Sorry for the confusion Ophis, but his name is 'Naughty Boy'."
Ophis nodded. "Very well. Yes, I would like Naughty Boy to assist me in killing Great Red."
Goddammit, Karlel!
Everyone then heard a bunch of footsteps before they turned to see Sora, Mitsumi and Chizue running into the room.
Sora stopped before she panted heavily and looked up at Luke. "L-Luke, is everything al- HOLY SHIT IT'S THE OUROBOROS DRAGON!"
"Of all the..." Chizue gritted her teeth. "Why did they have to show up?"
Ophis tilted her head. "Why does everyone call me 'they', I am clearly a woman."
"We know you can change your appearance, gender and sex, Ouroboros Dragon." Mitsumi said.
Ophis suddenly went into thought before nodding and she began to glow for a brief moment. "I am now completely female. I can no longer become a male or genderless."
She can actually do that?! Luke thought with a dropped jaw.
Well Ophis is the Dragon God... pardon me, Dragon Goddess of Infinity, meaning she must also be able to make infinite possibilities become reality, such as making herself permanently female.
She said that she wants me to join her to kill Great Red. What is Great Red?
Great Red goes by many names. The Dragon of Dragons, the True Dragon, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, the Red Dragon of Revelations, and from what I've collected, the Guardian of Draconic Deus.
Is that Ophis' endgame for the Khaos Brigade?
Apparently Great Red stole the Dimensional Gap from Ophis, so she wishes to obtain 'her silence'.
I don't think I'd be of much help there, even if I had full control of Juggernaut Drive.
"Um... Ms. Ophis?"
Ophis looked down at Luke. "Yes, Naughty Boy?"
I'm never going to get used to that! "What makes you think I would be of any help against Great Red? I'm still very young and inexperienced compared to you. Honestly, I would just be a gnat in your fight as I am now."
"Oh, I must've confused you when I asked you to join me. I apologize. I meant to ask you to join me once you're strong enough."
Luke rose his brows in surprise at that, making Ophis continue.
"I can tell your power can achieve greater heights than that form called 'Juggernaut Drive'. So please, become stronger for me, won't you, Naughty Boy? And know that you will not be joining the Khaos Brigade by joining me. They are hardly interested in slaying Great Red... Hm?" Ophis suddenly turned her head toward the direction she came from.
Luke... I'm afraid Issei just activated Juggernaut Drive. Opheria spoke aloud.
Luke's eyes widened as he gripped Falchion. "Opheria, repeat what you just said!"
Issei just activated his Juggernaut Drive. While you and Vali can maintain it without issue for a short while, Issei doesn't have that benefit.
"Wasn't he in the middle of a Rating Game match? What would make him use his Juggernaut Drive like that? We need to help him!"
Ophis put the X's back on her nipples and suddenly grabbed Luke's hand before turning to Rias. "I'll be taking Naughty Boy to the Red Dragon Emperor. He will return to you after that."
"Wait!" Mythra reached out for Luke.
Before anyone knew it, Ophis had vanished along with Luke.
In the Rating Game field, a bestial red dragon was going on a rampage in what was the ruins of the temple that formerly served as Diodora's home base. A fair distance away from the temple's ruins stood an ice dome that suddenly cracked into thousands of tiny pieces, revealing that Melody, her servants, and a restrained Diodora were all taking shelter under it.
"Thanks, Misaki." Melody exhaled in relief.
Misaki had used her Eternal Frost Sacred Gear to create a shelter made out of ice after they had managed to escape the crumbling temple.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The red dragon roared in what sounded like extreme grief.
"Issei…" Melody muttered with sadness in her voice.
Suddenly, Luke and Ophis appeared next to Melody and her peerage.
"Luke?! How did you get here so fast?!" Melody then noticed the woman with Luke.
Luke gave Melody a small smile. "Hey Melody. And uh... Ms. Ophis here actually brought me here."
Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they heard Luke refer to the woman as 'Ophis'.
"What?! What are you doing with the leader of the terrorists?!" Hikaru exclaimed in bewilderment.
"Terrorists?" Ophis tilted her head cutely.
Luke shook his head. "Actually, it seems Ophis didn't even want to create the Khaos Brigade, she just wants her home back. What exactly happened here?"
The moment Luke asked that, a portal appeared above them and dropping from it were Vali, Bikou, and the blonde-haired young man in a business suit he had met a about a week ago.
Misaki's eyes suddenly widened once she saw who the blonde-haired young man was carrying. "Th-that's Asia!"
"What the hell did you do to Asia?" Luke summoned his Falchion and readied himself for a fight.
