DxD: Solomon's Game

by That horned guy

When Issei was 8, a tragedy struck and a fire was planted at his house, killing his parents. Issei survived thanks to the strange intervention of an even stranger power which put the soul of King Solomon within him, the Wise King telling him what to do to survive until help arrived. Now, years later, Issei has returned with the power of the Void System.

45. Battle for Excalibur

REVIEWS:

SpartanKing J: Thanks for the rev, my friend. Issei is indeed slowly becoming more and more draconic, which WILL come with perks.

TwinstarDragon: My friend, I do not mean to sound rude or anything, but when it comes to elements to crossover into this...I am not too keen on such things. Like, don't get me wrong, but this is not a story where the MC uses the system to gain powers from all over the multiverse. Well, kinda. Sorta. It's debatable, really. Main point? Not gonna add stuff that is used by MC's from other shows, and definitely not going into LEGO.

frankieu: It will be a big leak.

Marquis Shax: Trust me, I ain't letting the Great Kings maintain political power. But you know the saying: One door closes, another opens.

PraetorXyn: My friend, that is quite a while to wait until Kuroka gets pregnant.

temp paleoboy: Thanks man, and great idea with the Dragon Nursery. I think I might do something like that. Also, on the blood ritual? No, unfortunately, it doesn't work on others that well.

thebananameister21: So much you pointed out, yet...GIRL ON GIRL IS YOUR FUCKING BREAKING POINT?!

Lamont: Unfortunately, I will reveal this much: I didn't change Irina's and Xenovia's dynamic. If anything, I made it worse, but that is to set up future chapters.

Dozer: Might do another mass training trip with them all at another date.

OK YA FUCK-HEADS! This chapter here is a HUGE one, at least the size of two full chapters, meaning 40 A4 pages. Yeah, that's right: 40. So be ready for a long read. As always, here is the Discord: /hT2dSYM42s.

Anything else I might wanna add? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Oh! Right, right. When you guys join the discord, if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ping me and ask away. The only limit is that I won't reveal a lot about my plans. But if you need clarification? My pleasure. Additionally, do tell me something guys, and this is regarding a new possible story idea. RWBY-based, not DxD, but pray tell, what kind of RWBY crossover would you guys love to read best from me?

RWBY X Ben 10
RWBY X Huniepop (Yeah, you readin' this correctly, and you can imagine what this means. Issei gets serious Harem competition. And no, to be clear, this ain't connected with DxD)
RWBY X Jojo

---

Getting so far with the system has been quite the ride, but Issei was not complaining! Sure, at first, it might have seemed like the system was working against him more than with him, but looking at his skills now, he begged to differ. He had abilities not even a 3-way hybrid could get! He considered that when looking at things before him and trying to tie things together.

The most recent quest states that the time to fight Kokabirel was close. Now, that couldn't be a 100% coincidence, so Issei highly assumed Kokabiel was behind the theft of the Excaliburs, and if so, he was working with Freed and Mittelt, whom he had not seen since their last encounter, quite a fair bit of time ago. He had not seen Freed since they fought Errgo at the airport, and Mittelt vanished soon after she and Kalawarmer tried to kill him by siccing every Stray Devil in Kuoh at him.

But he had not seen Errgo either; with their ability to jam his gear, that one worried him the most. If he was to fight him again, he had to be ready, meaning he had to get stronger. Level 50 was closing in, meaning he required more EXP. Quests were the most stable and lucrative source, but he has yet to gain new, repeatable training-based quests!

Instead, he focused on other tasks—specifically, training Gasper more! And, well, his new children. "That's it, work hard, guys!" Issei encouraged them, watching Gasper try to do push-ups while the little dragons did their exercises around the dungeon. "That's it! Rassei! More voltage. Dummy can take way more than that! Fuquo, try to aim your fire better! Nado and Aegis, try working together more!"

He felt like a coach, truly. And he liked it—training those young ones to be better or training Gasper to be better alongside the young ones. And he was sure that Vampire was older than him by some years. One more reason to have him man up!

"Issei, can we take a break?" Gasper asked, and this time, without stuttering in his words! They had been making steady progress on his confidence, even if it was now limited to people he knew and trusted.

"Hmm. Alright. You guys go and have Blackberry cook you some snacks. Leonna! What time is it?" He asked his servant.

"It is almost 7 PM, Master." She replied, making Issei flinch in surprise.

"This late already? Alright, change of plans, guys! Training is over for now, so you can do whatever you wish."

The dragons rejoiced to hear that they were getting free time, and Gasper nodded happily at him as he made his way out of the dungeon. Issei, however, was getting scolded.

"Issei, I told you many times that time management is an important skill anyone must know!" Solomon told him. "Now move it to the baths! You cannot meet with Irina and Xenovia smelling like a camel!"

That is right. In his new Quest, he decided to talk with Xenovia and Irina. After showering and changing his clothing, he made his way out of the dungeon. The meeting was about to start, after all.

---

"Red Dragon." Xenovia greeted him, and Irina sat beside her with her usual smile. "I'm glad you could join us." Everyone was there: Rias's Peerage, the woman herself, and his group. Sitting on the sofa between Raynare and Rias, he decided not to prolong this.

"Let's get to the point," Issei stated. "From what you told me, the missing Excalibur Fragments are Excalibur Nightmare, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Rapidly. Correct? No other fragment is missing?"

"After the initial thefts, the Church has tightened its security on the other fragment still in storage," Irina replied, but the detail caught Issei's attention.

"Counting the ones you wield, that is six fragments the Church has."

"That is true," Xenovia replied. "The 7th Fragment was left in the care of the Pendragon family back in England. They guard Excalibur Ruler."

For catching a minor detail and learning a valuable bit of information, you have been awarded 1 WIS.

"Good to know," Issei stated, then leaned back. "Now, as stated, since the Excalibur Fragments have been brought to Kuoh, likely stolen by the Cadre, Kokabiel, it is safe to assume they might be kept at his hideout."

"You know where his hideout is?" Irina asked.

"Ha!" Raynare added. "Of course I do! I used to work for the warmonger!"

"We were not aware of that," Xenovia stated, her eyes narrowing. "Why didn't you share that information with us sooner, Red Dragon? If you had, we could have attacked and recovered the Excalibur Fragments by now."

"Because then you might attempt to attack them by yourselves. Other factors at play saw me withhold from revealing such information." Issei's statement was not lost to Kiba. Had they revealed the full details of what Raynare knew earlier, they might have charged the abandoned church recklessly, getting themselves killed in the process. "That is, until now. Still, you are not at liberty to act as you wish."

"Also, we checked with the Grigori," Rias added. "Kokabiel has been acting alone, so they tagged him as a rogue. As a result, Kokabiel's actions can't be blamed on the Grigori."

"Typical of Fallen, unable to own up to their mistakes…" Xenovia stated under her breath. "What is the plan then? If you claim to know where his hideout is, shouldn't we attack?"

"We could, but we would have to deal with some things first," Issei stated. "Namely, I doubt Kokabiel is stupid enough not to get reinforcements. I did off a good amount of his lackeys."

"And turned one against him." Raynare pointed out, almost as if she was proud of that.

"That too. We cannot charge in expecting it to be only Kokabiel and Freed. There is also the Fallen, Mittelt. I have not seen or heard anything of her since their last attempt at my life."

"So, that is what it takes to scare the Red Dragon?" Xenovia asked, which got the room on edge. "Three unknown factors, or rather, three individuals, two of which you fought before and defeated. I heard a rumor you faced a small army and slaughtered them all once. How is this different?"

Issei chuckled. "That rumor is true. That was the last attempt at my life I just mentioned, where they gathered every single Stray Devil in Kuoh and sent them my way. It was quite the battle, but that is not what is important now. What IS important now is that we plan to go against a Cadre of all things. A veteran of the Great War, correct?"

"That is right," Raynare confirmed. "Kokabiel is said to have fought and survived against the original Satans, not to mention the Seraphs. If anything, he is one stubborn man, refusing to die no matter what you do to him."

"So, he is a good fighter, but don't we have numbers on him, plus one of the dragon emperors?" Irina asked. "I just do not get why you are being so careful, Issei. With your power, you could easily defeat him."

"Because I didn't get to where I am by being reckless in choosing my enemies," Issei replied with wisdom. "Had I chosen to battle Rias instead of seeking her alliance? No. Did I mindlessly attack every other being I even remotely believed to be a threat? No. Deciding who your enemy is proved an important skill, and I plan to keep it."

"But Kokabiel is another story." Xenovia pointed out. "He was an enemy from day one, was he not? Despite not meeting him, I highly assume you knew he was not your ally or had any odds of seeking an alliance with him; as such, shouldn't you have considered exterminating him sooner?"

"Mayhaps…" Issei trailed off. "But back then, let's say I was a bit… strapped for resources. However, I am more confident in my abilities to battle Kokabiel and win."

Xenovia didn't quite buy that. Honestly, the time she spent here didn't tell her much about Issei, although she knew no being, emperor or peasant, that could grow so much in power in such a short amount of time. She had a right to be suspicious. And her suspicion was spot on, whether she realized it or not. But that aside…

"So, does this mean we can move on with the recovery of the Excalibur Fragments?" Irina came in as the saving grace.

"Of course!" Issei exclaimed. "However, given that there might be more individuals there, we will split into teams and deal with any enemy coming our way accordingly. I will head inside first while you, Kiba, work with Xenovia and Irina to deal with Freed."

"I see. Given the mad priest's preference for blades, it makes sense to put us against him." Kiba stated. "We also overwhelm him numerically."

"Indeed. Raynare? You, Kuroka, Ingvild, Rias, and the rest of her peerage should deal with anyone else, including Mittelt, should she reveal herself."

Raynare grinned widely. "Oh, with pleasure." It seems someone was out for some personal payback.

"With everything said and planned, we will leave tonight. Everyone best prepares and rest."

---

"Hmmm. So, two more Excaliburs have been delivered right into our backyard," Kokabiel said as he read a message from one of his spies in the church. He grew a wicked grin as he read the paper before throwing it away. "Well, this is something."

"Something troubling," Valper stated. "If the church has sent their lapdogs to recover the swords, they have likely sought alliance with the local devils first, including the Red Dragon Emperor. Even with our superior power, their numbers are working against us."

"So?" Freed replied without a worry. "Once we combine the Excaliburs, those nobodies will fall like flies!"

"It is not so easy! Nor is the combined sword I plan to make on par with the original Excalibur, Freed! Keep that in mind!" Valper snapped at the rogue priest. "We cannot risk being careless here."

"Valper Galilei is right." Errgo stated, stepping forth. "Our enemy is not to be trifled with recklessly. Kokabiel, state your plans for countering them."

Kokabiel, standing with his back facing them, turned to the group, his grin holding strong. "We do not need to counter them. Don't you see? They have Raynare among them, a traitor of mine! She knows that our main base is here, within this crumbling church. She will lead them here…We know where they will be heading."

"Ah, indeed," Valper said with renewed relief. "So, all we need to do is run away, hide, and plan our next move."

"No!" Kokabiel shouted at the priest. "No…No running nor hiding. Perfect your process, Galilei! And you, Freed, Errgo…You will be coming with me."

"Oh? And what are we going to be doing, exactly?" Freed asked.

"Is it not obvious? We will hunt the other pieces. Which reminds me…" His gaze shifted to Errgo once again. "How is the disappointment?"

"Her mental state has degraded gradually during the process, yet she retains enough functionality to remain combat-effective," Errgo replied. "The process had taken more than anticipated, but I perfected her new…additions."

Kokabiel laughed. "In that case, that changes my plans a bit. Listen here, everyone, for tonight, we are the heralds of war!"

---

The evening had arrived, and Issei moved to the crumbling church with his group. They flew or walked there under the cover of the night when most of Kuoh was asleep. The church's area did not see much human activity during the night, making it easier for them to arrive.

Issei stood in his Balance Breaker before the church, and everyone else stood behind him. Rias and her peerage flanked his left, while Kuroka and his group had his right. Xenovia and Irina were with his group, their hands on the handles of their blades. However, as he stood there, Issei found something amidst. "Odd…"

"What is it, my student?" Solomon asked.

"Usually, the System gives me a notification whenever I am about to enter a dungeon or some kind of event-like combat. This situation seems to fit those conditions, yet there is nothing—silent. My skills are also not telling me anything. I do not sense anything coming from within."

"They might be using some kind of camouflage magic to hide from your detection. Rare, but possible. Or some device. At this point, considering the things we've seen, we cannot rule out anything."

"That is why the System not giving me anything reinforces my unease," Issei replied, then raised his hand. "But hesitating never helped."

Charging up a [Dragon Shot], the attack saw the door blow off its hinges, allowing his group to charge swiftly inside the church. Raynare reached the altar and pressed the switch, causing it to move aside. "Downstairs! That is where the secret rooms are!"

