High School DxD: Inheritor of Malevolence

by dvdryms

There exist infinite universes, infinite possibilities. In one of them, an almost normal first-year high school student will discover that there is more to the world around him than meets the eye following a certain encounter. But where will his path lead him when the forbidden power sleeping within him awakens?

50. Trump

Chapter 50 – Trump

"Have you confirmed this, Darius?"

"Of course, Creuserey-sama. I wouldn't have dared make my report otherwise."

Darius responded to his master, the two of them standing on top of a large rock formation within the artificial space that had been flattened through the former's demonic power. Said formation was also surrounded by several armored Devils, their senses on high alert for any sort of threat towards the Asmodeus heir.

"We have pinpointed the location where Deus Trinity's wretched spawn, the Red Dragon Emperor, several Brave Saints and various Angel troops have been teleported to." Darius said. "Moreover, we have confirmed they have been separated from Heaven's leaders and the bulk of their forces. Our allied forces are engaging them, but they haven't made much progress so far."

"That is why we are here." Creuserey said, a wicked smile on his face. "Eliminating the leaders of the opposition is all well and good, but if we want to inflict lasting damage and lower their morale, destroying their promising new generation should be our priority. With our current forces, they don't stand a chance."

Creuserey looked below him, where an army that looked like it had come straight out of a nightmare was parading. Giant crustacean-type bipedal monsters with organic blaster-like attachments on their arms, large scorpion constructs with red crystals embedded in their carapaces and black aura surrounding their stingers, enormous whales with rows of razor sharp teeth and long horns extending from their foreheads that hovered above, Dragon-type creatures with small streams of flame coming out of several cracks on their bodies and tentacles extending from their backs, alligator-like constructs with arches attached to their skulls and flower-shaped attachments sprouting from their shoulders, all these could be seen.

Apart from them, a large number of Devils was flying above, looking ill at ease at the sight of the monsters close to them. Creuserey himself was apprehensive about them, since there was a distinct chance their creator could have ordered them to turn against him and his followers at some point. However, it was an undeniable fact that their strength was necessary if he wished to prevail today.

"We are almost within our forces' maximum range." Darius said next to Creuserey. "Should we prepare to commence bombardment of the enemy's position?"

"Do it." Creuserey nodded. "I would rather watch their anguished expressions as their lives come to an end from up close, but I will settle for imagining it instead."

As the army of monsters began charging their attacks, some distance away, Leon was receiving an update from a communication magic circle near his ear while he pulled Fragarach from a Chimera's corpse.

[The enemy forces I spotted a while back are making their move and approaching the battlefield.] Maximilian's voice came from the communication magic circle. [Judging from their positioning and the flow of aura in their bodies, they are about to start bombarding our position.]

"As expected of Maximillian and his Perfect Vision!" Bruno shouted from above, conjuring wind blades from his fans that bifurcated a group of Titan Worshippers charging at Leon. "Nothing escapes your sharp gaze. However, to think they're going to attack us even though their allies are still in the line of fire… C'est affreux!"

[You thought lowlifes like them would give a damn about their comrades, Bruno?] Maximilian snorted. [If the situation was reversed, those cultists would happily fire on the Old Devil King Faction if it meant taking us down along with them.]

"True enough." Leon said before adjusting the communication magic circle to address the other Brave Saints. "Everyone, get ready to fall back to the prearranged positions and wait for my mark. Inessa, Leah, Aria, assemble at my position. Damian, we're counting on your Sacred Gear."

"Acknowledged."

Damian, who was in front of Leon, nodded as he took a few steps forward. Inessa, Leah and Aria descended from above at the same time, taking positions near him, Leon and Dia, who was next to the former.

Leon turned his attention to the assembled enemy troops in the distance, clenching and unclenching his left hand. An hour ago, he wouldn't have imagined that the situation would devolve to such an extent. Prior to the Rating Game, Michael had summoned him, Dia, Irina and Asia to Heaven's VIP area, explaining that the game would be hijacked by the Khaos Brigade and the allied forces would take this chance to eliminate as many of the terrorists as possible.

Leon had been furious to hear that his friends would be used as bait to draw out the Khaos Brigade, but Michael had assured him that no harm would come to them. Although he was still dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do at that point other than prepare for battle and make sure to the best of his abilities that everyone would get out of this alive. That was his responsibility as one of Heaven's two Jokers and the Red Dragon Emperor.

"…Calm down." As if having noticed his agitation, Dia placed her hand on his armored shoulder. "…Not alone."

"Thanks."

Leon nodded, a small smile under his helmet. His expression turned serious as he noticed that the constructs in the distance were about to fire.

"Aria, Damian, Leah, Inessa, match your auras with mine!" Leon shouted. "Formation Five Card! Also, deploy your Sacred Gear, Damian!"

[Understood!]

Four voices shouted together as Leon and his fellow Brave Saints were enveloped by pillars of holy aura, with their overall power being raised. The Five Card formation allowed five Brave Saints of the same rank that were near each other to explosively increase all their parameters for a short period of time. That was why Leon had assembled four Aces while he acted as the wild card needed to complete the formation. He was counting on that power increase to give Damian the extra boost he needed to tank the bombardment, while he would reserve Boosted Gear for the counterattack.

Just as a barrage of energy shots, beams, flame torrents, thunderbolts and aura-clad giant stings flew at the Brave Saints' position, tall and thick walls with large towers on them rose from the ground all of a sudden, projecting a dome-shaped holy barrier above them. In the middle of the area encircled by the walls, a fortress rose from the ground, with the barrier surrounding the area above being strengthened in response.

The bombardment fell upon the walls and the barrier, but failed to inflict any significant damage to either on them or harm the Brave Saints behind them. This barrage only served to annihilate the remnants of the Titan Worshippers in the area who were unfortunate enough to get caught in the blast.

"What happened!?" Creuserey cried out upon witnessing this unexpected sight. "Where did these walls and that fortress come from!? More importantly, how in the nine Hells could they withstand a barrage of such intensity!?"

"The results from the Sacred Gear Scanner we borrowed from the Hero Faction have come in." Darius said, a frown on his face as he looked at the tablet he was holding. "However, there must be some mistake with the Sacred Gear's identification."

"What's the matter?"

"The device is identifying it as Jericho Boundary, a Sacred Gear capable of summoning parts of the walls of the biblical Jericho for defensive purposes." Darius said. "The issue is, that according to the readings, the Sacred Gear is still in its base state, and yet it's exhibiting power, size and complexity beyond what it should be capable of even in Balance Breaker."

"It seems Heaven's lapdogs have a few tricks up their sleeves." Creuserey bit his lip in frustration. "No matter. If we maintain this barrage, these walls are sure to fall regardless of their durability. All they have managed to do is prolong their miserable lives for a few more minutes."

"As you command, my lord."

Darius said, making a small bow. Meanwhile, behind the walls, Leah was watching the energy blasts falling on the walls and barrier with a rapt expression.

"So pretty…" Leah muttered. "Now I'm really in the mood to watch a proper star shower. Oh, oh, I know! Let's organize a viewing party after this mess is over and invite everyone!"

"For now, we should focus on surviving." Inessa remarked as she observed Damian. "I have to say, no matter how many times I see this, it's still impressive. Damian's Consecration of Order, the ability to increase the power of any Heaven-made equipment that belongs to him, including Sacred Gears, and any sacred ritual he conducts by consuming his holy power is formidable. Considering the fact that he boasts the greatest amount of holy power after Dia-san and Leon, if he had been born with a Longinus, he might have been unstoppable."

"Perhaps I might be able to do something about that." Aria said. "Give me a decade or so, and I'll figure out how to exchange Sacred Gears between hosts without any negative effects."

While the three girls were saying such things, Leon was busy talking to Maximilian through the magic circle.

"Is it done, Maximilian?" Leon asked. "Have you located those creatures' weak spots?"

