When the 6 year old boy— Hyoudou Issei— awoke, his body jolted with a cold sweat. For reasons he didn't understand, he was terrified. It wasn't until the very foundation of his childhood home began shaking that he realized something was wrong. It wasn't an earthquake, it was something far more powerful. Instinctively, Issei attempted to summon his Boosted Gear, but to no avail. It wouldn't respond, no matter how hard he tried.
"Ddraig?! Ddraig, are you there?!"
Then, suddenly, the ceiling above his bedroom began to crack. And with a forceful pulling motion, something had torn off the roof of his childhood home entirely
BREAK!
The giant creature which ripped away his ceiling— it was none other than the "Nightwalker" from Issei's past, the beast that killed his friend Haruka's mother.
Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!
An ear piercing sound was released from the Nightwalker's nonexistent mouth, and the monster snatched Issei from his bed, tossing him somewhere far away from his home. Issei didn't know how far he flew, but when he landed, he realized that he was in the middle of a familiar forest, the one near his favorite playground in the town.
When Issei looked up to the sky, he saw that it was dyed red, and foul beasts were flying everywhere around his town. Powerful lightning strikes of violet split the clouds. And in the distance, Issei heard a duo of familiar voices, clear as day.
"Help! Someone, help us!"
"No! Stay away!"
[—?!]
Those voices, they were without a doubt the voices of his parents.
"OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN!"
With no hesitation, Issei ran towards the sound of his parents' voices, the direction of his home. But as the boy was running, he was intercepted. A beast landed in front of him, a familiar one. It was a Manticore.
"MOAAH!"
In the creature's mouth, he could see the mangled corpse of an infant hanging from its teeth.
"Raaah!"
Issei snarled and charged the beast using only his arms as his weapons. The Manticore slashed and tore the flesh on his sides and his back. The pain meant nothing to him. Issei grappled the monster by the snout and pulled it into his grasp. Once his arms were firmly around its neck, he snapped it like a tough branch and dropped the corpse.
He continued running after killing the Manticore, but eventually, he was halted again by a group of smaller beasts this time. It was a group of carnivorous demon monkeys, all jumping from trees with human remains strewn hanging off of every branch.
Issei was once again overcome with rage and he mercilessly slaughtered the monkeys using his bare hands. Tearing them apart and crushing them one by one like toys, he didn't let a single one escape.
After that was done, Issei ran up to a fence of metal bars that separated him from his neighborhood. When he touched it, the metal singed the skin on his hands. Despite the painful burning sensation and the scent of his cooking flesh, Issei was not deterred. For how could he hesitate, when he could still hear the voices of his parents crying out in need.
"GRRAAAH!"
Issei pulled the bars apart through sheer brute force, allowing him an opening. He ran through the obstacle without abandon, hoping to make it in time. Because of this, he was unaware of his surroundings, causing him to trip over something. When he looked back, he noticed that he had tripped over the corpse of a half-crushed dog.
And despite being nothing but roadkill, the dog reared its head at Issei and spoke.
《You are but a child. —There is simply nothing you can do.》
"...!"
Saying nothing in response, Issei kicked the piece of roadkill away from himself and continued running.
Soon, he arrived at his home, only to notice that there were no windows, preventing him from seeing inside.
"Okaa-san?! Otou-san?!"
He slammed into the locked door with his shoulder until it flew open. But in front of him was not his childhood home, only a long, dark hallway which seemed almost never-ending. Despite its appearance, Issei sprinted through the darkness desperately. And all throughout the journey, he could hear his parents, not screaming in terror, but haunting him instead.
"Ise, why did you let us die?! Why weren't you there to save us?! We loved you!"
"This is your fault, son! I raised you to be a man who protects the ones he loves, but you were useless! Even as the Sekiryuutei, you were useless!"
"It's because of you! Our one and only son! Because you were born as the Sekiryuutei! If only I never had you! If only you had never been born at all…"
Issei ignored the pain in his heart and ran forward, never stopping despite the tears clouding his vision. Soon, he would be there. He could save them. If only he had just a bit more time…
"OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN!"
Until finally, Issei made it. Before he knew it, he was standing at the entrance of the playroom in his childhood home. And there, he found….nothing.
It was completely empty. Nothing in sight, nothing out of order. Everything looked fine.
"...I made it.."
Issei breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that he had indeed made it in time. His parents were safe. Nothing happened. His home was safe.
He turned to leave the room.
"...Eh?"
But when he turned around, there wasn't a hallway to greet him. Instead, he was just facing the playroom again, instead this time, the shrine dedicated to his parents memory was in plain view.
And right below it — his parents' remains were scattered about every which way. The most prominent piece being the severed hand of his mother.
"Ah.."
With an expression of hollowness, Issei fell to his knees.
"Ah…. That's right… They're gone… I couldn't save them…. I can't save anyone…"
Issei sat on his knees before the carnage. History had reminded him of what had already been written. It reminded him of his cruel fate as the Sekiryuutei— the fate of the Boy known as Hyoudou Issei.
《They are here.》
Issei lifted his eyes to see a windowsill above him, floating in the air with nothing to support its frame. The playroom of his home had been devoured by absolute darkness. And now outside of that floating window, he could see it…
It was a sight that mirrored that day almost perfectly. A night sky illuminated by countless magic circles. But instead of belonging to Devils who he now understood were trying to save his hometown, these were different.
Only a single glance and he felt within himself the surety…the certainty that these magic circles, every single of them— belonged to THE ENEMY.
《They've finally appeared.》
Issei's eyes moved to the ground below, where he felt the blood pool and run down, soaking his knees. The path of blood extended beyond him, surrounding him, and pushing his mother's severed hand closer to him. When he picked it up, he witnessed the decay of time taking over its form.
—That's when he heard his partner's voice echoing out from within the abyss surrounding him and countless other windows appeared everywhere. Each and every one reflecting the horrific recollection of his life.
[So, the day has finally come, eh, partner? …We've waited ten years for this. Ten long years… No, ten years too long, it seems. —Very well. So be it then. There's no turning back now. It's too late. If they've decided to show themselves, then we have no reason to hold back. No more…. Do it then. Let it all out, partner. All of those feelings trapped inside of you, all of that rage, release it. Expand your power. We've both waited long enough. —Partner. Son of Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. The strongest Sekiryuutei to ever live. Release it. Let go of your restraints. Revenge yourself upon the murderers of your kin.]
The reflection of himself cast in the pool of blood shifted differently from his own, taking on an expression of heartlessness.
《You've waited for this moment for ten years, haven't you, boy? Do it. Take your revenge. —Unleash retribution.》
The Boy's breath became ragged and his body trembled. The severed hand of his mother…had finally crumbled away into dust in his palms.
"...Khaos….Brigade…!"
As if history was on repeat, every inch of breath that expanded the Boy's lungs was released in a great howl after his parents demise.
But this time, it was not a lamentation of sorrow or pain. Instead, this time, it was a mighty roar that summoned all of that which was locked inside, hidden away since so long ago.
The call of retribution.
—In unison, the voice of the Welsh Dragon Emperor and the boy with golden eyes spoke to Hyoudou Issei. And so, out from the darkness, the wrath of the Boy who sought vengeance and the dragon who killed God— in all of its fury, was unleashed upon the world.
[—RAMPAGE, HYOUDOU ISSEI!]
《 RAMPAGE, HYOUDOU ISSEI!》
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
..Mother, Father….
It's been ten years.
10:33 PM
The united forces of the Khaos Brigade have begun their siege on the location in which the peace talks were being held, Kuoh Academy. Upon arrival, they immediately engaged with enemy forces, most of which had been frozen in time. Their plan to obtain the [Forbidden Balor View] succeeded. Now all they needed to do was unite against the captains and commanders of each of the Three-powers armies, who were left unaffected by the unofficial Longinus' ability.
Amongst these commanders, one stood out. Shemhazai, "the Owl," and vice-commander of Grigori.
"I was supposed to be planning my wedding with my fiance tonight…. But Azazel's prediction was correct. As it turned out, I did need to be here after all. Although, Barakiel is far better suited to a position like this. But I suppose we couldn't sacrifice Grigori's defensive ability at a time like this."
Shemhazai began formulating a counter-attack strategy as the sky continued to be filled with explosions. It reminded him of those long lost days of war.
"...We're outnumbered. A great number of Grigori defectors have appeared alongside these magicians and separatist devils, and with our armies being immobilized completely, we are at a disadvantage. In our current situation, only the leaders would be able to make it out of this alive and well, but the young ones in attendance will die…. How can we push back while keeping casualties to a minimum? The best idea would be to save the vampire, but they must have a failsafe in place in case we act. There's got to be a way… Hmm?"
Unexpectedly, the time spell cast on all of the allied powers was released, allowing the allied forces to be free.
(—?!)
"What..?! What just happened? Everyone was released? But how?"
Suddenly, Shemhazai felt his blood freeze as an indescribable presence emerged from behind him. He looked towards the new school building occupied by his allies, and…
CHILLS..!
—Only for a moment did he catch a glimpse of the ghastly silhouette standing at the windowsill. Out of pure instinct, he flew out of range from the building, not realizing that this was a last second dodge.
The next moment, the new school building erupted into a pillar of red lightning, green light and golden flames, turning the school courtyard into an unrecognizable wasteland.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The earth and its skies shook. Out of the explosive torrent of power and flames, a frighteningly familiar visage emerged. A mass of powerful aura took a recognizable form and shot out towards the enemies in the sky.
That large mass— it was undoubtedly the shape of the Red Dragon Emperor.
"WHA..?!"
It was a power that rivaled a Cadre-class being. A power that might've defeated Kokabiel at his full strength. A single attack. And with its collision to the abundance of targets up high, the implosion in the sky— almost an entire half of the battlefield above was emptied of enemies and allies alike. Wiped out in the blink of an eye.
And the following explosive wave of power that spread around the academy quickly approached Shemhazai, leaving him with no choice but to defend.
"Shit!"
Erecting a barrier and covering himself with his wings was barely enough to avoid damage, even from such a great distance away. The barrier itself was rendered useless the moment it was touched by the explosive wave, as it was destroyed immediately thereafter. Perhaps if not for the distance and durability of his wings, Shemhazai might not have come out unscathed.
"What is this…?! This power! It can't be..!"
When Shemhazai opened his wings to gaze upon the terrible power of the creature in the sky, he saw something alien to him.
An aura of blood-red color, murky and dark, like that of a rotting corpse, surrounding the outer hemisphere. And a pitch black core revolving the figure at its epicenter. That figure…. Without a doubt, it was the shape of the armored Sekiryuutei.
But the sound it released…it was inhuman, despite the appearance of the armor. A mixture of a humanoid voice and an ancient creature's, bellowing throughout the skies in unison as if they were one.
[ "MOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" ]
The mighty roar rattled Shemhazai's bones and shook his vision. It was as if the sound itself was an attack.
It happened. The catastrophe that Azazel warned him about, the disaster that Bal was expecting, had actually occurred. Just as predicted, right after the appearance of the terrorist organization known as Khaos Brigade.
SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN!
Shortly after the decimation of the vanguard forces, a vast collection of magic circles filled the sky. Forces from both sides of the conflict repopulated the sky.
"Reinforcements!"
Once those enemies and allies emerged, the dragon enveloped by darkness attacked. Without warning and without remorse, his massacre began.
A great frenzy of death on a level that Shemhazai had not witnessed since the Great war. Perhaps even since….the original Red Dragon Emperor's rampage in hell.
"Azazel… You allowed this one to live…? What have you done?"
CHAOS
"Buchou..! Buchou, are you alright?!"
Rias's eyes fluttered open at the behest of the voice calling her. It was her knight, Kiba Yuuto.
"Yuuto? What happened..?"
"The explosion knocked some of us out, but we're fine. No one is hurt."
Rias took in her surroundings. Everyone was gathered around her, but the focus wasn't directly on her. Instead, everyone, including the leaders of each faction, were observing the dust covered world outside of their defensive barriers.
"Tsubaki. Can you see anything out there?"
"Nothing, Kaichou. Everything in our field of view is obscured by some sort of debris or smoke."
Asia inquired worriedly.
"...Is there any sign of Ise-san?"
"None whatsoever, I'm afraid."
After coming fully to her senses and recalling what sort of situation they were in, Rias jumped to her feet.
"ISE!"
She ran up to her brother's side worriedly.
"Onii–sama! What happened?! Where's Ise?!"
"..Unfortunately, I do not know. After the building was destroyed, I lost sight of him. Grayfia and I were more concerned with protecting all of you. But even without a visual, I can still feel his power. It's surrounding everything…"
"Destroyed..?"
Rias didn't understand her brother's response at first. At least, not until she looked down at her own feet. Right then, she realized that there was no longer a velvet carpeted floor underneath. There wasn't a "floor" at all. All that the entire group of attendees was standing on was nothing but rubble and dirt in the shape of an incline. No, that's not it.
It was a crater of shallow depth but massive circumference. As if a grand portion of the foundation beneath them had been entirely razed away.
"Can you feel him out there, Vali?"
Bal focused his attention towards a specific direction, despite having no visual on the surroundings outside of the barrier. Vali's gaze followed Bal's, causing Azazel to grow suspicious.
"Yeah, I can feel him, easily."
"So, whaddya think?"
"...Heh."
Vali grinned and muttered with excitement.
"..It's perfect."
Azazel approached Sirzechs and his sister from the sidelines.
"Sorry, young lady, but it looks like your boyfriend has gone completely berserk after all. If it wasn't for your brother, you and your friends would have been dust particles. Sirzechs.."
"Yes, I know… Just give me some time. There might still be a chance… But if worse truly does come to worst, then I myself will…"
"Onii-sama? I don't understand. What is happening out there? Are we under attack? If we are, then what about my servants in the old school building? Is Ise alright?"
"I'm afraid I don't have the answers to your questions, Rias. But at the very least, I can tell you that Hyoudou Ise is very much alive.."
Serafall comforted Rias with a gentle grip on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Rias-chan. Everything might seem scary, but us Yondai-Maou are here to protect you! We won't let anything happen to any of your friends or servants. Rest assured."
Falbium Asmodeus signaled Ajuka Beelzebub from his side.
"Ajuka."
"I know. There's some sort of barrier restricting us access from the world outside of the Academy. Until this smoke clears, we're blind and deaf. Don't worry, I'll have this type of formula reversed soon. Only…"
"What is it?"
"...The demonic signature in this formula is familiar. The barrier was set by someone we know…. Someone related to the old bloodlines of the underworld."
"Do you mean one of the original four descendants?"
"No, this is different. This is…closer in nature to the original than any of them were."
"I don't understand. What do you mean by "the original?"
"...There. With that, the seal should be removed. Our reinforcements should be able to enter now."
"..You are avoiding my question, Ajuka."
"No, it's just a theory. Don't worry too much about it, Falbium. Besides.."
Ajuka, in the subtlest way possible, snuck a glance towards the Hakuryuukou across the way from him.
"...We can't air all of our suspicions out just yet, can we?"
After that, Falbium understood and didn't press the issue, leaving the two Maou in silence.
Sirzechs beckoned Michael and asked him.
"Michael, when it initially occurred, did you feel…?"
"Yes. It seems that the Forbidden Balor View was activated after all. But for some reason, it's been deactivated."
"Forbidden Balor…. Gasper! Onii-sama, that means they have Gasper! He and Koneko are in danger!"
"We know, Rias. What's strange is that if they have him in custody, why would they deactivate his ability?"
"Eh..?"
Azazel gave his two cents with a sigh.
"Hmm, they probably just didn't do it by choice. That boy likely deactivated his powers himself somehow. How peculiar considering that it was no doubt a "forced" activation spell they were using, I'm sure. If something like that came undone, then he either drank some of the Sekiryuutei's blood or he defied it through sheer force of will. No, considering the nature of his Sacred Gear, it's probably both. Still, impressive for a little Dhampir."
"...What? They "forced" him…? You say he "deactivated it himself," but…Gasper isn't capable of something like that. He's not experienced enough. He's not skilled enough…. Onii-sama..?"
Rias looked at her brother with a horrified expression, but Sirzechs reassured her.
"He isn't dead, Rias. They haven't killed him. It wouldn't benefit them in any way to do such a thing. Don't worry. The moment this smoke clears, I'll send Grayfia to retrieve your servants."
That was what Sirzechs said on the outside, but inside, he thought morbidly to himself.
'...No, she's right. The possibility of the boy being killed is there. If Gasper truly did defy the activation spell through sheer force of will or if he proved too resistant, then they'd have no reason to keep him alive. If he is not useful to the enemy, then he is a detriment; a threat. It would be wiser, in that case, to just dispatch him…. Hopefully, by the time I send Grayfia, it won't have been too late.'
Without warning, the ground shook violently and the winds of power began to split the clouds of dust apart.
Outside, there was…a mighty roar.
"[MOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!]"
"The dust! It's clearing!"
"Everyone, stay back!"
Eventually, the sharp cutting winds blew away the dust obscuring everyone's vision. A moment later, they were able to take in the surroundings outside of their defensive barrier.
"This is…the academy..?"
Rias saw nothing but devastation. A wasteland. The school grounds were reduced to rubble. More than half of the on site woodlands on campus were grazed like weeds to a mower.
All those who attended the academy understood the level of devastation set before them. Unlike anything they'd seen before. The battle with Kokabiel hadn't done nearly this much destruction.
Drip… Drip, drip…
"Hmm?"
Sirzechs raised his head when he thought he heard the sound of droplets hitting the defensive barrier.
"Rain…?"
Soon, there weren't any who could ignore the sound, as countless drops of liquid began to collide with the barrier surrounding them.
"What is that?"
"Something's falling. Water?"
"No… That's…"
—Blood.
Within seconds, they understood that it was blood that was running down the barrier, dying its yellowish exterior a deep red.
Sirzechs' expression darkened.
"...Carnage."
It was the only word he could use to describe what he saw in the sky.
"...I…se…?"
—The visage of the Red Dragon Emperor in the sky, surrounded by countless enemies that kept on appearing one after the other. And one right after another, as more and more emerged, and as more and more kept attacking, death arrived. Death - in the shape of a demon with red armor, slaughtering all of those who closed in. Tearing them apart, splitting them into pieces. Flying with non reactable speed, ripping and tearing as he blew past them.
Limb by limb, innard by innard, head by head— piece by every piece, their remains created a downpour.
A rain of blood…and guts.
"MOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
And as the pieces collided against the barrier and bounced on the ground outside, Michael turned away, bearing the sight no longer.
"..O' Lord… Father…"
The Dragon of Misery had begun its rampage.
"Ise… No, my Ise.."
Rias placed her hands against the barrier, as if trying to reach out for Issei. Sirzechs signaled to his Queen.
