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“The fire-pillar is built as if it is surrounding this town. That’s one of the replicas. There’s nothing but death for Devils that touches them and even the Magicians will turn into ashes. ……I did hear that she is helping the Khaos Brigade, but I never thought she would actually show up here……”
So on top of the Evil Dragons, the Longinus also participated in this terrorism! Rizevim shakes his hand happily. [That’s the gist of it, so do your best! We will commence our actions in three hours! Uhyahyahyahyahya!] The vision ends there—. ……It turned into the worst scenario we can ask for……! We moved immediately in order to fight against this. I then look back. Auros academy is behind me. ……The children’s smiles flashes in the back of my head. The children that shared their dreams, the children that have a goal. They will start learning many things at that place…… I can’t let those shit heads destroy this place before this school begins……! ……Fuck off, I won’t……let them destroy this school! We took action immediately. First thing the ORC and Student Council members did was to lead the children, their parents, and the staff to the evacuation site. The evacuation site—is the basement of the school. Sona-kaichou made a very solid shelter deep under the basement of this school just in case something like this happened. Seriously, all of us can only be shocked at how well-prepared Sona-kaichou is. Since there’s more than enough space at the area for refuge, we had the people of this town move there after explaining the situation we are in. Currently, all of the school staff members within the school campus are leading the people to safety. [I see, so you have already started evacuating them.] Sairaorg-san sent the communication-type magic-circle to Rias, so Rias and I are talking to him. I’m guessing the reason why the vision is a bit blurry is due to the appearance of the Purple Flame’s cross affecting it. Rias then says. “Yes, the town isn’t that big so there weren’t many people there. We will have finished evacuating them to the underground shelter of the school in three hours.”
[How is the progress with escaping from that town?] Rias shakes her head to the side at Sairaorg-san’s question. “There’s another barrier around this town besides the one covering the whole region which shunned us from the outside world. On top of that, Purple Flame’s cross has surrounded us. We tried to escape from here, and even if we blow away the double layers of shielding from the protection wall and the cross, it would be repaired immediately.”
The ones that attempted that was Xenovia and Rossweisse-san. We tried to destroy the barrier and the cross of fire using the attack of Ex-Durandal and Rossweisse-san’s offensive magic and de-spell magic. It could be destroyed, but it would be repaired so we couldn’t find any opening. If we can destroy them for at least ten seconds, we will be able to take the civilians outside……
Xenovia tried to go out of the barrier by digging the ground……but apparently the cross of fire also goes deep into the ground. In other words, we are out of plan in terms of escaping from here. Having the Magicians get their magic sealed was a big loss. If they hadn’t had their magic sealed, we could have escaped the barrier around this town right away if we ignore the barrier around the region. —They are preparing for it. By using the magic that wasn’t sealed, the Magicians gathered at the school’s basement shelter are currently attempting to make a teleportation magic-circle! The Magicians down there are all famous in those areas. That’s why this is a possible, yet crazy, way to do it. Apparently the magic that can teleport the children and civilians outside this town will be ready if we buy them several hours, so our fight will last till the spell is completed. We simply need to protect this town from the Evil Dragons that will come to assault here. Sairarog-san takes a breath. [Same situation over here. We are able to destroy the barrier around Agreas, but it gets repaired immediately. We can’t evacuate the people in this city under these conditions. And also—it looks like we are surrounded by the Evil Dragons already.] Sairaorg-san shows us one of the visions from outside. —! Rias and I become speechless at the sight. The whole sky is black. The sky city is covered in jet-black things. Those black things……are herds of Evil Dragons! ……There’s so many of them. The number of them is much more than one hundred or two hundred. ……The one at the centre of the Evil Dragons is a three-headed Dragon. Its stationed right in front of Agreas while flapping six of its wings. ……Its shining black scales are sometimes giving a purple colour, so it stands out even among the herds of mass-produced Evil Dragons. ……So Aži Dahāka headed to Agreas. He’s an opponent that even the Vali-team struggled with. ……It's certain that you should avoid fighting him heads on. [The ones over here are us, the Bael group, Seegvaira Agares and her group, and also Diehauser-sama’s group. We won’t go down so easily.] Sairaorg-san’s team, the Agares’s team, and Emperor Belial’s team are over there. They have more manpower than us. [Seegvaira is acting as a temporal agent of the Arch-Duke and is giving orders at Agreas. She is doing fine. She took command of the city by convincing the hard headed geezers of the councils.] The heiress of Agares. Since my first impression of her was fear, I still have an impression that she’s strict. “……D×D was formed for situations like this, so I’m frustrated that we can’t help them.”
Sairaorg-san shows his strong smile to Rias who is looking frustrated. [You’re wrong, Rias. —We are here. It’s better than none of us being here.] Yeah. If we weren’t here, this place would have been in a worse situation. Sairaorg-san says while looking at me directly. [Hyoudou Issei, this is the situation we must give our all. We must protect Agreas, that town, the children over there, and everyone else.] “……Sairaorg-san, those kids have nothing to do with those guy’s ambition and 666, right?”
[Yeah.] “They simply came here for their dreams, right?”
[Yeah.] “—D×D needs to go all out to protect those children, right?”
[Yeah, of course. Protecting the hopes of the Underworld is the duty of us that formed the D×D. We can’t allow even a single child to get killed. And we can’t forgive even a single of them. We will defeat all of those that come at us. As someone with power, that is our duty!] ……My heart is burning. Damn, it makes me happy. I’m glad we teamed up—. I’m really glad that we formed the D×D team. I never thought having someone besides us fighting will make me feel this strong! [We will definitely go there after we settle things over here. That’s why, you need to hold on!] “Yes! Soon as we succeed in escaping from here, we will definitely go there!”
The battle—is closing in. | text_17 |
In order to have the final meeting before the battle which will have us on the defensive side, Rias and I head to the strategy room located in the underground shelter of the evacuation area. As we progress through the corridor, we see a man and woman sitting on a long chair. They are most likely parents. ……I feel as if I have seen the woman before. As soon as the man sees Rias, he approaches her and asks. “……E-Excuse me. ……Princess Rias, what will happen to this place……”
He has an uneasy expression and voice. Rias says it as she smiles. “There’s nothing to worry about. This shelter is sturdily made, so it can even endure the attacks of the terrorists. Since the teleportation magic-circle would be completed by then, we can escape from here safely.”
The couple softens their expressions hearing that. The man then confesses. “……My son……smiled. Since he wasn’t blessed with demonic-power from birth, my son had been living while being neglected by others. Even so……he’s our child that we were finally able to give birth to in more than a hundred years. We had been raising and supporting him, wishing that he would grow stronger.”
—! ……So he’s in the same situation as Sairaorg-san. The man continues. “However, his peers can all control their demonic-powers as if it’s a natural thing…… My son stopped smiling ever since he realised he’s different from other children…… But, by coming here, our son……smiled. The last time he smiled was when he found out about the Oppai Dragon.”
The couple—confesses in sorrow. ……Parents that have a child that wasn’t blessed with demonic-powers. They must have lived in pain which I possibly can’t imagine. This school is turning into a hope for these parents. When I turn around after sensing the presence—I see a child and Rossweisse-san. The child—is Lirenkus. Lirenkus says it with a bright voice as he jumps into his parents’ arms. “Dad! Mum! Check this out!”
Lirenkus puts his hand forward and puts strength in them. Then, for an instant, a small fire actually lit. Lirenkus reports it to his parent proudly. “It’s fire magic! Look, the fire comes out!”
The man—his dad, becomes stunned for a moment, but then embraces his son with a smile. “……Y-Yeah, well done.”
Many tears flow out of his dad’s eyes. His mum is crying behind him. I’m sure this is something his parents wanted to see but couldn’t. Something normal parents and children experience. A single family that couldn’t. I’m sure they have finally reached this “normal” situation. I’m sure his parents couldn’t hold back their emotions after witnessing the growth of their child. I then say it to Lirenkus. “I’m certain that your name was Lirenkus. Last time, you came to my show.”
“Yup! Thank you very much for back then!”
His mum is shocked. “You remembered him.”
I remembered as soon as Lirenkus came here. Back then, he came with his mum. “See, I told you Oppai Dragon didn’t forget me!”
His mum says “You were right” with a smile to her son. Rias then asks Lirenkus. “Is this school fun?”
“Yup! Hey, do you think I can also become stronger?”
Lirenkus asks us. Rossweisse-san says it as she pats his head. “You will definitely become stronger than me. Being able to challenge obstacles without giving up at your age is amazing. That’s why you need to continue believing in yourself, okay?”
“Yes! Rossweisse-sensei!”
Lirenkus replies energetically. The parents hold hands with their child and return to the room they have to wait in. After we send them off, the three of us walk to the strategy room. Rossweisse-sans says it as she walks. “……It seems like he has been practising for the whole time. He said he wanted to continue practising so his parents won’t cry any more.”
……That boy is also thinking about his parents. Despite being a kid, he must have wanted to get stronger for his parents. Rossweisse-san puts on a smile. “……Whatever the magic is, it will definitely become useful for the caster and other people. Useless magic doesn’t exist in this world.”
That—was something that Gondur-san, Rossweisse-san’s grandmother, said to the kids at the magic lesson. After Rossweisse-san says and thinks about that, she chuckles. “These words I had been repeatedly told by my grandmother when I was a child. I may have understood it, but I may not have. ……But I feel that I can finally understand the true meaning of my grandmother’s words.”
Maybe Rossweisse-san hasn’t realised it, but she has a refreshing expression. Just as we see the strategy room, we find Sona-kaichou, Saji, and the children. The children ask with uneasy expressions. “Saji-sensei, will the scary Dragons come?”
“Is this school going to be gone?”
Saji smiles as he pats the children’s heads. “There’s nothing to worry about. We will defeat all of the bad Dragons! It will be bad if all of you get hurt, so we will need all of you to stay here. That’s why wait here like good kids. Right, Kaichou?”
Kaichou says it as she smiles. “Yes, he’s right. So all of you don’t need to worry about a thing, okay? Let me see. Please watch Oppai Dragon’s video here. By the time the video ends, the bad Dragons will be gone.”
Hearing that, the children show relief and walk to the evacuation area. Saji then says it as he clinches his fist. “……I won’t let them destroy it. There are many Devils that are seeking hope from this school. —This is also our dream.”
I walk towards him and put my hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, let’s protect it.”
Sona-kaichou and Rias also put on strong smiles and nod. “Saji, it’s okay. We have survived many battles. We have continued protecting them. This time will be the same as then. —Let’s protect this town, and this school.”
“Yes, we can’t allow them to destroy it.”
After we confirm our thoughts, we enter the strategy room. Roughly around thirty minutes before the designated time, which is three hours, which the enemies announced. We—the ORC members and Student Council members, returned to the school premises from the underground shelter. The enemies said three hours, but I doubt they would be faithful about it. We kept on being alert and had finished our preparation by the time two hours exceeded. And thirty minutes before the designated time—which is now, we moved up to the ground in order to prepare for battle. Our battle will be quite simple. Until the Magicians down in the basement complete creating a teleportation magic-circle, we need to protect this town—as well as this school. It will be a battle of defence. Since Ravel is a non-combatant member, we had her wait in the shelter. It happens when we are walking through the corridor in order to exit the room. Asia stops all of a sudden as if something caught her attention. When I look that way—it was the wall of this corridor. There are writings on the wall done by the children who experienced the experience day. There are messages written and pictures drawn. [I want to become the Rating Game Champion.] [I hope I can attend this school!] [I’m happy I could meet Oppai Dragon!] [I want to come here again!] | text_17 |
[I want to enrol in this school!] There are innocent wishes written there. Symbols and pictures I can’t even call good. They must have drawn what they thought while they experienced the experience day. ……I can’t keep back my feelings when I see this. It makes me feel that I need to protect this place even more. It feels as if everyone’s spirit has increased by seeing this. Then I sense several people approaching us. Men that are wearing soldiers' armour walk in front of us. Judging from their faces, they don’t seem like soldiers. Don’t tell me they are……
Kiba then says. “……They are the children’s fathers and brothers.”
Yes, they are the children’s dads. Everyone looks like they have resolved themselves. The dads take a step and say —
“We too will fight.”
“There are only few people of this town that can fight and I also heard that soldiers aren’t stationed here.”
“Having even a single more person must be better. There must definitely be things where we can also contribute besides fighting.”
“There may be residents that haven’t escaped yet.”
Like they said, we are the only combatants. So we won’t be able to take that much action. And if there really are residents who have yet to escape to safety, then it makes me wonder if we can even handle that as well. Koneko-chan who uses senjutsu said that it became harder for her to sense delicate presence ever since the cross of fire surrounded the town. Koneko-chan said that maybe those purple flame pillars are interfering with her ability to search…… Because of that, there may be residents she couldn’t find. Rias says it with a stern look. “However, even if our opponents are mass-produced enemies, they are still Evil Dragons. They are not enemies we can take lightly. The legendary Evil Dragons will also be here. —This will be a battle to the death.”
She’s right. Our enemies are the terrorists. On top of that, they are the wicked herds of Evil Dragons—. We can’t guarantee our lives. We are going to fight while having our lives on the line as well. Their will to fight doesn’t even waver after they heard Rias, and instead, they smiled. “Even so, please allow us to fight, Princess Rias.”
“Mere Devils like us possibly can’t say something bold like we will protect Agreas and this town.”
“That’s why we will fight with one thing in our minds which is to protect this school.”
“This school which is like the children’s dream became our hope as well. That’s enough reason for us to risk our lives.”
……They are planning to put their lives on the line. For their children’s dreams. For their family’s hope. They are saying they will fight while risking their lives for them. —While they put on a great smile. Rias keeps down her feelings and puts on a strong smile. “……Looks like you won’t listen even if I say anything. Fine, but you have to promise me one thing.”
Rias looks around and says it strongly. “All of you absolutely can’t die. All of you need to watch over your children’s future. That’s the reason why this school was built.”
“ “ “ “ “ “Understood!” ” ” ” ” ”
The dads roar with high spirits. If they are willing to do this much, then we must protect this school at all costs. No, this is the obvious thing to do. We will defend this place without having a single casualty……! We—then prepare for the battle to defend in a do-or-die spirit. What we see in the sky is a herd of black creatures. The black Evil Dragons continue to stay in the air as they surround the town. So those guys will attack all at once when the time comes huh. I can only feel chills when I think about it. More than a hundred of them. The number far exceeds the number of mass-produced Dragons that showed up in Romania. They destroyed the town back then while having way less numbers of them. Even the brave dads are pushed back after seeing the herds of Evil Dragons. We exit the school campus, and we have a final confirmation before we head to our position. Sona-kaichou who came up with the plan takes a step forward and then says. “From here, we will have this school as the centre point and spread out to all directions just like in the plan. Please stay in pairs most of the time and take down the enemies.”
We will scatter while having the school as the centre point to take down the Evil Dragons that are flying. These are the pairings. “King” Rias + “Knight” Bennia. “Knight” Kiba + “Queen” Shinra-fukukaichou. “Knight” Xenovia + “Rook” Yura. “Queen” Akeno-san + “Knight” Meguri-san. Ace Irina + “Bishop” Hanakai-san. “Rook” Rugal-san + “Bishop” Kusaka-san. “Pawn” Saji + “Rook” Koneko-chan. “Pawn” Hyoudou Issei (Me) + “Pawn” Nimura-san. It’s basically firepower + defending or supporting. It’s formed in a way where both the vanguard and rearguard are active. Sona-kaichou and Gya-suke will take base at the school’s courtyard. Gasper will turn into darkness-mode while mass producing his beasts and the plan is to send them to all directions under Kaichou’s command. We will have the reinforcement dads go around the houses and have them check if there are any residents left behind. Of course they will have to withstand to some degree the Evil Dragons' onslaught if they attack them. Though we are trying our best to have them not overdo it. In terms of battling, they are much inferior compared to us. It will be better to have them not battle as much as possible and instead avoid it. Kaichou then says it to me. “Ise-kun, please bring it out.”
I nod and make my familiar appear. My familiar—Skithblathnir. It originally was the size of a model toy—but what appears from the magic-circle is Ryuuteimaru which is the size of a boat. Rias then tells Asia. “Asia, you will get on this to move around the battlefield.”
“Yes!”
The current Ryuuteimaru has quite the speed. It isn’t as fast as Kiba, but it’s possible to close the distance instantly if its a short distance. “A Healer that moves through the battlefield will become an easy target, so like we planned, the one that will guard her is—”
Rias looks towards Rossweisse-san. Rossweisse-san takes a step forward. “Yes, it will be me. I will support everyone from the rear and attack while becoming Asia-san’s shield.”
She’s fit for the role. She will guard Asia by using defensive magic, and if she is going well, she can attack the enemy by doing a long-range attack from the top of Ryuuteimaru. Since she doesn’t need to move herself, she can use her stamina for attacking instead. “…………”
Kiba who is putting on a hard expression appears in my sight. ……He still doesn’t have full control of Gram. He’s still yet to try out the method of covering it with the holy-demonic sword. If that happens, this guy might overdo it. He isn’t someone who will listen to what we say. I then whisper in Shinra-fukukaichou’s ear who is Kiba’s pairing partner. (Fukukaichou, Kiba may overdo it, so please be alert and watch over him. He may wield Gram while trimming away his life. If it becomes serious, can you please stop him?) | text_17 |
Shinra-fukukaichou replies by saying “I understand” when I said that and nods. I then put on a lecherous smile and add this. (It’s your chance to raise his affection towards you. Please do your best.) Since I thought this will become an opportunity for Fukukaichou who is crazy about Kiba, I gave such advice. Shinra-fukukaichou then turns red right away, and
“W-W-W-Wwwwwwwwwwhat on earth are you saying!? I-I don’t……”
She panics. Oh, she’s acting so innocent. Rather, her eyes are swirling! “?”
Kiba the man himself tilts his head in wonder. I then hear the conversation of Sitri’s newbies—Bennia and Rugal-san. Bennia who is putting on a bitter smile and Rugal-san who is emotionless like always. 《We sure aren’t lucky to find ourselves in such crazy battles continuously after becoming part of this group.》
“……This is also fate.”
They certainly joined at a bad time……
Both of them supported the lessons of this school thoroughly. Bennia started a lecture regarding Grim Reapers while Rugal-san performed his battle-techniques that involves the mix of his hand-to-hand combat and magic. For some reason I’m a bit relaxed. We are done with our final confirmation, but then—a single magic-circle activates at the schoolyard. ……It’s a large communication-type magic-circle. It’s a formula Magicians use. A single person appears from the magic-circle. The one that appears in the vision is a young woman that is wearing purple gothic-lolita clothing. A woman that is spinning around her purple gothic-patterned umbrella. She has an appearance of early 20s and looks like a doll. She has a mysterious beauty. Rather, I can’t help but feel that she’s covered in evil aura even from over the vision. The woman introduces herself after smiling. [How do you do, Devils. My name is Walburga, I’m one of the leaders of “Hexennacht”. Pleased to make your acquaintance♪]
I’m seeing this woman for the first time, but several people among our group put on serious expressions when they heard that name. Sona-kaichou then mutters. “……“Walburga the Purple Flames”. The possessor of the Longinus “Incinerate Anthem”……”
—! I become speechless. S-So this woman is the rumoured user of the Holy Cross! Walburga continues while smiling. [I came here with the Evil Dragons to burn all of you under Rizevim-ojisama’s command. It will be worth burning all of you if you get infatuated with me.”
Her squeaky voice is hurting my ears, but the creepy aura around her body doesn’t change. She seems to have a nasty personality unlike the way she talks……
[It’s about time the battle begins, so are all of you ready?] All of us members glare at Walburga. Walburga acts scared on purpose seeing that. [Iyaan, all of you sure are scaring me. The Devils are in a bad mood♪ Ufufu, it looks like it will turn interesting♪]
—! I then get chills at seeing the evil smile she showed for a moment. ……Yeah, she is the type of woman that can kill people without a second thought. If I hold back—she will turn me into ashes. Walburga says it as she looks around us. [Which one of you is Rossweisse-san?] ……Rossweisse-san? Everyone looks that way, so she finds out which one of us is Rossweisse-san. Walburga then says it to Rossweisse-san. [The thing is, I was told to bring you as harmless as I possibly can.] “? From who?”
Walburga answers Rossweisse-san’s question while spinning around her umbrella. [—From Euclid-san. He said he wants you. Iyaan, I’m so jealous that a handsome man is asking for you♪]
……So that guy wants Rossweisse-san that much huh. Does Rossweisse-san have that much potential……? Rossweisse-san shakes her head to the side. “I won’t go with you. I will fight.”
When she says that, Walburga replies with a smile and says “I thought so♪” as if she knew her answer. She then lifts the side of her skirt and says her goodbye. “Then everyone. Let’s have a great battle.”
Saying that, the magic-circle disappears. ……To show her face before the battle. Xenovia says it with disgust. “I know how people like her think very well. She definitely must be the type of person who enjoys looking at the face of those who she will kill. It makes me vomit.”
I see, she certainly carried that kind of atmosphere. She was looking around us while taking a good look at our faces. Rias shows a strong smile despite the fact that she sighed when Walburga appeared. “Everyone, are all of you ready? Now then, my adorable servants! Our opponents are the terrorists that have the mass-produced Evil Dragons with them! Just how many crises do you think we have overcome till now? This may also be a dangerous situation, but dying here isn’t forgivable!”
She says it to us in her usual manner. “Let’s blow them away like we always do!”
“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”
The Gremory group plus Irina reply back to her energetically! At the Sitri-side, Sona-kaichou tells them something. “……If we are defeated, this school will most likely be destroyed without a trace. —There are dreams and hopes gathered here. There’s no reason for this place to be destroyed. So let’s protect it. That will be our reason to fight as someone that built this place.”
“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”
The Sitri-group and the dads are also fired up! We—then scatter out to our specific locations! I activate Balance Breaker right away and arrive at the south-side of the school together with my partner, the “Pawn” Nimura-san. We take base at the brown crop field that already had its vegetables removed. Oooooooooooooon! The beast’s roar that echoes through the sky—. The herd of Evil Dragons roared. It must be the signal that the designated three hours has passed. The armies of Evil Dragons that are flying in the air came at us! I go straight ahead and defeat them one after another where they fall down to the crops. It’s so loud that the earth shakes as the giant Dragons land. My partner Nimura-san equips her leg armour Artificial Sacred Gear and starts kicking with her overflowing aura. “Oryah! Despite this, I do some training!”
Nimura-san says that, and her hand-to-hand combat is improving as I watch her. Even her speed is amazing as her afterimages remain and it tells me that she has full control over her Sacred Gear. Far away from us, there are violent shocks occurring. When I look that way sometimes, I can see the holy aura that reaches high up to sky and thunders striking down. Looks like everyone is going crazy! Much further away—I can tell that many explosions I can’t possibly count are happening even from here. Sairaorg-san and others must be fighting there too. —Then something appears from our shadow. It’s a giant creature made up from darkness! It appears from underneath me and Nimura-san’s feet and it starts to take on the Evil Dragons. Looks like Gasper is creating and sending his beasts of darkness from the school! The beast of darkness attacks the Evil Dragons together with us! It sure makes me feel stronger! —But I don’t think the number of Evil Dragons are decreasing! | text_17 |
It will be good if he can use a darkness that covers the whole sky just like in Romania, but that drains his energy a lot and it isn’t something he can do many times or have it last for several minutes. The number of enemies are far greater than before. Gasper’s power is one of our keys in this battle of defence. Rather than having him unable to fight by having him push himself, Kaichou judged that it will be better if we have him keep on creating and sending his beasts of darkness. Fourteen Evil Dragons come at us right ahead! I change the piece inside me to “Bishop” and have two cannons appear on my shoulders. The huge amount of aura charged in my cannons. —Welsh Blaster Dragon! I will tune it so I don’t destroy the town but defeat those guys! “Alright, here I come!”
The two red auras that come out from the cannons engulf the army of mass-produced Evil Dragons and then blow! The army of Evil Dragons perish with the shot just now! That’s a good sign! Even so, their attack shows no signs of stopping. I spread my Dragon wings and go ahead together with Nimura-san. Roughly ten minutes pass. It happens when there are piles of Evil Dragons that we defeated are lying around. From behind us, an explosive sound which can be heard even from here occurs! When I look that way—I see a purple flame pillar that reaches high up the sky. ……It has the shape of a cross. Walburga huh. That’s the southern part of the school! I’m sure the one in charge over there is Rias and Bennia! I then hear a voice from the magical device in my ears which acts as an earphone. It’s Sona-kaichou’s voice. [……The Holy Cross user has assaulted from the southern region. It will be hard for only Rias and Bennia to take her on. For now, narrow your area you must defend by forming a group of four. Everyone, for now please fall back—]
An explosive sound and a black flame interrupts Sona-kaichou! It isn’t the cross! Then what is it this time!? We then hear Koneko-chan’s scream. [This is Koneko who is in charge of Southwest region. ……Evil Dragons Grendel and Ladon have appeared.] —! Grendel!? At this time…… No, he must have showed up because of a time like this! Longinus possessor from the South and legendary Evil Dragons from the Southwest! Koneko-chan and Saji are in charge of the Southwest region! It’s impossible for those two to take on Grendel and another Evil Dragon! Nimura-san and I look at each other and head towards Koneko-chan after confirming with each other. When we arrived there, the school is in front of our eyes as well as danger. It’s a place where there are many windmills. But several windmills have been destroyed already and there is smoke arising from them. A Dragon who has more evil aura than others realises that I am approaching it. It shows an evil grin and narrows its dangerous and glittering silver eyes. [Hey, Sekiryuutei, it’s been a while! Here I am!] Yeah, I know. It even makes me sick. This is my third time encountering him. And it makes me sick. Where are Saji and Koneko-chan……? When I look around—I catch the sight of Koneko-chan and Saji that are battered already, but are confronting Grendel. Great. Looks like I made it in time. I’m relieved but a tree that has a shape of a dragon appears before me. No, it’s a giant Tree-Dragon—. The part of its region which I presume is its face opens. That’s most likely its mouth. Then the shining red things located at the dent must be its eyes—. It catches me within its sight and then a voice can be heard. [This is my first time meeting you. “Insomniac Dragon” Ladon is my name. I’m mostly in charge of barriers and protection walls…..pleased to make your acquaintance.] ……So this guy is one of the main culprits behind this attack. And the one who covered this whole region with a barrier is this guy. If I remember right, he’s proficient in defending and sealing, right? He was apparently one of the trials the First-Gen Heracles had to face, but I think I heard that it got defeated by having Hydra’s poison thrown in its mouth. Sadly, I don’t carry a useful item like that, and even if I did, it probably got rid of its weakness by the power of the Holy Grail……
Grendel says it to us who are making a stance at him. [I heard, you know? You guys made a thing called school, right?] He points its thick fingers towards there. He then says it as he makes more evil grin. [If I try to destroy that, then all of you will have fun with me more seriously, right?] —! ……This bastard……! Just how much can he……! Saji and I raise our anger at his words that’s trying to play with us! The four of us here which includes me, Koneko-chan, Saji, and Nimura-san, need to defeat him here! No, in worst case scenario we have to hold him here till the Magicians complete their teleportation magic-circle! Of course we will beat him around as much as we can! Grendel expands his wings and roars! [Then, let’s start! Will I destroy that school or will you guys destroy me, let’s see which one does that firsssssst!] He then blows air into his stomach immediately! He’s trying to breathe fire! He—turns towards the school! He’s planning to shoot it out! This bastard is trying to shoot a giant fireball at the school! “No you won’t!”
I try to smash him by moving to his side—but a barrier wraps around me! It feels as if I entered a giant bubble! I look towards Ladon! The Tree-Dragon is releasing a black aura while glaring at me with its glittering red eyes! Ku……! I fell for it! I showed a hole in my defence because Grendel’s fire took my attention! He put barrier on me then! Nimura-san and Koneko-chan jump ahead to hit Ladon! “You!”
“Give Senpai back!”
Nimura-san’s powerful kick and Koneko-chan’s punch covered in touki! Both of them nail the target sharply—but the protection wall around Ladon blocks them as if they were nothing. [It’s futile. A mere attack won’t break my barriers.] It’s not that the attacks of those two are weak. Koneko-chan and Nimura-san’s attacks smash the mass-produced Evil Dragons. However, the barrier created by this Dragon blocks them completely! I try to attack from inside the barrier—but it doesn’t even move! What the, what’s with this solid barrier!? My punch is powerful enough where it can blow away normal defensive magic-circle with ease! Grendel yells at Ladon after seeing me caught inside the small barrier. [Oioioioi, Ladon! Sekiryuutei is mine!] He glares at his comrade with eyes filled with murderous intent. No, they probably don’t see each other as one. After all, I heard that Grendel even went against Aži Dahāka. Ladon says it plainly as if he didn’t care. [It shouldn’t be a problem. You had fun with this person several times already, correct? Sekiryuutei that is said to be focused with raw power as much as possible. I would like to test whether he can break through my barriers.] Grendel glares sharply at him. While it turned into a situation where he would blow up in any second, Grendel steps back as he makes a sound with his tongue. [Chi! | text_17 |
That’s why I don’t like working with someone! Alright. Euclid will get noisy if Evil Dragons fight against each other. Then I’ll just take care of these guys. This is the only time I’m allowing this, got it, Ladon? I won’t take this request for the second time!] Grendel leaves me and rushes towards Saji. [Then I’ll take care of Vritra! Hey, Vritra-chaaaaaan!] This is bad! He will be too much for the current Saji to handle himself! I try to have Koneko-chan and Nimura-san assist Saji—but both of them get cut off due to the attacks of the mass-produced Evil Dragons that are coming down from the sky! ……Looks like I have to do it! This isn’t the time to reserve my stamina! —It’s time for my Crimson armour! I then say the chant! “—I, who is about to awaken am the Sekiryuutei who holds the truth of king up high! Holding infinite hope and unbreakable dreams, and walking the path of righteousness! I will become an Emperor of Crimson Dragon—”
“— And I will lead you to the path of Heaven glowing in deep crimson light!”
A crimson glow emits from my armour and changes its shape! –At the same time I promoted, I break Ladon’s barrier! The powerful barrier that engulfed me perishes with the single punch of my True-“Queen”! Alright! In this form I will be able to break Ladon’s barrier or whatever he uses! I try to go to Saji’s aide after kicking him once, but another barrier envelops me! And this time there are two or three layers of them! Ladon’s eyes at the dent of its face shines mysteriously! [I see, so this is the rumoured Crimson armour. It seems like it can destroy my barrier……but I wonder if it works with two or three layers of them?] “I simply have to destroy them!”
I don’t care what it is, so I punch the barrier front of me first! —But, another barrier appears as soon as I break it and it stops me from escaping! Simply attacking this won’t be effective! He may be planning to have me use up my stamina by having me attack! Then I simply have to blow away Ladon from this position using my Crimson Blaster! But I’m not sure whether it can also break through the protection wall around him. This is bad. This guy has the worst compatibility with me! For myself with firepower, there’s a risk for guys like this who make the attack go elsewhere seal my move completely! If I have at least Ddraig return, it will become a different story if I can use those wyverns while suppressing my consumption rate......! Darkness Gasper’s beasts try to attack and destroy the barrier around me, and even if they succeed in making a crack, it gets repaired instantly. So their attacks lack criticality. While I’m trying really hard to figure out how to deal with this situation, a dull sound reaches my ear. A sound as if a bone got crushed. When I look that way—I find Saji on the ground while he places his hand on his stomach! Grendel has a posture where he looks like just did a kick. Did he receive a direct kick from him!? Saji……has his black flames waver, and he’s trying to take the enemy head on by connecting the line to him. But having an exchange of blow with Grendel who is insanely strong in it is impossible unless you are the same power-type as him. No, this is Saji we are talking about. He must have dodged it. But Grendel is also fast. Grendel must have kicked Saji while following his move! [Guhahahaha! What the, Vritra isn’t here? You probably could have continued if he was here, right? Well, someone like you who only combined other Sacred Gears can’t take me on, you know? Unless you have high offense and defence like the Sekiryuutei over there.] Grendel laughs. Yeah, Saji doesn’t have Vritra with him now. In order to help Ddraig and Albion, he went into the depth of the Sacred Gear together with Fafnir. After Grendel glances at Saji once, he walks towards the school. —But Saji doesn’t give up and stands in front of him. “I won’t let you go there!”
He makes a wall with the black flame and surrounds Grendel in every direction. Grendel gets rid of them by simply swinging his arm. Even so, Saji continues to increase the number of lines and connects it to Grendel. He’s probably thinking that making Grendel’s power weaker as much as possible is a good idea. “Nimura! Toujou-san! I’ll connect these lines to you two—”
Saji tries to connect his line to his comrades. He’s planning to connect that and change the Evil Dragon’s power to a power for Devils. If that’s possible, we can trim away the enemy’s power and make it our own. It will be throwing a rock and getting two birds……
[You are in the way, damn braaaaat!] Grendel moves its gigantic body quickly and stops Saji’s movement! Grendel who came in front of Saji brings his foot up and then drops it! Saji gets smashed to the ground! His body bounces several times as he rolls the ground! “……Guha!”
Saji vomits loads of blood from his mouth. That attack is bad! He’s critically injured! Unless he gets healed immediately, Saji will……! I open my cannons which are hidden inside my wings in order to save Saji! I then aim it at Ladon! Ladon smirks. [Oh my! That must be your special move, correct? Very well! Shoot me! I will definitely block it!] “Keep on saying that, shithead!”
I send my aura to the cannons and build up the energy! Koneko-chan and Nimura-san continue to defeat the mass-produced Evil Dragons while trying to approach Saji! “Genshirou-senpai! Please run! Geez, move it, all of you!”
“……We can’t allow you to die here!”
Both of them try to rescue him desperately! Me too! I’ll destroy these barriers and will go to him right away! I confirm that the cannons have the energy charge from inside the barrier. I then release it towards Ladon! “Goooooooo! Crimson Blasteeeeeer!”
A huge amount of crimson aura gets released! It destroys the barriers around me with ease and is heading towards Ladon! The moment it hits the barrier which he activated, the crimson aura makes an explosive sound while making a bright flash! What lies behind the explosion after the wave of aura settles—is the Evil Dragon Ladon who has smoke coming from his body but is still alive! ……There are parts on his body that have been blown away, but his main body is unhurt…..! I become speechless after realising once again how hard the Evil Dragons are. I don’t know what to say. All of them are rock solid! The Gremory-group that has high fire-powers are being treated like kids! For the third time, barriers envelop my body in many layers! ……This again!? Ladon laughs quietly. [Good attack. I never thought it would penetrate my protection walls…… But my body is also quite hard, you know? My body isn’t as solid as Grendel, but I will be harder if I include my barriers.] ……So this is our enemy huh. Someone who is more powerful than him is waiting for us. It’s over for us if Crom Cruach appears here. We will have to fall back and regroup with others to attack him if he does. Though the question is, how far can we go…… No, our current aim is to defend this place. | text_17 |
You can say it’s our victory if the teleportation magic-circle is completed. Well, even if we succeed in letting the residents escape from this town, we can’t avoid fighting these guys unless the barrier around this whole region disappears……
While Ladon and I fight, Grendel continues to move towards the school! We can’t let him go! He will destroy that school with joy! We can’t let him destroy that school! That place is filled with the children’s dreams……! My friend who stands up while being in battered state appears in my sight. “……I won’t let you!”
Saji whose body is covered in blood pushes himself to stand and he connects many lines to Grendel’s body! He tries to stop him by pulling the lines—but Grendel simply puts on a fearless smile. [What the! A weak power like thaaaaaat! Do you think you can pull my body with something like that? Guhahahahaha! Futile futileeeeee! Damn grunt!] Grendel shakes his body and rolls over! Saji gets pulled and gets thrown up the air! Grendel tries to release his punch by swinging it down! Saji tries to make a shield of fire after he thinks that getting hit by it is bad—but his timing was slow, so he receives the sharp punch to his body! The sharp sound reaches my ears and Saji gets smashed to the ground. His body bounced on the ground violently and smashed into the windmill! The windmill gets destroyed due to the impact. Saji—stands up weakly from the rubble. His face is covered in blood, he has blood coming out from his mouth, and his right arm is bent the wrong way. “……I won’t let you destroy……the school……that place is……that place is…….”
He starts to repeat on saying that quietly. Maybe he lost interest in the battered Saji, so Grendel ignores him and heads towards the school. Darkness Gasper’s beasts charge towards Grendel, but he doesn’t even take them on seriously and defeats them! Saji……stands desperately with his shaking legs and tries to pull Grendel with the lines. —But that was also useless. Saji couldn’t overpower Grendel’s charge and falls. Even though he’s getting dragged on the floor and is being covered in dirt, he doesn’t let go off the lines—. “……I won’t let you go, I absolutely won’t……”
No matter how many times he gets smashed by Grendel’s tail, he doesn’t let go off the lines—. Seeing him……I couldn’t keep down my emotion. Saji’s words flash back to my memories. —…………Hey, Hyoudou. —……The children call me “Sensei”. ……They call me “Sensei” with a smile. Even I’m……far from being one. —Hyoudou, I came to realise it once again after engaging with children here. —I will definitely become a “teacher”. —Though I need to promote to a Mid-class Devil first. —But, I definitely will. You idiot……! You……! You are still trying to protect that school……even after being in that condition……! Yeah, I know, Saji! What’s in your head right now are the children’s smiles, right? You have to do it after you saw those smiles! You have to move! Of course you would resist even if that means death! But at this rate, Saji will really die! I hit the barriers while having tears in my eyes. I continue to hit it! Ladon’s barriers that continue to repair no matter how many times I destroy them! My friend, my important friend! He’s fighting while putting his life on the line! He’s standing up even though he’s in a serious condition! Why do I have to be sealed inside a pathetic thing like this!? Ladon simply laughs. [Oh, you are good. Such overwhelming power. At this rate, you will break through my barrier. —However, that boy and that school can’t be saved.] Grendel laughs loudly. He lifts his feet and he’s about to stomp Saji! [Guhahahahaha! Too baaaaaad! This is the end for you! Guhahahahahahahahahaha! And it’s decided that school will be crushed as weeeeeell!] The moment his foot is about to stomp Saji—. Someone picks up the fallen Saji and evades Grendel’s stomp. There are several people that are facing Grendel—the children’s dads. There’s also some I know among them. —It’s Lirenkus’s dad. “You are……Lirenkus’s dad!”
“……There are no residents in this area! We will assist you! We will buy you as much time as possible, so please reorganise your formation……”
Koneko-chan and Nimura-san finally get away from the mass-produced Evil Dragon’s assault and arrive at where Saji is. They fall back after picking him up. The dads stand in front of Grendel boldly! “B-Bring it! Damn Evil Dragon!”
“We won’t let you go to that school!”
The dads don’t flee from Grendel even though their bodies are shaking in fear. Grendel laughs lively after seeing that. [What the heck. Mere grunts trying to interfere with my fun? Geez, grunts should die as grunnnnnnts!] Grendel sucks in air to his stomach and breathes out fire! The dads’ activate the defence magic-circle, but they get shattered and blown away by the force! “Please run! At this rate, all of you will be killed!”
Even though I screamed at them, the dads faced Grendel although they were covered in wounds! Before the fight, I had a little chat with Lirenkus’s dad. Lirenkus’s dad took out a badge from his pocket and showed it to me. —It’s an Oppai Dragon merchandise. [There was something my son took an interest to. It’s the Oppai Dragon. The reincarnated Devil, Ise Gremory, cooperates with many of his comrades and defeats the enemy. The main character who is usually goofy, fights while putting his life on the line. My son became addicted to your programme. He became captivated by it……]
Lirenkus’s dad looked up at the school and smiled. [When we heard about this school, this was what Lirenkus said with a bright expression.] —I want to attend this school! I will attend this school and become a Devil that fights for others! [……I was happy. My son……shared his dream with us. My son who usually shunned himself. Lirenkus who wasn’t blessed with talent. He attained a dream…… You have no idea how amazing this is! That boy learned magic. He was able to use magic. My son could do something! ……For my wife and me, it was something which felt like a dream……]
As he showed me his smile, he said this to me—. [For my family, this school is our hope. It’s our dream. So we can’t allow it to be destroyed. We can’t allow it to get destroyed! Even at the cost of my life, i'll protect my son’s dream even by a little.] Grendel’s fireball hits the dads without mercy. It makes a violent explosion—. Lirenkus’s dad who gets blown up in the air and gets smashed to the floor without being able to do anything. Lirenkus’s dad who gets blown close to me—has his armour cracked, and blood spurting from his whole body. Lirenkus’s dad apologises to me. “……I’m sorry. I could only do this much to you……”
I shout while I shake my head. “Please get a hold of yourself! You have a duty where you have to watch over his future. Don’t die! Asiaaaaaa!”
I shout Asia’s name! We need her healing power! Please heal Saji and the dads! We can’t allow these brave warriors that tried to protect that school die! They have to survive. | text_17 |
They need to survive for the children that will attend this school! I then hear Asia’s desperate voice through device. [I’m sorry, Ise-san! Other people were also injured……please hold a bit longer!] ……When I look around, I can hear lots of explosion, impact, and earth tremoring from afar. Everyone is defending this place desperately…… Everyone is standing up even if they are injured……! ……If I’m the only one being caught in a barrier without being able to do anything……I won’t be able to look at everyone else in their faces! I then prepare for shooting Crimson Blaster once again! Ladon simply laughs fearlessly. [I see, so you will shoot it once more? Very well. Then I shall take you on once again. Though it would be the same result!] Stop saying rubbish! —But, the mass-produced Evil Dragons are gathering while we are doing this, so the four of us and the dads have been completely surrounded. ……Even if I’m able to breakthrough here and escape, Saji and the dads…… I’m not sure whether they will survive! ……Anyone, anyone is fine. There will be a chance if someone comes to our aid! “……I must use it here!”
Koneko-chan becomes determined and is charging her ki. She must be planning to use “Shirone mode”. That’s her last resort. If she uses that, there’s a chance that she will faint. A situation where we find ourselves helpless. The situation of the battle here is getting worse. It happens when I was biting my teeth hard due to the frustration—. One of the Evil Dragons surrounding us jumps up high. No, that’s wrong. I become dubious at the way it jumped unnaturally. That Evil Dragon wasn’t the only one that did a weird jump. They start to get pushed up one after another. Yes, I find myself in a situation where the giant Evil Dragons are getting thrown up to the sky. Such strange phenomenon is approaching me. What appears in my sight—is a very dense touki. I finally understand. The mass-produced Evil Dragons were punched up to the air. That person. That man. He opens the path by blowing away the giant Evil Dragons with his fist only……! That man appears manly while he beats the Evil Dragons. While having a golden lion accompany him—. Sairaorg Bael appears as he defeats the Evil Dragons……! Grendel laughs seeing that. [Oioioi, who’s that bastard that’s smashing the Evil Dragon grunts?] Ladon answers. [He’s most likely Sairaorg Bael of the House of the Great King. I hear that he had poor demonic-power since birth. Apparently he fought equally with the Sekiryuutei over there, only with his bare hands.] While piling up the Evil Dragons he defeated, Sairaorg-san arrives to our place. “—Looks like I made it just in time.”
I man cry at his words. “Sairaorg-san……!”
“Yeah, I’m sorry for arriving late. We are at advantage at the battle up at Agreas. So they sent me here. I came here by force using my touki to go past the Holy Cross’s flames.”
I see, so they are at advantage up there! My spirits build up simply by hearing that! No, thanks to this man coming here, I……! Sairaorg-san directs his fighting spirit towards Grendel and Ladon. “I hear that you are after that school.”
Everyone here including myself devoted ourselves to protect this town and school. —But this man is showing more battle spirits than all of us. The Devil called Sairaorg Bael is right here who is glaring at the Evil Dragons, Grendel and Ladon—. “I won’t allow you……! —I will have you die, Evil Dragons!”
Our counterattack starts here! Sairaorg-san who is facing Grendel. Grendel laughs fearlessly. No, he’s building up his tension in joy. [Guhahahaha! I heard that there is a Great King Bael who swings his fist like an idiot, so were they speaking truthfully?] “Evil Dragon Grendel. I have heard about you. I heard that you are an evil spirit that enjoys even death.”
[Guhahaha! I never thought the Great King of Devils would call me an evil spirit! I don’t care about such things. The problem is whether you can fight me or not!] Sairaorg-san says this to Grendel who has evil aura coming out from his body. “—Then come at me.”
The giant Evil Dragon’s fist gets released towards Sairaorg-san! He came head on! Sairaorg-san doesn’t dodge but takes it on purpose! His body that is covered in touki is more than tough since he has iron-like defence, so he even endures Grendel’s powerful hit! The man, Sairaorg-san, then strikes back! “Hmph!”
Sairaorg-san who has jumped up releases his punch which is covered in touki towards Grendel’s face! The impact and shock created by the collision vibrates the air violently. While having blue blood come out of his mouth, Grendel laughs as if he’s seriously happy. [Oho♪. ……Seriously. I never thought there was a Devil who fights with his body only and uses hand-to-hand combat……! And he even manages to hit me back……!] Grendel who is shaking in joy yells at Ladon. [—Ladon! I’ll take this guy. Yeah, let me. This guy is a shitty Devil that I will have major fun to toy with! Who besides me will blow this guy away!?] Grendel directs his will to fight towards Sairaorg-san. Ladon shakes his head in astonishment—. But a communication-type magic-circle appears around the ears of the two Evil Dragons. Devil symbols appear on it, and it seems like it’s telling them something. ……From the looks of it, I’m guessing that Euclid is giving orders to those two. [I will have myself fight here! It has just become gooooood!] Looks like Grendel is arguing back to the one he’s talking to. Then Ladon sighs. The barrier around me suddenly disappears. This is what Ladon says with an unpleasant voice. [……Very well. I will head there then.] Saying that, Ladon makes a teleportation magic-circle, the Dragon Gate, appear below his feet—. After looking at me once, he disappears within the light after saying “So then, farewell”. ……He ran away? No, did he go to Agreas? I heard that the Devils have an advantage over there. He may have been summoned as reinforcement. It seems like they called Grendel as well, but I guess he probably declined…… Grendel remained here solely to fight us. I became free so I moved next to Sairaorg-san and say to him. “He’s an opponent who will be too much for you to handle alone, Sairaorg-san!”
Sairaorg-san nods. “Yeah, I understood that while we exchanged a punch. —But it’s a different story if I were to team up with you, right?”
—! ……My body shakes from the bottom of my heart at those words. My body is getting heated with excitement. There’s no way I can say no if this man says this to me! —Oh man. I can team up with this man and fight! The feeling of joy swirls inside my body and it builds up my battling spirits! “Yes, I’m honoured. Let’s beat this persistent Evil Dragon together!”
“Fufufu, you sure know the right words to say it. This is a good start to wear the lion’s cloth.”
Sairaorg-san stands next to the golden lion, Regulus. He then says it as he points at Grendel! “—Evil Dragon Grendel, I determine you as a sworn enemy of the Underworld! Reguluuuuuus!”
[Yes sir!] | text_17 |
Regulus then starts to emit golden lights! This phenomenon—I know it! Sairaorg-san than howls loudly! “My lion! King of Nemea! You, who has been called Shishiou! Answer my howl and turn into my armouuuuuur!”
This whole region then shakes. It blows away the surroundings, then Sairaorg-san and the lion burst! [Balance Break!] “Balance Breakeeeeeer!”