[The core in the crustacean-type ones is located behind the right side of their chest.] Maximilian said. [Scorpion ones, in the point where the tail meets the main body. The Dragon-type ones have their core in their lower abdomen, the whale-type ones' core is behind their horn, and the alligator-type ones is within their skulls, more specifically beneath those arch-like protrusions.]

"Then, it's time to begin our counterattack." Leon said, turning to the all the Brave Saints and Angels that had assembled before him. "Bruno, Giacomo, use your Balance Breaker and golems respectively to thin the enemy's numbers and throw them into disarray. I will also use Boosted Gear to increase your power."

"You can count on me, mon frère!"

[Understood. With the quality and quantity of Emeth Cores in my hands, I should be able to show you something impressive.]

"When it comes to pinpoint attacks against the monsters, we'll leave that to Noah's weapons and Maximilian's sniping." Leon continued. "Ace Lint Sellzen will board Noah and use her Sacred Gear to support Aria if necessary. If the need arises, use Noah's teleportation arrays to transfer our wounded comrades to Queen Asia Argento, who'll remain within the walls along with the other healers. Is that clear?"

"Right!"

"Yes, yes~. I'll be sure to punish the naughty Devils who love causing trouble in a flash."

Asia and a young girl with a mix of black and white hair and red eyes responded in an enthusiastic manner. In contrast to them, Aria looked unmotivated and somewhat annoyed as she spoke.

"Ugh, do we have to use Noah…?" Aria groaned. "You know that ship is a figurative and literal pain to operate, right? It's the worst. I don't feel like doing this at all."

[Quit your whining and get down to it, you spoiled brat!] Maximilian's outraged voice came from a communication magic circle that flared to life next to Aria's ear. [Raziel-sama's Ace shouldn't show such disgraceful behavior! You are the only Ark Linker capable of controlling Noah, so do your job already!]

"Max-kun is scolding me again…" Aria said with a downcast expression. "Now my motivation is really going down the drain…"

[Don't use nicknames with me!]

"How about this then?" Leon smiled. "Once all is said and done, I'll get you Serafall Leviathan-sama's autograph. Sounds good to you?"

"Alright, I will do my super best." Aria said, making a fist pump. "Whether it's terrorists or Evil Gods, bring it on. Noah and I will blast them out of existence without fail."

"Amazing how your attitude does a one-eighty when your favorite idol is involved, ma chérie." Bruno chuckled. "It's a small miracle in itself."

"What's amazing is how you consistently manage to bypass our species' translation spells and spout random French words." Kaori said from the side while appraising Bruno. "It's quite the conundrum, Bruno Armand."

"What can I say?" Bruno shrugged. "I am, as they say, built differently."

"The rest of you, follow me." Leon said. "We'll break through the enemy's lines once they've incurred enough damage and head for their leader, Creuserey Asmodeus. If we can capture him or convince him to stand down, it will be a big gain for our side."

[Eliminating him is the best course of action here.] Maximilian said. [It's no use wasting your breath by negotiating with vile megalomaniacs like him, Leon.]

"Perhaps, but we have to at least give him a chance to see the error of his ways and repent." Leon said before addressing Damian through the communication magic circle. "How are you holding up, Damian? If maintaining your Sacred Gear is taking too much toll on your body, I can—"

[Focus on the enemy.] Damian said with an even tone. [Don't worry about me. I am Damian Galanis, Sandalphon-sama's Ace. No matter what, I shall stand resolute until the end.]

"Very well." Leon said, turning to the assembled Brave Saints and Angel troops with a resolute expression on his face. "Let's do this, everyone! For Heaven's sake, for the sake of peace, for the sake of those we love, we shall triumph and pass judgment on the evil that threatens the world!"

[Amen!]

Everyone shouted together as one. As Bruno spread his wings and took off, coming to land on top of one of the towers, Leon focused on his Sacred Gear.

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]

Raising his power by a considerable amount, Leon extended his hands, aiming at Bruno and Giacomo, who had joined the rest of the Angels and Brave Saints while having several glowing crystals hover around him.

[Transfer!]

Following that announcement, Leon launched two waves of green-colored energy at his comrades, enveloping their bodies in a storm of aura and increasing their power.

"Thank you for this gift, Leon." Giacomo grinned. "In exchange, I will give you the finest army I can create, one that won't lose to Annihilation Maker's beasts!"

Giacomo tossed the crystals down, with them sinking in the ground. An intense shaking ensued, with several large mounds rising from the earth. Said mounds morphed into humanoid golems that were at least fifteen meters tall with six blade-shaped wings sprouting from their backs. Several angelic wings covered their faces and each of them held a large lance and a shield in their hands.

"Not bad, Giacomo." Bruno said, cracking his knuckles. "I expected nothing less from Michael-sama's Jack. However, as Metatron-sama's Ten, I won't be left behind. Dear terrorists, feast your eyes on my Tempest Dancer's Balance Breaker!"

Raging winds began surrounding Bruno as the twin fans in his hands shone.

"Heavenly Storm Trifecta, Destruction Mode!"

After Bruno shouted thus, a pillar of light and wind shot upwards from his position, solidifying into the form of a huge ballista with wing-shaped limbs and a lance-shaped arrow that landed on top of the tower. Directing it towards the enemy forces still bombarding the wall, Bruno smirked.

"Adieu, you unfortunate souls that chose evil."

The giant ballista launched its oversized arrow right in the midst of the enemy formation in a speed almost too fast for the eye to see. A massive explosion ensued, with the shock wave and raging winds tearing apart Devils and monsters alike. Almost a fifth of the enemy forces perished by this single strike alone.

At the same time as Bruno's arrow flew, Giacomo's golems rose to the sky, aiming their lances at the Khaos Brigade members. Concentrated blasts of light surged from their tips, slicing through the terrorists with little issue and furthering the chaos in their lines.

Even when some of the monsters counterattacked by launching stings or aura blasts, the golems defended themselves by raising their shields, which generated large defensive magic circles. The wings on their heads spread outwards, with torrents of light erupting from them and scorching the approaching constructs.

At the same time, waves of condensed holy flames would fly from the distance and destroy the enemy creatures by accurately striking at their weak spots with superhuman accuracy.

"One more down." Maximilian remarked, his eyes glowing as he channeled holy flames into the rifle he was holding and shot down a whale-shaped construct. "Where is the enemy leader hiding? No matter where you try to run, I will find you and eliminate you without fail."

A harsh expression appeared on Maximilian's face as he took down a Dragon-type construct with another well-placed shot to a gap between the scales on its abdomen.

While the Devil soldiers were busy trying to regroup and organize a response, the air high above them shimmered and a large shadow fell upon them.

"That…what the Hell is that!?"

One of the Devils yelled in astonishment as the figure of a large battleship that was over a hundred meters long revealed itself. Hovering above the battlefield, the futuristic-looking vessel that appeared to have come straight out of a sci-fi movie was covered in silver-white armor that shone under the light of its surroundings.

"All systems green." Aria said while standing inside a large spherical chamber that somewhat resembled a cockpit, a multitude of magic circles and holographic screens hovering around her. "Beginning bombardment."

Parts of Noah's deck opened, with several missile pods rising from them. The volley of missiles that flew from them targeted the whale-type monsters hovering in the sky. Instead of simply exploding, the missiles created spatial rifts and distortions upon detonation, shredding everything caught within them. Even though the whale-types tried shooting them down with the lightning coming from their horns, the missiles were too many to intercept.

"The enemy is trying to move in from the sides, eh?" Aria said while glancing at a different monitor at two large groups of Devils along with several Dragon-type constructs coming at Noah from both sides. "Deploying psionic turrets as well."

Several turrets appeared next to the missile pods, shooting a barrage of golden energy bolts at the incoming enemies. Each time a Devil was struck by one of them, they would cradle their head and scream as they fell on the ground, having lost control of their bodies. Even when their comrades tried avoiding the turrets, they would get struck by the missiles instead, their bodies vanishing into nothingness.