"Grayfia, go and retrieve my sister's Bishop and Rook from the old school building. At this rate, there's no telling when that will be destroyed either. This might be our only chance."
"Understood, Sirzechs-sama."
Sirzechs and the other leaders finally dispelled their barriers, seeing as they didn't currently need them. Soon, that would change… Until then, Grayfia flew towards the old school building alone.
"Azazel!"
From the sidelines, Shemhazai arrived to reconvene with his allies.
"Shemhazai. Looks like you're alright."
"For now, we all are. But who knows how long it'll remain that way."
"Haha, I bet you're wishing now that you refused my request to join me here, huh?"
"Indeed… You might find it a laughing matter, but I certainly don't."
"Don't worry, you'll get back home to your lady alright. More importantly, have you gotten any word from the outside yet?"
"Yes, I just did, as a matter of fact…. Communications were cut for a moment there, but they just returned a minute ago."
"Ah, that's thanks to Beelzebub over there. So, what did you hear?"
"It was a report from Barakiel. —According to the transmission, Armaros has rallied most of the defected forces and started a siege on Grigori, alongside other human magicians. Everything was just like you predicted."
[—?!]
3 Minutes Ago
In the underworld, the central base for the Fallen-Angel organization, Grigori HQ, was currently surrounded by its defending force. Quiet, still, the legion of Fallen all waited for a siege they knew was inevitable.
Amidst them all, standing ahead as their General commander, the Fallen-Angel Barakiel. Calm, composed, arms crossed, and prepared.
Eventually, in all of the calm stillness, there was a shift in the air.
"So you've come.."
And the next moment, the air was filled with magic circles, with a legion of Fallen-Angels just like Grigori's own shooting out of them.
"Prepare for battle!"
And with Barakiel's determined bellow, his forces released their warcry. Explosions and clashes riddled the battlefield. The fight for Grigori had begun.
Boom, boom! Zin, zin, zin! Kabooom!
Amid the scuffling, Barakiel remained still, noticing a pattern in his enemy's movements.
"They aren't attacking me at all… So you really do intend to do this yourself, do you—?"
As if Barakiel's enemy was destined to appear at this moment, the Fallen-Angel emerged ahead of him as he spoke.
"—Armaros."
Barakiel's foe and former friend, Armaros, stood across from him. And they spoke as the chaos continued to unfold around them.
"Barakiel. As I thought, it was you who I'd be encountering here."
"You knew I'd be here."
"Indeed. Did Azazel perhaps convince you that I was expecting Shemhazai? He knows me too little."
"Kokabiel and yourself were always too unreadable for him. He never understood the depth of your warrior's spirit, only your passion. That's why he believed that this was only a failsafe. I, however, knew that we would come face to face."
"I see. Well then, shall we begin?"
"Armaros! Have you not even the dignity to explain your actions!?"
"Explain? You know me, don't you? If that is the case, then you know why I am here. And you know why I have no hesitation in fighting you."
"..Perhaps you're right. Unlike Kokabiel, who cared only for the glory of war and winning it, you cared for the honor of it. The honor of battle between worthy foes. That's why even when we were at war with the other powers, you didn't desperately cling to the concept of "superiority" as Kokabiel did. Your passion didn't poison you into madness as his did. You found beauty only in the bout between opposing forces. Perhaps that's why Azazel could never keep the Hakuryuukou on a leash. If he could not contain you, what hope would he have with a Heavenly Dragon?"
"To be at war is our honor as Fallen-Angels. Once we were Angels destined to fight in Jehovah's army alongside His Only Begotten. It was our divine purpose. We defied that fate and became Fallen-Angels. From that point, what became of our destiny? We have only Armageddon. Our purpose is the war. Since the very beginning, it is what we were created to do. If not for one side, then for the other, but ultimately, for the greater purpose. It matters not who wins or loses. It matters only that we do what we were created to do. That is our destiny as creatures that came to being in this world."
"Ironic. It was that passion for your own purpose, your quiet obsession, that caused you to fall. Your pride in your purpose, surpassed your pride for the very same creator that ordained you with it, causing you to rush steadfast towards Armageddon… Still…"
There was a silent melancholy hidden in Barakiel's tone. In his mind, he saw the faces of his wife and daughter.
"...Although you find comfort in this battle, I must say...that I pity you, my friend. Perhaps this is only something that I can say after having the privilege of my own experiences outside the war, but… You needn't cling to "purpose" as Kokabiel clung to "superiority." Even as Fallen-Angels, there is more to life than the death we sought…"
Armaros sighed.
"Indeed, it is something only you, or even Shemhazai, can say. However, have you not once thought that, perhaps, it was the two of you who were lost in a fantasy. A fantasy in which existences like us did not belong?"
Again, Barakiel's mind was invaded by memory. This time, it was the memory of his family's destruction.
"...Maybe you're right. Maybe that's why it all fell apart in the end for me… Even so, even with all of the pain and misfortune, I could not trade the life I spent with those two for anything. In another world where those two never existed for me, that is where my purpose does not exist."
For a moment, Armaros was silent. Inevitably, he unfurled his wings and prepared for battle.
"I see… Well, whatever may happen, I can promise you one thing, my friend. —Your daughter will not suffer a needless death. I will ensure that we do everything in our power to retrieve her safely from the enemy. If at least not to allow her to die alongside the enemy, or recruit her to our side, so that she may return to where she belongs."
The sound of crackling began to emanate from Barakiel's exterior. Overhead, clouds started to gather, despite being an unnatural phenomenon in this underworld.
"Armaros…. There's something you still seem not to understand… The reason I stand before you now, is precisely to avoid both of those possibilities… It is for that reason that I, as a husband, and as a father… It is for that reason…"
And before Grigori's gates, an impregnable storm descended.
"—I SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW THIS WAR TO HAPPEN!"
TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
KUOH
"So he went on the offensive after all, huh? It was only natural since he'd obviously assumed that Grigori's heavy hitters would be here at the peace conference. He was probably expecting you to hold down the fort. Didn't I tell ya? It was the right choice to have you come instead of Barakiel after all. With Barakiel heading the defense team, there's no way Amaros will take Grigori."
"I believed in your reasoning, that's why I came here in the first place… That aside, did you have another plan in account for this scenario? It doesn't mean much to have predicted an outcome if you haven't thought out a solution."
Azazel gazed up at the slaughter taking place in the sky grimly.
"Only one sticks out in my mind right now."
"And I'm assuming that's…"
"Yeah… Draw his attention with [Fafnir], immobilize him, then eliminate him."
Rias's eyes went wide with shock.
"Eliminate?! You..! You're planning to kill Ise!?"
"Only in the worst case scenario. Which as of right now, we're fast approaching…"
Kiba walked up next to Rias and the rest of her fellow peerage members followed.
"If you're really planning to kill Ise-kun….then I'm afraid that makes you our enemy."
Azazel sighed and pointed the finger towards Sirzechs.
"Oy, oy, brats. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at your Devil-king too, at the very least. That was a plan he agreed to, you know? I wasn't the one who was going to be killing anyone, I'm just the distraction. The one who's meant to deal the finishing blow is him."
"What? That's ridiculous! How dare you spout such defamations against my brother! Onii-sama would never..!"
But Rias's words were caught in her throat. She felt a heavy weight lean on her shoulders when she realized that Sirzechs refused to meet her gaze and instead maintained a visual on the Sekiryuutei zipping across the sky.
"...Onii-sama…?"
Sirzechs sighed and placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.
"Calm down, Rias. Something like that… it was only meant to be in the absolute worst case scenario, and I would only be doing it for the sake of protecting all of you. Rest assured, I will do everything in my ability to exhaust every other option before resorting to that. I'll use every ounce of my power to prevent that from happening. However, you must understand that I.."
But Rias backed away from her brother without saying a word, horrified, leaving him speechless.
"Trying to kill my competition, Azazel?"
Vali prodded Azazel with an inquisitive glare. Azazel shrugged.
"Only if the worst occurs. Why? You have something to say about it?"
"Why wouldn't I have a say? He is my rival after all. I'd find it most regrettable if you killed him… In fact, I'd go as far as saying that if you were to do that, I'd consider you an adversary to my ambition."
"So what? Are you telling me that you'd stop us from doing that then?"
Vali's eyes gleaned with a blue shine.
"I'll not betray my dream."
Azazel narrowed his eyes, cursing the similarity between the two Heavenly Dragon hosts.
'One refuses to betray his "dream" and the other, his "duty"…. There probably couldn't be a worse pair or combination than these two..'
"Vali… Do you intend to rebel against the will of Grigori?"
Shemhazai questioned Vali with a low tone. Despite his unassuming appearance, there was a threatening air about him.
"I am a dragon. It is in my nature to rebel. And more than that, I won't stand by while my competition is thinned out."
"Hey, hey, hey, now. Killing little-red? Can't say I vibe with that very much. Personally, I think he's a nice kid, don't you?"
Bal approached from behind Vali while holding his spear against the back of his neck. Shemhazai's eyes darkened even further.
"You too, huh, Bal..? It would serve you to remember the device I placed around your throat. It only takes one misstep; one mistake, and then… Grigori won't need to worry about "the creature who mocked God" running amok any longer."
"Uwaaa, scary~ You can be pretty intimidating when you get serious too, Shemmy… But I'm afraid there's a lot of things you still don't understand about me. And one of those things is that I would never let someone of your ilk judge me. What I seek…is a much greater judgment."
The tension in the air was becoming thicker and for far more reasons than one.
Serafall stepped in between the group of conflicting allies.
"Enough, all of you! Honestly, what is it with you boys and causing trouble? We have a serious, major crisis on our hands here and you're all bickering like a bunch of babies! Let's focus on what's important here, please."
"That's right, faker! Let's focus on what's most important of all.."
Suddenly, a trio of magic circles bearing unique crests appeared above the group of the Yondai-Maou.
SHIN, SHIN, SHIN!
"That's…!"
The Yondai-Maou recognized those crests immediately, as did Michael and Azazel. Those were crests which they were personally familiar with. The devils that emerged from those circles needn't even introduce themselves for them to know it.
"Good evening, heir to the false bloodlines."
Shemhazai spat out their names with contempt.
"Kattleya Leviathan! Even Creuserey Asmodeus and Shalba Beelzebub too!?"
From the circles, it was the descendants of the original four Devil-kings that appeared.
"You..! Why are you here?!"
The Devil with brown hair known as Shalba Beelzebub, answered them disgustedly.
"Isn't it obvious? If the leaders of the Three-powers were to be present here, then it's natural that the rest of us would also be here. You wouldn't let your guard down just because there's more of you, would you?"
Azazel chuckled.
"Heh, I suppose you're right about that. But I'm afraid that your appearance here together means nothing. You don't even have the chance to posture. Honestly, your timing couldn't be worse."
"Ash Crow. I'm delightedly repulsed to see you. It seems like every time we meet, you're prattling on about some meaningless dribble. What are you on about this time?"
"What, you ask? Just look above you and it should be obvious."
Just as Azazel pointed at the sky, an explosion shook the atmosphere and its winds blew around the Devils' bodies.
Booooooooom!
"What was that?!"
The three descendants knew then the wreaker of havoc that was annihilating their forces.
"That's…? The Sekiryuutei!?"
"MOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
His bloodthirsty warcry shook the Devils to their cores. If only they truly understood the depth of that howl and their own connection to its origin. They would soon find out…
"So you recruited the Sekiryuutei after all, Sirzechs? How proud you must be. A shame that his powers will go to waste under your flimsy rule."
Kattleya chided Sirzechs, but he was unfazed. Serafall made an attempt to appeal to Kattleya's "humanity," not knowing that it was futile.
"Kattleya-chan, stop this! There's no reason for us to war with each other! We aren't enemies!"
"Ah, if it isn't Serafall… You must be living carefreely using the name of my bloodline. Tell me, how much of our reputation have you damaged? How much of our legacy have you defiled? Considering that you're standing here and "playing house" with a bunch of detestable "Crows" and even "Doves"… I can't begin to imagine what you've done so far."
"What? But I.."
"Silence! Don't say a word! You and your filthy gaggle of pretenders! I can't stand the sight of you! You make me sick to my stomach! Soon, we, the descendants of the TRUE Maou shall rid the underworld of you walking falsehoods! We will take your flimsy, fake blood and use it to paint the world over! We'll reform the world in our image, as it should've been!"
To Kattleya's passionate declaration, Azazel laughed out loud.
"Hahahahaha! Reform the world? Our image? Cliche much? For Devils, you sure know how to sound redundantly similar to your dead, estranged father, don't you? Couldn't you think of anything better? Well, not like it matters. Soon enough, your forces will be reduced to ashes and we won't even need to lift a finger, for better or for worse."
—As if rampaging on cue, more explosions lit up the sky, grabbing the attention of all below once again.
As more reinforcements appeared and scattered around, the enraged Sekiryuutei spread his arms wide and opened his metallic palms. A pair of flames was born in his grasp, one for each hand. Then, without warning, they expanded in size and density.
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
And using the jetpack propeller on its Scale Mail, the Sekiryuutei spun perpetually across the sky, unleashing its torrent of flames as it went along. In only a few seconds, the entire sky was engulfed by a typhoon of fire, eradicating all of those who were caught in it. The echoes of screams released by their scorched lungs were the only sound that matched the flames' intensity.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
When the fire rained down from the sky, it brought down the charred remains of the enemies like meteorites, still fully engulfed. From below, it looked like hell was crashing down on top of the earth. A falling sky…
"...The beauty of annihilation. Retribution is judgment.."
Bal muttered under his breath in amazement of the calamity, stretching his arms out wide, as if basking in the glory of the extermination.
Amidst all of the destruction, Sirzechs realized the grim truth.
'As I thought, he cannot recognize friend from foe… Or perhaps, he simply doesn't care to do so..?'
Along with all of the Khaos Brigade's remaining forces, the Sekiryuutei had also seared away the combined forces of the allied powers without distinction..
"Falbium. Contact all our support squadrons. Tell them not to send anymore reinforcements. They'll only be put in danger if this continues. Instead, tell them to redirect some of their forces to Grigori for support."
"Oho, a sign of goodwill, Sirzechs?"
"We've already made peace, Azazel. There isn't a need for formalities anymore. We have our common enemy, now it's time to back each other up, as expected from the agreement."
"Sirzechs. The alliance was only just established. There are many who still hold feelings of contempt towards the Fallen-Angels. It's likely that they might not even indulge such an order."
"They will if they understand that it's order from all of their Maou, Falbium. Send it. Michael, Azazel, I suggest you peel back your forces as well. I don't think any of us need any more unnecessary casualties."
"You heard him, Shemhazai. Call off our boys. No point in wasting lives."
"Understood.."
The Devil with black hair, Creuserey Asmodeous, scoffed distastefully.
"As much as it disgusts me to admit it, I must agree with the detestable "pretender-king." We must disengage our reinforcements as well. Otherwise, we'll be reducing our numbers to naught."
Reluctantly, the Devil's allies agreed.
"Very well. Kattleya, deliver the order to our forces."
"Do not presume to command me, Shalba. I know what to do."
Azazel laughed again at the Devil terrorists.
"Haha! Even as allies faced with a common enemy, you still don't get along. I'll seriously never understand how you planned to rule the underworld with attitudes like that. In fact, what do you even plan to do now? What, don't tell me. Are you going to defeat that Sekiryuutei up there yourselves? In that state?"
"Hmph! Don't underestimate us, Ash Crow. You might have the Sekiryuutei on your side, but even with just the three of us, it'll be enough to accomplish what we've set out to do today. Besides, even we have our own allies to count on.."
Shalba finished with a foreboding tone, causing Azazel to raise a brow.
'..The traitor in our midst, huh? If he's saying it like that, then… Without a doubt, it has to be…'
But then, the trio of Devils summoned a peculiar artifact in each of their palms. They were purple glowing objects in the shape of…eggs.
"...What is..?"
As Shemhazai analyzed the oddly shaped concentrations of power with his magical eyes, the trio of Devils each broke the egg within their grasps whole, leaving it in the form of shards. But suddenly, those shards began to take form.
Whatever this power was, it was cooling around their bodies like snakes.
"Azazel, that power is..!"
"Yeah… Undoubtedly. It's dragonic. It must be that…"
The "snakes" wrapped all around their hosts until finally, they were absorbed. And with that, the Devil descendants were brimming with power. Azazel brought their suspicious powers into question.
"That level of aura doesn't seem befitting of a descendant of a Devil-king. Its nature is too feral and undignified for the likes of you lot, don't you think? Where exactly are you getting that extra power?"
Kattlaya dismissed his question entirely.
"Heh. There's no point in answering that. After all, you'll be destroyed here anyway. —Shalba, Creuserey. You two can deal with the Sekiryuutei up above. Let me handle these fakers. I'll pick them apart one by one."
"A descendant of the "impregnable" has no right to command the [Lord of the Flies.] However, I wouldn't be against allowing this transgression to slip by just this once…. After all, it was the original Welsh Dragon Emperor itself that laid waste to many great territories under the rule of my ancestor Beelzebub many centuries ago. As his descendant, it would certainly be a waste not to take this opportunity for revenge myself. Wouldn't you say, Creuserey?"
"Indeed. If not for the Heavenly Dragon's original rampage through Hell, perhaps the Asmodeus family wouldn't have lost such great standing politically from having a majority of their territory and forces wiped out as well. I see no reason to hold back against a lowly creature like his human host who lays with the likes of those associated with fake lineages like the young whore of Gremory. In fact, it's almost like fate."
If only he knew..
The aura of each descendant exploded with power. Shemhazai stepped up beside his Viceroy with a determined expression.
"Azazel.."
"Yeah. —You're fine with us doing it, Michael, Sirzechs?"
"...Do what you must."
Foom, Foom!
As Shemhazai and Azazel took to the sky and stood parallel to their opponent, Kattleya, Creuserey and Shalba ascended towards the Sekiryuutei.
However, something came in the pair of descendants' way.
FOOM!
"Wha..?! Hakuryuukou?!"
Creuserey halted in shock and Shalba stopped beside him. Vali was in their path, obscuring the Sekiryuutei's far off figure behind his own. Shalba glared at Vali contemptuously.
"...What are you doing, Hakuryuukou, Vali?"
"—Unfortunately for you three, your ambition of world domination never really had any appeal to me. I'm not interested in such things as "domination," you see. Well, not in the way you envision it, at least. Our "founder" was never really interested in that either."
"Vali! What nonsense are you going on about?! Step aside!"
Creuserey cursed at Vali, but Shalba threatened him with a hateful composure.
"Vali… I think it's about time to cut the act, isn't it? You're on our side. Unless you were just double-crossing us this whole time instead?"