Issei was the first to head down, checking the area for enemy signals. However, he found nothing—absolutely nothing. Everyone else walked inside the underground section, looking around, but they found nothing. "What is the meaning of this?" Xenovia asked, turning to Raynare. I thought you said you knew where their hideout was!"

"I did! They must have moved!" Raynare replied defensively. "But this doesn't make sense…This place was the only safe place from the enemy presence in Kuoh for us Fallen, and Kokabiel wouldn't risk being reckless by moving."

"Well, he did." Xenovia was displeased by this turn of events. "All this was, in the end, a waste of our time. For all we know, they might have moved the Excaliburs and left Japan!"

"Something is not right…" Issei muttered to himself. No matter how much he racked his brain, something seemed distant. Despite his high INT and WIS, he failed to see why Kokabiel moved his base. "Let's split up and search for anything of use."

Everyone agreed and split up, going into various sections. Rias went with her peers, while Asia went with Ingvild, Kuroka, and Raynare. Xenovia went with Irina to another of the tunnels, but Issei stuck to the main section and looked around. The room was not that large, but it had another altar, more significant than the one above used to mask the stairs going down here.

He looked up at the wooden cross in the room and then at the burned-out candles on the altar. "Where are you-"

"Issei!" However, Asia's scream drew his attention and made him rush to her. She sounded more than a little terrified, so he ran down the hallway to the room she was in together with Ingvild.

"What is it, Asia? Did you-" His words died in his mouth as he gasped at the sight before him. "What…The actual fuck?" It was like the lab of some madman. A single table sat in the center of the room, with restraints meant to keep whoever was on it in place. And there was someone there…The dried blood stains indicated as much, splattered over various areas of the table. Various mechanical parts lay scattered all over the room, and a PC set-up, smashed to bits, sat on the end of the room.

Various tools also lay on a tray next to the table, covered in blood. They ranged from saws, drills, and even hammers!

"Is this some kind of torture chamber?" Ingvild asked in horror, but then Raynare showed up.

"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed loudly.

"Raynare, what can you tell me about this place?" Issei asked in a hurry. "What did Kokabiel use this room for?"

"Nothing! This was not some torture chamber; this was my room!" Raynare exclaimed, further confusing everyone. "Fucking A! What did he do here?"

"Wait, you mean to tell me this was AFTER you left?" Issei asked.

"You bet! I would have remembered a torture chamber like this, and trust me; we did NOT have stuff like this anywhere in the base! Let alone such technological stuff. Kokabiel is no fan of human tech, and the stuff is everywhere!" Raynare replied. "This is all new…"

"Dear God…" Solomon muttered. "Issei. We know someone who is bound to have technological skill."

"Errgo…" Issei replied internally. Things just got worse. "They moved their base, likely run away."

"Most likely," Xenovia replied as she approached them, her eyes glancing briefly at the room and then focusing back on Issei. "We have found signs of a relatively rushed departure. The rogue priests have left as well."

"We also found nothing of worth," Kiba replied, approaching them with Rias and the rest of her peerage. "While I would not call this place clean, it is empty. There is almost nothing and no one here anymore."

"They knew we were coming," Issei stated, raising his voice ever so slightly. "They must have heard of our approach or predicted it. For all we know, they moved out days ago."

"Or someone warned them," Xenovia said, reaching for her sword. "Someone who would have much to benefit from two Church Agents vanishing and getting their hands on the two more Excaliburs."

Issei turned to her. "Xenovia, are you saying one of us is a traitor?" He kept his gaze set on her.

"Or all of you." She added, which didn't sit well with anyone present.

"Xenovia Quarta, are you really under the impression that-"

"Wait!" Kuroka suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "Where is Irina?" Her words seemed to snap Xenovia out of her accusatory spree, as she seemed genuinely confused by the cat's words.

"I thought she was searching with…But you are here, Issei." Xenovia said slowly, and Issei was equally disturbed as he began to think of what happened. "Oh no…"

He sensed nothing. After they went in and split to search the church's underground section, he recalled Irina being there with them as they went in! He also remembered her being with them when they split and went off with Xenovia. "She was with you when we split!" he pointed out to the blue-haired woman.

"She said she was going to join you!" Xenovia replied. "She heard the scream of the witch, and-"

"Wait…" Issei said, piecing things together a bit. "No…" The realization was slowly creeping on him. He couldn't sense Irina either. The shock of the room they found was so great that he ignored his senses and didn't notice when her signature went cold! But he also didn't sense any enemy either, but that was not right. He could sense anyone—No…He sensed their aura, and only living beings had that.

Nor artificial being. "FUCK!" Issei swore, punching a hole in the wall. "ERRGO!"

"Errgo?!" Kuroka echoed. "You mean that golem you fought that one time?"

"It fits…This technology, the fact I sensed no enemy, and neither did you and Shirone? Errgo is an artificial being. We would not be able to sense him!" Issei rationalized. "I don't know how he took Irina, but this is the only logical assumption!"

"We've been had," Rias added.

"We need to hurry and begin searching for Irina, then," Xenovia said hurriedly, and then she took off.

"Wait! Damn it." Issei swore as she ran out. "Rias, you and your peerage start looking. I will take to the skies with Raynare and see if we can find something. Asia, Ingvild, Kuroka, you search with them too! The enemy took the chance to attack us while we split, even for a second! We need to keep together."

Everyone understood his orders and began filtering out the church, going off to find Irina. Issei and Raynare took the skies, as stated, searching from above. Issei silently prayed they managed to see her before anything terrible happened. And Xenovia. The fact she ran off was not good, and he was also searching for her before they attacked her.

He didn't need Solomon's wisdom to realize why they'd do this. They already had three Excaliburs, but who said they could not get two more? He doesn't know if this was their plan from the start or if they just took advantage of the opportunity; how they got them didn't matter. For now, all that mattered was Irina…He sincerely hoped they could locate her in time.

---

"Hehehehehehe." Kokabiel laughed as he watched his enemies split apart to search for their missing member. But how was he able to be so close? Without being spotted, of course. Well, it was all thanks to his new favorite employee, so to call him. "I must say, Errgo, those devices of yours…Using human technology with some magic…Magitech, was it? They sure come in handy."

"The Cloaker is a device meant to counter sensing capabilities of even the Youkai," Errgo stated, holding a semi-spherical device. "It also hides our overall presence."

"So, a barrier that makes us invisible and insensible? I was wondering what you were working on all this time." Freed remarked.

"I find it quite the feat," Valper stated. Then he looked behind at the rogue priests with them, holding the Excaliburs and their prisoner. Irina struggled against her captors but to no avail. "And it earned us quite the prize: Excalibur Mimic."

"Indeed," Kokabiel stated, approaching Irina. "And to think the Church sent you two to recover the Excaliburs…They must be running low on resources, or they finally became so arrogant they no longer fandom the concept of defeat! To think two punny girls would be enough to recover their precious blades? Pathetic."

"Do NOT dare to speak ill of the Church!" Irina shouted back, yet that only made Kokabiel chuckle.

"Oh, to be blissfully ignorant of the truth." He grabbed Irina by the chin. "I could shatter that fate of yours with one word…But I think I'd rather not. After all, there is one more prize to claim, and we are strapped for time."

"What are we going to do with her then?" Freed asked as Kokabiel let go of Irina's face. "Can we kill her?"

"Hmm. A good proposal…But I am not suicidal, Freed." Kokabiel replied, confusing the priest. "I know who this girl is. Errgo? If you please."

"According to files provided to us by Valper Galilei, her name is Irina Shidou, born here, in Kuoh, moved to England around the age of 8, where she was raised and trained by her father to join the Church's ranks of Holy Sword wielders. However, your former address had us look a bit deeper."

"We KNOW of your relationship to the Red Dragon Emperor." Kokabiel pointed out. "Killing you would invite the wrath of the Juggernaut Drive. And although making the Emperor forsake his life sounds nice, the risk of dying at the hands of the Red Dragon's wrath does NOT." his teeth clenched in frustration. "Even if he can summon it without a major wrath wave, I know what one can do. Oh, I saw…A Dragon Emperor who summons that power willingly is less volatile than one driven by rage."

"Then…We are just going to let her go?" Freed asked again.

"We will. Alive. But…" He grinned at the rogue priest. "Barely breathing."

Freed's grin grew tenfold hearing those words. "Leave it to me, Cadre…"

---

Summoning a communication circle next to his ear, Issei kept flying above the clouds in search of Irina. "Any signs of her?"

"Nothing on our end," Rias replied.

"Nothing on ours either, but we did manage to find Xenovia," Kuroka replied, at least making Issei feel at ease about Xenovia's whereabouts. "I still cannot believe they somehow slipped past us; not even you sensed them, Issei!"

"I know…Whatever it is they did, Errgo must be with them. It is the only explanation."

"Even then, we haven't picked up anything on Kokabiel or Freed," Kiba added. "It was like they were not there, if they were at all."

"We will find them later, but for now we must-"

"I found her!" Asia shouted suddenly, alerting everyone. "Oh no…She is hurt!"

"Raynare!"

"I know! Come on!" Issei and Raynare flew to Asia's location, hurrying as much as possible. The glow of Twilight Healing was easy to see, but what they saw shocked Issei to his core.

"Irina!" Issei rushed to her, standing by her side as Xenovia held her hand while Asia worked to heal her. She was…Hurt was a slight understatement. She was full of cuts all over her body, along with many bruises! The suit she wore was tattered, exposing many patches of skin with various injuries, from cuts to burns! Even her face was not spared, as he saw her bleeding from her mouth from having teeth knocked out! "Asia, is she-"

"She is gravely wounded but stable." She replied, keeping her focus on her healing. "Issei…Her sword is gone."

"We were right," Kuroka stated. "They took the chance and stole the Excalibur from her when they took her."

"What do we do now, then?" Ingvild asked, looking at Issei to make the call.

"We must-"

"We will find them and end this." Xenovia interrupted, standing up, throwing her cloak aside, and leaving herself in her skin-tight suit. She grabbed her Excalibur's handle, lifting the sword. "We find and kill Kokabiel, along with everyone together with him."

"Xenovia, this is not the time to be rash!" Issei argued, trying to keep a level head. "We need to get Irina to safety first!"

"Then you do that! I will go finish what we started."

"No!" Issei grabbed her as she made to leave.

"Red Dragon…Let. Go." She replied, her tone of voice effectively threatening him. "Now!"

"You do not command me, Xenovia Quarta!" Issei stated firmly, then he pulled Xenovia, staring her down. "Do you think you alone can face the likes of Kokabiel?"

"I have to uphold my duty to the Church." She replied, narrowing her eyes at Issei. "And likewise, Red Dragon, YOU do not command ME! Neither do I see a reason to obey your commands. You withheld information, especially about this being known as Errgo. Also, from my perspective, your agenda seemed to have come first compared to our mission. I even question your intent to return the swords to the Church."

"Why, this woman!" Solomon hissed within Issei. "She dares to claim WE are her enemies in equal measure? Ludicrous!"

"I am not your enemy, Xenovia. But, that being said, I am not a friend either. I considered aiding you because of Irina and the friendship we used to share. Because frankly? I don't give a rat's ass about the Church! Irina is why I agreed to aid you; now, she lies in her blood! Like it or not, this cannot go unpunished. It will NOT go unpunished."

Xenovia flinched at his conviction. "Are you going to stop me from attempting to go off alone to battle? Even if that means battling me and potentially hurting me?"

"Hmm." He hummed. "No. You are Irina's friend. I won't fight you to keep you from doing what you want. However, you need to weigh the options we have presented! If they are hunting the Excaliburs you have, then-"

"We need to guard them…" Irina suddenly spoke weakly.

"Wait, don't move!" Asia pushed her back down. "Your wounds are not fully closed yet. I didn't get to heal them all."

"Irina!" Issei raised his voice in concern.

"We need…To protect the Excaliburs…Issei…I saw him…Errgo…" Irina spoke weakly, trying to tell them precious information. "He is using…Strange devices…technology mixed with magic."

"Technology and-" Memories of the things he saw in the bases of the Snake of Adam flashed in his mind. "Of course…That's how!"

"We need to get her somewhere safe to rest." Asia pointed out. "We cannot leave her here."

"Nor can we stay here; we are out in the open!" Kuroka argued further.

"Then take her back to our home and inside the dungeon. Have Leonna raise the alarms." Issei told them, getting Xenovia's slight attention at the mention of a dungeon and mystery person. "If they attempt to finish the job, we cannot allow her. I will stay with Xenovia, and you will take Irina back."

"Are you sure you are going to be ok?" Raynare asked him. "Kokabiel is no weakling."

"I will be fine." Hopefully. "Worry about Irina for now."