Copious amounts of flames surged from the Dragon-types' bodies and the tentacles on their bodies swung forward, aiming to damage Noah. However, thanks to the large number of defensive magic circles that appeared on the ship's armor, it remained unharmed. As if responding to their attacks, several sections of the armor opened, revealing large cannons that unleashed waves of concentrated aura to annihilate the Dragon-types.

"Not bad…but as expected, it's quite a burden to use so many weapons simultaneously…" Aria remarked as she wiped the blood trickling from her nose. "Even though my brain was modified from birth to control this battleship, there's still considerable backlash. Lint, can I leave dealing with the enemies who approach Noah to you?"

[No problem~.] Lint responded in a cheerful manner. [Raguel-sama's Ace will make sure to earn her living today as well. These bad boys and girls won't know what hit them~.]

Several transport magic circles appeared around Lint, who was standing on Noah's deck, after she said so. From them, mountains of scrap and machinery in various states of disrepair rushed out, filling the area around Lint.

"Time to get building~."

Lint said as the small mountains of iron around her began moving. In a matter of seconds, several railguns had formed around Lint, releasing shots of concentrated aura that tore through the Khaos Brigade's ranks with ease.

Several mechanical arms also formed on her back, with light blades and cannons protruding from their ends. The few enemies who escaped from the railguns' barrage found themselves facing Lint's extra appendages, which made short work of them as they sliced and pierced through them.

"Damn lapdogs of Heaven!"

A single Devil who managed to approach Lint swung a blade made out of demonic power at her. However, it failed to pierce her skin, which acquired a blackish hue at the moment of impact.

"Sorry, but I've done a bit of work on myself." Lint winked at the Devil as a pistol formed in her hand. "Too bad, Devil-san~."

Blowing her assailant's head off with a single shot, Lint turned her attention to a trio of Dragon-types that were approaching Noah. The remaining scrap around her rushed to her hand, transforming into a large, twin-barreled rifle. Aiming at the constructs, Lint pulled the trigger, unleashing a large torrent of energy that vaporized them in an instant.

"This is the renowned Unknown Dictator, eh?" Aria remarked upon seeing the results of the young girl's attack. "No wonder Raziel-sama is keeping an eye on it as one of the Sacred Gears with the potential to evolve into a Longinus. Once this is done, I should have her come by my lab for further study…"

After saying so, Aria turned her focus on operating Noah's weapons once again, destroying the enemy's creatures before it with ease.

"So far, so good." Leon remarked upon observing the battlefield before turning to his comrades behind him. "It's our turn, everyone! Go, and all of you make sure to come back alive!"

[Yes!]

The assembled troops shouted together as one, with one of the large gates before them opening wide. Spreading their wings, they flew out of it, charging towards the disorganized Khaos Brigade forces. Upon noticing them, a group of crustacean-types and several Devils aimed for them, unleashing a barrage of aura bullets and demonic power blasts. However, before they could reach them, Bruno landed in front of Heaven's forces.

"Heavenly Storm Trifecta, Guardian Form!"

The limbs of the giant ballista folded together and the lance-shaped arrow unraveled itself to wrap around them, forming an oversized shield surrounded by raging gusts of wind. The barrage struck the shield, but failed to inflict any damage as the shots were dispersed by the wind.

"Nice one!" Leon gave Bruno a thumbs-up. "Leah, give us some extra cover fire to aid our approach!"

"Leave it to me!" Leah said. "Time to let loose and light them up! Balance Break!"

Additional feather-shaped cannons surrounded Leah's body, making it seem like she had three sets of golden mechanical wings growing from her back. The cannons all pointed at the Khaos Brigade members, unleashing waves of energy that sliced through them and gouged the ground beneath them.

"Since I'm going all out by using Royal Paragon Emanation, might as well bring him out too to have some fun." Leah said, forming a small magic circle in her hand. "Come out and play, Tarasque!"

The magic circle became larger, with a large, six-legged creature emerging from it and landing on the ground. Said creature resembled a western Dragon with a shell on its back that had several spikes growing from it and a tail with spikes dripping green liquid from it. The creature looked around for a bit before letting out a relieved grunt.

[Thank Ophis and Great Red, it's not another birthday party…] Tarasque said. [Finally, you have summoned me for a worthy cause, descendant of Martha.]

"Bringing smiles to children's faces is also a worthy cause, but I digress." Leah said. "Today's job is simple; go and beat up the bad guys, Tarasque!"

[With pleasure!]

Tarasque said while charging with a roar. Several alligator-types stood in its way in an attempt to intercept it, launching energy waves and cannonball-like spores from the arches and giant flowers on them. However, Tarasque shrugged off the bombardment with ease as the attacks were unable to penetrate his shell. Charging forward, he sent the enemy constructs flying, letting out a torrent of flames from his maw to incinerate them.

Meanwhile, Leah, who was flying above it, had switched her cannons to rapid-fire mode, riddling any constructs that approached too close for comfort with holes. Weaving through the bombardment, several Devils approached Leah, only for two cannons to transform into a large broadsword and a shield that Leah grabbed. Defending herself with the shield, she sliced the attacking Devils in half with a single stroke.

Two more cannons came to hover next to Tarasque, attaching themselves to his shoulders. The Dragon howled as holy aura courtesy of Leah surrounded his body, using his new weapons, his holy aura-infused blows, his fire breath and his spiked tail, which was clad in poison, to wreak further havoc in the enemy's lines.

"She's getting too carried away again, that girl…" Leon groaned as he saw Leah and Tarasque charging into enemy lines on their own and leaving the others behind. "Bruno, Kaori, Giacomo, Inessa, to me! We're heading off to support her before she gets cut off!"

As his fellow Brave Saints gathered around him, Leon placed his hand on his chest.

"Wild Shift!" Leon shouted. "Change, King of Spades!"

Responding to his command, the Joker card embedded in Leon's body changed its suit and rank into that of the King of Spades.

"Brave Saints, Formation Straight!"

Following Leon's shout, his body, Kaori, Giacomo, Inessa and Bruno's all lit up. Then, with a burst of speed, they vanished and appeared before the Khaos Brigade members in a flash.

"Enemy—!"

The shocked Devil didn't manage to complete his sentence before Kaori bifurcated him with Kusanagi. Taking advantage of the speed increase brought forth by the Straight formation, the five affected Brave Saints began decimating the enemy, zipping from point to point almost too fast for the eye to see.

"Let's rampage even more!" Bruno said while grinning. "Heavenly Storm Trifecta, Assault Form!"

The giant shield broke apart and the wing-shaped limbs of the giant ballista shrank and attached themselves to Bruno's back. At the same time, the lance also shrank into a size that allowed Bruno to handle it as a melee weapon. Pointing it forward, Bruno smirked as he dashed ahead, breaking the sound barrier as he tore through crustacean-types and scorpion-types in his path with ease.

Despite the terrorists' efforts, they were unable to even perceive Bruno, let alone shoot him down. It was as if a sentient tornado was targeting them, striking them down with merciless efficiency. Even when they managed to get a lucky hit in now and then, the wind enveloping Bruno's body would simply deflect the shots.

A short distance away, Inessa and Giacomo were working together to take down another group of Khaos Brigade soldiers and creatures. While the former would use her Sin Eater through her fish-shaped light constructs to set Devils ablaze, the latter had created three human-sized golems through Emeth Cores, having them support him with their weapons as he aimed his light spears at the creatures' weak points.

Once her Sin Eater constructs vanquished yet another Devil, they returned back to Inessa, with the holy aura surrounding her body swelling up in response. Summoning Photon Invite, she formed a large star-shaped light shield in front of her to deflect the enemy's attacks. She then turned the barrier into numerous lances that fell on the enemy forces like a deadly rain.

"Heh, that's interesting." Giacomo smirked. "Didn't know you could use the sins your ability consumed to empower yourself. Sariel-sama's Ace is—"

A scorpion-type swung its tail at Giacomo at that moment, shooting a barrage of stings at him. Though most of them missed him, a couple pierced his body, sending him skidding backwards.