—Before any could register the revelation of Vali's true allegiance, something blew through the space between the two terrorists at an unbelievable velocity.
ZIN!
It flew past them so quickly that they didn't get to see it. But Vali caught a glimpse as it shot past him, nearly missing his head by a few centimeters. He didn't flinch at the object's approach or even when the winds of its speed blew his hair and clothes around.
It was Bal's spear, and it was heading straight towards the Sekiryuutei at bullet speed.
ZIN!
But just as it reached the Sekiryuutei who had its back turned, the Sekiryuutei's body flipped around and dodged the spear, narrowly catching it with its right arm. However, the force of the spear was so great that the inertia tore back the Sekiryuutei's arm violently. Only when it used the jetpack boosters on its back was it able to defy the propulsion enough to halt the spear's momentum.
The Sekiryuutei held the sizzling spear in his grip tightly, before suddenly rearing back its arm and launching it back down towards Bal's direction at full force.
"RAAAAHH!"
"Look out!"
Michael and Sirzechs created another defensive barrier to prepare against the impact of the spear, but Bal himself did not move. He only tilted his head, allowing the spear to stab into the ground behind him, with its hilt nearly touching his temple.
DOONNN!
The impact was fierce enough to cloud the ruined school grounds in dust. When the dust cleared, Bal was standing there with a smile on his face, blood leaking from the cut on his cheek.
"There ya go, v-neck. Now you've got his attention all to you."
Vali smirked. He ascended high enough to be on the same altitude as the Sekiryuutei across the sky from him. Once reaching that level, he unleashed his Balance Breaker form.
[Vanishing Dragon - Balance Breaker!]
The blinding light caught the Sekiryuutei's attention well enough. Once Vali knew that his rival's eyes were solely on him, he shouted to him.
"Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei! Hear me now!"
At the Hakuryuukou's appearance, the Sekiryuutei's power fluctuated. Even from that distance, Vali could hear him growling like a beast.
'It's a wonder that he didn't end up losing to the Juggernaut drive.'
[No, Vali. Something is wrong. His aura is malignant. By all means, he should have entered the Drive ages ago. But the fact that he hasn't…. It looks as if the power is leaking through, but it can't fully emerge…. With this, I can only assume that he is pushing back the Drive through sheer force of will alone. He's fighting to maintain his sanity, even if just a bit somehow. For what purpose, I do not know. It shouldn't even be possible for a mere human like him..]
'That's where a clear difference in understanding between us as dragon and human becomes obvious, Albion… The truth is, he's doing it because otherwise, he couldn't savor his vengeance to the fullest. One only needs to succumb to the madness in order to release their restraints, but getting lost in it forever? That is the Drive. That is to "give up." To destroy - at ALL costs.'
Vali smiled to himself.
'Heh. As expected of my rival…'
"Well done, human! You have annihilated the forces of the Khaos Brigade! You have crippled their numbers by a considerable amount! However, you have not destroyed the Khaos Brigade itself! The organization which killed your family, they still exist! I'm sure it angers you to hear that, right? Surely, you can't have been satisfied just dispatching worthless grunts who didn't even have any direct involvement in your parents' deaths! No. I'm sure that you want more… I know what it is you desire! I know what you truly want!"
Vali lifted his finger into the air, pointing up towards an empty sky, but that wasn't his intention. What he was intending to point to was..
"What you truly desire - is the deaths of those who orchestrated the attack on your hometown! The commanders who gave the orders! The leaders who came up with the plan! The perpetrators of the attack! The culprits who murdered your parents! And those people… They are present right here, right now."
It was at that moment that the Devil terrorists came to the realization of what was about to occur. Shalba's eyes gradually widened and he uttered the Hakuryuukou's name venomously.
"Vali…. You..!"
"The perpetrators… Your long sought after enemies…."
Then, finally, Vali's finger came down to point…at Shalba, Creuserey, and Kattleya.
"Are those three Devils… The leaders of the Old-Satan Faction of the Khaos Brigade, the very reason it exists in this world."
[—?!]
Just as they feared, Vali had sold them out without hesitation.
"Vali! What are you doing?!"
Vali responded coldly and without a shred of remorse.
"Witnessing the depth of his hatred."
"WHA..?! You bastard! You—!"
But it was simply too late.
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..Badump…
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THE BEAST
I, Hyoudou Issei, awoke to an open field before me.
No, this isn't a field… It's a barren wasteland. And above me…a dark, red sky filled with clouds. But these aren't the types of clouds that Tou-san liked… No, these clouds are different. They're swirling around on top of me, high above my head. It's like a storm, a typhoon of untold proportions covering the entire sky, spitting out purple lightning from every corner of this empty, crumbling dimension.
How odd. I don't even feel any wind.
《Stand, Hyoudou Issei.》
There he is… Just ahead of me, it's that "child" who looks like me. My evil little twin… This bastard. I can't stand the sight of him. But to this day, I can't tell if that's because he's some sort of twisted version of me, or because I can't stand to look at my own face…
The face of that damned kid who can't do anything but watch people die…..
《It's time, boy. Time for you…to release yourself.》
The kid held out something. It was an item covered by a white cloth. The cloth was stained with blood somehow, even though his appearance was clean. He's still wearing the outfit I wore that day ten years ago… I can't stand looking at it. I can't stand looking at his fucking face… I want to tear it off.
He's presenting this mystery object to me, but I only just noticed the chains attaching me to the ground. Ah, I remember these chains. It feels like I've been in this same position before. But the location is different. This ain't the "belly of the beast" that I remember from my past nightmares. There's no noncorporeal mirror either. Unlike that, this doesn't feel like "my" domain at all… This place…. It feels like it belongs to someone else..
However, now that he's presented me with whatever is wrapped in that cloth, my chains are falling apart.
《Do it, Hyoudou Issei. Release us. Fulfill your destiny. After all, it is your duty, isn't it?》
—Duty.
…
…
That's right….
….My duty… I have a duty…
《You are the only son of the Hyoudou household. It is your one and only duty left in this world.》
Yes… It is my duty..
That's right. I have a duty. —My sacred duty, as the only surviving son of my parents, Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. My one and only goal. My final mission. My purpose. My last reason for living.
I must avenge my parents. I must redeem their honor. I must punish those who brought an unwelcome and unfair demise upon our household. I must bring ruin to those who destroyed our family, our lives, and the lives of all those that suffered that day.
I must obtain retribution. I must exact justice.
That's why, I have to release it. All of it.
Even if it all ends here, even if there's nothing more of me left afterward— I will do it. I will release it.
《That's right… Release it… All of it…》
In the palm of this demon child's hands, there's a crystal orb which appeared obsidian in color, but there was a purple mass of power swirling inside.
Yes. There it is. I must release it. All of it. I must use it all for the sake of destroying my enemies. The enemies of my parents, the enemies of my family, the enemies of my bloodline. I must destroy it all. I must lay waste to it all. Lay waste to the enemy, even if it means laying waste to the world.
《Something is entering.》 《Something is escaping.》
《A familiar intruder.》 《An unwelcome guest.》
《Do you hear them, Hyoudou Issei? Your companions have awoken. They've been with you from the start. And just like them, so have your demons…》
Using all of the strength in my arms, I pulled my hands away from the chains binding me, causing them to shatter like glass. And soon, I reached out for the crystal in that boy's hands and took it. Upon doing so, the dark miasma contained within spewed out and surrounded me.
And just like that, the floor beneath me gave out. A floor that appeared as fickle as glass, but at a glance, I could tell that it was sand that had been fully crystallized.
But from the opening of the shattered glass-like floor, a liquid as black as ink began to drown me in it. No, from the looks of it, it was blood. Blood that had blackened from rot and exposure. And the hands of the deceased grasping my legs only confirmed that.
I can see their faces. All of the faces of those that I've killed, innocent or otherwise. They clawed at me to drag me into their abyss.
I didn't resist. I don't need to. In the end, my life belongs to them. If they wish to take it now, so be it. But at the very least, I will have my revenge before it's done.
《That's right. You will. No matter what happens, you will have your revenge, I promise you. So for now, lose control. Because even without it, you will obtain retribution. The retribution that we have sought for so long… It will be ours at last.》
As I looked at that boy with the foul grin, I realized one thing.
He looks just like me. Except… His eyes are not like mine. His eyes…are more of a "red" color, aren't they? Weren't they golden before..? Now, they're red.
And so are his ugly "dog's" beside him…
They are eyes filled with evil.
It's as if they're just revealing their true nature for the first time..
《 And now I know for certain. One day, you will surely come for me. One day, you will, undoubtedly, seek me out. You will release me, Hyoudou Issei. 》
With those final parting words, I sank into the darkness, accompanied only by the souls of those that I damned myself.
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Until finally, the echo of my own heartbeat woke me once again.
"The perpetrators… Your long sought after enemies—are those three Devils. The leaders of the Old-Satan Faction of the Khaos Brigade, the very reason it exists in this world."
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—BADUMP!
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Y̴̡̢̪͎̰̬͚̱̜̞̼͉̞̥̖̱̹̼̻͎̙̦̟͕͕̰̦̤̝̰̦̯͕̟̲͉̙͎͚̭̼͇̤̍́̒͗͂̓͘͜͜͜͜͝͠͝ ̶̨̛̛͈̹͖̤̺̩̯͎̜̭̭͙̞̱̰̗̳̼̹͇͕̋̆͂́͊̇̀̍͑̋̑̐͂͐̔̃̂͊̂͛̍̊̐̾̾̑̓̆́̀̾͌̇̊̾͂̒̀̇̀̿̒͗͘̚͝͝͝O̸̡̧̮͍͔͍̠͎̥̦̙͓̜͈̤̯̣̞̖̭̠̣̝͖̝͍̘̅͋͑̀̈̒͐̅̔̎͘͜ ̷̧̧̧͈̝̞̳͇̗̝̦͚͙͇͓̟̲̠̙̰̺̼̗̳̝̻͉͇͉͚͓͙͙͑̾̀̃̈́̇̃͊̐̏͜͠Ų̶͎̪̬̬͕̘̍͋̊͊̄̇̿̍̆̾̈́̌̓̍̄̏̚͘ͅ
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"WHA..?! You bastard! You—!"
But it was simply too late. The Dragon of Misery, once again, began its rampage.
[WELSH DRAGON - OVERDRIVE!]
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The wave of power released by the Sekiryuutei was unparalleled. Without the barriers set by Michael and Sirzechs, all of Issei's companions would have perished instantly. And the rest of the unprotected academy suffered its own fate. Most of all, every field and structure on campus, including the old school building, was completely reduced to dust. The academy, in its entirety, was no more.
"Gasper!? Koneko!?"
But Rias didn't have time to process her worry over her servants. Only a moment after the explosion of power, the earth rumbled vigorously and the flattened academy cracked into pieces under their feet, as if a meteor had crashed down to the earth.
DOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!
"What's happening?!"
"Asia, stay close to me!"
The rumbling didn't have a chance to stop before the cloud of dust was ripped apart. Something had been sent flying through its center, cutting right through it and crashing far away from the allied force's group.
"What was that?!"
When the earthquake stopped, all were able to see what had fallen to the earth. A long line of the ground had been pushed down like a trench, indicating that whatever had crashed had shot across the earth forcefully. At the end of that trench, there was whatever had been sent in that direction.
"...W…What….has happened…to me….?"
It was Creuserey Asmodeus stuck in the crater ending the trench, lying flat on his face.
"...Was I….attacked…? I….cannot move…?"
Creuserey struggled to move himself. It was only after shifting a bit that he realized the state of his body.
"...My legs….?"
Both of his legs as well as his right arm were completely gone, torn off at their bases. His left arm was his only remaining limb.
"...How….can this be…? I was brought down…this easily? Impossible…. I have….the power of [Ophis] within me… It's just not possible…"
His shock was so great that he had not even a moment register an ounce of his pain. Weakly, Creuserey called out to his allies, who he could not see were frozen in shock in the sky.
"...Kattleya…. Shalba….. Help me…. Something has….gone terribly wrong."
He was right. But the terror had only just begun.
STOMP!
From across the wasteland, the Sekiryuutei emerged from another crater, the one undoubtedly created when it first attacked Creuserey, and the same position it must've launched the Devil from. In its hands, it held the mangled and detached limbs of Creuserey, one arm in one grip and the two legs in another. Instantly, it was clear to tell that the beast had crushed the limbs so thinly in its terrifying grip that it was able to hold all limbs easily in its hands, like rolled up newspapers.
With an aura that painted its figure in darkness, the Sekiryuutei slammed its clawed feet against the ground, stomping towards its target, which lay a battlefield away. It must've tired of this, as only moments later, it blasted to the air above Creuserey's mangled body and came down on top of him mercilessly.
DOOOOOOOONNN!
Another shockwave. Unable to even scream after having the air ripped from his lungs, Creuserey recognized the terror of the monster that stood on his back with only his eyes.
—It was the same as being stared down at by a predator of unparalleled size.
STOMP!
With one more ground shattering stomp, the Sekiryuutei forcefully summoned the helpless Devil's wings.
The wings of the full-blooded descendants of the original Devil-kings were different from most Devils of the 72 pillars, let alone average the Devil's. Their wings came only in a single pair and they took the appearance of a true Devil's wings. A pair of thick, leathery bat wings with webs connecting each section. And unlike that of a regular Devil, these wings were not summoned by demonic-power, nor did it cost them demonic-power to use them. They were natural, fully-fledged limbs, just like the wings of natural born Angels and Fallen-Angels. And as such, they felt the same way as limbs did, but all the more sensitive. Whether or not the Sekiryuutei was aware of this beforehand made no difference.
In the end, all that mattered was that, by chance or by assumption, the Sekiryuutei understood — that there could undoubtedly be no greater physical pain than to remove them. And for this reason, it took painful hold of the wings with blazing hands.
"GUH— AAAAAAAH! N-NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! S-STOP! AAAAAGGHH!"
Once again, just as it did in the past, the Sekiryuutei was tearing off the wings of another supernatural creature. And despite being an enemy to peace amongst the Three-powers itself, it was still nearly unbearable to watch. Most especially, this was true for Raynare, who had turned away, shutting her eyes and cupping her ears with her trembling hands.
"R-Raynare-san! Don't look!"
"Not me..! I-It's not me… Not like me..! H-He deserves this! He deserves this..! He deserves this, he deserves this..!"
The Devil's helpless screams of agony continued. The Sekiryuutei used every ounce of strength in its arms to wrap the wings around its gauntlets, twisting, burning, and contorting them with excruciatingly painful sounds following their movement. Like paper, the wings continued to tear and open, exposing their muscles and bleeding profusely, before being abruptly cauterized by rising flames. Creuserey's allies only witnessed the horror from afar, refusing to involve themselves despite his suffering. Was it out of heartlessness or…fear?
"GAAA - AAH! WAIT, S-STOP THIS! I BEG YOU! I CAN FEEL IT! THEY'RE GOING TO TEAR! THEY'RE GOING TO BE TORN OFF! STOP! I AM A DESCENDANT OF ASMODEUS, I CANNOT LOSE MY WINGS! STOP! YOU MUST STOOOP!"
His pleas fell upon deaf ears. —No. The Sekiryuutei heard them. But inversely, those screams only served as "fuel" to the fire.
And so, the Devil's wings were eventually ripped from his body. The fierce howl of the Sekiryuutei and its victim's yell of anguish sung together, like a symphony of misery.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
—There was no rest for the wicked. The harrowing torment of losing one's wings was quickly lost to Creuserey as he felt his shriek being silenced. The air had abandoned his lungs again, this time, from another physical shock.
CRACK!
He felt the searing pain of his back being broken. When lowering his eyes, he bore witness to the Sekiryuutei plunging its claws deep into his backside, undoubtedly pulling at the base of his spinal cord, which it had just forcefully separated from his pelvis in one move.
The frightening realization crashed down without remorse. The Sekiryuutei was going to rip out his spine while he was alive.
(—?!)
"KATTLEEEEEEEYAAAAAA! SHALBAAAAAAAAAAA! HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
An unbridled shriek of terror. He knew that his end was approaching, and he knew that it would be the most painful end he could possibly imagine. So, with ease, fear overpowered him.
"HURRYYYYYYYYYYYY! HE'S GOING TO KILL MEEEEEEEEEEEE! HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Suppressing his horror, Shalba coldly obliged.
"..Very well."
—And so, a magical formulation appeared below the Sekiryuutei and its victim, summoning a pillar of destructive light. Using his power, Shalba attempted to destroy the beast in one attack, eradicating what was left of the descendant of Asmodeus in the process.
"SHALBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
SHIIIIIIIIIIIINN!
The awestruck Kattleya was given only a moment to question her ally.
"...Shalba…. What have you….?"
But soon after, the frenzy of death continued. For as unbelievable as it was to them, the two Devils saw their vengeful calamity standing in the crater alone with steam rising from its armor. It was practically unscathed.
"What?!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
Shalba didn't hesitate to fire off another blast of light towards the Sekiryuutei, enveloping it entirely. However, the Sekiryuutei retaliated with its own "light."
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
[SHOT!]
Without warning, Shalba's attack was split straight down the middle by the power of the Sekiryuutei. The blast overwhelmed Shalba's own with ease, tearing through it and blasting past Shalba towards the barrier surrounding the academy. A noticeable crack was created from the impact — on the multilayered barrier created by Ajuka Beelzebub and reinforced layer by layer by both the rest of the Yondai-Maou and Sirzechs' own Queen's defensive magic.
"Guh—! My arm..!?"
Shalba's left arm was eradicated, leaving him with only his right. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't the chance to use it.
[JET!]
The Sekiryuutei blasted off towards Shalba at max speed, creating a shockwave that further devastated the ruined land behind it.
"Shit—!"
By the time Shalba had raised his arm, the Sekiryuutei had already zipped past him. In an instant, his remaining arm was taken as well.
"GAH!"
Without so much as having the chance to turn around, the Sekiryuutei collided with Shalba's backside, sending him flying up into the sky. The speed at which Shalba was sent hurtling was too great, rendering his wings useless. It didn't matter. Even if his wings were effective, they did not surpass the Sekiryuutei's speed. Therefore, he could not have avoided the dragon's ferocity either way.
ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN!
As the Sekiryuutei zipped all around Shalba, he realized how often his body was being flipped and spun around while in midair. Though he had been falling, his momentum continued to be interrupted - because the Sekiryuutei kept attacking him with a swipe of his claws at every collision. The beast was essentially tearing Shalba apart like a rag doll, bit by bit, wearing away at his flesh with each pass. The Devil was helpless like a fly caught in a spider's web, falling apart, piece by piece.