It appears while flashing the surrounding with bright golden light. —The Great King covered in a golden armour. This is Sairaorg-san and Regulus’s Balance Breaker— “Regulus Rey Leather Rex”! He stands next to me while emitting an explosive amount of touki. ……He was my enemy back then. But it’s different now. He’s a dependable comrade with who I will defeat the shithead in front of me! Grendel simply laughs lively by seeing myself covered in crimson armour and Sairaorg-san covered in the golden armour. [—That’s it. I won’t be able to have fun in killing you if you don’t become like this!] That instant, Sairaorg-san and I went ahead to hit him at the same time, but Grendel takes us head on. Sairaorg-san and my punch hit towards Grendel, but he blocks it by crossing his arm! A powerful shock vibrates the surrounding and our double punch breaks through his guard. He becomes shocked the moment he had his guard broken, but he becomes happy as he puts on a taunting smile! Sairaorg-san and Grendel start a brawl where it doesn’t feel like there’s any size difference! The Shishiou’s fist reaches the Evil Dragon’s face while Grendel’s punch strikes Sairaorg-san’s whole body! Each of them hit each other in their vital spots. They punch, they gouge, they kick, they hit, and they punch each other again! Even though their blood taints the surrounding, even though you can hear dull sounds from their bodies, the Shishiou and the Evil Dragon doesn’t feel like they will stop their barbaric bout! Both of them are the embodiment of power. There’s not a single technique, demonic-power, or magic involved. Simply a clash of power and power! A clash of spirits between the pure power-types where no one can get involved! …………I have to join in……! I’m also the Sekiryuutei that is called the power-type! I won’t do something like not joining in when I’m present! After exhaling the air once, I charge towards Grendel! I succeed in punching the side of his face and joining in this hellish fight! Sairaorg-san smiles once, and then we start to attack Grendel at the same time! My punch and my kick lands on Grendel, but at the same time, I get hit by his powerful attacks! Even if I get slammed to the ground, even if I get thrown up to the air, there’s no way I can stop after starting this fight! Sairaorg-san and I simply punch and kick the Evil Dragon that is the embodiment of brute strength itself! This is a fight of overwhelming the enemy. We simply need to overwhelm him. We are attacking to oppress Grendel, to make him go down by hitting, hitting, and hitting him even more. There aren’t any tactics involved. Even if my armour gets cracked, even if my body is crying out in pain, we simply continue to punch and kick Grendel like idiots! Eventually Grendel changes his smirk into that of distress! “ “Ha!” ”
Sairaorg-san and my punch land sharply into Grendel’s face at the same time! He get pushed back—and falls onto his knee. Grendel starts to breathe heavily. He couldn’t have breathed any air properly during our exchange of blows. Even if he’s an Evil Dragon, his limit will come if he continues to receive attacks which stops him from taking a rest. [……Guhahahaha! Amazing, amazing indeed! You two are trying to corner me with simple close-combat! Most of the ones that fight me discard the option to fight me head on and use traps!] Sairaorg-san says it to Grendel who is laughing while coughing out blood. “I’m sorry. This is the only thing I can do. —I came this far with this.”
Grendel becomes so happy that he starts to shiver at his words. He tries to fix his posture by falling back once! The sound of him biting something at the back of his fangs—. His body then starts to heal. —Phoenix’s tear. Of course they have it! Grendel makes his stomach larger! He’s planning to release his fireball! Sairaorg-san and I split by going in opposite directions and kick his stomach from the sides. Grendel jumps by a margin and dodges. He then releases many fire balls which are directed at us! I avoid getting hit by it immediately and dodge his attacks, but Sairaorg-san—takes it head on and destroys the fireball with his punch covered in touki! To be expected from the man who talks with his fist! A single punch can destroy the Evil Dragon’s fireball! After the fireballs are gone—Grendel who is supposed to be there is gone. When I search for his presence—I find him up in the air! He comes down at us at high velocity! “Ha!”
Sairaorg-san doesn’t even flinch at Grendel’s assault. He stands strongly on the ground with his legs without any second thoughts, and then tries to prepare for a punch! But it will be too much for him to handle that alone! I descend behind Sairaorg-san and touch his back! —I will transfer this power to him! [Transfer!!] My boosted power flows into Sairaorg-san and I succeed in increasing his touki dramatically! Sairaorg-san puts so much touki in his fist that it blows away the surroundings, he then—releases his punch at Grendel that is coming at us! His uppercut which is filled with touki hits Grendel’s face. He has blood bursting out from every hole in his face and slams to the floor violently! [Guhahahahaha! It isn’t over yeeeeet!] I close the distance as he tries to stand up while laughing, and release my kick which has been boosted! Grendel who received my kick stumbles and breaks his posture! Even so, he stands on his feet without falling and wipes the blood dripping from his mouth with his hand. He’s putting on a smile as if he’s really happy. ……Like usual, he must love battles so much. [……That was strong. The punch of the next heir of the Great King who’s over there. Not just my body, but even my soul gets damaged every time I get hit by it. ……Though it’s a weird way to say that my soul hurts. But my body hurts from the core that my consciousness almost flies away. I’m sure I’m not wrong.] ……You are telling me Sairaorg-san’s punch isn’t just reaching Grendel’s body but also his soul? Touki which is said to be the increased life force. Sairaorg-san’s attacks which is filled with them. It seems like its effective against Grendel more than I imagined that he’s actually receiving damage. Sairaorg-san crunches his fist. “I see. You are much harder than I heard you were.”
Maybe Sairaorg-san also realised how hard Grendel is. But this man smiles instead. “No, it isn’t something where my attacks won’t work. If I hit together with Sekiryuutei’s, then it’s possible to land another punch above it!”
Yeah. He’s exactly right! I also feel the same. Even though he’s hard like always, I don’t feel much threat at Grendel’s defence like I did before! | text_17 |
It must be due to myself trusting the attack power of the next Great King besides me. Absolute destructive power which is different to Rias’s power of destruction—. I know because I tasted that myself. —With Sairaorg-san and my punch, we can overcome this guy! Grendel lessens his creepy smile, and after he bends his neck while making a noise—he comes at us! He’s attacking head on like usual! He comes hitting at us directly, stubbornly! We also start our assault! Just before both sides were about to clash head on—he jumps and leaps above us! Grendel who went up into the air releases his fireball at us that are right below him! Sairaorg-san and I ignore the fireball and jump to the sky! This heat is nothing! What can this fire even do! I can’t show it! I can’t show myself backing away while I’m standing next to this man called Sairaorg Bael! —I’m not allowed to show my pathetic side to this man who had a brawl with me! We overcame Grendel’s fire and punch his stomach at the same time! I release my giant arm of that Solid Impact punch! Sairaorg-san releases his touki punch! The moment it hits him, it makes a sound so massive that it may have echoed through this whole region! So much amount of blood comes out of Grendel’s mouth! This time, he received critical damage! No matter how solid he is, no matter how hard he is, that attack just now definitely worked! —This time, we can finally defeat this guy! It happens when I was screaming in joy inside my head for our victory—. A giant fire pillar appears next to me—. A purple flame. It has a shape of a cross—. When the fire disappears, I see Sairaorg-san who is burned all of his body and has smoke coming out of him. “…………”
Sairaorg-san falls at the spot silently. ……He was attacked!? Why!? Why did that purple fire appear here!? I become shocked at the sudden attack. And it seems like this was an unexpected turn of events for Koneko-chan and Nimura-san as well, so they don’t know how to respond! I look around myself! I then hear loud laughter! From the sky! When I look up—I see someone above the magic-circle above the air! “Ohohohoho, I’m sorry for that. I couldn’t help but to use an even stronger cross.”
Walburga of the Purple Flame!? Why is that Magician here!? She should be at the Southern region—wasn't she supposed to be fighting Rias and others!? I have so many questions, but the fallen Grendel stands up and criticise Walburga who is in the air. [Oioioi, don’t butt in! Damn Magician!] “Oh my. But, weren’t you having a hard time? I sure would like some gratitude.”
……Jesus Christ! To be in a verge of danger at a place like this! Sairaorg-san who is on the ground has smoke arising from his body and he doesn’t show any sign of moving. ……This is bad since that cross of fire is a relic! It’s not simply a venomous poison for us Devils but more of an instant kill weapon! Though he avoided being extinguished thanks to his touki, there’s no doubt he has serious damage even if his armour has strong resistance towards projectile weapons since he got hit by it directly! And he most likely got hit by the cross of fire which is more powerful than the ones surrounding the region. If we don’t heal him immediately……this person will……! Then something which is black appears within my sight! I become alert thinking that it’s a new Evil Dragon, but it’s actually Gasper who became one with darkness! 《I’m sorry, Ise-senpai! She started flying around the battlefield causing disruption!》
Gasper says that. What the. So this witch has been moving around in the air on that magic-circle of hers! If she goes around to each location where my comrades are fighting and uses that cross of hers, our duty of protecting this place will fail! Well, that must be that woman’s plan! “Ufufufu, I’m here, cute looking Vampire-boy. The big sis is over here♪”
Walburga leaves this place as if she’s provoking Gasper! She escaped while doing some skip in the air! I then say it to Gasper. “Gasper! Since Sairaorg-san and I have our hands full, you will be the one who needs to take her on! So stop her!”
《I know! I don’t know whether they will be any help to you, but I will leave several beasts here! Stop, Holy Cross user!》
After Gasper leaves several beasts of darkness over here, he goes after Walburga and leaves from here! Grendel complains as he fixes his posture. [Ke! Never mind. The annoying speed of you two is gone with this!] He jumps up carelessly! He—stomps on the fallen Sairaorg-san! “Damn yooooou!”
I rage, but he continues to stomp on Sairaorg-san with disgust! [Killing each other in a brawl is good—but I love torturing people to death even moooooooooooooooore! Guhahahahaha! What’s wrong!? Show me your punch you are so proud ooooooooof!] I can’t keep down my anger so I try to close our distance and kick Grendel, but he responds to my move immediately and jumps up! I run to Sairaorg-san’s side. I become speechless seeing him…… He has horrible burns on his face, he has both of his legs broken due to getting stomped, he has his left arm bent the wrong way, and he has blood bursting out from his whole body. ……Critical damage. He can’t fight any more. ……Shit. For this man to become in this state……with a cowardly attack like that……! I embrace Sairaorg-san and I have tears flowing out due to the frustration. “……Don’t cry.”
When I look at his face after hearing his voice, I see Sairaorg-san has his eyes open. —! Sairaorg-san leaves me and tries to stand up. His armour is shattered, his whole body is burnt, but this man tries to stand up gradually with his shaking body even though his pride was shattered—. Blood burst from all of his body, and while he spits out the blackish red substances from his mouth, the heir of the House of the Great King moves his body slowly,
That’s because there is an Evil Dragon he must defeat standing in front of him—. He stands with his heroic eyes where there isn’t a slight shadow in them—. I then remember the discussion I had with Sairaorg-san. —This huge, rough and ugly fist of mine was something I trained in order to come this far. “I must not fall……!”
—But, while I was teaching hand-to-hand combat to the children, I think I finally came to realise it. Grendel laughs seeing him. [Is that building that important? For the next heir of the House of the Great King to protect a single thing called school with his life…… You are just showing how foolish you are!] Sairaorg-san walks ahead step by step even if blood is spouting out from his whole body. He then says it with a voice that carries his will to fight. “—There’s a school which has a value of risking my life……!”
—Yes, I, who was born without the power of destruction, must have been born in order to teach them this. “……I……have come this far while having sacrificed many things. ……But that’s enough…… I will be fine with the only one who couldn’t learn.”
That man who finally stands in front of Grendel makes a stance with his fist. “My days of punching through loneliness are over. | text_17 |
—That is the place where the ones that will be teaching and the ones that will be learning would gather.”
To his fist—a phenomenon of white light appears. “……Even though my fist doesn’t carry the power of destruction, I will destroy you……! My name is Sairaorg Bael……! The next heir of the House of the Great King Bael!”
Sairaorg-san who can barely move anymore jumps ahead! Even though Grendel doesn’t have much stamina left, he takes him on head on! Sairaorg-san puts all the touki he has into his right hand and goes hitting towards Grendel! Grendel doesn’t have the time to dodge it and receives the hit—but he counters it by slamming Sairaorg-san to the ground! While Sairaorg-san lays down on the ground, Grendel wavers his body. The Evil Dragon who has realised that he has received more damage than he imagined shakes his head and says it as he puts on a smile filled with ecstasy. [……Chi! This sure can’t be helped! Guhahahaha!] A communication-type magic-circle appears near his ear who is laughing aloud. After hearing something through the magic-circle, Grendel changes his expression into that of great anger. [You are telling me to fall back here!? You must be kidding me— ……Damn it, I keep on telling you to stop using the Holy Grail for your advantage……]
After saying that, he makes a sound with his tongue. ……Did someone like Euclid force him to listen? A magic-circle appears near him. — The Dragon Gate! He’s planning to escape! Grendel laughs as he walks towards the Dragon Gate. [I will be leaving then! After I get my body tuned, I will come to fight all of you again, okay? Guhahahahaha! If I have the Holy Grail, I will able to have fun in shit loads of figggggghts!] I jump ahead to stop him from escaping! “Wait, Grendel!”
But the Dragon Gate starts to strengthen its bright light and its getting ready for him to teleport away! Dammit……! God dammit……! Are we letting him get away again? Will he come and attack us again? Just how many times should we let Grendel escape!? But Grendel who is walking towards the Dragon Gate stops—. That’s because there’s someone who is grabbing him by his tail. “—I won’t let you escape……!”
Sairaorg-san who is in a state that is impossible for him to stand is holding tightly onto Grendel’s tail—. Grendel becomes shocked at the reality he is seeing. [——!? Y-Yooou!] Grendel starts to stomp Sairaorg-san with his giant feet! His expression is filled with anger—and also fear. [You’re too persistent! You damn Deviiiiiil!] I think there’s a sign of impatience in the Evil Dragon Grendel’s voice. No matter how you look at this, he has the upper hand. He’s at an advantage. Sairaorg-san’s body already surpassed it's limits, so he shouldn’t be able to stand up. Even so, I don’t think he will let go off his tail. I don’t even think he will let loose of his grip. Sairaorg-san who still has the will to fight in his eyes puts on a fearless smile. “……Fu, fufu…… Hyoudou Issei, it seems my personality of not giving up……has also been certified by the Evil Dragon that is famous for being persistent.”
Sairaorg-san stands up slowly while grabbing onto his tail—. He shouldn’t be able to move his legs any more. But the Shishiou continues to move his move with his spirits—. “N-Nuoooooooooooooooooo!”
Sairaorg-san endures the pain and shouts out with his soul. —And he finally makes his stance in front of Grendel. Seeing that, the mighty Grendel—backs away for the first time. The man who can’t possibly move any more. The man who is supposed to be dying. Without lowering his battle spirits, no, by increasing his battle spirits he stands in front of Grendel. […………! You piece of shiiiiiit! ……Y-You’re trying to stand up again……!? Why are you standing up again!?] Sairaorg-san says it with his eyes filled with the will to fight. “—In order to destroy you.”
[——!] The words said by a dying man. The words which can be taken as no more than nonsense sound so plausible that it makes the Evil Dragon fear. Sairaorg-san then says. “Hyoudou Issei, I won’t be able to take him down by myself. Let’s finish this together.”
I answer back in delight. “Yes! Sairaorg-san! Let’s end this!”
I jump forward and prepare for Crimson Blaster! Sairaorg-san is still holding onto his tail tightly. “Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
With a single shout, Sairaorg-san throws Grendel’s gigantic body up the air while holding his tail! I release an explosive amount of aura at him! My Crimson Blaster hits him! Looks like Grendel doesn’t have the time to dodge my attack in mid-air now. He falls together with the sound of explosion. Below my sight, there’s one man who is getting ready. I then have a flashback of Sairaorg-san teaching the kids how to punch at the gymnasium. —Listen up! In order to do a punch, you would need to bend your hips and release your fist directly forward as if you are punching with your whole body! “……That’s right, Sairaorg-san……!”
In front of me who said that in tears, the Shishiou’s punch hits sharply, but accurately at the Evil Dragon Grendel who is the embodiment of brute power—. Grendel vomits out what seems like the remaining blood he has left inside his body and slams down on the ground. Grendel who shows no sign of moving now says it with a voice that sounds like it will disappear. [……Dammit…… ……S-Seriously…… ……M-Me……? Just like the time with that destruction princess…… I……am defeated by the bloodlines that carries the power of destruction…… ……This must be a joke……dammit……why……am I……]
After confirming that the tough Evil Dragon has stopped moving, Koneko-chan jumps ahead. “……I will try the jutsu I trained with Nee-sama!”
Saying that, Koneko-chan gathers the ki from the surrounding and by tuning it together with her touki, she makes a phenomenon occur where the light starts to emit from her body! That’s the “Shirone mode”! Koneko-chan who has changed into a seductive older woman makes the kasha appear and they surround Grendel as if it’s drawing some kind of symbol. When Koneko-chan makes a sign with one hand, the kasha starts to spin and a white magic-circle is created while having Grendel in the middle of it! “……I will seal the Evil Dragon’s soul! Ise-senpai, please give me one of the jewels on your armour!”
By having Koneko-chan urging me to do so, I take off one of the jewels on my armour by force immediately and throw it towards Koneko-chan. Koneko-chan who catches that throws it at Grendel who is at the centre of the magic-circle and she makes a sign with her hands again! “Evil Dragon Grendel! That soul, let it rest between the gouge of everlasting darkness and flashing light!”
The moment she says the chant—. The light of the magic-circle strengthens and it flashes this area. When the light settles, what I witness is—a mass of dirt that has crumbled which has the shape of Grendel and the jewel which is giving a dark green glow. Koneko-chan says it after taking a breath due to the relief. “……I talked with Nee-sama. Having them repair their bodies with the Holy Grail won’t end this. | text_17 |
Then we should just seal their souls. Since there is a technique among the practical use of senjutsu that seals the opponents life force we had been practising it. But that will be impossible with just me. I then received advice from Nee-sama that it may be possible by the use of the Sekiryuutei’s jewel…… I ended up using it during the actual battle without any practice, but it looks like we managed it somehow.”
And she managed to seal him huh. That’s amazing Koneko-chan! Certainly, if you do something about their soul, then they won’t be able to revive with the use of the Holy Grail. The reason why they are persistent is due to the fact that they can revive even with the fragment of their soul. More importantly, their body turns into dirt when they get their soul extracted huh……
……No, can we really seal them with just this? Koneko-chan gives me, who is feeling uneasy, additional information. “Once we return, let’s hand this to the Heaven or someone and have them put many layers of barriers on it. This time we will have it sealed in a powerful barrier which prevents it from having his instinct leak.”
I see, that way, it will certainly seem like Grendel who is sealed won’t be able to come out. Oh, so this is the countermeasure against the Evil Dragons. This way, we don’t need to worry about the Evil Dragons we defeat to get resurrected by the Holy Grail. Amazing. With Koneko-chan and Kuroka, we don’t need to worry about the aftermath of the Evil Dragons hunt! The sealing of Grendel finishes and Koneko-chan returns to her normal form—but maybe the fatigue got to her, so she falls on the spot. Nimura-san supports her……but we can’t stay here for so long since Saji and the dads are also injured. I go and lift Sairaorg-san who has fallen down. “Sairaorg-san!”
“……I’m okay……”
Even though he can’t move his body properly, Sairaorg-san shows me his smile. ……We defeated Grendel. A complete victory. We finally won against that persistent Evil Dragon! We were able to defeat him without letting him escape thanks to this man’s tenacity. Sairaorg-san smiles with his swollen face. “……The children of the Underworld are the treasure of us Devils. So let’s protect them together.”
“…………Yes!”
Crime Force Dragon, —Grendel. We finally succeeded in defeating him. This will be the first achievement of D×D—. After that, the injured people get healed by Asia and Rossweisse-san who were able to come here. No one had life threatening injuries, but we did consume a lot of our stamina. Apparently the other members that were fighting elsewhere were having a rough battle like here as well. We then receive orders from Sona-kaichou right after this. —She tells all of us to fall back and gather around the school. That’s the proof that the new teleportation magic-circle that is being made by Gondur-san and the Magicians is almost complete. We arrive right in front of the school as we take down the Evil Dragons that come to attack us. I witness my comrades struggling with their fight. “You are late, Ise-kun!”
“You are exactly like a protagonist of a story since you arrive at the climax!”
Kiba and Xenovia are cutting down the Evil Dragons while breathing heavily. Kiba’s face……looks really bad. He must have used Gram. I realised it right away since Shinra-fukukaichou is looking at me with eyes filled with sorrow. The members that start to gather here have their clothes torn and are putting on tired faces probably due to the intense battles they went through. Gasper is the only one who isn’t here. He still must be after Walburga and is flying around the sky of this town. Rias approaches Sairaorg-san who has just has his wounds healed. “Sairaorg-san! You came!”
“Yeah, since we are at advantage up at Agreas.”
I give thumbs up at Rias and my comrades. “……We completely defeated Grendel!”
Everyone jumps in joy hearing that. Koneko-chan shows the jewel to explain the whole thing. This is what Irina says after hearing the story. “I understand. Once we get through this crisis, I will talk to Michael-sama about it.”
After that, we started defending in front of the school. We sealed the school and its region with Sona-kaichou’s water-barrier (which has been enhanced with my power), so it’s strong enough to resist the Evil Dragon’s fireballs if their attacks were to come. We prepared hunting traps in various places nearby, and the traps will activate simply by having them approach it. Obviously we will be fighting the mass-produced Evil Dragons head on. We will be having our comrades who has used up a lot of their stamina and the parents of the children assist us from behind while the ones who still have some stamina left face the Evil Dragons. The swordsman group consisting of Kiba, Xenovia, Irina, the “Knight” Meguri-san and Bennia starts slashing the enemies while supporting each other and the “Rook” group that consists of Rossweisse-san, Rugal-san, and Yura blocks the enemies range attack and counters them so they are displaying good team play. Shinra-fukukaichou’s counter-type Sacred Gear has also evolved to the level where multiple of them appear at the same time and reflect the enemies attack. “……I will have you perish!”
The kasha of Koneko-chan in Shirone-mode is the most effective. The Evil Dragons turn to ashes without being able to do anything. Her purification power is basically a one-hit kill attack. —However, she won’t be able to maintain that form for long since she’s breathing heavily. The “Pawn” Nimura-san supports Koneko-chan. “Hmph!”
“Eat this!”
People like Rias and Sairaorg-san who can easily take on multiple enemies alone are taking down the enemies quickly. Akeno-san uses her defensive magic and thunder+light attack to give strong support to the two of them. “Oryah! The next person I need to transfer my power to is—”
I fight by flying around the battlefield while knocking down the Evil Dragons and boost up my power to transfer it to my comrades. The one who mainly orders me to transfer my power to someone is Sona-kaichou. “Ise-kun! Please transfer your power to one of the swordsman!”
Kaichou gives accurate orders to us while she maintains her water-barrier. The one who protects Kaichou is Saji who has serious damage and the two “Bishops” consisting of Hanakai-san and Kusaka-san. “I must heal……!”
And the one who works hard and the one who supports us a lot is the healer, Asia. Even though the fatigue is showing up in her the most, she still continues to send her healing light to her comrades. While we are having such an intensive battle, a very bright light starts coming from the school. ……That’s the light of the teleportation! The magic-circle gradually starts to expand where it covers the whole school. If we use this, we can send the civilians in this town outside! After that, we need to continue fighting until the barrier around this region disappears! It may become a battle where we will use up a lot of our stamina, but it doesn’t mean this barrier will last forever. | text_17 |
According to Kaichou and Gondur-san, there’s a limit to this barrier even if it was made by the vicious Evil Dragon. ……We simply need to withstand this situation until their spells run out. That’s what’s going through my mind, but everyone becomes dubious since the teleportation doesn’t begin at all. The magic-circle starts to give a strange glow and it makes a single ray of light go throwing in a weird direction! As we become shocked at the phenomenon that is different to that of teleportation, we move our eyes towards the direction the light went flying towards! —We can see the sky city Agreas afar. While the expanding teleportation magic-circle continues to send rays of light towards Agreas, loud laughter echoes through the surroundings. What we see after looking up is—that Purple Flame Walburga! Gasper also arrives after her but it seems he couldn’t finish her off and had her run around. Walburga continues to laugh while placing her hand on her mouth. “Ohohoho, too bad. Attacking this place and Agreas was a camouflage.”
Sona-kaichou then says. “—I’m now convinced. So what all of you were actually after was Agreas itself, correct? That’s the floating island that had existed since the era of the Old Maou. The current government, more specifically Ajuka Beelzebub-sama’s researchers, are still investigating that island. The Old Maou—in other words Rizevim Livan Lucifer who is the son of the previous Lucifer, is seeking that island.”
“Ohohoho, to be expected from the heiress of the House of Sitri. Yes, that’s exactly right. Rizevim-ojisama seems to be very interested in that floating island itself. So we decided to have at with by using this method. —By using the teleportation magic-circle of the famous Magicians gathered in this town. There’s a Magician who is connected with us among them! We had the magic-circle that was made by all of the Magicians get tuned right before it activated and have it aim towards Agreas! Looks like our plan was a success.”
……Damn it! There was a traitor among the Magicians!? As I become shocked, Rias who is next to me says it with a bitter expression. “……So you had all of this planned from the start. ……To surround this whole region at a time like this and to have an assembly in this town was all done in order to teleport Agreas outside……!”
……They won’t be able to take Agreas if they did it normally. That’s why they put a barrier around this region. But they wouldn’t be able to steal Agreas with just that. That’s why they used the assembly of the experienced Magicians that had been researching about 666. They sent their spy among the Magician’s assembly. And if they manage to seal a portion of the Magicians’ magic and seal them here, this is the kind of discussion they will have. —Lets create a new kind of magic-circle that is big enough to teleport the residents of this town outside. As a result, they made that and it worked. ……Until the last second before it activated, the spy who is also a Magician changed a section of the spell. The changed spell—releases the teleportation light towards Agreas! Agreas that can be seen far away gets covered in the teleportation light. Sona-kaichou then looks around the Student Council members. Hanakai-san and Kusaka-san of the Student Council react quickly and run down to the underground shelter. They must have gone down to check what’s happening down there. ……But I also have come to understand the situation. The reason why they waited three hours was because they knew it would take that much time to complete the teleportation magic-circle. This was also a setup to steal Agreas! Just how deep are they connected with the Underworld!? Rias realises that and she crunches her fist tightly. “……There are still many Devils that support the previous Maou. Especially the name of Lucifer is still great. If the son of the previous Maou appears, then it won’t be weird for someone who would help him without a second thought to appear.”
Sona-kaichou then says. “What are you planning to do with that island? No, what exactly is there in that Agreas?”
Walburga looks towards Agreas. Agreas……gets enveloped by the teleportation light and it eventually disappears! ……The whole sky city got teleported! So they altered the spell on Agreas so that city alone can go out of the barrier! “That is—”
It happens when Walburga was trying to explain in joy—. A communication-type magic-circle appears around her ear. Walburga listens to what she’s hearing—but she suddenly stops smiling and looks up! “……What! ?”
Walburga is in shock! When we also look up—there’s a crack on the white sky! That is proof that something happened to this giant barrier that is covering this whole region! The crack gradually gets bigger and the barrier starts breaking! Eventually the Underworld’s unique purple sky can be seen! —The barrier is destroyed! Who was it!? Who did that!? We are the only ones inside! Someone most likely attacked and destroyed the barrier from the outside! Just who on earth broke the barrier—. A single flash descends in front of us like a shooting star. That flash impales the school yard. We become deeply shocked at seeing the object that is impaled on the school yard! —True Longinus! ……Seriously!? Why did that spear come down!? That thing’s possessor is already……! Everyone becomes speechless seeing that! Even though we wait, the owner of the spear doesn’t show up. Then the Holy Spear disappears by teleportation! Walburga then sighs. “……I never expected to see this kind of event here. But it’s already too late.”
Walburga then clicks her finger. —Then the remaining mass-produced Evil Dragons gather at once and they surround the school. Even though we took many of them down, it seems like there are still hundreds of them……
……So they will continue to attack us even after their plan succeeded! Walburga says it while putting on an evil smile. “I love to annihilate things. I know that all of you are tired, but please continue playing with me a bit longer♪”
She says that with a mocking attitude while she swings down her umbrella. That became the signal and the mass-produced Evil Dragons descended towards us at once! Sairaorg-san who has healed his injuries used up a lot of his stamina but he pushes himself and moves. “Let’s do this, Rias, Sona Sitri! This shame will be passed down to our descended if we can’t stop them!”
“ “Yes!” ”
Rias and Kaichou responds at the same time. I also fly up into the air in order to take down the mass-produced Evil Dragons—but something which I can’t ignore appears within my sight! Walburga—directs her hands towards the school! That instant, —the cross of fire arises within the school yard! She blows away a section of the school! “The school! Doooooon’t!”
Sona-kaichou’s scream-like voice. Kaichou runs towards the school yard! That’s reckless! Is Kaichou trying to take on the relic’s fire by herself!? She will perish if she does that! She isn’t the usual Kaichou who is always calm. | text_17 |
……The school, the school which is her long-time dream is getting burned right in front of her. She doesn’t want that to happen so much that she can’t resist. Kaichou who is always quiet and who always gives accurate commands is becoming emotional and is heading towards the school yard. It will be too dangerous to let Kaichou go alone! “I will go with her!”
Saying that, Rossweisse-san activates the magic-circle in the air and then goes. She catches up to Kaichou right away and they arrive at the school yard. She then starts the spell to create defence-type magic-circles and barriers! Walburga’s flames goes on the assault! The purple flames attack Rossweisse-san and Kaichou! It seems like the two of them somehow block with their defence-type magic-circle……but the strength of the fire is so strong that the magic-circle gradually crumbles! At this rate, they will be burned by it soon! “Aim for that witch!”
Rias’s command! We, her servants, change our target from the Evil Dragons to Walburga and head towards her, but the witch makes the purple flame appear around her as if its surrounding her! “Ohohohoho! Those flames will give critical damage to Devils simply by touching them!”
If we can’t carelessly touch them, then we need to destroy them with long-range attacks! The ones capable of long-range attacks such as me and Xenovia get ready for it by raising our aura! But the mass-produced Evil Dragons come at us as if they are trying to get in our way! Shit! At this rate, these guys will act as her wall and our attacks won’t reach her! While we are having a hard time battling, Walburga doesn’t rest her hand and continues to shoot the cross of fire at the school yard! Kaichou and Rossweisse-san’s magic-circle starts to crumble after receiving two or three of Walburga’s attack! They are in a situation where receiving another attack from her will put them in a dangerous situation, but Walburga shoots more crosses of fire! Walburga has already shot by the time we overcome the Evil Dragons and reach her! The purple flames are about to hit Kaichou and Rossweisse-san—. But the cross stops right in front of them. That’s because there’s someone who is standing front of those two and received the cross. —Saji who has black flames covering his body is standing there. Saji acted as Kaichou’s shield and he gets burnt by the relic’s fire! The black flames couldn’t kill off the purple flames so it continues to burn Saji! “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Saji screams out in agony! “Run! Saji, you will get killed at this rate!”
Kaichou shouts, but Saji doesn’t move away and he continues to give it his all to suppress the cross! Saji……starts to speak out while having his whole body burnt! “……I wanted to become like Hyoudou.”
Saji continues while the black fire gradually starts to weaken. “……Hyoudou and I are “Pawns” that became one around the same time…… He’s so perverted, indecent, and insanely lecherous……but he’s a guy who always gives his all and always goes ahead for his comrades or someone……”
The purple flame……starts to cover him. “I wanted to become a man like Hyoudou who is strong and on whom people would depend. But, even if I get a step closer to him, Hyoudou goes five or ten steps ahead of me. No matter how much I train myself, he continues to surpass me by miles. The moment when I realised it and went “Ah, I won’t ever be able to surpass him”……I……become so frustrated in myself.”
Fighting spirit returns back to Saji’s eyes. The black flames……start to increase gradually! “—I can’t become Hyoudou. But there’s something I can do. I found something what I want to do!”
Saji shouts from the bottom of his heart—. “I……! I will become a “teacher”! Those children! I’m going to teach the students who would attend that school! I will teach them that there’s something only they are capable of doing!”
Behind Saji—, Kaichou is crying. She must have realised it. That the readiness of her servants and her own dream has become Saji’s dream itself. Walburga laughs with delight when she hears that. “Ohohohohohohoho! It’s useless! That’s because that school will be burned, burned, and even more burned by me right this instant! Now then, let’s burn it♪”
Walburga puts her hand forward in order to increase the output of the cross. That instant. Next to Saji—a giant black snake appears! —It’s Vritra! [Sorry for coming late, my other half.] “Vritra!? You returned from the depth of the Sacred Gear! ?”
Vritra smiles fearlessly while having his eyes glow at Saji’s words. [Yeah, I did. But you know, my other self. It seems like you have matured quite a lot when I was away for a bit.] “……Yeah, it feels like I can do it now. Since I lifted the weight on me.”
Saji mutters that. A suspicious looking aura starts to envelop Saji’s body! I have……seen that before! Yeah, it’s the same phenomenon that occurred when Kiba became a holy-demonic sword wielder, when the Hero-faction enhanced their Sacred Gear, and when I wore the Boosted Gear Scale-mail! Vritra then howls! [Relic user! Do not underestimate my black flame!] “Yeah, let’s do this, Vritra! I sure did waste time in reaching it, but I can do it now! With you, I—”
[My other self. I have waited so long for you to realise it! Now, let’s show them! The power of my evil flames which made me be called the “Prison Dragon”!] Saji and Vritra get covered in black aura, and the jet-black flames starts to wrap around their bodies! [ “Balance Break! !” ]
The black aura explodes, and the one that appears is my pal that is covered in jet-black armour! He has lots of tentacles-like things growing out from his armour and they have jet-black flames ignited. Saji who has just reached Balance Breaker shouts. [—“Malebolge Vritra Promotion”. I—no, we who are like the hell-fire of Hell. Which one is stronger between our black flames and your purifying purple flames? Let’s have a battle to decide it!] Saji’s voice is mixed with Vritra’s. Now I understand, those two fused! They were able to reach it because the thoughts of those two became one! So there’s also a Balance Break like this!? Rias then says. “Malebolge! It’s the floor which is one floor above the deepest floor in Hell. It’s said to be the place where those who have evil minds and have committed sins get sent to!”
Saji makes the cross of purple flames vanish with ease and jumps towards Walburga! The Evil Dragons attack him—but the many tentacles on Saji’s armour captures them! The moment they are caught by the tentacles, the Evil Dragons get all of their aura sucked and they turn to dust. So many curses which are visible with my eyes appear around Saji and they spread through the whole atmosphere! Shinra-fukukaichou says it fearfully. “……The Balance Breaker which has that many curses……! You will get cursed to death if you approach it carelessly!”
The fact is, the mass-produced Evil Dragons are continuing to fall down to the ground by being cursed by it! [Your purple flames and my black flames! Let’s decide which one is superior!] | text_17 |
“Interesting, interesting indeed!”
Saji and Walburga who happily accepts his challenge start a battle of fire versus fire up in the air! I want to help—but there are still many mass-produced Evil Dragons left! Fine! Then I will tag along with this battle to annihilate all of you! I raise up my spirit, but I hear Asia say with a loud voice! “—! I sensed Fafnir-san’s aura! He has most likely returned with Ddraig-san and the others from the depth of the Scared Gear!”
Oh, so that’s what’s going on! The return of Vritra means that the other Dragons has returned too. My jewels also starts to turn on and off. I can feel Ddraig’s instinct! [Yeah, I’ve returned, partner.] Oh! I was waiting for you, partner! So, how was it? [Leave it to me. Also, we were somehow able to convince them. Anyway, let’s have some discussion after we break through this situation.] All right! Then let’s finish this quickly! Asia opens the Dragon Gate to summon Fafnir! “—Answer my voice, Golden King. Crawl on the ground, and you shall receive my reward! Please come out! Gigantis Dragon! Fafnir-san!”
After her summoning chants ends, the Dragon Gate makes the glow even stronger and then explodes! The one who appears along with a golden aura is—Fafnir who is wearing a chef’s hat! ……Wait, a chef’s hat!? Why the heck is he wearing that!? Then a BGM which isn’t fit for this situation starts. The BGM reminds me of the cooking show you often see on TV at noon. Fafnir opens its large mouth. [Hello, and welcome to Fafnir’s three minutes cooking]
Fafnir says something which makes me think there’s something wrong with his head and makes a kitchen appear next to him! Why did a kitchen appear!? I can’t stop retaliating to him! While the only thing I can do is just watch him, this is what he says. [Today’s dish is “Diavola Asia-tan’s Fried Pants”.] ……Leaving us aside who are all speechless, Fafnir shows us the flip board with the ingredients written on it. [These are the ingredients]
○Diavola Asia-tan’s Fried Pants
Ingredients:
Asia-tan’s pants
Onions(sliced) ×1
Garlic(sliced) ×1
Olive oil
Red Capsicum(sliced) ×1
Salt & Pepper (small quantity)
Baking Powder
…………????? My brain can’t catch up to this. W-What is he planning to do? But I do know something perverted is going to happen! I-Isn’t this just too insane!? “?”
“? ?”
“??? ?”
[??????????] We are full of questions. When I take a look, I witness the mass-produced Evil Dragons have stopped their attack and are watching this while tilting their heads in wonder! Seriously!? These guys stopped their attack for this!? Fafnir stands in front of the kitchen and he starts to chop the ingredients he prepared while having his eyes glow. [First, you chop the ingredients besides the pants.] He then says this to Asia next. [Asia-tan, give me your pants.] “Y-Yes.”
It seems like Asia had only the option to agree to this and this is what Fafnir says while he takes the pants from her. [Just like this, the ingredients must come from the farm right away. It is very, fresh, and new. After you have a good sniff at the pants, you put powder over it.] ……He sniffs the pants right in front of us and he starts putting the powder over it……
He then puts those pants in a frying pan filled with oil! [You put it in right away in order to have it fried.] The sound of the oil boiling echoes throughout the battlefield. During this time, everyone besides Saji and Walburga stops their movements and all of us simply watch this. Even the mass-produced Evil Dragons are—. Huh? For some reason there are several Evil Dragons who are unexpectedly interested in this! What the, are you telling me that this cooking has some effect that charms the Evil Dragon!? Fafnir takes out the pants from the oil as if he thought it’s the right time to do so. He places the fried pants on the plate with the ingredients he finely chopped before. He then says this proudly. [It is done. My-style, the “Diavola Asia-tan’s Fried Pants”.] CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP. —Several Evil Dragons that are watching him start to give him a clap! Fafnir then puts the Diavola Asia-tan’s Fried Pants in front of him! [Now then, I will dig in. Bite and gulp.] He gives his impression after he puts it in his mouth and starts chewing on it. [—I want you to stay as you are.] Tears. Several Evil Dragons that were watching him—start crying! ……What the. What do you have to do in order to make this happen!? Asia then falls! Xenovia holds her! “Asia, get a hold of yourself! You need to stay strong!”
“……I want to become a crab.”
“No, that’s wrong Asia! That phrase is supposed to be “I want to become a tool”!”
Irina becomes surprised at the conversation between those two. “Xenovia! You sure know a lot! I really do admire you! To be expected from the excellent student who scored an average of 90% for the end of the semester exam!”
…………
I-I really don’t know what’s going on here, but its certain that the Evil Dragons have stopped their attack for a moment. Can Fafnir’s weird space also stop mass-produced Evil Dragon as well!? ……Oh well. I’ll stop thinking about the hard stuff. By the way, Ddraig. I want to confirm this with you, but, were you able to convince the past Hakuryuukous? [……Y-Yeah, k-kind of…..]
……It sure does feel like a vague answer. [……I-I do have the records of it just in case, so you should watch it…… Though it isn’t something I would recommend……]
……I-I don’t mind so just show it to me. I close my eyes and search deep into the Sacred Gear. Then Ddraig shows me the recording of the past Hakuryuukous. The faces of the past Hakuryuukous with smiley faces appear in the recording. [Hello, the current Sekiryuutei. We are the remaining thoughts of the previous Hakuryuukous.] They are so sociable! You really did succeed in convincing them! [We couldn’t help but feel very dissatisfied at the actions you have caused.] Yes, I’m sorry! I need to sincerely apologise about that. Well, since this is a recording, I won’t be able to give them my response. [For that reason, we created the Victims Association……but it seems like we lacked information.] So they are going to disband the association huh. Oh man, I really am grateful about that! While I feel relieved by it, a man who looks stronger than others says this. [We were able to reach the truth thanks to Fafnir.] …………
I heard a name that makes me feel uneasy just now…… That feeling of uneasiness changes to words and it comes to my ears. [—Yes, the wonderfulness of pants.] …………
…………
I become speechless. My mind freezes, but they continue to talk while putting on an expression as if they know the truth. [All of us had a common connection where all of us have a lot of interest in the buttocks of the opposite sex.] ……There sure was a Hakuryuukou-senpai inside my jewel who said that buttocks are also nice. [However, in front of the Hakuryuukou, we had no choice but to deny that.] [—Having a fetish for the Hakuryuukou is unacceptable.] [However, Fafnir showed it to us. —An extreme gem, Asia-tan’s pants.] | text_17 |
—The Hakuryuukou-senpai spreads open Asia’s pants! He has it spread above his head as if he’s holding a divine item—. [We were notified that in the current world, a cloth which covers the buttocks wonderfully like this exists.] [Its shape, its role, and its hipline when it is worn on the buttocks—no, the bum.] [Hipline……]
[Hipline……]
[Hipline……]
The past Hakuryuukou starts to repeat the word hipline with a fluent accent……
[Thanks to that wonderful treasure, we learned painfully that we were lying to ourselves.] [We heard that the past Sekiryuuteis vanished while saying “Zoom zoom iyaan”.] [Then we shall say this to declare our peace to you.] They put their arms around each other and shout this with a refreshing expression. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [—Asia-tan’s pants, sniff sniff.] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
……………………
…………
……And you call this convincing them, Ddraig-san? [……………………There are also things even I can’t understand.] Ddraig says that with a tired voice. Yeah, I can somehow imagine you recording this with astonished eyes. Even if they were able to overcome breasts and butts, this is just too……! I did hear that they were having a hard time convincing them, but I never expected them to convince them with Fafnir’s pants theory…… This is horrible, seriously horrible. I wonder what’s going through Vali’s mind right now……
Fafnir then says. [It will be good if everyone can have peace with Asia-tan’s pants. I, think so. —I wish that to happen. Cute pants are a symbol of peace, the world’s treasure.] My comrades—are all either covering their faces or look fed up with it! Asia the main girl herself is still laying down! Rias then says it while shaking her head. “……There’s definitely something wrong with the Two Heavenly Dragons of this era……”
—I’m included as well!? I’m sorry! I’m basically the main cause of having Rias being called the Switch Princess! So this phenomenon basically started because of me, didn’t it!? No, I want to think that it’s Fafnir’s fault! Or else I won’t be able to cope with this! Ddraig then says this at last. [—That’s the end of it. With this……we can use Hakuryuukou’s power……!] ……I see, so we can use it huh. Yeah yeah, I got it. Yup yup, thank you for that! “However, being able to stop the Evil Dragons……you sure can’t tell what the Two Heavenly Dragons and the Dragon Kings are capable of doing.”
—A familiar voice reaches us! A red flash passes past us and it descends at the school yard where Kaichou and Rossweisse-san are at! “Kyaa!”
The red flash blows Kaichou away and envelops Rossweisse-san. ……The one who is standing there after the light settles is Euclid Lucifugus who is wearing the Replica Boosted Gear! So that bastard decided to appear at a time like this huh! He—is holding onto Rossweisse-san! Even if Rossweisse-san tries to resist him, she can’t get away from him because he’s holding onto her tightly. “How do you do, D×D.”
“—Euclid!”
He shrugs his shoulder when I shouted. “Hello there—Sekiryuutei.”
He then starts to say utter rubbish while he holds onto Rossweisse-san. “We, the Qlippoth, will be using Rossweisse and that island wisely. Now then. Since the teleportation of Agreas is over, I would want to leave this place since the Underworld’s army will be heading here after they realise the strange activity happening in this region. But I guess you won’t let me do that.”
All of us move quickly and made a formation where we surround him. “Of course we won’t! Release Rossweisse-san!”
Rias also releases her anger. “I need to capture you and send you to Onii-sama and Onee-sama!”
That’s right. It’s exactly what Rias said. I will take him to Sirzechs-sama and Grayfia-san! Grayfia-san……is still being suspected because of this guy! I will end that crap right here! Euclid simply laughs. “That sure scares me. Then I shall resist a bit.”
He clicks his finger. Then the Evil Dragons that stopped due to Fafnir’s strange phenomenon get their sense back and resume their attack on us! But my comrades declare it with courage! “We can’t whine! I’m sure it will feel bad if we get beaten at the very end!”
Irina flaps her wings that has changed to four wings! “Of course, Irina!”
Xenovia grips her Durandal again! “I will also do my best! Fafnir-san, please lend me your power!”
[Of course, I will support Asia-tan.] Asia and Fafnir try to go all out for the climax. “Ise-kun, Buchou, we will leave Rossweisse-san to you!”
Kiba goes and slashes at the enemies with Shinra-fukukaichou after he says that! Rias and I get closer to Euclid once again. —And a magic arrow starts flying at Euclid! When I look at the direction from where it came—I witness Gondur-san! She looks really exhausted, but she puts her hand forward while her body is moving side to side. “My granddaughter……I will have her back!”
Gondur-san shows her strong will. Euclid then says. “Our comrades have caused ruckus down below, correct? I judge that you have so much fatigue due to dealing with it.”
Rossweisse-san screams at her grandmother. “Granny! Stop! You can’t move any more because you used up all of your power, right! ?”
I see. So she used up her magical-power due to fighting the traitorous Magicians that are connected to these guys down in the basement. The traitorous Magicians were probably skilled Magicians as well, so Gondur-san must have fought quite recklessly. Gondur-san increases her voice to her granddaughter’s words. “……Be quiet. I can at least save you!”
Euclid takes a breath in astonishment. “I’m sorry, but even if you are Magician, you have no hope in opposing me in that condition.”
Euclid who says that activates a magic-circle below his feet! Is he planning to teleport while holding onto Rossweisse-san!? We make our stance but Gondur-san brings out the last power she has to shoot out the magic-arrows at Euclid’s magic-circle! That moment, Euclid’s magic-circle starts to wave and go in a different direction as if some error occurred, and at the last moment it explodes! The teleportation stopped! “……Teleportation seal. Oh my, you sure did a cunning move.”
After Euclid says that with hatred, he tries to escape by having the Dragon wings appear! Euclid flies with insane speed! That bastard is trying to run away since he can’t teleport huh! Rias and I try to go after him, but Gondur-san who falls on the ground says this to us. “……Sekiryuutei-dono, Princess Rias. ……Please, please save my granddaughter Rossweisse. Please, I beg you.”
Rias and I say this with a smile. “Yes, of course we will.”
“She’s our comrade who we are all proud of.”
……Rossweisse-san is our important comrade! We will save her! Definitely! Rias and I nod at each other and fly up the sky! When I chase after Euclid with Rias—we find Euclid waiting for us quite far ahead. Euclid points down while holding onto Rossweisse-san. He must be telling us to come down. He sure is full of it. Rias and I descend. It’s a wasteland that is far away from the farming area. I look around myself but I can’t see any building or people. | text_17 |
I guess it won’t be a problem if I go a bit reckless over here. I say it to Euclid who faces us once again. “Grayfia-san’s brother, Euclid! ……What are you thinking? Why did you appear at this time? On top of that, as a terrorist! Is this a rebellion to the current government of the Devils?”
I want to confirm his intention once again. Even if he’s the mastermind of the terrorist, he’s still Grayfia-san’s little brother. Euclid then says. “……There are many reasons, Hyoudou Issei. My dissatisfaction towards the current government and questions I have towards my sister. I questioned myself during so much time. Hyoudou Issei, please answer me. —What is a Devil?”
I can’t answer easily answer the sudden question. Euclid also nods when he sees my reaction. “You can’t give a proper answer. I’m the same too.”
“……Are you telling me Rizevim’s ideology pushed you forward?”
“Everyone has their own kind of ideals. But I have judged that that person’s ideal is necessary for me.”
Euclid then makes a deep sigh. “I have thought that it is most important for “Devils” to be a “Devil” towards the humans and the other forces. That simply means that we have to be more evil than any creatures and beings. Regarding this, I have the same thought as Rizevim-sama. However, from here, it will be my own answer.”