"Oh, no, you got me…not." Giacomo said as he pulled the stings from his body. "Sorry, but even without using my Rods of Dominion, this place has turned into hallowed ground thanks to Damian's Sacred Gear. That means I can do this!"

Mud, sand and dust rose from the ground and began rushing towards Giacomo's wounds, seeping into them and transforming into living tissue. In a matter of seconds, the wounds had vanished, leaving pristine and undamaged skin behind.

"Good as new, which is more than I can say for you!"

Several thorn-shaped light constructs enveloped the scorpion-type following Giacomo's words, breaking it apart with ease. The thorns continued spreading, capturing and killing anyone unfortunate enough to get caught by them.

"Like I have told you a million times before, you are too relaxed, Giacomo." Inessa scolded her comrade while forming a multitude of light threads that tore through three alligator-type constructs near them. "The regeneration ability you inherited from Raphael-sama is formidable, but not almighty."

"And I like I've said a million times before, get off my back, Inessa." Giacomo said, directing his golems to cut down a nearby group of Devils while he launched light spears and light thorns at a whale-type flying above them. "Opponents of this level aren't meant to be taken seriously. If you worry about every little thing, you'll turn old and grey before you know it. Learn to relax a bit more."

Inessa was about to say more, but then a Dragon-type landed behind them. Before they could react though, its body was suddenly split into dozens of pieces that fell around them. Kaori, the one responsible for that, landed next to the duo, glaring at them.

"The battlefield is no place for arguments." Kaori said with a serious expression. "Save it for your downtime, you two."

After saying so, Kaori charged towards a crustacean-type, her body enveloped in a torrent of holy aura and Kusanagi clad in lightning as she dismembered it with a few strokes of her blade.

"There goes another overly serious individual…" Giacomo sighed in exasperation. "What a pain. I swear, ever since she became Uriel-sama's Queen, she's become even more strict than before."

"It would do you good to learn from her example." Inessa said, her axe-shaped constructs slicing a scorpion-type in half. "You are way too irresponsible at times, Giacomo. As representatives of Heaven and descendants of the great Archangels governing it, we cannot show an unsightly performance."

"Whatever you say." Giacomo snorted. "But for me, fighting for the good image and reputation of those who've refused to treat us as family isn't enough to motivate me…"

A bitter expression appeared on Giacomo's face as he focused on the enemies before him once again. Meanwhile, Kaori was busy cutting down Devil after Devil along with the occasional Annihilation Maker construct, Kusanagi a blur in her hands. Several crustacean-types, scorpion-types, alligator-types and two battalions of Devils surrounded her, aiming their attacks at her. However, Kaori was unfazed by her predicament.

"I will not be hit!"

Following that declaration, the enemy forces unleashed her attacks on her. However, all of them missed her by a wide margin even though she was standing still, hitting some of their comrades instead.

At that moment, several bolts of holy lightning descended from the sky, aiming for Kaori. Raising her sword high, she absorbed the lightning into it. A storm of holy aura and lightning surrounded Kusanagi, solidifying into a blade of pure energy enveloping the physical one that was twice as long and thick as it was.

Nodding at Dia some distance away, who was the one responsible for the lightning, and focusing her holy aura on her legs, Kaori dashed. Using her empowered sword, she sliced apart any Khaos Brigade member unfortunate enough to find themselves in her path. The Shroud of Turin wrapped around her neck also moved around, deflecting any attacks fired at her. A crustacean-type in her path tried to evade her sword swing and counterattack, but Kaori shouted.

"My attack will not miss!"

As if responding to her shout, the crustacean-type stumbled, preventing it from evading Kaori's slash, which severed its upper torso. Landing next to its disappearing carcass, Kaori took a few deep breaths to compose herself, wiping the sweat from her brow.

As expected, using my ancestor's ability to manipulate causality is taking its toll on me even after reincarnating and gaining an extra pair of wings. Kaori thought. Better not overdo it and save it for when it's truly necessary.

Focusing on another group of enemies that were trying to overwhelm a battalion of Angels close to her, Kaori rushed to their aid, cutting down any stray Devils in her way.

[Judgment Ray!]

In another area of the battlefield, Leon's beam tore through a crustacean-type's chest, sending it crashing down. Several light blades also appeared around him, slicing apart any enemies that got too close for comfort. Opening his mouth wide next, he released a holy fire breath that incinerated two scorpion-type constructs and several Devils around them.

A short distance away, Dia's body shone as she manipulated the elements, with waves of holy fire and wind falling upon Annihilation Maker's constructs and holy lightning and holy earth constructs vaporizing the Devils near her. Even when they got close to her, the Devils would fall on their knees screaming, the holy aura coming from Dia's body being too much for them to bear.

"This should be a good opportunity to test out Aria's prototypes, the Saint Arsenal, in battle conditions." Leon said as he conjured a magic circle, pulling out an ornate red belt with a spade-shaped green gem on its buckle and a card holder on its right side from it. "Heh, even with the situation being what it is, I can't help but be excited!"

[Saint Rouser!]

An announcement came from the belt as it locked itself around Leon's waist.

"Alright." Leon said. "First is this!"

Pulling out the Six of Spades from the card holder, Leon swiped it in the buckle.

[Cyclone!]

Following that announcement, a drill-shaped armament formed itself around Leon's right arm. As a Dragon-type released streams of flame at him, he pointed the spinning drill at it. The raging winds that came from it dispersed the flames and tore through its lower abdomen destroying it. Jumping up to avoid a scorpion-type's claws and stinger, Leon dashed at it, the drill on his arm piercing through its carapace with ease and destroying its core.

[Boost! Boost! Transfer!]

Using the Scale Mail's ability, Leon increased his power and transferred it to the drill in his right hand, which let out an intense glow.

[Cyclone! Maximum Drive!]

Raising the spinning drill high, Leon formed a raging tornado around him that began drawing all monsters and Devils in close proximity to it. Despite their struggling and their attempts to defend themselves, the violent winds tore them apart. Once the tornado dissipated, the drill-shaped armament vanished from Leon's arm as well.

[Do you have to make me announce all your bizarre attacks?] Ddraig's dissatisfied voice came from one of the Scale Mail's gems. [It's tedious and quite pointless.]

"It's part of a man's romance, so work with me on this one, Ddraig." Leon said, feeling somewhat excited as he pulled the Nine of Spades from the card holder. "Let's try this next!"

[Beat!]

After swiping the card, a guitar-shaped axe appeared on Leon's hand, prompting him to grin under his helmet.

"Nice!" Leon cheered. "We'll do this Oni-style with my favorite instrument!"

After saying so, Leon began strumming the guitar in an intense manner. The ensuing sound was enough to bring all nearby Devils to their knees, screaming as they covered their ears in an attempt to block the purification effect-carrying sound. Despite their efforts though, the soundwaves kept damaging them, with their bodies eventually combusting.

As if that wasn't enough, bolts of holy lightning began coming from the guitar as Leon kept playing, striking down all approaching monsters and Devils. Evading a Dragon-type's tentacle attack, Leon sliced his appendages apart with the guitar before burying it in its head. Firing a burst of sound by strumming it once, he pulverized its insides, causing it to break apart. Seeing that even more enemies were charging at him, Leon raised his power once again.

[Boost! Boost! Transfer!]

The guitar let out an intense glow upon receiving Leon's power.

[Beat! Maximum Drive!]

"This is my beat!"

Strumming his guitar in a frenzied manner, Leon shouted with evident glee as he unleashed a sound explosion accompanied by a downpour of holy lightning bolts. The attack cleared the area around him of enemies by eliminating them in an instant, leaving only barren and scorched ground behind.

"I've only used two cards so far, but the new equipment is looking very promising." Leon said as the guitar-shaped axe vanished. "Not to mention awesome and stylish as well. Kuh, I can't wait to use the rest of them as well!"