"Right!" Ingvild replied, turning to the girl with Kuroka, who was already summoning a teleportation circle.

"Nya! We will wait back home! Come back safely, Issei." And so, they were gone, leaving Issei alone with Xenovia.

"I will be sticking close to you. We cannot split apart and risk the Excalibur being stolen." Issei told Xenovia.

"Then keep up." And she rushed off.

"Right…" Issei took flight.

---

However, as they were busy searching for Kokabiel and his group, he was already making his stand. Kokabiel, along with all of his troops, had already found the site of their experiment. "Here." Kokabiel declared. "We will make our standing here."

"Hmm. Quite poetic if I am to say so myself." Freed mentioned.

"Kokabiel, my surveillance drones report that the Red Dragon's group had taken Irina Shidou away, just as you predicted," Errgo told the Fallen Angel. "Currently, only the Red Dragon is with the wielder of Excalibur Destruction."

"Good. Everything is going just as planned. Now, Errgo, I do not think I need to tell you what you need to do now."

"No, you do not." Errgo turned around, walking through the courtyard surrounding the Old School Building of Kuoh Academy. As he made to leave the area's perimeter, however, he stopped for a bit to pick up his…assistant. "M-1. Are you prepared?"

"Yes." The voice was familiar, female, and her frame was short, almost like a young girl's. However, her attire was strange, consisting of a skin-tight suit that covered her body entirely, with short, blonde hair. But the most striking detail…was the pair of mechanical wings on her back. "This unit is prepared for battle."

"Then we depart. Remember your instructions." Errgo left with his assistant in tow.

---

"Still nothing," Issei stated as he stuck to Xenovia, looking for Kokabiel and his men. "Rias says she has not seen any sign of Kokabiel and his lot on the west side of town either. They even summoned their familiars to look for him, and nothing."

"We already searched the east and south, leaving only the north," Xenovia stated, switching her direction. "We need to locate them before they escape with the Excaliburs. If the Church learns that Irina lost Excalibur Mimic, excommunication will be the least harsh punishment they will deal her."

"I will not ask further, but so far, we need to consider that they might be hiding using the device Irina mentioned. If they are hiding somewhere, then-" Suddenly, Issei's words were cut as his [Danger Sense] finally sparked to life. In the nick of time, he dodged a familiar projectile made of energy, yet looking behind toward the direction it came from, his eyes widened as he saw who was standing there.

"Is that him?!" Xenovia asked as she stared at the artificial being.

"Red Dragon Emperor," Errgo called out Issei's title, holding his cannon-mounted arm at him, the barrel still smoking. "I believe you and I have unfinished matters to attend to."

Issei landed in front of Xenovia before she could charge in. "Don't. That weapon of his can disable my Gear. Plus, he is more powerful than he looks…" One look at the golem confirmed it to him.

---

[Errgo]

[Level 58]
[HP: 84000/84000]
[Assimilation Golem]

---

His level had increased by six since they last fought! His HP also went up, and just from looking, it was clear Errgo had done quite a bit of upgrading to his chassis. "It doesn't matter. Nothing can stand against Excalibur Destruction!"

"Did you forget the sword is what he wants? Let me battle him. It is me he wants anyway." Issei replied, and Xenovia lowered her weapon. But Errgo had other plans.

"I am afraid I am not alone tonight, Red Dragon. M-1!" From behind Errgo, a new figure came flying, and before Issei could move to react to the new presence, they raised their hand, conjuring a sphere of black energy. They didn't launch said sphere at them; Issei and Xenovia were shrouded in a purplish aura.

"Agh! What the heck is…" It felt like his body suddenly got ten times heavier! Just like that! Xenovia was no better, relying on her Excalibur to hold herself on her knees! In the meantime, Issei was barely able to keep himself standing. But this feeling, to him, was familiar. It was not the same, not entirely, but VERY familiar.

Then it hit him. There was only one being he knew that wielded this kind of power, and as he forced his head to look up, his eyes widened under his helmet yet again as he saw who it was. "M-Mittlet?!" He gasped in shock, seeing her again. Yet, she was different now. Not only was her attire changed, but the expression on her face was just so… lifeless. Her eyes had no light, and looking at her wings, he was utterly flabbergasted to find her feathers gone, replaced with mechanical, metallic ones.

More even, the sphere in her hands differed from anything he had ever seen!

"My word, that is Hollow Casting! It is a Casting Method that doesn't rely on anything but the raw power of one's magic to directly lock onto designated targets and impose various spells on them! However, the amount of magic that benefits from such a casting method is limited. Anything the basic Magical Circle-based casting can do is better than this method, but…It only means that the arcane arts that CAN make use of it are compelling…" Solomon explained.

"She wields Gravity Magic…That is one of the ones that benefit, is it not?"

"Greatly!"

"What can I do here, then? Any known weakness?" Issei asked in a hurry.

"It needs great focus to use, so making her lose that can make the entire spell fall apart. However, looking at her now…Whatever they did to her, making her lose focus, won't work anymore."

"Fuck…" Issei swore aloud.

---

[Mittelt]

[Level 35]
[HP: 21000/21000]
[Fallen Angel]

---

Her level had also increased since they last fought. Her MGI stat must also be higher, seeing how much weight was on him! Before, he could at least move a bit if he strained himself, but now it was as if he was nearly paralyzed! Worst yet, Errgo walked toward them, and to Issei's surprise, he walked right past him, going straight for Xenovia.

"No!" Issei shouted, trying to leap at Errgo after summoning up several most [Boost], but…

"Gravity increase: Times 1000." The ground beneath Issei cracked and sunk in as he was forced to the ground.

"AGGGHHHH!" He screamed as the weight felt like it was crushing his skull.

"M-1, do not kill him." Errgo clarified his orders as he stood before Xenovia, the poor woman barely lifting her gaze in utter horror to see the mechanical being.

"Compliance." The Gravity lessened on Issei, but he had to admit…She either didn't get to use its full might before or whatever Errgo did to her unleashed some hidden potential. Before, at most, she went to 50 times Earth's Gravity. Now she could go all the way to 1000?!

"I will be taking this." Errgo grabbed Excalibur Destruction, but Xenovia refused to let it go. "Stubborn."

"Unhand the sword, you-" Suddenly, Xenovia was fully downed to the ground, unable to support herself even with the Excalibur. When she let go of it, Errgo picked up the sword, lifting it on his shoulder. "N-no."

"That is at least 200 times Earth's Gravity you are feeling. No human can move while under that much pressure. The fact you are surviving it is proof enough of your training, Xenovia Quarta." The sentient golem turned around, followed by Mittlet, who maintained the gravitational force on them both, preventing them from attacking.

"E-Errgo!" Issei shouted for the golem, which, strangely, made him stop.

"Make no mistake, Red Dragon. Had I not been required to get this sword to Kokabiel at Kuoh Academy-" Wait, what? "- I would have certainly taken my time finishing what was started." He pointed his cannon at Issei. "But doing this right now is unwise." He lowered his weapon. "Valper Galilei has proven to be impatient, as he cannot wait for my return long before he begins the process. I will see you on the battlefield, Red Dragon."

In the blink of an eye, Errgo and Mittlet vanished, and Xenovia and Issei were released from gravity. "They took Excalibur Destruction!" Xenovia shouted.

Issei, however, had already contacted Rias. "Rias! We were attacked, and they took Excalibur Destruction!"

"WHAT?! How could that happen, and why didn't you contact us faster?"

"Mittlet was with Errgo…But whatever the hell they did to her has not only made her stronger but seems to have…I don't know how to describe it! But her Gravity Magic proved to be strong enough to immobilize even me! That was not possible before, but she is not the same. But listen! Errgo let it slip where they are located."

"What? He did?!"

"Yes…But something is not right about it." Issei was no fool. "Errgo is a mechanical being; he would not make such mistakes. Why tell us where they are, knowing we outnumber them? Why tell us in the first place? Rias…I think this is a trap."

"It most certainly is a trap!" Xenovia added angrily. "One, we must spring into action."

"Xenovia…" Issei growled, giving her a warning.

"They took both mine and Irina's Excaliburs. Unless we recover them, we risk being banished from the Church. Also, do you want to face an Excalibur made of five Excaliburs? It is almost a complete sword." Xenovia made a good point. "We cannot allow them to finish whatever they are doing. The longer we take to discuss a plan, the more time they get to complete it and use it against us."

"Wait a minute…What do you mean by that? Complete the sword?" Issei asked, and Xenovia, knowing there was no way around it, spoke

"The Church knows what Valper is capable of. He is capable of fusing the Excalibur Fragments back together."

"THEY WHAT?!" Surprisingly, Ddraig was the one who reacted most strongly to that. "You stupid, clueless woman! Why didn't you inform us of that sooner?! Partner, if they combine those five swords, the result could be overwhelming even for us. Xenovia Quarta speaks well. We must act instead of thinking this time."

"If even Ddraig agrees with you, Xenovia, then we will do as you propose. Have you heard all of that, Rias?"

"Every word. We are already moving to the Academy as we speak."

"We will meet you there. Come on, we need to move," Issei said as he spread his wings and went to Xenovia to pick her up.

"What are you doing?!" She hissed at him.

"We need to get there as quickly as possible. You said it yourself. We cannot afford to walk, and I cannot use shadows to teleport that far. So we will fly." And he took off to the skies. Xenovia tightened her hold on him so as not to fall as he got above the buildings, then began to head straight for the Academy.

Hopefully, they arrived on time.

---

"Rias!" Issei shouted as she saw Rias and her peerage outside the Academy, alongside Sona. He landed on the ground, putting Xenovia down. "What is going on? Tell me, what is the situation?"

"I will answer that." Sona stepped forth. "The Cadre, Kokabiel, has occupied the Academy. I and the other members of the Student Council were able to slip by him, and we erected a barrier all around the Academy to prevent any events from spilling out into the open. However, that being said, we must stand here, outside, so we cannot assist."

"That is alright," Issei replied. "For now, we need to deal with this. Rias, did you contact anyone else?"

"My brother." She replied swiftly. "He would have wanted to join us to provide aid, but certain other events in the Underworld have him tied down."

"That means we are on our own." Issei summarized, staring at the barrier. "Solomon, what is the best course of action?"

"As Xenovia said, we cannot afford to be stationary or plan our actions, so I recommend going all out, my student. Once you step through that barrier, I suggest what you do best…Level the place."

Issei raised his hands, flaring his power. The sudden amount of [Boost] being used drew everyone's attention, making them look right at Issei. "Let's go!" Rias, her peerage, and Xenovia followed, and Issei charged into the barrier. Kokabiel was waiting for them, however…Waiting.

---

As the group was charging toward where Kokabiel was, Kiba readied himself with his best swords. This was it. This was the day he finally got his revenge. Issei convinced him that the Excalibur itself was innocent, but that is not to say Valper Galilei was without blood on his hands. He will drive his blade right through his throat for what he did to him and his friends…He will get revenge…For all the children he used as lab rats for his twisted experiments.

And he didn't have to wait long. "Kokabiel!" Issei shouted at the Cadre, who stood almost motionless in the air while solid light emanated below him. Kiba's eyes widened as he saw Valper himself performing a ritual and the Excaliburs present being absorbed into what he could only describe as a pillar of light in the dead center.

"Finally, I was starting to get bored." The Cadre stated, looking down at them. Below him, Errgo stood with Mittlet, and Freed remained close to Valper, a maniacal grin on his face. "Well, this is quite the line-up."

"Return us the swords, Kokabiel," Issei demanded strongly. "Do that, and we won't attack. I won't attack."

"Oh, oh? Is the Red Dragon of Domination trying to negotiate?" The Cadre laughed. "Oh, please. If you even intimidated me, would we still be here? Do you think I'd have had Errgo reveal our location? No, Red Dragon. And you know why? Because I WANT this." Kokabiel descended. "I WANT to fight. I want to feel alive in the heat of battle and the entropy of war! This era of peace we live in is nothing more than a sham, don't you see? The only reason the Three Factions stopped the Great War was the Dragon Emperors going on a rampage and making them call a truce that has been overextended to this day! And for what? Low population? Please, that is hardly a reason."

"You want to start a war again…" Issei pieced together. "Not just any war either."

"Yes, indeed. The rumors were true on your intuition, Red Dragon. Sharp as a knife. And you even made my job easier by bringing me the two tools I will use to start this war!" He pointed at Rias. "Rias Gremory, killed by the Holy Sword Excalibur! I don't imagine her brother will take the news lightly."

"You plan to kill Rias and Sona!" Issei added. "You want to restart the Great War! However, you are a known Outcast now! None of your actions would amount to anything!"

"Oh, will they?" The way Kokabiel spoke sent chills down Issei's spine. "I have already covered all my bases, Red Dragon. I won't go into details, but just know that killing the sisters of two Satans is only the start."