"T-This can't be..! This is the…!? The Sekiryu—!"
Finally, the beast attacked head-on. A single strike from its ironed fist pierced into Shalba's stomach, causing him to eject blood from his mouth. When he looked down in shock, he saw the fist plunged into his torso and felt the pain of its entry crushing his insides.
"Se… Sekiryuutei! A mere….human…?!"
But then he started to feel a burning sensation and streaks of smoke arose from the pit of his opened belly.
"N… No…! Not like this..! A Devil such as I..! The Lord of the Flies..! I cannot die…like THIS!"
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
"SE..! SEKIRYUUTE—!"
And starting from the inside out, the descendant of Beelzebub's body burst into a volley of flames.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The Sekiryuutei reared back its arm and with one strike, broke apart the still screaming and engulfed corpse into pieces.
"...Ah…"
Now, there was only Kattleya, who could do nothing but stare in shock and awe.
"Kattleya-chan! Retreat! Even if you don't surrender now, you can still survive!"
To her shock, it was Kattleya's own replacement, Serafall Leviathan, that shouted to her desperately.
"..Retreat…? But I am.."
Even her shock was too great to self-aggrandize any longer. However, the hesitation of her response was enough time to doom her forever.
"Kattleya-chan!"
Upon hearing Serafall's final desperate call, Kattleya was snapped from her stupor only to realize - the Sekiryuutei had just locked its sights onto her.
(—?!)
Using her staff, Kattleya gathered every ounce of her power at the jewel on its tip and unleashed it.
"DISAPPEAR!"
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!
The attack made contact with the Sekiryuutei before it could reach Kattleya. And unlike the power of Shalba, it was successful at gradually pushing him further away from her, but with minimal damage.
However, despair soon presented its foul stench once again.
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
The beast's power expanded, and with a furious roar, Kattleya's powerful stream of magic was pushed all the way back to its source.
"MOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"AH!"
The attack was completely blown away into nothingness. Dispelled, without a trace. The blowback from the attack's expulsion shattered Kattleya's staff into pieces.
"...It can't be…. With just its voice..?"
—And for Kattleya, the world began to move in slow motion.
Now that she had been so overwhelmingly, utterly defeated, she realized her regret, sleeping deep inside. Yes, regret. Despite her passionate, life-long devotion to her ideals, despite the belief that she would always be willing to die for what she believed in, she only now came to feel regret for taking the path that led her toward this outcome.
She only now came to realize - the true meaning of "death."
That which, in one cold moment, rendered all of her aspirations, all of her actions, all of her efforts, all of her ideals— meaningless.
Unforgiving, uncaring, overwhelming, oppressive, and unfathomable — domination, without so much as a chance to retaliate.
That is "DEATH."
And just as it did her ideals, it too rendered her the realization of her fear of death - completely meaningless.
"...No.."
The beast collided with her all the same, sending them both crashing down to the earth below.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!
Dust surrounded everything once more, with this being one of the few times that it was followed by silence. But the silence, as rare it might've been, was short lived.
"Aaaaaa— AAH!"
Kattleya's shrieked in pain as she herself also came to realize what happened just like those observing had. Her legs were completely flattened, crushed under the weight of the beast which pinned her down. Her arms were being pushed down in the same manner, her bones gradually breaking further and further apart as the seconds went by. At this point, even if she wasn't pinned, she would still be rendered immobile all the same.
But pain is only a quarter of what comprises her current dread. The true source of her despair was fear. Fear…of the creature right above her.
"...GRRR….."
A low growl leaked out from somewhere within the armor's interior. Was there truly a human inside? It felt like a rhetorical question with an unsettling answer. A question that might be answered very soon..
"Kattleya-chan!"
For a moment, Serafall felt the urge to assist Kattleya, her foe. However, Ajuka halted her with the pull of her wrist.
"Ajuka-chan?"
"I'd advise against that, Serafall."
"B-But if I don't help her, then something terrible is going to happen, I can feel it!"
"Serafall… She is an enemy."
"I know, but..! E-Even if that is the case— even then, I..!"
Only when Serafall looked around at her fellow Satan's expressions did she lose her will. She almost appeared despaired by the result.
"...You mean, we're just supposed to let this happen…?"
—Finally, Kattleya felt all of her limbs completely break beyond repair from underneath the Sekiryuutei's pressure. The flesh connecting her joints was practically useless now.
"AAAAAHAAH!"
The Sekiryuutei lifted the weight of its arms off of Kattleya's mangled ones, not that it made a difference. And for whatever reason, it lifted its mask toward the sky.
"...NNRRR…"
The Sekiryuutei released an odd sound, like the sound of pain or some sort of struggling. Along with that, its body was trembling lightly.
"...Azazel."
"Yeah, something's happening."
Azazel narrowed his eyes, noticing that something was occurring on a physical level for the Sekiryuutei. Only then did the jewels on the Sekiryuutei's armor begin to pulse with light at a distinct rhythm. It was just like the moment before the Sekiryuutei went berserk, but even more erratic.
SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN!
《It's begun…》
Somewhere, deep within the recesses of the Longinus known as Boosted Gear. There exists a space which is not so easily reached. A space which belongs not to the Red Dragon Emperor nor to its hosts. A space which belongs only to those that inhabit it. The souls of those damned by the curse of the Sekiryuutei. The forgotten spirits of every host who died as a direct result of God's curse. Those hungry souls - who once sought unending power.
《Something has risen.》 《Something has fallen.》
《Something is approaching.》 《Something is exiting.》
But their time here was over. This was no longer their space to command. Their festering darkness which polluted the confines of the Boosted Gear, it was about to become a part of a greater whole.
《Something is appearing.》 《Something is disappearing.》
《It is us.》
《It is a BEAST.》
If only the remnants of these long forgotten fragments of the past, in all of their lingering contempt, had the ability to understand their fate, perhaps they'd have felt fear. Fear of oblivion. But as they are, they could feel nothing but hatred. Spite, born from the misery of their curse.
And as such, none could see the dragon's jaws above them which expanded themselves wide enough to cover the entire space they resided in.
《The belly of the beast.》
—And the jaws of the beast snapped shut, devouring the entirety of the dimension within itself, along with the accursed souls residing there.
[— CONSUME. —]
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNN!
The erratic light emerging from the Sekiryuutei earned a consistent shine. Now the jewels on the armor were shimmering to the point of blinding those who looked directly at it.
When this happened, the Sekiryuutei's body of armor began to twitch and creak unnaturally and it continued to release sounds of struggling against something. Just then, voices emerged from the armor as well.
《Become something more.》 《Become something less.》
《Into beyond.》 《Into nothingness.》
[—?!]
Shemhazai's eyes widened in shock and fear.
"Azazel!"
"I know, Shemhazai. Don't go near it.."
A cacophony of voices that were distinguishable from another— men, women, and even some children. Chanting different phrases which contradicted each other, agreed with each other, acknowledged each other, and ignored each other. As if an entire well of souls was swirling within the armor, those voices came spilling out.
However, after a certain point, the voices themselves began to sound less and less distinct. In fact, their tones, intonations, and pitches started to shift. The voices were becoming increasingly distorted.
《SWALLOWED bY dARkneSs….》 《ScORChed BY liGHt…..》
High above this, Vali questioned his dragonic companion.
"Albion. What's happening to him? Is he unleashing the Drive?"
[Something is wrong. The energy signature is different. No, the Juggernaut Drive is there, I can feel it. It's trying to claw its way out, but something else is happening too. Something is…corrupting it? I don't know how, but somehow it feels as if the Drive itself is "changing." The energy signature of the Drive is morphing. It's as if it's being "combined" with something else; being "absorbed" by something else.]
—Suddenly, the light from the jewels on the Sekiryuutei's armor changed color, from a shimmering green to a blood red. A red even darker than its own armor, like that of dried blood. Soon after, the Sekiryuutei's armor began to shift ever so slightly.
[Vali! The armor! This human..! He's bending the Sacred Gear and the Juggernaut Drive to his will! He's..! The Scale Mail is changing form in accordance with his desire! I don't know how, but he's using the power of the Juggernaut Drive to corrupt his Sacred Gear permanently! But that shouldn't even be possible! The Juggernaut Drive cannot be "controlled!" Unless… —?! Vali! That man has assimilated the Juggernaut Drive!]
"..?! Assimilated? Not to conquer, but assimilate..? He's "absorbed" it by force and made it his own….? Albion. If what you say is true.."
Vali, with a bead of nervous and excited sweat dripping from his head, smiled from beneath his armor.
"...Then this human is the key to making the Drive my own.."
And so, gradually, the voices of the Drive distorted into a deep, ancient voice and bellowed in unison.
《DEVOOOOOOOOOOOUUUURRRR….》
It then became obvious what was happening to the Sekiryuutei's armor. It was the mask that was making sounds of creaking, clanking metal that was reforming into a snout, making it more dragon-like in appearance.
"Azazel, that's.!"
"Yeah, there's no doubt… An unnatural modification forced out of the Sacred Gear through sheer, indomitable willpower. It's not a Balance Breaker or a sub-species…."
Whilst bearing witness to the Sekiryuutei's minor transformation, Azazel shared in his friend's concern.
"That's….a Sacred Gear [Mutation.]"
What formed on the Sekiryuutei's mask….was a mouth. The top and bottom halves split into a beast-like jaw with sharp metallic teeth and a reptile's tongue.
"[MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHH!]"
After the beast's maw had taken shape, Kattleya felt the weight of its claws crushing her arms again with a slam.
"AAAH!"
Then, her heart stopped. She felt the heat of the beast's breath release onto her face with a plume of steam. The dripping of the beast's drool touched her cheek as it hovered just above her. Slowly but surely, the realization, and then the fear, began to settle in.
"...It can't be... Not like this…"
And just as she witnessed it with her eyes, she heard the sounds of the Sekiryuutei's jaws opening even wider.
"No… I am Leviathan…. I can't… Not like this… Please, I beg of you.."
But there was only the beast; the monster of oppression. Her pleading was futile. There was no escape. There was no mercy.
—Her fate, just as she did the same for all of those who died during the Kuoh Disaster, was already sealed.
"Oh.."
And so, she understood the true meaning of death. She understood the true meaning of domination. She understood….
….That this being must've the truest representation of [pain] and [suffering].
The Dragon of Misery.
And now, it brings down its judgment.
"..Guh!"
Kattleya's felt the air leave her body for a moment.
With a disgusting sound of piercing and squashing, Katelaya saw the metallic arm that was plunged into her abdomen. The arm of the beast. With one swift movement, intestines were pulled out along with its claw.
And as if her lungs had been suddenly refilled by air through the hole in her belly, she was finally able to scream.
"AAGHH!"
But the screams that followed, if there were even a chance for any, were drowned out by the repulsive sounds of the unforgivable slaughter.
The beast had opened its jaws — and begun its feast.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The breaking of bone.
The tearing of flesh.
The ripping of innards.
Azazel witnessed it all from his position, many meters away. Yet, part of him regrets not looking away sooner. He could only shut his eyes in futility, knowing full well that the sounds would still persist anyway.
Crack. Tear. Squelch. Splash. Spray. Smash. Stomp. Break.
Even with just the sounds, one could so clearly tell which parts of Katelaya's body were being torn apart.
Torn asunder. Torn to pieces.
Crushed, between the jaws of a monster.
At some point, some bits must have flown out and landed elsewhere.
Eyes. Fingers. Intestines. Organs. Flesh. Tissue. Blood. Teeth. Bones.
Scattered.
How long did Katelaya scream for? Did she even have the chance to scream? Was she able to feel the pain or did she die shortly after? Did she feel every part of it or nothing at all? Did she see her own flesh get thrown into the air? Did she see her limbs were tossed about? Only she had the answer to these questions. But that answer, like with her, will be lost to oblivion.
Azazel was sure of it. Yes, he was sure.
In all of his years— all of his thousands upon thousands of years— all of his millennia of living, he was certain of it.
He was certain that he had never witnessed a more brutal, more gruesome kill committed by a single human being. It was so gruesome that you could only feel it right within yourself to classify it as cold-blooded "murder."
An act of pure cruelty and evil.
Within all of this, Azazel could only think: This Sekiryuutei, this "boy", it would have been best for everyone if he had died with his family all those years ago.
[—CONSUME.]
That was the announcement which capped off the sounds of blood and gore. Then, silence.
….
….
….
A long, heavy silence. All throughout, the Sekiryuutei— the beast— did not move a muscle. Everstill, it released a single, elongated sigh of placidity, with a hot breath of steam coming out of its blood-stained maw…
"...Oooooo…"
Some time during the carnage, Asia must have fallen unconscious because Raynare was supporting the girl's completely limp body. Irina smacked a hand over her mouth to prevent from vomiting, but she still spit some out between her fingers, causing her to fall to her knees and eject fully. The rest of the group around the leaders was deathly silent.
"Sirzechs-sama.."
After a considerable amount of time apart, Grayfia finally returned with Koneko beside her and the unconscious Gasper in tow. The three of them appeared to be covered in dirt, possibly as a result of the earlier destruction.
"...Grayfia. You've returned. I'm glad to see that you're safe."
"Forgive me for the delay. We were unable to move from our position due to the chaos. I waited for an opportunity to return."
Kiba ran up to his allies, relieved that they were safe.
"Gasper! Koneko-chan! Are you alright?"
"...I am fine… Gya-kun.."
Koneko gestured to her unconscious friend worriedly. Kiba noticed that Gasper was injured, cuts and bruises all over his skin. Kiba rubbed his head softly.
"It's alright, Koneko-chan. Once Asia is awake, we'll have her heal Gasper."
"Gya-kun protected me.."
"Eh?"
To Kiba's surprise, he saw Koneko's teary eyes.
"...When we were invaded, Gya-kun defied the magic of those humans that attacked us. They started beating him up with their magic, but he protected me with his body. He froze them and held them in place to defend me… Because of him, we were able to hold out until Grayfia-san saved us. It's thanks to him that we're okay… But I was useless in helping him.."
Kiba smiled sadly, but proudly. He pet Koneko's head as well.
"..Don't blame yourself. Gasper was only doing what he thought was right. He defended you bravely. Since he's going to be alright, we should be nothing but proud of him. And when this is over, we'll make sure to give him some treats and games as a reward.."
With that, Koneko was comforted. However, she asked an uncomfortable question.
"...Where is Ise-senpai?"
Kiba's blood ran cold. In the realization that he couldn't explain what he'd just witnessed, he was suddenly hit with the reality of the situation.
The horror that had just occurred…. The sin that their friend had just committed…. It was unspeakable. And so, Kiba could not say it.
"...He is….over there…."
Kiba merely pointed in the Sekiryuutei's direction without explaining further. He couldn't say it. He cannot explain what just happened. It was too much to put into words, and too much of it was terrible…
—From high above the Sekiryuutei's position, his rival observed him closely.
"Albion. He still didn't enter the Drive."
[Yeah… From the looks of it, he simply used its power to create some sort of mutation that affected his Sacred Gear. He's deformed the appearance of it, permanently. After that, he subdued it again. But to do such a drastic thing for only a small change like that…. I cannot comprehend it. I suppose that's just my lack of understanding towards human nature, ey, Vali?]
"That's right, Albion. He subdued the Juggernaut Drive so that he wouldn't go berserk. Because he had that specific type of "punishment" in mind. He must've been thinking about it for a long time… If he had given into the Drive, then he would've lost that experience. He won't be aware of anything he does beyond that point, and he won't even remember it afterward. I doubt he'd let that happen for something he's been planning for so long. To someone like me, it makes perfect sense…."
Vali thought to himself with a morbid smile.
'...But to choose a method this barbaric? It's complete savagery, through and through. Brutal, merciless, and almost frightening. To him, the logic must've been… "these people must suffer the worst possible death there is." No chance for retaliation, no contest. Not even a fight. —The total opposite of a "dignified" existence like my own…. And yet, I can't help this excitement I feel building up inside of me.'
As Vali watched the Sekiryuutei from afar, he noticed a peculiar thing happening to its armor again.
Crack… Crack, crack!
All over the Sekiryuutei's armor, fractures appeared. Lined with the Sacred Gear's red energy signature across every crack, the armor was beginning to fall apart, piece by piece.
"That's odd… That isn't the usual dispellment for the deactivation sequence."
[Indeed. It's no doubt a side-effect of the sudden change brought about by that man's desire. How unnatural. It almost appears as if he's "shedding his skin."]
Natural or unnatural, the Sekiryuutei continued shedding its armor, bit by bit. Until, slowly but surely, the last fragments of the armor broke off, revealing the "human" which had been residing underneath.
"..."
Rias stepped forward weakly, almost appearing as if she hardly had strength in her legs. Instantly, Sirzechs knew that his sister was going to attempt to approach the Sekiryuutei who was across the wasteland. With a grip on her wrist, he stopped her once again.
"...What are you doing, Onii-sama? Let me go…. Ise needs my help.."
"I'm afraid it's still too dangerous for you to approach him yet. You're going to need to stay here."
"But Ise needs my help…. He's suffering…. He needs me… He needs.."
Sirzechs looked his sister in the eyes only to realize that she wasn't all there. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and her body didn't appear to have any energy. From this, Sirzechs inevitably deduced that she'd completely disassociated from the situation. Right now, the only thing on her mind was the man she loved.
"No…. It's not "me" that he needs. What he needs is…someone else…. But I'm all that he has. I'm the only one who understands… That's why I need to help him… Even if it's not me he wants, I need to…"
"Forgive me, Rias."
Sirzechs gently placed a finger against the back of Rias's neck, causing her to fall unconscious with a magical sleeping spell. Sirzechs caught his sister and summoned his Queen.
"Grayfia. Look after Rias."
"Yes, Sirzechs-sama."
Meanwhile, Sirzechs returned his gaze to the unmoving boy that was the center of attention.
Everything had already fallen to silence minutes ago, but the reappearance of the man known as "Sekiryuutei" deafened the world even further. Yet no matter how much time had passed, he hadn't moved a muscle. Unnervingly silent, still on his knees, arms limply at his sides, and with his expression unknowable to all of those far away from him.
Then, eventually, with the subtle twitch of his finger, the Sekiryuutei— Hyoudou Issei, allowed a quiet utterance.
"...….did it…"
Once more, he sounded off, slightly louder this time.
"...I….did it….."
Again.
"...Okaa-san…. Otou-san… I did it….."
Slowly, with his arms still hanging loosely in front of him and his shoulders slouched, the boy began to rise.
"...I did it… I did it… I did it…. I did it. I did it. I did it."
Eventually, his voice rose and its intensity began to build.
"I did it. Okaa-san, Otou-san, I did it. Did you see? I did it. That's why….. Okaa-san, Otou-san….. That's why…. That's why.."