[Sorry to interrupt your fun, but I thought you'd like to know that I pinpointed Creuserey Asmodeus' location.] Maximilian's voice came from a communication magic circle that appeared next to Leon's ear. [He's about seven kilometers to the northwest, on top of the highest rock formation. If you're too busy fawning over your new toys, I can go and put an end to him myself.]

"No, I will deal with Creuserey." Leon said, his expression becoming serious once again. "Keep supporting the others and watch out for any surprises the enemy might throw at us."

[Understood.]

[I recommend using the Ten of Spades.] Aria's voice came from the magic circle next. [Something tells me you will love it.]

Taking out the Ten of Spades card, Leon swiped it in his buckle.

[Accel!]

Following an intense flash of red light that forced Leon to avert his gaze, a bulky red motorcycle with a Dragon motif appeared before him. Six boosters extended from its rear and its green headlights resembled Ddraig's eyes.

"T-This is!" Leon exclaimed in shock, looking like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Could it be…my very own Rider Machine!? Seriously!? Am I seriously not dreaming right now!?"

[This is reality, the fruits of my genius.] Aria said with a somewhat smug tone. [Well? Do you like it?]

"This is the best!" Leon exclaimed. "I love you, Aria Enfield!"

Feeling a chill go down his spine all of a sudden, Leon turned around in haste, only to see Dia standing there with a displeased expression as she glowered at him. Dozens of Devils and constructs were rushing towards her, but Dia paid no heed to them as she waved her hand. Several pillars of light exploded from the ground all at once, annihilating the would-be attackers.

"…Hey there, Dia…" Leon said with some hesitation. "Is there something wrong…?"

"…Skirt-chaser." Dia said while puffing her cheeks, climbing on the motorcycle's rear seat. "…Coming?"

"You want to come with me?"

"…Naturally." Dia said. "…Need backup."

"I guess I do." Leon smiled underneath his helmet as he climbed on the bike as well. "Hang on tight, Dia. This could be a bumpy ride."

"…Yes."

Dia said, wrapping her hands around Leon's waist. He revved up the engine, with the bike shooting forward in response. Although he was surprised by its speed, what was more unexpected was the fact that the bike was creating crimson energy roads below it as it moved.

Having noticed their movements and their intent, several constructs and Devil troops assembled to bar the two Angels' way. Just as Leon was about to draw Fragarach to intercept them, a communication magic circle flared to life next to his ear, with Damian's voice coming from it.

[Leave it to me.]

Jumping down from the wall, Damian landed on the ground and plunged Caladbolg in the earth. An intense rumbling echoed as several large boulders rose from the earth and fell towards the Khaos Brigade troops. At the same time, large blade-shaped spires erupted from the ground below, skewering most of the constructs.

"Get that bastard!"

One Devil screamed, directing his comrades towards Damian. His expression didn't change at all as he pulled Caladbolg from the ground, a torrent of multicolored energy surrounding the blade after having drawn energy from the ley lines. Swinging it once, he unleashed a wave of rainbow-colored energy that engulfed the incoming enemies, vaporizing them and slicing a small hill's top in the distance.

"Our path is clear now." Leon said. "Here we go, Dia!"

"…Yes."

Dia said as Leon revved the motorcycle and dashed ahead. In a matter of seconds, the two of them had reached the rock formation Creuserey was situated at. Although a large number of Devils rushed forward to intercept the duo, Dia formed several rapier-shaped light constructs that tore through their ranks. At the same time, Leon raised his power once again.

[Boost! Boost! Transfer!]

[Accel! Maximum Drive!]

The motorcycle's speed increased to the point where it was merely a blur, the energy roads it created surrounding the remaining Devils and trapping them in a makeshift cage. Said energy roads shone once before exploding all together, with the bound Devils perishing from the blast.

Jumping off the vanishing motorcycle, Leon and Dia landed on top of the rock formation, coming face to face with Creuserey Asmodeus and Darius Xaphan, who rushed to shield his master.

"The filthy half-breed Red Dragon Emperor and his pet wench, the spawn of our ancient enemy." Creuserey scowled. "What an unpleasant meeting this is. You should have been six feet under by now, but it seems I underestimated your prowess. As usual, I must dirty my own hands if I want to see results."

"Creuserey Asmodeus, heir to the House of Asmodeus." Leon said. "On behalf of Heaven and the Pantheon Alliance, I ask that you and your men stand down. Do so, and you have my word you will receive fair treatment as prisoners of war."

"Capitulate to you, lapdog of Heaven?" Creuserey glowered at Leon. "If this is meant to be a joke, I am not laughing at all. I am the heir of the Devil King Asmodeus, the Devil ordained by fate to sit on his throne, and I will not rest until I have ousted the fake occupying it! The likes of you will not stand in my way!"

"Look around you, Creuserey." Leon said. "Continuing this battle is meaningless. At this point, your followers are dying for nothing. If you call yourself a King, then isn't your first responsibility the well-being of your subjects?"

"You don't understand anything about us noble Devils, do you, Red Dragon?" Creuserey smirked. "The lower classes' lives are expendable, the only meaning to their existence being their service to us, the descendants of their creators. It matters not if dozens or hundreds of them die as long as we win in the end."

"You may be a Devil, but even you should understand the foolishness of being a King without a kingdom." Leon countered. "If you keep treating your followers as expendable, there'll be nothing for you to rule over at the end. Not to mention, times have changed since your ancestors' era. The current Underworld won't stand to be treated as your and your fellow descendants' plaything. You're fighting for a lost cause, Creuserey. Unless you change yourself and harmonize with the will of the current Underworld, your goal will forever be out of your reach."

"What the current Underworld wants is of no concern to me." Creuserey said in a dismissive manner. "In the end, everything, even ideals, submits before absolute power. That is why we deigned to join forces with the Khaos Brigade and acquire Ophis' aid. Using these tools at our disposal, we'll forge a new Underworld, one where even the very idea of dissent towards the true Devil Kings will be abhorrent. Keep this in mind; the truly strong shape the world the way they want it to be instead of conforming to it."

"It looks like you're not willing to negotiate." Leon said, drawing Fragarach and summoning the Shield of Evalach. "It can't be helped then. Perhaps you'll be more inclined to listen once you're our prisoner."

"Don't get too carried away, you brat." Creuserey sneered. "You may be Michael's son and the Red Dragon Emperor, but you are no match for the combined power of the true Asmodeus and the Infinite Dragon!"

Both Creuserey and Darius took out vials containing small snakes inside them and downed them in one go. Their auras swelled in response, causing the ground below them to crack and the wind to pick up.

"Take care of the girl, Darius." Creuserey said to his servant. "Heaven's pet Dragon is mine to discipline."

"Understood, my master."

A spherical barrier enveloped Darius' body as he charged at Dia. She barely had time to put up a light barrier of her own as he collided with her, sending them both over the edge and through another rock formation before crashing on the ground. Distancing herself from Darius, Dia launched a barrage of dense light spears, which Darius blocked with several rectangular barriers.

"It's just you and me, huh?" Leon said, assuming his stance. "I can work with that. Now, it's time to repent for your sins!"

"Make me if you can, you worthless half-breed!"

Creuserey conjured a blade comprised of pitch-black demonic power, aiming a thrust at Leon. Deflecting it with the flat of his blade, Leon countered with a thrust of pressurized wind that almost tore through his opponent's shoulder. Taking a few steps back, Creuserey unleashed a volley of demonic power bullets, which Leon deflected with the Shield of Evalach.

Gathering power in his leg, Leon launched a light spiral at Creuserey, who spread his twelve wings and took to the sky. Following after him, Leon swung Fragarach, unleashing several vacuum blades at his opponent. Creuserey defended himself by conjuring several defensive magic circles around him, while dark hand-like constructs emerged from the dark aura coating his body.

[Boost! Boost!]

[Judgment Ray!]