"You-"

"Valper!" Kiba shouted at the priest conducting the ritual, sword in hand. The fact that he cut into Issei's and Kokabiel's exchange got their attention. "You coward! Stop what you're doing and face me!"

"Huh? Valper, do you know this boy?" Kokabiel asked the priest, who looked at Kiba from his safety position.

"Hmmm. He does look familiar, but I do not recognize him."

"Don't recognize me? I will make you recognize me!" Kiba drew his swords out, then charged into battle.

"Kiba, wait—" Suddenly, Issei was forced to dodge as a projectile was shot right in his direction. Errgo stepped forth, cannon-smoking, as Mittlet walked behind him.

"Your fight is with me, Red Dragon."

"Damn it."

"M-1, restrain them and-"

"Not on my watch!" Suddenly, a shout was heard as multiple spears of light rained down from above, separating Mittlet from Errgo. Issei looked up, seeing none other than Raynare there.

"Raynare! What are you doing here?!" Issei asked.

"You thought I'd miss seeing him get pounded into the ground?! After tricking me?! No way! I came here for some payback, and if my only role will be to keep this abomination aside, then so be it!" Calling forth more spears of light to her, Raynare kept putting pressure on Mittlet, keeping her away from Errgo.

"This was unexpected," Errgo stated. "But not unforeseen."

Suddenly, several rogue exorcist priests sprung from around them, entering the fray. Rias and the rest of her peerage swiftly started fighting back, but Xenovia was left without a weapon—well, only for a short time. The priests had plenty she could borrow.

"We got them handled! Focus on the golem!" Rias shouted in his direction, and Issei nodded.

"Errgo…Let's see how hard your chassis is."

---

As the battles raged below him, Kokabiel remained high in the sky, watching. Rias Gremory and her peerage were battling the rogue priests under his command and doing quite a good job clearing them out. However, Xenovia Quarta was nowhere to be seen, which, although intriguing, didn't matter much to him.

What intrigued him was what happened close to him. The boy, Yuuto Kiba, was fighting Freed.

"Ha! So, you are the little red princess' knight, huh? You are not half bad with a sword, pretty boy, but don't think you stand a chance against me! I've been putting dirty little devils like you into the ground for longer than you have been alive!" Freed pushed Kiba back with his sword before kicking him in the stomach, which had Kiba skip back a few steps before he regained his footing.

And just in time, as Freed was relentless, he swung down at him with his light sword. Kiba was going to switch for his Light Delete, but Freed surprised him by pulling out his gun as well and firing three shots at him. He managed to deflect three shots using his sword ideally, yet Freed put more distance between them, holding his sword at the ready.

Kiba charged in yet again, crossing his blade with Freed's. The crazed priest tried to have him shot again, but Kiba saw it and decided to take a page out of Issei's book. He suddenly slid to the side, making the first shot miss and Freed to push his sword into the ground. Using this opening, Kiba kicked the gun out of Freed's hand, followed by a solid kick to the man's face.

"That's fighting dirty!" Freed argued, then swung his sword at Kiba, making the boy jump back to avoid the slash. "I like it!"

Kiba's eyes narrowed as Freed charged at him with a crazed smile spreading across his lips, swinging wildly at him. The priest was fast, Kiba would admit that much, but he was confident in his speed. When Freed went for another horizontal swing at his neck, Kiba ducked under the sword and thrust his forth, aiming to impale Freed's throat. However, the man dodged the thrust and raised his knee, successfully hitting Kiba in the chin.

Then he swung, scoring a nasty slash across Kiba's shoulder. "First blood goes to me!" Freed laughed. "I wonder how many cuts you can take, pretty boy. Oh, and don't worry…The main show has not even started, so that I won't kill you until then."

---

As Kiba was fighting Freed, another battle was ensuing. Raynare was fighting Mittlet, launching several spears of light in her direction, but none could hit. "Damn it! Stand still!"

"Negative." Suddenly, Mittlet made to activate her Hollow Casting.

But Raynare caught that. "Oh no, you don't-" Yet, she was not fast enough, and now a tremendous gravitational force was pushing her down to the ground. "Fuck!"

"Despite your increased skill in wielding your abilities, Raynare, you are still insufficiently prepared to battle me, especially now. Surrender and accepted execution," Mittlet replied, speaking with a lifeless tone.

"Like the fuck I will!" Raynare replied strongly.

"You are not given a choice." Mittlet reinforced the gravity on Raynare.

"AHHHH!" The force was crushing her. "Grrrr. Issei!" she shouted out for the Red Dragon, who was engaged in battle with Errgo. He was locked in close quarters, and upon hearing her, he headbutted the golem hard on the head to get him away.

"We need to aid her," Issei told his two partners.

"We might be able to establish a long-range version of [Transfer] through the seal's power! Focus, my student!" If he hadn't had [Parallel Mind], this would have been harder to pull off, but with it, it didn't take long. He stretched his arm to Raynare, then, with a notification popping up, he felt how power flowed from him to her.

---

{Unique/Sub-Skill} [Long-range Transfer] (MAX): Provided the target is close enough, or you have something akin to a connection to them to use this over greater distances, you can use the effects of [Transfer] without the need to touch the target.

---

"Now, this is what I am talking about!" Raynare shouted as light spears appeared above her. Mittlet's eyes widened as the spears flew right at her, forcing her to dodge and lose focus on maintaining the gravity. "Hehe…NOW THIS IS A RUSH!" Raynare radiated positively with an aura of power, and Issei replenished his reserves by applying a new of [Boost] as he fought Errgo.

But with the power flowing through her, Raynare felt quite capable. Summoning forth the blade of light, the ability she trained in the mountains, she stood before Mittlet with a wicked grin. "Now, how about we dance?" She licked her lips as she spoke.

---

Switching once again, Issei was dealing with Errgo, and the golem was proving quite powerful. He had raised his stats as much as possible but had to be mindful of his stamina. He had been keeping his Balance Breaker up for a while so far, so he was already starting with an inadequate amount. After he used his power to increase Raynare's for her battle against Mittlet, that only burdened his reserves, but he won't let it drag him down.

Errgo went for a strike to his chest, but he could slide to the side and strike the golem in his metallic head with a strong right hook. However, all that did was leave a small dent. What the heck was he MADE of?!

Errgo's shoulders opened up, revealing several slots with mini-rockets inside them and firing them at Issei. "Shit!" He flew away as fast as he could, but the distance was small. No matter how he tried to fly away from them, the rockets kept coming RIGHT. FOR. HIM.

Errgo was guiding them—guided mini-rockets…Great. What else does this golem have in store for him?

Luckily, he had a counter. "Eat this!" Throwing a [Dragon Grenade], which broke into several smaller explosives, Issei watched them collide with the rockets and explode, creating a large cloud of smoke in the process. "There! Now to-" He didn't finish his sentence well as he noticed Errgo flying out from the smoke, using some jetpack on his back to jump him. He thrust his cannon arm forth, firing two shots at Issei, who quickly erected his [Crimson Barrier] to block the strikes.

His barrier had successfully blocked one of the projectiles, but the second caused it to fail, allowing Errgo to smash himself right into his stomach and drive them both into the ground. The thrusters on his back flared to life at maximum output as Errgo dug a trench into the ground with Issei's body.

"Gah!" Issei screamed as pain rocketed his body, Errgo's hand over his helmet. Yet, he had to act. He grabbed Errgo's face back, then quickly activated his [Scorching Touch]. Errgo's head swiftly turned a rich, cherry red.

But Errgo felt no pain. He was not human. But what did he feel? It was the heat damaging him. "Damn you!" He let go of Issei's face, trying to pry the boy's hand off his own, but Issei was not letting go. Issei quickly got up and grabbed Errgo's armed arm with his hand, keeping the nuzzle of the cannon aimed at the sky.

"Just…WHO MADE YOU?!" Issei shouted as he let go of Errgo's now-deformed head and struck him hard with a [Dragon's Fist]. The sound of a fist striking hot metal echoed, but Errgo was unfazed. His hand went to one of the buttons on his body, and once he pressed it, a powerful force erupted around him, knocking Issei back.

"That is of no concern to you, Red Dragon!" Errgo aimed his cannon back at Issei to fire it at him. Issei swiftly put up his barrier again, but to his surprise, Errgo suddenly changed his aim…To Kiba.

"No!" Issei used his [Dragon's Dash] to get between Kiba and the incoming strike quickly. And he did it... but at a cost. "AHHHHHH!" Electricity ravaged through his body as his Balance Breaker fell, Kiba and Freed stopping for a second to see what had just happened. Seeing Issei fall to his knees, with electric arcs flowing over his body, Kiba immediately realized he was vulnerable.

And Errgo was going to him.

"Issei!" Kiba shouted and drew another sword, throwing it like a spear at Errgo as he tried to shoot Issei again while he was down. His sword landed true, stabbing through Errgo's shoulder and causing his cannon to malfunction.

"Annoyance." The golem growled at Kiba, but that moment of distraction was costly.

"Hey, your opponent is me!" Freed suddenly shouted as he charged Kiba. The boy barely had time to turn around again and block as Freed swung hard at him. He blocked the strike successfully but was pushed back next to Issei, who got up slowly.

"Are you alright?"

"Sorta. Errgo's weapon is a pain, and he seems to have modified it. Before, it didn't electrocute me this badly." Issei replied as he felt his connection to his gear recovers slowly. "What about you? Is Freed giving you trouble?"

"Yeah. He is insane but a skilled swordsman," Kiba replied as the two stood back to back, surrounded by their opponents. Issei got out his sword and wanted to use it until his gear was back in working order. "Do you have any ideas?"

"We need to wrap this up before Excalibur finishes. Otherwise, we will be in deep trouble." Issei stated, standing against Errgo, who just lowered his head slightly, seeing the blade. In the meantime, Issei also used up two Stamina potions and his last HP potion. He was out of potions. The bottles are currently stored in his inventory. "Any idea?"

"Can you give me a boost as well? If I have more power, I might be able to make something," Kiba asked, and Issei looked at his Gear.

"The moment my Gear is back in working order, I will," Issei replied, then he nodded at Kiba, who nodded back before they charged in at their opponents. Kiba was dual-wielding his swords at Freed, moving with renewed vigor, but the priest was just as swift as ever, skillfully dodging Kiba's slashes. However, it was becoming visible that Freed was growing frustrated. He could not hit Kiba as the boy continued to swing his blades.

"Tch. You figured it out, huh?" Freed remarked in a drier tone.

"The way you fight is by using your big mouth and distracting your opponent," Kiba stated, keeping his blades brandished at Freed. I can more effectively fight you by giving you no time to think, let alone speak,"

"Well, aren't you a smart cookie? Let's see if you can keep up when I really let go. Ha!" Freed went forth once again, resuming his attack.

In the meantime, Issei was battling Errgo using his sword. As Issei approached him, the golem released more rockets, and he used his [Fire Wave] spell to make the missiles detonate mid-air, but he didn't stop his charge. Issei ran through the fire and smoke and swung his sword hard at Errgo, activating his [Stone-Cleaving Slash].

Errgo raised his right arm, the one without the cannon, and several panels opened, unveiling three white stones. As Issei's sword went down, a light barrier emerged that stopped it. Cracks formed in it, but the barrier held firm. Errgo then raised his left and attempted to fire his cannon at Issei again, but the boy would not allow him.

Swiftly raising his hand, Issei fired a [Fire Stream] in Errgo's face, making the golem back down as the hot flames again heated his metallic shell. The barrier he deployed seemed only to be able to stop physical strikes, not magical ones—a limitation to the golem's innovations.

Regardless, as Errgo fixed his visor on Issei again, the Red Dragon Emperor knew this had just started. Errgo felt no fatigue…It was not done fighting.

---

"Take this!" Raynare shouted as she launched several light spears at Mittlet, not letting her summon up her gravity again. "You think I'd be so stupid as to let you summon up your magic again? Bullshit!"

"Your attempts to defeat me are futile. The longer we spend battling, the more time Valper gets to complete the Excalibur." Mittlet replied.

Raynare, however, merely scoffed. "You used to be funnier before when you didn't sound like a broken recorder." She charged at Mittlet, but the blonde Fallen simply flapped her metallic wings, sending several metallic projectiles at Raynare. But she wasn't worried.

Swinging her sword, she deflected every single one of them. She had to admit that while under the effects of the Boosted Gear, she felt so much power it was intoxicating! Sure, her current conditions were not by choice…But now she was starting to accept certain things, and with acceptance came clarity. And her clarity told her one thing.

She had to get on the good side of Issei Hyoudou. His unnatural growth rate was bound to make him a significant player, worthy of standing with the Gods! And when he does sit upon that marble throne, she, along with the others, shall be standing around him, basking in his power! And what was her first deed to earn such a favor? Earning this victory in his name.