—Then, finally, the full power of his lungs was unleashed and his voice shook the air.
"OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN! I DID IT! I WON!"
And like a madman without bodily control, he threw his arms about every which way, turning his body at the same time. On his face, there was a deranged, broken smile. It was as if he was speaking to the skies, to someone that wasn't there.
"I DID IT, OKAA-SAN, OTOU-SAN! I WON! I KILLED THEM! I DESTROYED YOUR ENEMIES! I KILLED THEM ALL! I WON! ME, YOUR ONE AND ONLY SON! I WON! DID YOU SEE?! WERE YOU WATCHING?! HAVE YOU FORGIVEN ME?! ARE YOU PROUD?! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?! I'VE DONE IT!"
He turned left, but there was no one there.
"THERE'S NO REASON TO BE AFRAID ANYMORE! THEY'RE GONE! THEY'RE ALL GONE! WE'RE SAFE NOW!"
He turned right, but there was no one there.
"WE CAN BE A FAMILY AGAIN! WE DON'T NEED TO HIDE! I CAN PROTECT US! AS THE SEKIRYUUTEI, I CAN DO IT! I CAN WIN! JUST LIKE THIS! I CAN PROTECT US ALL!"
He turned around, but there was no one there.
"THAT'S WHY…! OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN! THAT'S WHY…! THAT'S WHY—"
Until finally, he tripped over the scattered remains of the unidentifiable Devil corpse below his feet, bringing him to his knees once again.
Thud!
With this, his voice lost all of its intensity.
"...Okaa-san…? Otou-san….? Where are you…? Why won't you come out…? I did it…. I won….. I've defeated all of our enemies… That's why….. That's why, you have to come back….. So we can be….a family again…."
If everything until now had not made it clear before, it was certainly clear now.
This boy, Hyoudou Issei, was completely, utterly, broken.
"...Ah…"
Then, whilst looking down at the flattened earth below him, Issei noticed something. Something had caught his eye, freezing his body.
"...Heh.."
—The severed, shredded womanly hand of his Devil opponent.
"...Ku..ku…. Kehehe…. Kkkeehehe…"
Issei's body began to tremble and something which couldn't be classified as laughing or crying, but perhaps a distorted version of both, struggled its way out of him. His right eye twitched madly, his deranged smile cracking his face. All around him, he heard nothing but a deep, bellowing sound. Like the creaking of a decrepit, wooden cabin during a storm. He could hear the very sound of his psyche falling apart.
All the while, Azazel and his companion observed the foul aura leaking out from the boy's body.
"Azazel.."
"Yeah, there's no doubt. He's about to lose it."
"Then that leaves us no choice.."
Shemhazai expanded his wings, ready to fly over the Sekiryuutei to do what needed to be done. Whether that was containment or elimination was solely up to his own judgment..
However, before he could do anything, Shemhazai felt his instincts warn him of an incoming threat.
'This bloodlust..!'
Just when he noticed it, he flipped around, only to see a spear stop just short of his face.
"—Bal."
The spear halted at the sound of Azazel's voice. Azazel aimed his glare at the mischievous Fallen-Angel who wielded the spear.
"What do you think you are doing?"
Bal smirked deviously.
"...Witnessing the depths of his madness."
For a moment, the three Fallen-Angels remained still. Until eventually, Azazel issued the order.
"...Capture him, Shemhazai."
At a moment's notice, the runes inscribed into the collar around Bal's neck lit up like a glow stick. But even so, the Fallen-Angel did not lose his smile.
"—What are you doing, Hyoudou Issei?"
[—?!]
Out of nowhere, they heard a voice from the direction of the Sekiryuutei, breaking their focus. It was certainly the boy's own voice, but something about his tone was far different from anything he said before. It was loud, and unlike the boy's own, not shaky at all.
"What is…?"
The Boy was speaking to "himself." Or at least, that's how it appeared on the outside…
"Otou…san….?"
"Stand, Issei. Your mission has yet to be accomplished, hasn't it? Your "duty," it's not yet been fulfilled, has it? —Stand up, boy. You're our child, aren't you? You have a duty, don't you? That's right. After all, you are the one and only son of Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. Who else but you can truly fulfill it?"
"Yes… I know….. I know that, Otou-san. I know."
Issei stood on his feet unsteadily, before planting himself firmly. He lifted his left arm and summoned his Boosted Gear.
"I have a duty….. My mission…is not yet over."
Then, he swiftly placed his hand onto his face..?
Confused, Azazel could see the boy holding his face. No, that's not it. It was something far more violent.
"What is he…? —! I see! That guy… he's..! "
PIERCE!
I'm alone…
Okaa-san, Otou-san… I'm really all alone here….
You left me… You left me alone here….
I'm….alone….
《What are you doing, Hyoudou Issei?》
Just when I thought I was alone, my…..father…? I heard his voice from somewhere nearby. Judging from the sound, he must be standing right next to me. Looking down on me…
"Otou….san….?"
《Stand, Issei. Your mission has yet to be accomplished, hasn't it? Your "duty," it's not yet been fulfilled, has it?》
My….mission…?
…My duty…
《Stand up, boy. You're our child, aren't you? You have a duty, don't you?》
That's right. That's exactly right, Otou-san. My duty…. I have a duty.
It's not over yet.
Not until….they're all gone.
《That's right. After all, you are the only and only son of Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. Who else but you can truly fulfill it?》
"Yes….. I know…. I know that, Otou-san. I know."
Using all of the strength in my legs, I brought myself to my feet and summoned my Boosted Gear.
"I have a duty….. My mission…"
[Wait, partner! DON'T!]
"...is not yet over..!"
Then, ignoring the pain that resulted from it, I plunged my clawed fingers into my left eye, my remaining human eye, and ripped it out by force.
"There…are still enemies out there!"
PIERCE!
"Rraaaaaaagh!"
[Partner!]
After plucking out my eye, I presented it to the dragon residing inside of me, who now had no choice but to grant my request.
"Welsh Dragon Emperor! I sacrifice this, my only remaining eye, to you as an offering! In exchange for this eye, I demand that you grant my request! In exchange for this eye, give me sight beyond human capability! Give me POWER!"
—And in a moment, I felt the power coursing through me.
"What is he…? —! I see! That guy… he's..! "
—Azazel quickly realized that the boy was removing his own eye.
PIERCE!
"Rrraaaaaagh!"
Issei then lifted his eye into the air, as if presenting it to the sky.
"Welsh Dragon Emperor! I sacrifice this, my only remaining eye, to you as an offering! In exchange for this eye, I demand that you hear my request! In exchange for this eye, give me sight beyond human capability! Give me POWER!"
And just like that, the Boosted Gear, as well as the wound where Hyoudou Issei plucked out his own eye, both began to shimmer with a green brilliance.
SHIIIIIIIIIIIINN!
...
...When the light died down, Issei was standing there with his eyes closed and an increased amount of latent aura lingering around his body. He squeezed his armored palm, seemingly crushing his severed eye and tossing it aside.
"That's right…. I'm sure of it… There are still enemies out there. That's why, I can't just stop here."
When Issei opened his eyes, any sense of humanity that could be observed through his eyes was gone. Instead, now, he possessed a pair of green, cold-blooded reptilian eyes.
—And right now, whether by fate or by coincidence, those eyes instinctively directed their glare towards the Hakuryuukou that was gradually descending to his level.
"Heh.."
Vali only laughed at this realization.
However, Issei also took a moment to observe the aura that surrounded his own body. He could see it clear as day, blanketing him like smoke. It seems like now he needn't even focus to see anyone's aura. He could see them by default. That would make identifying his enemies all the more doable. Not only that, but he wouldn't need to put effort into "sensing" the difference between him and his opponent's strengths, nor would he need to make a call on judging someone's character. With this power, he could understand someone's intentions and emotions just based on the fluctuations in their aura, as well as their latent power. Now, he could see it all. Now it was all tangible to him.
Only…. Something was off about his aura. There was an unrecognizable thing swimming around inside of it. Another separate energy signature of some kind was coiling around his body, beneath the surface of his own aura. It was faint, but still enough for him to notice. And with every swirl it made throughout his shape, Issei felt a level of invigoration he'd never felt before. Every fiber of his being was itching with power, screaming to him that no matter what happened from this point on, he wouldn't tire or exhaust his stamina at all. Yet, despite that assurance, he knew this power felt foreign. And for that reason, it unsettled him. More than anything, he felt the need to purge this power, even if just by releasing everything that was building up… He wanted to claw it out…
From above, the Sekiryuutei's own rival observed the same.
[Vali. That man…. He's absorbed a portion of [Ophis'] snake.]
'Yeah. It must've been whatever was left inside of Kattleya. Was it that power he used when he killed her..?'
[It must be. I've never heard such an announcement from any of the past hosts of Sekiryuutei before. It's undoubtedly an ability he created all on his own. A mutation..]
'The Sacred Gear's announcement called it: [Consume.] If it allowed him to steal the power of Ophis from Kattleya's corpse… Do you think it's an ability that behaves in a similar manner to the Divine Dividing?'
[I do not know. However, I can say with absolute certainty that it was that same power he must have used to assimilate the Juggernaut Drive. Without some form of magic, there's no other way he could have done it.]
'—!? …"Consume!" Of course, so that's how it is! Now I understand, Albion. If that's the ability he used to take hold over the Drive, then I can easily deduce what that ability's function is. No, if I think about it, it's obvious more than anything. What he did to Kattleya…. That's all proof enough.'
Vali couldn't help but smile as he finally reached an altitude that would allow him to converse with his rival easily.
'Heh. A "mutation," huh…? Despite being just a mere human, you really are something, aren't you, my rival?'
"—It seems that you've returned to your senses, Hyoudou Issei. And, well? Did you enjoy your rampage? Judging by the state of our surroundings, you held nothing back. I expected no less from my rival."
Issei's eyes slid back up towards his rival, who was hovering the air a bit aways from him. His expression appeared apathetic, but there was a lingering air of menace underneath. In every sense of the word, his gaze felt "cold-blooded."
"Hakuryuukou. —Vali. You have my gratitude."
"Hoh? Do I now?"
"Because of you, I was able to identify the lifelong enemies of my household and finally put an end to their lives. For that, I give you my thanks. One of my great purposes in life has been fulfilled. Though, not entirely…"
Vali chuckled.
"Heh. Gratitude, ey? How unexpected. Moreover, an uncharacteristic development for beings like us. Usually, most interactions between the hosts of the Two Heavenly Dragons begin with a lot more hostility."
"—I harbor no hostility towards you. You are not my enemy."
Issei said something that made Vali lose his smile and his thoughts came to a halt.
"..I believe I might've misheard you. Did you say that I wasn't an enemy? You don't hold any animosity towards me?"
"That's correct. You are not my enemy, and for that reason, I hold not an ounce of resentment towards you whatsoever."
"...You and I are rivals, in case you've forgotten. We're destined to face each other in battle. It's part of our fate as the Heavenly Dragons."
"I am no one's pawn. I won't allow any being, alive or dead, to dictate my own fate. That is up to me and me alone. As such, I don't care for the legend of the Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou. I won't bend to the will of long deceased dragons who can't even recall the reason behind their own conflict."
"...Then what will you do? If you won't pursue our rivalry, then what do you have left beyond this point..?"
"—I will keep moving forward. No matter what happens, through all of the pain and suffering, I will move forward. I will continue to chase my enemies into the grave. Until the day comes that I've buried them all with my own two hands, I won't stop. Even if it comes at the cost of my own life, I'll have died satisfied knowing that my duty was done. I won't stop until it's done. I'll just keep moving forward until the enemy is finally exterminated. Every single last one of them... —That's why you and I are not enemies. In my eyes, the only enemies I have in this world are those that destroyed my family. The ones who wreaked havoc on this town and all of their affiliates, down to the very last ally…. So when it comes to the legend of the Heavenly Dragons, sorry to say, but I simply do not care."
Vali fell utterly speechless. Assuming that this was the end of their conversation, Issei walked away without a word more to his rival, leaving him hanging silently in the air.
"Shit, Azazel..!"
"Yeah, he's coming this way. Keep your guards up."
"Wait, Azazel..! Bal has disappeared!"
Azazel turned around only to realize that his friend Shemhazai was right, Bal was nowhere to be seen. But there was no time for that, not yet.
"Leave it. He still has the collar on, just activate the neutralization sequence for now. We can still track and capture him later after he's been immobilized. I'm sure he's still watching from somewhere close by anyway. But right now, we have bigger problems coming straight at us.."
"Roger that…"
The leaders of the Three-powers observed Issei with cold stares, and mentally, they were on high alert. But none of them were so cold that they could compare to Issei's own hollow gaze. He approached them slowly, not out of caution but simply because that was his pace, unfazed by their caution towards him.
"...Yuuto-senpai. Why are they treating Issei-senpai like an enemy..?"
From beside Kiba, Koneko asked him confusedly. He furrowed his brows, unsure of how to answer.
"...He isn't…. Ise-kun isn't our enemy… I'm sure of it…"
At least, that was what Kiba told himself as well as his junior. In truth, he couldn't deny the unnerving sense of dread rising up within him.
Step by step, Hyoudou Issei closed the distance between him and his supposed allies. And no matter how many seconds passed, his unaffected expression didn't change.
Eventually, he stopped right in front of them and inquired calmly.
"Is everyone alright?"
It was an unexpected question, so much so that the leaders didn't reply out of suspicion. Instead, it was Kiba who answered him, after switching glances between the cautious faction leaders.
"...Yes, we're all…okay, for the most part… Gya-kun was hurt, but not too badly. He should be fine with some healing from Asia.."
When Issei met eyes with Kiba, the Knight felt a chill run down his spine. His current set of eyes were nothing like before. Everything about his gaze, even beyond a physical level, was completely different. Unlike before when his gaze felt like his staggering hatred was burning a hole into your head, his gaze now just felt like a cold, deadly stare of apathy. It was like the cold, callous observation of a predator that could decide to kill you at a moment's notice, without so much as a second thought.
Undoubtedly, something about the boy…..has changed.
"I see. That is good to hear."
Issei walked past the frozen Kiba, saying nothing more to him. In his awe, Kiba couldn't say anything else either. When Issei approached Gasper, who was being protected by Xenovia, she flinched. For a moment, she almost pulled away from Issei.
"...Hy….Hyoudou-san…?"
Issei didn't acknowledge Xenovia. Instead, he merely knelt down and patted the unconscious Gasper's head, rousing him awake.
"...Sem…pai..?"
"It's alright, Gasper. Everything's fine now."
"...Se..Sempai…. I p-protected Koneko-chan…. I did it…. I was able to..freeze the enemies….. I t-thought that I didn't want her to get hurt and i-it happened, just like you taught me… Are you proud of me…?"
"Yes, Gasper. I am proud. Well done."
"...I'm…so glad…"
With that, Gasper lost consciousness once again. Issei ceased his petting and stood up slowly.
"I'd prefer it if the two of you looked after him together."
Issei said it in reference to Xenovia and also Irina, who was on her knees beside them. He walked away saying just that, leaving them stunned at his "gentle" demeanor. Yet, there was still something unnerving about his composure, especially considering his appearance.
After seeing Gasper, Issei walked over to Raynare and the also unconscious Asia. Issei knelt down and just as he did with Gasper, checked the conditions of his housemates.
"Are you two alright?"
Raynare, being the only one conscious, replied.
"...Yes, Ise-sama….. We're…okay…"
"Good. I was worried about you."
"You….were..?"
"Yes. From the moment I opened my eyes again, I was thinking about you two. Especially you, Raynare. I was worried that you might've been affected by what I did to my enemy. I thought it might've dug up some unpleasant memories for you. And for that, I'm sorry. Just know that what I did, I did only to make him suffer. I didn't do it to hurt you, nor will I ever do so again. I hope that you can understand that. And even more than that, I'm grateful to you for protecting Asia. Thank you."
Issei rubbed Raynare's cheek gently, something he had never done before, and for a moment, Raynare said nothing. Until her voice crawled meekly out from her lips.
"...Ise-sama…?"
"What is it?"
"...Will you…protect me and Asia…?"
"Yes. As long as I'm around, I won't let anyone harm you. Either of you."
"...Okay. Then..."
—Azazel, who was watching the trio closely, noticed Raynare's slightly "unhinged" smile.
"In that case…. I-It's alright… No matter what happens, no matter what you do, I'm on your side…. As long as the three of us are safe, as long as we're together, I don't care about anything else…. So it's alright… Do what you have to do…"
"Thank you, Raynare. I feel the same way."
Azazel narrowed his eyes worriedly.
'For Raynare to say those things…. Judging by her expression, she isn't all there right now. From the looks of it, the chaos of the situation must've "snapped" something in her. The impending disaster must've forced her to realize something vital about herself. There's a hint of fear in her tone, but it's completely overpowered by sincerity. She means every word she's saying…. Whether it's a part of her nature as a Fallen-Angel that's affecting her or just her true feelings, I don't know for sure. But either way, she definitely believes what she's saying. She's settled something decisively within herself. Now it's only a question of whether that'll be the best thing for her or not… The conclusion she's reached doesn't seem unhealthy for her, but I can't say that I like the way that she reached it…'
"Azazel.."
"I know. Let's observe for a second."
Azazel silenced his friend's concern for the moment, opting to continue observing the once volatile Sekiryuutei.
With one last reaffirming nod to Raynare, Issei stood up and finally made his way over to the final unconscious person he wanted to see, Rias. However, Grayfia stood in his way before he could get close.
"Could you move aside? I'd like to check her condition."
"—Rias-ojousama is alright. Please step away."
"I will, but only when I've verified it with my own eyes."
Those cold eyes— they pierced right through Grayfia's being. Still, she didn't falter. Instead, the air surrounding her environment began to feel ice cold.
"Grayfia. Step back."
To Grayfia's dismay, Sirzechs commanded her.
"...Sirzechs-sama—"
"Please step aside, Grayfia. For now…"
Reluctantly, Grayfia heeded the Maou's commands and took a step back, allowing Issei to approach Rias. When he got close enough, he knelt down to her level and placed the back of his hand against her cheek, as if checking her temperature. Unbeknownst to Issei, his own latent aura was affecting those around him, including his unconscious comrades, which is what caused Gasper to awaken. The same occurred with Rias, who instinctively lifted her hand to hold Issei's own as her eyes fluttered open.
"...Ise? Is that you?"
"Yeah."
"Ise.."
For a moment, Rias smiled, relieved that Issei was alright. However, when her vision finally focused, her breath was caught in a hitch.
"Is—"
Her eyes widened.
While lying on her back, Rias saw Issei looking down at her from above. But her body shuddered.
