"And this is where our training grounds are. Of course, we have our own training grounds at our outpost over in Kuoh but if we're ever stationed here for an extended amount of time, we use these," Mitsuki said as the double doors slid open to an empty arena.
The arena was large and spanned the size of a small stadium. Above the bleachers, there was a box where people operated the field.
"We can generate environments onto the field using magic that can be activated with the Armillary Spheres. It's the same back at home. Feel free to use the training grounds whenever you want," she continued.
She glanced over her shoulder and sighed.
Issei was shooting Yeonha glares while the girl simply looked at him as if he were an insect crawling on her shoe. She needed to nip this in the bud fast. Having them at each other's throats during a case could get them all killed.
"In any case, Aniki can show you the ropes in sparring. Believe it or not, he's actually very competent despite being a pervert and all that," Mitsuki said.
"I will keep that in mind, Captain," Yeonha said.
"Yeah, newbie. You hear that. If you need anything, I can show you a thing or two about fighting," Issei puffed his chest proudly.
[Hmph, that's right. Issei, reclaim our pride as a Dragon Emperor. Make sure to show this girl the difference between the two of you!] Ddraig agreed.
Yeonha glanced over her shoulder and her nose curled up in disdain at the sight of Issei. She placed a hand on her hip. "I will… heed your advice, Sunbae," she said, grinding out the last part as if it were poison. She turned to Mitsuki with a slightly softer gaze. It was clear in Issei's eyes the difference in the way she looked at them. This girl admired Mitsuki.
"Captain, if I may, I would like to gauge Issei's skill. Of all the people here, he is the one I have some… lingering doubts about. I have seen the data and files Blacklight collected and would like to… validate them myself," Yeonha said.
Is she… Is she asking for a fight? Issei thought.
[Good. I didn't think it'd be this easy to put this arrogant brat in her place.] Ddraig replied.
"I do think you two are overreacting but you are right. She is starting to annoy me… just a little bit," Mastema said.
"I don't believe now is the best time to—," Ingvild was cut off as Issei stepped forward with a challenging smirk on his face. He pounded his fists together and stared Yeonha down.
The new recruit seemed wholly unfazed by Issei's expression and instead, tightened her grip on the strap of her cello case.
"No, no, Ingvild. If the new recruit wants to, what kind of senpai would I be if I said no," Issei said with a wry smile.
Irina pinched the bridge of her nose and Mitsuki let out a sigh. She stepped forward and placed an arm between Issei and Yeonha. "Ingvild is right. Now is not the time for you two to get into a—"
"It's fine, Captain. I was the one who asked. Sunbae was kind enough to say yes to my request. I promise, this fight will not take all day. A simple spar is good enough for me to see what his skills are," Yeonha said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"It's your call, Mii," Ingvild said, placing a hand on her forehead.
Mitsuki glanced between Issei and Yeonha, seeing the determined looks on their faces. She let out a heavy sigh. They were already there. If this helped lessen tensions between the two, then what was the harm in trying? It was a simple spar anyhow. She pulled her arm back.
"Fine," she said.
Issei perked up at her words.
"But."
The two stiffened at her stern, commanding tone.
"I have some rules," Mitsuki said. She held up four fingers.
"Rule 1. No lethal blows. No killing blows. No blows that can severely injure or maim each other. Otherwise, I will permit you to do whatever you want."
Issei and Yeonha nodded.
"Rule 2. The match is over if one of you gets knocked to the ground by the other. And no, I don't mean tripping them. I mean really knocked down."
Mitsuki went on to the third rule.
"Rule 3. No Boundaries. That means for you, Aniki, no using the Shevirat Ha-Kelim or anything to that effect."
"Aw, what!?"
Mitsuki ignored Issei's indignant outburst and continued onto her fourth and final rule. "And final rule, no use of extra items. The only permitted tools that can be used in this fight are Sacred Gears and MagiTech. No Heavenly Dew. No Phenex Tears. Got it?"
Yeonha and Issei paused for a few seconds before nodding. Mitsuki nodded. "Alright. You two can take your spots on the field. I'll work on calibrating the match with Ingvild. The match will take place over a period of 20 minutes. If none of you are knocked down by the time 20 minutes is up, I'll consider it a draw."
Irina watched as Yeonha and Issei walked out onto the field and took their spots. She crossed her arms and glanced over at Mitsuki, who was busy calibrating the training field on her AS. Ingvild seemed to be eyeing Yeonha intently.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mii-chan?" Irina asked.