"You're open!" Raynare shouted, ready to pierce Mittlet's chest with her sword.

"No, I am not." But the cold reply she got chilled her, and then pain rocketed through her. The projectiles she deflected earlier were not regular projectiles or chunks of metal. Pain shot out through her body as those things proved to be mini drones, each of them having flown right back and struck her back and legs by slicing her with their sharp edges.

"GAH!" She shouted in pain as the drones cut her, making her lose the momentum of her attack. Using that chance, Mittlet thrust her hand forth and summoned that accursed purple sphere again. But this time? This time, it was not the usual, simple gravity spell. Raynare suddenly felt her entire body becoming stiff, locked in place. "What the fuck is this?!"

"I am traping your body using multiple gravitational fields, pulling your body in several directions at once," Mittlet explained. "But that said, you have proven improvement. You are recognized as a potential threat and tagged for immediate elimination."

Mittlet held her other hand up, summoning the sphere again. But this time, it was changing. The purple light was growing darker and darker until it became pitch black, the likes of which Raynare had never seen before. Her eyes widened, however, as she realized what Mittlet had created. "You bitch! That is a black hole!'

"Good deduction skills," Mittlet said, aiming the black hole at Raynare. "Once it touches your body, it will compress you into nothing. It should have enough power for it. Now, Raynare, perish."

Mittlet launched the black hole at Raynare, but as the black sphere approached the Fallen, another crimson sphere intercepted it, causing the black hole to collapse and release a powerful gravitational shockwave. This knocked both Raynare and Mittlet back, and the gravitational trap she had Raynare in broke as well.

"Don't you dare forget about me!" Rias shouted as she flew next to Raynare. "Are you alright?"

"Gremory? Out of everyone here, why would you save me?" Raynare asked Rias, slowly flying to stand next to her.

"I know you were never an ally at the start, Raynare. The Seal of Solomon above your breasts tells me that much. But Issei seems to care about you for some reason. If I let you die, then that might reflect poorly on my relationship with him." Rias explained, making Raynare sigh in frustration.

"Just say you don't want to see me die. I lived around them long enough to learn a few things." Raynare replied. "Whether we like it or not, we are allies in this fight. Either of us kicking the bucket would upset Issei."

"It would really upset my brother," Rias added. "And I don't want Sirzechs blaming Issei for it."

"Huh. Good point." Raynare replied. "But tell me, can you keep up? Her gravity magic is quite a nuisance, and if we give her too much time, she will trap us using it. Right now, we must be outside her range, hence why we can talk without feeling like someone is crushing us."

"So, keeping our distance is the key here?" Rias asked.

"Almost. She has some drones with sharp edges flying around. Destroy them if you can." Raynare informed her further. "What about your peerage?"

"They are handling the situation on the ground. Koneko and Akeno are more than able to fend off the rogue priests. We must take care of the bigger pieces now."

"Then let's get to it." With a grin, Raynare charged in again, flying with her swords in hand right at Mittlet. Still, the smaller Fallen was prepared for another frontal charge and attempted to deploy her gravitational magic in response, only to be forged to dodge.

Rias Gremory had successfully launched an arrow made of her Power of Destruction, and Mittlet barely dodged it before it made a hole in her head. This distraction allowed Raynare to get in close and slash down at Mittlet, but to her misfortune, several of Mittlet's drones showed up and formed a triangle-shaped barrier of energy that her blade made contact with.

The impact caused Raynare's arm to recoil, and she dismissed the sword. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she slashed at the drones, destroying them and making them fall to the ground below. However, Mittlet was distancing herself from them, not wanting to be caught at close range. Rias aimed another arrow at her, waiting for the chance to strike, but she failed to see the drones sneaking up behind her. Several in number.

Luckily, she noticed them in the end and turned around, letting the arrow go and watching it destroy several of the drones in its wake, the rest continuing their charge. Rias flew higher, avoiding their charge, but the drones changed their trajectory, coming right back at her. Raynare kept chasing Mittlet around, trying to keep her busy so she didn't have time to focus and use her Hollow Casting, but Rias knew they had to work together to win.

Gravity magic was dangerous even in the hands of a Low-Class being. Rias summoned forth her Power of Destruction and sent several spheres at the drones, vaporizing them. Only one remained, which she caught and destroyed in her hand. "Raynare!" She shouted to Raynare, the Fallen woman understanding the message as Rias prepared another arrow. "Out of the way!"

Raynare swung again, making Mittlet get back. "Get her!" Raynare shouted back and dove down, giving Rias a clear shot. Her arrow was released, flying straight for Mittlet. However…

A strange wave of energy washed over the battlefield, and her arrow was entirely ruined. "Impossible!" Rias shouted in surprise, looking around to see Errgo pressing a button on his chest. Looking toward Kokabiel, she found the source, too. A pilon of some kind, sending waves of strange energy. "What is that?"

"Your distraction will cost you, Rias Gremo—GAH!" Mittlet shouted suddenly, surprised by a light spear piercing her right wing.

"Don't ignore me, you bitch!" Raynare shouted as she began to throw more spears at Mittlet, piercing her other wing as well.

"Wings compromised," Mittlet began speaking robotically. Flight capabilities compromised. Losing altitude." She began to descend to the ground.

"She's down! Get her, Rias, now!" Raynare shouted at Rias.

"I can't! That device is jamming my Power of Destruction!" Rias shouted back, which surprised Raynare.

"It's doing what?!" The Fallen replied in surprise. "Doesn't matter! Just fire raw Demonic Energy at her or something! Anything!" Raynare began to throw several light spears at Mittlet, the enhanced Fallen spotting them just in time to dodge them by diving behind the trees.

Rias and Raynare gave chase; however, they prepared to battle her and finish things.

---

"Take this!" Issei shouted as he unleashed a wave of blue energy from his sword, watching it travel until it struck Errgo, causing the golem to stumble back. However, the artificial being swiftly recovered and reached behind itself as a sword popped up from his back. The weapon was folded into only a handle, but with one switch turned on, it expanded into a full-fledged weapon!

Errgo was full of surprises. Deploying his shield, Errgo charged at Issei again, and the boy met the charge in kind. His Sacred Gear smacked itself into the shield, and then Errgo tried to slash at him, but Issei deflected the strike and attempted to hit Errgo using his [Pin-Point Pierce] to run his sword right through Errgo. But the golem swiftly used his barrier again, catching the attack.

However, the damage was too high to stop the blade entirely. The tip got through, causing the blade to be caught in the barrier. Issei quickly returned his sword, then swung it again using his [Swift Slash]. His sword almost left behind after-images as it traveled quickly through the air and struck Errgo's barrier with speed AND force. Granted, all that did was earn him skill EXP.

The barrier held firm, and Errgo began to attack, slashing his sword at Issei, but the boy was smart. His Sacred Gear could still easily double as a shield! And more! He caught the sword as it was being swung at him. [Scorching Touch] activated and superheated the sword until it broke into his grasp. Issei threw the broken sword at Errgo and landed the strike before the barrier caught it.

The upper part of the sword was stabbed into Errgo's throat, but that didn't seem to bother the golem much. He just reached for it and pulled it out, throwing it to the ground alongside the rest. "Your attempts to make me bleed, Red Dragon, are futile," Errgo spoke, not minding the injuries dealt to him if they could be called such. "I have equipped my body with more than enough countermeasures for anything you have to throw at me!"

"Maybe. But that is to be seen!" Issei declared as he charged at Errgo again, the golem simply putting the barrier forth. When Issei swung using one arm, Errgo expected to be then able to quickly point his cannon at Issei and fire in the short window opened by his sword bouncing back. What he didn't expect was a spear of crimson blood to materialize before him and pierce through his shoulder. [Blood Spear].

This was one of Issei's newer spells, which Errgo didn't have records on. The boy pushed Errgo back a few steps using the spear's range, then punched the bottom of it, causing the spear to go THROUGH Errgo's body. Albeit in a spot ordinarily non-lethal to some people, it was still a nasty wound. The spear turned liquid again, and Errgo traced a hand to the hole, sparks flying from it.

Finally, he got the golem surprised from the looks of it. Up until now, Errgo was effectively countering him at every corner. But not anymore. Issei grinned as Errgo seemed to release several small drones that patched up the wound and reconnected cables. The thing had its own medics on hand, huh?

Issei frowned at this. This meant that while Errgo didn't see the spear coming, he saw injury coming and prepared for it. Now how the fuck do you avoid injuring something or someone in order to surprise them in battle? The answer? You can't. In battle, the aim is TO injure.

That was unavoidable, and Errgo knew it, especially given how Issei preferred to fight. But something passed through Issei's head as he tried to catch his breath. It was his quest!

---

The Church of Lies

You do not trust them, neither do they trust you. Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou are not your enemies, but that can change if you are not careful! They are here with a mission, and now that you have grown stronger, it is time you actively help them finish that mission!

Main Objective: Recover the Excalibur Fragments.

Secondary Objective: Defeat Kokabiel.

Tertiary Objective: Do not engage in battle with anyone aside from Kokabiel.

Quest Time Limit: N/A.

Main Objective Rewards: 1M EXP, 10 SP, +10 RP with Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou.

Secondary Objective Rewards: 50K EXP, +20 RP with Raynare.

Tertiary Objective Reward: ?.

Failure Penalty: ?

---

He had engaged in battle with Errgo when the quest told him NOT to struggle with anyone other than Kokabiel, so why wasn't the objective failing? Was the system being kind to him again? No, that wasn't it. Something was up. Why is Errgo not counting on the quest? What was different?

"Red Dragon…You are going to pay for that-"

"The only one who will pay dearly tonight is you, Errgo!" That voice! Issei knows it! Errgo was equally surprised, but both were utterly shocked when another person revealed themselves from absolutely nothing! As he showed himself, air made ripples, and Issei knew who this was. He knew the voice! He fought this person before!

But this time, they were coming with a new puppet. The golem they controlled now had a more complex design, likely in addition to the old model Issei fought. He was facing a black construct with a visor for a face, similar to Errgo but with significant differences. The body of this thing was like finely polished armor, with no trace of even the slightest line! It was like the entire thing was made from one piece of metal, 3D-printed in one go.

"The Puppet Master…" Issei muttered, seeing them standing there. Errgo took several steps back, putting distance from the man Issei had come to know was responsible for the golems of the Snake of Adam.

"Red Dragon! It is good to see you in good health! And you have grown in might as well! Truly, a testament to whatever force is giving you such unnatural growth." The Puppet Master commented. "But I fear that today I am not your foe. Neither am I your ally. I am here for Errgo…" he turned to the autonomous golem. "My, how you've grown."

"You…" Errgo growled, seeing him. "You lack the courage to show yourself even now?!"

"You know me, Errgo. After all…I was the one who created you."

"WHAT?!" Issei gasped as he heard the Puppet Master. But Errgo looked enraged, clenching his fists so tightly sparks were starting to come from his arms.

"Yes, Red Dragon! And I know you can hear me, Ddraig…"

"You claim to have created Errgo. And I highly assume his cannon as well. But what business do you have with me for calling me out?" Ddraig asked, speaking from the Gear.

"First, I formally apologize for the error of my youth. I was a young, angry human boy who wanted nothing but vengeance—vengeance on you and Albion…" The Puppet Master explained. This is why I created Errgo and his weapon as well!"

"You made him to enact vengeance?" Issei questioned.

"Why? I do not know you."

"Ohhhhohohoh. But I know YOU! Or rather, I knew your previous host! Both of the previous hosts of the Dragon Emperors! Almost 100 years ago!" The Puppet Master shouted. Their battle carried them a reasonable distance from Kokabiel and the others, but even then…Issei knew they would have sensed the new arrival. The Puppet Master was using some kind of barrier. More strange magitech, just like Errgo.

"A century?! But you said you are human!"

"Former human? Yes, I was reborn! But where are my manners? Enough games of guessing! My name? I won't tell you my given name, but I know my family name: Crowley."

"Crowley? As in, Alistair Crowley?"

"The same human who attempted to create his magic system, combining human technological wonders with the supernatural might! The very same! He was my grandfather. Do you remember now, Ddraig? The supernatural hides its tracks well, including your battles with Albion, but that battle left many victims. The year was 1933. Do you remember now?"

"That was two hosts ago…"

"Your battle with Albion ravaged an entire town! Among the victims were my parents. My grandfather took me in! Raised me into his beliefs! I became obsessed with killing you and Albion, Ddraig. And that obsession led to you, Errgo!"

"What?" Errgo asked.

"I know you feel it. You do not want to kill Issei Hyoudou, oh no. You want to kill the Red Dragon Emperor and destroy the Boosted Gear because that is the one part of your self-aware mind that I programmed myself! Making you forever chase and kill the Emperors until the task of destroying the Sacred Gears is complete! I even designed and created the canon on your arm, the only weapon capable of disabling Sacred Gears in existence…As flawed as it might be."