Melody quickly stopped Luke. "Wait, Luke! Asia was transported to the Dimensional Gap by a descendant of the original Beelzebub! Our Rating Game was hijacked by the Khaos Brigade with help from Diodora. After Issei kicked his butt, the descendant of the original Beelzebub transported Asia to the Dimensional Gap which made Issei so enraged he turned into... that." Melody looked back at the red dragon rampaging in the distance. "Shalba tried to kill Diodora before that, but I managed to save him so he can face judgment, even though he'll likely get the death sentence, anyway."
"If this descendant is still alive, I'm killing him." Luke growled with glowing eyes.
Katherine then ran up to Luke. "Hey, Luke! Why were you roaring earlier?"
Luke's eyes widened before he began sweating bullets. "O-oh... you guys could hear that?"
"Naughty Boy was in Juggernaut Drive as well, but he was able to revert back to his original state." Ophis stated.
Luke immediately facepalmed with a large blush on his face. Dammit, Ophis! I know you're a beautiful Dragon Goddess that means well, but why did you have to tell them that and call me 'Naughty Boy' in front of them?!
"You used Juggernaut Drive huh?" Vali seemed surprised. "And you didn't go insane?"
Luke narrowed his eyes at Vali. "From what Kuroka told me, you already know what I am. My unique aura was able to keep me sane and retain my lifeforce, albeit temporarily. Anyway, what are you doing with Asia?"
Vali shrugged. "We found her floating in the Dimensional Gap. Had we not found her when we did, she would've surely died."
The blonde-haired young man handed Asia to Akira, who immediately hugged the Bishop along with Azusa.
"Thank you so much..." Akira nearly broke into tears as she and Azusa held Asia close to them.
Luke then turned toward Issei. "But now we need to turn Issei back to normal or else Juggernaut Drive will exhaust his life force."
Vali walked up to Luke. "Why save him though? This just proves he's too weak to withstand the Jugger-"
The White Dragon Emperor suddenly received a swift but heavy punch to the face, sending him to the ground.
"He is NOT weak!" Luke shouted angrily at Vali. "Issei is my rival as he is yours, Vali! Are you telling me this is how you want your rival to die?! To something he cannot control instead of a glorious battle of the ages?!"
Vali pondered Luke's words before standing up. "... Alright. We're lucky Issei Hyoudou's Juggernaut Drive is incomplete. Otherwise, there would be no hope of saving him."
"Couldn't we just show him that Asia is safe?" Aria questioned.
Vali shook his head. "If you don't mind getting eviscerated. Perhaps if we could stimulate his mind somehow..."
Luke sighed heavily. "Then the only option would be to use... b-breasts." I cannot believe I just said that with a straight face!
"Not when he's like this." Vali said. "The best way to calm a dragon is through song, but there aren't any songs about the Heavenly Dragons."
"But there is!"
Everyone suddenly heard a voice approaching them. When Luke saw them, he recognized the person as Irina Shidou, who was now flying toward them with white angel wings.
"Long time, no see, everyone!" Irina noticed Luke and smiled. "Hi, Luke-kun! How are you?"
Luke blushed lightly before he smiled at Irina. "I've been well." He then noticed Irina's wings, making his jaw drop. "I-Irina? H-how are you an Angel?!"
"Michael-sama and the other Great Seraphs have been working on their own reincarnation system. But instead of chess, it's based on playing cards." Irina winked. "So now, I am Michael-sama's Ace!"
Luke was shocked for a moment before he chuckled lightly. "Only you, Irina. Only you would take the chance to become an Angel." His face then turned serious. "Now, about that song you mentioned…"
"Azazel and Michael-sama had a feeling that Issei-kun might go berserk, so they sent me over here with this." Irina brought out a projector device. "Although, it's thanks to Odin that we were able to come in here in the first place."
"If it'll help us save Issei-kun, it's worth a shot." Spiral said.
Irina then pressed a button on the projector and a large holographic image appeared above them, which the berserk Issei also noticed.
Luke noticed this, until it clicked and he turned comically white. "Wait! Karlel warned me about this!"
"Breast Dragon! Let's... go!"
""Breasts!""
The projector displayed footage of Issei donned in his Balance Breaker and surrounded by young children who all cheered 'breasts' in unison before a jubilant tune started playing.
"Was this... what Azazel dragged Issei to when we went to that studio the other day?" Melody questioned as the video continued.
Luke began to hear weeping in his head. Eh? O-Opheria, are you crying?!
I... can already feel Ddraig's pain...
Vali winced when the song started to play. "I... actually feel sorry for Hyoudou."
D-Ddraig... you never deserved something like this... Albion groaned from within Divine Dividing.
A title card and credits appeared on the screen:
'The Song of the Breast Dragon'
Lyrics: Aza-Zel
Composition: Sirzechs Lucifer
Choreography: Serafall Levia-tan
"He's out there in a far-off land,
Waiting for the sun to shine!