Mitsuki didn't even glance up from her screen when she replied. "It's not. But if this helps them break the ice, then who am I to stop them? Worst comes to worst, if they take it too far, Ingvild is here to restrain them."
"I guess we can finally see what a Ranker from a Blacklight Affiliate Academy looks like. She's pretty impressive from what I can see in her files," Ingvild mused as she read through Yeonha's data files. "A Sacred Gear that generates an unlimited amount of electromagnetic crystals. Fulgurite Remorph…"
"What's more is that she's a daughter of the Shin Clan, a highly respected martial arts clan that joined Blacklight when the Chinese Chapter spread across mainland Asia. To put it simply, both her family and the organization had high hopes for her prior to the Seoul Incident. She was going to graduate early and start as soon as possible," Mitsuki added.
"Hmm? Heavenly Black Flower? What kind of title is this?" Irina furrowed her brow as she read Yeonha's file.
"Ignore it. It's just what they refer to the three most prominent female students at St. Catherine's," Mitsuki waved her hand before pressing a button on her screen. A giant scoreboard appeared above the training arena along with a timer.
Hyoudou Issei v. Shin Yeonha
Time: 20:00
"I should have sent you two the timer," Mitsuki said.
Issei fished in his pocket for his AS and pulled it out. A miniature screen appeared above the orb.
Issei Hyoudou vs Yeonha Shin
Time: 20:00
[I don't mind if you use Dress Break on this girl, Partner.] Ddraig said.
"Oh? That's awfully out of character for you, Ddraig," Mastema remarked. Issei could hear the teasing tone in her voice. "You must be living up to your Oppai Dragon title already?"
Issei dropped into his stance and focused. His eyes roamed across her body, taking in every detail of how she positioned herself, her breathing, and even the subtle directions on where her eye twitched. Training with Veles had helped him become a more refined fighter in that sense. He glanced out of the corner of his eye.
Mitsuki stood off to the sidelines with her arms crossed.
"Ready?" Mitsuki raised an arm into the air. Her eyes darted between the two fighters. "Begin!"
Issei shot forward at dizzying speeds. He was determined to end this quickly. This girl who knew nothing about him and what he'd been through had the gall to insult all the effort he put in, especially when it came to surviving this long. In a world where something wanted him dead around every corner.
Yeonha calmly placed her cello bag down and narrowed her eyes.
Issei's fist sailed across the air, cracking it from the sheer speed.
Her eyes widened as she narrowly avoided the attack, the scales of the [Boosted Gear] grazing her cheek slightly. She jumped back and landed a few feet away before refocusing herself on the fight.
"...!?" her eyes narrowed as she spotted a small cut on her left cheek. Her jaw tightened.
"Oh? You got cut just from that. Looks like that's 1 point for me," Issei taunted as he relaxed himself slightly.
Yeonha's eye twitched. Her foot shifted and then, she vanished.
Issei's mouth fell open slightly. His eyes darted around the battlefield and he focused his hearing. What the hell? I can't hear or see her?
"Did you not feel it?" Mastema asked.
Feel what?
[It's best that you observe your opponent, Partner.]
Issei nodded as he closed his eyes. He felt it. It was subtle but it was there, as if a gentle breeze had blown into a cave. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he jumped back. Yeonha's heel came crashing down from above, splintering the solid ground beneath violently.
Without giving him a second to recover his bearings, she darted forward and started delivering a fierce volley of strikes.
Issei grunted as he dodged her attacks. His eyes flicked to her right hand which came barreling toward his shoulder. He grinned as he deflected it with his free hand only to feel an intense agonizing pain.
His eyes widened more in shock than anything. Blood sprayed across the ground as the sensation of a dozen burning needles spread through his skin, flaying every tissue and muscle it could find.
"What the—!?" Issei jumped back and gained some distance. He looked down at his hand, his skin littered with small lacerations. Blood flowed freely from the numerous wounds along his forearm, dripping onto the floor.
"Mitsuki," Irina said.
Mitsuki's eyes glowed as her Precision activated. "Wind. She's controlling the air around her body…"
Issei huffed as he looked down at his hand. He clenched his fist tightly, ignoring the sting of a thousand paper cuts. "That's a nice trick you got there."
Yeonha didn't reply to his comment, instead coiling up like a spring before dashing forward. And like before, she vanished like the wind.