"So that is why Errgo…" Issei pieced things together slowly.

"You…" Errgo took a step toward him. "You doomed me to this pointless goal! To this impossible task! Sacred Gears CANNOT BE DESTROYED!"

"I know that now. But back then, I was ruled by revenge and was too blind to see it. Then I met them…The Snake of Adam. They are the ones who gave me the resources to finalize you! But you were too dangerous…A golem with a free will? The feat of creating life alone earned me the position I hold today! But the Snake wanted a weapon. You are no weapon, Errgo. Forcing you to be one would have been too cruel, so I had you destroyed. I never expected you'd survive and hide until today, re-activated by the presence of the Red Dragon!"

Errgo stood in silence for a bit. "Creator…You wanted a weapon? Weapons kill…And that is the purpose I will fulfill today!" Errgo aimed his cannon at the Puppet Master, but the man was not worried.

"Code Yellow-Tempest." Suddenly, however, Errgo's cannon let out sparks, and as the golem tried to fire it, it broke down right on its arm.

"What?" Errgo tried to fix it, but it was no use. "What did you do?!"

"Didn't I say it was flawed? Already, I think there are a few critically damaged parts inside. However, when I finalized you, I took advantage of those flaws. I created several commands deep within your programming that'd enable me to disable you easily in case of need."

"GRRRRRR. I don't need this!" Errgo ripped out his cannon, threw it to the ground, and reached behind himself, pulling out another weapon. Another sword. "I will kill you even if I first have to kill this lifeless puppet you are controlling!"

"I'm afraid that is not why I came here to do. Code-" Errgo charged in. "-Blue-Ares." Then he promptly collapsed, sparks flying off him in all directions. "The first command overloaded the cannon, causing it to break down. This one cuts off your artificial nerve system. You are paralyzed."

The Puppet Master kneeled to Errgo. "I am here to take you back. The big boss is back and wanted every piece of equipment accounted for."

Errgo couldn't move. "You…" But could still speak.

"See? Not so hard; we will be back at HQ in no time!" Then he turned to Issei. "Do forgive me for butting in, Red Dragon. I am just here to get my creation. He won't bother you ever again, I can promise you that! I doubt he was even that loyal to this Kokabiel!"

"Loyal?" That's it! It all connects! The quest did not count Errgo because it focused on individuals from Kokabiel's party! Errgo must have struck a deal or something; he was never considered a permanent member, nor has the golem itself considered to be one. His quest referred mainly to those Kokabiel had under him, and Errgo was not like that.

You were awarded 1 INT and 1 WIS for figuring out technical details.

"Yeah, machines are hard to program with loyalty. They listen to whoever is holding the remote. Oh, but enough rambling. I will leave you to your shitshow here." The Puppet Master laid his hand over Errgo. "Until next time, Red Dragon." And then, in a flash of light, they were teleported out. To think he even got past Sona's barrier, currently being powered by all members of the Student Council, undetected and even teleported out…The Snake of Adam was becoming a threat again.

But now he had his main target set—Kokabiel himself. However, something caught his eye as he attempted to return to the main battlefield: Errgo's canon. He went to it and knelt, touching it. A description popped up.

---

[Errgo's Cannon]

[A terrible weapon created to temporarily disable Sacred Gears, even Longinus Sacred Gears! However, thanks to the command made by the Puppet Master, the cannon is damaged almost beyond repair!]

---

"Almost…" Issei whispered that part of the description. It meant that the cannon itself could be repaired one day. It was a powerful weapon, so he stored it in his inventory for later use. "Come on, guys. I think we have already recovered from the blast, right?"

"Indeed, our connection is stable once again. And more…"

---

Quest updated!

---

The Mysterious Golem

You were attacked by a golem with unknown abilities, which was even able to temporarily disable your Sacred Gear! Luckily for you, the fact this was a fight in three meant your enemies weakened one another enough for you to strike, but this is not the last you will hear of this golem.

Main Objective: Defeat and Destroy Errgo.

Optional Objective: Learn how Errgo came to be.

Time Limit: N/A

Main Objective Reward: 500K EXP, 1 Skill Book, 300K Y.

Optional Objective Reward: 150K EXP, 100K Y.

Failure Penalty: Death.

---

Note: Since you were not the one to defeat Errgo, and since he was not destroyed, the Main Objective Reward has been reduced accordingly.

New Reward: 200K EXP, 1 Skill Book, 100K Y.

---

"I'll take it, even if reduced," Issei stated as he accepted all the rewards from the quest. After going through his bonuses, the 200K turned into 662400, and the 150K from the Optional Reward, since he learned how Errgo was created, turned into 496800, making it a total of 1159200 EXP gained from this quest alone. He then took out the skill book to see what it was.

---

[Skill Book: Hollow Casting]

---

"Solomon?" Issei called out to the wise man.

"Learn it. At this point, we are expected to go against a mighty foe. We need every bit of an ace we can get."

Issei nodded and learned the skill, adding it to his skill list.

---

[Casting Method: Hollow Casting] (Level MAX): This casting method is highly praised and equally insulted, being seen as one of the strongest and weakest Casting Methods. Hollow Casting requires a great deal of concentration and implies the creation of a pure sphere of your mana, which you then imbue with the desired type of magic you wish to use. This Casting Method allows you to cast your spell DIRECTLY upon your foe, bypassing the concepts of distance and even several forms of defense! However, not all magical types can fully benefit from this, and many find themselves more limited by this than empowered. The range of this Casting Method is, by default, 10 M, with 1 M added for every 10 MGI the user has.

---

That was additional EXP, too, thanks to his perk. Now, it was time for him to return to battle.

"BALANCE BREAKER!"

[Scale Mail!]

---

"Gah! You little fucking shit!" Freed cursed as he nursed his bleeding lip. Kiba almost got him over the face with that one! He was also sporting a few burn marks around his clothing, courtesy of Kiba employing explosive short swords. He was currently wielding the detonator blade and another sword, dual-wielding them against Freed.

"Once I am done with you, Valper is next." Kiba declared, approaching Freed.

"Ha! Do you really believe you have enough balls to go through with this?! Huh?! Please, you can barely match me in battle as I am now!" Freed pointed out with his wicked grin. "Let alone when I will be wielding the Excalibur!"

"You won't get the chance!"

"On the contrary." Kokabiel suddenly spoke from above. "The time is here."

"What?" Kiba said; then a powerful holy wave of energy exploded from where Valper was standing, knocking him back and causing his body to develop several burn marks from the holy energy. Everyone felt it across the entire Academy.

---

"What was that?!" Saji asked as he maintained the barrier with Sona and the others. "My skin crawled!"

"Nothing good," Sona stated. "Everyone! Reinforce your efforts to maintain the barrier!"

---

"What is this?!" Rias said as she faced the intense glow from where Kiba and their enemies were. "Oh no…"

"Go. I will hunt down Mittlet by myself." Raynare offered, brandishing her blade. Rias nodded her head, then flew off, leaving Raynare alone. She walked a couple more feet until she found Mittlet, with her wings letting off violent electrical sparks. "What have they done to you, Mit."

"I- You…" She was seemingly glitching.

"Don't worry." Raynare raised her blade high. "I will do this quick."

---

"What was that?" Akeno asked as she, Koneko, and Xenovia were finishing off the ranks of the rogue priests under Kokabiel.

"This feeling…So much power…" Koneko stated, her tail standing straight at the intense power.

"They did it," Xenovia stated, eyes wide. "They completed the Excalibur!"

"We need to go there!" Akeno shouted. "They need as much aid as they can get!"

"No!" Koneko shouted. "Trust Issei. This is…The holy power of that sword can harm us with its presence alone…I can sense it."

"Not me. Not a human. You devils might be weak to the holy power of the Excalibur, but I am not. Nor am I without a weapon." Dropping the weapon she had been using, a simple, standard-issued light sword, Xenovia began to walk toward the glow chanting. "Blade forged with the grace of Saints, heed my call." A magical circle appeared beside her, and slowly, the hilt of a blade revealed itself. "I grab thee hilt, which contains the essence of Saint. Peter, Saint Basil, Saint Denis, and the blessing of the Holy Virgin Mary, mother of the Lord. I beseech thee, great blade, break your chains and lend me thee holy might!"

The chains around the sword broke one by one, and the sword was unleashed. Xenovia drew it out, the weapon alone standing taller than her, yet she lifted it with minimal effort. A large, uniquely shaped broadsword with a blue blade and a golden edge with a semicircular guard on the left side of the handle that extends to the bottom just above the pommel, with a small extension on the right side of the handle.

The holy aura from that sword made Akeno and Koneko's skin crawl, and they stepped back out of instinct at the mighty weapon.

"Secure our backs." Was all Xenovia said before she took off toward the battle.

---

Kiba stood wide-eyed as he saw the fused sword descending. "I did it!" Valper shouted. "I did it! I and I alone, with my genius, have managed to fulfill a feat the Church has been attempting for ages! Yet, my genius alone has just seen the Excalibur brought to the nearest point of perfection!"

"Thank you, Padre!" Freed said as he grabbed the Excalibur. The golden sword, with a long blade and a strange guard, emanated a robust and holy aura, and Kiba could easily sense the power it was outputting. Narrowing his gaze, he raised his sword, seeing Freed stand against him again. "This ought to be a good test for this. En Guard!" Freed disappeared instantly from sight, making Kiba widen his eyes in shock.

However, his instinct managed to keep up, and he threw an explosive sword to his right, making it blow up in mid-air. As the smoke was suddenly disturbed by something, he knew Freed was coming from that direction and raised his sword. However, he was foolish in thinking he could face such a weapon with one blade.

Freed appeared again and swung down, their swords clashing. However, Kiba could not push it back, as the power from Excalibur Destruction surged and broke his sword into pieces. He was barely able to jump back with his speed. But Freed was not going to allow him to run away quickly. Excalibur shifted forms, becoming a whip he used to grab Kiba's leg. "Leaving so soon?" Freed mocked, then he pulled Kiba toward him and into the air with the whip, followed by him letting go of Kiba and turning the Excalibur back, using the power of Excalibur Nightmare to make several illusions of himself, all of them running around chaotically.

Even if Kiba made a sword mid-air or threw explosive ones, he'd have no idea which was the original Freed to strike! His speed was too great, and the versatility given to him now by Excalibur Mimic's abilities was too great. Kiba's only option was to summon several explosive blades and throw them down at the ground, but as predicted, the Freeds he hit were illusions.

But that was not his aim. He detonated all his swords before he landed, which caused a big enough explosion to make the real Freed retreat away from the blast's range. "Tricky, tricky." Yet, the explosion did nothing to him. He was too fast for the explosion to catch him.

Kiba landed on the ground, however, roughly. "Gah!" Attempting to get up, he found his leg hurt badly. His ankle was poorly hurt; it was likely a spraint, or it might have broken from the impact. Regardless, as he tried to get up, Freed noticed him through the smoke and was about to charge in again.

"Wait!" Valper, however, shouted at Freed to wait.

"Awww. What is it, Padre? Feeling sorry for the boy?" Freed asked while Kokabiel gave Valper a curious gaze.

"Now I remember you…Isaiah," Valper said, using Kiba's former name. "Yes, YES! I do remember you now! You were one of the most promising test subjects from the first lot! My, how you have grown…And what poor choices you have made in life."

"Are you mocking me?" Kiba asked, trying to get up by using one of his swords as support.

"Ah, I see. Sword Birth. That explains why you had no light element in you but did have a strange energy around you at the time. My, had we known it was a Sacred Gear!" The man laughed. "Alas, it is one of the unsightly ones. Creating demonic swords…Bwah! At least your friends were of more use."

"Keep their names out of your mouth!" Kiba shouted, attempting to attack, but his injury kept him down.

Valper merely laughed. "Why so angry? Rejoice! Their deaths were not meaningless! Just look at the Church today! The only reason individuals can wield Holy Swords now, more than ever, is MY research! Because of YOUR friends becoming sacrifices! Because of this!" Valper pulled out a crystal from his coat and showed it to Kiba. The boy froze. "This crystal, believe it or not, was made from the very friends you speak of!"

"Impossible…"

"Oh, very possible," Valper corrected. "Not long after we had them…silenced, we managed to recover the bodies and extract everything they had to offer! All of that power in this little trinket." he suddenly threw it at Kiba. "Take it."

"Wha…What?"

"I said take it. It's yours if you want it. I no longer need it. Today, we have developed better ways of extracting the Light Element from others, making that one an inferior product. Truly, in the end, despite being useful, those children were worth nothing. A shame." Valper began to walk away. "Oh, right! You won't get to keep it because Freed here will kill you! Silly me, do forgive my lapsus in thought."