Euclid spreads his arm. “—I will show all of the forces what “Devils” are by using Rizevim. I will make them realise it. I want them to realise just how brutal and dangerous the evil species called “Devils” are. For me, I don’t care about ruling and politics. No, that goes the same for Rizevim-sama. —At the final stage, I want to show what “Devils” are to the human world as well.”
……So this guy is also acting for a reason which doesn’t make sense……! What does he mean by showing others what Devils are……!? The smiles of the children I interacted with at that school flashes back in my head. Are the children of the Underworld who don’t know anything involved with this…..? Hey, are they……? I distort my face at Euclid’s words. “……Are you trying to have the Devils distance themselves with all of the other forces and the human world……! ?”
Euclid looks afar. “My sister……I admired her. Even though she’s a woman, she was stronger than anyone and she was more courageous than anyone. She was my pride itself. I even believed that supporting my sister was the path I lived for. But that sister of mine rebelled against working for “Lucifer” and gave her heart to the abnormal species that can’t be called a Devil. Rias Gremory, can you imagine just how shocked I was and how it crumbled my values?”
Euclid then points at me. “The balance of my heart was broken for a long time and both my mind and body was in a state which was no different to that of a corpse. But I came to this conclusion after finding about you, Hyoudou Issei, who acted as he liked and brought new atmosphere to the Underworld.”
Euclid looks up. He looks somehow bright. “—“Ah, yes. I should also live as I like”—.”
—! He realised that he should live as he like after seeing me……? What the heck is that! I can’t understand what this guy has been saying since before! Rias says it with a voice that carries her anger. “You are telling me this is what you wanted! ?”
Euclid seems like he doesn’t really care. “It was a simple thought. For the Devils to have a hero—. Children see that hero and get influenced. But that doesn’t seem like a Devil. If that’s the case, I came to the conclusion that I want to show the children what a “Devil” is.”
“You are telling me that the “Devil” you are speaking of is Rizevim!? Don’t start saying utter crap after appearing after so long!”
Rias continues at my rage. Her expression is filled with tears and rage. “……You are twisted! Our species itself is in a dangerous situation, yet, you crave for chaos instead of peace……!”
Euclid tilts his head at Rias’s words. “Twisted. Rias Gremory, from where to where is it twisted? My actions? Or the annihilation of the Maous that wasn’t supposed to happen? Our existence is supposed to be the “Extra”, the deviated beings, just like in the Bible and documents relate to it—the exceptional beings. The irregular beings like your brother and Ajuka Beelzebub was born possibly due to the corruption of our mythology. No, we are probably aren’t the “Devils from the Holy Bible” any more.”
…………
He’s going to show what “Devils” are to the children? And my action became the start for his actions……? I shake my head. “So you performed your exaggerated ambitions in such ways huh…… But—”
Yeah, but it’s different. Their ambition and their dream has nothing to do with those children! “Those kids have nothing to do with theeeeeem! Either way, aren’t you trying to destroy the current Underworld!? Then, I have to stop you!”
Euclid makes a faint smile when he sees my aura exiting out from my crimson armour. “Yes, that’s how you are supposed to be. A hero needs to protect something recklessly. Unlike Rizevim-sama, I won’t deny a hero from the start. That’s why you are fitted for being my opponent!”
Rias then says. “Then what was your purpose for targeting Rossweisse? Is it because she seems capable of reaching 666’s secret? Even so, wasn’t that a reckless action for you to appear in Tokyo while knowing the danger you put yourself in?”
Yes, it’s exactly what Rias says. No matter what reason he had, appearing in Tokyo itself to recruit Rossweisse-san to his group was a daring move. Aren’t sneaking into cities something you need to be cautious at doing if you are a terrorist? Once your plans get revealed, it will be harder to sneak in the next time. And sneaking in while knowing that doesn’t seem like you have any sanity unless you have a good reason to do so. He says it while he looks at Rossweisse-san. “……This person is intelligent. She also has potential. If she comes to our side, we can use her wisely. After all, what she was researching wasn’t the method to unseal 666 but the opposite. —It was to put seal on it.”
—! Rias and I become shocked hearing that! Rossweisse-san’s rumoured essay wasn’t about unsealing 666 but to seal it……? Euclid continues while he stroke Rossweisse-san’s hair. “Also……Rossweisse resembles her. She really does resemble her.”
Rias asks him while putting on a doubtful expression. “……Who does she resemble?”
“—My sister Grayfia.”
—!? Rias, Rossweisse-san, and I become speechless at his confession. ……He says that she resembles her, but their faces don’t look alike. Though their silver hair and the atmosphere they carry may be similar……
Euclid continues while putting on a faint smile. “……This person may become my sister. That’s very important.”
…………
……Yeah, I finally understand. ……When I first met him, he said “Tell my sister”. ……He, Euclid, is……chasing after Grayfia-san’s shadow……? Perhaps the actions he took till now and his insane words are all connected to Grayfia-san? | text_17 |
That’s because he came to Tokyo while taking the risk to see Rossweisse-san simply because she resembles her…… That alone proves that he……
Rias suddenly puts on a sad expression. “……Euclid Lucifugus. You……your heart is already……”
“? What are you saying? I’m still sane.”
Euclid sighs and looks at me—no, he looks at Ddraig and then says. “Sekiryuutei Ddraig, how about it? —Won’t you come to this jewel?”
Ddraig replies to him so everyone can hear. [Are you telling me to change sides?] “Yes. I can use you better than all of the past Sekiryuuteis. I can bring out your power more than Hyoudou Issei who is over there. I can become the personification of the Heavenly Dragon Ddraig without using a fake power called the crimson armour. —Even the Juggernaut Drive.”
[I see…… If it’s you, you probably can bring out more than my full power.] “Exactly. I am stronger than Hyoudou Issei after all.”
[……Yeah, my current partner is the weakest among the history. Not only can’t he use his power properly yet, he also has the bad habit of putting his attention to useless things. I’m full of pain since he’s so obsessed about breasts.] ……Is it me or are you saying whatever you like with this opportunity? No, I’m sure you have so much stress you are keeping inside! —But, Ddraig tells him. [However, he’s much better than you. No, he’s much better than any previous hosts. This is what I want to say. He’s a good partner.] ……You sure do say nice things. Well, I wasn’t worried one bit. Euclid shrugs his shoulder and starts laughing. “Fuhahahaha, then how about I do this!”
Euclid clicks his finger. Then a small magic-circle appears within his hand and then disappears. Next moment—a sound of explosion echoes from far behind me. ……It came from the direction where the school is……! Seriously……!? Rias, Rossweisse-san, and I become speechless. He says it plainly. “Since it’s all of you that are naïve we are talking about here. You captured the traitorous Magicians alive, correct? I put some trap in their bodies. —I decided for them to explode if something happens. Look, the school all of you were taking care of has been destroyed. All of the hardship all of you went through went down in vain.”
“…………”
“……You scum……”
Me and Rias shake in anger. He continues without any care. “But, isn’t it okay? It’s a pathetic school which only gathers children of the Low-class Devils. Did you know? The school that High-class Devils attend to and it’s a school only a chosen pure blood can attend? Obviously the ones teaching them also comes from High-class households. Their institute incorporates the latest technology to the highest level while teaching them in a manner to take importance of the tradition. The students attend that school in order to make connections with other households. That becomes the absolute foundation for their future. In order to make them become recognisable in the high society, the high stream school will become a good insurance.”
He says it with an astonished voice. “Does that school hold that much value? Are you telling me a High-class Devil will attend there? No matter how much they study there, the result you would get at best is having them get a middle-low or low-high jobs.”
…………
……Even so, what about it? That school……everyone is seeing their dream in it. Everyone has hope in it. This guy doesn’t know how valuable that is……! I walk towards him while releasing auras from my whole body. “……I’m glad you were scum. Since you are Grayfia-san’s brother, I thought you were helping Rizevim after thinking really hard about it.”
From all of the jewels on my crimson armour, the Wyvern flies out. Thanks to Ddraig coming back, its function also came back. “If you were opposing us while having complicated feelings, I would be a bit troubled in whether I can beat you with my fist when I had to finish you off…… I’m really glad that you are an insane scum……! I won’t hold back! I will beat you today and take you to Grayfia-san!”
I stand in front of him while having huge amount of aura come out of me! Yeah, this guy is one guy I can’t forgive! I won’t be able to keep myself calm unless I beat him personally! As a Sekiryuutei! As someone who look up to Grayfia-san! As Rossweisse-san’s comrade! I then say it to Rias. “Please get away from me. I will finish this quickly.”
“But……”
I say it while putting on strong eyes to her who is feeling uneasy. “I won’t lose anymore. I will defeat this guy.”
Maybe she realised that I won’t change my mind, so Rias takes a step back. Euclid also puts a rope made from demonic-power on Rossweisse-san and releases her. This will be the second battle between the real Sekiryuutei and the replica Sekiryuutei. In terms of base power, he is far above me even if he is using a replica. He’s also bringing out the Sekiryuutei’s power better than me. But, I won’t lose to that guy—. “I will take Rossweisse-san back.”
“You won’t be able to. She will show her true strength by having me use her.”
I say it clearly to him who answered calmly. “She’s too good for you. She’s my precious comrade. I won’t let you do as you like!”
Rossweisse-san says it with a determined expression. “Please defeat me and this man!”
……Rossweisse-san. I already told you back then. “I won’t do that, ever. I will save you and defeat just that guy—. That’s it.”
He says it as he looks at the Wyvern flying around me. “I had a hard time thanks to that, but, oh well, this time I will fight without taking you lightly.”
Saying that, he increases the wave of his demonic-power right away! His aura increases rapidly to quantity where it can destroy this whole area! The ground below his feet also cracks open widely and there are holes on the ground. ……That sure is amazing an amount of demonic-power. If you get hit by that directly, even a High-class Devil will perish. This is him being serious. But, I don’t know why. I think he’s far inferior to Sirzechs-sama and Grayfia-san. Even though he’s showing such amazing power right in front of me. ……Putting his power aside, his existence itself is too shallow. That’s why I can’t feel this is something great. ……Oh well, I’m also shallow myself. Still I guess I’m better than him. “Then, here I come!”
Euclid puts his hand forward and increases his demonic-power. [BoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoost!!] The sound which signifies the increase of power echoes from the Replica Sacred Gear and it increases his aura even more where he shoots that out right away! Explosive amount of torrents of aura! Even I won’t be safe if I get hit by that. —But I move my Wyverns and make them line up in a row front of me. Euclid’s demonic-power engulfs my Wyverns. That instant. [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] [Divide!] The Wyverns makes a sound that signifies the dividing of the attack, and his attack decreases every time it passes through my Wyvern. | text_17 |
By the time it reaches me, it should be weak enough where I can simply swing my arm to destroy it. However, since I already showed that to him last time, Euclid should be aware of this. He moves right after he shot it out and he closes the distance between us! Euclid has demonic-power charged into his fist despite moving at high velocity! I shoot out my Dragon Shot immediately. Euclid reacts to it right away and dodges it—. But there’s one Wyvern behind him! [Reflect!] My Dragon Shot changes its course at the same time as the sound that signifies it has been reflected! Another Wyvern reacts to it and reflects it again! With the second reflect, my Dragon Shot is back to its original course and is heading towards Euclid! Even so, Euclid moves his body to dodge it! He releases his fist covered in aura at me as he dodges my attack! His dense punch is enough to destroy my armour if I get hit by it! I change my arm into that of Solid Impact in order to increase my defence! He then smiles fearlessly. “It’s futile! You won’t be able to stop my fist simply with that!”
Euclid’s brutal strike—lands on my arms that is in a cross guard position! A strike that even shocks the core of my body! But—my arms are still in a guarding position. Euclid becomes stiff for a moment to this reality. He must have stopped because something he didn’t expect happened. I didn’t ignore this chance and I give a powerful punch to his face while having my arm in Solid Impact mode! Euclid gets blown back violently! His replica armour is badly destroyed! He asks me while moving his body weakly. “……What’s the meaning of this? My fist was superior to your aura. Guarding it should have been impossible. ……But the moment I hit you, I felt that your power has raised.”
He sure has sharp eyes. He really does observe me carefully. Next to me—is a flying red Wyvern. It seems like Euclid became shocked seeing that. “……! Are you telling me that red Wyvern……can also use the Sekiryuutei’s power! ?”
Yes, this is the ability I created. Ever since I attained the Wyverns, I was searching for a way to use it. I understood it can use Divide and Reflect. But, this is what I thought. —If this was a Sekiryuutei’s Wyvern, then the way I can battle will change. Then this is what Ddraig said. [Then how about you try it? If it’s the current you, then you should be able to get the knack of it.] I gave my best in order to make the red Wyvern a reality, just like Ddraig suggested. Though I had to halt my training mid-way when I was a step closer to attaining it due to Ddraig tagging along with Albion…… Thanks to Ddraig convincing the past Hakuryuukous over at Albion’s place, I was able to get a positive proof. So my imagination turned into reality. The Wyverns that fly around me. They're changing their colour on their own between red and white. I can change its power between the power of Sekiryuutei and the power of Hakuryuukou with just my thought. After finding this out, Euclid shakes his head as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing. “……Absurd. To make the power of Hakuryuukou you released……into the power of Sekiryuutei……!”
“You won’t be able to do this with a replica, right? Also, this is you who is smart we are talking about. You can predict what will happen next right?”
“……Are you planning to combine the power of red and white! ?”
That’s right. I will change the Wyverns depending on the situation! If it’s you, you can understand what that means right!? I go forward together with my Wyverns! I sent several Wyverns towards him before I reach him! He tries to repeatedly shoot his demonic-power while he dodges it to the side! I made the Wyverns line up in a line and change them into red! “I won’t lose to you anymore!”
I randomly shoot out my Dragons Shots! [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] My attacks passes through the red Wyverns and they increase its output! My Dragon Shots that became massive takes out the aura he shot out and they continue to fly ahead! Euclid flies up and dodges my attack. But the moment my Dragon Shots hit the white Wyverns I sent ahead beforehand—. [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] [Reflect!] They all get reflected and they go after Euclid who went up the sky to dodge it! Euclid dodges several Dragon Shots, but he receives one of them ahead and his armour gets blown away. Now then, Ddraig. Let’s end this. [Yeah, let’s go.] Red Wyverns gather around me and they start to boost my power. [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] [Boost!!] The red Wyverns attach onto me and they transfer their power to me right away! [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] [Transfer!] —! ……My aura increases to its maximum output. My crimson aura continues to emit bright light and starts to envelop the surroundings. My power that has increased to an excessive level changes the power of Sekiryuutei into that of an irregular one. The chest and stomach area of my armour starts to move while making a sound and the appearance changes. I have—something that is meant to shoot out something. This is exactly the same thing as the one I had when I used Juggernaut Drive and Great Red. [Yeah, this is final trick and the forbidden attack the Boosted Gear has. The particles of dream we were able to turn into reality because we were able to have a mutual understanding with Albion. —It’s the Longinus Smasher!] I move the direction of my body towards Euclid and start charging my aura. I can understand that an insane amount of aura which even scares me is gathered to my stomach. There’s no way I can release this towards the ground. So I can only shoot by having my enemy move in the sky. Maybe Euclid also sensed the danger of it, so he tries to escape from here! “……It does frustrate me but I can’t afford to get hit by it!”
Euclid tries to run away, but his body gets captured by magic ropes! “Do you think you can escape safely after saying all the things you liked to me? Also your demonic-power has lots of useless aspects despite being powerful. I enhanced that rope by removing the useless parts.”
It’s Rossweisse-san! Rossweisse-san removed the ropes he put on her by herself and instead put it on Euclid! She even changed it into her own taste instantly! Rossweisse-san sure is cunning! “……To be expected from the woman I came to take a liking to!”
The bastard Euclid can even say things like that under this situation! Geez! He removes the magic ropes by force but he was already too late. I already finished charging. Ddraig then tells him. [—Euclid Lucifugus. One Sekiryuutei is enough in this world. It’s necessary for you to be defeated by us.] That’s right. The Sekiryuutei—! “One Sekiryuutei is enough!”
A massive amount of aura is shot out from my stomach by answering my shout! [Longinus Smasher!!!!!!!!!!!!] Vast amount of aura which taints the whole sky in a crimson colour envelops Euclid—. | text_17 |
The silver haired man who is on the ground—. He got his armour completely destroyed by receiving my Longinus Smasher and received critical damage. ……He has blood coming out from his whole body. He looks up at the sky emotionlessly as if he can’t believe he was defeated. The sky—is still tainted in crimson due to the influence of my Longinus Smasher. ……It’s crazy. The aura even remains in the sky huh. [Don’t use it repeatedly, okay? That’s one of the forbidden powers that can even change the environment depending on the way you use it. Furthermore, a strong fatigue will hit you simply with a single use.] That’s scary. Yeah, I understand. I will use it with caution but only if a time like that comes. ……I really did get my whole stamina drained after all…… I’m barely able to stand……
Rias calls the army after she confirms the safety of our comrades with the communication-type magic-circle. It’s regarding Auros, Agreas, and also to capture Euclid. He……Euclid doesn’t show any sign of running away as if he lost the will to fight. Euclid says it while he observes the crimson sky. “……Sister, do you really like “red” that much? I……also became “red”, you know?”
Auros where we are recovering from the aftermath of the battle. The town……has scars left behind by the Evil Dragons in various places. The area around the school is especially bad. It’s hard to find a house or crop field that isn’t damaged. The school itself……is partially destroyed due to Euclid’s attack. ……We had it destroyed at the very end. But I guess it was fortunate that it didn’t get completely destroyed. The Underworld’s soldiers that came to the aid are investigating and removing the rubble both at the school and town. Three hours passed inside here, but apparently only three minutes passed outside. They really did change the time difference of the space inside and outside where the one hour here was one minute outside……
The mastermind, Euclid, was teleported to the Maou’s territory earlier. He had a provoking smirk till the very end. ……Oh well, we will leave the rest to Sirzechs-sama. The Witch of the Holy Cross, Walburga, retreated right away together with Aži Dahāka and the remaining mass-produced Evil Dragons by using the teleportation magic-circle. ……The relic user will become a threat to the Devils. We won’t be able to endure it if we don’t build a countermeasure against it……
Saji and Sairaorg-san who are really exhausted, and the children’s dads who fought together with us were teleported to the hospital by having the medics take them after they had their external wounds healed by Asia. Their lives aren’t at risk, but apparently they would need to stay in the hospital for a while. ……Saji, Sairaorg-san, the dads, and everyone else fought for the school while giving their all. Thanks to them, the children are safe. Not a single child that is called our hope was hurt. That……will be something we can be all proud of. Saji who has just reached Balance Breaker was so exhausted that he fainted once he deactivated his armour. ……He already had to fight Grendel, so he hit his limit a long time ago. The children’s parents and the civilians of this town are coming up to the ground. “They sure got us badly.”
When I turn around after hearing a familiar voice—I see Azazel-sensei standing there. “Sorry I couldn’t partake in this battle.”
I shake my head to the side. “No, we also didn’t think that it would turn out like this as well……”
They stole the whole of Agreas swiftly. From what I heard, all the civilians of that city got teleported outside. In other words, they left while taking just the city. I then ask Sensei. “What are they seeking……from the sky city?”
Agreas which is said to be using the technology of the Old Maou era. There are still unknown aspects which can’t be solved in it. Sona-kaichou and others say that Rizevim who is the son of the former Lucifer might know the secret behind it. Sensei then says it as he sighs. “……I wonder if it either has a gigantic weapon or it has the ability to transform. ……Ajuka Beelzebub who was in charge of that place may know something. We probably need to ask him.”
It seems like Sensei also has no clue about it. ……Though I hope it isn’t something like a gigantic transforming robot. Their aim is the Agreas and 666. Yeah, Euclid also spoke about Rossweisse-san’s essay. Maybe Sensei also thought the same so he mentions that as well. “I was able to clarify Rossweisse’s essay to a certain degree.”
“……The method to seal 666, right?”
“Oh, Euclid already mentioned it to you? Yeah, that’s it. Rossweisse’s essay wasn’t about how to unseal 666, but to reach the seal of 666 itself. She truly is a genius. Back then, she decided to research it mostly due to being interested in it, and she reached the possibility.”
……Not unsealing it, but to seal it huh. So that means that even if 666 was to get unsealed, we can put a new seal if Rossweisse-san’s essay turns into something. Sensei then says. “……From now on, her analysing spell would hold the key. They would be after Rossweisse from now on as well. I never imagined that Rossweisse would be our trump card. You really can’t tell what will happen in life.”
Sensei sighs. He’s exactly right. Rossweisse-san may be the key which will turn the table around. Seriously, my comrades are all amazing people……
Sensei then starts messing my hair with his hand. “I will tell you the message from Śakra. —It’s decided that the one who will succeed the First-Gen Sun Wukong, who was the vanguard against the Khaos Brigade under Śakra’s command, is Cao Cao.”
—! ……I see, so that guy really did return. That spear…… That man was the one that broke that barrier. ……It feels like I would be meeting him quite soon. “By the way, don’t let your guard down just because you got a complete victory from Euclid. You won’t be able to beat Crom Cruach and others if you can’t drag out the Sekiryuutei’s power even more. Oh well, I’m sure you would be able to pull it off somehow.”
I sure want to hold confidence in myself since Sensei is saying that. ……Hey, Ddraig. I will become even stronger, okay? Those guys are trying to destroy things they shouldn’t as well. ……I definitely won’t forgive them. Ddraig laughs fearlessly. [Yeah, no doubt. We can cause a ruckus together. That’s why we are the Sekiryuutei.] I can do it. As long as I have Ddraig and my comrades, I can become even stronger—. While I make a new determination, Sensei's eyes turn serious besides me. “……What’s left now is whether we can find out who is the one that called this to happen.”
……That one that called this to happen. Yeah, it’s really strange for the situations to go in the favour of the enemy. We were able to secure the sole survivor of the Magicians that altered the teleportation magic-circle and teleported Agreas elsewhere. The one that survived because the explosive spell on that Magician was unstable. The fact about the terror in Agreas didn’t involve the space it was in and the time of that place. | text_17 |
The fact about the experienced Magicians being gathered over here. I’m sure both of these are related. Or else they couldn’t have made a daring move like teleporting Agreas by using the teleportation magic-circle. And the way how they were cautious in sealing the spell of the Magicians such as Gondur-san. I can only assume that they progressed their plan while measuring the strength of us, the D×D. ……There’s someone who knows a lot about the Underworld’s situation who is leaking information to them. —It means that there are those who find peace painful. Vali’s words cross my mind all of a sudden. Then Dulio comes rushing towards us while breathing heavily. “Ah! I’m sorry for being late! How should I put it……I will just do my best in taking care of the aftermath of this battle!”
Looks like even the Heaven’s trump card couldn’t respond to an incident that happened only for three minutes. I head to the temporary tent which is built at the schoolyard. The members that have relatively minor wounds are taking a rest there. Maybe Asia has finished healing the injured, so she’s taking a rest there. Gya-suke possibly has become exhausted since he continued to create the beasts of darkness, so he’s sleeping while sitting on the chair. I also sit on one of the chairs and take a break. I then say it after taking a big breath. “……I know that the winter holiday is coming up, but the second semester sure was full of commotion. Seriously, ever since the summer holiday ended, all these crises have happened like crazy……”
Within less than four months, I encountered situations where I thought I would actually die. ……Ah, I actually died once physically if I think about it. Aren’t I dying once every semester!? At this rate, I would die again during the third semester so it scares me. And I can’t even take that as a joke! Rias then speaks out her decision. “—Let’s having a gathering during the winter holidays.”
“You mean having a training camp for the winter holidays? With the D×D members?”
“I really do want all of you to take a break since we are in a busy time of the year, but we are being sought for help from a certain place before the winter holidays.”
“From where?”
“—The Church. I can also say the Heaven, I guess.”
The Heaven! ……Will it be safe for a Devil to go there? Ah, Xenovia went there temporarily to have Durandal repaired. But I sure am looking forward to it since I haven’t been to the Heaven yet. ……So it’s the Kingdom of Heaven, right? It sure is a strange feeling since we will be going there even though we are alive and are Devils. Rias then smiles. “Looks like we will be spending time with the Angels for the end of the year. I will be deciding more about it with Irina and Sister Griselda. Hmm, I’m sure looking forward to it. —Then Xenovia returns from the basement. “Ah, I finally found you. So you were here, Buchou.”
“Is something wrong, Xenovia?”
Xenovia nods and she says it while looking around all of us, the Gremory group. “Yeah, I thought this would be the right time I tell everyone. Since Ise is also here, this will be a good timing.”
What the? Is something happening? Irina also stands next to Xenovia while putting her chest forward and says “Ehen!”. Xenovia then says. “I heard there will be an election happening once we enter the third semester to decide the Student President.”
Yeah. The election will happen soon as we enter the third semester. “Yeah, Sona-kaichou and Shinra-fukukaichou will graduate after all. They would need to choose the new Student Council members. ……Wait, don’t tell me you’re……”
I reach a certain conclusion! More like she’s crossing her arm in confidence! Xenovia declares it while pointing up. “Ise, I will run for the election. —I want to become the Student President.”
—! “ “ “ “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh! ?” ” ” ”
Kiba, Koneko-chan, Ravel, and I, become so shocked! Leaving aside the sleeping Gasper, it seems like Rias, Akeno-san, Asia, and Rossweisse-san knew this judging from their behaviour! Wait wait wait wait! I could never have predicted that she will run for the Presidency! Ah! So that’s why she became enthusiastic at studying and school activities! Rias then says. “We were also shocked when she came to consult with us. I never predicted that Xenovia wanted to become the Student President…… The reason why she started becoming keen towards school matters lately was due to this reason.”
Xenovia continues while nodding her head. “I’m planning to participate in the election campaign. ……I guess I would leave the ORC, but I have an ambition where I want to become the Student President. So I ask for your approval.”
......O-Ooooooooh……
I-It seems like some crazy thing will happen. That Xenovia……is running for Presidency! There’s no way I could have ever guessed her to appear for becoming the successor of Sona-kaichou! I ask Rias. “I-Is it really okay? For Xenovia to leave ORC?”
She is still a member of the Gremory group and we have been acting while using the ORC as the centre of it. Rias nods. “Yes, I think it's okay. Since the fact about her being part of the Gremory group won’t change. I’m sure a school that will be run by Xenovia will be interesting. Oh my, you sure are easy going! I-Is it really okay~? Rias then tells everyone. “We still have some days left so let’s make a plan before the winter holidays.”
Asia forgets about her fatigue and hugs Xenovia. “Xenovia-san, I will help you as well!”
Irina also hugs onto Xenovia. “Count me in as well! I’m quite good with religious propagation and religious proclamation!”
“Yeah, I’m also fairly good with religious propagation! I will become the Student Council!”
“ “ “Yeah!” ” ”
Xenovia, Asia, and Irina are hyped! I-I think those things are different. Oh yeah, so the Church-trio will be helping with Xenovia’s election huh. Well, I will help as well. Oh man, I really am surprised. I then take a glimpse at Rias. She says this while putting on a bit of a sad expression. “……Our graduation is just right ahead soon as we enter the third semester. ORC would also need to have a new Club President.”
“Have you decided on who it will be?”
I ask, but she puts her finger on her lips and winks at me. “It’s still a secret. Though I have already chosen who it is together with Akeno.”
They did huh. I’m also becoming curious about it. But seriously, there’s going to be so many types of generation changes happening huh…… Both the ORC and Student Council. Rias then tells everyone after she claps her hand. “Now then, let’s do another work before the winter holidays. First, we need to take care of this place.”
“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”
Everyone replies and resumes their work. —Irina then pulls my sleeve. She looks rather happy. “By the way, Ise-kun. It’s almost the promised season.”
“Huh?”
I can only put a dumbfounded expression to Irina’s smile. But she continues without caring about it. | text_17 |
“…………I believe that you will remember our promise that we made when we were young♪”
“This place would be fine.”
Gondur-san activates the magic-circle at the corner of the school premises. Gondur-san who has used up so much power due to this incident needs to be checked at the Underworld’s hospital. She should have let the medics take her, but she said she can go there by herself so she’s activating her personal magic-circle. Me and Rossweisse-san are sending her off. “…………”
“…………”
Gondur-san and Rossweisse-san aren’t having that much conversation. While we are under the bizarre atmosphere, we sense several presence heading this way. When I look that way, it was the children. Lirenkus is also among them. “Rossweisse-sensei!”
“Granny-sensei!”
The children says that with a sad expression to Rossweisse-san and Gondur-san. “Sensei, is it true that you are leaving?”
“Won’t you come to this school anymore?”
“Please teach me more of your magic, Sensei!”
“I want to be capable of using magic!”
Gondur-san says it while patting the children’s head. “I will come here again. And Rossweisse-sensei will definitely come here one day as well.”
The children put on a bright expression hearing that. Gondur-san says it to Rossweisse-san directly. “Rose, the path you have walked and the wisdom you have learned wasn’t wrong even if it was different to our household. See for yourself.”
There are children who are putting on a smile—. “These children’s smiles are the results of the path you took. This is something you were able to do because of the current you. Have more pride in yourself. —Rose, you are my granddaughter I am proud of you.”
Hearing that, Rossweisse-san covers her mouth and is holding back her emotion desperately. Even so, tears are flowing out from her eyes. “………………Yes, thank you very much.”
Seeing that, Gondur-san strengthened the magical power for the teleportation. She’s just about to teleport, but she says this as if she just remembered it. “Now then, I will be on my way. Ah, that’s right.”
Gondur-san looks at me and the winks. “Mr Boyfriend, please take care of Rossweisse.”
“Wait, I’m not……”
I try to shake my head to the side, but Gondur-san says this with a smile. “I can feel most assured if I leave her to you.”
Leaving those words behind, Gondur-san disappears into the teleportation light. …………
I-It sure did become a weird sending off…… When I look to my side while putting on a bitter smile, I witness Rossweisse-san with a very red face. “U-Umm, Rossweisse-san?”
When I talk to her, she replies back with a red face. “......Y-Y……You looked heroic. A-A-Also……I was happy back then. For coming after me……”
“Of course I would. I will definitely rescue you, Rossweisse-san.”
When I say that—she looks down and mutters. “……N-Next time……let’s go to a……two-hundred yen shop. No, will you please go with me?”
T-Two hundred yen shop huh…… Well, that sure is like her. I say it while putting on a smile. “Sure.”
Rossweisse-san suddenly puts on a smile. But the children around her starts picking on her while putting on a taunting expression. “Are you going to kiss? Hey, are you going to kiss him?”
“Oppai Dragon is going to kiss someone besides the Switch Princess!”
Rossweisse-san panics and says this with an accent. “I won’t do such shameless thing like kissing!”
It sure is like Rossweisse-san. After I sent Gondur-san off, Rias and I are removing the school building’s rubble while we are helping with the restoration of the town. ……We are finally alone together. For some reason, too many things happened, so I couldn’t ask Rias out for a single date. ……But I want to get closer to her even more. …………
After I take a breath, I say it to Rias who is carrying a huge piece of rubble using her demonic-power. “……U-Umm, it’s really hard for me to say this, but…… I mean, I kind of decided to do this but…… No, I want to get your approval and……”
My tone is high. Rias becomes suspicious of me. “Is something wrong?”
……Tell her, Hyoudou Issei! If I can’t progress our relationship, how can I call myself the Sekiryuutei! I have been deciding to do this for a while! If I don’t say it here, I won’t know when I can find the next opportunity to say it! I scold myself, but I open my trembling mouth. “……During our private times, can I talk to you casually? ……Well, I want to talk normally with Rias.”
Hearing that, Rias—drops the huge piece of rubble. Maybe she didn’t predict this, so she looked dazzled. —But then she starts putting on emotional eyes and nods her head. “—! Yes.”
……I’m so glad! I say it once again while I make a victory pose inside myself. “Thank you, Rias.”
“No, I’m also happy. Ise, I love you.”
Rias and I take each other’s hand. I then say this to her while we are staring at each other. “I love you too.”
Oh yeah, I’m finally able to talk to her casually! I was scared to talk to her casually since she is older and since she’s my Master. Even so, since we confessed our feelings to each other, I thought it would be okay to talk casually with each other. No, I had the strong desire to talk to her casually. I’m glad I said that. That’s because, I……love this person……! I wanted to shorten the distance between us much as I can. While it became moody—I hear someone’s cough. When I turn around due to the shock together with Rias, we witness Sona-kaichou standing there. She saw us!? Did Kaichou see all of that just now!? Rias and I let go of our hands due to the embarrassment! Sona-kaichou simply says this. “Do you want me to build a memorial for you two here?”
“ “We don’t need it!” ”
Rias and I can’t help but give such answer. “Hello, Euclid.”
“How do you do, Sirzechs-sama. No, my dear brother. I never expected for you to come and see me.”
“……There’s so much I want to say to you. But I want to ask you just one thing. —Why?”
“……My sister……had you. I……had nothing. That’s simply it. ……Though it seems like your other brother isn’t a failure like myself.”
“He was strong, right? He’s a brother whom I can be proud of.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be your pride.”
“…………Are you also interested in the other world?”
“……I am not interested in it. I simply wanted to experience “chaos”. Brother, I want to ask you one thing. —What is a “Devil” to you?”
“They're living beings, known as “Devils”. Even though we have different values, we are a species that know both good and evil, just like the humans do.”
“……Brother, you really are naïve.”
“Uhyahyahyahya, thanks to you, we were able to get our hands on that whole sky city.”
“……For Devils, the name “Lucifer” is absolute.”
“If there are sharp minded ones among them, then they would realise there is a traitor among the Devils involved in this incident. But this truly is a hilarious story. —For the traitor to be none other than that super popular player, “Emperor” Belial!”
“I……simply want to fulfil my true King’s wishes.”
“So what is this wish you want to fulfil by using me? | text_17 |
Mr. Champion?”
“……I want to investigate a certain incident that had been erased by the current government and the Heaven.”
“Hmm, I wonder what that may be. Sounds interesting.”
“That town which is under the territory of Rias Gremory was previously the territory of my relative. But that person had been erased after getting involved with a certain government. The ones suspected to be involved in it are—several people related to the Church which was led by the father of Shidou Irina who is the Ace of the Angel’s leader, Michael.” | text_17 |
[Switch Princess, I have come to rescue you.] [……Oppai Dragon, I believed you would come for me.] Inside the dark room—the video of tokusatsu film is being projected on the large screen. The truth is, this happens to be my room. There’s a projector set up inside my room, and a screen appears with a single button which then shows the video. ……I know that having equipment like this is too much for a high school student, but Rias had this installed when the Hyoudou residence went through renovation for “just in case”. There’s also a cinema installed in the training room located on the first basement floor. And today……she said she wanted to have a moody atmosphere, so we decided to have fun watching the film in my room. We are watching it while making the room dark. The film we are observing right now is the “Chichiryuutei Oppai Dragon”. The House of Gremory that holds the copyrights receives the newest episode from the video company that has yet to be broadcast. It gets sent to me, so I start watching it like this sometimes. ……Now, the one I’m watching it with is;
“……You come to rescue me even in the video.”
The one who is sitting between my legs and leaning her body against me is Rias. Yeah, I’m watching “Oppai Dragon” alone with Rias right now. The time we spent together really is really limited ever since the “Qlippoth” started their assault, so my interaction with Rias is only limited within the time I have during my lifestyle. ……W-Well, we do sleep together but that’s merely a part of our usual daily life, so I think it’s different from the private time I can have with her…… On top of that, even if we go far away and if that isn’t part of our job, then we would need to ask for permission from a lot of people. The standing of the Sekiryuutei and the heiress of the House of Gremory is even busier right now since we are currently fighting against the Qlippoth. And this is the time we finally got under such a situation where we can spend the time together. ……“The time for us two”. Ah, there’s a nice ring to it…… I’m finally able to talk to her casually now. A lot has happened within this one year, but I think I can forget all that since I’m so happy for being able to spend the time alone with Rias like this! I’m shedding tears of joy, but the screen which is displaying the “Oppai Dragon” show is currently showing the golden scene where the Oppai Dragon just showed up and saved Switch-Princess. Just like Rias said, I have also saved Rias like this before. That’s because I’m Rias Gremory’s “Pawn”, her servant Devil, and also her—. When I look down out in a whim—there are oppai right there! ……I don’t know how to put it, but my eyes are glued towards her breasts since we are having such a good atmosphere and I can’t pay attention to the video that’s playing in front of me any more. So my right hand is moving towards her breast! ……A bit more, if I move my hand a bit more, then I can grope it…… ……No, we are having such a good atmosphere, so I can’t do such thing while watching the tokusatsu programme……! I don’t have to kill this sweet atmosphere by doing such a lecherous thing! I’m also sure Rias will get mad at me and feel like I killed the mood if I touch her oppai when the atmosphere is turning good! I calm myself down and try to pull my hand away. But Rias grabs that hand of mine. I can feel an extremely soft sensation with my hand! R-Rias……grabbed my hand when I was trying to pull it away, and she places my hand on her breast! On top of that, she puts it through her open shirt! So I can feel her raw breassssst! My whole hand sinks into a circular object, so my right hand is enjoying her oppai! Ah, Rias’s oppai which is so soft! I can’t resist myself any more since I can also feel her body temperature. I’m having a breast-parade inside my head despite being confused at Rias’s sudden action! Rias looks at me with emotional eyes and mutters. “……Don’t stop.”
—! ……What is she saying……! I-I didn’t need to stop!? So it was okay for me to grope her breasts!? “A-Are you sure?”
When I ask her while my heart is beating fast, she simply replies back by saying “……Yes, please”. —She puts on a determined expression. Rias and I both can’t hear the sound from the “Oppai Dragon” video any more. We simply can hear our heart beats. I strengthen my right hand which is holding her breast a bit. As I start feeling the sensation of a woman’s soft body, Rias also makes a seductive voice at the same time where she went “……Ah”. ……If she makes such lovely voice which will turn on a guy, I……I! My face and her face get closer under this dark room—. My body gets hotter, and when I was about to go beast-mode—a loud and noisy sound echoes through the room. —It came from the clock which has the alarm turned on. Hearing that, Rias and I get away from each other as if we just woke up from our dream! “…………”
“…………”
Both of us become silent while turning red. Even Rias who is always progressive to me starts showing a really girlish attitude when the situation turns like this. That side of her is insanely cute and lovely…… So I want to save this side of her inside my head! No, I already have saved it! A short time later, there is a knock at the door and Ravel comes in. “Pardon me. Ise-sama, it’s about time—”
Ravel catches sight of Rias sitting between my legs. She suddenly turns red and starts apologising! “……M-My apologies! U-Umm……”
Looks like she thinks she was a nuisance. This girl pays a lot of care for such things. Since she takes care of the private time between me and Rias, she must have though she has bothered us. “Ah, oh……man.”
I don’t know how to react so I scratch the back of my head. Rias chuckles and then takes a breath. Her face doesn’t even have a glimpse of the face she had earlier. She returns to her “Buchou-mode”. “It can’t be helped. It’s the end of the year and Christmas is coming up soon. Our time is valuable.”
She moves away from me after saying that—. “Except—”
She comes back to me right away and kisses me softly on my lips. “Doing this much would be okay, right?”
She gives me a wink! S-She kissed me while I had my guard down! Ah, I’m so happy! This alone is enough for me! ……No, I can’t be like this since I’m aiming to become the Harem King! If I can go further past this point next time, it won’t be a bad thing! But—
“Ise-kun! Rias-san!”
The one who enters my room is Irina. “Hurry, it’s almost time for the Christmas project! Let’s have a quick discussion about it right now!”
Looks like we don’t have enough time to enjoy our sweet time together. Yeah, the winter event is going to start! The second trimester’s closing ceremony—. Since the end of school speech that took place in the gymnasium ended, all of us returned to our classroom. I was having a chat with Matsuda, Motohama, and the four girls (Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Kiryuu) until our homeroom teacher returned. “So you will be busy for the New Year holidays huh, Ise.”
I can only apologise earnestly to Matsuda who said that while sighing. | text_18 |
“Sorry. It looks like I can’t make time due to the club and such after all. We are still talking about the new formation of the club. We’ll end up having a hard time from the start of the New Year if we don’t discuss about it now. Right, everyone?”
I dragged the Church-trio into our discussion as I gave them a wink. “Y-Yes. I-I’m sure we, the second years, would have to be the ones working hard, and Irina-san will also join the club officially.”
Yeah, like Asia said, Irina will join the ORC officially. Until now, Irina was planning to build her own club where she would help the students. But in the end, no one came to join her club. And the ORC will also have two members leaving the club since they would be graduating. Hence the reason for her joining our club. And Xenovia will also leave our club if she wins the election for Presidency. ……Well, whether she will be chosen or not will depend on how well she performs in the election. “The two seniors will be leaving the club and since they have been taking care of me till now, I decided to settle down in this club after taking so long and also because I will become a third year student.”
Irina is nodding her head. ……Well, there will be a limit to how much she can do with her club by trying to gather members. Irina already has the reputation from all the students of our school that she is “cute but weird”. So it will be hard for her to gather members. You can say that it’s the right decision for her to join our club at this time. Motohama then asks. “Have the new Club President and the new Club Vice-president been chosen?”
The ORC members nod at his question. It’s about time they tell us……but we have yet to find out who will become the Club President and Club Vice-president. Now I wonder who the new Club President will be. Matsuda looks at Xenovia. “I’m more surprised about Xenovia-chan choosing to become a candidate for the Student President. Rather, the whole Kuou academy is talking about it.”
Yeah, like Matsuda said, the news about Xenovia trying to run for Presidency has been spread through the school. After all, Xenovia has officially volunteered to run for the Presidency after that incident at Auros academy. The school also approved it, hence Xenovia officially joined the candidates. “I’m planning to make a full plan for my election during the winter holidays. I would need to start my action right after the New Year." Xenovia is full of spirits. She has been putting on a serious expression while holding onto a reference book in her hand. “I’ll also help you for your election. It will be interesting if Xenovia-chi becomes the Student President.”
Kiryuu says that while finding it amusing. ……In her case, she probably wants to help Xenovia as her friend and out of kindness. But she must be thinking that a Student Council run by Xenovia will make the school interesting. I also can’t imagine a Kuou academy which is led by Xenovia. “So Ise and others are busy after all.”
Matsuda takes a breath while he says that. “Ah man, here I was thinking that the three of us would have another video session meant for us gents to celebrate the New Year.”
“……DVD huh. I……would rather not.”
I say that while feeling tired. Matsuda narrows his eyebrows and finds me suspicious so he says “Why?”……
The truth is, I had a rare experience last time. And it made me feel like I don’t want to watch DVDs with dudes for a while. Why, do you ask? Well, this is what Vali said when he suddenly showed up in my house. “Hyoudou Issei. I came here after Azazel told me to, so can you show me a video which would make me sexually aroused?”
The Hakuryuukou-sama who is said to be the strongest in history said that! Azazel-sensei strongly has to do with Vali’s behaviour since his personality would never let him say such thing. Apparently, this is what Azazel-sensei said to Vali. [Listen up, Vali. If you wish to attain a power which surpasses your imagination, you should try to get hints from Ise. He attained a mysterious power which I named the Breast-power. If you want to understand a power which is neither a demonic-power or a Dragon’s power, how about you pay attention to Ise’s life style who is a fellow Heavenly Dragon like you?] —That’s what he said. As a result, Vali who pursues strength wholeheartedly came to my place while being serious about it. No no no, even if I did attain the power called Breast-power, he’s asking too much from me by having me watch a porno DVD with my rival and discuss about it! I couldn’t decline Vali’s approach when he said “Show me the video”, so the two of us—no, the Two Heavenly Dragons ended up watching a porno DVD together, you know!? While the display was showing women who were screaming out things like “iyaan” and “aan”, he—
“So, which part of this should I pay attention to? Her breast? Her buttocks?”
—asked me such a thing while putting on a serious face! I also ended up explaining to him carefully where I said: “Ehm, this is called nurse uniform. And what’s she's doing right now is cosplaying. And there are guys who get aroused by such situations”! Even that bastard started thinking seriously about it and said: “Nurse uniform. Cosplay…… How should I change it to the Dragon’s power?”! There was no way a situation that would happen between youths would occur where the two of us start talking about each other’s fetish after getting excited. So my explanation about porno DVD's where I talked plainly about it continued till morning……
……In the end, he went home after he said something I couldn’t comprehend which went: “I don’t really understand, but I have understood that Hyoudou Issei researched this thoroughly. It must be the result of researching hard about it. There sure are many unknown factors regarding the Dragon’s power”. He left after saying something which makes me feel uneasy, “I’ll be back”……! Maybe due to such a thing happening, I started to feel that I don’t want to have a porno DVD marathon with guys for a while. Motohama asks while he shakes his head. “In my case, I wanted to play the new eroge I got my hands on, the “Child-making Princess of the Absolute Holy Castle” together……but it seems like it’s useless.”
—! ……Wh……at……? Even I who showed difficulties regarding the issue about a porno DVD bites the bait of Motohama’s eroge. “I-Is it the eroge that has high ratings even among those who bought it! ?”
It’s an eroge where the story is about a wandering swordsman who ends up staying at a certain hotel and starts getting along with the princesses of that castle while doing naughty stuff to them! The plot has mysteries and it becomes even more of a mystery which makes the game more entertaining. The visuals of beautiful girls. The setting is also excellent. And it’s said that the sequence of events you have to go through in order to make the princesses fall for you is also appropriate as well as emotional! “Yeah. I was somehow able to get it. | text_18 |
I thought even Ise who has unusually been passionate about princesses and girls from socially high class families lately would be in joy over this.”
T-That sure is something I can’t resist! Like Motohama said—I can’t resist the words “Princess”, “Girl from high class family”, and “Older girl”. I take interest in such a title and genre. ……Maybe I turned like this since I’m currently dating Rias……! No, I’m sure I have been in this state because I have been crazy about Rias. Xenovia who is next to me and who had heard that becomes interested in it. “……Hmm, eroge huh. You sure have my interest.”
Irina agrees. “On top of that, a princess genre one! ……It sure does seem like it will tell us about Ise-kun’s type of girls!”
Geez, I don’t want to play eroge while having the girls order me around ever again! Please let me play it alone and quietly! Kiryuu changes the topic while having her eyes shine. “Putting that aside, it’s almost Christmas.”
Yeah, today—is the 20th of December hence the closing ceremony. So there’s few days till Christmas. The glasses-girl suddenly puts on a lecherous face. “Hyoudou, I wonder what kind of present you will be getting this year.”
……W-What’s with that face of yours which is expecting a lecherous answer from me…… Rather, did you tell some rubbish to them!? When I look at the Church-trio after feeling uneasy, I witness Xenovia with glittering eyes and also Asia and Irina that are looking down with red faces! Xenovia rests her hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, Kiryuu told me about it. I heard that Christmas in Japan isn’t about spending time with your family but a time spent between a boy and girl that get along to make babies. On top of that, I heard that Heaven will bestow you a child right away. Japan’s Christmas sure is a wonderful celebration day for those who want a baby.”
Stop saying such things while giving me a thumbs up! C-Certainly in Japan a lot of couples spend time together during Christmas! But, it’s not like that will link into making babies……well, actually you can kinda say that it’s making babies……
Asia and Irina say it while wiggling their bodies. “……If I were to use Japanese Christmas as an example, I will be Ise-san’s present itself, yes……? I-I will happily hand myself to you if you are fine with me……!”
“……I-I was shocked to find how Christmas in Japan changed during the time I was away for a while, but it’s not like I can’t understand handing yourself as a present as a Christian, and if that’s what Ise-kun desires……I-I think I need to give you a present……!”
The three of them have big misunderstanding! Well, I’m certainly happy if they are going to hand themselves as a present to me! B-But it isn’t good for them to have a misunderstanding about Japan’s culture! “Kiryuu! I have been telling you to stop teaching them weird things!”