His eyes— they were no longer the same. No, they were nothing like before. One look and she knew that something about him had changed. And it wasn't only that he had lost his only human eye and replaced it with yet another dragonic one. No, that wasn't it. It was humanity itself that she noticed was vacant from his eyes, on a level deeper than physical. To top it all off, his face was painted entirely red with blood, contrasting strongly with the piercing green of his emerald irises.
Worriedly, Rias raised a hand to Issei's cheek.
"Ise…. What...have you done?"
It was only after her utterance that Rias realized she had asked the wrong question. She had meant to ask "what happened to him," but for whatever reason, her own subconscious betrayed her.
Unbothered, Issei moved his eyes up from her and looked at the sky.
"Not enough, it seems."
"...What?"
—Just as Issei concluded in assessing Rias's condition, he once again heard the voice of his rival calling out to him from afar. No, not far. In fact, it sounded like Vali had gotten closer to the group while maintaining his previous altitude.
"Hyoudou Issei. A moment, if you will."
Rias unconsciously shivered as she watched Issei's eyeballs roll smoothly across to the other corner of his eyes, towards the voice behind him. It was almost robotic, like a predator casually switching targets.
"Vali! So you really have betrayed us after all.. My suspicions were correct."
Shemhazai exclaimed agitatedly at the Hakuryuukou, but Vali's eyes barely even shifted for a glance at the Fallen-Angel. He appeared to be far more concerned with Issei and paid little mind to Shemhazai.
"Yes, you were right."
He admitted it curtly, returning his eyes to his rival quickly after. Needless to say, his candid attitude only served to further irritate the Owl of Grigori.
"Vali… Have you nothing to say for yourself?! After everything that's happened, you've turned your back on us and for what? What is it that you seek?!"
"—Power."
That was all Vali replied with.
"Hrnn… Fine. Perhaps it's best after all for Azazel and I to just capture you two rebellious actors, right here, right now.."
Shemhazai threatened Vali and Bal, who was no longer present. His Governor echoed his accusatory sentiments.
"Vali. You've joined sides with Ophis after all? I'm surprised, for both of you. The two of you don't seem like the type to be after world domination. And considering how you sold out your "allies" from the Old-Satan faction, I assume that you aren't very keen on their ideals either. Unless you did that just to take over the Old-Satan faction for yourself? Still, that doesn't seem like you. What exactly is it that you're up to with that creature, with Ophis?"
For a moment, Vali appeared disinterested, seemingly having no desire to respond. However, after some thought, his attitude changed somehow…
"...Actually, now that I think about it, you're right, Azazel. I might as well explain myself."
Azazel raised a brow at the suspicious heel turn, but allowed Vali to continue.
"—And for that, Hyoudou Issei, you will want to listen. This concerns you as well, more than anyone else here, in fact. Or rather, this concerns that which you seek to destroy."
Issei's attention was firmly obtained after that point, causing him to stand up fully and turn toward his rival with a dead face.
"Vali… The things you're saying…. Are you an ally to the Khaos Brigade…?"
"That's right. I am indeed a member of the Khaos Brigade."
Issei's expression didn't change significantly, but the slits he possessed for pupils did narrow in size ever so slightly.
"...Were you involved in the attack on Kuoh?"
Vali thought carefully about his responses, not in order to de-escalate the tension, but rather with the opposite intention.
"...No. Believe it or not, my appearance actually matches my true age. I was much too young to be involved in such an operation, let alone be aware of the existence of such an organization… No, I suppose that's not entirely true. Even so, I played no active part in it. After all, I can't say that I was a "founding" member. Those three that you killed earlier were the original founding members of the newly revived Old-Satan faction, along with one other. They revived that long dead faction on behalf of their ancestry for their own reasons, and you single handedly destroyed all of that in one day. Up to the very end, I had nothing to do with it."
Issei replied with an unforeseen calmness.
"Vali. If you leave this place now, I'll spare your life. Considering that you weren't a founding member, and it's also thanks to you that I was able to identify them all in the first place, I believe this is enough reason for me to grant you this mercy. Retreat. This is your only warning."
But those words were the exact opposite of what Vali wanted to hear. Even more than that, there was a level of irritation that rose within Vali from Issei's presumptuous attitude that he was the only one in a position to make demands.
"...I'm afraid that won't do, my rival. It seems there are still some things you don't understand, some things you don't know…. And for your sake, I think it'd be wise for you to hear it."
Rather than raising a brow, Issei unnervingly tilted his head without moving his eyes an inch from Vali.
Azazel narrowed his eyes.
"Vali… Just what on earth are you planning on doing?"
"I've witnessed the depth of your hatred and your madness, Hyoudou Issei. Now, it's time for me to witness the depth of your commitment."
"Vali, answer me! What are you and Ophis after?!"
But Vali continued to ignore the Governor of the Fallen-Angels.
"Now that all of this has happened, there are only remnants— no, scraps, in fact, of the Old-Satan faction left to cull. Without the figureheads and only half of their forces, it'll surely fall apart unless someone takes over. Currently, I'm the only candidate. Do you know what this means?"
Vali smirked, but Issei still didn't react as the Hakuryuukou expected.
"Do you think I'm a fool, Vali? I heard your commander. You aren't the type of person to lead anything. You don't seek world domination or pursue lofty ideals of lineage. You only seek power. You want a fight. And I'm sorry to say, but I'm not stupid enough to give that to you for nothing. If you want a fight, you'll need to look somewhere else. As far as I see it, your petty attempts are only going to get you killed by the rest of your comrades instead."
Aggravatedly, Vali frowned, but soon, he thought of an effective method for fanning the flames of rage sleeping inside of Issei.
"Ho? Is that so? Lineage, you say…? Well then…. if not for my loose connection to the founders of the revived Old-Satan faction, then what about my relation to the original Satan instead? I wonder if what you said will remain true after that…"
Azazel's eyes widened, and in contrast, Vali smiled devilishly.
'Earlier, you said that you wouldn't allow your fate to be dictated by anyone, didn't you? But I wonder if that's true…. I wonder, if it was for the sake of your "duty," would you let someone control your fate then, Hyoudou Issei?'
[Vali, what are you doing?]
'Awakening the beast.'
[Vali! Have you lost your mind? That man is not only empowered by the increase in strength from his sacrifice to the Boosted Gear, but he is also in possession of a fragment of the Ophis snake. Just take a look at his aura. This is a battle you cannot win.]
'Heh, I am the Hakuryuukou, am I not? Facing off against any enemy whose strength surpasses my own is my specialty. A rival who's stronger than me is more than I could ask for, even if that boost in power is temporary.'
[No, Vali. Even if the effect of the Ophis snake has been diluted by secondary consumption, once the effect disappears, it won't have made a difference. Even then, his power and stamina will easily match, if not surpass your own. And with his anger, there's probably no limit to his boosting capability either. You cannot win.]
"You see, Hyoudou Issei…"
[Vali!]
Vali ignored his partner's warnings and followed his own reckless judgment.
"The truth is, every one of the founding members that you murdered here today— they were all just "toys." Playthings— trapped in someone else's game. A game that was started 10 years ago for the sake of one individual. The true culprit responsible for the crimes committed that day… that person is still alive to this day, probably cackling from the shadows as we speak."
To that explanation, Issei's eyes sharpened into a deadly glare.
"...What the hell are you talking about, Vali…?"
Finally, Vali was receiving the reaction he had hoped for. And so, he provoked further.
"The individual you're referring to… It's Ophis, isn't it? The almighty [Ouroboros Dragon.] The one they call "The Infinite." Isn't that right, Vali?"
That was Azazel's deduction, but Vali denied his claim.
"No, you're wrong, Azazel. It's true that the Khaos Brigade formed as a part of the union between Ophis and the Old-Satan faction, and later the Hero faction. However, just like the trio of old-blooded fools before It, Ophis is also just a chess piece. It was only at the suggestion of the true "Founder" that Ophis joined in the formation of Khaos Brigade. But that union came only after the revival of the Old-Satan faction, which was resurrected at the instruction of said "Founder." So you see, everyone except the Founder himself has ignorantly played along with his cruel, sadistic joke. The joke that causes the most amount of chaos…"
"If Ophis isn't the original, then who is? Who is this "Founder?" Who instructed the descendants of the original four Devil-kings to join forces with Ophis and create the Khaos Brigade? What kind of person is capable of, as you say, "tricking" the Old-Satan descendants and convincing Ophis to join their parade? And for what purpose?"
Vali chuckled at Azazel's question, but his laughter didn't sound sinister, in fact, it almost sounded…agitated.
"Hehe… The person who did that, the individual who founded the Khaos Brigade and set them free to run rampant entirely from the shadows… That "Founder," his name is [Rizevim Livan Lucifer.]"
[?!—!?]
As Michael and the Yondai-Maou recoiled in shock, Azazel and Shemhazai were both fraught with confusion.
"Rizevim Lucifer?!"
"Onii-sama? That name…doesn't seem familiar. Is that a person related to the original Satan? A descendant?"
Rias's question was answered not by her shocked brother, but by Ajuka Beelzebub.
"He isn't just any "descendant." In fact, he is the most direct heir to the Lucifer lineage. He is the son of the original Lucifer, the only true living son of Satan himself."
[—?!]
Falbium walked up beside Ajuka in realization.
"I see! So that was the demonic signature you recognized from that magical formula? So it was his magic that was cutting us off from the outside world earlier."
"Yes, that barrier was undoubtedly his. Although the formula wasn't complex, the demonic signature was unique and distinctly powerful."
"The son of Satan?! The Khaos Brigade was formed at the behest of the son of Lucifer himself? But why don't I recognize his name? Wasn't the son of Lucifer named "Razevan," not Rizevim?"
Sirzechs properly answered his sister's question this time.
"The reason you haven't heard his name is because his name was wiped from Devil history. From the official accounts, the only name that appears at the mention of the son of Lucifer is Razevan, Lucifer's grandson and son of Rizevim, who both haven't been heard from in over ten years. All effects attributed to him were also wiped clean."
"Wiped from history..? Why would the son of Lucifer be erased from our Devil history?"
"—Because he was a monster."
Vali spat venomously. His eyes were filled with hatred.
"It is said— no, it is known that Rizevim was so cruel, so vicious, and so sadistic that even Lucifer the Morning-star himself disowned his own son, viewing him as nothing but a danger to all he came across, including Devils and non-devils alike. For that, he was exiled. He was said to have no allegiance, no empathy, no morals, no attachment to any one person or thing. He was just a manipulator who thought of others as playthings; toys to toss around the playground that was his twisted reality.…. All of it is true. Every brutal rumor and every haunting story about him, it's all reality. That is truly who he is.."
Vali said it almost disgustedly, his face contorting in a manner that was uncharacteristic of him. From looking at him, one could make the assumption that just speaking about the topic made his stomach turn black with rage.
"Vali… If that's true then, why would you… what on earth are you thinking?"
Azazel's utterance was never acknowledged by his foster son, who instead continued on about the "Founder" of Khaos Brigade.
"So you see, my rival, your TRUE enemy still lives and breathes. He is out there, somewhere. And right now, he's probably laughing at his "playthings" hellish demise… To a creature like him, the complete dismantling of the Old-Satan faction is like the punchline to a hysterical joke. A joke he set up a decade ago… Even now, I can imagine it. I can hear his laughter ringing in my head… In fact, I would even go as far as saying: "don't bother looking for a motivation to his crimes." To cause needless suffering beyond imagination is probably enough of a reason for someone like him. It's probably the reason he convinced Shalba to attack this unprotected town full of innocent humans instead of the Gremory estate directly, all those years ago. His reasoning must've been absurd, but he's the king of manipulators. He could play off of egotistical fools like that with ease, using them as a tool for spreading misery. Ultimately, I could say with total confidence that your parents probably died for nothing. That's just the type of bastard he is…."
With Vali's speech acting as a catalyst, a malignant aura began to seep out from Issei's body and ran along the ground like a smoke cloud. Had there been any vegetation across the wasteland, it would've undoubtedly perished from the"pestilence" radiating off of him.
"...Rizevim Livan Lucifer…."
—Finally, after so many years, the Boy heard the name. Not just the name of an organization, but the name of a culprit. The culprit. A perpetrator who's involvement was undeniable and could be considered the "mastermind" behind all of that catastrophe. The single being who, if truly not for his existence, Issei's parents would still be alive and well to this day.
The true villain to the tragedy that is his story.
Michael questioned Vali suspiciously.
"Hakuryuukou. If what you say is true, then how could you have known all of this? If the formation of Khaos Brigade took place long before your time of involvement with the Old-Satan faction, then how could you have known this information? Are you perhaps in contact with that man?"
To that, Vali scowled and scoffed aggravatedly.
"I would prefer it if you didn't associate that creature with me. Though we are related by blood, I haven't heard from him in a very long time. In fact, unfortunately, I have yet to encounter him at all since I was a child, despite his involvement with Khaos Brigade… No, I only know this information because of Ophis, who I have come to an agreement with."
Azazel came to an internal realization.
'"Unfortunately?" "An agreement…?"— I see! I get it now! I know what you're after, Vali!'
Michael narrowed his eyes.
"Wait, Hakuryuukou… Just now, you said that you were related by blood to that Devil..? You can't mean..!"
"That's right."
—Then, out from Vali's backside, 4 pairs of Devil wings emerged.
FOOM!
"My name— is [Vali Lucifer.] I am the great grandson of the original Devil-king, Lucifer, the Morning-star."
[—?!]
Once again, they were treated to another shocking revelation. Azazel sighed and his companion frowned with shame, knowing that this reveal could only bring about disaster.
"So you see, Rizevim Livan Lucifer…is my grandfather. It was he who originally "founded" the Khaos Brigade through the union of Ophis and the Old-Satan faction. And he was only able to recruit Ophis as a result of his offer, which was that the Hakuryuukou, his own grandson, would assist Ophis in Its personal efforts. Because you see, Ophis has a certain goal, and in order to achieve it, It needs power. Specifically, It would benefit most from a power like my own, which could weaken other creatures. That's why, using me as a tool of manipulation, he offered up my assistance, despite my age at the time. Naturally, Ophis was unbothered having to wait a decade or so to attain Its goal, considering that It is a being of infinite lifespan. However, I refused to involve myself because I…..had no such interest… It was only by fate that I ended up joining the Khaos Brigade and allying with Ophis so many years later."
"O' Lord…"
Michael prayed in futility, feeling the gravity of the situation.
"I see. You happened to be born of a human being, isn't that right? That's why your wings are not "true" like your allies were and why you possess a Longinus. But for someone like the descendant of the original Satan to possess the [Divine Dividing]of all things…. The irony could have only been greater if you were an agent of Heaven instead. Still, your existence is like a cruel joke."
Vali chuckled at Ajuka's comment.
"Heh. The word "miracle" probably exists to describe a creature like me. On the other hand, the word "tragedy" probably exists to describe the Sekiryuutei. The exact opposite of me. Wouldn't you agree, my rival?"
Issei's head hung low and his body was beginning to "rumble." Not "tremble," but "rumble," as if there was an impending storm brewing underneath the surface of his figure, readying itself to burst out from within..
"Vali Lucifer…. Why have you told me this..? If you had only heeded my advice, you could've walked away from it all… You could have lived…. Why…?"
Vali scoffed.
"Hmph… Earlier, you had said to me: I have no resentment towards you. You said that you didn't care for the rivalry between us. —Can you say any of that is still true now, knowing what you know? Don't you see, Hyoudou Issei? You and I are fated to be enemies. My bloodline and your history are both undeniable proof of that. I am Vali Lucifer, Hakuryuukou, great grandson of the original Lucifer and grandson of Rizevim Livan Lucifer! The Devil who founded Khaos Brigade! The Devil who orchestrated the attack on your home that killed your parents! And you are Hyoudou Issei, Sekiryuutei, and the only surviving child of two victims of the Kuoh disaster! The Boy who witnessed it all with his own two eyes! The Boy who could do nothing to stop it! —Do you understand now?! Don't you see our fate laid out in front of us?! Well, what do you say now?! Now can you say that you hold no animosity towards me?! Now can you just let me go?! Tell me, Hyoudou Issei! —What do you say to that now?!"
A great silence unlike any other hung in the air for a very long time.
….
….
Whoosh..
Then, suddenly, Rias felt her hair in her face and her clothes began flowing in the wind as Issei stepped away from her.
"...Rias.."
Though he was away from her, he called out softly.
"...Tell your brother— Tell the Gremory family….that I'm sorry for everything I've ever said and done to them.."
"...Ise?"
And though she couldn't touch him, Rias still reached for him, only for her hair and her clothing to be blown about in every direction from the sudden courses of wind.
Whooooosh!
A swirling mass of aura began to congregate around Issei's body, sucking in the air around like a vortex and making it difficult to breathe.
"No, wait! Ise!"
Grayfia pulled Rias as far away from the Sekiryuutei as possible, bringing her to the side of the Yondai-Maou.
"Stay away from him, Ojou-sama!"
"Wait— ISE!"
Gradually, the ground began to shake, causing rocks and debris to bounce or shift incessantly. Eventually, much of it just broke.
"Shemhazai.."
"Yes, governor."
Quietly, Shemhazai formed a spear of light with all of its power concentrated at the center. It was an instant kill move…
But—.
Pika!
"What?!"
The spear broke apart into shards, and the particles of power that created the spear were sucked away into the vortex surrounding Issei's body. No, they were sucked directly into the jewel on his Boosted Gear.
"Oh no… Azazel.."
"Yeah, haha. I saw.."
Azazel laughed, but his face was stuck with a forced smile.
"So it had to come to this… Is this what "fate" is? Geez, what a cruel reality."
Soon, even strikes of lightning began to glide across the wasteland, as if summoned from the air around the Sekiryuutei. His power was emanating greater than it ever had before.
"Vali… My gratitude to you hasn't disappeared. Twice now you have illuminated my enemy. You have illuminated my "path" forward. My path towards justice… For that, I thank you… That's why, I will grant you this one and only mercy… A mercy that your allies weren't worthy of…"
—And now, the red glow of Issei's dragonic eyes bore into the depths of Vali's soul.
"I'll give you a proper death, my "rival."
[WELSH DRAGON — OVERDRIVE!]
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Oy, Satoru! Stop looking down at my screen!"
"I'm not, you idiot! Even if I was, what does it matter? Tsubomi is beating all of us anyway!"
"Tsubomi-oneechan is too strong!"
In the Hyoudou household, a peaceful scene was taking place. The Aikawa family and their guests were passing time in the living area of the home with each other, the adults drinking tea and the children playing games together.
However, this scene was soon interrupted by a severe quake.
RUMBLE!
"Kyaaaah!"