Issei stood there, waiting like last time. That disappearing trick was becoming annoying. It was like she was using the wind to become—
His eyes widened at the realization. Issei knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes and began focusing on his surroundings. There it was again.
He spun on the balls of his feet and threw a punch that connected with something.
Yeonha gasped as she was thrown back several feet.
"Gotcha!" Issei smirked.
And as she was about to fall on her back, a gust of wind cushioned her fall and threw her into the air before landing on her feet.
"What the hell!? That's cheating!" Issei yelled.
"I didn't expect you to notice where I went," Yeonha said, brushing some dust off her coat. She placed a hand on her side where Issei's fist had hit. A throbbing ache shot through her along with a feeling of indignation.
"It was a bit hard to notice at first but… you can control wind, can't you? Somehow, you're using wind to become invisible," Issei said.
"Hah? You figured that out after seeing me use it twice?" Yeonha said. "Hmph, you're not as dumb as I thought."
"Mii, what's going on?" Irina asked.
"She's controlling wind using her ki to bend light and muffle sound," Mitsuki said. "She still hasn't used her Sacred Gear yet. I think Yeonha is testing the waters."
"They have 12 minutes left in the spar," Ingvild commented.
"Hmph, fine. I guess I should get serious then," Yeonha said, noticing the time.
12:15
12:14
Yeonha took a deep breath. The air around her ionized filling the room with the scent of ozone. Everyone could feel the hairs on their neck stand on end.
Issei immediately shifted his stance as he prepared for whatever it was she had. He narrowed his eyes and pressed his feet firmly on the ground.
Yeonha raised her hand as if she were holding something. A swirl of electricity and crystals snaked around her forearm as she lowered it to aim at Issei. The vortex of electrified crystals coalesced into a shape Issei had become recently familiar with. A rifle. A crystallized lightning-infused rifle.
Before he could react, a crack shattered the silence of the arena. At the very last second, Issei managed to block her shot but was sent sliding back by the sheer force of it. His eyes widened as he staggered backward. "W-What the fuck was that?"
Yeonha smiled before darting forward. A faint breeze swirled around her before she disappeared and reappeared in multiple spots, darting from side to side.
[So she was holding some tricks up her sleeve.] Ddraig said.
Issei clenched his jaw as he rushed forward to strike her. His fist connected with nothing but air as the image of Yeonha faded like a mirage. He dove forward as he felt a slight breeze on his neck.
Behind him, Yeonha slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave of ionized crystals erupting from the ground. She jumped into the air and formed two pistols out of the crystals before firing them.
Issei jumped back, avoiding the shots as they ruptured the ground. This bitch is crazy! Issei thought as he slid backward. A volley of crystals flew at him with blinding speeds. His eyes widened before he clenched his fist. The familiar black and red gauntlet appeared on his right arm. His eyes glowed as black flames engulfed the gauntlet.
With a single punch, Issei shattered the crystals, causing them to burn to nothing.
"Looks like all that training with Veles is paying off, Ise-chan," Mastema praised.
"The black flames. The same one you used against the Lord of Gluttony and the Slavic Chief God, Perun. Odd. All the reports say that you could only use it while in Balance Breaker," Yeonha said as she eyed Issei warily.
"Yeah? Well, let's just say I've been practicing a bit!" Issei shot forward. He cocked his fist back and threw a devastating punch at her. The force of it shook the arena slightly and kicked up a large cloud of dust and debris. His eyes widened when he heard the sound of something grinding against metal.
Before him, Yeonha stood unharmed. A faint translucent barrier of wind spun around her rapidly, blocking the attack and sending sparks everywhere.
Yeonha responded to his attempt in kind. She caused the wind barrier to rapidly expand and burst, sending him back. She kicked off her feet and moved rapidly in an instant. There was no wind-up to her movement. It was as if she had been moving at a hundred percent speed from the beginning. She jumped and kicked Issei.
Issei blocked her kick but his eyes widened at the intense force behind it. It was like he was being struck by a train. He was sent sliding across the arena. Before he could fall over, he righted himself and dug the claws of his gauntlets into the ground.
"Haha," Issei laughed slightly.
Yeonha landed on the ground before darting forward with the intent of ending this in one blow. Or she would have.
[Explosion]
A green and red aura surrounded Issei. He ducked under her next blow before sweeping her feet out from under her. As she was about to fall, Issei drove his fist into the small of her back and sent her flying.