Even though I said that to her, the bitch simply puts on a lecherous smirk! Damn you, Kiryuu! Unexpectedly, she may be my biggest enemy! No, she is my natural enemy! Matsuda and Motohama glare at me with eyes filled with hatred, so they shout while shedding tears. “Ugh, Ise you dumb ass! I hope your manhood rots and falls off!”
“Eating beauties as much as you want huh! No wonder you won’t need porno and eroge since you have sacred and sexual night everyday just like what you see in erogeee!”
They put their arms around each other and say it while crying like mad! “ “We won’t lend you both the porno DVD and eroge!” ”
……Ah, looks like I won’t be able to play “Child-making Princess of the Absolute Holy Castle” during the winter holidays……
Like his, the closing ceremony for the second trimester ended. Now then, let’s enter the winter holidays! —On the evening of the closing ceremony day, we the ORC members gathered to VIP room located at the uppermost floor of the Hyoudou residence. Rossweisse-san and Azazel-sensei who have finished their duties after the closing ceremony have also come. And Sister Griselda who is leading the staff from Heaven within this region has also arrived. Since the members that are able to gather here are all here, Irina represents all of us by speaking about the main reason why we are having this gathering. “For that reason, we are going to hand out presents to all of the people of the Kuou-town during the Christmas period!”
Yes, the Three Great Powers made a certain project for Christmas while having us, Team D×D, as the main workers. Rias continues. “This town is the symbol of peace among the Three Great Powers and it is one of our important locations. However, more than that, this place is an important place for the people living here. We have been using this soil for most of the time so let’s give celebration to the residents for Christmas.”
Irina also nods her head. “She’s right! Heaven and the Underworld will work together in order to hand out presents to all of the people in this town! The ones that will be handing them out are——”
Irina looks at us. I then say it. “It will be run by Team D×D, mainly by us huh.”
“Exactly! Obviously we will be handing out the present while we dress up as Santa Claus just like in a Christmas manner!”
—Like that, we are currently organising such a project. A lot has happened in this town in this year. That also includes huge incidents where it wouldn’t have been weird for this whole town to be wiped out. We were somehow able to prevent that from happening……but it’s also true that we have been causing a lot of troubles for the residents of this town without realising it. Then should we just change our main base? Even if we do that, it won’t be that simple. If we have set this much equipment here already, we don’t have the flexibility nor are we in the situation where we can move to another place. Then maybe the least we can do is to hand out presents to the residents for Christmas? Such opinions were brought by the youths. Obviously each of the forces decided to approve that opinion of ours positively and they even gave their full support to us financially. Since we have been causing trouble for all the residents every day, we also contributed from our own pocket money. We should at least do this much. And there are all kinds of presents. We wanted to research and list the things the residents want beforehand, but unfortunately we didn’t have the time. So we decided to give mainly presents where the person receiving it would be happy with it and the present won’t be of harm or offensive to them. If they were young girls, we would hand them out a Magical Girl clothing set. For the working daddies, it would be things like a tie or a voucher for getting a massage. If we give them a present which is too much, they would take this as supernatural phenomenon and would spread. So the suggestion earlier was the safe zone according to Sensei. “Well, we could keep it to the level where this would remain as a local legend of this town.”
Sensei added such comment. Now then, everyone became quite hyped after hearing about this plan. | text_18 |
After all, you won’t encounter a chance where you would become Santa Claus and hand out presents. It’s totally different to playing the role of Santa Claus for your part-time job to stand in front of the shop. Are Devils even allowed to dress up as a Santa Claus? Furthermore, can we experience the tradition of the Christianity? Even though we had such questions, we made up our minds and decided to do this by thinking “Doing this for a change is okay”. Well, I really do think doing this for a change is good. “Ufufu, this over here is the Santa Claus costume.”
The example of the Santa Claus costume for girls that Akeno-san prepared. A costume with the colour contrast of red and white. Xenovia asks Irina while taking that to her hand. “Are we going to prepare a reindeer?”
“Can reindeer even fly?”
When Irina asks Sister Griselda, she answers by saying “We will cast magic on them to make them fly”. Wow, so we can see the reindeers pulling a cargo and having a leash on them during the night of the sky? “It’s an honour to be able to become Santa Claus.”
“But I do feel bad since it seems like we are stealing Santa Claus’s job. This is pretty much interfering with their business, right?”
Xenovia and Irina start having a laugh as if Santa Claus even exists. “Hold on, there’s no way Santa Claus exists in the first place—”
I try to finish my sentence, but the two of them answer at the same time while putting on a shocked face. “ “? But he does exist?” ”
…………
They say it as if that’s a natural answer. ……Aren’t your parents the ones who dress up as Santa Claus? I know that what I’m saying doesn’t have any imagination, but that’s the truth…… There’s no way Santa Claus exists—
I then ask Rias. “……Eh? He exists?”
She’s putting on a smile. “Yes, he does. Well, speaking about that will turn into a different topic so I will refrain from explaining it.”
Seriously!? Santa-san exists!? W-Well, Devils and Angels exist, so it won’t be weird if Santa Claus exists too! But I had been living for seventeen years, yet, I have never met him even once! I never received a present from him! “……So Santa-san never came to lecherous children.”
I received a harsh comment from Koneko-chan! I guess so! He sure didn’t come to lecherous children! I’m sorry that I was craving for porno DVDs and magazines since I was a grade school student! Even though I was repenting for my actions inside me, Rias continues without noticing me. “Christmas is also the time the Devils profit. We will also have a meeting regarding that, so my servants will need to gather back here again.”
[Roger that.] The Gremory group responds. Kiba then tells me. “Even in terms of Devils’ jobs, Christmas would be a busy time.”
Apparently they receive many requests every year from residents that spend their Christmas lonely. And the number of requests goes up a dozen times more than the usual that is sent to us. I do feel that summoning a Devil during Christmas is a bad act, but I’m sure they are either bored or lonely that they want to go far to summon a Devil. I can also understand that! You normally would prefer to spend Christmas with your girlfriend! “We have to visit our customers who made Christmas day free to summon us.”
It’s just like Rias said. ……Yeah, I did want to spend time with Rias, but at this rate, it looks like I have to postpone it this year. The present project for Christmas and the Devils’ jobs would seem enough to kill me. I then say to Kiba. “You will probably get summoned by the older women. Are you planning to cook them your food that you are proud of?”
“I had lots of requests like that last year. ……Though I do think that it will be good to spend this Christmas with my friend.”
Kiba suddenly puts on emotional eyes. He said that while brushing! “I’m planning to bake a cake. ……I kind of want to have you eat it as well, Ise-kun.”
Why the heck do you want to do that for me!? A handsome guy shouldn’t put on an expression like that of a maiden! “Haven’t I always told you that you should say that to girls!? Alright, I’ll call Shinra-fukukaichou and have her invite you!”
I sent a mail regarding Kiba to Shinra-fukukaichou whom I exchanged e-mails with! I’ll send her a safe mail which goes: [Kiba is planning to bake a cake, so would you like one?] Kiba panics hearing that! “W-Why does Shinra-fukukaichou's name pop out here? Why are you trying to have me meet with Shinra-fukukaichou so often lately?”
I need to have him walk on the right path! At this rate, he’ll head to the wrong path and he’s scaring me! And if a woman is by his side, I’m sure he will stop being reckless. This guy……tries to do reckless things more than me. Just like how he’s trying to use his Gram and also during battle where he gambles his safety. As a result, he succeeds thanks to his techniques……but even so, he may face a difficult situation. ……Though it will be weird for me to say it since I charge ahead without thinking twice. But still, I don’t want to see my pal being put in a life or death situation and then die. For that reason, it’s necessary for there to be someone who can support him. And a woman fits that role. I’m sure the place of security a man can return to is a woman’s side. That’s one of the facts I know very well after I started dating Rias. Since I have a strong feeling of wanting to return to Rias’s side alive, I came to think of a way to keep myself alive. Just like that, I am working hard to have Kiba and Shinra-fukukaichou become an official couple (Sona-kaichou and the Sitri girls are with me in this). Though they haven’t become a couple yet. “Oh yeah, the Sitri-side can’t join this conversation till the last moment, right?”
I ask Sensei. Sona-kaichou and her group also said that they will join the Christmas project, but the timing was bad so they couldn’t join this meeting. So they will basically join the project without any discussion. “Yeah, they are in middle of repairing and reconstructing Auros. Even if they can fix it with the use of demonic-powers, they will need to equip that place with equipment against incidents happening there. They are going to re-plan the whole construction there.”
The Auros academy got partially destroyed due to Qlippoth’s assault. It became necessary to look over the equipment installed at the country town so the soldiers are currently stationed over there to guard it. After that, the anti-terrorist protection wall is put on there once again and it certainly did become more powerful than before…… But our opponents aren’t someone to be taken lightly, so we won’t know what will happen if they attack again. Well, I doubt they would make their assault right away yet. Apparently they took in the residents that were sent out of the floating island. Even though such a thing happened, the number of applicants for the academy’s experience day has risen dramatically. I hear that there are bookings for several years ahead already, so it does show how much impact that incident caused to the Underworld. | text_18 |
“That incident was broadcast to the Underworld as urgent news. [Youth Devils showed great performance against the terrorists. They protected the academy filled with dream and hope!]. If such things appears on the news and in the newspaper, you would gain attention whether you like it or not. Especially you guys that are the reincarnated Devils and Sairaorg who lacks demonic-powers made a big brawl against the legendary Evil Dragon. This is pretty much a heroic tale among the Low-class and Mid-class Devils.”
Like Sensei said, the children’s dads that survived that battle and saw the battles with their own eyes spoke of what they saw to the media while being hyped about it. The Auros academy became so famous that there isn’t anyone that doesn’t know about it since the viewers throughout the Underworld who saw the broadcast became greatly interested in it. For that reason, the Sitri-group can’t show up since they have to handle the media’s reports and applications. ……On the opposite side, the criticism we received for having the Agreas taken is also strong. We received harsh comments from the fans and noble players of the Rating Game for having the holy-land of the Rating Game taken. Also, the media of the Underworld are talking about the hypothesis behind the identity of the stolen Agreas every day. Also due to the battle of Auros, the Devils are currently in a state where they have both hope and sense of insecurity. ……Well, the same goes for us. Since we haven’t received any contacts from Maou Ajuka Beelzebub-sama who apparently knows about the identity of Agreas. I can’t help but to have a bad premonition depending on what that island really is……
Even so, we won’t be able to go forward if we're simply concerned about that. So the upcoming Christmas project will become a good change. Even though we are the counter-terrorist team, I reckon organising some surprise like this for other people is a good activity. I also want to have a mock-battle with Saji soon. He only reached Balance Breaker recently, so he’s saying that he still lacks in maintaining it. But I did feel what kind of ability it has with my own skin. I guess it’s probably because his one is the same Dragon-armour type like my one. Sensei then says as he puts on a bitter smile. “You guys sure do work hard. Using your own body to work, going to school, joining a project like this one, and accomplishing your own job. I can’t help but to praise you guys despite being still young.”
We certainly have been doing a lot of things like Sensei said. But those with strength need to use their power for others. That’s what I think. ……I don’t want to……see something getting hurt without doing anything about it. After that, we started the meeting for the upcoming plan and then checked the costume for the upcoming day. The girls are mainly talking about the Santa’s costume while being hyped over it. Sensei then naturally asks Rias who is reading a document. “Rias, how is Grayfia doing?”
Having being asked about her sister-in-law, she narrows her eyes. “……She’s in a state I really can’t explain.”
Currently, Grayfia-san is interrogating Euclid Lucifugus who is her real brother. I do think the situation where his actual sister is able to interrogate him is unbelievable to happen. But it happened because Euclid chose who he wants to be interrogated by. —He said he wants it to be his older sister, Grayfia-san. ……Geez, he sure has a strong sister-complex. To have some time to talk with his sister after he gets caught. Maybe from his perspective, is he happy that he lost against us? Obviously the Underworld’s army showed signs of dissatisfaction to Euclid’s request. But thanks to the approval of the higher-up—Sirzechs-sama, the interrogation between siblings became possible. “I heard that the man himself is in a very good mood. He really must be enjoying talking to his sister. But I heard that the interrogation by Onee-sama is so harsh that it doesn’t make you think she’s interrogating her own brother.”
Rias says. If Grayfia-san shows mercy to him here, then it would basically make the higher-ups that are suspicious of her think that “Lucifugus that was the right-hand of the previous Maou is planning to overthrow the Underworld”. So interacting with Euclid without bringing her emotion would be a proof of her loyalty to the Maou and the current government. ……Though in reality, it seems like she is giving harsh interrogation to her own brother without even the slightest mercy…… There’s no way you would be safe if you make that Grayfia-san angry. It scares me so much……
Sensei then continues. “From what he told Grayfia—it seems like the new Khaos Brigade, the Qlippoth, has several hiding places. Each faction have sent their agents to those locations already. It’s about time they attack them. I received a report from Shamhaza that he already gave his order to “eliminate” them.”
……Euclid spoke about the headquarters to his sister. Maybe Grayfia-san’s interrogation worked. Or maybe he confessed because he’s up to something. We still aren’t sure about it. ……It could be both reasons. Speaking about him, apparently the fake Boosted Gear he was in possession of is destroyed. According to Sensei, it was apparently programmed to destroy itself if Euclid was defeated. Apparently it vanished without leaving a trace. I then say to Sensei. “There’s no way Rizevim will simply get caught with this, right?”
“Obviously. The ones hiding at their secret base would be their weakest soldiers and magicians that were working with them. Their main forces must have moved to Agares already. And the whereabouts of that Agares itself is still unknown……”
……So their current base is that floating island. Well, that’s a whole city itself so it can certainly be quite a remarkable base. There must have been quite a lot of food, materials, and varieties of weapons stored there. If they were to use them, we will struggle against them. “I wonder where an enormous floating island like that disappeared off to.”
Sensei puts his hand under his chin when I asked. “Maybe it’s putting on a camouflage by blending itself within the scenery. Obviously by using a spell which won’t get caught by us.”
A camouflage, huh. It might unexpectedly be floating above this town……won’t be it. Moreover, we don’t even know if it can teleport itself completely into the human world. No, if it’s those guys then it’s possible. “Regarding Ajuka and his servants that know the details of Agreas. Apparently it’s hard to get in contact with them. From what I hear, they are having a hard time of their own because they are being pestered by some noisy bunch.”
I guess the Maou Beelzebub-sama also has many enemies. So having management over the games wasn’t the only thing he was doing……
“……Sensei, did you take any notice regarding the Agreas?”
Sensei smiles happily when I asked. Ah, this is the face he puts when he found something. “……I guess. Though there’s no stop to it if I tell you it now. | text_18 |
I’ll let you hear my hypothesis once we receive an official report from Ajuka.”
……I wonder what’s hidden in that floating island. —Then Griselda tells all of us once she took a look at the clock. “First of all, we will take all of you to Heaven after this. Our plan once we get there is to have a discussion about the content of the project—which is confirming what’s inside the presents, and receiving Michael-sama’s greetings before the New Year.”
—! It’s finally here! We are finally entering Heaven! Devils going to Heaven—something unreal like that is going to happen! Oh man, I can’t thank the peace treaty between the Three Great Powers enough! I was curious about it. Since the Underworld was like that, then how will Heaven where Angels reside be like? It sure has been on my mind! Just what kind of world exists above the sky!? “Alright, then give my greetings to Michael.”
Sensei simply waves his hand at us and showed no sign of coming with us. “Aren’t you going to Heaven too? —Oh, I guess it’s more appropriate to ask if you are not going back.”
Sensei sighs. “You think I can just return to that place now? Well, I don’t mind going if they allow me to destroy my old institute over there.”
Sensei leaves after he simply says that. “Alright, let’s head to Heaven using the magic-circle in the basement!”
At Rias’s command, we move down to the basement of the Hyoudou residence—
Now then, Heaven here we come! What was drawn in the teleportation room of the basement wasn’t the usual magic-circle written in Devil’s symbols. Irina and Sister Griselda start to chant something you would find in a Bible while making a posture as if they were praying. ……Hmm, seeing that all the Devils here including myself are getting headaches shows that it may be a phrase from the Bible……
We receive a halo, limited to DxD members, beforehand just in case so we can move within Heaven. When I put the halo above my head—it starts to float and shine. Wow, it feels as if I’ve become an Angel! With this, even if other species besides the Angels move within Heaven it won’t affect the “system” left by the God that much. It would be troublesome if those who know about the absence of God or someone who would give bad influence to the system walks past the gate. You are able to lessen that from happening by putting on a halo quite a lot. Our ID and such are registered in our halo. So its one and only. I need to make sure I don’t lose it……
Its thanks to the sharing of technologies by the Grigori and the Devil’s side that they were able to have such a major change in their technology. If the peace didn’t happen, then an item such as this which allows us to enter and exit Heaven wouldn’t have been made. You could also say that it indicates that there wouldn’t be people like Asia who will experience unfortunate fate. ……Yeah, we can’t repeat a tragedy like that any more. The ones that are acting happy by putting this halo on are—Asia and Xenovia. “Asia! I-It feels like I’ve become an Angel!”
“Yes! It’s such an honour!”
Yeah, the two of them are pure followers and they look up to Angels. So these halos are something they couldn’t resist. They have such bright expressions. Irina then tells the two. “So then. Let’s do our prayers with the three of us to celebrate this occasion before we enter Heaven!”
“Yes!”
“Yeah!”
They do their usual pose they do with the three of them! While putting a halo above their head that is! “ “Ah, lord!” ”
The Angel Asia huh. I’m sure it would suit her……! Just imaging it makes my face grin. ……But an item that allows the DxD to enter Heaven huh. That means that they prepared it beforehand just in case something happens in Heaven. ……So it means they are concerned about the possibility of the Heaven being attacked. While that was going through my mind, a huge door appears in the teleportation room. It looks so magnificent and it appears as though it is made from chalk. The door opens while making sound. “Here, please come in.”
Sister Griselda urges us to pass through the door. Irina enters before us. “Hurry! Everyone! This is an elevator for the Angels! Don’t hesitate and come in!”
Irina who has high spirits. She’s taking this Christmas project more seriously than any of us. It seems like she’s really happy about being able to serve everyone in this town as an Angel and also appears to have pride in doing so. Once the rest of us pass through the elevator door, a white space appears in front of us. Then the golden symbol below our feet glows! I suddenly feel my body float! I experience a sensation where it feels like I have my whole body thrown up! That instant, the scenery around me changes and a very bright light dims upon us. When I look around—we find ourselves above the clouds! When I look up, a large, white, and bright ceiling is above us! ……Did we get teleported from the Hyoudou residence’s basement instantly? It means that we came up here in the elevator at the same time the symbols below our feet glowed. Rias and Akeno-san look calm compared to me and Asia who are astonished at this. The giant gate opens before we can get surprised by it! Sister Griselda and Irina then tell us while facing their back towards the opening gate. “ “Welcome to Heaven.” ”
The giant gate—when we passed through the front gate of Heaven, what lay behind it was a white stone paved path, buildings that are aligned which are made from stones, buildings that are floating in the sky, and Angels that have pure white wings that are moving within! How should I put it? It’s so bright! It’s also due to the fact that the sky is glowing in white, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling as though the Angels, the buildings, and even the path we are walking on are glowing! There isn’t even a speck of dust on this path. The Angels that walk past us looks at us as if they find us curious. If there are those that realize our identities, there are also those that don’t. Sister Griselda who is leading us gives an explanation to us. “There are total of seven levels in Heaven. This is the first floor—the place which is called the First Heaven. The highest floor, Seventh Heaven, used to be the location where God resided. What remains there now is just the “system” that represented God. The Sacred Gears “system” is over there as well.”
I certainly heard that from Irina beforehand. The First Heaven is the place where the Angels work and it’s pretty much like a front-line base. Irina and Sister Griselda also mainly work here. I’m guessing they come back to this place when they have to return to Heaven. Irina then says it while pointing at the building that’s floating in the air (It’s built on top of the clouds!). “Ah! That building! That’s the place where Michael-sama’s Brave Saints gather! I also show up there quite often!”
Hmm, it’s quite fancy to have a building that’s floating in the air as your quarters. Irina then gives us a further explanation. She points directly up. “Michael-sama and the other Seraphs are at the Sixth Heaven. | text_18 |
That’s where the main headquarters of Heaven is based at. Well, the lowest ranking Angels including myself mainly come here—the frontline base of First Heaven.”
So Michael-san is in Sixth Heaven. That means that’s the place we are heading to. Rias says while looking around with keen eyes. “I was told that the structures of the floor changed quite drastically compared to before.”
“I’m sure Azazel-sensei—the Grigori were living at Fifth Heaven before falling.”
Xenovia continues after her. Sister Griselda nods. “Yes, it’s said that the Fifth Heaven where the Grigori’s lived when they were Angels was temporarily their camp. Currently it is a floor with many research institutes. The “Brave Saints” cards were also created there.”
Hmm, so the place where Sensei lived now has a laboratory where they create Brave Saint’s cards huh. I sense some kind of link between the two. Like that, we arrive at the elevator which will take us to higher the floors while walking and looking around like tourists. We get a strict check from the security Angels and go through many thick doors in order to get onto the similar elevator as before to go further up. Massive doors appear as we go higher and we continue forth by going through them. This may be a hassle, but these are needed in order to make even a sturdier security in Heaven. It appears that there is a door and security check for every floor. I guess you would need a lot of privilege in order to go to the higher floors. We weren’t able to have a look at Second Heaven and Third Heaven. Unlike First Heaven, we moved towards the elevator as soon as we passed through the gate. Sister Griselda explains to us who weren’t able to have a look down there. “Heaven which is commonly referred to exists in Third Heaven. It’s the largest floor. It’s so vast that it is said you can’t tell where the end is. I’m sorry but the souls down there may be stimulated if Devils like you go there. Therefore we wanted to restrict you from visiting down there.”
So the general Heaven is at Third Heaven huh. We already came up to Fourth Heaven. It kind of feels weird when I’m told that we just bypassed the general Heaven. On top of that we are Devils, so that makes us Devils who went past Heaven. —That phrase alone makes it sound cool. But the fact is we haven’t seen the general Heaven. It’s the resting soil of souls that came here so they wouldn’t want to meet Devils. Well, apparently the number of Heavens is equal to the number of mythologies. So I guess this is the Heaven of the “Catholic religion”. I guess this Heaven is the living land of Angels that served under the God from the Bible. “Fourth Heaven is also known as Eden’s Garden. I guess the story of Adam and Eve is famous for it.”
Irina tells us. Eden’s Garden! I wonder if it’s a paradise-like place? I would love to see it but we ended up passing through that as well and continue going up. Fifth Heaven really was a place with many laboratory like buildings. There are also buildings that look like those modern human ones which gave it a new feeling to it. I’m starting to have an interest in this place knowing the fact that it’s the former workplace of Sensei…..but the place we are heading to is above this place. It happens when we enter the elevator which connects to Sixth Heaven. Sister gives us further explanation as if she just remembered. “Regarding the rules of Heaven……this place isn’t strong towards the living as the human world and the Underworld.”
She then says this while putting her index finger up. “In other words, its very fragile against evil.”
Well, they are Angels after all. So having evil intents would be a taboo. Even Irina has her wings lit black and white to things besides erotic things. It even makes me shocked to the degree where I say “You can even fall with just that!?”. “……To put it simply, Ise-senpai needs refrain his pervertness.”
I don’t have any words to throw back to Koneko-chan’s harsh comment! “Yes! I will promise not to think of lewd things as much as possible!”
There’s no way I can do a perverted things in Heaven! Once we go up to Sixth Heaven, a gate and door which is even larger than before appears! No matter where I look at simple walls and even the gates are so large that it’s more than one-hundred meters tall! A huge gate as such opens slowly and we pass through it. ……The gate is so thick that it makes you think it’s a wall! If you have to come up with someone who can manage to destroy this, than it will only be possible for those with strength of a God-class. Even I don’t have a technique which can puncture a hole in this thing. Maybe its even impossible for Crimson Blaster to break this gate? A gate which makes me think like that exists in this Sixth Heaven. Once I pass through the gate, what appears ahead is—a shrine-like building which is giving out a golden shine. And the whole building itself is giving out a sacred wave which makes me think that being able to see this will give me luck! It has so much light density that a Devil can get damage and be eliminated just by seeing that! No, the fact remains that we are still alive even after seeing that! That’s just how grand and sacred it appears. Sister Griselda explains to us as we walk on the path that leads to that building. “That’s the current core of Heaven where the Seraphs resides at—the “Zebel”. We also call that building as such. The floor above this place— Seventh Heaven which is the highest floor is an area which only the Seraphs can enter.”
—“Zebel”
That’s the core of Heaven where Michael-san resides! And for us to be able to step our feet inside it……! If I think about it, I haven’t even had a sightseeing to observe the place where our Maou-sama of the Underworld works at. Now I have myself suddenly coming this far in Heaven. —That’s what was going through my mind. But Sister and Irina turned in a different direction during our course and are getting further away from the road that leads to the front of “Zebel”. “The truth is Zebel is currently going through interior construction therefore each of the Seraphs are at different locations. Michael-sama will be waiting this way.”
Sister goes forward while saying that. That building is going through construction huh. ……Perhaps they are strengthening the interior for preparation against terrorism? Several minutes after going forward, we find ourselves in what appears to be a middle court. There are variety of flowers blossomed in different colours and there’s also water flowing. Therefore it appears like a garden. We then find a certain individual using a table at the terrace of a small hut. As soon as he sees us, he gets up and shows a gentle smile at us. “Hello everyone. It’s been awhile.”
The handsome man with golden wings—it’s Michael-san! The leader of Heaven! The legendary Chief Angel! The last time we met him while standing this close was the sports day held between the Three Great Powers. “It sure has been a while, Michael-sama. | text_18 |
We thank you from bottom from of our hearts for inviting us for this occasion.”
The members of the ORC also greet him politely while having Rias represent us. We need to make sure we are not rude! We have been invited to a crucial location of the place above the skies while representing the Devils after all. He urges us to sit. Michael-san then questions us as we sit ourselves. “What’s your impression of Heaven?”
“How should I put it. It feels divine……”
That’s my honest opinion. “It’s a wonderful place. If human souls really do come here after their death, then it really must be a paradise.”
Rias says such a thing. She also had her eyes glued towards the rare sight of Heaven and observed it with keen eyes. “Well, the majority of the deceased go to Hell.”
Michael-san gives such Heaven joke! I don’t even know if I should laugh at it! “Please don’t be too stiff. There isn’t anything here……but please make yourselves at home.”
When Michael-san raises his hand, an Angel woman (she’s really adorable!) pours tea for us. Angels and Devils having tea together in Heaven isn’t something you would experience quite often. “Please let me thank you once again for your hard work this year. —It sure was a year filled with shocking events. However, it’s also true that if all of you weren’t present, then the current situation for Heaven and the Underworld would never have happened. Having tea together like this with Devils in Heaven like this was something you couldn’t have imagined last year. All of this was possible thanks to young ones such as yourselves that would lead the next generation risking their lives in battles. I thank you once again.”
It’s such an honour getting praised by the Chief-Angel! “I believe you have visited here previously, Xenovia.”
“Yes, Michael-sama. That would be back at the time when I came here to get my Durandal repaired due to being destroyed by the leader of the Hero-faction.”
Among the legendary items possessed by the Church, Heaven is keeping and also repairing items that could be used in the human world. The combined holy-sword of Durandal and Excalibur had been sent to this place to get maintained after each battle. Seeing the sword sent here in the morning and coming back in the afternoon back to Xenovia’s side is something we see quite often. The fusion of legendary Holy-swords is still in the trial-phase therefore Heaven must want to search through many aspects of it. After that we move onto the discussion of the Christmas project where Michael-san showed us the schedule of the project’s content. We exchanged opinions and discussed how we should give the presents out. “It’s about time the person who came up with this project will arrive at the scene where this project will take place. I guess it will be enough to simply have a final confirmation with him. I’m sure all of you are busy so it may be better to confirm the details of this project and return back to your position.”
Saying that, Michael-san ends the discussion for the Christmas project. I see, so it’s about time the person who started this project will arrive to the human world, at Kuou town. After confirming the Christmas project, we bring out a single round object. “And this is—the jewel which has Grendel’s soul sealed in it.”
Like I said, this has the soul of Grendel that we defeated when we were defending Auros academy. We came to Heaven after listening to our comrades opinion in order to have them check it and secure it. Evil Dragons are very persistent. Even if we manage to seal their souls in this jewel there’s still a chance their consciousness will leak out. So even Azazel-sensei said that we should leave these things to Heaven which specialises in these departments. Michael-sama then says it after he receives the jewel. “We shall examine and keep this away while cooperating with the Grigori.”
Alright, this case will be okay with this. Our discussion with Michael-san ends and while we continue to have a tea party under a peaceful atmosphere, a voice can be heard. “Michael-sama.”
A woman’s voice with a long vowel. When I look that way—I find a beauty with a gentle smile and wavy blonde hair! The number of wings growing out from her back is the same as Michael-san. She appears while wearing a Santa costume. “Oh, if it isn’t Gabriel.”
“Gabriel-sama.”
Michael-san and Sister Griselda says the name of that beauty. Yes, this person is none other than the most beautiful woman in Heaven! Gabriel-san, one of the Four Great Seraphs! Her beauty is too bright for my eyes! Furthermore, you can tell how glamorous her body is despite wearing a Santa costume which isn’t showing much of her skin! Ah, her breasts which are so huge that they're so fascinating! Those breasts of hers definitely must be filled with compassion and good fortune! “Oh my~, Griselda-chan and everyone are here. Especially the Devils here who I haven’t met since the sports day. How are all of you doing?”
Gabriel-san who notices us greets us politely. The instant she bows her head down, her enormous breasts bounce! Is it me or are those breasts of hers shining in the light!? I guess if it’s the breast of a Seraph, it must be filled with holy power. I can’t stop but think as such! That instant, a circle drawn with many layers of Angel’s symbols appears around me! It’s not a magic-circle. It must be symbols used by Angels. “—!? W-What the!? Why are there barrier like things! ?”
I become shocked at the sudden appearance of the barriers but Michael-san makes a bitter smile. “I’m sorry. That’s a system which activates automatically when your evil passion appears more than necessary in Heaven. –You can say it’s a device which prevents you from falling. It normally activates when an Angel has their worldly desire increased, to restrain them……but it looks like it also activated on Sekiryuutei.”
A falling prevention device! So he’s saying it activated by responding to my evil passion! So that means I would be in a risk of falling if I was an Angel? “……Ise-senpai has been staring at Gabriel-sama’s breasts with lewd eyes.”
I once again received a harsh comment from Koneko-chan! Yes! I sure had my mind distracted by Gabriel-san’s breast! Gabriel-san herself isn’t showing any sign of concern and instead shows her smile at me. “Oh my~, this Devil-san sure is naughty. That’s a no-no, okay? Bad♪”
I get my forehead hit by her index finger. ……Aaah, she sure does give you a punishment in such an adorable way! I’m getting all hyped but the barrier increases even more to the degree that something which sounds like an alarm starts to echo! “It seems like the security has increased……”
Even Asia is troubled by this situation. “……Geez, Ise, calm yourself down.”
And it seems like even Rias is also astonished by me. S-Sorry! For showing such embarrassment! I don’t know why but Gabriel-san’s breasts has activated something inside me very violently! How should I put it? It’s been a while since I felt like this! That’s how godly her breasts are! | text_18 |
“Oh, if it isn’t Ise-dono and others.”
When I turn around after hearing a familiar voice—I see Joker Dulio. He comes to our side with a big smile. “Dulio, have you finished your walk?”
Dulio bows his head down at Michael-san’s question. “Ah, hi there. And sorry for asking for a time to get some air at a time like this……”
“Since it’s a time like this, there are breaks which are needed. And I believe you will be helping with the Christmas project, Dulio?”
“Yes, of course. I’m good at giving out presents.”
Oh, I thought he wouldn’t participate since he didn’t show himself. So Dulio will also be joining the Christmas project. —Then Sister Griselda changes the subject by asking Michael-san. “Michael-sama. Maybe it will be good to notify them about that case?”
Michael-san nods. “You’re right. It’s not like they are unrelated to it. The truth is there are incidents which involve the staff of the Church being attacked.”
—! ……The staff of the Church are being attacked? It suddenly turned into a fishy atmosphere. Everyone puts on a serious face at that report and becomes alert to what he has to say. Michael-san continues. “Not only are there fatal casualties among the leaders of the Vatican, but there are also those being killed among those with import post at other branches. We are still investigating to find more accurate information, but it seems like there are presences of Evil Dragons being caught. So it’s most likely—”
“Qlippoth, correct?”
Rias continues after him. Michael-san also nods his head. “Yes, so please be alert. Since we don’t know what their objective is, we will end up getting hurt if we lower our guard. —They are good at checkmating you by using traps.”
……The presence of Evil Dragons huh. And the Qlippoth attacking those related to Church…… Well, it’s not weird if they do such things since they are terrorists…… But we don’t know what their aim is. Indiscriminate terrorism? That also sounds plausible……
While feeling uneasiness from what I just heard, we return to the human world after ending our discussion with Michael-san and Gabriel-san. We returned from Heaven and climbed up the stairs from the basement of the Hyoudou residence (We split with Sister Griselda at Heaven). I then hear people laughing from the living room. When we went there after becoming curious—we found my mum speaking to a middle-aged man. It’s a brown haired man wearing priest’s clothing. ……He looks familiar. More like I have seen that hair colour of his……
The man shows a gentle smile when he notices us. His expression says that he knows me. “Sorry to disappoint but I’m already here.”
“Papa!”
“Oh, my Angel! Were you doing okay?”
Irina and the man embrace each other! That’s right! Now I remember! No wonder he looks familiar! This person is Irina’s dad! Irina also hugs her dad happily. “Of course! Papa, were you doing fine as well?”
“Of course.”
My mum then tells me as she watches the two of them happily. “Ise. This person is Irina-chan’s father. Do you still remember him? I was shocked to see him since he returned so abruptly.”
Irina’s dad offered his hand to me. “Hello there, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Do you still remember me?”
“My memory is vague but I kind of do remember you. Sorry, my memory of you is poor since I was too small back then……”
“Oh no, not at all. Both you and Irina were small. It can’t be helped if your memory is vague.”
The Shidou family who lived close by. Irina’s dad brought snacks and juice often to us when I visited Irina’s home to play with her. I remember how kind he was. Her mum was also a kind person. Oh yeah. Irina’s mum is running a Japanese restaurant business in England. They say that both Irina’s parents know about her reincarnating into an Angel. That part is clearly different from the Hyoudou family. I……haven’t confessed to my parents that I have reincarnated into a Devil yet. Irina’s dad then says with a big smile. “It’s planned for me to work with Irina-chan for this project but let’s discuss about that afterwards. I have brought you souvenirs.”
We then came to realize it. I see, so the person who came up with the Christmas project is……Irina’s dad! Like this, we all ate dinner while having talks filled with laughs. The heroic story of Irina we heard from Irina’s dad during dinner was so funny that Irina’s face turned red since it was a story about his praise towards his daughter. “Geez! Papa, you even talked about my embarrassing history in front of Ise-kun’s parents!”
“Hahaha, I’m sorry. I would be satisfied if I can talk about how adorable you are but I couldn’t help myself”
Irina who is in rage. Even the side of her where she makes faces looks cute. It’s rare to see Irina act angry like this. That point alone makes me think how valuable it is to be able to see a new side of her when she is having dinner with her dad. “Oh, so you guys came back from Heaven.”
Azazel-sensei returns back to the Hyoudou residence. “You must be Irina’s father. I am Azazel.”
“Oh if this isn’t……the former Governor. How do you do. I am Shidou, I have role of both the pastor and agent of Protestant. Irina sure has been under your care……”
Sensei and Irina’s dad exchange a handshake. From Irina’s dad perspective Sensei would be the former Governor of the Fallen Angel’s organization and the teacher of the school her daughter is enrolled at. Since Azazel-sensei came to the VIP room again, Irina’s dad says this after making a cough. “Let me introduce myself again. My name is Shidou Touji, the one who came up with this Christmas project. I am the pastor of the Protestant Church of England.”
“Did you know that my papa was an exorcist in a past?”
Irina adds. So a pastor huh. If I remember right, you call a male churchman a father for Catholicism and a pastor for Protestantism. Huh? Wasn’t a pastor a teacher and not a churchman? Well, they do say that the way they are called and their teaching itself changes for each teaching. Except, unlike priests, pastors can marry. “That’s how it is, so for today, we will just confirm what we must do for this project, the reason why I started it, and then prepare for the actual day to come.”
From there we get explained from Irina’s dad of how he came up with this idea and points we must be cautious about. Well, its something we were explained about beforehand so it was easy to understand what he had to say. The reason why he came up with this project is basically a gratitude for those people living here and to put it even more bluntly, a compensation fee for causing inconvenience. What shocked me the most from his explanation is that Irina’s dad is office chief of the protestant side! Apparently he has a role in a certain branch. ……He’s a VIP! The reason why he doesn’t have any guards is because he declined to have them come with him since this land is a familiar place for him. Irina’s dad who finished explaining a quick run-through for this Christmas project starts looking through his bag after saying “Oh yeah, I have a gift”. | text_18 |
What he takes out is a—doorknob. ……A doorknob. Why a doorknob? While everyone puts on a puzzled look while staring at the doorknob, Irina’s dad explains while he changes it with the doorknob of the VIP room’s door. “It will work anywhere so please attach it to a door. For example this room’s door. You remove the doorknob of this door, replace it with this one, and then when you open the door—”
What appears within our sight is—a spacious unfamiliar room! What the. Even though he opened the door from inside the VIP room, what we see isn’t the corridor but an unknown room! The room has a size of twenty tatami mats……no, even more. It may be bigger than my room which went through renovation. There are statutes of Angels, portraits of the prophets, and ornaments which looks like they will bring fortunes decorated inside the room. It has a vibe where it seems like Devils will receive damage simply by entering this room. What’s standing out the most is the huge bed located at the centre of the room and it comes with a canopy! There is no other furniture except for the bed, the chairs, a table, and a clock. But man, I can’t keep myself from sensing a mysterious vibe from here. How should I put it? It feels like the time when I encounter a priest or a feeling similar to the power of light of that of Angels……
Irina’s dad says it to us who are observing the room with suspicion. “This is a special room, a room created which doesn’t even cause a problem for an Angel and a Devil to make babies in here. This doorknob will connect it to a customised alternative space.”
[—!?] Everyone becomes shocked at his words! O-Of course! Obviously! So this room which is giving out a holy vibe……is a room which is even okay for a Devil and a Angel to make babies……! Irina’s dad grabs her by her shoulders and declares it very loudly! “Irina-chan, don’t hold back in deepening your love with Ise-kun inside this room!”
“E……eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ?”
Irina screams in astonishment from hearing something from her dad she possibly couldn’t have predicted! Leaving us who can’t respond to this situation behind, Irina’s dad starts to tell his story in tears. “……Uuu, I gave up on being able to have grandchildren when Irina-chan reincarnated into an Angel……! I was about to abandon my dream for the sake of our beliefs……! And thanks to the kindness of the Seraph Michael-sama, I was given the opportunity to become a grandfather……! Ah, this must also be the lord’s love! Amen!”
Her dad who started doing prayers started to repeat the kind words of Michael-san. [The Angel Irina, and Hyoudou Issei-kun. There won’t be any problem whatever you two do in there. Please try out many things in there. Both of you are young man and woman. So everything will be a challenge and become a good experience. I presume there are such beliefs.] …………
……W-What kind of beliefs are those!? A room where we can do anything we want!? Ah, oh, I do remember Irina and Xenovia talking about this and that. About Michael-san coming up with ideas for Irina. ……Though I never guessed that they would actually use all the technologies Heaven had to offer in order to invent this……! I thought that Heaven, more precisely Michael-san, would use their technology more seriously unlike the Grigori and the Underworld who are using it for strange things! But that wasn’t the case! Heaven who used all their intellect to create a baby-making room! Even the Angels are putting too much effort for funny, yet weird, things! Irina’s dad whose face is covered in tears places his hand on my shoulder. “……Ise-kun, I place my grandchildren in your hands.”
“U-Umm, e-excuse me……”
Even if you suddenly bring the word grandchildren into the discussion……I don’t know how I am supposed to react…… But Irina’s dad doesn’t realise that I’m getting confused so he simply nods his head by himself. “Yup yup! I don’t mind either a boy or a girl! No, in fact I want to see lots of my grandchildren by having you two put so much effort in making babies! Ah, if it’s a girl then she will probably become lovely like Irina-chan…… Since she will become a child of an Angel, she will turn out to be a very Angel like girl? I guess it will become courageous like a Dragon if it’s a boy……”
……Ah, his mind went to the world of his own. This habit of his is exactly like Irina’s! They really are daughter and father! His bad side has been passed on to Irina! After hearing this, Irina—
“You dummy dummy dummy dummy dummy! Papa you dummy! Michael-sama! For all people, why did you have to give it to papa!? I can’t stand this anymore! Ise-kun will hate me now!”
She hides herself at the corner of the VIP room. I can feel your pain, Irina. This must be hard to endure. And to have her own dad bring it! What kind of humiliation play is this!? “……This kind of room is revolutionary.”
“Once you enter this room, there’s only one thing you need to do……”
The ones that are really interested in this room is Rias and Akeno-san! “……It may be a room which I don’t want Nee-sama to find out about.”
“It sure does seem like she won’t let go off Ise-sama till he gets dried up once she takes him inside.”
Even Koneko-chan and Ravel are saying disturbing things! “Let’s borrow it next time, Asia.”
“…..I-It’s a room we have to prepare ourselves for!”
I can also see Xenovia and Asia who are full of energy! “…………Oh my! I have my head full of indecent things! It’s too early for me! It’s too early I say!”
It seems like Rossweisse-san is shaking her head while her face is glowing red! The one who rests his hand on my shoulder who am troubled to how to react to this situation is—Azazel-sensei. He’s putting on such a lecherous face! “You did it Ise! You won’t find a situation where a Devil or a Dragon can make love to a Angel without making them fall so often! Man, you womaniser!”
“Eh……I-I am……?”
I can only put on a bitter smile but Sensei puts on a puzzled look when he sees me face. “…………”
He starts to speak after a pause. “……Hmm, I did have a vague feeling about it……”
Sensei scratches his cheek. “……W-What is it?”
Sensei sighs at me who asked him a question due to curiosity. “Your sexual desire sure did become weak ever since you dated Rias. Before you would have been craving for perverted things……but maybe it's because you became a riajuu, now I don’t feel as much lust from you as before.”
“—! ?”
……He can’t sense any lust……? From me……? “……T-The sexual desire……?”
“Have you been using Dress Break or Bilingual during battles lately? Though it isn’t something you should be using so often.”
“N-No, I haven’t used them.”
When he puts it that way, I certainly haven’t used them even if my opponents happen to be women…… The last time I used it was……against Jeanne from the Hero-faction I think. During the assaults of the magicians, they attacked us without women as they were cautious of my abilities. Maybe Sensei found it weird, so he asks me. “Hmm? You didn’t use it against Walburga the Purple Flames? She’s a woman ain't she? | text_18 |
Couldn’t you have predicted her moves if you used Bilingual on her?”
“…………!? ……I-I didn’t use it on her……”
Oh my god! I just found out! Back then at that place! I was against Walburga back then! She was fighting against Saji but I sure was there! ……Couldn’t I have supported Saji by activating my Bilingual……? Why couldn’t I come up with that idea? Was it because I saw that awful cooking class done by Fafnir? No, if it was me from a bit in the past I would still have spoken to the breasts even after witnessing such thing. —It’s because there are oppai ahead. Both my hands are shaking. It’s because I finally found that little change in me. Sensei says it to me with a worried voice. “……Oioioi, seriously? One of your strengths is your sexual desire that appears even during battles. Isn’t that how you survived all those life-and-death situations till now? Well, the opponent was a skilled Magician and also the possessor of a relic, the Longinus. There was a high chance that it wouldn’t have worked. I see, so you didn’t use your Bilingual.”
……I didn’t. Even the thought of not working didn’t cross my mind so I didn’t use Bilingual on her, If it was me from a bit before, wouldn’t I have thought something in the lines of “I will read through their mind if the opponent is a woman!”? “Well, that may be one sign of your growth, but……there are guys who become weak after getting his woman. Well, I think you would be fine…… Everyone has their eyes on your actions. So including your sexual desire, expand and improve your abilities to the fullest.”
……Have I become satisfied by getting a girlfriend? Absurd! I, who have been called the embodiment of sexual desire possibly can’t cool down just by getting a girlfriend……! The road to become a Harem King is still far away and I haven’t even got laid yet! You are saying I cooled down simply with that!? ……It won’t be weird for guys my age all over the world to have at least one girlfriend! Isn’t it natural thing for me to have a girlfriend!? There are a huge difference at my current and my past environment! I also don’t recall to abandon my stance to crave for a woman’s body either! ……I don’t remember doing such a thing……
Sensei puts his hand on my head who is feeling down. “Well, don’t feel so bad. You can simply increase your sexual desire again. Let’s see……did you meet Gabriel up there?”
“Y-Yes. I did meet her.”
Sensei puts on a lewd face again. “Her breasts, they were amazing weren't they?”
“Yes! They sure were amazing!”
Oh man, those sure were amazing! They were so godly, they felt like they had some unknown power in them. So I couldn’t help myself but stare at those! Sensei starts talking seriously. “Those things……made my wings go black and white since I imagined about touching those when I was in Heaven. No man has ever seen or touched Gabriel’s breasts. According to female Angels that saw them—they described them as the finest breasts there are.”
—The finest breasts. Such wonderful praise! I would love to see such breasts at least once! “I even think that it wouldn’t have been bad if I had fallen by touching those.”
I can understand his feeling! Even if I was born as an Angel, I don’t mind becoming a fallen if I can touch the finest breast! ……Ah! It feels like something I have forgotten is coming back to me just by remembering about Gabriel-san’s breasts. Sensei also smiles seeing me. “That’s a good lewd face you are putting on. Looks like what you received from Heaven wasn’t nothing. Ise, if you want to resurrect your sexual desire from before, you can only accomplish it by wishing to see breasts of that caliber. And by seeing those breast you may find an answer. If it’s you who has been allowed to enter Heaven, then you might be able to fulfil the dream which I couldn’t.”
Sensei puts his hand around me and whispers to my ear. “—Ise, aim for the number one breasts in Heaven.”
“Y-Yes! I will definitely see Gabriel-san’s breasts one day!”
The teacher and student embraces each other in tears! Leaving the girls who are captivated by the baby-making room behind, me and Sensei exchange a passionate hug between lewd guys. There was the issue about the baby-making room, but we ended up having a quick discussion about the future meetings once Irina’s dad left. It was mainly about the time allocation for our training and Devil’s work. By the way Irina’s dad was asked out by Sensei. “Office-chief Shidou! Do you want to come with me to the shop run by my subordinates?”
“Is it okay? Oh my, I was just thinking about going somewhere since I haven’t come to this town for a while.”
“Then this will be a good time. —Do you like tits?”
“Yes, I love them.”
“Then there’s no problem! Seriously, you sure a horny pastor! Let’s go, to the night town of Kuou!”
“Hahaha! Irina-chan, keep this is a secret from your mother, okay?”
They disappeared into the night of this town after having such discussion! Azazel-sensei’s diplomacy at night not only is given to that geezer Odin, but also those related to Christianity! The face of Irina’s dad who said he loves breasts looked lively! He is an outrageous lewd geezer! Xenovia went as far as to say things like “To be expected from Irina’s father. He does look lewd”. ……Oh well, let’s put that aside for now. Though I also wanted to go with them. Just like I thought, I checked my schedules and found out that I won’t have time to hang out with Matsuda and Motohama. Furthermore, we don’t know when Qlippoth will strike. So I hadn't had any time to hangout with my friends from the beginning. “Now then, we’ll stop here for today. Good job everyone.”