"What the—?!"
"Earthquake!"
Just as the rumbling began, Hyoudou Issei's grandmother, See Hyoudou clutched the sides of her head and began screaming hysterically.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! NO, NOOOO!"
"Obaa-sama!"
Although Satoshi attempted to comfort his aunt, it was futile.
"NOOOOO! GOROOOU! MY BOY, MY BOOOY! AAAAAH!"
"O-Obaa-sama! Calm down! I-It's alright!"
As the shaking continued, something loud blared throughout the skies of the town of Kuoh. An alarm of impending destruction.
Reeeeeeaaoooooooooooooooo!
"O-Otou-san, what is that?!"
"It's the disaster siren! Everyone, hurry! We need to get to a safety shelter! Akane, grab my auntie's wheelchair! Kids, get up we're leaving!"
"But what about Nii-chan!?"
"We'll meet him at one of the shelters! Now, hurry!"
RUMBLE!
As the battlefield was set ablaze with dragonic power, an earth shattering tremor began. From outside of the barrier surrounding the academy, something that resembled an air siren sounded off.
"Sirzechs! The disaster alarms are blaring! At this rate, the residents of this town will be able to see what's happening over here!"
Sirzechs, who could barely hear Falbium over the noise from his position holding the defensive shield, shouted back.
"Falbium! Redirect our external forces at Grigori back to Kuoh! Order them to split into squads and lead the town residents towards the magically reinforced shelters! Ensure that they avoid the shelters closest in vicinity to the academy at all costs!"
"Understood!"
"This can't be happening! Ise! Please, stop this! ISEEEEE!"
Rias's cries of desperation went unheard. And as the Sekiryuutei's armor once again took form on his body, Vali Lucifer smiled.
"Very well! Then let us rampage to our hearts content, Hyoudou Issei!"
And with that, the legendary clash between the Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor began.
[SHOT!]
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Sekiryuutei blasted a torrent of raw energy towards the Hakuryuukou without warning. Despite its overwhelming power, the Hakuryuukou barely defended against it with his multiple layers of magic. But when the energy disappeared, he was face to face with his rival.
DON!
The two collided, sending them shooting across the sky like clashing starlight. At every turn, they would clash. But it was becoming relatively clear that only the Sekiryuutei's attacks were landing consistently, and every single attack created a shockwave that shook the sky. With every connected strike, the Hakuryuukou struggled to maintain his form. Again and again, sections of his armor were blown to pieces upon impact.
DON DON DON DON DON DON DON!
'This is..! What destructive power! I can't properly defend against it!'
Until, the Sekiryuutei struck the Hakuryuukou's mask, causing it to break apart and his body to spin 180 degrees. Once he was turned, the Sekiryuutei took advantage of his vulnerability and grappled the Hakuryuukou's wings of light, pulling them in an attempt to tear them off.
"Ha!"
But then, the Hakuryuukou expanded his wings to a great size and blew the Sekiryuutei away from him.
"Sorry to say, but just like your Boosted Gear, the wings of the Divine Dividing are physically indestructible! You'll need another strategy this ti—"
The Hakuryuukou's words were cut short when the Sekiryuutei instead blasted the Hakuryuukou, causing him to crash down to the earth with the pillar of energy.
BOOOOOOOM!
The Hakuryuukou rose out of his crater with a bloodied appearance and a satisfied smile, but he had only a moment to recompose.
"He completely blew away my armor with brute force and followed up with that much power… Haha, how exhilarating!"
[Vali!]
The Hakuryuukou reformed his armor and dodged the incoming attack from above in a split second. When the Sekiryuutei landed knee-first on the Hakuryuukou's previous position, his impact only deepened the crater, but only momentarily, for the impact was so great that the entire battlefield around them was leveled entirely, putting them on (un)even ground again.
In that momentary pause during the Sekiryuutei's landing, the Hakuryuukou closed the distance and punched the Sekiryuutei's mask, cracking it. The Sekiryuutei responded by using its "false" mouth to shoot another blast of energy, which the Hakuryuukou narrowly dodged. For a moment, an opening was created.
"There!"
[Vanishing Dragon — Supreme Division!]
[Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!]
Using his ability, the Hakuryuukou halved the Sekiryuutei's power incrementally, causing the Sekiryuutei's aura to decrease in size and potency. But it only lasted a moment, because the Sekiryuutei boosted himself to power up again.
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
[Vali! We're being overloaded! He has too great a surplus of power! We can't perform at the upper limits of our strength if we keep stealing this much energy!]
'Then it's fine as long as I use it right after I take it, right?'
The Hakuryuukou spared no hesitation in utilizing the siphoned power from the Sekiryuutei and repurposed it, turning it into energy that strengthened his own volley of demonic shots that he directed at his rival.
Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa!
The Sekiryuutei cut through the smoke that covered him, revealing that the demonic bullets had done considerable damage to his armor.
"So your own power can damage you after all, human!"
Without pause, the Sekiryuutei countered with his own volley of energy shots toward the Hakuryuukou. As they approached at rapid speeds, the Hakuryuukou used his power once again to divide the incoming attacks. However…
Paka, paka, paka!
The attacks dissipated almost immediately, so quickly in fact that the Hakuryuukou wasn't even able to divide more than once. In shock, the Hakuryuukou quickly realized that the attack was a feint, only to notice that his opponent was no longer in his line of sight.
'That was…! Kokabiel's attack! The "hollow spear!" An attack with no concentrated power meant as a diversion! Which means..!'
[Behind you!]
The Hakuryuukou turned when it was too late, only being able to block with his arms instead of defensive magic when a strike from the Sekiryuutei connected. The Hakuryuukou's gauntlets were destroyed and he was sent flying back at full speed. He hurtled across the wasteland until his back collided with the barrier surrounding the academy grounds.
DOOOOOONNN!
"Kuha!"
The impact was fierce, causing the Hakuryuukou to hack up some blood and the first layer of the barrier (created by Sirzechs) to crack again, just as it did with the Sekiryuutei's attack towards Shalba before. Despite the great gap in distance, the Hakuryuukou didn't have a chance to retaliate.
[JET!]
The Sekiryuutei shot across the battlefield at lightning speed, reaching his rival so quickly that it was almost unfair. The Hakuryuukou reformed his armor and prepared to take the brunt of his rival's attacks with his body, which he did. However, after realizing that the Hakuryuukou was blocking his attacks successfully, the Sekiryuutei changed his strategy and went for the head instead. Using one of his claws, he took hold of the Hakuryuukou's mask and activated his jetpack propulsion. With this, the Sekiryuutei blasted upwards, dragging the Hakuryuukou's head against the barrier as he ascended, creating a large fracture up to the barrier's top-center point where they had stopped. The barrier was essentially being split down the middle by a colossal fracture.
"GUH!"
Vali felt his brain rattle and his vision blur intensely as the back of his now fully exposed head collided with the barrier's top-center point. He could see his own blood from his head dying his silver hair into a mellow red and then drip down in slow motion to the earth 150 meters below.
But the Sekiryuutei's relentless assault didn't end there. While maintaining his grip on Vali's head, the Sekiryuutei began striking his rival repeatedly as hard as he could in the solar plexus with his free arm. Each punch was not only enough to create shockwaves, but also begin damaging the barrier directly behind the Hakuryuukou. Strike after strike, the first layer of the barrier cracked. Until, finally…
BREAK!
The first layer of the school's barrier was destroyed completely. The layer created by Sirzechs Lucifer's magic was obliterated, leaving only 4 other barriers to remain.
The Sekiryuutei then boosted his power, concentrating it into his palm, and readying a full powered blast.
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
With no armor protecting his abdomen, a direct blast could very well be the decisive killing blow for Vali. Seeing no other way out of the Sekiryuutei's grip, Vali grabbed the arm that was holding him and crushed the gauntlet on it using brute force, then dividing his rival's power.
[Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!]
When he felt the grip had weakened considerably, he used the opportunity to kick his rival in the abdomen and escape the grip. At that moment, the Sekiryuutei re-boosted to regain his lost power, causing him to fire his blast just a second too late, allowing Vali to avoid the attack.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The attack made direct contact with the second layer of the barrier, Falbium Asmodeous's layer, and destroyed it completely, exposing the third layer.
[Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!]
Vali once again divided his rival's power, then followed with a volley of demonic bullets using the stolen power as a base like before.
Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa!
That was enough to push the Sekiryuutei back, but with nominal damage. Vali then noticed something peculiar about the next layer of the barrier behind him.
'The demonic energy behind this magic has a unique signature… Not only that, but it almost appears as if it's trying to "regenerate" from the damage it received.. I see! It's the ice trait that's unique to Serafall Leviathan! Leviathan utilized her affinity with ice magic to apply her defensive magic with a unique trait. That trait is that the barrier is self-sustaining! It'll gradually repair the damage that's been accumulated over time using the extra demonic power stored within its magical formula! Like a magical ice cube that constantly refrigerates itself before it melts or cracks! An ability that only a Devil of Ultimate-Class or above is capable of! Which means..'
[Vali, what are you thinking?]
'Albion, I think it's time that we test out that new ability that I've been conjuring.'
[That's too risky in a situation like this! Pulling something of that level off on the fly is likely to suffer us some more major consequences than anticipated!]
'Don't worry, Albion. We've already witnessed it firsthand from my rival here, what manifesting one's will through the Sacred Gear can do. If a human can pull it off, then there's no reason for us to hesitate!'
—Inexplicably, Vali punched the barrier created by Leviathan, fracturing the spot he struck. Then, he planted his claws into the cracks and shouted.
"Hyoudou Issei! You'll be the first to witness this! Behold, my rival! An ability that I created myself! A power that allows me to divide an ability or an object belonging to an enemy without making contact with the enemy themselves!"
For a moment, every jewel on Vali's Scale Mail began to shine brilliantly before pulsing and unleashing his new power.
[ External Drain! ]
[Reduce Reduce Reduce Reduce Reduce Reduce Reduce!]
After the announcement ended, the barrier created by Serafall Leviathan was broken into shards that looked like ice and rained down to the earth.
'Looks like it worked, Albion. I can feel the power coursing through me.'
[Indeed, it did, but we got lucky. The ability isn't as effective as we might've hoped. Judging from your current output, we were only able to siphon a fraction of what we're usually capable of. Each "division" only provided us with a quarter of the stolen power instead of half, hence the announcement change. On top of that, that ability likely wouldn't have worked, if not for the uniquely powerful energy signature of Leviathan's formula being present. I doubt it'll work on regular enemies. And lastly, despite the low intake, we still already went over the maximum limit for our energy capacity. At this rate, we won't last.]
'Like I told you, Albion, we'll be fine as long as I use it immediately. Which is exactly what I plan to do. Plus, even if this ability only works on "special boss-type" enemies, that's fine. I only plan to fight the strong anyway.'
Raising his arm, Vali created a group of magic circles in front of him and aimed them at his rival.
"Let's see how you fare against the demonic power of a Satan-Class Devil, Hyoudou Issei!"
Using the stolen power of Leviathan, the Hakuryuukou concentrated all of his own demonic power into creating a blizzard of ice magic and shot it directly at his opponent.
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE!"
The cold, piercing winds and snow were so powerful that it caused the Sekiryuutei to use his jetpack at full blast in order to hold his altitude against it. Sharp fragments of hail as large as a person hit him directly and some broke the armor on his side's as it shot down toward the earth below. The blizzard even blew beyond the Sekiryuutei, with much of the wasteland down below beginning to freeze because of its influence.
A few icicles even collided with the defensive barrier surrounding the allied force's group.
ZIN, ZIN!
Leviathan clicked her tongue in frustration as she looked at the icicle spear piercing the shield.
"Tch! Stealing my own power to crudely imitate my beautiful ice magic like this… How tasteless."
But rather than remove the icicle, she instead froze the area around it, reinforcing the barrier along with it. Replacing that section of the barrier was a waste of demonic power, reinforcing it was simpler. Little did she know that this was an unintentional weak spot.
[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]
As the blizzard continued to freeze and crack the Sekiryuutei's armor, he increased his aura in order to minimize its effects. Then, he concentrated his power into his palms and blasted a torrent of flames at the blizzard's source to counter it. When the two attacks collided, they created a plume of steam that covered the entire sky like fog.
PSHSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Despite this outcome, the Hakuryuukou didn't waste the opportunity to catch the Sekiryuutei off guard and attacked him in the mist. Although the Sekiryuutei was able to block most of the attacks, Vali was able to connect one in particular. The Sekiryuutei wasn't able to prevent Vali from grabbing his mask.
[Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!]
At that moment, the Sekiryuutei felt his vision worsened dramatically and Vali pulled his head into a knee kick, shattering his mask entirely.
BREAK!
"The strongest part about you right now is your eyes! However, because they're an organ unique in comparison to the rest of your regular body, they're too easy for my Divine Dividing to single out and target!"
Vali launched a relentless assault on his rival, and due to the reduction in Issei's vision, he couldn't defend as reliably as before.
DON DON DON DON DON DON DON!
"And despite your abominable strength, underneath it all, you're still just a human! Which means..!"
Before he knew it, there was a palm with a multitude of magic circles in front of Issei's exposed face.
"All it takes to kill you— is a few well placed hits."
And just like that, Vali blasted Issei's face with his most potent demonic power at point blank range.
BOOOOM!
Issei's body fell out of the sky and crashed to the earth 150 meters below.
"ISE!"
Rias called out to him in worry from behind the barrier, helplessly. Only then did she quietly notice the spears of ice that were penetrating the shield…
Vali waited a few seconds before descending somewhat, allowing the mist in the sky to dissipate completely before doing anything.
'Did that kill him..?'
[No, it doesn't look like it did. In fact, it almost appears as if that merely disoriented him.]
Vali then noticed his rival below. And although his rival's head was bleeding and smoking, Vali could see that it was totally intact.
[He promptly concentrated his aura at his head when you attacked him, as a defensive measure. Without that, he might've been decapitated.]
'Good. I would've been sorely disappointed if that was the finishing blow.'
[Vali, this is nothing to be impressed about. He's dangerous, far more dangerous than any other rival host I've encountered with any of my own hosts. If everything up to now still hasn't convinced you, then I don't know what to say. By all means, that should've killed him, but the fact that he was able to defend against it so suddenly, he's more proficient at utilizing the aura of his Heavenly Dragon than you are.]
'Of course, he's only human being after all. It's obvious that a human host would be more reliant on their own latent aura since they don't have a higher natural durability like other supernatural creatures do. If he wasn't better than me at using it, that would look bad on him.'
[You aren't listening, Vali! It isn't just his skill. His connection to his Sacred Gear is extremely refined, likely as a result of some high potential he has with it, and undoubtedly due to vigorous mental training as well. It's not only his ability or his skill that's higher than yours, it's his affinity with his own power. Just look at him. Even now, the potency of his aura has barely decreased at all. Not to mention the advantages provided to him by both the Ophis Snake and his ocular sacrifice, he's been able to maintain the quality of his aura so efficiently. Even if you get a lucky shot in here or there, at this rate, we'll be the ones running out of stamina long before he does. This is nothing but a war of attrition that only he stands to win.]
Issei turned over and stood on all fours, struggling to bring himself up from the ground in disorientation. He slammed his fists into the ground, seemingly in rage, while his aura began to increase in intensity. For a moment, Vali smiled, but he quickly changed tune when he noticed Issei's aura level itself out again. From the outside, it looked as if Issei was keeping himself stable, a disturbing level of control that he hadn't displayed up to this point. Needless to say, seeing this caused Vali to frown.
"Wrong… This isn't what I wanted… I'm not interested in some boresome war of attrition…"
[Vali..?]
SHIIIINN!
Vali raised his arm and summoned his power, causing a new announcement to be released by his Sacred Gear.
[Half-Dimension!]
In the aftermath of this announcement, the allied forces felt a disturbance under their feet.
"What is this feeling? For some reason, the ground is starting to feel uneven. It's hard to stand up."
Azazel confirmed Rias's suspicions with a sigh.
"It's the Hakuryuukou's power. He's using his ability of division to warp the dimension in his vicinity. After a certain amount of time, any allotted space that's been targeted could be erased entirely."
[—?!]
"What kind of monstrous ability is that?! That isn't fair at all! How are you even supposed to counter something like that?!"
"You aren't. Only the Sekiryuutei could counter it. And of course it isn't fair. These are the Heavenly Dragons we're talking about, the creatures that even gods feared. There's nothing fair about them."
"Are we really just supposed to stand here and do nothing while our academy is reduced to atoms..?"
"Your academy has already been destroyed, Gremory heiress. But don't worry. Even on our side, we have unfair players. Sirzechs."
Azazel called out to Sirzechs sternly.
"This is probably going to be our last chance. What will you do?"
Rias looked up at her brother's face with concern.
"Onii-sama…? You won't…."
Sirzechs scowled, but eventually, he shut his eyes defeatedly.
"...I am the Maou "Lucifer," Rias. I must be willing to protect this peace that we've established, no matter the cost… And two dangerous, rampaging dragons fueled by hatred simply will not do…. I'm sorry, Rias.."
Sirzechs created an opening on his end of the barrier and stepped out onto the wasteland, leaving the rest behind. Although Rias attempted to follow him, Grayfia prevented her.
"No, wait, Onii-sama! You can't! No, ISE!"
At their position in the wasteland, Vali goaded his rival, who simply continued dusting his armor off with his back turned.
"Do you see that, Hyoudou Issei? That's my power, Half-Dimension. Prolonged exposure to the effects of this ability can cause a certain amount of space to decrease in mass until it disappears completely. Impressive, isn't it? Forget being turned into a wasteland, at this rate, your precious academy will cease to exist even as a concept. I'm sure you can eventually reconstruct it with the help of the Yondai-Maou, but this power could even extend to the rest of your friends if left unchecked, you know? Now what will you do?"
"Hmm. I suppose I'll just need to kill you before it becomes an issue then."
"...Even now, that's the best reply you can give me…?"
At best, Vali could call Issei's response unworried, and at worst, he could call it dispassionate. To say that he was disappointed would be an understatement. To this point, the lack of true killing intent that Issei displayed earlier towards the three Old-Satan descendants was severely dampening Vali's motivation. Initially, Vali had thought that revealing his grandfather's involvement with the Kuoh disaster and Vali's own relation to said grandfather would be enough to rile up Issei past the point of no return, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. Instead, it seems as if such a revelation has "focused" his rival to a finer point than ever before, like a fine blade that's been sharpened into a razor's edge. He was no longer directionless, and therefore, no longer a "loose cannon."
However, unfortunately for both Heavenly Dragon hosts, their mutual distaste match appeared to be at an end.