"My friends…" Kiba reached for the Light Container and took it into his hands. His hands were shaking as he held it, looking down at it.

"Awww. You broke him, Padre. Now, I might feel bad killing him." Freed said, holding the Excalibur on his shoulder.

"Are you?" Valper asked.

Freed grinned. "No…" Then he charged at Kiba; he aimed to kill him where he stood. However, as he approached him, something came between them. The blade of a large sword stood between him and Kiba, and Freed needed to block as the blade swung at him. When it clashed with the Excalibur, he could feel the raw power behind it!

And his Excalibur could not match it! He was quickly sent flying back, sliding on the dirt before he managed to catch himself and get up. "Hey, what the fuck was that about-" Freed gasped, seeing just what hit him.

And Kokabiel and Valper both looked equally shocked to see it as well.

"That is no average Holy Sword or replica…" Valper stated as he watched, seeing Xenovia with the sword in her hands. "But how?! That sword cannot be used even by those who have consumed a dozen Light Containers! It refuses to obey!"

"It may defy those who are artificial Holy Sword wielder, Valper. But I am not one of them." Xenovia pointed out. "I am a natural-born Holy Sword wielder!"

"Hahahahaah!" Kokabiel laughed. "To think you'd brandish that blade against us! I admit it has been a long time since I've seen it. A long time... since I saw the Holy Sword of Roland, given to him by Charlemagne. Durandal!"

The blade in Xenovia's hands was now revealed: the Holy Sword Durandal! Wielded by the great paladin, Emperor Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire, its power allowed him to prevail against an army of ten thousand souls! Xenovia held the sword proudly, pointing it at Freed.

"So, you wish to fight me as well, girly? Fine by me!" He held Excalibur firmly, the power flowing through it, flaring its holy aura more. "Destroying such a Holy Sword is bound to drive the nail home!"

"Then come and get it…"

So, Xenovia engaged Freed in combat, leaving Kiba behind. Kokabiel, however, noted this and saw Kiba standing there, petrified. He scoffed, seeing him. "How pathetic." He raised his hand, charging a small shot of energy at the tip of his finger. Warriors who break this easily have no place on the battlefield."

And he fired, aiming to kill Kiba where he stood. However, a crimson barrier came between his attack and Kiba, surprising him. "What?"

"KOKABIEL!"

Kokabiel barely had time to process the events as he saw the Red Dragon descending upon him and drawing his fist back. The Cadre swiftly spread his wings and erected multiple layers of barriers between him and Issei, which he struck. However, as the [Dragon's Fist] met the barrier, Kokabiel was shocked when he saw it go RIGHT THROUGH HIS BARRIER.

Clicking his tongue, he quickly flew off, away from the strike. His maneuver was successful in saving him, but he knew that ability. It was [Penetrate]. To think this young man had already achieved that ability was genuinely incredible; Kokabiel will admit to that. Defensive tactics are thus rendered next to useless.

"So, we finally face against one another, Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou." Kokabiel threw off his cloak, leaving him solely in his battle armor. "May our battle be one for the history books. And my victory engraved into the stars!"

The Cadre charged Issei right on, summoning two light constructs in his hands. Similar to what Raynare did, but with more precision. He held a spear in one hand and the other, a shield made entirely of light. Issei drew his fist back again, no longer using [Penetrate]. That skill was a hog for stamina, and his reserves didn't look good. This is the longest he had ever used his Balance Breaker!

He launched his [Dragon's Fist], striking Kokabiel's shield, but the Cadre held strong and attempted to stab him with his spear. Issei managed to dodge the attack, and then he tried to use his [Dragon Shot], but he found himself struck in the chin by a kick from Kokabiel, which dazed him. Kokabiel took the chance to then throw his spear right into Issei. But the weapon turned itself from a spear into a full-blown rocket! As soon as it hit, getting lodged into the armor of his Balance Breaker, it outputted an absurd amount of energy that saw him driven into the ground!

"Gah!" The impact hurt a lot, but the spear vanished swiftly. Kokabiel, however, would not let him recover, as Issei saw him charging with another spear, intent on killing him. However, he was in the shade now and used his [Shadow Walk] to evade the strike. Kokabiel struck the ground heavily, causing a crater to form. "Tricks!" The Cadre shouted.

"Maybe," Issei replied as he surfaced from the shadows nearby. "But in battle, there is no such thing as fair fighting. It is either you or them."

"Ahhhh. Words of wisdom, Red Dragon." Kokabiel commented with a grin. "Words of wisdom." The Cadre threw his spear at Issei again, but the boy retaliated with his magic. Summoning his Shadow Magic, several tendrils erupted from the shadow and caught the spear mid-flight. But Kokabiel was not one to say words had wisdom and not partake in that wisdom himself.

As the shadowy claws held the spear, it suddenly glowed brighter, and Issei's [Danger Sense] warned him of what was coming. He used his [Dragon's Dash] to dodge quickly, but the explosion was still enough to send him flying. Yet, he caught himself with his wings just in time as Kokabiel attempted to charge at him, allowing Issei to launch several [Meteor Flare] projectiles at Kokabiel, four in number!

However, Kokabiel quickly blocked three of them with his shield of light, followed by him slicing the last one with his spear. "Powerful magic, Red Dragon." The Cadre's charge was not even slow down, yet Issei had not thrown the towel yet! [Earth Mastery] had been summoned, and Issei used its power to cause several rock pillars to rise in Kokabiel's path. The Cadre was surprised by this and evaded the pillars as best as he could, but one surfaced right beneath him, managing to strike him in the abdomen.

Kokabiel had the air knocked out of him as he flew up, rubbing the area he was struck in. "This power…This is the power of the Youkai!" he shouted with a large grin. Yes! You, indeed, are a worthy foe, Red Dragon! Worthy…Of my full might!" Spreading his wings, Kokabiel summoned forth a rain of spears of light. Issei's eyes widened in shock at the incoming rain.

"Rain of Sins!" Kokabiel shouted as the spears came raining down on Issei, who quickly summoned his [Crimson Barrier] to block the raining spears. However, the barrier was quickly overwhelmed. "Come on…" Issei said as he strained himself to keep the barrier up until the attack ended, but Kokabiel made a new spear each time one was launched. And all of them were directed right at Issei! In desperation, he summoned forth his [Water Dragon's Cradle].

A great dome of fast, swirling water surrounded him to protect him. The spears were either caught in the current, thrown away, or deflected entirely against the robust and magical current. Then, he summoned his [Water Hydra], the construct of water sprouting forth its multiple heads and going straight for Kokabiel.

"What the-" The Cadre was taken aback by such variety of magic and was genuinely taken by surprise when the hydra charged at him. However, he switched the light spear he was holding with a sword and proceeded to cut the heads of the Hydra one by one. More grew, but like a song that repeated itself, Kokabiel cut each head repeatedly. Issei couldn't keep the spell up indefinitely, so eventually, the hydra broke apart, giving Issei the opening he needed. He flew up, attempting to reach Kokabiel.

The Cadre saw him, though, and was ready to strike back. But there was one issue for him. He was in range. Issei brought forth his own Hollow Casting, creating a sphere of mana and imbuing it with his fire magic; Kokabiel's eyes widened as he suddenly caught fire. "AHHHH!" His screams echoed throughout the battlefields as he burned, but instead of panicking, he flew away with great speed, away from Issei. "HOLLOW CASTING?! How?!"

"My growth is unpredictable, Kokabiel." Issei pointed out. "I learned this after Errgo was dealt with."

"You took out Errgo? What am I saying? Of course, you did; otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here." Kokabiel stated, then chuckled. "I must say, you are indeed a formidable opponent to face. Truly worthy of standing before me! But I know you have used your Balance Breaker quite a bit today. Can you boast of being able to keep it up for much longer? Do you have the energy left to fight me then?"

"I will find the energy to do it if I must," Issei replied.

"Then, Red Dragon…FACE ME!"

The two combatants charged at one another yet again.

---

In the meantime, back on the ground, Xenovia was fighting Freed tooth and nail. Her swordsmanship was on par with Freed's, and her mastery over the Durandal was good enough to battle Freed and face his Excalibur. However, they were stuck in a stalemate. Neither of them was gaining any advantage over the other, and even if Xenovia kept up with Freed's tricks and the abilities of the Excalibur, she wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

"Kiba!" Rias shouted as she arrived, going directly to Kiba and seeing him frozen. "What happened? Speak to me!"

"Rias?" He replied weakly.

"Kiba, tell me, what happened here?"

"The…The Excalibur is…Freed has it; Xenovia is fighting him right now."

"What about you? Are you hurt?" The concern in her voice showed extensively.

"My ankle…I think it's broken." Kiba replied, holding the Light Container still.

"Kiba, what do you have in your—" Suddenly, an explosion distracted Rias, who saw Issei and Kokabiel fighting in the sky. Kokabiel proved himself equally versatile, even if his only tool was the light present in all Fallen, but Issei was not giving up easily either. "Issei…"

"Everyone is fighting…Only I am here…Useless... just like that day." Kiba chuckled strangely as he spoke, drawing Rias' attention. "Just like that day…I am useless, aren't I, Rias? No matter what I do and how much I struggle, I cannot do anything. What would revenge even get me? My friends... are gone."

"Kiba…You have us…"

"I know…I know…But even so, what good am I right now?"

"Huh. Quite the development, isn't it?" Rias switched her attention to the voice owner, seeing Valper Galilei there. She raised her hand to attack, but Valper put his hands up in surrender. "Easy there, Princess of Ruin. I am not only unarmed but powerless."

"What do you want?" Rias asked with aggression in her voice.

"To observe the battles, of course. And I must say…" His eyes fixed themselves on Issei. "That Red Dragon…is fascinating! There is so much variety in power; he is even using the Ki of the Youkai! Is he some kind of hybrid? No, no, we would have noticed if he was…Oh, this world is truly wonderful!"

"Why you-" Suddenly, Rias felt something again. The device from before, which had shut down her Power of Destruction, was active again. Not only that, but she felt weakened by it as well. "What…Is that?"

"One of Errgo's inventions, something I helped him with." Valper held a remote in his hand. "Nifty device, I must say. It targets the demonic power inside your body and suppresses it! We've yet to test it against stronger test subjects, but a High-Class Devil such as you? Prime candidate."

"You…" Rias growled at him.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I said I was unarmed! This is no weapon, merely a nifty device!" Valper specified. "But if I am being honest…This is a prime opportunity to do what we set out to do."

"What?"

"Don't you see? I have the perfect chance to kill you! Weakened as you are, even an old man like me has a pretty good chance to do the job." Valper chuckled. "Oh, how poor my call not to bring a weapon with me. Oh well…I can always strangle you to death! No, you are still physically stronger than me. Hmmm. Aha! Of course! I can adjust the device to increase the energy output and leave you without defense!"

Valper began to fiddle with the remote. Kiba just stood there, motionless. Rias was in danger, but he couldn't do anything…His ankle was broken, and he couldn't get up. Ultimately, he was right about himself. He was useless…And he will die uselessly.

'Isaiah" Shit, he was even hearing voices now? Honestly, it was a sign that his time was near.

"Good grief, mopping at a time like this. Get a grip!" Wait…That voice…

Kiba opened his eyes, looking down at his palm to see the Light Container Valper gave him glowing. "What…?" Then he looked around, seeing an image that shocked him. "You are…" Tears build up in his eyes seeing them. It was them…His friends from so many years ago.

"Hello, Isaiah." A young girl from the group said, addressing him by his old name.

"How?" Kiba asked, which got Valper's attention, but he saw nothing and assumed Kiba must have gone mad with grief. "You are…"

"We know."

"Our souls are still here, whatever remains of them."

"The Light Container in your hands? We are all there."

"You…"

"Isaiah." The young girl spoke up again. "You need to get up."

"But…I can't…My ankle is broken…I can't even stand up."

"That never stopped you before. You can do it, Isaiah. You have to. She is counting on you, and your new friends count on you to help them win this battle."

"But I can't…Issei is the Red Dragon Emperor. He is fighting Kokabiel right now, trying to win the battle." Kiba told them.

"But he cannot win alone." The souls pressed on. "You are not useless, Isaiah. What happened back then…You couldn't do anything even if you wanted to. Had you not run away, you'd have just died with us that day and wouldn't be here today. Fate chose you for a reason, Isaiah."

"Why? I don't know how. I don't know what I should do now!" Kiba's tears fell onto the Light Container, its glow pulsating and getting his attention. "Wait…No…No, no, no! I can't! This is what caused all of this! I can't do this to you!"

"Isaiah, you have to. If you want to save them…if you want to prove to everyone and yourself that you are not useless and that you can rise to stand beside even the great Red Dragon as an equal, you need to do this. It's alright, Isaiah. We have made our choice. Now, grant us peace."