Yeonha gritted her teeth and righted herself only for her facial expression to morph into one of shock. Issei appeared directly above her. A black swirl of energy condensed into his right hand as he slammed his palm into her torso.
She gasped as an intense pain shot through her when she was forcefully shot into the ground. "Keuk!" Yeonha coughed.
Issei landed a few feet from her.
"This match is over! Winner! Issei Hyoudou!" Ingvild raised her hand, calling the match.
Issei sighed in relief as Ingvild called the match. Perhaps now, the new recruit would show him a bit more respect now that he won against her.
"No…," Yeonha groaned as she slowly got to her feet. "I can still fight…" Blood trickled down her mouth.
"The match is over," Ingvild said. "The wincon was one of you had to be knocked on your back for the other to claim victory."
"NO! I said I can still fight!" Yeonha snarled as she held her hand out. The latches on her cello case unlatched with a hiss. A black rifle flew out of it and into her hand. Her eyes were filled with a manic intensity as she aimed her rifle at Issei.
"She said that's enough!"
Before anything could happen, Mitsuki appeared between the two. She swung Yorihime, causing its scabbard to strike the rifle out of Yeonha's hand. "Issei won. I expect you to respect the rules of the spar and accept your loss."
Yeonha's jaw tightened. She grabbed her rifle and cello case and left the training arena with a huff. The staccato rhythm of her heels hitting the floor echoed through the arena as she left.
Mitsuki pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared off in the direction where Yeonha had just left. "This is going to be… a massive headache."
DOKKKAAANNN!
Veles whistled as the rock went up in smoke. Where a large boulder once existed lay nothing but a large hole in the ground. Issei panted as he tried to gather his bearings. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath.
"Again. I can do it again," Issei said.
Veles placed a hand on Issei's shoulder, causing him to relax slightly. "You're clearly worn out, kid. Take a rest."
Issei's jaw tightened before he let out a tired sigh. "I… fine," he said as he slid down onto his ear. He leaned back, feeling the sweat trickling off his brow.
"You're getting better at using Megiddo but we've never gone over the Creation part of Ellier's Boundary, have we?" Veles said as he studied the crater in front of him. There was nothing left. It was as if the world had simply deleted it from existence. As he was about to begin his lecture, he noticed the look on Issei's face.
"We can't practice this without a clear mind. What's bothering you, kid?" Veles said.
Issei sighed as he looked up at Veles with a worn-out look. "It's not much. Just this new girl on our team…," he said as he pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack and downed it in a few gulps. He let out a sigh of relief before crushing the bottle in his hand.
"New girl, huh? Did she find out about your perverted antics?" Veles asked.
"What? No, wait. Did she?" Issei furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out the reason behind Yeonha's antagonistic personality. After a few seconds, he shook his head and sat down on the ground. "No, it's not like that. I think she's just an arrogant bitch."
"So she's like Kali then?" Veles said with an amused smile on his face.
"K-Kali?" Issei asked, wincing as he remembered the Goddess of Destruction.
"Yeah, that was what Kali was like at first when she entered the Underworld after chasing two Asuras. She and Ellie weren't always the best of friends. They were… let's say antagonistic toward each other," Veles said.
"Er…"
"Right, right. So tell me about this new girl," Veles said as he sat down next to Issei.
"Right. She transferred over from the Seoul Branch. I think the Old Man and the lady from the Chinese Chapter said she was joining us permanently. And Mii-chan wants us all to get along for our next mission. You know, to find the Divine Keys? But…" Issei closed his eye and clenched his fist in frustration. "She's such a bitch! I mean, I'm trying to be nice to her and all but she keeps blowing me off! But for some fucking reason, she hangs off every word Mitsuki says like Mii is God or something."
"What about your other teammates? How is she acting toward them?" Veles asked.
"Irina, I think she doesn't have a problem with. Ingvild. She's kind of weird around her, I guess," Issei said. "Like she's forcing herself to talk to her. But for me, she's been nothing but an asshole who thinks she knows everything!"
Veles nodded sagely before looking up at the sky. "You know. Us Great Evils. We weren't always on the best of terms. Well, Lucifer and Ereshkigal were friends long before us other Evils joined in but us being a cohesive and well-put-together group wasn't always the reality. We had massive egos and conflicting goals. Back, then this was when the Underworld was at war amongst its deities so you can imagine what it was like for seven people to try and band together during that time and still not agree on everything."