Crossing his hands, Leon unleashed a beam that tore through the approaching hands and Creuserey's defenses. The Asmodeus descendant generated a burst of wind from his wings, evading the incoming beam just in time. Having sensed the direction his opponent dodged to through the air currents, Leon enveloped himself in holy wind and charged, slamming on Creuserey and sending him crashing on the ground.

"I see." Creuserey said as he stood up, dusting himself. "Surviving thus far was no fluke. Moreover, the fact that my power isn't affecting you even though you should have stared into my eyes a couple of times already…don't tell me, you are fighting me with your eyes closed?"

"That was one of the first things my sword instructor taught me." Leon said, brandishing his blade as he landed across Creuserey. "Your eyes can easily deceive you, so it's best not to overly depend on them."

"That's too bad…for you, that is." Creuserey let out a sinister smirk. "I was willing to kill you while showing you a pleasant daydream, but instead, you will die while experiencing absolute terror!"

Getting a bad feeling, Leon charged at Creuserey in haste. Before he could reach him though, copious amounts of black smoke erupted from his body, enveloping Leon. Once he was within the smoke, Leon felt as if someone had pulled a switch and shut down his senses, leaving him trapped in a void.

He can use Starsend Moment in such a manner? Leon thought. However, this is still a demonic power-based technique, which means…

Gathering and compressing his holy aura around his body, Leon released it in the form of a massive wave that scattered the black cloud. Once his senses returned, Leon found himself surrounded by a multitude of blade-shaped demonic power constructs that were enveloped by pitch-black aura and were aimed at him.

"Fall, Red Dragon!"

Creuserey bellowed with a savage smirk as he made a gesture, with the blades rushing towards Leon all at once. Instead of piercing him however, the blades bounced off his body as if having struck an invisible barrier and dispersed. Pointing his blade at Creuserey, Leon released a barrage of pressurized air bullets that forced the Devil King descendant on the defensive once again.

Snarling as a bullet grazed the side of his leg and drew blood, Creuserey rushed at Leon, several hand-shaped constructs emerging from his body and a pitch-black broadsword having formed in his hand. Engaging Leon in another swordfight, Creuserey attempted to strike him with his hand-shaped constructs.

Once again though, his attack failed to reach Leon, who parried Creuserey's blade with his shield before almost lopping his head off. Creuserey aimed a kick at Leon's abdomen, but was sent flying backwards instead. The Shield of Evalach shone as a magic circle formed behind the Devil King descendant, who slammed on it and hissed as he fell forward, only avoiding Leon's thrust by using his wings as extra limbs to toss himself in the air.

"This is…" Creuserey frowned as he landed a few steps away from his opponent. "Your body is surrounded by high-pressure wind?"

"I call it my Storm Raiment." Leon smirked underneath his helmet as the wind surrounding him became visible. "You'll be hard-pressed to get through it unless you put considerable power behind your blows. Not sure if you're able to do that though. The so-called true Asmodeus doesn't seem to amount to much."

"You…don't you dare look down on me, you filthy Angel!"

Creuserey howled as his power surged once again, with the pitch-black aura enveloping him becoming denser and more erratic.

[He's rather easy to rile up.] Ddraig said. [The fool doesn't seem to realize that his little outburst only serves to drain his reserves faster and put even greater strain on his body. However, you shouldn't let your guard down, Leon. That Storm Raiment on yours is good for defense, but the load it's placing on your body means your speed is reduced. If he succeeds in getting past it…]

No need to worry, Ddraig. Leon thought as he took out the Two of Spades from his card holder. I have plenty of cards to play.

As Creuserey formed several magic circles around him, shooting a barrage of fireballs, spiked chains, ice spears and lightning blasts, Leon swiped the card.

[Shroud!]

A stream of red energy enveloped Leon's neck, forming into a long scarf. When the incoming blasts were about to reach him, the scarf shone, with Leon vanishing in a burst of red light.

"What!?" Creuserey cried out. "Where did you run off to, you coward!?"

"That's rich coming from you!"

Leon, who had teleported above Creuserey, shouted as he threw an oversized light spear at him, with the Asmodeus heir evading it as he took the sky and aimed another barrage at Leon. However, he teleported behind Creuserey this time, slashing at his back and sending him crashing on the ground below.

"You bastard!" Creuserey bellowed. "Your parlor tricks are only prolonging the inevitable!"

Spreading copious amounts of black smoke around him, Creuserey concealed himself as he began shooting blocks of condensed demonic power at Leon from within. Evading or countering them with his light spears and his energy scarf, Leon began gathering power in order to scatter the black cloud once again.

"This is the renowned daughter of Deus Trinity? I must admit I'm not very impressed."

Some distance away for the two combatants, Darius remarked thus, his cube-shaped barriers trapping Dia's incoming light spears and crushing them by shrinking. Said barriers transformed into spikes that aimed for Dia. Enveloping her wings in light, she batted them away before pointing at the sky, conjuring a multitude of light spheres that fell on the ground with the force of meteors, causing a large explosion.

Emerging unscathed from the explosion due to forming several dome-shaped barriers around him, Darius conjured a magic circle, pulling out a crooked weathered staff from it and stabbing it in the ground. Putrid yellow liquid seeped out from it, eroding and corrupting the ground around as it rushed towards Dia.

Just as the corruption was about to reach her, Dia's body shone. The incoming torrent of vile liquid dispersed before it could engulf her, with the affected ground returning back to normal as well. Darius frowned as he formed several drill-shaped barriers and launched them at Dia, who turned into particles of light to avoid them.

Materializing above Darius, she aimed a light-coated kick at him. A slime-shaped barrier rose from behind him, intercepting Dia's attack. She was surprised by its viscosity as her kick sank into it, forcing her to teleport away from it before it could envelop her. Darius followed up with several such malleable barriers, but Dia summoned bolts of holy lightning from the sky and blades of blessed sand from the ground to destroy them.

"Allow me to retract my previous statement." Darius said. "You possess some skill, and your immunity to negative effects is troublesome. If you are allowed to grow further, you could very well impede my master's vision. That's why, I will put an end to you here even if it costs me my life."

Placing his hand on his chest, Darius winced as several snake-like patters began covering his body while his aura swelled. The barrier he had formed around him began rippling, expanding and altering its shape, transforming into a twenty-meter tall humanoid exoskeleton with blade-like constructs growing from its hands.

"…Overclock." Dia remarked upon realizing that Darius was forcibly drawing even more power from Ophis' snake despite the toll that was taking on his body and soul. "…Bad move."

"I wouldn't…say so…" Darius smirked, although it was clear as day he was suffering. "The life of a measly servant…for that of our archenemy's progeny…is a fine trade!"

The exoskeleton aimed its blades at Dia, who avoided it in haste by propelling herself backwards with wind. Taking flight, she launched a barrage of dense light spears at the exoskeleton while attempting to freeze its joints. However, her attacks proved to be ineffective, dispersing upon striking the oversized construct.

"It's useless!" Darius laughed while spitting blood from his mouth. "With the amount of demonic power I have put on this construct, even the likes of you will be hard-pressed to destroy it!"

After Darius said so, the exoskeleton grew wings and took to the sky as well, chasing after Dia. Between its relentless attacks and her inability to pierce through it with her attacks, she found herself in quite the predicament as Darius began launching demonic power blasts at her as well.

"Fall!" Darius bellowed as his exoskeleton's blades almost bisected Dia. "Fall, and take the legacy of your rotten father with you!"

"…Obnoxious." Dia clicked her tongue in irritation as she countered his barrage of demonic power blasts with her own barrage of light beams. "…No choice."

Dia clasped her hands together, forming a large and complex magic circle behind her. The intense light coming from it almost blinded Darius, forcing him to shield his eyes. When it died down, he found himself hovering above a beautiful meadow filled with all kinds of flowers that let out an alluring scent.

"This is…" Darius muttered while looking around. "An alternate dimension?"

"…Correct."

Dia, who was hovering several meters away from him, said so with an impassive expression.