Our duty for today ends with Rias’s words that signifies the end of it. Today was a busy day since we went to Heaven to have a meeting about Christmas and also having Irina’s dad come. Being affiliated with DxD sure makes your life packed with events. ……Then something crossed my mind all of a sudden so I ask Koneko-chan who is cleaning after the teacups. “……Hey, Koneko-chan. Did I lose my lewdness?”
“……You still are lewd.”
Koneko-chan answers immediately. “R-Right?”
If that’s what Koneko-chan is saying then it must mean I’m still lewd. But Koneko-chan adds. “……But.”
“But?”
“Your lewd face looks much calmer than before.”
“—!”
…………Even Koneko-chan who has sharp instinct towards my lewdness is saying that my sexual desire has weakened from before. ……I guess I need to think about it. It scares me to think that it would affect me from now on if my source of power has weakened. Hmm, what should I do? Should I talk to Rias about it? When I was thinking such, Rias speaks to me. “Ise, do you have a minute?”
“……What’s wrong?”
“Yes, the truth is I received a call from my house abruptly so I will have to return to my castle now.”
A call from the House of Gremory? So she will be returning to her castle temporarily huh. “Does that mean something happened?”
Rias tilts her head when I asked. “……It sounded like it’s not much of a good news. Think about the season we are in. | text_18 |
It won’t be weird for anything to happen. I was just thinking about seeing Onee-sama so I will be going back for a short time. I will be back by tomorrow night.”
……She would tell me directly if it was really serious and the fact that she has to return means that they want to inform something to Rias which can’t be revealed to the public. I’m worried about what actually happened but I feel relieved that she can go and meet Grayfia-san. “Roger that. Then we will do the rest of the cleanup. —Give my greetings to Grayfia-san.”
When I said that, she smiles back to me saying “Okay, I sure will. Thanks”. Late that night—
“……Hmm, Ise……do you think I have a baby inside me with this……? I’m worried that it isn’t, so one more time……”
I can hear such seductive sleep talk from besides me! Akeno-san who is sleeping as if she’s wrapped around me! Since Rias isn’t here tonight, I ended up sleeping with Asia and Akeno-san! Due to Rias’s absence, Akeno-san snuck into my bed while wearing a see-through negligee! I won’t be able to sleep if she says such sleep-talk right beside me! What kind of dream exactly are you watching Akeno-san!? What am I doing inside your dream!? I’m so curious of it that I don’t think I can go to sleep! Rather I have the soft sensation of a woman’s body all over my body! And I can’t move an inch if she is hugging onto me like this! So I hug Akeno-san tightly, and—
“……Aaan, Ise……”
She strengthens her hug and says such things in her sleep so it makes it harder for me to move even more! Umm! Umm! How can I lead this defenceless Akeno-san to my liking!? I ended up using my brain the most for today but there’s someone poking me. Asia? Even though I turned around thinking it was her, I find her sleeping. Then when I look around trying to find out who it is—
(……Shhh!) Xenovia appears while putting her body over me! She uses her finger to tell me to be quiet. (X-Xenovia. Something happened late this night?) I ask with a low voice to avoid Akeno-san and Asia from waking up. (……Rias-buchou returned to the Underworld temporarily, right?) (Y-Yeah. She returned to check on Grayfia-san and also because there was an urgent call for her.) (……And Asia?) (Fast asleep.) (……I see, she certainly is sleeping. Both Asia and Akeno-fukubuchou.) Xenovia confirms that both of them are sleeping. This is what she says. (Come with me. There’s something I want to show you.) I somehow manage to let Akeno-san sleep by herself and leave the room as I follow Xenovia. We left the room and arrived in front of Xenovia’s room which is a floor above my room. ……Coming to Xenovia’s room late at night huh. What is she plotting? “Now, Ise. Open it.”
“?”
Xenovia sure is saying weird things. She’s asking me to open the door when its her own room. I turn the doorknob like she ordered. Then—what appears to my sight is that baby-making room from before! “Wha! Isn’t this! ?”
I ask Xenovia but I end up entering the room after she pushes me from behind! Then a sound of the door being closed follows! I try to turn the doorknob immediately but I couldn’t do it due to an unknown power which is coming from the other side of the door! “H-Hey! Xenovia! What’s the meaning of this! ?”
Xenovia tells me from the outside who is confused. “I thought we should use it since they went through all the trouble to give it to us. Prepare yourself, Ise. Your partner is waiting.”
……My partner is waiting? When I turn around and look behind after finding it suspicious—
“………..Hello, Ise-kun.”
There’s Irina who is wearing a negligee while having her hair down! Irina then says to me shyly while looking down. “……Umm, umm……”
Irina has a high tone of voice right now and uses her shaking legs to walk to the corner of the bed and sit there. “……Don’t you want to come here and have a small chat?”
…………E-Even if you say that! T-To talk when she says it that way at this room while dressed up like that! But I can’t go back. So the only thing I can do is go forward……? After I gulp down my saliva, I walk to my bed. ……Even though it’s a bed, I feel pathetic at myself for sitting a bit away from Irina. “…………”
“…………”
Both of us become silent. What intention did Xenovia have by making me come here? Likewise, what intention does Irina have by being here? ……Though I do think there’s a simple explanation behind it. But it’s too daring so I’m really confused. No, it’s because we were introduced to this room just earlier you know? I never expected I would step foot in here in the same day! And this room is for an Angel and Devil…… T-That means Michael-san made it for me and Irina. And for Irina and me who are the main two beings in here! I then take a glimpse of Irina beside me. She’s wearing a negligee. Usually she wears normal pyjamas but today she’s wearing a negligee similar to the ones worn by Rias and Akeno-san. ……Obviously it's see-through! It’s so transparent that I can’t see her wearing a bra and……not only can I see her round breasts but also the tip of it! Oh yeah, now I remember that she’s often in a state where she wears no bra! No, more importantly her breasts have a nice shape, her body has no useless fat because she’s a warrior, and furthermore she has a nice curve……! ……Phew. I need to calm down. The mood is important. Even if I were to turn into a wild animal, going at her right away won’t be moody at all. What we need to do first is have a conversation. ……Oh yeah, talking about that will be good. This is a good chance. I might as well say it. “Oh yeah, I remembered about the Christmas promise we made when we were kids.”
I say that to Irina. Hearing that, Irina looks at me as if she isn’t shy anymore. “—We will defeat Santa together and share his presents! Right?”
When I say that, Irina is in joy so much that she puts on a big smile. “So you remembered. I thought I was the only one who remembered it and that you had already forgotten that promise.”
Irina even has her eyes all wet. Looks like she’s that happy that I remembered our promise. “Well, I did forget it. But I started to remember it while we were preparing for Christmas.”
Yeah, that’s the jest of it. I started to get a flashback while I was working with Irina which in turn brought my memories back. Oh yeah, when I was a kid I made a promise with my childhood friend, in this case Irina, during the cold time of the year. Irina starts to chuckle because she remembers it. “Yeah, we certainly were innocent back then, or should I say we were clueless…… We sure did come up with so many reckless ideas. I sure had fun back then when I played like a boy with you and even thought like one.”
I do think that I did lots of reckless things with Irina when I was little. I completely mistook Irina for a boy so I played and took her to places where girls wouldn’t be happy about. “We sure did go out often to places like the forest of a park which is outside the town and also destroyed shrines.”
“Yup. | text_18 |
We even took an insect catcher with us and rode our bicycles to somewhere far as well.”
“You say far but we were kids so the furthest we could go was the next town……”
“But it was so fun since it felt like we entered a new world.”
“Yeah, like those sweets we bought from the candy-store of an unfamiliar town. I still remember the taste of it.”
“Yup! We certainly did eat things like lettuce-jirou and Micchan the octopus.”
Oh man, I can’t believe it’s this easy to remember. I sure did play a lot with Irina. Maybe it’s because she was my age around my neighbourhood, it feels like we did all sorts of things together. Even our memories of Christmas are so childish. They're filled with cluelessness and recklessness. I then open up to her as I talk to her. “Sorry that I didn’t know you were a girl. But I did think of you who was a child my age in this neighbourhood who would also do reckless things with me as an important friend……”
Irina suddenly looks down when I said that. “…………A friend, huh.”
Irina mutters in such way! Ah, looks like I failed! I should rephrase it! “N-No, I meant a childhood friend! Sorry……even though I’m the only one who shares the time of our childhood with you.”
—But Irina chuckles and looks up the ceiling. “Speaking about that, I had Rias-san ask me about it.”
Apparently Rias asked Irina. —Can you please tell me about Ise when he was a child? “I was sure that she was jealous of me for being the only one who knew your childhood, Ise-kun. So I started having more conversations with Rias-san naturally. By the time I realised it, she started calling me “Irina”.”
Ah, so that’s how the two of them started getting along while calling each other by their given names without feeling reserved. So the two of them have become close by sharing the story of my childhood huh. Irina starts to speak with a serious face. “The truth is Rias-san was the person who I wasn’t able to get along with the most among the ORC members. That’s because she would have been someone I couldn’t possible coexist with since I’m from the Church side, you know? She’s—the heiress of the House of Gremory, a high-class Devil. She’s a genuine princess so I felt that the world she lives in is different from mine who is a normal warrior of the Church. So it was kind of hard to interact with her. Though it’s true that it was easy getting along with Asia-san and Xenovia who are also from the Church.”
……So she had such reasons. Even though it seems like they are getting along living together at a glance, there are different opinions from each people. It’s just that I didn’t realise it. But Irina then smiles. “But I started to find out as I started speaking to Rias-san. Oh, she’s also a girl just like me. She would smile. Become sad. She would get angry. And also become happy…… Even though she’s older than me by a year, I started to feel that she’s also a girl of my age very strongly. Then I started having more discussions with her. From being someone I can’t interact with, she became my precious comrade then my friend.”
……So the relation between Rias and Irina started changing and developed when I didn’t realise it. Irina turns red. “……I came to realise one more thing once again as I got close to Rias-san. As I started to talk about Ise-kun’s childhood to Rias-san, I started to think……“I don’t want to talk anymore than this” and “I want to keep this memory to myself”……”
Irina—came close to me. Even though I sat a bit away from her, Irina had shortened the distance between us without me noticing it. “Ah, now I understand, without noticing, I—”
Irina takes my hand. “……I-Irina?”
I become confused. That’s because Irina suddenly shortened the distance between us and took my hand! Irina took my hand slowly—and brings it towards her breast. My fingers! My palm! It’s feeling a soft sensation! My whole hand is glued onto Irina’s breasts! Ah, Irina’s soft breasssssts! Not only as it smooth, but the feeling of this Angel’s skin which I’m feeling with my hand is violently stunning my brain! Irina puts on an emotional eye and starts putting on a seductive face. I never thought for a girl who acts so innocent all the time can put on such a hot face……! “……Looks like my wings won’t glitter even after doing this much.”
Like Irina said, the wings on her back are—still white! Usually Irina’s wings turn white and black when she does erotic things like this. ……So this room really does allow a Devil and Angel to do it……? Irina—then pushes me down! I lay down on the bed. Irina then positions herself where it looks like she is on top of me. Her negligee is falling off and her developed body is basically exposed. Her long brown hair falls onto my face and something which smells nice stimulates my nose. ……This smell of shampoo coming from her hair sure does break my mind……! Irina then mutters with a sad face. “So in here I can do naughty things with Ise-kun……”
Irina’s face comes closer to my face slowly. At this rate, Irina and I will—
I then hear a sound of the door being opened when I swallowed my saliva. When I take a quick look, I can see eyes from the gap between the doors……and there are several of them! They are in a state where they are showing half of their faces from the other side of the door and their eyes are directed at us. I can also hear their conversation. “……Irina, you have grown……I can’t stop myself from crying……!”
“……Xenovia-san, is Irina-san really going to……!”
Its Xenovia and Asia! “……This room is simply indecent.”
“Even though you say that, you are desperately staring at them.”
There’s even Koneko-chan and Kuroka! “……Lately I have been talking to Rias about it. Just how can we stop our junior’s aggressive approach?”
“……Indecent……it’s so lewd……”
That must be Akeno-san and Rossweisse-san (in her accent-mode)! “……It seems like the schedule will collapse if I don’t manage this room as well.”
“Awawawaw……s-so Angels also makes room like this as well!”
Ravel and Le Fay are watching as well!? “Ise, are you breeding?”
Even Ophis is there! You can’t say something like breeding! “A-All of yoooooou! What are you girls peeping for! ?”
I can’t resist myself from saying that! Irina also returns to herself and starts to fix her clothes in panic. But then Irina starts to blurt out in laughter. “……I can now understand how Rias-san feels. This is quite impossible to do.”
After Irina says that, she then asks everyone. “Geez, all of you. Do all of you want to take a look around this room?”
Like this, the sightseeing of the baby-making room commenced. I understood at this time that even though it was hard to tell, this room comes with a bathroom and a fridge. On top of that the bed can spin. Even the pillows can glow in seven different colours……
Michael-san, you put unnecessary technology in this room……
The next day—
After we spent the whole morning training, we moved onto work for the Christmas project for the afternoon. | text_18 |
Me, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Rossweisse-san, and Irina’s dad went to a train station which is two stations away from the one in our town. We came to check presents at this town at different places, like the large electronic stores and bookstores; they have good selections. We actually check which ones are popular and also ask the store clerks about the products. All of us decided that we will use this occasion to choose a portion of the presents we haven’t decided to give out for Christmas. I guess receiving a present which is quite new and useful will make them happier when receiving it. It’s a shame that we couldn’t research what the residents wanted……
“I’m very sorry for having all of you spend your precious time on this.”
Irina’s dad apologises to us. “Oh no, it was actually a good change for once.”
“He’s right, Irina’s dad. Usually our job is to train, so coming this far was a good experience.”
Xenovia sure did learn how to speak smoothly all of a sudden! I guess this is something she acquired after she started aiming to become the student president. ……Oh crap, it feels like Xenovia will become more normal than me! Since she’s potentially different from me, she will turn into a talented girl after she learns a bit! It feels like it was so long ago when she was called a muscle-brain swordswoman! No, I do still think that she uses power during battles! Irina then says after confirming the memo she wrote. “Next we will be checking the costumes. Let’s head to the store which has cosplay costumes.”
Irina leads us after saying that. A Santa costume huh. Looks like they are keen on it since the majority of them are girls. To be honest I don’t think there’s a difference in a Santa’s costume. But when I said that—
“Looking at the places which sell them will become a good example!”
That’s what they said. Hmm, they already had a look at it since they received it already so they can use that as an example…… Understanding girls’ minds is difficult. As we walk, Rossweisse-san suddenly asks me. “B-By the way Ise-kun. I-I’m asking this is one of the examples, but……please be aware that this is an example, okay?”
Rossweisse-san asks shyly after saying that. “From Ise-kun’s perspective, for a costume worn by women……should it be those authentic trousers or……a skirt?”
Trousers or skirt, huh. Well, if a woman is to wear them, then—
“I’m all for the skirt! And if it happens to be a miniskirt I might get excited over it! ……So I think a skirt would suit Rossweisse-san for the Santa costume.”
When I said that, Rossweisse-san turns red. “—! G-Geez! Y-You shouldn’t say such things to a girl without thinking about it, like that!”
S-She’s angry at me! And with her accent that is! But she makes a cough and mutters with a low voice. “I-I see. A skirt, a skirt. ……Will it make my legs look slim……and I don’t think I can make it in time if I prepare for it now……or should I deceive it by using magic? But Granny said I won’t be able to deceive a boy’s eyes even if I do that—”
……Ever since the battle at Auros Academy, Rossweisse-san also started asking for my preferences. Though she’s saying that she’s asking for my opinion as an example……
During our way to the shop it started to rain. It turned into heavy rain quickly so we went to a summer house located at the park nearby in order to take shelter. We didn’t bring any umbrellas with us. “Let’s wait until it stops.”
Since Rossweisse-san said that all of us agreed to her suggestion. “If the Joker Dulio was with us he could have easily controlled the rain in one go……”
Xenovia said that sarcastically……but we shouldn’t recklessly control the weather. It may be possible for Dulio but I don’t think he can do that unless it’s an emergency. While all of us wait at the summer house, we can hear the sound of someone walking through the rain. When I look forward— a man who isn’t using an umbrella under the rain was standing there. A man— with long black hair. When we checked what the man is holding onto, we put our alertness to the maximum level. ……It’s because he’s holding onto a sword which is giving out an ominous feeling. “Qlippoth……?”
Xenovia says that as she takes the Ex-Durandal from the different dimension. ……Even if it’s raining, this is still a park used by civilians. And it’s during daytime. So taking excessive action won’t simply make us receive attention! Though we can’t simply be defeated by him and also the murderous intent he’s directing at us is the real deal! We make our stance at him but there’s one person among us who is really shocked at the appearance of the man. Irina’s dad has his whole body shaking and looks at the man as if he can’t believe his eyes. “……I-It can’t be……! Why are you……! ?”
Irina’s dad says it with a shaking voice. The man—puts on a creepy big smile. “……It’s been a while. Shidou-san. ……Or should I call you the “Office-Chief” Shidou now?”
The man increases the wave of the sword he’s holding onto as he walks towards us! That aura coming from him isn’t normal. It has something which won’t leave us in peace if we approach him carelessly! Irina’s dad shouts after he takes a step forward. “So it is you, Yaegaki-kun……!”
“Yes, I was given this opportunity. I came to give judgement to you.”
That instant—. The man leaps forward! I followed his movement with my eyes and used my whole body to feel his presence! The man—shortened the distance between us without making any sound and slashed his sword at us from the side! We reacted immediately. Irina moved Asia and her dad to the rear. Xenovia and I block the enemy’s attack using our holy-sword and gauntlet respectively. Xenovia and I get our defence increased very high by the defence-magic cast by Rossweisse-san. We can still feel the extreme destruction of its attack even with our enhanced defence……! Maybe it’s because I’m not wearing my armour, so I get pushed back by the impact from his sword! Xenovia withstood at the spot even after receiving it and starts to exchange sword blows with the man! Xenovia who attained highspeed due to the holy-sword’s trait. Slashes which you can’t see with the naked eye is aimed at the man—but the man responds to Xenovia’s attack by blocking it and then attacking her back! —! He can even exchange blows with Xenovia! Xenovia has the trait of destruction in each of her attacks. But it’s as if the man can oversee it. He doesn’t get hit by it directly and shortens his distance with her by overcoming it! Xenovia also doesn’t receive any critical damage as she evades it by an inch. But different parts of her clothes are torn. Her attacks filled with destruction which were evaded by the man create holes in the ground of this park and blows it away. “Xenovia!”
Irina shoots arrows of light from the rear but the man takes them down with his sword while he’s taking on Xenovia! I also use Balance Break right away. I try to find the chance where I can shoot my Dragon-Shot……but it looks like the man is no ordinary assassin. I can’t find the slightest chance. | text_18 |
Even while he’s exchanging blows with Xenovia, he’s still paying attention to me and Rossweisse-san so we are in a situation where we can’t break his guard down. Xenovia shouts. “This slash! It’s something learnt by an Exorcist. ……You must be a warrior from the Church, are you not?”
The man makes a cold smile at Xenovia’s question. “Indeed, though it’s more precise to say “former”.”
Irina who took her dad to the rear shouts as she makes a stance with a mass-produced holy-sword. “Hey, you! Why are you after papa! ?”
He makes a creepy laughter, “kukuku”, when he witnesses Irina’s white wings. “……So your daughter is an Angel, huh? Seriously, this must be a mercy given to you from Heaven. Are you telling me this is the reward you received by killing me and her……!”
The man’s murderous intent—his hatred, increases. ……Killed him and her? What does he mean……? Irina’s dad seems like he understood something hearing that. “Don’t tell me the one who killed Smith and Todoroki……and the members back then was you……! ?”
The man blurts out in laughter. “……You are the only one left, Office-Chief Shidou.”
Even though he’s fighting Xenovia, his attention is aimed towards Irina’s dad. I can feel a very strong aura of hatred coming from him. No, what’s coming out from him is his anger itself. You can say his whole body is enveloped by it. Just how much hatred does he have towards Irina’s father? I stand between the two and ask the man. “Hold on! I don’t know what’s going on but what’s your reason for attacking another person all of a sudden! ?”
“……Can you step aside? This is revenge. If I kill that man I can finally lower my hatred by even the slightest.”
……Revenge? Irina’s dad also puts on a sad face and didn’t deny it. The man moves his eyes at me and puts on a serious face. “Sekiryuutei, huh. Looks like I have no choice but to release the power of this sword. ……This whole surrounding has been turned into an isolated area after all.”
Saying that, the man concentrates his thought at the sword he’s holding onto. That instant, the ominous aura coming from the blade increases drastically and changes the space around him! The rain pouring on the man evaporates before touching him. From the sword held by the man, the enormous and very black evil thing starts to take physical form. What appears from the sword is –— a large eight headed Dragon! It’s shedding tears of blood from its eyes and its large mouth which is wide open is showing its sharp fangs. ……A Dragon grew out from a sword……! It only has eight heads coming out from the sword but even so, it’s still gigantic! Even if it’s only eight heads, it’s over ten metres in length! Each of the heads moves as if each of them has a mind of its own. Irina’s dad becomes speechless. “——! ……Yaegaki-kun, t-that sword……!”
The man, the swordsman called Yaegaki, strokes the blade which has eight heads growing out from it. “……Divine Spiritual Sword “Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi”. Well, right now it’s been altered and looks like this now.”
— Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi! I’ve heard about it! I’m sure it’s the Japanese holy-sword. From what I heard the sword was currently broken and it was in the middle of being repaired…… But it’s my first time hearing that a Dragon is residing in it! Rather, this ominous feeling isn’t that of a holy-sword but more of a demonic-sword! Ddraig who has been quiet till now tells me. [……Partner, that’s an Evil Dragon.] —Evil Dragon! I guessed so. That evil aura is so dangerous that I can only think of an Evil Dragon. [The Evil Dragon resided in that sword. And this poisonous aura……]
Looks like Ddraig is familiar with this aura……
Irina then shouts. “Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi was supposed to be broken and was in middle of restoration!”
“That’s why it was repaired. Though it has changed a lot…… The sword which appeared from Yamato-no-Orochi to be possessed by the said Dragon itself…… Don’t you think this is sarcastic and is wonderful?”
Yaegaki then says it at us. “My hatred and the evil intent of the legendary Evil Dragon, “Venom Blood Dragon” Yamata-no-Orochi, possessed in this sword— I shall use this to give punishment to all of you!”
Saying that, Yaegaki slashes the sword possessed by the Evil Dragon with all his might! The eight heads come at us! Maybe it’s because each of them has a mind of its own, so each head stretches out from the sword and comes at each of us! “Ku!”
Rossweisse-san activates the defence magic-circle to block the Evil Dragon’s head charging at her but she gets pushed back after she couldn’t withstand its power! The head which is after Xenovia is trying to attack her violently by showing its fangs to bite her to death! “Ha!”
Xenovia crushes the head with a single slash of her holy-sword by jumping to the rear—but the head regenerates immediately! “—! The head regenerated! ?”
I didn’t have time to be shocked as there is another head coming at me at highspeed! Ddraig shouts inside me! [Partner! The poison of Yamata-no-Orochi is dangerous! At all costs, do not touch its fangs or poison!] Poison—. Samael flashes back in my mind but I doubt its powerful as his one. But it’s a poison of an Evil Dragon. There’s no way I can just simply receive its attack head on! I gather aura to my right arm and shoot the mass of aura at it immediately! —A massive Dragon-Shot! Several heads of Yamata-no-Orochi get blown away immediately by being hit by my attack made up of demonic-power. –But it regenerates as if nothing happened! There’s no end to this! Should I aim for the wielder!? When I look at the enemy I can see the Evil Dragon’s head around the man as if it’s protecting him. ……So he already predicted we will aim for him huh! Well, with the endurance of these Dragon’s heads, we can easily blow them away! I simply need to blow all of them away in a single shot! “Fairies!”
I make Dividing Wyvern Fairies appear from each of my jewels. When I give my command to them, the Wyverns fly in random directions in the air and surround the man. The Wyverns will attack the enemy at highspeed at times. Well, they usually dodge it though. But the preparation is set. With this I can reflect and boost my Dragon Shots to defeat the enemies instantly! “Ise-san!”
Asia shouts out my name. I know why. ……She’s telling me to not push myself. Yeah, I did unlock the Longinus Smasher in my previous fight with Euclid. That effect is still remaining in me. ……Due to that attack being too powerful and dangerous, I used up the majority of my Dragon’s power that is inside me. In other words boosting up my power by using the Wyverns will put too much stress on me. Using boost during Balance Breaker state would be fine for my stamina but using Wyverns on top of boosting would be hard for my current state. According to Ddraig I would need to wait a month for it to be fully charged. So it means using Wyverns in my perfect condition and also using Longinus Smasher would still take time. One shot per month. Should I say this is an expensive deal or a cheap deal? | text_18 |
Well, it will depend on the situation but for my current self its quiet good. I did unlock such a strong attack. But there will be no point if I can’t use it when I’m in danger! I shoot out my Dragon Shot lightly! The bullet of demonic-power gets reflected by one of the Wyverns and changes its course! One of the Evil Dragon’s head lets its guard down but another head responds to it and bites it down! If several heads acts on its own like that, it can support another head if it fails. And it feels like the Evil Dragon is starting to respond better to our actions! Rossweisse-san’s arrows of ice made by her magic are also dodged and Xenovia’s strike gets evaded just before it hits! My rapid Dragon Shots also get taken down by its massive flamethrower! —! A suspicious scenery appears before my eye. One of the heads—digs into the ground! I have a bad feeling so I shout at Asia! “Asiaaaaaa! Summon Fafniiiiiir!”
Asia tries to draw the Dragon Gate immediately but I can see the Evil Dragon moving through the ground as it pushes the ground up! “I won’t let you!”
Xenovia releases an aura from her holy-sword. The holy aura perfectly slices the Evil Dragon that is moving through the ground! —But it’s still moving at rapid speed despite being hit! [Partner! If it has a powerful thought an Evil Dragon that takes a physical form can still move even if it gets its head cut off!] —! Damn it! The direction that head is moving towards! It’s heading towards Asia and Irina’s dad! Asia’s summon won’t make it in time! Xenovia and I understood the situation right away so we try to head their way. But several Yamata-no-Orochi’s heads stretch forward and blocks our path! “ “You’re in the way!” ”
We eliminate the heads forcefully. —But the man makes a mad laughter! “Hahahahahahahaha! My anger and Cleria’s revenge! I shall purify it with your soul!”
The Evil Dragon’s head which comes out from the ground! Rossweisse-san sends her magic-circle in front of it! “I won’t let you!”
That magic hits right before the Evil Dragon hits Asia and Irina’s dad. The Evil Dragon’s head crumbles. But one of its fangs flies towards them—which grazes Irina’s dad on his shoulder. “Ku……!”
Irina's dad receives damage on his shoulder. Asia tries to heal the wound immediately—but the man, Yaegaki, becomes so happy that he has tears flowing from his eyes. “……This is fine. This is how it should be. Yeah, suffer. Suffer so much.”
Even the wound should be healed by Asia’s Sacred Gear, Irina’s dad falls on his knee and has his body shake violently. —The poison! “Papa!”
Irina panics at her dad’s change but stands front of Yaegaki right away! “……How dare you attack papa? !”
Seeing Irina shiver in anger the man makes a satisfied expression. “……That’s it. Do you understand? That’s anger. The emotion carried by those who had their loved ones hurt. Even if you are an Angel, you can’t hold down your rage due to having your family hurt, can you?”
“…………!”
Irina can’t argue back. The man simply puts on a evil smile. —! An aura belonging to someone else approaches this place. When I look that way I witness Akeno-san, Kiba, Koneko-chan, and Gasper! “We came flying here because we received a report about a dangerous aura being detected!”
The ORC is all here. The man falls back seeing that. He jumps to the rear and takes his distance. “……Staying any longer would have myself exposed.”
Saying that, the man shouts towards Irina’s dad. “Office-Chief! I will definitely take my revenge on you, Heaven, and the House of Bael! I will never forgive you all! Absolutely not!”
We try to reach him right away but a teleportation magic-circle appears below his feet instantly. As he disappears into the light, the man says it at us. “—The paradise called Kuou town all of you are living in is the world made from many sacrifices. The Devil who inherited that town and also carries the blood of the House of Bael as well as her servants. Remember that well.”
I came to a conclusion after seeing the emblem drawn on the magic-circle. That teleportation magic-circle—belongs to Qlippoth. The man—is an assassin sent by the Qlippoth. After we were assaulted in the town we went to, we took Irina’s dad who was injured with us to the medical facility of the Church-side located at Kuou town by going through the magic-circle. Irina’s dad went to get a medical check right away. His injuries on his outer body were healed by Asia’s ability. —But the problem is the Evil Dragon’s poison which he took into his body when he sustained a wound. The members of D×D gathered at the medical facility. Irina……is looking down while sitting on a chair. She isn’t in shock due to the assault. It appears that Irina received a deep scar in her heart for not being able to protect her dad. “……I couldn’t protect papa…… ……Papa became overjoyed when I became an Angel but I couldn’t……protect papa……”
“……Irina-san.”
Asia is sitting beside Irina and is looking after her. Xenovia on the other hand……didn’t approach Irina. “I might yell at Irina for how she’s acting now. But that will be a painful experience for her right now. Then it’s better for Asia to stick by her instead.”
—So that’s how she left this matter to Asia’s hand. There’s a special connection which only exists between Xenovia and Irina. So she must have thought that it isn’t her place right now. So she isn’t confronting her on purpose. I think that’s Xenovia’s kindness. ……An assault straight after leaving Kuou town, huh. Seriously, you really can’t tell where they will attack you……
Two people approached us who are gathered front of the room Irina’s dad is in. —It’s Rias and Azazel-sensei. “I’m sorry for not being present at such a crucial time.”
“I’ve heard the details. We are currently having a discussion with the Church-side regarding the counter measures against Qlippoth and the antidote for Officer-chief Shidou.”
Sensei then disappears far into the corridor. Sister Griselda and the doctor come out of the room while I was talking to Rias about what happened at the crime scene. “……There’s a poison which is thought to belong to an Evil Dragon present inside the Officer-chief’s body at this moment.”
Hearing that, Ddraig speaks out so everyone can hear. [Yamata-no-Orochi’s poison, huh. That’s troublesome. It isn’t poisonous as Samael’s poison but it’s still very lethal. If we leave him like this then he will die within a few days where the poison will even taint his soul. There are very few spell-casters or institutes that are able to cure him.] Sister nods at Ddraig’s clear words. “Yes, for that reason we are planning to take Officer-chief to Heaven. If it’s Heaven’s antidote, then it should be able to cure him even if it’s Yamata-no-Orochi’s poison. —Except.”
“Except?”
“Sister opens the door to the room when I asked. “Apparently there’s something the Officer-chief wants to speak to all of you to about.”
After we looked at each other’s face we enter his room—
“Papa!”
Irina jumps into her dad’s arm after seeing him on the bed. “……I’m sorry. | text_18 |
Even though I was chosen by Michael-sama……even though I became an Angel, I couldn’t protect you……”
Irina’s dad embraces his daughter who is in tears and is apologising with love. “Hahaha, it isn’t Irina-chan’s fault. And please stop with this atmosphere as if I’m going to die. I will be receiving treatment in Heaven after this so don’t worry about me.”
Irina’s dad cheers her up as if he’s comforting her. ……Maybe it’s because of the poison inside his body, but the sweat on his face is showing how much pain he is in. ……There are parts of his skin that have changed and turned blackish. There is a tube which is connected to his arm so there must be a fluid which is preventing the poison from progressing. But I guess it’s basically throwing water on a heated rock. Irina’s dad opens his mouth after looking around us. “……There’s something I need to discuss before I go to Heaven. It’s regarding that man who attacked us earlier.”
……The man, the one who has hold of the Ama-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi which is possessed by the Yamata-no-Orochi. “……His name is Yaegaki Masaomi. He was a skilled warrior of the Church, and previously my subordinate.”
“……When you say that “he was previously”, then what is he currently……?”
Irina’s dad answers Rias’s question. “He has already passed away. ……It’s because the Church executed him.”
[—!] Everyone becomes shocked at this! So that person is dead? Then how was he there? I question myself but I found the answer right away. —The Holy Grail. If you use the Holy Grail then that’s the answer. That man was revived with the use of the Holy Grail. That holy-sword must have been upgraded by using the Holy Grail to have the Evil Dragon possess it after it was stolen. Irina’s dad continues. “……All of you are aware about the ones with roles of priests of the Church being attacked, correct?”
We nod our head. We received that report from Michael-san in Heaven. “It must be his doing. He has enough motive to do it. And the ones that were killed were all my former comrades.”
…………
What we are hearing right now is a shocking revelation so all of us are speechless. ……But there’s one thing I’m concerned about. It sounded like that man called Yaegaki knows about Kuou town. ……Irina’s dad was previously living at Kuou town. So this isn’t unrelated. Irina’s dad then stops. Then, Rias says this after taking a breath. “The truth is that those from the House of Bael are being attacked right now.”
[—!?] We became even more shocked! So there’s a serious incident happening on this side as well! Not only me, but others are also shocked! “……Isn’t that Sairaorg-san’s house?”
Rias nods when I asked. “……There aren’t any victims among those from the House of Bael itself, but those close to the current Head who are the politicians of the Great King faction’s are being attacked. There are already those that have been killed.”
……Oh man. So something serious like that is happening elsewhere. “The Church-side is being attacked and there are victims from the Devil’s side already……”
When Kiba mutters, Irina’s dad speaks while looking at the ceiling. “This is no coincidence. The contact he made with earlier basically implies he is involved in all of them. Like I mentioned earlier he has enough reasons to do all of this.”
Rias asks. “……What happened in this town exactly? I was told that the Devil who was in charge of this place was a relative of the House of Bael—basically it was in charge of someone from my mother’s family’s side, and I was only told that Devil was dismissed from its duty after causing a stir with the Church.”
Irina’s dad who was shocked to hear that, but also seems convinced at what he just heard. “……I see, so that’s how it is told on your side. ……Likewise, that’s how it is explained on our side. ……So you haven’t been told what exactly happened at Kuou town from your father or your brother then?”
“……I don’t think my father knows. He isn’t someone who would hide such things from me…… My brother……has his standing so I’m not sure. Except, there will be a messenger sent from the House of Bael’s side to the House of Gremory’s side after this…… It feels as though they are going to reveal this situation which they can’t keep as a secret before it gets revealed to the public. I’ve just returned to come take my servants back with me.”
“……I see. So they are going to talk about it too. Then it will be better to hear from the House of Great-King’s side then. Except, let me share a bit about it. He……Yaegaki-kun fell in love with……a high-class female Devil who was in charge of Kuou town back then.”
Even though Irina’s dad is in a painful condition due to having poison circulating in his body, he covers his mouth and starts to shed many tears. “The high-class female Devil was someone from the House of Belial’s branch family. Her name was Cleria Belial. ……We tore them apart at Kuou town…… ……I won’t be able to complain even if he was to shred me into pieces and kill me……! I’ve done something where I deserve death……! ……Yaegaki-kun, I’m sorry……! I’m so sorry……!”
Irina’s dad who is in mourning. Looks like the truth Irina’s dad is carrying inside him is going to be something which will surpass our imagination—
After Irina’s dad got taken to Heaven, we teleported to the Gremory castle from the magic-circle located in the Hyoudou residence basement. The ones who are here are all the members of the Gremory group and Irina. We had Ravel wait for us back at home. We thought it would be better to only have people who will be involved in this matter present. It appears that we will be hearing something which will have the Bael, no, the Gremory involved. During our way to the reception room where the messenger of the House of Bael will be waiting, I ask Rias a question in the corridor with a low voice. “……Rias, can you tell me one thing?”
She nods. “Rias, did you know about the Devil called Cleria Belial?”
“……No, I was only told that the previous Devil in charge of that town was someone from the Great-King Belial’s branch family. That was also what was written on the documents and I even met that Devil face to face to hear that Devil’s experience at Kuou town. ……So all of this was a setup.”
…………
So all the information Rias was told beforehand was all made up. Though there’s no mistake that something terrible happened on that land. And Belial…… That means she’s a relative of the Rating Game’s Champion, Diehauser Belial-san, right? ……Geez, for us to be told the truth to what happened at Kuou town at such time. Is it a bad timing or good timing? I don’t know which is it. ……That person called Yaegaki called Rias a Devil who carries the blood of Bael. It seems like he knows about us. I guess Rizevim who revived him with the Holy Grail explained what happened after his death—and also about Rias who is the new master of that land. We advance through the corridor and finally reach the reception room. Rias knocks on the door and says “Father, I have arrived”. | text_18 |
We then hear Rias’s dad replying back to her saying “Come in”. Rias opens the door and after she bows she goes in. We followed after her and enter the room. The reception room has splendid looking sofas and tables equipped with ornaments as well as a fireplace. “I’m glad you are all here.”
Rias’s Dad stands up and welcomes us. The one sitting on the sofa—is a middle-aged man. He’s wearing noble’s attire. He has purple eyes and black hair. His eyes look peaceful, yet they carry strength where he has no opening. ……He’s giving out a strong atmosphere of dignity from his whole body. ……I can understand with the slight action of Rias’s dad. This man is someone who stands in a higher authority than Rias’s dad. The man puts on a firm smile. “Hello there, Princess Rias.”
Rias’s Dad then tells his daughter. “Rias, you must greet him. This person is—the first Head of House of Bael.”
[—!?] Not only Rias, but all of us are in shock hearing that! He’s the first Head of……House of Bael!? Not the current Head……but the first! So he’s the one who became the origin of Devils called “Bael”! The middle-aged man who is in fact the first Head of the House of Bael greets Rias once again. “Nice to meet you, Princess Rias. My name is Zekrum Bael. Well, it will be enough for you to look at the Bible or documents related to it know about me.”
“……Hello there, I have heard about you……from the documents.”
Even Rias is a bit astonished at the appearance of the first Bael. She most likely didn’t expect this. We all thought that the messenger of Bael who would be coming here would be the subordinate of the current Head or his servant. Instead the one who appeared is super big shot, the first Bael! Of course we are shocked! Even I’m speechless! The first Bael’s gaze moves to us, Rias’s servants. “The Gremory group. I have heard about your achievements. I hear that you also get along with Sairaorg of our household……so let me thank all of you.”
The first Bael greets us politely then moves onto the main topic. “Princess Rias, what you want to hear from me is……regarding the previous master of that town, correct?”
Rias who is in shock nods after taking a breath. “……Yes. The enemies……one of the people helping “Qlippoth” said he will “take his vengeance on Heaven and the Bael”.”
Hearing that, the first Bael narrows his eyes. “Hmm, where should I begin……”
Irina takes a step forward and says to the first Bael. “Please. Tell us. My papa……I mean my father, was also apparently involved in it. Right now he is being targeted by that terrorist. Please tell us what happened at that town!”
The first Bael must have realised Irina’s identity—that she’s an Angel. “……You are an Angel? When you mean involved, I presume he was an agent sent from the Church back then? Is it perhaps the human called Shidou?”
“Yes, my name is Shidou Irina. Shidou Touji is my father.”
Hearing that name the first Bael takes a big breath. “……This must be fate then. Oh my, so much is happening after it became Sairaorg’s era. ……Let me ask you first. Do you know the connection between us and that land?”
Rias nods her head. “Yes, it’s currently being governed by the Gremory, but previously I was told that it was a shared territory between the House of Bael and the House of Gremory.”
I heard that for the first time. Before Rias. No, even much before then it was a territory of both the Bael and Gremory? “The majority of the places all of you are using now had our clan involved since ancient times. Though it was mainly controlled by the Gremory. Likewise for the Kuou academy. —But there was one time when that location was appointed to sons or daughters of the nobles for a short period for their experience. That girl was also among them.”
The first Great-King starts speaking quietly with a low-tone, but it carried dignity. —Kuou town was governed by a girl who hailed from the branch family of the high-class Devil clan, the House of Belial. The Devil who would be the predecessor of Rias. It was already different from what Rias has been told. Apparently, that girl was a cousin of the Game champion Diehauser Belial. The first Bael continues. “Cleria’s management was going accordingly. It showed signs like any other towns managed by a high-class Devil. But due to many coincidences, Cleria started a relationship with a human. No, I won’t blame her for that. A Devil having a relationship with a human isn’t rare since ancient times.”
The first adds. —They are merely an existence with shorter life spans than us. For long living Devils, they are a suitable playmate to kill time for a short period. But the first Bael’s eyes becomes serious. “……Except, it will be a different matter if the human comes from the Church’s side.”
The first Bael catches sight of Irina. “If it’s now, having an Angel present at this scene is allowed. But back then, not only was having a meeting between Devils and those from the Church impossible, but a romance between the two was something unheard of. It would have been alright if you made those from the Church fall and use them as sex tools. However, a proper romance could be considered a taboo. ……Until six months ago, having these members present in such meeting was impossible……seriously, there sure were many incidents that changed our values greatly ever since we entered this year.”
The first Bael who made a sour look. Irina then questions him. “……So the woman from Belial and the warrior of the Church was……”
“We could never allow such thing. Both sides tried convincing them from different standpoints. —But their relation was already serious. Cleria……wasn’t doing it for pleasure, but had herself involved in a serious relationship with him which was wrong. Allowing that would mean giving an exception. So we decided to split them apart by using force. Likewise, from the Church side. Ironically, at that time we united even though we were foes. In order to protect each of our rules. Fufufu, don’t you reckon that both side are sinful beings?”
……All of us are speechless. ……Seriously, for such things to have happened behind the scenes at the town where I’m living at while I was present……
Rias then asks. “So both of them have……passed away. ……You killed them, correct?”
The first Bael speaks plainly. “It resulted in such a way in the end. We tried to convince her till the very end. —But the Church-side couldn’t stand the situation…..no, it may have been our side which took action first, but both sides fixed each of their problems.”
As a result the Devil who was managing that territory was absent temporarily. Even the Servant Devils that were protecting their master were either killed off or sent to a remote area in the Underworld after receiving many “rewards”. The Church side also had to have staff reassignment since they had to terminate the irregularity that appeared amongst them. All of those affiliated with the Church based at Kuou Town, including Irina’s Dad, and those that were involved with the incident were sent overseas. | text_18 |
Some of them were promoted as a reward. And some broke down to have doubts between their own justice or their belief in God due to having the blood of their comrade on their hands. From what the first Bael said, Michael-san most likely wasn’t informed about this and that only very few among the Church know about this. Even people like Freed who was the ex-warrior of the Church and Balba Galilei didn’t know about what had happened in that territory. So I’m assuming the first Bael’s story is accurate. ……Though due to that incident, people affiliated with the Church disappeared from that town and resulted in the Fallen Angels using that chance to enter that territory……
……But seriously, it’s such a cruel story which makes your negative emotion appear. Love between a Devil and human……it certainly does make you think they should have allowed it, but I am fully aware that the world of the High-class Devils is something that surpasses my imagination. Especially of the Underworld before it made peace. ……From the perspectives of nobles that take importance of their pride and blood relation, that incident certainly must be a negative factor they would want to erase. ……It sure is a story that makes you rage……but I have another emotion in me instead. ……If that incident didn’t appear Rias wouldn’t have come to my town nor would I have met Asia. We did meet in the end, but if the incident between that man and the woman from the Belial didn’t happen…… ……It sure does make me have mixed feelings about it. “…………”
Asia also looks sad as well as having mixed feelings. That’s how she looks like right now. Maybe, no, I am certain that she’s having the same feelings as me right now. The tragedy of that swordsman and the Belial woman is heartbreaking, and I even want to make a complaint to the House of Bael as well as the Church for leaving the source of all this. But the fun days we have been experiencing became possible because of that incident……
——The paradise called Kuou Town all of you are living in is the world made from many sacrifices. ……What that man said before he left hits us hard. After hearing the first Bael’s story, Rias’s Dad, the current Head of Gremory, puts his hand under his chin quietly. “……This is something I am hearing for the first time. I never imagined such an incident to have happened in my daughter’s territory…… We certainly had our faults for leaving that territory in the hands of the Bael till it became my daughter’s turn, but we have maintained that land together, even if that may have been in name. I definitely wanted to have this brought out to me.”
It feels as though he is a bit dissatisfied. The first Bael continues without being concerned. “I apologise for twisting the past and handing that land to Princess Rias. But it’s a land which had such a thing occur. If we didn’t find the successor quickly there would be suspicions.”
Rias’s Dad closes his eyes. “And a talented youth would have been ideal……correct? My daughter is the sister of Maou Lucifer. She also carries the blood of House of Bael. So you assumed she would be worthy enough to erase what had actually happened on the land?”
The first Bael makes a shallow smile. “Even if the truth becomes revealed like now, it would be easy enough to cover the past by building many achievements if it’s a talented youth. —That’s what we thought, but the youth was so talented that the land turned into the place of peace among the Three Great Powers. So it resulted in enough achievement to cover the past enough.”
……Certainly his aim was right on the spot. No, it nailed perfectly. Even now Rias is continuing to build splendid achievements. She became so famous that she’s considered as one of the big rookies. It would be bad to say this, but even if that incident gets revealed to the public, it wouldn’t be enough to shatter the achievements she has made. That land already has turned into a special area where the Three Great Powers would cooperate. Even if the past incident gets revealed, it won’t be weird for people to think it's “too late already”. However, Rias shakes her head and says it to the first Bael. “I won’t say anything about hiding it from me since it would have the politics back then involved in this matter. But, why—”
Rias tries to continue by keeping her anger down much as possible. But the first Bael says what Rias was going to say. “Why did we twist the truth? Why didn’t we tell the truth? Even to go far as to lie to Lord Gremory— Is that what you want to ask?”
Rias closes her mouth in dissatisfaction since he said the things she wanted to say. The first Bael says it without caring. “I have told Sirzechs-dono. If he didn’t tell you then that must be his affection of “love” towards you. You won’t be able to deny that. He didn’t want to give negative information and further hardship to his adorable sister. Don’t you think so? I will apologise for troubling him between Bael’s will and his love towards his sister. But I would like to praise him for his good choice to live up to expectations of both sides.”
Maybe that lit her fire. So Rias strengthens her words. “But…… But! That truth has broken out now and for that reason that land became the target of the terrorists! If we knew about it beforehand, then……we may have been able to come up with a countermeasure. We may have been able to prevent casualties from both the Underworld-side and the Church-side……”
Hearing that, the first Bael laughs lively. “Hahahaha, so young. Likewise with our Sairaorg and the son of the previous Lucifer-sama, Rizevim-bocchan. To act for a reason like humans.”
Then, the first Bael moves his gaze—at me. “Sekiryuutei-dono.”
“Y-Yes.”
He called me unexpectedly. The first Bael says it with a smile on his face. “—How about you become a Maou in the future?”
—! ……I don’t know how to respond to the unexpected word I just heard. The first Bael continues. “With your popularity, it may turn interesting if you become a Maou.”
“S-Someone like me couldn't possibly become a Maou……”
The image of Maou I have in my head is Sirzechs-sama. To become like him is—
—But the first Bael says it straight forwardly. “—You can. It’s a position which even our Sairaorg can aim for.”
“Even” our Sairaorg, huh. “……Sairaorg-san is the next heir, isn’t he?”
The first Bael nods his head at my question. “Yes, Sairaorg certainly is the next heir. He’s talented and even the people of our territory love him. —But I’m planning to make his younger brother the next Head. Once Sairaorg becomes the Head, we must have him become a Maou or get a position which comes after that once we give him several achievements.”
The first Bael says that clearly to everyone here. “—Even now, and even in the past, the one who will become the successor of the main family for the Great-King Bael will be the one that has the power of destruction.”
……The seat to become the next Head which Sairaorg-san attained with his strength. So it’s just “temporary”……! | text_18 |
He’s saying that——the one who shall inherit the title of Great King will be the one who has the power of destruction. Then, I have the flashback of the discussion I had with Sairaorg-san. The man who battled me using fist with all he had. The one who used his body to fight the Evil Dragons in order to protect Auros Academy, and in order to protect the children’s dream. Even though he lacked in demonic-power, he’s a man who compensated that with something else in order to move forward……! “……Don’t know why, but it sounds like Great King is greater than Maou.”