When it comes out, he searches far and wide,
Till he finds what's on his mind!
Dragon! Dragon! Breast Dragon!
Squeeze 'em! Suck 'em! Breast Dragon!
They come in every shape and size,
But he loves big ones most of all!
Breast Dragon! Soar!"
Everyone watching was left utterly speechless at the sight before them.
"He's down there in that far-off town,
Laughing all day long!
'Cause rain of thunder, it won't stop him,
From touching what he loves!
Dragon! Dragon! Breast Dragon!
Poke 'em! Stroke 'em! Oooooh!
He's seen so many, he knows for sure,
He loves big ones most of all!
Breast Dragon! Go!"
…
Luke snarled when he remembered the names of Azazel and Sirzechs in the song's credits. "I'M TO GROUND THOSE IDIOTS INTO DUST!"
Everyone slowly backed away from an enraged Luke, his Kaelian aura going out of control as his eyes glowed violently.
"... Urgh... breasts..."
Everyone suddenly heard Issei speak as he was clutching his head.
Spiral couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Man, today's just not Issei's day is it?" Let's hope my Mom doesn't see this. Issei would die of embarrassment if she did.
"He's responding to it!" Melody exclaimed in tearful joy.
Azusa appeared to be a bit sullen. "But... why would that cause a reaction?"
"Play it again, Shidou-chan!" Misaki ordered.
"Leave it to me!" Irina played the song again.
Issei seemed to be coming to slight senses as the song continued to repeat.
"Breasts... I wanna touch them... squeeze them... feel them... urgh... suck them..." Issei started making some kind of gesture as his claws disappeared.
"THAT'S IT!" Luke suddenly began to create something.
Appearing on Luke's right shoulder was a large cannon made of sapphire dragon scales and a massive amount of electricity began charging inside it.
"Ready for your maiden voyage, Mikasa?" Luke rhetorically asked the weapon he decided to name 'Mikasa'.
Spiral's jaw dropped while Melody immediately backed up in fear before a powerful and massive beam of lightning shot from the cannon and struck Issei head on, the Red Dragon Emperor roaring out in agony before Luke turned to Vali.
"GET MOVING, VALI! WEAKEN ISE BEFORE I BLACK OUT!" Luke shouted loudly.
"Very well." Vali said.
Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!
Vali became surrounded in his radiant white dragon armor before zipping past Issei at blinding speed.
Divide!
Issei's aura shrank significantly.
Luke gritted his teeth as he tried to stay conscious.
Luke! You've done enough sweetie! Opheria told him. Just rest now. The Juggernaut Drive has already done a lot to your aura and energy!
Luke's cannon disappeared as he fell to his knees with labored breathing and sweat rolling off of his hair.
"Good... luck, Vali..." Luke then fell face first onto the ground, losing complete consciousness.
"Luke!" Katherine ran over to Luke to check if he was okay.
"Hey, is everything alright here?"
Spiral recognized the voice and turned to see his mother, Seiryuu, and a young Valkyrie he had never seen before. "Mom!"
Seiryuu and the young Valkyrie landed in between Melody and Spiral.
Seiryuu then turned to Spiral. "Are you and Azusa alright, Rasen? I heard what happened and came as soon as I could with Irina."
"Yes, Azusa and I are fine... but Issei..." Spiral turned to Issei.
Seiryuu looked down and was shocked to see Issei in such a state. "W-what happened to the Red Dragon Emperor?"
"He thought Asia was killed and he activated his Juggernaut Drive." Azusa replied. "But he can't control it and it will eventually kill him."
Seiryuu then noticed the holographic footage with a song playing. "Rasen, what on earth is that?"
Spiral flinched. Sorry Issei, hopefully you won't be too embarrassed about Mom finding out about... whatever this is.
The Valkyrie woman was utterly dumbfounded by the video and song playing before her eyes. "How... how indecent..."
"If I find Sirzechs, I'm going to make sure he goes deaf." Melody nodded with a scary glare.
When the Valkyrie woman averted her eyes, she saw the unconscious Luke with Katherine on her knees beside him before gasping loudly in horror as she then swiftly made her way over to the young man.
"I'll heal you up!" The Valkyrie panicked as a warm glow surrounded her hands and she placed them on Luke's back.
Katherine gave the Valkyrie a blank look as she blinked a few times. "Um... Luke just fainted Miss."
The Valkyrie looked at Katherine nervously with a bead of sweat dropping from her head.
Katherine then smiled. "But it's very sweet that you're worried about Luke. I'm sure he'd be very happy that a pretty lady is helping him."
The Valkyrie felt her face flush red before she gave Katherine a shaky smile. "M-my name is Rossweisse. What's y-yours?" NOOOOOO! Please tell me she isn't competition for this young man's feelings!