Issei nodded.
"But eventually, we came to an understanding and we all became great friends. It just takes time," Veles said. "She might be going through something like Izanami was. I remember when Izanami first descended into the Underworld. During that time, Yomi was beset on all sides by the other deities such as Tartaros and Yama. Of course, she didn't trust any of us. Kali, of all people, called her an arrogant bitch."
He shook his head at the memory. "But after a while, the two of them got on better than Kali got on with most of us. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it just takes some time. Wait for her to open up. That's what Lucifer did with Kali and what Kali did with Izanami. The more you understand each other, the better it is you two can come to an agreement and form a working friendship."
"I guess," Issei mumbled before reaching into his pack and pulling out a box of Pocky. "Still, can't she be a little nice? I heard she was a bitch with the other teams too. We're the fifth team she cycled through."
Veles just shook his head. "Give her time to adjust."
"Fine," Issei said.
"Speaking of, I caught wind that you were going on another job. I thought this might come in handy," Veles said. He held his hand out and materialized a small tuning fork. He handed it to Issei. "This is a small fragment of my Boundary. Very small. Nothing… devastatingly reality altering. I call it a Forte Blade. It lets you control frequencies to create sonic blasts. It's very simple actually."
Issei held it in his hand, surprised by the amount of weight behind it. He stood up and swung the tuning fork, frowning when nothing happened. "Wha…? How does this thing work—!?" His eyes widened when he flicked the two prongs. He was blasted back by the force it created as the air visibly distorted as an incredibly loud noise echoed through the field. The ground tore apart and the soundwave plowed through several trees before slamming into the face of a cliff and causing it to crumble.
Issei gawked before looking at Veles and pointing at the shattered cliffside.
"You like it?" Veles asked.
Issei just stared at the tuning fork with a new level of respect.
"It has a hidden feature in it that is… well, a bit more on the side of hax but I'll let you discover what it is," Veles said.
"I can really have this thing?" Issei asked as he squeezed the handle. He waved it around, wondering what other surprises Veles hid inside it. Maybe he could also summon a mini Pleroma with it or maybe even summon a full Pleroma? He drooled at the thought.
"Yes, you can. It's yours to keep. Think of it as a gift from your teacher," Veles said as he stood up.
Issei nodded vigorously as he waved the Forte Blade around like a new toy. He turned to Veles with stars in his eyes. "Thanks so much! I can't wait to use this. Hehehe, those damn Seeds won't know what hit them."
"On that topic, I do want to remind you to be careful of who you're dealing with," Veles said. "So far, you've had opponents that you can deal with via brute strength. But soon, you might find yourself running into a foe whose abilities are a bit unorthodox."
Issei paused a bit at Veles's words.
"Just be careful. You never know who you might run into out there, Issei."
"I'll keep that in mind," Issei replied.
The dark space erupted with a roar of frustration ripped through it. The other members of Serpent's Seed looked up, startled by the sudden shout. Above the sky twinkled with only a few stars in the vast distance. Her destination lay ahead of her in this accursed, infernal land. A massive hexagonal structure that seemed to dwarf all others. From it, hung three six-sided crystalline structures.
She leaped from one of the floating cubes before landing at its entrance. With one motion, she kicked the double doors open and found herself glaring at the figure seated on the throne.
"LILITH! I demand an explanation!" Bakunawa snarled as she marched up toward the throne.
Leviathan just smiled and was about to step forward when Lilith raised her hand. Her eyes shifted back to yellow as she stared down at Bakunawa, who stopped short of the stairs.
"An explanation for what?" Lilith said in a slightly annoyed tone.
Bakunawa clenched her fists and bared her fangs at her. "Why did you remove me from the mission to retrieve Samael? I could've fucking taken her! You think I'll fail like Perun did against a single fallen angel!"
Lilith let out a sigh before pinching the bridge of her nose. She did not need this right now. Not when she had something to do right after this. "I have a more important job that only you can do."
"What…? What could possibly be more important than taking Samael? Isn't that the whole reason you sent me to Tartarus? Because of Hades?" Bakunawa said, wondering what Lilith was playing at.
"Samael's poison isn't something we can underestimate. You're a dragon, plain and simple. I have a task though better suited for you. I want you to go after Da'at," Lilith said.
"Wha…? I thought Mammon was working on it," she said.