"And what of it?" Darius snorted. "Even if the battlefield has changed, your situation hasn't!"

Darius' exoskeleton dashed forward, its blades aiming for Dia. However, she was unperturbed, forming a hammer-shaped light construct. Swinging it at the incoming blades, she smashed them with ease, much to Darius' shock. Before he had time to process this, a large number of vines erupted from below, enveloping his construct and binding it.

"What in the nine Hells is this!?" Darius bellowed, struggling to escape from the vines, but finding himself unable to tear through them. "Those damn plants, what's wrong with them!? Why can't I destroy them!?"

Darius tried to gather his demonic power, but found himself unable to as it would disperse as soon as he tried to. At the same time, parts of his exoskeleton began dispersing, with the vines absorbing them as flowers began blooming on them. Looking below, Darius noticed that the flowers below emitted particles of light, which were absorbed by Dia's body.

"This field…don't tell me!" Darius cried out in realization. "These flowers absorb demonic power, which is then converted into holy power!? How could such an absurd thing be possible!?"

"…Training." Dia said, forming an oversized light spear surrounded by all elements. "…Farewell."

Darius dispersed the exoskeleton in a hurry, spreading his wings and flying high in an attempt to escape. However, Dia's aim was true, her oversized light spear tearing through Darius' hastily conjured magic circle and striking him head-on. He didn't even have time to scream as the light spear vaporized his body.

"…Phew." Dia let out a relieved sigh as the field around her vanished. "…Tiring."

Although creating simple artificial dimensions was easy for Dia, adding specific conditions and parameters into them that would aid her and impede her opponent was a different matter altogether. Not only did such a pocket realm require a lot more energy and calculations to generate, it was also taxing for her to maintain for too long. Fortunately, she had been able to finish her opponent relatively quickly.

Turning her attention to the battles still raging all around her, Dia focused at the familiar aura of Leon in the distance. From what she could tell, the Red Dragon was still fighting with the Asmodeus heir. Although she wanted to rush to his aid, several Devils and quite a few Annihilation Maker constructs began making their way to her.

"…Out of my way."

Dia said with a cold expression, pointing her hands at her and firing a barrage of light beams at the terrorists.

At the same time, Leon, who had been dodging or countering Creuserey's attacks, swung Fragarach, unleashing a concentrated wave of holy wind that scattered the black cloud enveloping Creuserey. The Asmodeus descendant countered with a demonic power beam, but Leon blocked it with his shield as he raised his power.

[Boost! Boost! Transfer!]

[Shroud! Maximum Drive!]

The energy scarf split into a multitude of smaller ones, attacking Creuserey from multiple direction. He created several defensive magic circles around him to shield himself, but the incoming energy waves warped past them and struck his body, forcing him on his knees as he grunted in pain.

"At last…it's complete!"

Despite having received an attack, Creuserey let out a savage smile. At the same time, Leon gasped as stabs of pain assaulted his body, forcing him to land on the ground in an awkward manner.

"This…what's going on?"

"Sensory link." Creuserey smirked as he formed a black aura spike in his right hand. "An application of my Starsend Moment, whose only downside is the amount of time needed to connect me and the target. Through it, any sensation of pain I feel is transmitted to you with double the intensity. Like so!"

Creuserey stabbed his right leg with the spike, causing Leon to let out a cry of pain as he fell down, feeling as if someone had just severed his leg.

"You know that my ability…to manipulate one's senses also allows me to inflict phantom pain…no?" Creuserey said, grinning despite having turned his ability on himself and feeling quite a bit of pain. "I wonder, how confident are you when it comes to your pain tolerance? I should warn you that mine is pretty high, so you had best prepare yourself!"

Several aura spikes appeared around Creuserey after he said that. Before Leon could react, the spikes began embedding themselves in Creuserey's body, sending stabs of intense pain throughout Leon's body as well. Fighting to retain his consciousness and keep himself from screaming, he began constructing a magic circle.

"How boring, Red Dragon!" Creuserey said while cackling in a deranged manner despite the agony he was feeling. "Scream for me! Beg for my mercy! Lowlifes like you only exist to serve as stepping stones for me!"

Forcing himself upwards despite the pain, Leon let out a boisterous laugh, startling Creuserey.

"Why are you laughing, you maggot!?"

"You think this is pain?" Leon said, projecting a confident attitude even though his body was trembling. "Please. The dorm mother's slaps back at the training facilities hurt a lot more compared to your feeble technique!"

"Such bravado." Creuserey spat out as black aura swords began forming around the two of them. "However, will you be that nonchalant when I use my ability on both you and me at the same time? I think not."

The number of swords increased even further as Creuserey let out a sinister smirk.

"Farewell, filthy half-breed." Creuserey said. "I will make sure to send plenty of your comrades to your side soon so that you won't be lonely. Be grateful for that!"

Just as the swords flew towards Leon and Creuserey, he tapped his foot on the ground, activating the magic circle he had constructed. A dome-shaped holy barrier appeared around the two of them in response, trapping them within its confines and shielding them from the descending swords.

"What!?"

Creuserey was astonished, with Leon charging at that moment as he activated his Scale Mail's ability.

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]

Leon slashed at Creuserey, opening a deep gash on his chest. The Asmodeus descendant screamed as he fell on his knees, with Leon following up with a kick to the head that sent him tumbling backwards and slamming on the barrier, which burned his skin.

"You bastard!" Creuserey howled as he cradled his damaged chest. "How!? How are you still standing!? I'm feeling this much pain, which means you should be on your knees screaming! So why!?"

"What I boosted wasn't my strength." Leon said, taking out the Seven and Eight of Spades from the card holder. "It was my pain tolerance, which reduced the effectiveness of your ability."

[Quite risky.] Ddraig remarked in Leon's thoughts. [A single miscalculation and you could have caused grave damage to yourself.]

"You little…!"

Creuserey howled in outrage as large amounts of demonic power surrounded his body. At the same time, Leon swiped the two cards he had taken out in his buckle.

[Impact! Fang!]

Following that announcement, the Scale Mail's legs changed shape, becoming grasshopper-like. Large claws also extended from the Scale Mail's fingers, while smaller blades protruded from the sides of the arm and leg armor.

As a wild barrage of demonic power blasts flew from Creuserey's body and aimed for Leon, he used his new legs to evade them by jumping from side to side. Even when several bullets would seem like they would hit him, he slashed them apart with his claws. Reaching Creuserey, he tore through the sword constructs he formed and kicked him back, with a cry of pain escaping from Creuserey's lips.

"This is the end!" Leon shouted as he raised his power. "The only thing awaiting the wicked is despair!"

[Slashing Break!]

Following that announcement, Leon began spinning as he aimed for Creuserey, tearing through all demonic power blasts coming at him. The Asmodeus descendant put up his wings to shield himself, but Leon slashed through them and struck Creuserey. The force of his blow sent him flying through the barrier and crashing into another rock formation in the distance.

Landing next to the fallen Devil King descendant, Leon checked his condition. Seeing that he was still alive, Leon conjured several magic circles, binding his body. At the same time, he made sure that his technique had been dispelled. While he was willing to lay down his life if the need arose, the possibility of dying due to Creuserey killing himself out of spite and taking him down as well through the sensory link was far from appealing.

"…Done?" Dia said, landing next to Leon. "…Feeling alright?"

"I'm sore and aching all over, but that's a small price to pay for capturing one of the enemy leaders." Leon said. "What about your fight?"

"…Victory." Dia made a V-sign with a satisfied expression, creating some manna in her hands and passing it to Leon. "…Here."

"Thanks, Dia." Leon said as he dismissed his helmet and gulped down the manna, with his pain and exhaustion slowly fading. "Now then, we have to think what we'll do with Creuserey. He needs medical attention, which Asia-chan can handle, but this is still a battlefield. Confining him until the end will be an issue. We'll have to fortify a position and hold him there."