"I'm Katherine Petrova!" Katherine smiled innocently. "It's nice to meet you, Rossweisse!"
Rossweisse shook Katherine's hand. She seems too childish. Thank goodness. I thought I was going to have a rival.
"Naughty Boy? Are you okay?"
Rossweisse and Katherine turned to see Ophis crouching down whilst poking Luke's cheek.
"Hey! That's what Ms. Karlel calls Luke!" Katherine cheerfully stated.
I DO HAVE A RIVAL FOR HIS AFFECTION?! Rossweisse turned comically white.
Seiryuu continued watching the video in disbelief, but she suddenly noticed the motion the transformed Issei was doing with his hands. Is he... poking something?
Spiral saw Seiryuu staring at Issei and his hand motions, making him deadpan. Ah, so he actually took Azazel's words seriously, especially after he poked Asia's breasts.
Spiral continued examining Issei's poking motion while the song was playing. "... I have an idea."
"Really?" Seiryuu rose a brow in curiosity. "Let's hear it then."
Spiral nodded before he started whispering into Seiryuu's ear. Melody enhanced her hearing so she could listen in on what Spiral was suggesting his mother to do until a blush appeared on Melody's cheeks as she heard their conversation.
"Hmm... An unconventional plan, but if it saves the Red Dragon Emperor, I will do it." Seiryuu agreed to her son's plan.
Spiral nodded with a smile. You're welcome Issei.
Seiryuu jumped toward the transformed Issei until she was standing right in front of him.
I can't believe I'm doing this... Seiryuu then took off her coat and tossed it aside before lifting up her shirt.
Irina's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, while Misaki's jaw dropped. Azusa's eye began twitching profusely before she slowly turned to Spiral.
"What did you tell Auntie Seiryuu?" Azusa questioned with animosity in her voice.
Spiral grinned nervously. "I, um... might've decided to be a wingman for Issei?"
Azusa slammed Spiral's face into the ground without uttering a single word. Seiryuu blushed lightly when she realized she had Issei's attention before unhooking her azure blue bra and dropping it to the ground, showing off her large breasts.
"M-my... b-breasts..." Issei groaned as his fingers reached for Seiryuu's massive tits.
Seiryuu blushed even more but decided to urge Issei on. "Yes... they're all yours."
Issei's index fingers pushed Seiryuu's nipples like buttons and the dragon armor instantly vanished. Seiryuu moaned softly before Issei fell face first into her bosom and she held onto Issei before he could fall backwards, making her sigh heavily.
Seiryuu couldn't help herself but smile with a small blush and pet Issei's head. "Hmph... you really are an interesting Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou…"
A/N: That's the end of the chapter! I told you it was going to be a long one.
When I post the next chapter, I will post an updated OC list on the Sapphire Dragon Discord server since I've introduced quite a few more since the last update. I would do it after posting this chapter, but I've made everyone wait long enough and I'm honestly feeling tired at the moment of finishing this chapter.
I showed off how much stronger Melody's peerage had become and there was no way I wasn't going to show Issei kicking the ass of that cruel rapist. Speaking of Diodora, I had him spared, although temporarily as it's guaranteed that he would be put to death for his treachery.
For Issei's Armor Break, it was to show how much Luke has affected the Red Dragon Emperor.
I also officially introduced Aleksandra, one of Roman's most loyal followers, but she actually has her head on straight, unlike Manfroy. And her Sacred Gear is one used in canon, but the character is inconsequential, so it felt okay to use it.
And it seems Ophis has taken an interest in Luke due to his Kaelian and Dragon aura. Her design is based on the appearance she briefly took on at the end of Volume 21 because holy shit is she busty and curvy in that form! For her accessories, I would like to thank Doctor Anime Lover 2938448 for permitting me to use the design. Please check out his fanfics whenever possible, he works quite hard on them.
For whose breasts Issei was going to poke to get out of Juggernaut Drive, I was going back and forth between Asia and Misaki until my consultant suggested Seiryuu, since I had to provide some kind of confirmation that she was going to end up in Issei's harem.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! The next chapter is the finale of this arc, followed by an interlude chapter of everyone returning to school which will lead into the next arc with Loki. Stay tuned for next time!
Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Pyra/Mythra, Karlel, Daphiel, Annabelle Wright, Akeno Himejima, Fumiko Kazuya, Melody Morag, Setsuna Kazama, Kayoko Kita, Xenovia Quarta, Emery Belmont, Roygun Belphegor, Belinda Green
Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, Asia Argento, Hikaru Ueda, Akira Kazuya, Kiyome Abe, Seekvaira Agares, Azusa Hirano, Ruby Evergarden, Seiryuu Hirano
Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Xenovia Quarta (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)