I said that to the first Bael with a negative meaning. “Ise.”
Rias warns me. —But the first simply smiles. “Princess Rias, it's okay. —Because that’s the way it is.”
……So he won’t even deny it. “The ones who supported the Devils of the Underworld after the death of the previous Maou-samas’ weren’t the Maou’s clan but the House of the Great King. Maou is nothing more than a “symbol”.”
He even said a Maou is a “symbol”. For this Devil who had been living since ancient time, the current Maous’ are merely children to him. “Obviously there is no value in a mere “symbol”. We needed a Devil with strength and charisma. In terms of that Sirzechs-dono and Ajuka-dono were ideal. They took their positions while understanding that very well. They even know how to have a mutual relation with the Great King’s side. Even from our view they are an ideal role model for a Maou.”
There’s something I am feeling when the first Bael is speaking without hesitation. For ancient Devils who are old, they tend to not care about lives and they tend to be emotionless. That’s what I was told at least. Even Rizevim said himself that he was basically like a robot until Euclid pushed him. Since he lived so long his value for lives was poor. But there are irregulars. For example Mephisto Pheles-san who is the chairman of the Magician’s organization. Even the first Bael who is in front of me doesn’t feel “empty”. He is filled with ambition. ……Devils who can do many things and has to do many things may make you feel that they are still active even if they have aged. When I had such feeling, the first Bael continues after a small laugh. “I heard that Rizevim-bocchan and the lost son of Lucifugus said it to you. —To be evil. ……Fufufufu, they are indeed young.”
After he looks around us, the first Bael says it while giving out strong eyes like that of Sairaorg-san. “I would want all of you who will become the centre of the young generation. The real Devils refer to kins of High-class Devils that has been foretold since ancient times. Others besides that are “servants” and not real Devils. The “commoners” and “reincarnated ones”. Being evil or not will change by the perspectives of humans and other forces. I don’t see the need to become evil. To keep the society of nobles continuing for eternity is what a “Devil” should do.”
……It certainly does feel like a word coming from the man standing at the top of the House of Great King who takes importance of old teachings. I see. So Devil only refers to pureblood nobles. So he’s denying the existence of us and normal Devils that live in the Underworld. But the fact about there’s no need for Devils to be evil is……something I agree with. ……There’s one more thing I understand. The face of the first Bael when he spoke out his mind resembles Sairaorg-san. It made me realise painfully that he’s Sairaorg-san’s ancestor. Even if they have different thoughts, they are both Bael. ……No, not just Sairaorg-san. He even resembles someone close by—
The first Bael stands after taking a breath. “……Hmm, looks like I’m being influenced by the young ones since I just spoke out my thoughts which is unfitting for my age. I apologise. I was only planning to talk about the situation regarding Kuou Town…… Looks like I made all of you listen to the long speech of an old man.”
The first Bael makes a bitter smile. He then says this. “Regarding the incident in which there are casualties from the Bael-faction. Normally, we would prefer to send someone from our side but for this time I shall leave it to the D×D. It appears that there is someone who is observing how the Bael will move. We judged that taking action carelessly would be a bad move.”
……He sure is taking extra cautions. The first Bael then says. “……I am sorry that I kept quiet about that town. —I shall take my leave now.”
“Zekrum-sama, let me send you off.”
Rias’s Dad gives his hand but he declines the offer. When he walks past us, Rias says to the first Bael. “I……love Hyoudou Issei who is standing here.”
—! I become emotional……at the unexpected confession from Rias. Rias……Rias……! She even said that without any fear even though she was told such a story from someone who stands above her……! The first Bael lifts his smile. “Yes, that’s fine. I won’t deny romance between different species now.”
The first Bael looks at me this time. Alright, I will also shout that I like Rias—— I’m filled with spirits, but—
“Hyoudou Issei-kun. It appears you want to say something to me too. But let’s refrain from talking here anymore than this.”
The first Bael rests his hand on my shoulder. “—You need to become a High-class Devil. It won’t be too late to talk after that. If you manage to promote then come to my castle along with Princess Rias. I will serve you a piecake made from the special apples of the territory of Bael. And also, I don’t hate you or Sairaorg much as the current Head of our house. Instead, I feel you two are doing well. But I’m an old Devil. I won’t seek for a change now.”
The first Bael leaves the scene after saying this. “You should definitely retrieve Agreas. Even more so if you are planning to become a High-class Devil.”
……An indescribable atmosphere flows after the first Bael left. ……Even though he said he’s an old Devil, he was still lively like a young one. So even if he lived for ten thousand years, he can still shine without getting dull if you have something you are shouldering and have an aim you want to fulfil, huh. Normally, I would have wanted to make a complaint, but it feels as if I was pushed back by the first Bael’s intensity. “So that’s the first Bael. He seems to have a fanatical view……but he would still acknowledge even if he denies it huh. He’s also different from the Old-Maou faction. ……The top of the Great-King faction huh.”
It appears there’s something going in Xenovia’s mind as well. “……He was scary and he had some pressure in him. But he seems much better than the Vampire’s nobles.”
Looks like Gasper felt something too. I’m sure he must have compared him to the pureblood Vampires that are in his homeland. Rias’s Dad who is standing next to me says it to me. “I’m sure there were things you couldn’t say to him, but your feeling have most likely reached him.”
Rias’s Dad says to me like how a father would say to his son. “Ise-kun, remember it very well. That man is the actual man standing at the top of the Great-King faction. | text_18 |
You can say that the political influence he has is greater than Sirzechs. After all, he is a man who has been watching over the Underworld ever since the beginning of Devils. The years he has lived are far different to us. If the Four Great Maous such as Sirzechs and others are the light of the Devils than that man called Zekrum Bael-sama is the shadow of the Devils.”
……The man standing at the top of Great-King faction. And he appears to have a stronger influence than Sirzechs-sama. Rias then mutters. “……What was started by the Great-King shall be solved by the one who carries the blood of the Great-King. I guess that’s the reason why I was chosen as the successor of that land.”
I then reach to a conclusion. Oh, I see. It’s natural for me to feel a resemblance at the face and attitude of the first Bael to not just Sairaorg-san, but also someone close to me. That person is also someone who would be considered as an ancestor for even Rias—
We had a discussion with Rias’s Dad regarding the future of Kuou Town after we heard the story from the first Bael. What we need to do first is to overcome the danger that will fall on us. We came to the conclusion that we can try to solve what happened in the past after that. The House of Belial who couldn’t reveal it to the public despite knowing the truth (Though it appears that the ones who know about the truth are the previous Head and a small group of them. Others are told that Cleria of the branch family committed a crime). Rias’s Dad is going to negotiate with the House of Belial to have them explain the situation to us. And it seems like the House of the Great King Bael won’t be stopping him from taking that action. Since the first Bael came to the House of Gremory of his own accord, the current Head and those that serve under him can’t intervene. Well, that man called Yaegaki Masaomi probably won’t back down. His action to attack those related to Bael means that we can’t ignore the possibility of Rias being targeted. So we need to be on alert. We returned to Kuou Town after leaving the Gremory castle. We told everyone including Azazel-sensei of what we have heard from the first Bael. Sensei also put on a complicated look, but he just said one thing. “……I do feel that they should have trusted Rias more and shared this with her……but since it was before the peace treaty, unavoidable incidents like this happened quite often.”
He didn’t say much but I think Sensei has experienced a lot himself. Sensei also says this to Rias. “Rias, don’t blame Sirzechs. He’s a soft brat. You can also say he’s acting too much like a brother to you. —But due to his mutual relation with the Great King Faction, this town was probably the only territory he could hand to you. But this town is a good place. The Kuou Academy. And also the other institutes. I think Sirzechs gave as much support as he could.”
Rias says. “I know. I have experienced good times till now in this town. Without having any discomfort. ……And I realised that was Onii-sama’s love towards me once again. Even if the crimes committed in the past were altered and even if he couldn’t tell me the truth……I don’t have even the slightest right to blame my brother.”
The current Kuou Academy must have been prepared for Rias by Sirzechs-sama. In order to have her experience a peaceful high school life without any troubles—
The next day, we moved to First Heaven where Irina’s Dad was taken to. Hearing Irina’s Dad’s story who was the key person of that incident after we heard the story from the Bael was part of our reason. Irina’s Dad also wants to hand something to us. The medical facility of First Heaven was a mix of modern and fantasy contracture. It’s a place with mixed culture just like the Underworld since there’re things like the electronic devices from the human world and a floating bed. We got let into Irina’s Dad’s room. Even though the incident happened yesterday it appears that the poison has weakened quite a lot. He looks better and the black symptoms that appeared on his body have lessened. I become relieved since his treatment is going positively. We explain to Irina’s dad of what we have heard in the Underworld. Irina’s dad simply stayed quiet and listened to our report. Irina’s dad who lifted his upper body up tells everyone. “……We continued to convince Yaegaki-kun to the very end. Our general logic back then……no, even now we think that a romance between a Devil and the followers of the Church is unforgivable. And even if she happened to be someone from a branch family, she was still a Devil from the House of Belial…… So we would turn the whole Belial itself into our enemies. And the current Belial is no other than……”
“The Champion of Rating Game, Diehauser Belial——. His strength is said to rival that of the Maous.”
Irina’s dad nods his head at Rias’s words. “……If we failed to convince him, Emperor Belial himself would show up. If that happened it wouldn’t be a mere quarrel. ……But it appeared the Devil’s side had the same opinion. ——So a Devil from the Bael’s faction came to us.”
——We shall cooperate. We also want to settle this quietly. It was the same for the Devil’s side as they also didn’t want to start a war. So the Church-side——Irina’s dad and his comrades made a temporary alliance with the Bael-faction in the shadows. This is also what the First Bael said. As a result, they succeeded in eliminating the “rebels” secretly without having outsiders find out. Irina’s dad then tells Irina with a sad face. “……Irina-chan, daddy’s hands are very tainted. They're so dirty that I can’t call myself the father of you, Irina-chan, who is an Angel…… ……I’m sorry I kept it as a secret. We moved to England because daddy was incompetent. If I had done better than you wouldn’t have had to separate from Ise-kun…… I’m really sorry.”
Irina shakes her head at her dad who is apologising to her. “……Please stop, papa. I’m also……a warrior. I can understand that you didn’t have another option back then…… ……You were also in pain right, papa? So you don’t need to apologise…… I will protect you. Even if you caused a sin in the past, I will still protect you. –—Because we are family.”
“…………Irina.”
Irina’s dad covers his eyes with his hands at his daughter’s words. Xenovia who is also from the same warrior background as Irina has her eyes closed. ……Even I had Rias tell me “not to get involved” with the Church when I met Asia for the first time. Rias tells Irina’s dad. “The incident in the past……even if each side had their reasons it was still a sad tragedy. But as long as he is borrowing Qlippoth’s strength and is causing terrorism, we cannot leave him be. ——We will stop him. Whatever the outcome will be, the tragedy and sorrow will increase if we don’t stop him now.”
We responded by nodding our head at Rias’s strong determination. Hearing that, Irina’s dad wipes his tears and tells Irina. “The truth is, my Angel. Daddy didn’t come back just for the Christmas project. | text_18 |
I came because there’s something I want to give you.”
Saying that, Irina’s dad takes out a large suitcase which was positioned next to the bed. He urges Irina to open it. What lies under the suitcase is——
“This is—”
Irina takes out what was inside. It’s……a single sword which is giving out a quiet wave of holy aura. Irina’s dad then says. “The wielder of Durandal, the paladin Roland. The sword wield by Olivier who was Roland’s childhood friend as well as his best friend—— Hauteclere.”
——The holy sword Hauteclere! The sword which belonged to the best friend of Durandal’s wielder! For some reason I sense some kind of fate due to Xenovia and Irina’s relationship! Irina’s dad continues. “The sword which is said to be only touchable by those with pure hearts. The trait of it is to purify even those that are cut by it. From the results of its trait, it was determined that Irina-chan is most qualified for it. Of course it has to do with your particles being enhanced by turning into an Angel. The researchers also said it activated because you have been a long partner to Xenovia-san who holds Durandal.”
Having him say that, Irina and Xenovia looked at each other. Irina having become capable of touching that sword implies that she has attained the factor to wield it. Irina’s dad then says. “……Irina. Please stop Yaegaki-kun with this sword.”
Having received the holy sword, Irina nods with determined eyes. “Papa……thank you! I will stop that person!”
Irina’s dad finally shows his smile. After having several more discussions with him, all of us leave the room since we have seen him and finished informing our report to him
Then Irina’s dad says it to me. “……I’m sorry but can Ise-kun stay? There’s something I need to speak to him about.”
Having him say that, I look at Rias to get her approval and remained in the room. The room where there’s only the two of us. Irina’s dad speaks after a pause. “……Ise-kun, Irina-chan won’t be able to live like a normal girl due to her trait after becoming an Angel. On top of that she’s the Ace of Michael-sama. She won’t be able to become a normal girl again.”
……Irina doesn’t show it, but an Ace of Michael-san is an amazing role. It may be a heavy burden for Irina who is only seventeen years old. Irina’s dad smiles after saying the harsh reality. “—But she was given an exception. She was allowed to act like a girl only in front of you.”
Irina’s dad takes my hand and begs. “Ise-kun, I beg you, please take care of Irina. That girl……has been raised while being exposed to the thoughts of the Church……since she was young. There are many things she doesn’t know as a girl. I want you to make her feel it. If it’s you and Irina, I believe you two will get along while surpassing the ideology and your standings.”
“Uncle……”
Irina’s dad has an endless amount of tear drops pouring from his eyes. “……Why couldn’t I say something so simple like that to Yaegaki-kun and her…… Even if it was against our teaching…… Why couldn’t I……do anything……”
I put my hands over his hand. I then tell Irina’s dad. “Uncle, I…… Whoever Irina may be, I think of her as my important childhood friend……and as an important girl. So I will continue to smile together with Irina.”
Countless numbers of tear drops fall from Irina’s dad’s eyes. “……Thank you…… Thank you……”
Yeah, even if I may be a Devil and Irina may be a Angel, I will definitely continue to smile together with her. “Ise-kun, can I have a second?”
When I exited the room I took a break at the resting room of First Heaven when Irina came to ask for me. At the rooftop of a tall building. You can examine the scenery of First Heaven from there. Seriously, even if this place may be the frontline base of the Angels, there are many buildings just like the city of the human’s world and the Underworld. There’s floating buildings up in the sky. Even if I may be wearing an artificial halo, it makes me wonder if even I can become an Angel and have such illusion. Well, being an Angel won’t suit someone lewd like me. Irina asks me while I lean against the handrail. “Hey, Ise-kun. Do you remember what I talked to you about recently? About how I started to understand Rias-san more.”
“Yeah, the story where the two of you started getting along by talking about my childhood, right?”
“Ever since I returned to that town, not only did I get along with Rias-san and Xenovia who was my former comrade, I also started to get along with Asia-san, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Kiba-kun, Gasper-kun, Rossweisse-san, Ravel-san, Kiryuu-san, and everyone else at school. Yes, I even got along with the Dragon God Ophis-san.”
Yup, Irina certainly does open up with different sorts of people so quickly. She even talked to that unapproachable Arthur of the Vali team in a carefree attitude. I think that’s also a different kind of talent. “I know. Irina, you sure do get along with different kinds of people without distinguishing them. Even I want to learn how to naturally approach people like you.”
But Irina puts on a gloomy face. “……To be honest I’m full of worries inside me where I go, “Can I get along with this person?”, you know? But I’m Michael-sama’s Ace. I need to be able to confront others without distinguishing them. I……need to make Michael-sama’s compassion into real form as possible.”
To personify as Michael-san’s Ace, huh. “……But there’s one thing I've come to question. If I had remained in that town together with Xenovia back then, would I have become a Devil……and would I be different from now. I start to wonder if I could have got along with the ORC members even more.”
……A possible future like that may have been possible. “Ise-kun is a Devil and I’m an Angel. Until recently both of us were humans. But we are different kinds now.”
I was actually a human till April and Irina was also a human till summer. ……We are different kinds, huh. I think Irina is concerned about the tragedy that happened in the past at Kuou town. The happening between different kinds——. She may have compared that with herself, an Angel, and me, a Devil. “Yeah, but even so. Even if you are an Angel, I don’t care. It doesn’t change the fact that you are my childhood friend and there’s no way the fact of you being my classmate at Kuou academy will change either.”
I said that to Irina directly to her face. Since I learned about that incident I wanted to say this to her no matter what——. “—There’s no such thing as a forbidden thing between me and you. No, even if it was forbidden, I’m still your childhood friend. If you are in danger I will definitely save you.”
Irina turns red and becomes happy hearing that. But she suddenly looks down. “……If both Rias-san and I get in danger, who will you save?”
“I will save both. That’s why I’m desperately trying to get stronger.”
I answer right away. Of course. I will save both Rias and Irina. Of course I will. They are both important to me—. It doesn’t matter whether I’m a Devil or she’s an Angel. Irina’s voice starts shaking. “……That was unfair of me. | text_18 |
……I still asked because I wanted to play you even though I knew you would say that. But……right now, I really wanted to hear that……!”
She’s crying…… I hug Irina without saying anything. “I will answer what you asked just before. Even if you did turn into a Devil back then and even if you are an Angel right now, our relationship wouldn’t change. ——No matter what happens from now, I’ll remain as your ally.”
Irina starts crying even more. She tightens her hug and has her voice starts shaking. “……The one who was unfair was you, Ise-kun. If you say something like that……I can’t hold it…… ……I won’t be able to leave you……!”
“Then stay. ——Lets smile together again.”
“……Yes. ……Yup!”
It should be okay for a Devil and an Angel to stay together forever. We are living in a era where such situation is possible——. While Rias, Akeno-san, and Irina left us to have a discussion with Griselda-san who had come from the human world, the remaining ORC members are having a rest at the open space, a place which is similar to a park, of First Heaven. There Asia experiments with whether she can summon the four new Dragons she has newly made pacts with. Asia then says it to four black Dragons. “Alright then, Anselmus-san, Cyril-san, Gregorios-san, and Simeon-san. Please behave when you are here in Heaven. And it seems like the Angels want to have a quick check through all of you so please follow their instructions. They said there won’t be anything scary happening so there’s nothing to worry about.”
[……Roger.] [Affirmative.] [Okay……]
[Dah.] Several Angels who appeared to be researchers start their investigations of the Evil Dragons summoned by Asia in a frightened manner. Xenovia says with amazement when she sees that. “……Even if they are mass-produced, she can still control the Evil Dragons.”
Yeah, that pantsu cooking class which was done by Fafnir succeeded in changing the hearts of four Evil Dragons of all people! Mainly the Evil Dragons that were in tears and applauding by seeing the cooking show approached Asia after the battle of Auros academy. What was shocking was how the evil intents were completely gone from them. It’s still fresh in my memory since even Azazel-sensei was dumbfounded by this. ……Asia who can even tame Evil Dragons. ……Looks like something amazing is happening. Just look at those relieved eyes the Evil Dragons have which is directed towards Asia……! Asia is stroking the Evil Dragons with a smile of a Holy maiden. By the way, it seems like she took the names from the historical prophets from Christianity. A prophets’ name for the Evil Dragons! Is it respect or disrespect……
Koneko-chan then says. “……From what I heard, Asia-senpai’s name is spreading fast in the world of the Dragons. As a girl who made a pact with Fafnir.”
Seriously? Dragons are well-known to not get involved with the world. Isn’t it an amazing thing to get their attention……? Kiba continues. “From what I heard from Azazel-sensei, Asia-san’s fame is being spread aiming the Dragons by taming the Evil Dragons. That’s because only beings like the Wicked Gods and the Evil Gods were the only ones that tamed the Evil Dragons in the past.”
……You are saying Asia possess potential like that of a God!? So she exceeded my expectations and has reached the Gods zones……? Rossweisse-san also says. “Right now Rizevim is doing what a Wicked God and Evil Gods would do…… Even so, it means that Asia-san’s talent as a Dragon tamer is exceptional.”
It seems like her name will be recorded in the future as a legendary Dragon-tamer…… No, I think she’s doing something amazing already. Azazel-sensei also asked for Asia’s assistance for his research about the mass-produced Evil Dragons. ……Well, Rossweisse-san who praised Asia is also amazing herself. Rossweisse-san’s essay which she wrote in the past regarding 666’s seal is currently being investigated. Apparently she is coming up with the spell formula together with the Grigori right now. If this continues it will be one of a powerful trump card, so Sensei said we can get the upper hand against Qlippoth. ……Obviously it’s unknown of how much it would work if the seal gets completely removed. So the research from here on would be the key. Then Xenovia says. “……I’m envious of you, Asia.”
Xenovia looks at the Evil Dragons with envious looks. Asia turns red. “I-It’s nothing much…… How about you also learn the spell to make a pact with a Dragon together with me, Xenovia-san?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Asia gets loved by everyone. The way you get loved by everyone makes me want it as well.”
“Xenovia-san is much more charming person than me!”
Xenovia smiles at Asia’s words. “Thank you. But I don’t think I can win the election which will begin right after the new year if I don’t polish myself even more.”
Yeah, the presidency election will start from early next year! Many things happened so I tend to forget school matters. I then tell Xenovia. “That reminds me. A member of the current student council is also participating in the election. ……I think Saji volunteered as Vice-president. He did say that it suits him better to support the Student President as a Vice-President than being a Student President himself.”
It made me feel he’s a genuinely supportive guy. But I guess it means that he knows that position will allow him to bring out his true strength even more. Irina continues. “I think the person who volunteered to become the President was the “Bishop” Hanakai Momo-san. It seems like she will gain strong support from the students due to her solid views and for her past achievement of supporting the student council from the shadows.”
She doesn’t stand out much but she has always been standing next to Kaichou and has been observing the student council. It seems like she will stand in Xenovia’s way in the election as her rival. Xenovia then says. “There are several candidates from the common students as well. There will be many rivals.”
She says that but her eyes are burning with fire! Maybe she became curious. So Irina asks Xenovia. “……If someone other than a Devil wins, how will the student council function? Especially about our true identity. …..Will we inform that person just in case?”
Kiba continues. “Apparently Rias-buchou and Sona-kaichou have many things in mind about that. Well, including that part it seems like this upcoming election will become interesting.”
Just like Kiba, I am also looking forward to it. I obviously want Xenovia to win. It sure does make me keen on finding out who will be the successor of the current student council that is led by Sona-kaichou! Asia jumps into Xenovia’s arms. “I will also help you, Xenovia-san!”
Irina also wraps her arm around Xenovia’s arm! “Same here! I will definitely make you win! First of all, let’s discuss about the details of the manifesto and the pamphlets we will be handing out before the new year!”
Xenovia becomes emotional when she hears that. “Sob…..I sure do have good friends! | text_18 |
It’s so reassuring that it makes me cry!”
“Xenovia-san!”
“Xenovia!”
“Yeah, Asia, Irina!”
“ “ “Amen!” ” ”
Wow, the Church-trio are giving their prayers to Heaven! Kiba shows a peaceful smile. “I guess we will also be cheering them on. As fellow club members and group members.”
“We sure are.”
Koneko-chan nods. —I suddenly become curious so I decided to ask. “Hey, Kiba, Koneko-chan. What happened with both of your Magician’s pact?”
I made a pact with Le Fay but what’s going on with others? I did hear things like temporary pact but what’s the real deal? Lately I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t ask. So here I am asking them now. “I took a pact for a temporary time.”
“……Same here. And same goes for Akeno-san. Buchou, Asia-senpai, Xenovia-senpai, Gyaa-kun, and Rossweisse-san hasn’t decided yet.”
That’s what Kiba and Koneko-chan said. Ah, so Kiba and Koneko-chan took a temporary pact huh. I knew that Akeno-san took a temporary pact. But others haven’t decided yet, huh. I ask them since I became even more curious. “So, what are you two’s Magicians like?”
“My Magician is a boy. Even though he seems to be a grade school boy, he skipped grades. He’s quite young but is gifted.”
“……My Magician is a girl who is the same age as me. She’s quite the outgoing one.”
Kiba’s Magician is a guy! Choose a girl! And he happens to be a grade school boy…… And Koneko-chan’s Magician is an outgoing girl. If she’s the same age as her that makes her a first year. I am curious about her…… By the way, Akeno-san said she made a pact with a quiet girl. Yup. I really do want to talk about our Magicians with everyone next time. But since my Magician is Le Fay who is a gifted girl, it seems like she will make achievements without my help and that makes me feel bad. If Ravel was here then she would be angry at me if I said that. Ravel is currently waiting for us in the human world. ……It happens when I thought Rias and others are a bit late while I looked at my watch. —! Then Heaven gets shaken violently! An earthquake!? That’s what I initially thought but this place is above the sky! So the earth can’t shake! Others also became suspicious so we look around us! Even the Angels looking at Asia’s Evil Dragons and the Angels walking by also make shocked faces! Heaven being shaken must be something even the Angels never anticipated! Then many Angel’s symbols appear while flashing on the whole sky which informs something has happened! “—What the! ?”
The security Angel rushes towards us who are in shock. “……The Evil Dragon, the Qlippoth has attacked us……!”
We tremble with fear hearing that—
We, the D×D, gather at the strategy control room located in First Heaven. Rias, Akeno-san, Irina, Sister Griselda, and the Brave Saints that were present in First Heaven surround the table. What was on the centre of the table is a holographic vision which shows the situation of each level. ……The Evil Dragons really are rampaging in Heaven! Second Heaven, Third Heaven, and Fourth Heaven had been attacked by the enemies where they have engaged in a furious battle with the soldiers of the Angels. “It appears the enemies have made their way in from Third Heaven which is the resting place of the souls!”
One of the Brave Saints gives such report. On the vision——an enormous sky city appears! I know that Third Heaven is the spacious location of Heaven, but the enemies intruded while bringing the floating island from the Underworld! Herds of Evil Dragons appears from Agreas! It really has turned into their nest! What also appears in the vision are strong foes we have faced before! “……Ladon, Walburga, and even Crom Cruach!”
The ones that are in the vision are Ladon and Walburga, the witch who uses the Holy Cross, where they are taking down the Angels! They are causing destruction in Heaven as they like! Crom Cruach is the only one who simply dodges the Angels attacks and isn’t that assertive in attacking them. ……He’s simply battling as if he’s just doing his share of work while being uninterested in all of this. I then give my opinion at the vision I am currently seeing. “Just how on earth did Qlippoth come into Heaven……? They can’t just force their way in here like they did in the Underworld, right?”
Aren’t there limited ways you can enter Heaven? I did hear that there aren’t as many ways as the Underworld. I spoke my doubts and a familiar face appears in one of the visions positioned at the corner of the table. [——Most likely from the realm of the dead.] It’s Azazel-sensei who is currently on earth! Rias asks him. “Azazel, how is the situation over there?”
[Not good. The entrance to Heaven has been shut from here as well. So we can’t send reinforcements.] Yeah, just as Sensei said, the gate which connects the human world and Heaven has been shut! We can’t open it from this side and now from their side. [So you haven’t found out the reason behind this?] Sister Griselda shakes her head at Sensei’s question. “No. Right now the Seraphs are trying to find the cause of this but they are concentrating more on keeping down the influence this will cause to Seventh Heaven…… Likewise the whole elevator in Heaven has stopped functioning.”
The higher-ups of Heaven are strengthening the protection barrier on Seventh Heaven, the highest floor with the “system”, due to this unexpected situation. After all, it will be our defeat if they intrude that floor. Obviously the Sacred Gears but also the sources of the teachings as well as Heaven may collapse. If that happens……! I don’t even want to imagine it! “Sensei! By realm of the dead, you mean……”
I ask Sensei. [If you were to enter Heaven then there will be very few ways. You would either go through the main gate like how you guys did, or you get accepted there as a follower of the Church after your death. And the other option is to go up there in another way.] Sister Griselda realises something after hearing that. “——Limbo and Purgatory!" Sensei nods. [Yeah, they are different from Heaven and Hell. It’s the place where followers go after their death. Limbo and Purgatory was prepared for the deceased with special circumstances. ……This is just my hypothesis but there is a chance that bastard Hades who is the God of the realm of the dead either knew or made an entrance to Limbo and Purgatory.] One Angel then appears with a report! “Reporting! The door of Purgatory which leads to Third Heaven had been destroyed!”
——! So Sensei’s hypothesis turned out to be true! ……Damn. So that skeleton God gets involved here……! So that God cooperated with Qlippoth? It’s possible! That God hated the Devils and the Fallen Angels! So he would also hate Heaven which belongs to the different force! Even if the core leader of Qlippoth is the son of the former Lucifer, it seems like he would help the terrorists just in order to get us! Sister Griselda then says. | text_18 |
“……We did receive a report that Apophis, one of the legendary Evil Dragons that was most likely revived by the Holy Grail, had descended to the realm of the dead.”
Rias puts her hand under her chin. “According to the legends Apophis is one of the Dragons who had strong relations with the realm of the dead—and Hell. It wouldn’t be surprising for it to descend to the realm of the dead……but I do wonder if Hades will cooperate without any reward. He did an evil deed and had Onii-sama and Azazel warn him that “there won’t be next time” just recently……”
Hades enraged Sirzechs-sama and Azazel-sensei by helping the Hero-faction. I heard Michael-san was quite angry as well. I think it’s thoughtless of him to do an evil deed for the second time so easily like this. Sensei then says. [……From the new info we had Euclid spit out, there are legendary Evil Dragons which had been resurrected where Rizevim’s manipulation isn’t working. Those three Evil Dragons would be Crom Cruach, Aži Dahāka, and Apophis. All of them are monsters. He said that……they made deals with Rizevim.] “……Deals?”
[Yes, Rias. ——He told them “I will release you if you take my conditions”. I couldn’t find out about the deals in detail but those deals are most likely to be “make a pact with any God-class beings regardless of the forces they are from”. I don’t know about the other two but Apophis has made a pact with Hades at least. I’m judging that——Rizevim gained a way into Heaven from Hades through Apophis.] …………That’s unforgivable……! I shout at Sensei. “S-So what!? So the Qlippoth would make an excuse by saying “Apophis and others were released” or even say that “they escaped on their own” so making a pact with others was done on their own as well!? And Hades would also make an excuse that he made a pact with a runaway Evil Dragon and he hasn’t cooperated with the Qlippoth!? There’s no way such an excuse would be allowed! This is totally insane!”
Sensei narrows his eyes at me who is in a rage. [……I know. ——It’s frustrating but this isn’t the time to be questioning them. We are thinking of trying to open Heaven’s gate from this side somehow. So I want your side to try and open it as well.] The Brave Saints nod at Sensei’s words and move out. “What are their motives……?”
Xenovia says while narrowing her eyes. “Are they after the “system” which is on the uppermost floor?”
Asia says that but Sensei shakes his head. [They won’t be able to get there so easily. Normally those other than Seraphs can’t step a foot in there. If an irregular one enters then they get teleported to a different location. You can even go so far as to call that a work of God due to receiving a really powerful teleportation. Even still, we don’t know what they will do. It’s natural for Michael and others to strengthen the guard on the uppermost floor.] “Sounds like you have experienced it.”
When I say that Sensei shrugs his shoulder. [Well, when I stepped foot in there before without the God’s permission I got sent away to some remote place on the human’s world. I just wanted to take a tiny bit of a look at the Sacred Gear system but that God was so stingy……]
“Then Qlippoth’s aim would be Sixth Heaven where Heaven’s main base is located?”
I say the next possible target but Sensei also rejected that. [……Go there for what? To exterminate the Seraphs? Well, it would be a great achievement for them if they can pull that off, but Rizevim and the Evil Dragons will also receive casualties if they face off against them.] “So there is a floor they are after?”
[Yeah, even if it’s them, there is a limit to the floor they can advance to with their current manpower. ……It could be Third Heaven, Fourth Heaven, or it’s even possible that it’s Second Heaven where it’s the place those related to the Babel’s tower are imprisoned in…..]
“What about Fifth Heaven where you were located in the past? Isn’t that a research institute right now?”
[So you think they will go and take the Brave Saints’ cards? Well, it’s not like they aren’t interested in it. There should be research being done currently in that place though.] Sensei asks Sister Griselda. [……Griselda, what’s the current situation with the tree of life located on Third Heaven and the tree of wisdom located on Fourth Heaven?] “……Both of the trees are present but they haven’t borne fruit for a while. The fruits have stopped nurturing ever since the lord passed away.”
Sensei starts to think after hearing that. “……Sensei?”
I ask with suspicion but Sensei starts mumbling to himself. [Qlippoth, the one which is located on the opposite side of the tree of life. That’s what they call themselves. It won’t be weird for them go after it. Unsealing the 666 would go much smoother and quicker with that fruit…… It’s possible that they would use that as a tool to negotiate with the Gods from other forces that have evil intents……]
A certain vision appears on the table while we still don’t know the motives of the enemies. ——That man with the Amano-murakumo-no-tsurugi stepped foot inside Fifth Heaven of the area where the laboratory is located at! Sister Griselda put on a strict eyes when she sees that. “…………This is bad. Currently Chief-officer Shidou went up to Fifth Heaven in order to get his treatment for the final-phase of removing the poison!”
[——!?] Everyone becomes shocked at hearing the shocking truth! Irina screams after seeing the vision. “……Papa!”
Yeah, this is bad! The enemy is after Irina’s dad! At this rate that man called Yaegaki will certainly——
Rias tells everyone! “——Let’s move out! Either way we can’t just stay here doing nothing! We are the anti-terrorist team, the D×D! We will cooperate with the Angels and defeat the Evil Dragons as we climb up!”
Rias tells Irina. “Irina, you go ahead to Fifth Heaven! We will open the path for you!”
Irina covers her mouth with her hands to those strong supporting words from Rias and then nods her head. “Yes! I am the Ace of Michael-sama! I will defeat the Evil Dragons and rescue Papa!”
Alright! I don’t know what the enemies are after but our aim is clear! We will rescue Irina’s dad while taking down the enemies that come at us! [I will also send reinforcement once Heaven’s gate opens! You guys stay tough!] Everyone answers back at Sensei’s words and says “roger!”! The battle to guard Heaven now begins! To reach Fifth Heaven we need to go through the gate of each floor. But the enemies that intruded from Third Heaven have seized the gate connecting to Second Heaven and Fourth Heaven from there. And they even seized the rear gate of Fourth Heaven! So that means we have them intruded from Second Heaven to Fifth Heaven! Since Second Heaven is close to First Heaven which is the frontline base where the army of Angels are somehow enduring it. But the Sisters and others are seeing that Qlippoth are at an advantage from Third Heaven to Fifth Heaven. | text_18 |
Sixth Heaven which is the main base of the Angels hasn’t allowed any intruders thanks to notable Angels such as Michael-san and several Seraphs that are on standby there. I heard a report that one of the Seraphs went down to Fifth Heaven with several of his subordinates. But there are clearly more enemies than during the battle guarding Auros. We can’t get reinforcements since we have the gate which connects to the human world closed. So we have to fight the Evil Dragons with the forces we have left in Heaven. We charged from the front gate of Second Heaven and run through the battlefield and headed for Third Heaven. The elevator which connects to each floor has been closed. So in order to go to the higher floors we need to go through those floors directly. Second Heaven is the world conquered by darkness. This place is mainly to observe the stars and I have also heard it’s a place for Angels that have committed sins to be imprisoned in. The world with endless darkness which makes you think it isn’t Heaven. Except, it’s not so dark like a planetarium where the shimmering of the stars will reach you. Well, since we are Devils our eyes will still work fine even inside darkness! “Get lost!”
“Hah!”
We proceed while taking down the Evil Dragons! During our way we witness the Brave Saints making a formation to counter the herds of Evil Dragons! “Let’s do it! Brave Saints, formation! Formation! Full House!”
“ “ “ “ “ “Sir!” ” ” ” ”
The card numbers that answered the order appear in the sky and glow! That instant, enormous amounts of power of light envelop the Brave Saints where their strong aura even reaches us! The Brave Saints that became the played cards jumped into the herds of Evil Dragons and wiped them out instantly! Their power is not ordinary where their single attack can take down a dozen of Evil Dragons! Even mass-produced Evil Dragons will have quite the power. An attack which can take down a number of them is something to be reckoned with! That’s the trait of Brave Saints! Their ability increases drastically if they are given a role which was based on the playing cards of pokers and trump cards. One of the Brave Saints in the air shouts at his comrades. “Move with the same suit! We will strengthen the playing cards to wipe them out at once!”
“ “ “ “ “Straight flush!” ” ” ” “
Another strong playing card pierces the herds of Evil Dragons and takes them down! Sister Griselda stops and tells us. “I will stay here and give orders!”
Sister cheers the Brave Saints as she says that. “Be careful at using consecutive use of strong cards! Your stamina and power of light will drain fast!”
We answered Sister’s wish and continue to go ahead! It happens when we become really close to the gate that leads to Third Heaven. A shadow which is giving out an evil presence appears within this darkness and stands in our way. [Oh my, it’s been awhile.] A creepy creature which has a shape of many branches of trees overlapped. A tree that has a shape of a Dragon——no, it’s the Evil Dragon Ladon! Around him is an army of Evil Dragons. The Evil Dragons have completely blocked our path to the gate! [I would like you to play with me for a while.] Ladon says it in such foolish manner of speech……but it seems like he’s serious. The thick and dark aura around his body increases. His red eyes which glow within the dark! That instant, something that appears to be a soap bubble envelops us! ——It’s his barrier! It’s an annoying substance since it keeps on coming back no matter how many times you destroy it! I was having a hard time in the last battle thanks to this! This time it isn’t just me but also my comrades get enveloped! “Ku!”
“This thing!”
Kiba and Xenovia destroy the barrier with their swords——but it repairs immediately so we can’t escape! Looks like it will become a nuisance like before! This time we have a technique-type Kiba and a one-hit kill Rias! I doubt we can’t break past this but it’s a fight against time right now! If we spend too much time on this guy, then Irina’s dad will——
Just like what was going through my mind, Irina who is acting hasty wields the sword she received from her dad. “You! You are in the way! If I don’t be quick! Papa will—!”
But Ladon’s barrier revives no matter how many times it is destroyed so there’s no end to this! “Then we need to destroy it along with him.”
Rias makes her hand glow mysteriously! She’s planning to create her Extinguish Star! That will certainly be able to blow away Ladon along with his barriers. But there’s no way he will let her do that! [No you won’t.] Ladon’s eyes glow mysteriously and he envelops Rias’s hand with his barrier! The power of destruction disappears right away! This guy really is the natural enemy of power-types! He seals you immediately! Then there’s no holding back! It happens when I was about to chant to wear my crimson armour—
A single light falls between us and Ladon! That moment, the barrier covering us disappears and it doesn’t come back! Our eyes gather to the front. A spear which is giving out a holy wave appears in my sight. “——Concentrating heavily on powers like usual? Right, Sekiryuutei, and the Gremory group.”
——! We become shocked at the appearance of that man. A single young man who has Chinese clothing on him takes out the spear which is giving out a holy wave. He stands in front of Ladon while tapping his shoulder with his spear. Ladon narrows his red eyes. [——So it will turn out like this here. A Holy Spear……]
Yeah, what appeared in front of us is the Holy Spear! One of the Longinus, the True Longinus! In the previous battle defending Auros Academy that spear also appeared from nowhere! And this time the man who is the wielder of the spear has showed up! “——Cao Cao!”
I shout out the man’s name! The one who appears in front of is the former leader of the Hero-faction——Cao Cao! After he lost against us he was taken down to the realm of the dead. I did hear he climbed up from the realm of the dead on his own and became Śakra’s vanguard. I shout at him. “……Why are you here! ?”
Cao Cao has an eye-patch on the eye I crushed. He shows his irritating smile at me. “——I thought I would join the Evil Dragon hunt. I came here from the gate of Purgatory just like they did.”
……You are telling me he found a path connected to Purgatory when he was at Hades’s place? Cao Cao spins his spear around and directs the tip of it towards Ladon. Ladon gives a creepy laugh. [……So the man who is famous for being the candidate of the strongest Longinus possessor has appeared.] Cao Cao then says. “I shall take care of this Evil Dragon. But Sekiryuutei. You are a——hero, right? Then you should defeat the leader of the villains. Just like how you defeated me.”
Cao Cao then moves the tip of his spear towards the gate. “Go.”
Seeing that, Ladon laughs. [Oh my oh my……for the Holy Spear-user to take their place.] ……I agree with that. I’m not Ladon but I never thought this man would say that! Rias then gives me an order. “Ise! | text_18 |
Asia and Xenovia, take Irina ahead! We will take care of things here!”
Cao Cao says it after her. “Exactly. Someone who disappeared once came back and took the fight from nowhere. This sure is a treat for me.”
…………
……Damn. I guess this is what you call a passing buck! Certainly if this guy, Rias, and others join forces then they will be able to take care of Ladon and the Evil Dragons! I look at Asia, Xenovia, and Irina. The three of them are convinced and nod……but I then tell Cao Cao. “……I won’t let you off the hook if you are beaten after making such an entrance.”
He releases a torrent of light towards the herd of Evil Dragons while showing a smirk. Right after that the herds of Evil Dragons get blown away at once along with a massive explosion! ……The spear has unimaginable potential like usual! Cao Cao says it fearlessly while spinning his spear. “The reason I lost was due to my own weakness since I didn’t walk my path as a human. I don’t need the Medusa’s eyes or the Chaos Break. ——I just need my spear and my pride as a hero and a human. I promised myself I won’t let my guard down against Dragons any more.”
……That sure is scary. The reason I won against him is due to himself who made his own weakness by relying on a power besides his. The creepiness I can sense from him now is stronger than before. “Rias! Everyone! I’ll leave the rest to you!”
I say that to everyone and went ahead together with Asia, Xenovia, and Irina! When I went past Cao Cao, he says to me so only I can hear. “——Yeah, it was always the “humans” that defeat the irregular beings.”
A little later Asia, Xenovia and Irina headed towards the gate to leave while I, Kiba, with the help of the others began to fight off a large number of evil dragons. Left behind with me are Rias-buchou, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Gasper, Rossweisse-sensei, as well as the owner of the holy spear Cao Cao. Cao Cao and Ladon began fighting. Wielding the holy spear, he released a holy wave at Ladon. If one was to take a frontal blow from the holy spear, even a high class devil would not be able to withstand it. However, just before the attack could hit Ladon, it seemed to have been stopped by something and was eliminated. There seemed to be some sort of barrier protecting Ladon’s body. The self-protection barrier of this dragon is quite troublesome. Although Ladon only made a slight move, he was able to take an attack from the holy spear showing that his defensive barrier was quite extraordinary. Ladon let out a burst of laughter. “I never imagined that I would meet the owner of the holy spear…, it seems that I really am quite lucky to have been revived, I am able to see something from legend in front of me.”
Cao Cao shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, that’s really good. It’s your second time dying so you should have a good farewell ceremony.”
This man is, as always just talking. Ladon put on a rather disturbing smile. “Well then, let me show you something interesting.”
Then Ladon’s foot moved to make a magic circle, a dragon gate! Does he intend to bring more dragons out here?! The dragon gate started to emit a deep green light! Seeing this, Rossweisse-sensei cried out in surprise. —-! “This, this dragon is incredible!”
The aura had all of us stunned. That’s right, in the green light which started to disperse was —- a massive dragon covered in black scales. “RRROOAARRR!! !~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~”
It even caused the air around it to tremble. Emerging from the magic circle was the dragon Grendel. But there was more than just one dragon! There were three dragons! There was actually three of Grendel?! I and everyone else were all shocked at the appearance of these evil dragons! On top of that, three of them was completely unexpected! Ladon, with the three evil dragons said with a sneer
“How? They were manufactured with Grendel as the reference dragon, although they are still being adjusted, they’re looking quite good aren’t they?”
…To think that there was such a thing. Their technology has already reached such a level that they are able to reproduce several of Grendel?! However, we can see that these three Grendel don’t have the consciousness of the actual Grendel. There is absolutely nothing that can be felt from them except for Ladon who is standing behind them. … Because there were 4 legendary evil dragons as our opponents, everyone could only stop and stare with their breath held. — However, only one man made a defiant smile, it was Cao Cao. Cao Cao declared to Rias-buchou that he would defeat these evil dragons. “Rias Gremory, that guy over there has some unusual barrier covering his body and on top of that there’s also three of Grendel.”
As he said that, we understood that even our strongest attack was no match for Ladon’s barrier. There were also three Grendels against us, so the situation was quite bleak. “I know that ordinary attacks will not be effective against this barrier.”
Hearing Buchou say this, Cao Cao made a bitter smile. “For someone called the ruin princess, you’re not very confident.”
“Thanks for the compliment, I don’t know why all my opponents are legendary figures so sometimes I’m not confident.”
“That’s not like you at all, you’re Hyoudou Issei’s partner so you should be more confident.”
Cao Cao said in a slightly accusing tone to Buchou. “I’ll make an opening in that guy’s defence, … the rest is up to you.”
Buchou made a confused expression. That was certain. This was a favourable situation for us. This former enemy’s plans did not seem too strange. Buchou was suspicious of it. “… Are you doing this to help me? Is Indra gaining something from this? You’re quite confident? Or is it because you look down on me?”
Cao Cao shook his head. “No. Both now and before it is with respect. — Even you are enemies to be feared.”
From the expression in his eyes, it does not seem as though he is lying. “Yet, opponents such as this should be taken care of by the current hero, I…who was once a fallen man. It is too early to make new excuses. When the holy spear comes from the back, be glad.”
Rias-Buchou sighed. “Indeed, I don’t like your view at all. But, if the holy spear were to be used—this would be our chance.”
Buchou actually approved of Cao Cao’s suggestion! Cao Cao then stood beside me. “Kiba, can your legs run any further?”
“Of course they can.”
“That’s good, although it may be mass produced, that is the legendary evil dragon Grendel. Even at a normal level, its flames will turn anything to ashes.”
I released Gram from where it was stored and held it while it released a dark aura. Cao Cao directed his eyes in the direction of my demonic sword. … He was definitely thinking about something. After all, his partner Siegfried was the original owner of this sword. I paid no attention to his gaze though, and made a holy sword which enclosed Gram inside it. … This is the control method from before. Although this doesn’t solve the problem, it is better than nothing and is good for a few minutes. | text_18 |
If I release a large aura, my energy will be drained. However, this was inevitable. I was well aware of this from the start. “It’s an interesting approach. But, is your value dependent on the demonic sword?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“—That’s good, no matter what the situation is, you come up with something. Does your calibre match the name of the Gremory household though?”
Seeing my technique, perhaps he saw that there were other ways to use Gram. His skills were a level above mine. With just a glance he was able to deduce that. He deliberately didn’t tell me, which is proof that he was testing me. He naturally placed his spear over his shoulder after a graceful movement, then spoke to me. “Gremory household member, I will charge in, don’t let him get away when he’s weak.”
“You think I’ll let it get away when it’s exposed? You seem fairly confident about this, so you’ll reveal his weakness?”
After Ladon’s provocative actions, he was grinning with pleasure. “That’s interesting, but aiming at the dragon’s weakness is not a hero’s skill.”