"I…will not be caged…like some animal…for your victory parade…" Creuserey, who had regained consciousness, said with evident effort. "If that is to be my fate…I would rather—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Creuserey vomited copious amounts of blood all of a sudden, falling on the ground dead. Leon caught sight of an almost transparent whip-shaped clawed arm exiting his chest and retracting itself towards the distance while phasing through all obstacles in its way.

Crushing the target's heart in such a manner…that was Phantasmal Grasp for sure. Leon thought. Damn it, Maximilian…!

Spreading his wings, Leon chased after the retreating arm, with Dia following behind him.

He shouldn't be too far. His range is equal to his line of sight, and even with his exceptional vision, he can't target someone from the other side of the battlefield.

Leon thought. True enough, after a few seconds, the two Angels spotted its controller, Maximilian, who was concealing himself in an outcropping on the back of a claw-shaped rock formation. As the eerie arm sank into his body, Leon and Dia landed on the outcropping, a furious expression on the former's face.

"You… What do you think you're doing, Maximilian?"

"What, you ask?" Maximilian said with an even expression. "Isn't it obvious, Leon? Taking care of loose ends by removing a troublesome factor."

"That was not your call to make." Leon said. "You executed a man who had already been defeated and was a prisoner of war. Not only was that a vile act that is incompatible with our principles, but we also lost a potential source of information on the inner workings of the Old Devil Faction and the Khaos Brigade in general."

"Please." Maximilian scoffed at Leon's words. "Creuserey Asmodeus was a terrorist who deserved everything that was coming to him. If he had remained alive, he could still serve as a rallying point for the former Devil King supporters down the line, causing more problems down the line. Moreover, I'm sure there is no chance he would have revealed anything of significance to the alliance. In short, there was no value in keeping him alive."

"All these are hypothetical scenarios, Executor." Leon said with a harsh tone. "Has the Church's assassin sect corroded your morals to such an extent that you no longer appreciate the value of all life, Maximilian? Violence and death should be our last resort, not the first. It's one thing if the enemy is forcing our hand, but that wasn't the case here. Creuserey might have been an evil existence, but even someone like him deserved the chance to find redemption and correct his mistakes. Because of you though, that chance is forever lost now."

"Spoken like a true idealistic daydreamer who never had to make the difficult choices." Maximilian sneered. "The real world isn't as gentle and clear-cut as you would like it to be. Many times, in order to protect something, you have to sacrifice something else."

"The unfairness and darkness of this world, I know that better than anyone, Maximilian." Leon said. "However, that's exactly why I will keep being an idealistic daydreamer like you say. Otherwise, how else will this world change?"

"Do what you wish, Joker." Maximilian said as he turned around, spreading his wings. "As an Executor of the Church, as Raguel-sama's Jack, I will keep using all means at my disposal to hunt down evil before it can harm others. No way I'm letting the tragedies of the past repeat themselves again regardless of the cost…"

After saying that, Maximilian took off, leaving Leon and Dia behind.

"Oi, we're not done talking!" Leon shouted. "Get back here this instant, you—!"

Dia put her hand on Leon's shoulder armor, cutting him off as she shook her head.

"…No use." Dia said. "…Incompatible viewpoints."

"Dia is right, Leon." Bruno, who had descended from above and landed next to the two of them, said. "Trying to force the issue with Maximilian will only result in yet another heated argument that will go nowhere in the end. It's been that way with you two for the past three years."

"I wish I could understand what exactly led to his drastic change in attitude, what happened to him during his time as an Executor…" Leon sighed. "He used to be so cheerful, kind and optimistic, yet now…now he's a ruthless killing machine that lacks empathy. If only I could help him somehow…"

"If you wish to understand Maximilian, you need to be more patient with him, mon frère." Bruno said. "Whatever happened to him in the past must have been quite traumatic to result in such a drastic shift in attitude. Wounds like that aren't easy to share with others, and you scolding him about his current views won't help him open up. Adopt a more neutral and less antagonistic approach, and perhaps you will see some progress."

"Dealing with all manners of sentient beings is so difficult…" Leon let out a bitter smile as he said so. "I guess I'm still immature in the end. On the other hand, you seem to know exactly what to say at times like this, Bruno."

"That's a given." Bruno smirked, thumping his chest with his fist. "I'm the eldest of us artificial Miracle Children, so it's my job to guide you in circumstances like this. Right now though, we should focus on the battle. There's a lot of cleanup left in this area, and quite a few enemies are still active. Our leader needs to do his job and direct us."

"Right." Leon nodded. "That's my duty after all. Let's go, Dia, Bruno."

After Leon said so, the three Angels spread their wings wide, taking flight.

"There they go. See, I told you there was no need to worry, Vali."

Arash said, turning around to face Vali. Currently, the Vali team was situated on top of a small hill, using Kuroka's Youjutsu techniques to conceal themselves from friend and foe alike. Having observed Leon and Dia's fights so far at the behest of Vali, most of the team was starting to grow restless.

"I wasn't worried." Vali said matter-of-factly. "There was no way Leon would lose to Creuserey Asmodeus of all people. I was only curious about his current level and growth, and I have to say, it's decent. His new equipment seems rather…formidable as well."

"That's true, though you seemed to be drooling at the sight of that belt for some reason, nya." Kuroka smirked. "You can be such a child at times, Vali."

"That's also one of his good points though." Milena said with a smirk as she put her hands around Vali. "That, and his handsome face, and his delicious blood…"

"Stop eyeing my jugular like a man dying of thirst who has just chanced upon an oasis." Vali said, pushing Milena away. "I need you focused on the task at hand."

"What I need is my beauty sleep…" Medb grumbled, letting out a cute yawn. "Quite cruel of the Fallen Angel Governor to request our help in the middle of the night even though they're handling things from the looks of it. What if my perfect face gets wrinkled? The world will be devastated if its number one beauty becomes tarnished."

"I am sure the world will move on despite experiencing such a tragic loss, Medb." Arthur said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "More importantly, how much longer are we going to keep hiding like this, Vali? Caliburn is thirsty for our enemies' blood."

"Not for long." Vali said. "After all, in times like this, you have to think Geed."

"…Geed?" Le Fay tilted her head to the side. "What's that supposed to be, Vali-sama?"

"Pay him no heed, Le Fay." Bikou made a dismissive gesture. "It's more of Vali's geekspeak."

"What it means is that sitting around doing nothing won't get us anywhere, Le Fay." Vali said, ignoring Bikou. "Arash, do you have the location of our target?"

"Of course." Arash said. "She and her troops are engaging the Sitri and Agares Peerages as we speak."

"Figures she would aim for them." Vali snorted in derision as Divine Dividing's wings extended from his back. "Now then, how about we stir the pot even further, everyone?"

Matching confident smiles appeared on everyone's faces as they followed after Vali.

---

This concludes Chapter 50. First, in response to your questions.

—To Appolyon: Thanks for pointing out my mistakes with Rias and Koneko's techniques. As for Takeshi forming a simple armor with basic enhancements, I just don't see it having much use at this point. Any low-level enemy, he can handle in his base state or by using his base Sacred Gears, which have more tolerable demerits, and for higher-level enemies, it wouldn't be powerful enough.

—To RyukiPendragon: Arshalia is an eastern-style Dragon. She simply grew Angel wings and a halo due to her reincarnation.

This time, it was the Miracle Children's turn to show off a bit. Lint Sellzen also made her debut here, but in this story, she's the wielder of Unknown Dictator (which has yet to become a Longinus) and Raguel's Ace. Incinerate Anthem will be given to someone else down the line once its current possessor has been dealt with. I've also given the Joker card the ability to change its rank and suit into those of the wielder's choosing (in a manner similar to the Pawn's Promotion). Of course, much like Promotion, it's not something that can be done in succession.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, it's the Vali team's turn to rampage, the Gremory group faces their own obstacles, and perhaps a certain Evil Dragon will make his debut. As always, please read, review, favorite, follow, but most of all, enjoy!

See you all next time!