"Everyone…" Koiba clutched the Light Container close to his chest, where it glowed intensely as the crystal slowly absorbed into his body. It burned to do this; it burned him a lot, but he pressed on, the crystal vanishing into him as each soul vanished.

"We will always be there for you, Isaiah- No. Yuuto Kiba!"

"Ah, done. Now, let's proceed with-" Suddenly, Valper's attention was taken by a strange wave of energy from Kiba. "What- What have you done, stupid boy?!"

Slowly, Kiba got up, hissing from the pain in his ankle. However, as he removed his hands from his chest, the only thing left there was the faint, fading glow of the Light Container. Kiba raised his head to look right at Valper. "Valper Galilei! I promised that I would be the one to kill you! And I hold my promise! But I am not going to do this for myself! I do this for the souls you have tortured and to protect the friends I have made! As long as I live, I will live as the sword of Rias Gremory, her faithful knight, and as the brother-in-arms of the Red Dragon Emperor!"

The spectral images of the children Valper had killed appeared around Kiba as a new power surfaced from within him.

---

"What the—What happened to Kiba?!" Issei noticed this as he fought Kokabiel, and Ddraig made to explain.

"Amazing. I have only seen this a few times before. Issei, watch closely! This is when a person's desires go against the natural order, and their wishes push their Sacred Gear to the heights of its power! I can sense it…This is no normal awakening of a Balance Breaker either! Solomon, do you sense it, too? You too, Issei?" The dragon spoke. "Yuuto Kiba has achieved something few have ever wielded. Two Sacred Gears now reside in his body. Ah, I know this aura. It is Blade Blacksmith, the holy twin of his Sword Birth. Whatever happened to bring both Gears into him, we will learn later. But this is truly amazing…An X-Side Balance Breaker is being born, an anomaly even among the Sacred Gears anomalies! Am X-Side Sub-Species Balance Breaker!"

---

Kiba put his hand forth, and before the eyes of Valper and Rias, a new sword materialized in it. A jet-black sword with red, demonic runes on its blade, yet with an angelic glow surrounding it. The blade handle was decorated with gold lines, and its pummel was covered in a beautiful gold cap.

"This is my resolve, Valper!" Kiba declared, brandishing the blade at Valper Galilei.

"What in the name of the Lord Almighty is that?!" Valper asked in pure shock.

"This is my Sub-Species Balance Breaker! The Sword of Betrayal! A Holy Demonic Sword born from both mine and my friend's wishes!"

"Holy…Demonic?! Impossible! The elements of both the holy and demonic cannot mix! It is impossible; it goes against anything that should exist in this world!" Valper stated, constantly going back. Errgo's device worked only on pure-blood Devils; hence, it didn't affect Kiba. "Freed!"

Shouting for his aid, Valper waited for a bit before the priest in question leaped from behind Kiba, standing beside the priest. "What's the issue, Padre? Can't you see I am in the middle of something? Ohhhhh, that doesn't look good to us."

Xenovia joined them shortly. "Sorry, I let him slip by me." She looked at Kiba and saw his Balance Breaker. "That is-"

"No worries. I can handle them now," Kiba declared as he stretched his other hand, summoning forth a new sword. But he was not using Sword Birth. "Blade Blacksmith." A new sword, a purely white rapier, appeared in his hand. However, when he grabbed it, a white aura appeared around his ankle, healing it. "This is Maiden's Mercy. A Holy Sword I just created using Blade Blacksmith. It heals any injury on the wielder's body over time."

"What the- Padre, what is this madness?! I thought the intel said he was using Sword Birth!"

"The Light Container!" Valper realized. "One of the children must have had a dormant Blade Blacksmith Sacred Gear! But this never happens with the newer Light Containers…Of course, the process! The old process must be able to transfer gears through the containers as well! This is such a great discovery!"

"Ummm. Padre?"

"But the sword, the Sword of Betrayal. Such a thing can't exist under God's rule! God himself would never allow such a thing to exist, let alone for two Sacred Gears of conflicting demonic and holy natures to exist in one host! Unless…Yes…YES, it all makes sense!" Valper held his head as realization hit him. "During the Great War, in the battle against the Dragon Emperors, not only were the original Satans killed, but God must have been killed as well! It is the only explanation for such a thing! God is dead!"

"Blasphemy!" Xenovia shouted. "Don't dare spew such baseless lies, Valper Galilei! Keep God's holy name out of your filthy mouth!"

"But it's the truth! Oh, once this knowledge becomes public, the Church will collapse! Freed, we need to- GAH!" Suddenly, Valper found himself with a sword piercing through his body. "W-what? F-Freed?"

"Sorry, Padre." Freed pulled the Excalibur out of Valper. "But you see, given your smarts, the big boss kinda foresaw you would figure that out sooner or later."

"Wait…" Xenovia's eyes widened as her face paled. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?" Freed laughed. "Simple! I know this from a trusted source as well: Kokabiel himself! It is how he convinced me to turn rogue and join him! As you know, he was there during that final battle! And he saw God being killed before his very two eyes!"

"No…" Xenovia's hands began to shake as Rias and Kiba stood with stunned expressions.

"What's more? Your precious Red Dragon likely knew," Freed continued. "The fact he is host to Ddraig means he also knows from a very trusted source. Well, it matters little. He has been dead for a while, and from what I know, Michael had to step up to fill the void. He has been doing a nifty enough job, I suppose."

"If such information truly got spread around, then…" Rias said slowly, realizing the implications of that. If that information were to be spread around the world to become public, then the Church would lose all power, and Heaven would lose its foothold on earth. It might sound like a great victory for Hell and the Grigori, but that was not the case. It would be chaos! Utter chaos!

"But I say! That is quite the sword you have there, knight boy! So, what do you say? Round Two?" Freed brandished his sword at Kiba, who looked back at Xenovia. She was too shocked by the revelation of God's demise to act, meaning it was up to him.

"No, Freed. Final round." Kiba put his sword forth, and Freed charged at him. He aimed to cut Kiba's head in one go, then kill Rias and Xenovia after. Easy pickings. Rias was down from Errgo's device, and Xenovia was too shocked to focus correctly! He won!

Several copies of him - illusions - appeared, charging at blinding speed toward Kiba. But the boy stood still, and as Freed attempted to swing his sword from the side, right on Kiba's neck, he found something…Strange. "Huh?" His sword…Turned into a ribbon! "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Freed instantly backed away. "What is the meaning of this?! Why did the ability of Excalibur Mimic activate?!"

"It looks like things are not going according to plan," Kiba replied with a coy smile, then charged at Freed. The priest attempted to dodge by going invisible and moving at high speed again, but he was not growing faster, but slower! He also stayed visible, and Kiba successfully managed to slash horizontally at his collarbone.

"GAH!" Freed screamed in pain as he bled. The cut was short but deep! It reached the bone. "What is going on with this thing?! Is it broken?!"

"The Excalibur is not broken, Freed. It is betraying you." Kiba stated, and finally, things clicked in Freed's head.

"Sword of Betrayal…You are making my sword go against me!" Freed declared.

"That is right. This is the power of the Sword of Betrayal. Whenever you attempt to use the power of your Excalibur, it will turn against you, using other abilities or doing the opposite of what it is supposed to do, or not activating its abilities at all." Kiba explained, closing the distance more.

"Fuck! This is just a fancy sword, then!" Freed stated that, without its abilities, that was all the Excalibur was in his hand! And he was right. The Excalibur was mighty, but its power came from its abilities. Without it, Freed was forced to rely on his skills alone! Which he'd instead not do. "Betray this!" However, foolishly, he slashed at Kiba, who put up his sword and allowed the Excalibur to strike against the Sword of Betrayal, but to Freed's horror, he saw something that shook him to his core.

The Excalibur…Was cracking! Cracks were spreading all over it! "No…Wait, wait, NO!" And the Excalibur broke into pieces in his hands, falling to the ground. With its destruction, most chunks became parts of the Excaliburs used as materials. Kiba's sword…Turned the power of Excalibur Destruction against the Excalibur itself!

"Fuck!" Freed shouted, watching Kiba charging at him slowly. "Grrr. This isn't over!" The priest brought several things from his coat and threw them on the ground. Blinding light shined all over, and when it died down, Freed was gone.

"He's gone," Kiba stated, and then he felt his knees give out under him. He fell to the ground, but Rias was there to catch him.

"Kiba! Easy, you used up a lot of power." Rias said as she helped Kiba to lie down.

"The Excaliburs!" Xenovia shouted, looking at the shards and slowly starting to collect them. "They are damaged, but…The Church should be able to fix this."

"Everyone!" Akeno and Koneko joined them, seeing Valper's body. "What happened?"

"A lot. But for now, we need to retreat; it is unsafe here," Rias said. Then, the group was surprised when a large projectile dug into the ground beside them, leaving a small crater. Looking in the dust, they saw Issei get up after Kokabiel threw him onto the ground. "Issei!"

"Everyone, stand back!" Issei shouted at them just as Kokabiel launched another volley of light spears at him, which he blocked using his [Crimson Barrier]. However, Issei would have lied if he had said he was not exhausted.

But as Kokabiel showed himself, it was clear Issei was not exactly constantly blocking and dodging either. The Fallen was breathing heavily, with one of his wings blown off. He was bleeding badly from his arm, where Issei scored a strike on his sword. It was the arm he held his shield with, leaving him almost no defense. One of his eyes was closed, and part of his face was scorched with a nasty claw-shaped burn mark, courtesy of Issei.

"Valper is dead?" Kokabiel asked, looking around. "Freed is gone, and…The Excalibur has broken?!" Raged was visible on his face, seeing his plans in ruin. "You…"

"It's over, Kokabiel!" Issei shouted again, but truth be told, he was not any better. He had a nasty wound in his stomach, which he was desperately healing with his magic. A spear managed to impale him right through, and his helmet was severely cracked as well. Issei had been boosting himself to the max but was out of steam now. Or close to it. But he couldn't show it. "Surrender. You fought well."

"You think it ends when one of us surrenders, Red Dragon? BULLSHIT!" Kokabiel shouted as he raised his hand high. "An actual battle never ends in merely surrender! In war, no matter what, the fighting ends only when one side is entirely eradicated! I won't accept defeat…NOT UNTIL I AM COLD AND STIFF!"

Above Kokabiel's palm, a sphere of light formed and floated higher, growing exponentially. The longer they watched, the more it grew, and Kokabiel held it all by himself. Issei's [Danger Sense] was going crazy! "What is that?!" Issei asked.

"This is Purity Helios!" Kokabiel stated. "This is one of the greatest attacks of the angels. Pure light, focused and gathered into one devastating attack, could see even Ultimate-Class beings slain in one hit. And for you lot? It will only take one hit to eradicate you."

Shit, Issei didn't have enough to block such a strike. He had to try, though. He summoned his [Dragon Shot] again and began to use whatever grain of power left in him to grow its damage output. If he were correct, then if he got it right, he would at least be able to defuse Kokabiel's attack with his own. This was truly his last. His Stamina was almost bone dry, and his Mana was close to it, too.

"Perish, Red Dragon," Kokabiel declared as he prepared to launch his attack, and Issei was ready to do the same. But then, something happened…

His [Danger Sense] went off again.

"Gah!"

[Divide!]

"No…" Issei said slowly as he saw who was attacking Kokabiel, having struck him from behind and ripping off his wings.

[Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!]

"That is enough." Kokabiel fell to the ground, defeated and unconscious but alive. "I took more than enough of your remaining power to render you powerless. But I guess you cannot hear me anyway."

"So, the time is here. Bad timing, not going to lie." Ddraig said as the new figure looked down to them from above. A white dragon armor with blue jewels covering the user's body. With wings made of light, looking like pure crystal. "It's been a while, Albion."

"Ddraig." The dragon of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear spoke to them. Issei couldn't believe this right now, but it had happened. Before stood his destined rival…The White Dragon Emperor! "I have to say, I did not expect to see you here. Neither of us did."

"Hmmm. Disappointing." The White Dragon Emperor said, looking down at them. "From the look of it, you are out of steam, are you not?"

"What is it to you?!" Issei said back.

"It means we won't be fighting today," The White Dragon Emperor said. "I am here on orders from Azazel of the Grigori to retrieve Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel population is the worst out of all Three Factions, so he wishes to preserve as many as possible."

"And why should we allow you to take him?" Akeno asked, staring at the White Dragon Emperor.

"Can any of you stop me?" No replies were given. "That's what I thought." He grabbed Kokabiel. "We will meet again soon, Red Dragon. And when we do, I hope you can offer me the battle I desire." Then he flew off at blinding speeds, vanishing from sight.

"Did we…Win?" Koneko asked slowly.

"Yeah…" Issei replied, dismissing his Balance Breaker. "We won. Barely."