In response, from behind him came a light and seven orbs emerged! This is the holy spear’s balance breaker. Although I had only seen it once before, it is actually quite a quiet balance breaker, yet it can make people feel absolutely terrified at the same time. The seven orbs began floating around him. Each of the gems has its own ability; I remember that we were almost completely defeated by it. But now, he is our ally, which makes me feel relieved but at the same time fearful. I tightened my grip on Gram then turned to make a stance, preparing to fight against the evil dragons. Akeno-san spread her fallen angel wings, Gasper transformed into the body of a dark beast and Koneko-chan also used her senjutsu to make her body grow into a more mature form. One by one, everyone was starting to get serious. Three of Grendel blocked the path in front of Ladon. Their massive bodies were protected by an orange magical barrier. It seems like Ladon increased the strength of his defensive barrier. Originally, Grendel would be protected by hard scales and now there’s an added layer of defence. While staying on alert against the evil dragons, we each locked onto our targets. A brief moment of silence—, at the front was – Gasper. Emerging from the darkness was a beast which headed towards the Grendel (A)Grendel (A), (B) & (C) : This is used to denote which Grendel is the current subject.on the right hand side — he attacked. Although the move was easily swung aside, from within the darkness of the beast, Koneko leapt out and closed the distance in an instant then punched Grendel in the abdomen with a fist imbued with senjutsu! The sound of the blow reverberated throughout the surroundings! Grendel’s body tilted slightly. In confirmation, Koneko-chan shouted to everyone
“It works! Their bodies are far inferior to that of the real Grendel!”
Everyone’s morale was boosted! Indeed, if this confrontation with Grendel continued, even if there were three of them there was a way to defeat them! I stood in front of another Grendel (B) and began slashing it! My attack was mixed in with a few false swipes! Although it had a large body, its swift movements were just like the real thing — but from my sixth sense I felt that its reactions were like a block of wood! They were slow enough that even my false strikes would hit. It swung his fist towards me but only caught my afterimage, as I had moved well in advance. This was because I had already moved right behind it and released a demonic attack! Known as the most powerful demonic sword which can kill dragons, it left a massive wound! The cloned dragon let out a cry of pain. But I apologise, for I will not hold back. Evil Dragons – when you are my opponent I will find your weaknesses! I shoved my sword deep into the back of the dragon! At the same time Akeno-san and Rossweisse-san cried out. “Akeno-san! , Rossweisse-san!”
In response to each other, Akeno-san flew towards the centre of the sky and gathered lightning at her fingertips, while Rossweisse-san drew a magic circle! I loosened my blade, and Grendel moved to increase our distance. “Go! Holy lightning!”
Akeno-san’s massive lightning strike fell towards the cloned dragon —
“Lightning, burn this evil dragon!”
Rossweisse-san’s thunder magic struck at the same time! This is a combo of the demonic sword and lightning! Even if they have been strengthened by the holy grail, Gram’s aura inside the dragon will spread and kill it. On top of that, Akeno-san and Rossweissse-san release another powerful dual lightning strike. Due to the damage from that lightning attack and the dragon slaying effect which had spread inside it, it spurted out a large mouthful of blood. …This was the same as what Koneko-chan said. These Grendel were very easy to get rid of. Even with Ladon’s powerful magical barrier, to me these were easy opponents to defeat. “I’m flying!”
The battle between the other Grendel (A) and Rias-buchou was well underway. Koneko-chan’s power surrounded the dragon and purified its four limbs. The dark beast which is Gasper was assaulting him from the front. A mere evil dragon, it’s nothing against me! >>
A fist came from Gasper’s side and punched the massive body of Grendel which couldn’t withstand the force and staggered backwards. Gasper’s strike seemed to be quite a heavy blow, causing the evil dragon to spurt out blue blood from its mouth. Grendel wanted to evade the next strike, but Gasper manipulated the shadow of the large evil dragon by pulling it towards him, then unleashed another fist upon him! Not too long ago, it was completely unimaginable that he would display such strength against an opponent! The reason was actually quite simple. It was because Gasper, in his current state had recently trained with Issei. He was influenced by Issei to train in melee combat. He has already shown the results of his training in just ten minutes. The way he uses his fists is the same as Issei. Issei, Gasper is being influenced by you more and more! Gasper continued beating the evil dragon non-stop, then while on the ground Rias-buchou’s destructive magic destroyed the dragon without mercy. Even though it had tough scales, it was no match against the destructive power of her magic. This was already demonstrated the time that we were in the vampire’s castle. All that was left now was Grendel (C) and Ladon. “Humph.”
Cao Cao moved as though dancing to avoid the barrage of attacks. Now was the time to counter-attack with the holy spear. It looked like a game of tag between little kids and an evil dragon. Even when the opponent let out a massive burst of flames, a small amount of light from the spear was able to counter it. — At the same time, the seven orbs began attacking Ladon’s barrier. Ladon looked around at the sky, following the random motion of the orbs, his red eyes began to look impatient. | text_18 |
“…Damn it.”
Ladon was displeased, as he tried to capture the orbs within barriers, but each of the orbs’ special properties prevented him from doing so. The spear shaped orb was able to break the barrier, or perhaps it was the orb which allowed things to escape. Sometimes the orb bounced off the barrier which caused Grendel to be damaged. Grendel seemed to be disturbed by the attack on the barrier and moved away, which created a big opening, where I and my comrades attacked. Ladon simply could not catch Cao Cao. “What’s wrong, Ladon? You can’t even catch a mere human?”
Ladon clicked his tongue in response to Cao Cao’s incitement. The Ladon who was so relaxed before was no more. Cao Cao’s swift movements brushed aside Grendel (C) then continued on towards Ladon. Then he used his holy spear to make continuous strikes. He was fast, yet there was no wasteful movement in his continuous attacks. However, Ladon’s barrier was still protecting him. Although the barrier was still holding back the holy spear’s attacks, for a brief moment, the barrier disappeared…
“Hehe, what a shame. Even though your attacks are so fast, they’re not able to touch me.”
Cao Cao’s expression did not change. He was attacking from all directions. His face…seemed to show a slight grin. I can’t help looking at Cao Cao — their battle was now up in the air. “I won’t let you get in their way!”
Everyone surrounded the evil dragons instead of being “observers” and began helping out. They really are quite reliable. With Grendel still as my opponent, it was time to finish it off. Grendel (B) which was struck by lightning still stood back up, I extracted from it the aura of Gram which was still inside it then used it to raise the power of my sword to prepare for a final attack! I concentrated on controlling its power. …If I get distracted, I could lose control and it could cost me my own life. If I keep doing this, I don’t know when I might die. If it’s for my friends, I would die for them, but today I cannot die no matter what! With the enhanced power of Gram’s aura, I rush towards the enemy. Akeno-san and Rossweisse-san followed me on both sides, and released their attacks upon Grendel (B). Akeno-san’s lightning paralysed Grendel (B) briefly, then Rossweisse-san froze it’s feet, preventing it from moving completely. Now it was my turn — I released the power of Gram’s energy directly at him! Just as I was about to strike Grendel, I removed the holy-demonic sword which had enclosed Gram and swung it down! An ominous aura covered the whole sword, and made a deep cut into him. I then switched to blade blacksmith, summoned an army of dragon knights, and they endlessly assault the evil dragon. After confirming that the evil dragon had been slain by my dragon knights, I clicked my fingers. “—It’s exploding from the inside.”
Gram’s aura which was on Grendel (B) released a large amount of energy! But, thanks to the dragon knights, the dark aura that was contained in Grendel did not leak out. Besides its insides, the dragon killing aura burned the entire body of the evil dragon. Ah, after a cracking noise, the wounds left by the dragon knights gushed out blue blood. This is my most effective technique against evil dragons. Because it seemed like such a brutal attack, I don’t want to give a name to this…but nonetheless it is effective. Grendel’s (B) body split open and it perished immediately. “…Such a powerful attack is unprecedented from Kiba”
Even Rossweisse-san agreed. I…will no longer hesitate if an evil dragon is my opponent, otherwise my comrades may get hurt. This is indeed a brutal war. So, I made a promise with Issei. — That no matter what happens, we will definitely help each other, so we can all live together. To keep this promise, I will use any means to eliminate my enemies, I think about this whenever I’m on the battlefield. However, this was already decided. These Grendel are not as strong as the real Grendel, its defensive ability, its agility and offensive ability are all several levels lower than the original. However, compared to the mass produced evil dragons, they were much stronger. After the defeat of Grendel (B), it looks like the fight against Grendel (A) is nearly finished. OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH >>
Gasper roared as he fiercely bit Grendel’s (A) shoulder, then created a beast from the darkness which went into the body. Of course, with the attack on the dragon’s shoulder and the dark beast inside, it’s body burst open. Grendel’s (A) upper body was blown apart as a result of Gasper’s attack. Gasper’s body was soaked and covered with blue blood but he didn’t mind and kept beating the dragon, Grendel (A) fell to the ground while spitting flames. “The final blow!”
Rias-buchou’s destructive magic and Koneko-chan’s attack go towards Grendel (A)! Grendel A was helpless, and was turned to dust. The Grendel (C) going against Cao Cao had accumulated severe injuries from the holy spear which caused it to kneel down. “Give up”
Akeno-san and Rossweisse-san, after confirmation with each other released another attack. Akeno-san made three dragons with her holy lightning and directed them towards the evil dragon! Rossweisse-san used her magic to tie up the evil dragon with a rope-like aura. Unable to move, Grendel (C) was attacked by three dragons of lightning —. After enormous flashes of lightning and crackling noises, Grendel (C) vanished from the light. The three Grendel were now defeated! Although we had Cao Cao’s support, being able to defeat three legendary evil dragons was quite an accomplishment. I — have become stronger. Cao Cao and Ladon’s battle seemed to be a stalemate, neither side appeared to have damaged each other, but — Cao Cao began smiling. “—There’s an opening, go fly”
Ladon’s enormous body – started floating up all of a sudden, and flew upwards! Based on what just happened, Ladon was quite surprised. This was because an orb was attached to one of Ladon’s legs. It was probably hidden underground in advance, so that when Ladon stepped on it, it would activate causing him to fly up. “Hmm! —This, this is!? An orb which can make others float! ?”
That’s right, it was the orb which had flying abilities. …Though it was unexpected that it could even make opponents fly! Cao Cao laughed
“Didn’t I tell you? Targeting an opponent’s weakness is a hero’s skill, so is deceiving opponents.”
However, even though Ladon was thrown into the air, he had a relaxed expression. “Well, even if I am thrown into the air, my barrier is still active!”
—No, it should stop now. Then, Rias-buchou released some sort of magic from her hands. “Let’s attack together! I’ll start with this”
Following buchou’s orders, everyone launched ranged attacks at the airborne Ladon. I used my holy-demonic swords to fire waves of energy continuously. But, Ladon still had a defensive barrier, thus all our attacks were blocked. Although there were several times when the barrier disappeared…he was still unharmed. | text_18 |
Ladon let out a loud laugh. “HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is quite a relentless assault! But! Even if the barrier weakens, I’m still unscathed, no matter how many times you try!”
Cao Cao made a sly smile. —Then, Cao Cao pointed his spear downwards and fired a massive amount of light from his holy spear! I don’t know what he’s planning, but underneath him was now a large hole. “—No, that’s enough, you, are dead.”
In an instant, Ladon disappeared from the sky. It was almost like an instant teleportation! Did he escape? I immediately started looking around in all directions for him! His presence could still be felt! After looking around — everyone’s gaze was directed to one spot. That’s right, it was the hole that Cao Cao had made just earlier. Ladon could be heard from inside the hole. We all gathered around the hole, and looked down. The evil dragon was transported here! Next to Ladon was a floating orb. “—!? Teleportation!? So you had the ability to transport your opponent! But, why did you teleport me?! My barrier won’t disappear—“
At the same time, Cao Cao moved the transportation orb to his side
“When the Gremory household members attacked you while in the air, I moved my orb in as well. Against such a wave of attacks, the barrier will disappear, and will take some time to rematerialise. I already confirmed this when I was attacking you. —As long as there is a gap of just 0.1 seconds, I can easily send one of my orbs into the barrier next to you. Even for a legendary evil dragon like you, over a short distance, I can still transport you.”
…When we all attacked at once, he sent one of his orbs close to the barrier…, then, when the barrier disappeared—no, he didn’t miss the opportunity when it did, and sent the orb inside the barrier…! If he made the hole first then it would have been suspicious. So he sent his opponent flying into the air first so he could prepare—. Cao Cao said to Rias-buchou
“Come, Rias Gremory. Your enemy is in this hole. You can use all your strength to defeat him. Even if my holy spear can’t defeat Ladon, with your destructive magic, it’s possible to defeat him.”
After hearing Cao Cao’s suggestion, Buchou began concentrating her magic. She was preparing an attack which could completely destroy the opponent. From inside the hole, Ladon shouted. “All this hole can do is prevent me from moving…!”
This hole is just large enough to hold Ladon’s body. Towards the bottom of the hole, Cao Cao said
“I am just a “weak” human, to become a legend, I’m not ready for that yet. —You are stuck in this cave, Can you survive after sustaining damage from the destruction magic of Rias Gremory?”
“Humph! Damn it! How absurd…!”
…What a scary man. He was using his power with such control. He was able to predict the actions of the evil dragons, and at the same time manipulate the situation. …We were able to defeat such an opponent…was it just a fluke? Ladon’s head appeared in the midst of a huge wave of crimson and black magic. Even in the best case, his barrier would not stand a chance against such powerful magic. “This is the end! Ladon! Disappear!”
Buchou’s massive ball of destruction magic—descended to the hole. “Damn you, holy spear wielder, Gremory household. Damn you all—!”
Those were the final words of the evil dragon—. Nothing more than ashes were left after Ladon was vanquished by Buchou’s extinguished star of destruction. “—Koneko! Quickly use your sealing magic!”
“Yes, Buchou!”
As Koneko-chan replied, she made a magic circle. She got out one of the Red Dragon Emperor’s gems that she received from Issei. She then sealed the soul of Ladon inside it. By using her power on top of that of the gem, Ladon should be completely sealed. After having fought with the evil dragons, the holy spear wielder sighed as he looked up at the sky—. “Indeed, it’s not as exciting as Vali or Issei…I want to experience no mercy, overwhelming force, a fight with no limits.”
In his eyes, there were only two dragons who were worthy opponents. After passing through the gate, I arrived at third heaven — one of the levels of heaven. Because I had just arrived here, no one had noticed. There was a white path which lead down to a single door. If I took that path, I should be able to go to ‘heaven’, but I don’t have time for a tour right now! I must continue! When the next door was in sight, someone called out to me —
“Oh hohohohoho ♪ Hello ~ ~ ~ ♪ I’m already here”
The witch was dressed as a gothic lolita! “Walburga!”
That’s right, it was Walburga of the purple flames! But she’s in heaven right now! Then, another figure gracefully appeared before me. “Today, Crom also came.”
Next to Walburga was — a man dressed in a black suit. “…………”
The man who didn’t speak, I was familiar with him. This was because I had fought him once in the country of the vampires. — Evil dragon, Crom Cruach! The legendary dragon who fought in a human form! This evil dragon was able to fight evenly matched against Vali and I. Walburga laughed. “Ahhahahaha ♪ Today, the two of us will be your opponents!”
…Having come here, I did not want to fight against these two! But, it doesn’t seem like they’ll let me get past them for free! “There’s only one option here.”
Xenovia and Irina got into position! I was also about to get ready, but—
“Ara Ara, Looks like you’re in some trouble.”
The one who said so jokingly — Joker Dulio! He flew over with his wings! Oh! To meet him again here! Dulio flew to my side. Walburga smiled seeing the appearance of Dulio. “Oh wow ♪ are you Joker? Oooh lala, to meet such incredible people—I say, did you come to Third Heaven to find evil dragons?”
Walburga asked Dulio. Indeed, after coming to Third Heaven, there weren’t any evil dragons! There were a large number of them in Second Heaven, but almost none here! Dulio scratched his head. “Ah, oh that. There’s currently a battle there. — there’s not much left though.”
Dulio pointed into the distance, far away there were thunder clouds, and flashes of lightning. Asia looked in the opposite direction. I also turned my head that way — indeed, in the distance was an immense tornado, and some dark shadows being sucked into it. …Thunderclouds and tornadoes were being used to carry out a large scale attack. …In other words, he was the one who did all of that…! While I was fighting those evil dragons, others escaped. And most of the evil dragons have been defeated by Dulio’s sacred gear…. Once again, I realise that this man is strong! In times of crisis in heaven, as the brave saint’s Joker, his power was used the most. Hearing this, Walburga narrowed her eyes. Her eyes appeared to be happy, yet also vigilant. “Ooohlalala, this was beyond my imagination”
Joker stood beside me. …Truly, it was quite reassuring. Because he was such a powerful man, and he was on our side! And also our leader! Dulio said to Walburga
“…This is Heaven. Peace must be maintained. Don’t you think the souls here are cute? | text_18 |
After their lives on earth, they came here so they could live peacefully.” Even though you were joking, the look in your eyes – you’re serious. Previously, Dulio had once said to me
“Say, Issei. I think religion is very important.”
He then continued
“People like you and I are strong, but, aren’t the rest just weak humans? For people like that, I think something to believe in is a must. As long as there is faith, there is someone watching over them, doesn’t that make them happy?”
Dulio looked towards the sky, with a solemn look expression. “But, God, no longer exists…”
He was also aware of the truth. He said to me with open arms
“That’s why, I think that if angels can take the place of God then everyone will be just fine.”
What Sister Griselda once said to me, came into my mind. She told me about Dulio. “Dulio is a war orphan. After being involved in a certain country’s civil war, his parents died. He had been living under the care of the church, and during that time he awakened the power of his sacred gear. Because he possessed one of the most powerful sacred gears, his life changed dramatically.”
After awakening his power, Dulio was removed from the church to undergo training with one of the church’s institutions as a soldier. Despite his own wishes, he was trained due to his remarkable talent at a young age. She continued talking. “In the church’s institutions, there were children with innate talent, but also those with none. Because everyone was in the same situation… Dulio would call everyone “brother” or “sister”, and loved them like family.”
The children in those institutions… most of them died before becoming adults. The children with no talent, were killed while trying to obtain power. Dulio saw all this through his own eyes. Dulio went on. …His eyes looked sorrowful. “In this world, there is a lot of delicious food. There are a lot of people who would want to eat it but can’t.”
Dulio…has travelled around the world, tasted food, experimented with it, so that he could recreate it in the church. After countless failures, he was finally able to make these dishes for the children in the church — for the children who can’t leave. So that… So that at least the children could eat delicious food, Dulio travelled around the world. “There are many people in the world. But, these children… after eating such delicious food, seemed to be truly happy. At least I think so.”
He said so with a smile on his face—but, it was a sad smile. “The main reason why he became Joker… was to reach the souls of children in heaven. As the reincarnated angel Joker, he was able to set foot there. Hyoudou Issei, those children…”
Griselda-san continued with tears running down her cheek. “Dulio, as the strongest among the church—and also one of its most kind youths. That child, was too kind.”
Dulio opened his wings, and the confrontation with Walburga and Crom Cruach began. “I’m sorry, I cannot allow you to go any further. Inside — my brothers and sisters do not want any more painful memories, this is the place where they can be free, so that’s why you will not disturb them.”
Dulio showed a smile, but, his body was releasing a powerful presence. “—It makes sense that an angel would be protecting heaven.”
In the next moment, Walburga’s eyes shined with a strange light! Pillars of purple flame appeared all around Dulio, and slowly surrounded him! But, Dulio didn’t show the slightest of concern, and simply waved his hand. The purple flames instantly froze! The pillar of flames became a pillar of ice. Dulio said to Irina
“Alright, Ace Irina. Advance, and quickly open the door.”
“Joker-sama! I have—”
Joker shook his head at the battle-ready Irina and Xenovia. “These are formidable enemies, I will find a way. …I am their opponent.”
Indeed, right now we must go quickly. …if we use our energy here, we don’t know if we’ll be able to save Irina’s father. Anyway, in front of us were eight serpent-men, and Rizevim hasn’t shown up yet either! But, they didn’t seem to be my opponent. “I wish to fight against the Sekiryuutei one more time!”
Crom Cruach narrowed the distance between us! And started attacking me at close range! Whilst dodging his punches and kicks, I decided, and began the chant for Cardinal Crimson! “—I, who is about to awaken, am the Sekiryuutei who holds the truth of the king up high! Holding the infinite hopes and unbreakable dreams, walking the path of righteousness! I, will become the emperor of the crimson dragon—!” “And I will lead you to the path of Heaven glowing in deep crimson light—!”
A deep crimson light enveloped me, and my armour gradually changed to crimson! My power was increased! But—
[“Ah, that’s right, partner. Hold up. The energy expended using Longinus smasher has not been restored yet. If we try to go past the limit, it’ll just be an explosion!”]
…I know that, Ddraig! Is the “exploration” over already? I asked Ddraig. Because Ddraig and Albion were working together to regain their abilities when they were alive, they had opened up the channel between the two sacred gears and were exploring the depths of the sacred gear. So, even the power of God’s holy book and the seal could be explored. Ddraig sometimes dived into the depths of the sacred gear, along with Albion to explore the seal. In fact, they should have results soon. Ddraig said
[“…Almost. Though this is awful timing, but, in order to keep up, I’ll dive back into the sacred gear.”]
Oh, come on, partner. Because Ddraig said that one of his abilities when he was alive, could be effective against Rizevim! At the same time as I was talking to Ddraig, I was still fighting wih Crom Cruach! If I land a hit, he comes right back at me! And that guy just struck a blow…! If I get hit I’ll be sent flying back and may lose consciousness from the shock and damage! If hit by a combo, my armour will be crushed to pieces! My crimson armour was already covered with cracks all over! In the instant that he hit, I used [Rook] to defend … but, he didn’t flinch! This evil dragon is still the same, he is very good at close combat! Even in the midst of an intense battle, he still smiled! Xenovia and Irina raised their swords to show their support, but, that bastard Crom Cruach was able to knock away the holy swords with a single punch! Even the duo of Xenovia and Irina were caught off guard! —But, fighting against two more opponents created an opening! Just as I was about to fire a dragonshot — in between me and the evil dragon, a flame cross appeared, and blocked the way! However, the one who was angrier than anyone else — was Crom Cruach. “—Don’t get in my way, witch!”
Crom Cruach roared at his supposed partner Walburga. The witch simply laughed loudly. “Haha, you dislike it. I was just trying to help you ♪.”
Seeing the laughing Walburga, Crom Cruach stopped fighting. He said in disdain
“…Because of this, I don’t like complicated battles. | text_18 |
In fact, I’d most like…”
Whilst in a battle with ice and fire against Dulio, she said
“You really think that? Because of this, big brother Crom lost his master, and even had a difficult time right?”
Hearing this, the evil dragon looked down, shook his head, and walked off in a completely unexpected direction. “…You’re on your own now. I’ll wait for you to get killed.”
Even Walburga was surprised at what Crom Cruach just said. It wasn’t serious, it was just a joke, but now he looked completely unmotivated. “Lie! Now is not the time to be sulking, we have to fight together right?”
“I can’t work together with a witch who looks down on dragons. If you’re dead, it just means I’ll be fighting against the Sekiryuutei and Joker right?”
The helpless witch sighed deeply. “…Grendel is good, the charcoal dragon (Aži Dahāka??) is good, Apo (Apophis primordial dark dragon) is good, you are good, and all these dragons are hard to understand.”
“……”
The evil dragon which had lost its will to fight stayed silent. Walburga was now alone. I pointed my arm towards her, and the sword wielding duo also pointed their swords towards her. Including Joker, there were four opponents against her. Also, our healer Asia was also with us. …Without too much trouble, we should be able to take her on. Walburga covered her entire body with flames, thus protecting herself! However, Dulio sent all of his icicles at once to attack her! Walburga made a wry smile. “…Haha, I haven’t use my balance breaker yet…. But, today I’m very tired, so I’ll be leaving.”
The witch also seemed to have lost her motivation. In the battle at Auros Academy, when I went after Euclid after he abducted Rosseweisse-san, she used the flame balance breaker. Even though I heard that it wasn’t a bad fight, but against a dragon’s power—in balance breaker, using her sacred gear without balance breaker would make it difficult for her, thus after giving up on the fight, she was no longer serious and her only option was to retreat. In other words, from beginning to end she was never serious in the fight. Gasper in his dark state had a good fight, but that witch seems more interested in messing around on the battlefield. Sona-kaichou had commented on Walburga. “She will fight while she has the advantage, but in a situation where it is evenly matched or at a disadvantage, she will definitely not fight for a long time.”
Walburga shifted her feet and made a magic circle. It looks like Sona-kaichou’s assessment of her was right. Dulio smiled after seeing Walburga’s attempt to escape, then clicked his fingers. Then, thunderclouds began to gather over her! He intends to release it right below! “Here, this is a gift.”
With that, Dulio unleashed the lightning! At the same time, all around Walburga were countless icicles! Walburga’s lips quivered, and she suddenly released a large amount of purples flames! “Don’t underestimate me!”
Walburga used the purples flames to dissolve the icicles everywhere, and the lightning which came from above — Walburga threw her parasol into the air, so that, when the lightning struck, she insulated herself, however, one of the icicles was able to scratch her clothing! Although I was able to see Walburga’s white skin, she disappeared into the light. She was already prepared to escape. Just before she disappeared, she had stuck out her tongue and given us the middle finger. …This was because Dulio was there, but her body language did not translate to that of revenge. …The situation after the witch disappeared. The evil dragon who took a brief glance — Crom Cruach, since his partnership with the witch was now over, the atmosphere became tense again. …and the fight continued! Dulio looked like he was full of energy and the evil dragon made a wry smile. “Aha, hahahaha. Compared to the user of the flame cross, this evil dragon would be more troublesome, and even more powerful. She was annoying — but, you won’t let me go will you?”
Of course, the evil dragon did not nod. “The Sekiryuutei and Heaven’s Joker, as opponents, it’s a rare combination. Against such strong opponents and in such a situation, I have no reason to retreat.”
“Aha, a battle maniac? I really don’t want to compare you with Vali-san…”
And then, Dulio — made a suggestion. “Evil dragon Crom-san. —If it’s just me, will that make you unsatisfied? Don’t look at me like that, I have also defeated many dragons.”
…Dulio plans to take him on by himself! Crom Cruach made a fearless smile. “So you say. —I can’t see a single opening in you. So you plan to let the Sekiryuutei and the others go ahead first. Haha, fine. I’ll let Joker the dragon slayer entertain me.”
They locked their eyes onto each other. Without letting his eyes wander from his opponent, Dulio said to me
“Well then, it has been decided. Now, go. —I’ll need my balance breaker. Although it is banned from use in Heaven, this is an urgent matter.”
…Dulio, is planning to go all out! I and the church trio silently agreed, and decided to go ahead! Forget about two against one, it was now one on one…! Certainly, the opponent isn’t just any dragon. In comparison to Walburga, this is a much stronger legendary evil dragon! Suddenly, Dulio said to Asia
“Yes, Asia-chan.”
“Yes, yes.”
An innocent smile appeared on Dulio’s face. “Next time, shall I take you to the institution where you grew up? Of course, Issei-san beside you and your friends will all go together. —Everyone really cares about you.”
…Did Dulio look into where Asia was born…? Hearing his words, Asia covered her mouth with her hands and looked very emotional. Dulio raised his index finger and said
“My rules. The children who grew up in church facilities are all my brothers and sisters. So, Asia-chan and Xenovia-chan are like my little sisters. That’s why, brother must try his best.”
Having said this, Dulio opened his ten wings and engaged Com Cruach. “—Go now, Issei-san. Leave Crom Cruach to me. Because I am not only Joker, I am also the leader of ‘DxD’, so, I should also show my handsome side right?”
…Really, why are guys who are my partners…! Without turning my head I said to Dulio
“Dulio, don’t die. Indeed, you really are a nice guy.”
Dulio — our leader waved his hand back as a response. —Guys who are my comrades, they’re all stupid and try to play the handsome guy. A fierce battle had started behind me, but I picked up the pace and raced forwards! After I went through the gate of Third Heaven, I rushed into Fourth Heaven — The Garden of Eden. Looking ahead, there were bright colours, and it was full of flowers and trees. The distant hills and forest also looked beautiful. As I approached Fifth Heaven — two figures came into view. One of them was a man holding an aura emitting sword — Yaegaki. The other person who was beside him — Irina’s father. He brought him out from the Fifth Heaven! “Father, Papa! ?” Yaegaki ignored the surprised Irina, who had come to the level of The Garden of Eden. | text_18 |
“…I had wanted to come here, to exact my revenge in this place called ‘paradise’.”
Yaegaki grabbed Irina’s father by his hair. “What’s wrong, Touji? What do think of the believer’s ultimate wish — to die in Eden? I think it’s too generous.”
Irina’s father did not seem like he had fully recovered from poisoning, enduring the pain of the poison, he said:
“……Yaegaki-kun, if you kill just me, will that dissolve your grudge?”
Hearing him say this, Irina’s expression immediately changed! “Dad!? How can you say that! ?”
“Irina, if I can use my life to save this man’s soul…then it’s a worthwhile trade.”
Irina’s father…wishes to sacrifice himself, to end this man’s revenge, and terrorising actions! However, something like this! How can I sit idly by with this kind of thing! Irina’s father, he — shed a tear. “…Yaegaki-kun, I really regret it. Not only that, the others who sanctioned it, they must also have such regret…”
After he heard this emotional speech
“So what! So what! Did you think I would forgive you!? How can I possibly forgive you huh!”
He swung his sword, and the aura released made a massive hole in the ground. The man shouted to the sky:
“I love her! And she loves me! We…even if we are different, we can still love each other! We love each other!”
The evil sword was already responding to his cries, eight dragon heads emerged from his sword! Compared to before, the heads had now grown to be enormous! Is their power dependent on the wielder? “…Or perhaps, it has turned into something like a Sacred Gear.”
Ddraig had said…you mean that: Through the evil dragon in the sword, it has gradually turned into something akin to a Sacred Gear…! “Because as something similar to a Sacred Gear, it can also be classified as a ‘Sacred Gear’.”
Even so, we must stop him. He can’t have any more…hatred! Yaegaki-kun raised his sword towards Irina’s father! “…Mmdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
He let out a strange roar, swinging the sword of the evil dragon! Yamata-no-Orochi breathed out a dark and poisonous aura, towards Irina’s father! Yaegaki’s mind and body had been taken over by the sword, and his body became shrouded in a dark aura. “Won’t let you aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”
I opened my dragon wings, and flew at high speed straight ahead! One of the eight dragon heads opened its mouth, and was about to crush Irina’s father with its fangs, then two holy sword wielders flew from behind me to him! In cooperation, they chopped off one of the dragon’s heads — this was Xenovia and Irina’s cross attack. With their help, I was able to successfully rescue Irina’s father! Carrying him, I moved him a fair distance away then descended to drop him down. “Please, watch from here — we’ll settle this!”
I said, and was about to fly off—
“Issei!”
Irina’s father called to me, and pleaded to me:
“…Please…stop him…!”
“—Yes.”
I replied, and flew forwards. The severed head regenerated, and it now had eight heads once again. And all at once, they turned towards me, and flames erupted from their mouths! I summoned cannons on my back, and fired them at once! “Crimson Blasterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” “Fang Blast Booster!!! !”
A huge red aura countered and dissipated the flames of the eight-headed dragon. …Whilst attacking, I thought of something. …If, in the past there was a meeting between a devil and a human, like Rias and I… …If, we were also forbidden from seeing each other, then it would be a situation like this… …Well, I, I would definitely be the same as him, running away, fighting. I…had tears running down my cheeks inside my helmet, as I continued flying towards him. …I fell in love, Rias Gremory. …I swore, that I would be with Rias Gremory forever. I was fighting a dragon head, and crying tearfully at the same time —
“You…are not wrong! But! But! Even if you do such a thing! …it doesn’t help anyone…you will only have, sadness…”
Using Ex-Durandal to block the dragon’s blows was Xenovia, whose face was covered in tears. “Durandal…! Let’s settle this…!”
Irina was standing beside Xenovia, with a determined look on her face and her eyes full of tears. “Hauteclaire…if you recognise me as your master, then I beg of you, please lend me your strength! Use the strength to save dad, the strength to help everyone, as well as — the strength liberated from this evil dragon so that I can borrow it haaaaaaaaaaa!”
The two holy swords resonated with each other — and a holy aura continuously rose from the blades. The holy swords swelled in size, then finally became two pillars of light which extended into the sky. “…Lord, I beg you. I truly beg you…!”
Asia summoned Fafnir, and next to the dragon king she also sent her prayer towards the sky. I attack with a heavy punch! “Ascalon! It’s time for this holy sword to go!”
The dragon slaying holy sword appeared out of my left gauntlet! That man’s body was enveloped in an evil aura with eight heads, while its opponents Xenovia and Irina who were fighting it — a devil and an angel who were shedding tears. “……Can I be an angel…?”
Facing me, Xenovia and Irina released holy auras, and it swallowed him within it — suddenly, I saw a ghost, a woman who gently hugged him — Yaegaki was slumped over on the ground — the power of the evil dragon which had taken control of him had disappeared into the ground. Ddraig said
“…Yamata-no-Orochi’s power is gone…no, it’s resurrection is uncertain. In any case, there isn’t any power of an evil dragon still left in the sword. How terrifying, it must be that angel’s sword—.”
Irina’s Hauteclaire, it’s said to be able to purify the opponent’s sword. Coming into contact with his Kusanagi sword, it lost all its evil energy…this is Irina’s new ability…although I think that Xenovia’s Ex-Durandal and my Ascalon helped amplify the effect, but the power to purify was only from Hauteclaire. Lying on the ground, Yaegaki said to me
“…I…also love a female devil.”
He continued, in a low voice,
“…Perhaps, someone will try to come between you and her. Even if that happens…you need to—”
I said without hesitation
“—Protect. Even if the entire world is against my relationship with Rias, even if there are great enemies or obstacles, I will protect her.”
That’s right. I already decided that I would stay by her side. Even if powerful enemies or obstacles come in between us, I will struggle through it and overcome them. Yaegaki then shifted his gaze to Irina. “—So, a devil like you, you were able to help heaven’s side?”
This confusion was unnecessary. “Well, of course. I have no connection to the angel’s side. Not long ago it was agreed — if you don’t want to leave, then stay.”
There was no reason to leave. Just like this. It’s a happy life. This is not good. —Because we were allowed to do so. Yaegaki — wept silently. “…Is that so. It’s really… you and I are the same… except, what we wanted wasn’t allowed…”
He held out his hand to me. Ah, this is good. I, I and this person — we understand each other. Indeed. | text_18 |
Even though it was in a different time, the situations we encountered were similar. Because, we both fell in love with women of another race —
“…In that case, we can definitely understand each other. You and I, you and I —”
Wanting to hold my hand, Yaegaki wanted to get up. “…Ah, so that’s how—”
Boom. A dull sound reached my ears. Just as we were about to grab hold each other’s hands, something flew from the side — and made a hole through Yaegaki’s chest. Yaegaki’s upper body had a large hole bored through it. He made a single “Urgh” and spat out a mouthful of blood, and then he fell. “Woo hahahaha! Ah, oh no.”
An unpleasant laughter echoed throughout the surrounding area. This laughter is familiar. Yes, I couldn’t possibly forget. I turned my head to the direction that the laughter was coming from, the only one there was a silver-haired middle-aged man, and he had a hideous smile. I bellowed out this bastard’s name! “—Rizevim!”
This shitty old bastard flippantly raised his hand. “Yo ♪ I came to check it out, the beautiful revenge comedy which turned into a touching scene. And in the middle of it I step in!”
Xenovia held the fatally wounded Yaegaki in her arms. Irina helped her father on her shoulder, and set him down beside Yaegaki. “…Yaegaki-kun!”
Yaegaki made a slight smile towards Irina’s father. “…Having no connection, that’s good.”
Asia quickly ran over, and released a healing glow. However, his wound did not heal…was it because his body was revived with the holy grail, or did he — resist the healing. “…This is too sad…!”
Asia’s eyes became watery. He still smiled slightly. “…You cry for me? …Really, you really are gentle…”
Slowly, and gradually, his body began to break down. His body was breaking from bottom to top —
“Ah, I would want—in this day and age…to meet you again…”
And so, his body turned to dust. ………Seeing this, even I…yet…we were still about to understand each other. No, we already understood each other. At the very end…! I pounded at the ground with my fist. —However, Rizevim simply appeared bored and sighed. “Whatever, he was good at doing his job, what happened between Bael and the church side is now public, and as the user of Kusanagi — he is no longer.”
…Every single word he said annoyed me. This man’s voice, and attitude, was irritating from beginning to end. In a deep voice that even I thought was scary, I asked him…
“……Why, did you have to kill him?”
He laughed and grinned wildly. “Oh no? Are you angry? Oops, my opponent is cranky; the Sekiryuutei should be more relaxed! Anyway, he was already a dead man. It’s no big deal even if I do kill him. Oooh how scary!”
“…Don’t joke around. Why, do you have to do such things…to Vali, or the schoolchildren of the underworld…”
No matter who, everyone just wants themselves to be happier…so why does he…does this guy, have to burn everything to the ground…? Rizevim nonchalantly replied
“Hmm — it’s because, it’s to make an old man like me happy.”
…ah ah, yes. So that’s how it is. …I was livid. I seriously cannot understand how this guy thinks. “Vali. Hmph, I can totally understand how you feel now. It is so. It’s like this.”
My whole body began releasing a burning and furious aura, whilst standing in front of him. “Rizevim, you’d be much better off dead…!”
A crimson aura was bursting out, I…made up my mind to beat this bastard up! I absolutely won’t forgive you! I absolutely will destroy you! “Oh wow, those eyes and that look reminds me of Vali…!”
Seeing my attitude, this bastard looked overjoyed! “Hmm how scary! Well then, how about this old man have a spar with you?”
Rizevim stretched his fingers, accepting my challenge. “What nerve!”
I flew forward! I rapidly closed the distance, and aimed at the face that I hated —
Just as I was about to hit him, he gently touched my armour. In that instant, power slowly faded from my body. My armour instantly vanished, leaving me with just my skin! “Useless. The power you gain from your sacred gear is ineffective against this old man. You forgot?”
—Sacred gears are ineffective! Just a touch, and he was able to remove my armour! “Hah, Lucifer’s fist! How’s that name?”
He said so jokingly, as he gave me a punch. It hit me deep in the abdomen. “…Woo hah.”
…I couldn’t resist the pain, and spit out a mouthful of fresh blood…damn, I haven’t had a punch hit me directly for a while…! My whole body was feeling pain! Then on top of that he added a kick, and sent me flying! After I bounced on the ground a few times, I got back up, and wore my armour again! Even though I was injured, I flew back, and fired out a beam of demonic energy — but that bastard simply touched it with his hand, and my dragon shot disappeared! As long as it’s power is used through a Sacred Gear, even a projectile of demonic energy will be ineffective! After his figure suddenly disappeared, he just as suddenly appeared right in front of me. “I am the son of Lucifer. Even without my Sacred Gear Canceller, I am still powerful. “Hya, Lucifer’s kick ♪”
My armour was released as soon as he kicked me, resulting in a strong blow to my backside! …The impact made me choke! Indeed, this is a pain that I haven’t tasted in a long time! I recalled my previous battles. No, not now! Right now compared to the past are two different things! It doesn’t matter, my enemy right now is stronger than me! After Asia’s healing aura was sent over, my wounds were completely healed…next, it’s up to you! “Ha!” “In that case!”
Xenovia and Irina directed their swords towards Lucifer, but they had just defeated Yamata-no-Orochi, and shortly before that they released a lot of their energy, so the duo’s stamina had not fully recovered yet! Faced with attacks from two holy swords — he used his two fingers to block their attacks! “A little devil girl and angel attacking me simultaneously! How cool! But but, with this kind of attack, there’s no way you can hit this old man yo!”
He radiated demonic energy from his hands, and sent the duo flying! “Xenovia! Irina!”
Seeing her friends being injured, Asia sent them a healing aura! I moved closer to him again, so that I could fire a single blast at him from zero distance — however, he simply touched it, and my armour was dissolved for the third time! I was then hit by a shot of magical energy! …An indescribable pain spread throughout my body, and fresh blood was sprayed out of my body! If this continued, I’ll collapse because of blood loss! “…Damn, I have to at least land one hit…!”
I once again reformed my armour, and shakily staggered up on my feet. Rizevim “uh uh uh” was shaking his fingers. “Wearing that armour, that’s a no no. Why, isn’t it pointless? It’s pointless, because—”
He moved his face closer to mine, and said while clearly laughing
“Without your armour, you’re just a shitty devil pawn.”
……What trash, I already understood that. Even so, I’ll still give you a beating…! If I could release that power…! Ddraig, you need to hurry! | text_18 |
“Ise!” “Ise-kun!”
Xenovia and Irina although wounded, still picked up their holy swords, and faced Rizevim! “Durandal and Hauteclaire! Ah, being attacked by these two swords makes me feel nostalgic! When there was Excalibur, that really was…really fun ♪”
Rizevim moved his body sideways slightly, and evaded the fierce slashes of the sword duo! Just how contemptuous is the devil’s son! His light movements are far better than mine! “Just need to land one hit…!”
With blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, Xenovia was still slashing at high speed, with an incredible destructive power! Although she occasionally used the mimicry ability, she was also predicting and avoiding the enemy! Eventually, it changed into a blade in the shape of a whip which was stopped by his bare hands. Xenovia was pulled closer then took a kick to the stomach! “Uh ah…!”
Taking the impact of the kick, Xenovia was sent flying a far distance! “Xenovia! How dare you!”
Irina increased the holy aura output of Hauteclaire, and slashed it down towards Rizevim. However, reaching his hand, it became nothing. “To be honest, your technique isn’t bad. Really. In order to defeat Yamato-no-Orochi, you expended too much energy though. But, even if you didn’t it’s not enough.”
After Rizevim said so, he snatched the holy sword from Irina’s hands, then thrust his hand into her abdomen. “…Ha ha!”
Irina, like Xenovia was sent flying with a sudden kick. “……How did it come to this.”
Because of the effect of the poison, all Irina’s father could do was watch as all this happened. I also want to get back up, and face him—
“Hey, I’m behind you.”
He was right behind me! Light generated by magic was gathering behind me! With a loud booming noise, I was blasted by it completely, and collapsed…
“…Nghhm”
…My armour was destroyed, and my consciousness was fading…! I was face down on the floor…this is bad, clearly getting this kind of injury should be painful, but it was dull…and slow. Probably because of my excessive blood loss, my limbs were all numb… I lay on the floor. In my blurred vision, I could only see Rizevim gradually approaching Asia. “How should I address this lady? Do you want to play with this old man?”
Rizevim continued to get closer. In front of Asia — a Gold Dragon blocked his way. “—Asia-chan, I’m here to protect you.”
“Oh yeah, a Dragon King. You stand in my way? That’s very interesting. Do you need to play a game with me?”
Rizevim chanted a magic spell against Fafnir. Fafnir didn’t even bat an eyelid, stood in front of Asia, and took the attack head on. The dragon king took a direct hit. Even if he had tough skin, used as a shield, it was spewing fresh blood. Asia immediately began treating his wound. Perhaps Fafnir thought that acting as a shield was interesting, as Rizevim continuously fired magic bullets! Fafnir knew that Asia was behind him, so retreating wasn’t an option, and he took all the attacks head on. …The Dragon King’s body was smoking. Almost his whole body had been burned by Rizevim’s magic. Rizevim’s shots became smaller, but they increased in frequency. Taking even one hit, most people would be severely injured. Even if he is a sturdy Dragon King — Fafnir had taken all of Rizevim’s attacks! Asia got up and ran, she wanted to let herself be the target. But Fafnir used his tail to block her path indicating his refusal. If Asia left Fafnir’s side, that man would happily shoot her down. Fafnir also understood this. In any case, he just needed to protect Asia from all attacks —
“Fafnir-san! Please hurry and escape! If you keep going like this…!”
Asia cried out loud. Even if she’s accepting the protection of this Dragon King, she must be crying on the inside. Fafnir, in his usual tone said
“Never mind, this old dragon, needs to protect Asia-chan.”
Witnessing such a scene, Rizevim laughed uncontrollably
“Hm hahahaha! Truly commendable! For the sake of protecting your female master, this mighty Dragon King would disregard himself! But but, just because I saw this it doesn’t mean I’ll be lenient! In fact this is interesting so I’ll attack even harder!”
The intensity of his magic increased! Fafnir’s entire body — sustained injuries that even Asia could not heal. “Stop! Run! Please!”
No matter how loud Asia cried, Fafnir just said one thing
“To protect, Asia-chan.”
“…Why, do you have to go so far for me…”
Fafnir, while under attack by a barrage of magic bullets said
“…The girl who smiled at me, Asia-chan was the first — so that’s why, I need to protect. This dragon, is willing to devote himself to Asia-chan.”
…… …You actually believed that… …To begin with, you had such determination, to stand in front of Asia… Fafnir’s mouth was dripping with blood, but he continued
“…This dragon, only had a strong and large body, and was more powerful than other dragons. Before he knew it, he had become a Dragon King. He doesn’t have the pride of other dragons. But, to be able to protect a girl — that is definitely, the pride of this Dragon King.”
“…Fafnir-san…”
Asia, hearing this Dragon King’s determination, could only cover her mouth and begin sobbing. “…Please…you don’t have to stand in front of me anymore…”
The Dragon King definitely wouldn’t listen to her. Asia couldn’t take it and pushed aside Fafnir’s tail, and stood in front of Rizevim. Now she was protecting Fafnir. The son of Lucifer laughed as he saw this. “Hehahahaha. You deserve praise. You dare to stand in front of me!”
“…Enough, please stop…! Why, do you have to go so far with these things…?”
“It is simply because I am the son of Satan. If I don’t do bad things then I’ll just be a fake right?”
Asia said with great emotion
“…I, and my friends are a big family, we just want a peaceful life…! Doing such horrible things, will just create hatred, and cause people to get hurt…”
“Mmm Hmm, that’s true. I have to do horrible things. I have to be hated. To cause people to get hurt — so, what about it?”
A “Pwack” sound was clearly heard. He hit Asia. “Ah!”
Asia fell to the ground. This scene…was enough to ignite something in my heart. …This bastard, actually……hit Asia…! …Originally, my strength was already depleted, but I automatically got up! …Dear Asia, was hit. How can I just lie there…! Aarrgh, this bastard, is truly the scum of the scum! — I couldn’t hold back giving this guy a punch yaaarrrrghhh! “Asia!” “…You bastard, you dared to hit Asia…!” “Asia…Damn…!”
Xenovia, I, Irina, everyone who saw Asia in danger had the same look in their eyes! To me, Asia is…an important person! She’s never allowed to get hurt! I got up a bit, Rizevim laughed and said
“Hehahaha, everyone’s face has changed. Oh no, did you favourite character get sent flying? If I keep going, will you get angrier?”
This bastard pointed his hand towards Asia who was lying on the ground! He wants to fire magic! “Stop! You son of a bitch!”
I was fuming…and got up! He hit Asia…my precious family member, how could I lie there! I won’t forgive you! You hurt Asia and her family —! | text_18 |
“I definitely won’t forgive you ———!”
I yelled out — and suddenly felt a cold chill behind me. …In my field of vision, I could see an extremely scary and dangerous aura being released from a single place. Even if his whole body was bleeding, Fafnir was giving a deadly glare to his opponent. “…You are not allowed to bully Asia-chan…You are not allowed to bully Asia-chan!”
I could feel the immense pressure released from Fafnir’s entire body! …What happened to that guy…? “Hehahaha, you are indeed a Dragon King. Even with your body like that, your pressure is incredible. You didn’t seriously ask —”
Rizevim wasn’t allowed to finish, Fafnir suddenly flew up high, opened his massive jaws and dived down! His strength should have already run out. Clearly when he was on the defence he should have used all his power up, the Golden Dragon glowed with fierce eyes and charged towards the son of Lucifer! “You made Asia cry…! You made Asia cry…!”