Vooooooooooo…
—Suddenly, both men noticed that they were encased in what appeared to be a spherical "shield" of some sort. Except, this wasn't a shield meant to defend them. In fact, it was the exact opposite. A malicious orb of dark crimson aura surrounded them individually, claustrophobically.
"This is..?"
Vali noticed the peculiar nature of the sphere and reached out to touch it, but stopped in accordance with his instincts. His spiritual companion confirmed it a moment later.
[Vali, I'm not sure what it is, but this power is dangerous. If it touches us, even the Scale Mail won't be enough to defend you. We'll be erased completely.]
"I know. It's Sirzechs Gremory's power. The so-called "House of Bael's [Power of Destruction.] It can eliminate anything with just a touch. Which means I can't even use my newfound ability on it. Heh."
Vali moved his eyes back down to the battlefield, noticing that Sirzechs Lucifer was indeed approaching the two Heavenly Dragons with a rotating sphere made of demonic power spinning in his palm.
"Vali Lucifer. Hyoudou Issei. Your duel has gone on long enough. If this goes any further, this entire town and its people could be at risk. As the Maou that oversees this territory, I cannot allow a repeat of its dark history again. Therefore, I must ask that you stop this power show here and now."
Sirzechs turned to Vali's direction.
"Vali Lucifer. Against my better judgment, I will provide you with an ultimatum. If you back down quietly and retreat from this place, I promise to let you leave without pursuit. If you refuse, then you will be taken prisoner, and if you resist or if need be, I will destroy you without a trace. Do you agree to these terms?"
Vali tested the Power of Destruction using a magic circle that he spawned beneath his feet as a means of escape. As he expected, the magic circle evaporated almost as quickly as it appeared.
Unbeknownst to Vali, his rival also tested the limits of his own prison. Issei flared his aura within the sphere in an attempt to overwhelm it, only to watch his aura be eaten away at by the Power of Destruction. Noticing this, Issei overloaded his aura up to a certain point, only to witness the same result. However, this time, he was satisfied knowing that the Ophis Snake, which was still a mystery power to Issei, was also eradicated with his aura. Now he felt comfortable, dealing only with his own natural aura from this point on.
[His power decreased. The Ophis Snake disappeared…?]
"It must've been eradicated by the Power of Destruction somehow. "Sirzechs Lucifer's" reputation doesn't seem to be a joke after all. The fact that Creuserey and his idiot friends believed that they could defeat him is more of a joke than anything else."
[Even without the snake, his own power is still currently too much for us to handle, Vali. We should retreat now while we have the chance. It isn't too late to avoid your inevitable defeat.]
Although irritated at Albion's acknowledgement of Vali's defeat being "inevitable," Vali chuckled at the irony of the predicament.
"Heh. A deal with the Devil, huh?"
Vali took one last look at his rival and saw no notable physical reactions from him. He did nothing but stretch and crack his muscles, as if he was entirely uninvested. As a result, Vali deactivated his Scale Mail disappointedly.
"Hmph. I suppose I have no choice. Although it'd be entertaining, even I'm not reckless enough to take on Sirzechs Lucifer right after fighting my rival, let alone when the rest of the Maou are present. I'd get destroyed before I've even had my fun. I'll take my leave here then."
Vali turned away and crossed his arms, indicating that he was no longer a threat. Shemhazai complained and Azazel sighed deeply.
"Haah… Leave it to Sirzechs to have his "de-escalation" skill maxed out. I guess that's the strength of a diplomat with unimaginable power. Ah, but that would mean that it's his "diplomacy" skill he maxed out then."
"Azazel, do you trust his judgment? I'm not sure that going with the merciful option was the wisest move for these two.."
"Sometimes you scare even me, my friend. At the very least, with that attitude, I know that your fiance is certainly in safe hands… That aside, I would say that I do trust Sirzechs' judgment. The peace conference was originally his idea after all. He knows how to end a fight, one way or another. But I don't think it's his judgment that's the problem here.."
"What do you mean?"
"With monsters like these two, the only outcome is either mutual survival or mutual death. If Sirzechs kills one, the other will retaliate vengefully for the opponent they wished to slay themselves and die anyway. It's either kill both or let both survive. No in between. And considering the circumstances, the smarter choice would just be to kill both….. However, Sirzechs hasn't chosen mercy because of his better judgment. In fact, I think he's actively going against it. If Sirzechs was thinking more like his usual self, he wouldn't have gone with this route."
"You mean.."
"Yeah, the truth is… He's letting his personal feelings get in the way.."
Azazel and Shemhazai snuck a mutual glance at the concerned Rias near the other end of the barrier.
Seeing that Vali was compliant, Sirzechs reluctantly released the Hakuryuukou from his destructive prison without releasing Issei. Quietly, Sirzechs released a sigh of relief, believing that this would be the end of the conflict. However….
"Hyoudou Issei."
Once more, whilst both were turned away from each other, Vali called out to his rival.
"As unfortunate as it is to say, you've slightly disappointed me. You certainly have the power to give me what I want, and the power to take what you want, but you clearly lack the will. Perhaps it's because you've satiated some of your fury killing those three pompous weaklings, or perhaps it's because you feel like you've gained some sort of focus point for your vengeance, but either way, you've disappointed me with each of your responses. On a physical and mental level, I can feel the difference in you. And it's simply unfortunate…. Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. All that matters now is that you know that we are enemies. We are rivals, destined to rampage in perpetuity until one of us falls to the other. And now that you understand that, I expect you to fight me with everything you've got, next time we meet. No, I demand that of you. And for your own sake, you'll fulfill that promise. Otherwise, you'll force my hand and I'll use my trump card…"
Just as Vali was preparing to depart, Issei's voice snuck out in a deep tone.
"What trump card, Vali Lucifer?"
For a moment, Vali stopped. In the quiet stillness of the atmosphere, Vali…chuckled just once before gaining a dark expression of realization.
[...Oy, Vali..]
Vali's spiritual companion sensed the foreboding atmosphere, but too little too late.
"Oh? You don't get it? I'm referring to your remaining family, of course. The ones from Nagoya."
[—.]
Somewhere across the frozen wasteland, a fragment of ice must have cracked. It echoed through the ear canals of all those around, like a gunshot that silences the world. Not even the sound of their own heartbeats could be heard. The silence was so overpowering, that every word escaping from the pair of Heavenly Dragons' mouths felt it was right in their ears.
"...Vali…..…. Just now, what did you say…..…?"
Vali turned, and before Sirzechs could realize the impending calamity, what was said was already burning the oxygen in the air.
"Ho? Didn't you know? I was sure you would've figured it out by now. Do you know that cat that's been following you around, that black cat? That's what's known as a "familiar." A magical creature in the service of a magic user. That cat happens to be the familiar of a certain friend of mine. She's been observing you for a while now, although it's been for her own purposes. In any case, while she's been watching you, she noticed a few things. Especially recently. One of those things being your apparent "family" who hails from "Nagoya, Japan." It's quite a coincidence that you ended up finding that cat and bringing it into your home. Thanks to that, I was able to gain another piece of valuable information about you. No, well, I suppose we can actually call it "fate" instead, can't we? Yes, it's undeniably fate. I was fated to discover them, just as they are fated to be killed by your enemies hands, further driving you to vengeance. —Isn't it funny, my rival? No matter how desperately you try to struggle against destiny, it arrives all the same. I am that destiny, Hyoudou Issei. So if you don't want me to fulfill my role as "that enemy" within the realm of destiny, I suggest you give me everything you've got the next time we come to blows. Understand?"
…
….
.….
….
…
..
.
Sirzechs felt a similar "rising" sensation to when the Sekiryuutei first lost control of his power and destroyed the entire new school building in one fell swoop. But by the time he noticed the magical formulation dancing in his palm beginning to fail, it was too late.
Slowly, the world tried to move, with Azazel and Shemhazai jumping forward, but like a dream trapped in slow motion, they couldn't inch closer to their intended destination at all. Only the Sekiryuutei himself moved in accordance with his will.
"Vali Lucifer."
Eerily, within a silent, frozen world, the Sekiryuutei alone turned toward his enemy.
It was only the beast that spoke.
"...I will make sure….that you suffer and die in the most painful and horrific way imaginable."
—It was only the beast that was awakened.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
—The explosion was unlike any other, blowing Sirzechs back despite the defenses he placed up. His destructive prison that he created to contain the beast was destroyed in an instant as well with the surrounding environment. Everything around was beginning to warp around the body of Hyoudou Issei, and with a glance it was easy to tell, it wasn't due to the Half-Dimension. The very air around the Sekiryuutei's pillar of power was being scorched and the earth beneath his form was slowly being eroded, anything that was left was turned into a crater of molten rock. It felt as if the entire earth itself was shaking, with Kuoh Academy being the epicenter of it all.
The Hakuryuukou, Vali Lucifer, had been blown away by the ensuing wave of power. A wave of power which pushed him up against the final pair of remaining barriers created by Ajuka Beelzebub and Grayfia Lucifuge, obliterating them and sending him even further into the night sky.
The power of the Sekiryuutei was no longer contained, it was exposed to the open atmosphere.
—However, just as the overwhelming power of the Sekiryuutei had burst forth, something else did the same. From somewhere beneath the Sekiryuutei's armor, something emerged.
Suddenly, a collection of golden, heavenly chains extended out from underneath the Sekiryuutei's chest jewel and entangled his body like a prison.
SHIIIIIINN!
"What is that?!"
"My failsafe!"
The members of the newly established allied force's yelled at each other from inside of their gradually deteriorating barrier. Yes, Michael's "failsafe" had finally been activated. The blessing which he had secretly attached to the rosary of the deceased Marie Bellerose just a day prior. His own last resort.
DING, DING, CLANG!
The chains entrapped the Sekiryuutei, causing his power to diminish bit by bit over a few seconds.
"The blessing! Michael-sama, it's taking effect! It's working!"
CLANG!
As Irina Shidou exclaimed it towards her superior hopefully, Michael himself was fraught with worry. With his divine vision, he could see the truth. The strain of the chains began to increase.
"No… It simply cannot be.."
SPLASH!
Ah, just like that, after hearing Vali Lucifer's indignant declaration against my family, I fell into darkness…
What is this? Is this water? The ocean? Considering my spiritual history, that's unlikely to be true. Whatever this abyss of liquid is, it doesn't matter. I'm sinking into it either way. It's funny, you think I wouldn't be able to breathe in here, but I guess this isn't a real place after all. It's all in my head. No, I suppose it's actually centered somewhere within the depths of my Sacred Gear… Yeah, I can still feel the remnants of the cursed hosts of the Sekiryuutei, but they're fading away. Eventually, they'll be gone forever.
I wonder if that's what's about to happen to me too…
《What are you doing, Hyoudou Issei? This isn't how it's supposed to go. You must refocus your rage. You have your target now, don't you? The time for rampaging is over, boy. You cannot find him if you are lost to madness.》
You again… Just shut up, will you? Every time I'm about to lose it, you encourage me, but now that I finally have, you want me to control myself? It's too late for that mini-me.
No, it's taken me until now to realize it, but…. you're not really "me," are you? You're someone else. Something else…
Well, whatever. It doesn't matter now. Not anymore…
《Hear my voice, child. It is you who will release me. It is you who will seek me out. You shall not die here. You shall not be devoured by your own madness. So do as you please. Whether you resign yourself to your fate or not is irrelevant to me. Because no matter what, you will release me. It is inevitable…》
Release? Seek? I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. Just shut up already. Leave me be. I'm tired. I'm so tired of it all. I just want to sleep.
Besides… It's already too late anyway. I've already released it…
[...Partner…! …your family?! ….?! PART…..NER…!]
Ddraig? Is that you? Did you say "family?" I can barely hear you from down here. The abyss is too thick. It's drowning out all of the sound…
Don't worry, my friend. It's alright. My family will be okay. Don't you remember? During the ruckus with Kokabiel, we learned that there were special protections in place for the people of Kuoh. There are safe houses located all around the town that the people can go to. They're protected by powerful magical seals. Those protections have probably only expanded since then. There's nothing to worry about. My family is safe. Knowing Rias and her brother, that's undeniably true. Plus, I know that, despite all the issues we've had in our past, the Gremory family will watch over my own. They won't be abandoned. They'll be safe. Even if I'm not around, they'll be protected.
That's why, it's okay. Soon enough, I'll be resting, and you won't need to worry about bothering with a bastard host like myself anymore, my friend…
That's right… Soon. It'll all be over soon….
SHIIIN!
What's that..? I could feel a light shining somewhere up above me. Ah, is that the place where I started sinking from? What is that light? Is that the fabled "light from beyond" that everyone keeps talking about? It's odd, seeing it in a dark abyss like this….
"...Issei.."
...?! That voice…! Is…. is that you…..? Marie...?
"Come back to me, my love. Turn away from the darkness. Come back to me."
I had to look up to confirm it with my own eyes, but the source of the light was too bright. In every single way, that light felt holy to me. A divine light with softness unlike any other. But…it's not warm. It doesn't have the warmth of the woman I love. Maybe it's because she's no longer alive, that could also explain this sensation of divinity, or maybe… Whatever the case, that's her voice, at least. I can hear her as clearly as the day we first met.
My partner….
My Marie…
"I'm here, Issei. Come to me."
…..
…..
I can't….
I can't, Marie. I'm sorry, but no matter what I do, I can never go to the place where you're at right now. I can never join you. Someone like me… I'm surely destined for another place. The only place that I truly belong to.…is the abyss that I've created, inhabited only by those that I've killed.
..That's why, I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay up there on your own… I can't go with you.
It's too late for me now, I'm afraid….
So goodbye, my partner….
Goodbye, Marie…
As the body of the Sekiryuutei continued to be lifted into the air by its own power, still trapped in chains, one of its arms finally broke free. With this free arm, it plunged its claw into the chest cavity of its own armor.
In his heart, Michael felt a great sense of dread.
"No… It simply cannot be…"
The dragon roared powerfully, almost sounding as if it was in pain. And though it was difficult to tell from the distance, Rias Gremory could only assume one thing as she watched from afar.
"No, Ise.."
"NNRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
And so, in a desperate moment of struggle, the Sekiryuutei ripped the rosary necklace from its body, destroying the heavenly chains impeding its movements. The holy seal was broken. And more so than that, the dragon's rage was ready to be released.
With one swift action, the Sekiryuutei cast the rosary caught in its armored palm aflame and tossed it aside, causing it to fall to the earth like a blazing meteorite.
For Rias Gremory, it all fell apart in that one moment. And, in an illogical act of desperation, she targeted the frozen weak spots on the barrier in front of her with her Power of Destruction, allowing her a small opening. She flew against the cutting typhonic winds outside of the barrier to retrieve the rosary herself.
"RIAS-OJOUSAMA!"
It was all happening so fast. Rias caught the rosary painfully and Grayfia followed, subsequently catching her, spinning them around as to avoid the waves of power released by the Sekiryuutei. Yet still, those waves pulsed, pushing the two away and slicing Grayfia's back open wide. Even so, she crashed to the ground with Rias Gremory in her arms, protecting the girl with her body.
"GRAYFIA!"
Sirzechs saw no other option than to defend the two closely with his own body and a shield over them. Still, the shield was waning against the power clashing onto it.
"Rias-ojousama! Release the holy artifact! It's damaging you severely!"
Grayfia held her hands over Rias's own, cooling them using her ice magic, but even when the steam from the fire disappeared, the blood continued to flow from in between the heiress's fingers. Her grip on the artifact refused to loosen.
"NO! I won't! I won't let it go! No matter what, I won't let this rosary be destroyed! I won't abandon it!"
"Rias! Listen to Grayfia! If you continue to hold onto that cross, you'll sustain permanent injuries! Your hands will be damaged forever!"
"I don't care! I don't care if it hurts me and I don't care who this belonged to anymore! This rosary is not just an artifact! This rosary— it's an extension of Ise himself! It is the last remaining bit of his human heart! I won't let it be destroyed! I won't let it be tossed aside! I'll protect it with my life! Because if I don't, Ise will….!"
Rias bore the pain, all for the sake of protecting that which represented the last fragment of her beloved's self. And despite the concerns of her brother and sister-in-law, she did not release the rosary from her grasp.
The powers of the Sekiryuutei continued to rise along with his body and the armor surrounding him began to transform. The waves of power began to increase in intensity, causing the shield that was protecting Sirzechs, Rias, and Grayfia to deteriorate gradually. He called out to his fellow Maou hastily.
"Ajuka, we need to retreat!"
Despite not being unable to hear his ally over all of the chaos, Ajuka was already aware of what needed to be done. In his palms, he was preparing a multitude of magic circles taking the form of a small pyramid. Bit by bit, the Sekiryuutei's power grew in the meantime.
With this, the desperate cries of the Welsh Dragon Emperor itself echoed throughout the wasteland.
[PARTNER! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?! You can't…!]
But only the voice of the beast replied.
" {{{ I, who is about to awaken, am the dragon of misery who has stolen the principles of wrath and fury from Satan and God. }}} "
The last remaining echoes of the cursed hosts of the Boosted Gear resounded in unison with their host. But as the chant continued, their voices began to die out, bleeding out into one voice only.
The claws sharpened and the armor of the Scale Mail tightened, gripping the human's body so tightly that blood began to leak from the crevices, as if the armor was attempting to become one with its host. The wings strained and twisted their appearance, allowing jewels to appear on their surface and causing the webbing between limbs to burst into red flames.
[Partner, listen to me! If you go any further with this, your town will be destroyed! Your people will be destroyed! You'll be repeating your own grim history, partner! You have to stop now, while you still can! Think about your home! Think about your parents! Think about Marie! Snap out of it! Partner!]
" {{ I devour the infinite and despair at the dream. I have become the dragon of everlasting sorrow. }} "
On every jewel adorning the Sekiryuutei's armor, a beastly eyeball appeared. Like the reptilian eyes of the dragon who once burned the underworld, they flashed their intensity out into the air. And lastly, the blood from the Sekiryuutei's body leaked down from the crevices of its armor, unevenly staining its appearance to an even darker color, like that of rotted flesh.
[PARTNER! ARE YOU JUST GOING TO THROW IT ALL AWAY?! YOUR HOME?! YOUR FRIENDS?! YOUR FAMILY?! ARE YOU GOING TO THROW EVERYTHING AWAY?! PARTNER! —MY FRIEND! ISEEEEEEEEEEEEEEI!]
And so, the blood-stained emperor of suffering unleashed himself upon the world.
" AND I SHALL REDEFINE THE MAXIM OF RETRIBUTION USING THE ASHES OF A SCORCHED WORLD! "
" {{{ YOU ARE JUST AN ACCURSED BEAST OF VENGEANCE ! }}} "
"AJUKA—!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