"He is but he's hit a roadblock and I realized we won't be able to get it through the… usual methods. So I'm sending you to go make sure that Da'at gets found," Lilith said.
"That's it? A fucking treasure hunt!? Are you kidding me!?" Bakunawa said, her frustration and anger growing stronger with each word.
Lilith raised her hand. "No, you see… Ruby told me that Blacklight is sending out one of their teams to go find it. Issei Hyoudou is on that team."
"Oh… so you want me to keep them from getting it," Bakunawa said, her mood suddenly shifting in excitement at the anticipation of fighting the team that defeated Perun. Her fang glinted in the dim light. "Well… why didn't you just say so? I thought you were sending me on a boring fetch job but you need me to turn a bunch of kids to paste and get Lucifer's Divine Key. I'm game. Count me in."
"Something like that. The real plan is that you get to have fun and…"
Bakunawa's eyes widened as Lilith explained what she wanted her to do. That… didn't make sense. Even she, whose mind was filled with nothing but battle and revenge, couldn't comprehend Lilith's plan in the slightest. She shook her head as she tried to process her words.
"But… Huh?"
"Just stick to the script, Baku," Lilith smiled as she leaned on her hand. "Just look at it from a positive note. You get to fight to your heart's content at least. But I need you to play your part."
Bakunawa just nodded dumbly, unable to comprehend what Lilith's angle was in all of this. "I guess that makes sense," she muttered. Her pink eyes flicked up, not wanting to think on it further. A wry grin splits her face. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. If that's what you want, then who am I to question it?"
Lilith nodded. "You're the only person I can trust with this, Baku."
"Of course, I am. I'll make sure it gets done. Besides, I've been itching to see the brats Perun lost to, especially that little Lamb of Judah of yours. I want to see if he's got the balls you all mentioned he has," Bakunawa said as she turned on her feet and walked toward the door.
Before she left, she glanced over her shoulder at Lilith. "I don't know what game you're playing at here, Boss, but as long as I get my fill of enjoyment, then I don't care if you want me to burn down Hell."
And with that, Bakunawa vanished in a swirl of violet flames.
Lilith leaned back in her throne with a sigh as she glanced over at Leviathan. "Get him to shadow her and make sure she succeeds. I don't need anyone interfering with her job. Bakunawa gets a bit of tunnel vision when she's in a fight."
"Him? Are you sure?" Leviathan said. "Wouldn't sending him to retrieve Samael be more wise?"
"No. Nahemah is fine. I'll send someone else to help her hide from Hades's eyes," Lilith said. "I just need someone who can keep her on a tight leash from the shadows. And… he's been itching for something to do."
Leviathan nodded and vanished in a swirl of black water.
Lilith smiled as she created a cup of red wine in her hands. She swirled it around before looking up at the ceiling. "Things are beginning to finally look up, aren't they?"
Alright, that is the chapter! I said I was going to update this every now and then going purely based on vibes. I felt like writing the chapter these past few weeks so here is the chapter. I have a lot of things planned especially regarding the Cardinal(s) for this arc. We already know who one is but not the identity of the other so with that out of the way, let's discuss a few things about this chapter.
Yeonha - Yes, she's a bitch. But she is very motivated. Very very very motivated. We'll find out more about why she's so hostile later. Well, you might already know. There was a whole brief blurb on her file about why she ended up on Mitsuki's team.
Bakunawa: Yes, Bakunawa is going to be the Cardinal of this arc. I'm pretty sure that much was obvious regarding the conversation she had with Lilith at the end there. Finally, some Filipino mythology representation. For those of you unaware, Bakunawa is generally depicted as a gargantuan dragon that rises from the sea and devoured six out of the seven moons in the sky. But anyway, enough about the myth, just know that she's very powerful. Powerful enough to be ranked as the Third Cardinal.
The other Great Evils: I know that in the original Til Midnights, Kali was the one who taught Issei how to fight better and how to use the powers he got from Lilith's Blood/his Boundary but I figured it would be better for Veles to do it. I really liked writing Veles and I feel like he vibes better with Issei. On a further note, there is going to be a major revelation about a certain Great Evil toward the end of this arc. The whole arc is about retrieving her Divine Key after all. Oop. Hope that doesn't spoil too much.
Anyway, that's it for now. No pokedex entry this chapter. I'll add one in the next chapter or maybe the one after that. I'll see you all after Monster Hunter Wilds comes out because I'll be very busy playing it, haha.