From the shadow beneath Rizevim’s feet appeared a very small figure — it was Ophis’s spawn Lilith! Lilith stood in front of Rizevim, and made a line of defensive barriers — Fafnir’s charge hit and he crushed barriers under his teeth, and was slowly, slowly approaching Rizevim! Lilith cancelled her barrier, and directly hit Fafnir’s face! A loud noise echoed through the sky, but the Dragon King seemed unaffected. He swept with a horizontal kick, and sent Lilith flying! What a brutal attack! Although Lilith was unscathed, the fact that she was sent flying is true! Before Lilith could get ready again, Fafnir faced Rizevim and blasted out a massive fireball! Rizevim moved slightly and used his magic to dampen the flames — but the Golden Dragon King was no longer in front of him! He flew up into the air! Fafnir’s massive body was strange with wings; he flew high up into the air, and then aimed his teeth at Rizevim below! What came out of his mouth — were swords with powerful auras, spears, and other weapons! What he expelled were all legendary weapons! Rizevim used magic to deflect the falling weapons, but the weapons that bounced off changed their trajectory and flew back towards him! He was surrounded by flaming or ice swords, spears of lightning, aura releasing axes, and countless other weapons in the air which flew towards Rizevim! But, the attack didn’t just consist of legendary weapons, Fafnir was also charging towards him at a blinding speed! Even with the magic attack of the weapons — the Dragon King was charging as if berserk! His eyes were burning with anger…! “Hehahaha! What is this, to make me feel such pressure!”
To Fafnir who was charging straight towards him, Rizevim released and fired a large expanding ball of magic! It was an extremely large amount of magic! If hit by that directly…! But, the Golden Dragon King who was charging at such high speed he should be able to dodge — in a flash, Fafnir collided into Rizevim’s magic — and didn’t come out! Just before the magic had hit, Fafnir had disappeared. It was like a mirage — that’s right, it was an illusion! It’s a feint! “—! It was actually an illusion!? So it was an effect of the legendary weapons you have!” Rizevim became aware of his carelessness, and looked around. Then, an enormous figure from behind Rizevim Livan Lucifer charged towards him! When Rizevim created a defensive barrier — the Dragon King opened his mouth wide and crushed the magic circle with his jaws, then continued charging towards the son of Satan! Wham! — That dull noise echoed. “……Hoo! Deceptive…! ?”
Fafnir’s charge, had slashed Rizevim from his left shoulder downwards —
“The guy who made Asia cry, I will not let you go lightly!”
Fafnir’s suicidal charge — to Rizevim, it seems like it had exceeded his expectations. His demonic smile and attitude from before disappeared, leaving an astonished expression. This Dragon King’s determination — Known as the Dragon King Fafnir, the anger burning in his eyes was scary. “Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!”
Fafnir immediately began the chase! Rizevim tried to escape, but Fafnir was stubbornly chasing him! …This, is really quite tenacious! Without completely defeating his opponent he will not let go, such passion made my head feel tight…! — That guy only did one thing. He hurt Asia. That one thing was enough to make the Golden Dragon King “Outrage”. I recalled the words that my teacher once said. — we must not offend the dragon, a phrase has been used since ancient times — “Outrage”, what is it? Even a low level dragon, if it was offended, then you would understand. Dragons are creatures that should not be angered. A dragon’s “Outrage”. Rizevim has experienced it. Fafnir’s anger. As a fellow dragon who watched, I couldn’t help but feel a little chill. The emotionless Lilith frowned slightly in the eyes of the enraged Fafnir. “……Rizevim, this dragon, and Lilith are a flavour.” Hearing her words, Rizevim seemed to understand what was said. He used magic to retrieve his severed limb back to his side, then reattached it. “…Indeed, that is…Ophis’s ‘friend’ is quite troublesome. Because she is the original Dragon God’s ‘friend’ which cannot exist. Nice, I’ve seen something good. I should remember this.”
His expression was different to that of before, giving off a serious feeling. —Then, Ddraig inside me said
“Partner! We have Fafnir to thank for that! It’s time for me to begin! —The power I released, you should currently be able to use it!”
Somewhat late, Ddraig. The reason was because Asia was hit. But, that’s good. I want to beat this guy up at the peak of my mood yaaaarrrghhh! I wore my red armour, and seeing it he simply laughed. “Hohahahaha! It’s that again! I’ve already told you it’s useless useless useless!”
I take his words and fly forward. The same as before, I go for a head on attack! Rizevim grinned, and prepared to engage me! “As long as your power has anything to do with a Sacred Gear — it’ll be useless!”
He extended his hand to touch my armour — despite the fact that my armour was gone, I still had my gauntlet left! I continued using all my strength to punch Rizevim’s face! A new voice sounded from my gem! [“Penetrate! !”]
He took the blow straight on, and from the impact of the hit he was sent flying backwards! Rizevim fell to the ground. “……How, this is…”
He said with a tone of disbelief, rubbing his face while lying down. It looks like blood from his nose had been sprayed all over his face. I slowly approached him as he lay on the ground, pulled him up by his hair, then punched his face again. He tumbled onto the ground again, still in disbelief. As I walked over to him I said
“—This is one of Ddraig’s abilities when he was alive, ‘Penetrate’. The power of my attack was transmitted directly to your body.”
That’s right, this is Ddraig’s retrieved power. Ddraig’s abilities — “Boost”, “Transfer”, and “Penetrate”. Rizevim lifted the upper half of his body, whilst shivering. “…Using the power of ‘Penetrate’, to bypass my ‘Sacred Gear Canceller’…? | text_18 |
How is that possible! My ‘Sacred Gear Canceller’! No matter what Sacred Gear, no matter what divine instrument, all of them! All—of—them, become ineffective—”
Before he could continue his words, I punched him in the face again. In order to better release the power of the dragon, I dragonified both my arms and legs. “Wuarrrgghhh! ?”
…Perhaps my strength stayed the same, with each punch, the body took the impact, and seemed to be falling. But he couldn’t fall. I kept giving him a few more punches, harder! I take a step closer to the weakened Rizevim — then start with a punch, then a kick, then a punch, another punch, a kick! “Ke! He! …How’s this, this. How’s this, and this! ?” “A normal dragon, a normal Sacred Gear were not able to penetrate your body before.”
In order to defeat Euclid, I had used Longinus Smasher, and since then have slowly been recovering. So I’m not in my normal state. “But now, I have the ‘Penetrate’ ability, which will defeat you.”
I stumbled back a tad. As if Rizevim thought of something, he suddenly started laughing. “……So that’s how it was, it was like that it was like that…! That’s it, the endless dream of someone…! That is, Vali…that’s why you’re so keen! That’s how you feel!”
Rizevim yelled. Ddraig said in a voice that he could hear
“Son of Lucifer. You think you’re his enemy? Even God of the Bible revered their power — dragons. Whether it’s me, or the Hakuryuukou, or Fafnir, you can’t underestimate us — I could if I wanted, to have destroyed the world a few times over with just brute force. But I haven’t done so, because compared to you, my life is more enjoyable like this.”
Ddraig had once told me “—Angels, devils, they once ruined my fun.” Rizevim listened, as he wiped blood off his face. “…That was when the three main factions were still at war, the two heavenly dragons said things like that to God and Satan.”
I then declared
“I made up my mind — to become a harem king, whether you’re Satan’s son, or a god, I’ll beat them all! I need to be together with Rias, Asia, Akeno-san, Irina and Xenovia to live a fun and happy life!”
As I said that to him, there was reassurance behind me. “Ise!” “Ise-kun!”
Rias, Kiba! Everyone had rushed over here! Even Cao Cao was here! “Yo. We caught up.”
Dulio was also here! His opponent Crom Cruach, was actually here as well! Rizevim, upon seeing all the members of “DxD” gathered, laughed at himself. “Hehahaha! So everyone’s here. Then I’ll say…alas, the manufactured Grendel and Ladon-sama were defeated? How scary, the breakthrough of ‘DxD’!”
Between the confrontation between us and the other side, a third party’s voice descended from the sky. “—Hohoho, how dare you say such things in heaven, truly the Sekiryuutei.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to a single point — it was Archangel Michael who was flying down from the sky! “—Michael-sama! ?”
The surprised Irina said. Michael said
“I came late. The issue with the seal in Heaven has now been resolved. They have been manipulating Heaven’s various gates, we believe they are using the forbidden technique of Aži Dahāka. Without affecting the ‘system’ we tried to resolve the issue…but my comrade who helped me, at the highest level — Seventh Heaven made a high level of protection, so that even if I no longer exist, evil forces will not be able to invade.”
Michael turned to face Rizevim. “Next is, you. Long time no see. Wasn’t the last time we met during the previous war? Seeing as you’ve set foot into Heaven’s territory, would you please cooperate…although saying so, it looks like you’ve already been beaten.”
Michael’s expression — became rather cold. “But, I will not show mercy.”
Michael raised his hand to the sky, and in mid-air — appeared an immensely large spear of light! …If one was to be hit by that gigantic spear of light, any kind of devil’s life would be in danger! Michael mercilessly lowered his hand. The gigantic spear of light flew towards Rizevim! In the instant that it hit, a large amount of light was released in an explosion! Michael immediately erected a barrier, to protect us from the impact of the explosion. That was not the case for Rizevim, he took a head on strike from that gigantic spear of light. “Ha—hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!”
Several more explosions occurred within the Garden of Eden, such that even the landscape significantly changed. In the midst of the explosions, that guy kept laughing continuously. —Then, in the centre of the explosions from spear of light, appeared twelve black pillars. They expanded and then bent…like wings. No, this is— After the assault from the spears of light stopped, I saw Rizevim standing in the centre of where the explosions were with twelve black wings spread out. The shape of his wings were familiar. That’s right, it was from when the three factions made peace. My rival — Vali, he had these black wings! It was Lucifer’s…black wings! Rizevim survived the attack of light. With his wings coming out of his back, he rested his hand on his chin. “Oh no, what should I say…ah, yes — so sorry. I really underestimated you. Oh no, because it’s been a few thousand years, a few thousand years without exercising much, my shoulders are a bit sore.”
As Rizevim said that while scratching his head, he then let out a sigh — and gave a callous look that I had not seen before. “The fun ends here. I — no, as the son of Lucifer, you are the enemy of my dreams.”
…Whether it’s his tone, or the heavy pressure that he was releasing, he was completely different…! His body, the guilty pleasure on his face, his impression and even his atmosphere had changed. However, I still said with disdain
“—So what. Even if you are serious now, you’ve already committed, and will deeds committed now change the future? So, why don’t you come down here, and end it now.”
—However, Rizevim shook his head. “No, this time we’ll be leaving — I’ve already achieved what I came for.”
As he spoke, he took out an object. “—That is!”
Michael had an extremely surprised expression! Rizevim was holding two fruits. “This is the fruit of wisdom and the fruit of life.”
—Hey! Are those, the fruits written about in the Bible!? Why, would this guy be holding them!? Didn’t they cease to exist a long time ago!? “How can that be! The tree should no longer bear any fruit!”
Irina said exactly what was on my mind. Rizevim stroked the fruit in his hand and said
“Hmm, it no longer bears fruit — but, if it was ‘preserved’, then that’s another matter.”
He smiled and continued
“My mother Lilith, is the Lilith who was recorded in the Bible. In the past, when my mother was human, she lived in the Garden of Eden. She was also known as Adam’s first wife.”
I know that. I remember she was Adam’s ex-wife. Not Ophis’s spawn Lilith, but the real Lilith. Rizevim continued further
“…When I was little, I often heard my mother Lilith say: ‘I am carrying God, I have hidden the fruit of wisdom and the fruit of life somewhere’, she was rather conceited. But what was the truth? I tried to find it…it existed. | text_18 |
Although they had long withered, the energy which was lost…”
Michael interrupted Rizevim and said
“You’ll use the holy grail to restore them? But, where in heaven was it hidden? I never perceived them all these years.”
“—In purgatory. The depths of purgatory. Hidden in the secret passage to Hades.”
…Hold on. Purgatory…has a passage to the underworld? Then, that, means that there was no reason to attack Heaven— Perhaps guessing my thoughts, Rizevim said
“There was also a passage to Heaven, so after I took the fruits I also came over to take a look.”
—A passage. Just because there was a passage to Heaven, he came here and attacked…! This guy really is the embodiment of evil…! I ran all the way here just because this guy was such an annoying bastard! “……”
Everyone silently stood in front of him with a great sense of morale — however, a small figure stood in front of him. “…Rizevim, I will protect.”
—Lilith. She looked exactly the same as Ophis, which dampened my will to fight. Because Lilith was standing in the middle, Rizevim sighed. “…I easily got to have fun, children lose interest once they take a step back.”
A magic circle began to glow beneath his feet. “This old guy is leaving now. I had a lot of fun — Hyoudou Issei, till we meet again.”
You’re not getting away! Although I wanted to say that, I don’t have any remaining strength, I also have anaemia, and can barely stand any more. The others who could still move wanted to attack, but because Lilith was in the way, they had the same complicated expression as me. Michael could not attack, also because Lilith was there, and also because an evil dragon slowly got closer — Crom Cruach was close enough that his shadow was visible. Seeing this, it was either a draw with Dulio, or a winner had not yet been decided. “Lilith, Crom, we’re going back.”
Rizevim said to Crom Cruach who had arrived here. However, that guy didn’t respond. “…Crom?”
In response to Rizevim’s question, the evil dragon simply rejected the invitation with silence. “Fine then, that’s alright.”
Rizevim shook his head, as he was about to disappear into the light, I finally gave him these words
“Rizevim — the one to defeat you will not be me, it will be Vali. That fact will never change.”
Rizevim — just as he was about to disappear revealed a smile which looked forward to it. After the disappearance of Qlippoth and the others, I could finally let out a sigh of relief in Fourth Heaven. Now it was just Irina’s father who was urgently sent to Fifth Heaven’s medical facilities. I hope he’ll be able to detoxify the poison as soon as possible…. The evil dragons that appeared along with Qlippoth had also disappeared. …Heaven looks like it has suffered a lot of damage. But fortunately the ‘system’ does not seem to be affected. Michael thanked Cao Cao
“We highly appreciate your help in Heaven.”
“I never imagined that I’d be able to enter Heaven. —Nevertheless, I have still sinned. Also every time I do something, it’s thanks to information from Hades.”
Everyone who heard that news was shocked. …Hades provided information? But, did Hades also know about the secret passage between Heaven and the Underworld that Qlippoth used? “…Hades thought that would make it fair. Or is he just having fun?”
Rias muttered to herself. Michael did not have a reply, but continued speaking to Cao Cao
“You were the one chosen by the holy spear. As long as you are not an enemy, then I will not be hostile.”
“Hohoho, the holy spear was used to pierce through Jesus though. As the Archangel you really are quite accepting.”
Cao Cao turned around to leave. “See you another time.”
Seeing that he was about to leave, I called out to him
“Wait!”
There’s something I need to confirm with him. “…Are you an enemy? Or are you a member of ‘Khaos Brigade?”
Cao Cao looked up at the sky and spoke
“…At the least, I’m no longer a part of ‘Khaos Brigade’. Currently I’m a part of Indra’s vanguard. But, the previous vanguard was the first generation Monkey King, and I was behind the scenes. I’m responsible for some inside matters which cannot be made public. I currently have no intention to harm you.”
Rias then said
“You’ve done so many bad things, yet Indra still keeps you by his side. I really don’t know what he’s thinking. Do I need to list the several breaches of the treaty?”
Cao Cao shrugged. “There’s no point in telling me. I’m just with Indra because he saved my life on a whim. …I think that in my present position, I can’t relate to my past ambitions and dreams, which is ironic as I was once a member of ‘Khaos Brigade’.”
“It seems you don’t understand the meaning of reflection.”
Kiba frowned. Cao Cao took a deep breath. “…You said, reflect. From my viewpoint, should I be reflecting on fighting against creatures? Or do you mean I should swear myself to revenge? …Is a fight between humans and creatures ‘justice’ or is it ‘evil’? Currently I am simply powerless, satisfied and unable to answer any questions, an ethereal empty shell.”
…He hasn’t changed, he was just talking nonsense. Rias asked again
“What about the other users of Sacred Gears?”
“Georg and Leonardo? Hoho, they’re still with Hades. Georg and him…Hoho, they’re in the Realm of the Dead researching the magic of the grim reapers. He was sent to a magician who was famous when he was alive, and he quickly got stuck into the research of magic.”
…He actually became something like that. Those heroes truly are puzzling guys. Cao Cao continued speaking. “He told me that they had no plans to return to this side. I truly cannot understand the values of magicians. Leonardo also seems to enjoy the atmosphere there, he’s the same as Georg and doesn’t have any intention of coming back.”
Cao Cao shifted his spear to his shoulder then said sarcastically
“…Only I, only I still want to linger in this world, so that’s why I came back. — If you want to punish me then feel free to do so. If I am currently your object of hatred. Although, I have no intention of dying easily….”
…His words were provocative to me, but I knew he would be fighting back with his full strength. “…Can I trust you? Besides, what reason do you have to come back here? You’re not here for revenge or atonement right?”
When I asked, he turned to look somewhere far away. “…I, need to become some kind of person. For what reason, was I born with this spear? I simply live to find the answer to this.”
This guy just said a heap of nonsense. “The search for myself. Something that you would not do.” “In the end, I wished to discover myself, and that has led me to the result I have here.”
He’s just downright troublesome! I’d prefer for him not to attack us! “If you decide to follow up on your search for self, what would you do?”
Hearing Kiba’s question, he shook his head. “…This follow up…does not exist. My dream, has already been destroyed by the Sekiryuutei once. My next dream is —.”
Speaking of that, Cao Cao turned to me. “To defeat the Sekiryuutei Hyoudou Issei. | text_18 |
I think that, to be able to defeat you, I will have fully revived. Today — no, once again, I’m not sure about it.”
……. So he means that I will be his enemy. But, if I dared to attack, it would be that simple. Cao Cao had probably finished talking, and waved his hand in preparation to leave. “Goodbye for now. Indra ordered me to attack the evil dragons and assist you, so you could say its fate that we met again.”
Rias asked a final question
“Allow me to ask one more question. If, Indra ordered you and I to fight then what would you do?”
“…Exactly that. All I can say is, Hyoudou Issei, next time, when we fight, I won’t have Medusa’s eye or Samael, I will be using my own power to challenge you.”
“Well, I won’t use anything like Samael’s poison, and will definitely defeat you.”
Cao Cao and I smiled fearlessly at the same time. He glanced at me, then turned around to leave. Seeing this scene, Xenovia began whispering “Say Irina…Lately I’m seriously starting to get worried about the number of men who are targeting Ise….”
“Well… in that case, it will no longer be sufficient to count the number on both hands….”
Irina began counting with her fingers. “…Really, I’m serious.”
I really have nothing to say. …No, she makes it sound like I have a problem. But, it’s because other guys have also passionately invited me, I couldn’t help but to give responses like that! Is it that bad!? A passionate reply can make a man become even more passionate with you!? — This time, a shadow moved away from the Angels’ troops and came towards me. Soon, Crom Cruach had moved in front of me. The evil dragon quietly faced me and asked
“…You, are a dragon? Or are you a devil?”
…This guy asked me quite a perplexing question. “That, I do not know….”
I could only scratch my face and answer him. So he bluntly said
“My dream is to see where dragons will end up.”
He grabbed my face, and seriously asked
“You, are you the answer that I’m looking for?”
“No, I don’t know….”
I didn’t know how to answer him, but he seemed to be aggressive. “—Fight with me once”. “Huh…? Now, fight now?”
I was really surprised! I said that, right now we’ve already finished fighting! Everyone became serious again on the possibility that Crom Cruach and I would begin fighting! I’m already tired! —Then again, would this evil dragon listen to my reason…? Both of us were silent for a while. The evil dragon was the first to speak
“…A no, is it?”
“…Wait, let me rest for a while, can you do that?”
So, I just tentatively asked that….the evil dragon was quiet for a while, then suddenly changed his posture, and turned around to leave. “……Then I’ll be going.”
…No way. He actually agreed! Seeing his response, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat surprised! “You’re going back to Qlippoth?”
I asked, but he shook his head. “No, I’ve already lost interest in that. I might as well give myself a change. I’m already used to the human world.”
As he finished talking, he spread his black wings, and flew off into the distance. …Although the fact that he had now left was good, but who knows where he plans to go from Heaven. Whatever, based on what he said, he’ll probably be forced to land….Michael did not do anything about Crom Cruach’s actions which confused me though, but Irina smiled. “Irina, well played. You are indeed my Ace.”
Having received such praise from her much respected Archangel, Irina began to blush. Suddenly, it seemed like Irina had thought of something, and she turned to Michael to ask
“Michael-sama, although this question may be a bit overdue….”
“What is it?”
“— Why did you choose me to be your Ace?”
This was actually quite an interesting question. I’d always been curious. Why did Michael choose Irina to be his own Ace? “Hoho, so it was about this.”
Michael clapped his hands. Then he raised one finger and asked back
“In the human world, when you open the packaging and box of a new deck of cards, what is the first card that you see?”
“…The ace of spades.”
Koneko-chan answered first. That’s right, the first card you should see is the ace of spades. Michael seemed to be in deep thought. “That’s right. My idea was, that this person should embody the reincarnation of an angel — someone who represents the ‘Brave Saints’. Angel Irina, you have a pure heart, you’re honest and sincere, and you are a devout believer from the bottom of your heart. Also, you’re able to get along with anyone. That’s why you’re the person who is most suited to being the representative of the Angels.”
…So it had that sort of meaning to it. The title of Ace, was not only because of Irina’s personality, but also because of Michael’s expectations. Michael then continued to Irina
“If you would please from now on, continue to uphold the image of the ‘Royal Users (Brave Saints)’.”
Told this, Irina was moved to tears, and continuously nodded her head. “Yes! I will do my best to show my loyalty! Amen!”
Now everything was finally finished. Dulio who was sitting on the ground had fallen asleep. I heard that he had used his Balance Breaker against Crom Cruach. He was able to seriously fight against that evil dragon and be able to return, I truly admire him. No, although I previously believed that he would come back, I didn’t think he would be completely fine and uninjured! Though his enemy did not seem to have any fatal injuries either. But even so, he certainly deserves to be our leader! …A wave of fatigue suddenly hit me, and I laid down on the floor and looked up at the sky. But, the power of [Penetrate]. Besides my current power, there was no other way. To be able to transmit my strength directly. But just defeating Rizevim is not enough…. However, if this ability could be transferred to others, then it will completely change how we fight. I suddenly thought… this ability, could it be used on the system? To penetrate through the many layers of special protection in Heaven. Just when I was thinking of that, I heard the voice of the most beautiful woman in Heaven. “Everyone! Michael-sama! How do you do?”
It was Gabriel who had gone over to the human world for a business trip and had quickly rushed back over. She had incredible allure due to her huge oppai, which occasionally bounced. …Her oppai! I would be so happy to be able to see them! …Ah! I suddenly thought of it! What would happen if I transferred the power of [Penetrate] to use through my eyes!? What’s there to wait for! It’s time to try it out! I transferred the power of [Penetrate]…and concentrated it to my eyes! Then —
The clothing of the ladies within my field of vision…were transparent! Transparent! Traaannnssspppaaarrreeennnttt! Rias’s oppai! Akeno-san’s oppai! Xenovia’s oppai! Even Irina’s oppai could be seen! My eyes are seeing everything, nothing can get in the way between my eyes and oppai! This, this is the power of [Penetrate]! This, Ahhhhh it really is too good! I took advantage of this situation, to move my eyes over to Gabriel-san! | text_18 |
What came into my vision was — shape, width, the colour of the areolae, size, roundness, only everything together can make one feel like these were the oppai of an angel! This, this… this perfect balance…! Of all I have known, this has to be one of the best… no, this is already unmatched! These, these oppai actually existed all this time! Aaahh, Azazel-sensei! I, finally! I finally saw it! The most beautiful oppai in Heaven! “Hoho, so those are the most beautiful oppai in Heaven! Thank you! Thank you!”
Right now I could only pray in tears! Because I was a devil praying, even if it was bad, even if I had a headache, it still does not matter! —Those, can already be called God’s oppai! That’s right, I’ll do that! Sensei, my, my perverseness hasn’t decreased! Because, I have already learnt how to use my new ability! [“…Indeed.”]
Ddraig, do you feel helpless!? As I was crying of happiness, last time’s Heavenly device began alerting and surrounded me in Angelic symbols! The system to prevent indecent thoughts was active again! Everyone’s attention was focused onto me. …They must be thinking, that at a time like this I’m thinking of something perverted. “……….”
Koneko-chan opened her eyes halfway and remained silent. Everyone simply laughed helplessly. “Koneko-chan…? No, it’s not, this thing! There’s a reason!”
“…Senpai, you really are a big pervert. When we get home we need to have a reflection meeting.”
Yes, I’m sorry, Koneko-sama…. [[[[[[[[[[Merry Christmas！]]]]]]]]]]]
I was in the Occult Research Club with the Student Council and all the members made a toast together. Even Kuroka and Le Fay were here. After the battle in Heaven, Christmas peacefully came along, and the presents had already been distributed. I am currently enjoying a slightly late Christmas. Right after the battle in Heaven, I returned to First Heaven, waved goodbye then left. Asia and the others who could move went to help treat the wounded angels, who had been fighting till the last minute. Fortunately the door leading Heaven was open, so reinforcements from the human world were able to make it. …Fafnir, who showed us incredible determination, was treated by Asia while in a deep slumber. It was said that his consciousness might not return easily. But he is not dead, so one day he’ll awaken. Asia was also relieved after hearing this. This time, he showed me the determination of a dragon. Just to protect Asia, he fought without any fear of death. …Since his mouth is always filled with pants, I think he’s quite a strange guy. But anyway, he is a Dragon King whose brilliance is incomparable. Since he needed to be observed after the detoxification of poison, Irina’s father was unable to force himself. So he passed the responsibility of distributing presents onto his daughter. Several times more enthusiastic and hardworking than her father, Irina truly was a good daughter. I am currently in the Hyoudou mansion with everyone. Dulio and Griselda-san had also come down here too. As everyone was celebrating, Rias and Akeno-san came out. “Everyone, we all worked hard in the battle this Christmas.”
Rias expressed her sympathy then continued
“Everyone, please listen. Akeno and I have some important news to tell.”
Akeno-san maintained her slight smile and said
“Ara, although it might be somewhat sudden right now, but Rias and I decided to do this specifically at Christmas.”
She nodded in confirmation then said
“—We’d now like to announce the new Occult Research Club President and Vice-President.”
—! Not only the members of the Occult Research Club but also the Student Council were surprised. Only Sona-kaichou was the one who already knew, and she simply kept smiling. Rias then continued
“As the President of the Occult Research Club for three years, during that time I’ve taken extra care, to ensure that the next generation will follow strict principles. I hope that the next President and members will be able to remember this one thing. When there is flexibility, the Occult Research Club will definitely become better.”
Then, Rias cleared her throat. Finally, she announced the new promotions
“The new president is Asia, the Vice-President is Kiba.”
—Really, so it was actually like this! I had long expected this for Kiba. So, it was not surprising for this guy to be promoted. But, Asia actually became the president! This really exceeded my expectations! Because Asia also did not expect this, she was surprised and could only cover her mouth with her hands. Rias continued further
“The reason I chose Asia, was because I felt that she was most likely the person who could renew the Occult Research Club. I think she can take our club activities into a different direction…imagining what would happen is very interesting.”
After that, Akeno-san stated her reason for choosing Kiba. “I chose Kiba-kun, simply because I thought that both the President and Vice-President have been female for this past generation…. Although there are several reasons for that, but more importantly, I think that he will be a male role model for the school. This is what I also discussed with Rias.”
“Although the next Vice-President would be male, until the very end I was deciding whether to choose Ise or Kiba. But considering that Ise’s future will be quite intense, and we cannot neglect club activities, so it was decided that Kiba would be the Vice-President.”
…So that’s how it was, that was the reason. The reason why Asia was chosen was because she could take the Occult Research Club in a new direction. Choosing Kiba was for future growth and communication between the other male students. …Although I thought that, since he is a handsome guy, male students will hate him, while female students will be attracted to him! Rias asked the two people
“Now, do you two accept this?”
“I don’t have a problem. I think this is fair.”
Kiba immediately answered. Asia — seemed to be lost in thought. “…Ah! I, I, I, I, I…this! “I can’t?”
Rias saw that Asia was flustered and even her voice had changed, so she gave her a glass of water then asked again. After Asia finished the glass of water, and had calmed down a bit, she said
“No, it can’t be! I’m not the best…. I think that someone lively like Ise, Irina, or perhaps the serious Koneko-chan, or Ravel-san would be more suitable, I’m afraid that a shy person like me, can’t do well….”
I smiled slightly at Asia. “That’s not true. In that case I’ll help you. Also, with Asia as the President, it will definitely become better! I think that [‘Ah, this is for dear Buchou’] has made me work hard for two years consecutively! That, to me is very important!”
Hmm! Just thinking about it, if Asia were the President, I would definitely be filled with energy this year! Ahh, for my dear Asia-Buchou, I would be prepared to do anything! Hearing what I said, Rias smiled. “Ara ara, I think Ise would do that. | text_18 |
This is also one of the reasons for the decision.”
Kiba said to Asia and the other members
“I have decided, as long as this is entrusted to me, I will try my best to support Asia and everyone.”
Xenovia put her hand on Asia’s shoulder. “Asia, this is a good opportunity. I think it’s worth a go. Being the President of the Occult Research Club is an opportunity, which will probably not come by a second time.”
“Mmhmm! For Asia, I will definitely work hard!”
Irina also showed her agreement. “…Asia-buchou, I think that sounds good.”
“Yes! If it’s for Asia-senpai……-buchou, I will do my best!”
“I have no objections.”
It looks like Koneko-chan, Gya-suke, and Ravel also approved. “This is good, Asia as President!”
Saji also agreed. “I think this is right. It looks interesting.”
“Mmhmm, Kiba as the Vice-President is also good.”
The Sitri side also seemed to agree. Then, it is done! All that was left now was Asia’s decision. Asia thought about it for a moment, then smiled and answered
“…I understand. Then I’ll accept the position! Everyone, in the next year, please work with me as the new President.”
Everyone responded loudly and bowed to Asia. [[[[[[[Yes, Buchou!]]]]]]] Asia-buchou was now official! It was great! It seems that next year the Occult Research Club will be relaxed and happy! Rias began rubbing her shoulders. “…Ah, this feeling, it’s like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.”
“Ara ara, me too. It’s time to hand this over to the younger people.”
It looks like Akeno-san and Rias felt the same way. Then Sona-kaichou and Tsubaki-fukukaichou spoke
“So, next time, the four of us will have a tea party.”
What she said sounded like something an old lady would say! She was totally out of it! Koneko-chan had a mouth full of cake, then suddenly remembered something
“In that case…how do I address Rias-buchou now….”
Ah, I see. Since Asia is now the President, Rias…becomes what? I don’t know! I always just call her Rias so it doesn’t matter, but what would the others call her? Rias blinked, and then said to Koneko-chan and Kiba
“I see. You can call me [Onee]or [Ane]can’t you?”
But, Koneko-chan calmly said
“I can’t call you Rias-buchou? I’m used to saying that….”
Rias seemed a bit surprised, then found it really funny and started laughing
“So that’s it. It’s a sudden change, but that’s fine then. But don’t forget that Asia is your new President.”
It looks like, for now it seems like there will be two people I’ll be calling Buchou. After the celebrations. Rias and I had inadvertently moved into a corner of the room together. I said to Rias
“Rias, before…in front of the first generation Bael, I couldn’t say this. I—.”
Rias placed her finger over my lips and smiled. “Hahaha, its fine. You don’t need to say it. I understand. —I love you, Ise.”
“I do too, Rias.”
…Yaegaki, I, I have…decided that the rest of my life will be peaceful, and stable. For that, I will fight. I thought that to myself, and raised the glass in my hand towards the sky. I went outside to buy a few things. Someone came along with me — it was Irina. After I had finished my shopping at the convenience store, we talked about our last promise. “About the Christmas promise, what should I do?”
“Hmm, it was a childhood promise, but it was to attack Santa Claus. A little drastic huh.”
“Yeah.”
I couldn’t help giggling. How would we really go to attack Santa Claus. Although it was an unwitting childhood promise, just thinking about it was quite a ridiculous thing. But I think the only reason why a child could come up with such an idea, was so that they could get more presents. —As I was thinking, something came down from the sky. “—It’s snow.”
It was starting to snow! The timing was quite a coincidence. “I didn’t think it’d actually be a white Christmas…. The weather forecast had clearly stated that tonight would be clear with occasional clouds.”
I looked towards the sky. Hahaha, although a lot of things had happened, if this is a reward, it should be enough. “—Hey, Ise”
Irina suddenly called to me. “Hm? What is it? —.”
As soon as I turned my head around — Irina’s lips were placed onto mine. ……. ………, as it had happened so suddenly, my…mind went completely blank. Irina’s face was red from blushing, after that she turned around in a circle and I gently flicked my tongue. “—An angel’s kiss! It was because the scene was so beautiful. People would naturally want to kiss like this.”
……. …No, that’s not it, although I did think that this night scenery was beautiful…! An angel smiling in the snow was an even more beautiful sight! So, so this, is, is, is, is her kiss!? Irina then continued and said
“In fact this is my second time. Although the first one was Ise-kun.”
“Huh? But I don’t remember that happening…”
I really couldn’t remember it happening! When did we kiss!? No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t recall it! Irina said with a mischievous smile
“Ahmm, of course! It’s because when we were kids, Ise-kun came to sleep over at my house and I stole a kiss from you.”
No way! When we were kids? …That’s what she said, then, my first kiss was…! Suddenly, a figure that everybody would know appeared in front of a slightly smiling Irina and I! “Good for you! Relationships are a good thing!”
wearing a Santa Claus outfit was — Azazel-sensei! Wondering why he didn’t attend the party, I didn’t imagine he would appear like this! “Ahahahahaha! I heard from it from Shidou Touji! That when you two were kids that you decided to fight together against Santa, to get more presents right? This is an interesting thing, it would have been better if you told me earlier! If you defeat me, then this bag of presents will be yours! Well now, what will you do?”
Irina’s father, he actually knew about our promise! No, this comes first, Azazel-sensei is Santa! Irina and I looked at each other. We laughed at the same time. “Ha, hahaha.”
“Hahahaha! Really, sensei — you’re nothing like Santa. Fine, I guess we might as well fulfil our promise!”
Irina and I faced sensei — Santa prepared his stance! “Hmm, what I wished for, Ise-kun! Let me see a little bit of your power!”
Irina and I rushed in together! Santa attacked me head on and said at the same time
“Ise! Irina! You are the young people of the next generation. You should enjoy your time now as much as you can. This, is a great experience for you. Devils, angels and fallen angels who can have fun together in this town. This fact, is more important than anything else!”
…Sensei! Your words are amazing! I’m touched! Although I had tried to grab sensei’s bag a few times, he was always just a bit faster than me! “Good, it’s about time I use my real power!”
Just after I said so. “I will also fight.”
The small Dragon God had come running out, and joined in with us! Seeing this, sensei was really surprised, almost as if his eyeballs were going to pop out of his head! “Even Ophis is here! Hey hey, this is a little unfair…”
No, no, this is the Santa that kids would dream about! “Great, now, Irina, Ophis! | text_18 |
Let’s defeat Santa together and get the presents!”
“Hahaha. Hm!” “Ho.”
I, Irina and Ophis charged together towards the fallen angel of Christmas. —Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful Christmas Eve! “Azazel, I wouldn’t use the hotline to contact you for anything else. Regarding Agreas’s secret, I think it would be best to make it clear.”
“…It looks like the problem is getting worse, Sirzechs?”
“Inside Agreas is the technology that was used to make [Evil Pieces] which contained the essential crystals of the highest quality. Since Agreas has currently been taken away, therefore making new [Evil Pieces] is not possible. Currently the number of unused sets of Evil pieces I have is less than a thousand.”
“…If that’s the case, then the number of devils that can be reincarnated will be limited. Indeed, the situation has taken a turn for the worst. Speaking of which, the [Royal Users (Brave Saints)] also uses the same materials but they can only use their existing inventory of materials…. Even if we could maintain the reincarnation system, without the materials to make these things it would be meaningless…. Angels are fine though. The reincarnation system has not been in place for very long, so it wouldn’t be an issue even if it was abolished. The problem is —.”
“That’s correct. The [Evil Pieces] are deeply embedded into the underworld’s life, culture, and is important to their values. If it were removed—.”
“…The foundations of the devil world may be shaken. …But I don’t think that [Qlippoth’s] aim is more than just this.”
“The essentials for reincarnation are in Agreas. On top of that there’s the Holy Grail and Evil Dragons—. …The cards they’re holding now have become exceedingly dangerous. So presumably, he wants to revive 666 and invade another world….”
“…The unrest of the Church has slowly begun to surface. Have you heard about it? The exorcists who have questioned the reason behind the treaty of the three factions. Peace, means that there will be no need to hunt devils. The vampires also appear to be starting to accept peace. There are those who harbour concerns on the value of what’s happening. Who knows what would happen if they’re discontent and suspicion of Heaven reaches the top brass.”
“Hmm. So you’re saying that every opposing organisation is raising this issue with the Vatican. I heard that one of the masterminds behind this was the previous wielder of Durandal.”
“…The original Durandal has already been assimilated…. This is bad. That guy’s compatibility with Durandal was extremely high. If he were to get his hands on Ex-Durandal then—.”
“…Qlippoth is supporting them from the shadows.”
“Sirzechs. Rizevim thinks simply. To say that he is naïve would not be an overstatement. —But it seems like the vampires view him as an ally, other smaller evil forces see him as an ally, he is a rare instigator. In a sense, his existence in the human world, I say could be more threatening than a legendary God of War or a God of Destruction, he is the most troublesome person.”
“…He’s an example of the opposite of dear Ise-kun, Rizevim who’s inciting conflict behind our backs.”
“…Did you find out about the devils who are supporters of Rizevim?”
“No, I haven’t. Nothing has come out of asking Euclid, and it looks like he hasn’t told Euclid’s supporters about his disappearance. Qlippoth should know, after taking Agreas.”
“But the investigation is still ongoing right?”
“…We’ve already narrowed it down to a few people. …But one of them is someone that I do not want to imagine.”
“…Given his life’s achievements and status, I’m having an ominous feeling about this. The Old Maou Faction would really want to see their desires come true. The Hero Faction is doing its own things. …Qlippoth is doing something evil. —No, it is the type of people that they are gathering.”
“Really, Raiser-oniisama, it’s not even dawn yet, what are you doing? It’s rare to be able to enjoy Christmas, for a devil it’s a very valuable experience.”
“Devils shouldn’t be joining in the Church’s rituals! You won’t become a noble high-class devil like this, you know? You haven’t contacted me very often lately. You know I currently have to go to that Sekiryuutei kid just to ask about how you’re doing? This is not normal!”
“Okay okay, I know that onii-sama has a good relationship with Ise-sama. —Well, what did you want to tell me?”
“Hoho, indeed. In fact. Stay calm and listen to me! My return to the rating game has been decided!”
“Wow! Congratulations. Although you were at home for a while, I was worried about how that would turn out.”
“Don’t mention that! Fine, whatever. The opponent for my return is a big name that will really surprise you!”
“—Who is it?”
“The champion! Emperor Belial will be the opponent for my return!”
“That’s amazing! I didn’t imagine that would happen!”
“I know right? This is an extraordinary honour! I’ve had bad luck ever since that Sekiryuutei kid defeated me. Since my opponent is the champion, this is the ultimate opportunity! Although I probably can’t win, it should be an interesting match for the spectators and organisers, which will showcase my revival!”
“Ahaha, then, I will come to support you.”
“No, you should work hard with your studies. I heard that Rias is almost graduating right? Then your strength will be needed. Don’t worry, you can watch the recording of it afterwards. It will be good learning material for Rias or your future husband.”
“M-Mou! Stop teasing me!”
“Hahahahaha! —Then how is it going between you and the Sekiryuutei?”
“Well, umm…. It’s—.” | text_18 |
I — Azazel am currently in the remote countryside of a certain country. At the end of the year, I was at a certain small stream holding something like a fishing rod. ……Although I do enjoy fishing…even I don’t feel like fishing right now. The reason — is here. Sitting next to me and holding a fishing rod was a boy who had a slight smile on his face. His hair was green and black, roughly fourteen to fifteen years old, had normal features but was a handsome boy—. “……You don’t like fishing?”
The boy asked me. “……Not really, though in the past I did spend a few years on it.”
That was a lie. Fallen Angels have an eternal life, there was a period when I spent a lot of my time trying to practice and gain experience in fishing. Hearing my response, the boy made a bitter smile
“Eh, my enthusiasm has already faded. But, a long time ago I once did have enthusiasm…”
After that brief conversation, it was silent again. ……I’d already kept this up for a few hours now. Seeing as so much time has been spent on this, there should be at least some results from fishing…. Unfortunately though, there are no fish in this stream. Even so, the boy still seemed interested in fishing here. The boy suddenly broke the silence and said
“Known as the most sinister of all Fallen Angels, you are also their leader, yet you actually try to spread peace around the world. This is such a joke. If Indra knew about this he would surely be laughing. ……Or would he smile and say something?”
Then I asked the boy about my main concern
“There’s only one thing I wish to ask you. After it happens, can you please stop the beast?”
Hearing this, the boy looked surprised. “666. Is that all right? Isn’t it a divine beast from your mythology?”
“The only one who can stop him now is you.”
After I said that, the boy smirked and replied
“Ophis is not here. Great Red naturally won’t accept. …the only one left then is me.”
The boy smiled wryly at me, then asked
“I heard that one of the young dragons on your side is able to communicate?”
“…Even if it was possible I don’t want to use it. As I don’t know what will happen.”
“A difficult request with unreasonable conditions. This isn’t really negotiating.”
……I understand. In my position, this boy…… this god is not a person like me. I understood this but still came to ask him. “If there is anything that you want, as long as it is within my power, whatever it is I’ll satisfy your request. If necessary, I’ll go and ask Odin and Zeus. Even my life doesn’t matter, I’d give it to you. I only need to stop the destruction of this world. Only this.”
Hearing my words, the boy laughed loudly. “Ahahaha, hearing such contradictionis too interesting!”
—But then the boy spoke in a direct manner
“—There’s no need. Whether it’s Odin or Zeus, or your life, I have no interest in it. If there was something I did want it would be — Ophis. Or rare cases like Sirzechs Lucifer, Ajuka Beelzebub as well. I want these people who can pose a threat to me, Fallen Angel-san.”
What this god said, I…… didn’t know how to respond. After assessing my reaction, the boy showed a mischievous smile. “I was joking. An incomplete Ophis or a devil who has no will to fight, does not make me interested.”
The boy said as he got up. “—Then I’ll do it. Fight with this beast, if he wants to invade another world, I will stop it. —But everything else is just an interference. Whether it’s something that’s happening now, or something that will happen in the future, it has nothing to do with me. Even if it’s Rizevim Livan Lucifer or the Evil Dragons. I will only lend you a hand if worst comes to worst. ……Are you satisfied with that?”
……That’s enough. That’s already more than enough. In the chance that the worst case scenario does comes true, there’ll be insurance — from this god. If he’s willing to lend even a bit of his strength, then no matter what kind of help it would be highly appreciated. “…Yes, that makes me feel at ease. I sincerely thank you—”
“There is no need. This was my original mission. —To destroy everything.”
The one who interrupted me, was that boy — from the stream which shouldn’t even have a single fish, he reeled in a massive fish which radiated a divine splendour. ……Could this god see something that even my eyes couldn’t see? However, this is not surprising. The atmosphere that this god exudes — makes me feel some kind of immeasurable power. “I understand. I won’t have any more doubts about you. —God of Destruction Shiva.”
This boy — the God of Destruction showed an eloquent smile. Considering the worst case scenario, the representatives here were Shemhaza and I, Sirzechs, and Michael who would make an immense deal for this ‘insurance’. “We will need a sufficiently strong ‘backing’. Though Odin and Zeus are already very powerful. Considering the worst possible situation — Trihexa revives, defeats Great Red, and all our forces are also slightly decreased.”
“So, Azazel…… you want it?”
“……That’s right, Michael. If the worst case scenario becomes a reality, we need people who are able to stop it. The only one who can do it right now is—Sirzechs, you know right?”
“Are you talking about the God of Destruction Shiva?”
If nobody is able to control Great Red during the battle, and Ophis’s power has weakened a lot, then there is no one who can stop Rizevim’s plan to revive Trihexa and also the Evil Dragons. Although there may be hope if all the forces are united…but as a result, the God-class people of each mythology will have to make some sacrifices. If even one of the Gods with responsibility over the human world went missing, the consequences on the world would be hard to imagine. In that case, the power to defeat Qlippoth is still necessary. The destructive power of certain people. —If I had to list a person with whom I was very close to, then it would be — Shiva. Although there are still many uncertain points, by providing all the information and conditions that we had to offer, he finally agreed. The results of this can’t be ignored. The aftermath of this matter was entrusted to Shiva. This might at least be able to avoid the worst case scenario—. Shiva used one finger to touch the large fish he had caught. After that, the struggling fish calmed down. Shiva said to me
“—Azazel, you’ve shown me your will to die. You’d best be careful. A man who preaches peace is always an unsightly existence. Yet you’ve come here to speak to me about ill omens. Your talents are quite impressive.”
……I’m well aware of the risks. Nevertheless, I want to do everything within my power. ……Eh, not too long ago, this would’ve been dangerous, I still committed a taboo……. “If you really believe in that faith, even Fallen Angels are able to reincarnate right?”
I asked wryly, and Shiva simply shrugged. For the wages of sin is death — The Bible Romans 6:23>>
— New Year’s Day. Including me, Hyoudou Issei, all the members of the Occult Research Club celebrated the New Year, then after deciding on which places to go to, we set out early in the morning. | text_19 |
And our destination was—. “Ise! Long time no see!”
A girl with blonde hair and a tail — Kunou appeared in front of the Toriiof the shrine. That’s right, this New Year we came to visit Kyoto — Fushimi Inari Taisha. Because it was the New Year, everyone was worried that it would be crowded, so we used a magic circle to teleport here in an instant. Um, the number of Torii here is still the same which feels quite scary. In order not be disturbed by other people, Kunou and I had set up a barrier with the effect of keeping people away. “Hey—, Kunou. I came here to pay my respects.”
“Uh-huh! Here’s the main god, the god Ukanomitamawill definitely be happy.”
After paying our respects, a friendly onee-san with the appearance of a fox appeared from inside the shrine! This lovely nine-tailed fox was the leader of the youkai in Kyoto—. “Everyone who has travelled so far to visit, welcome.”
It was Kunou’s mother Yasaka-san! Mmm—, indeed, she’s so beautiful! Her oppai are so large that I can’t help looking! It’s been a treat for my eyes since the New Year started. It just makes me want to bow down and pray. After Yasaka-san greeted us, Rias sincerely greeted her
“I had, always wanted the chance to greet you. But due to various reasons, I never had the chance, so I took the opportunity to greet you during this New Year’s visit.”
Rias was currently wearing a long-sleeved kimono! Her long crimson hair was tied together, and she gave off an elegant atmosphere. Not only Rias, but Asia, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Irina, Rosseweisse-san, and Ravel were also wearing long-sleeved kimonos. By the way, Gya-suke was also dressed like them…. Me, Kiba and Xenovia were dressed normally. The three of us had agreed. “““Going to Fushimi Inari? It would be best to wear clothing which is easier to walk in.”””
This answer was very much like the style of a front-line soldier. After all, speaking of Fushimi Inari Taisha, it was almost like mountain hiking. Originally I was going to invite Azazel-sensei, Kuroka and Le Fay to come along as well, but sensei said that he had to meet with several important people and thus couldn’t come. Kuroka was sitting under a warm table in the Hyoudou household early in the morning of the New Year, eating rice cakes and mandarins to enjoy her leisurely life. Le Fay was accompanying (or said she was being held with) her. Sensei later sent us some pictures, when he was drunk, where Azazel-sensei with a naked upper body was dancing with Zeus from Olympus, as well as an extremely hilarious scene of Michael-san, along with the God of the North Odin-oyajiwho was given a beating when he extended his hand towards Serafall Leviathan’s behind, and also dressed up as Satan Red was Sirzechs-sama who was being scolded by a drunk Grayfia-san. A luxury gathering on New Year’s Day, scenes which were not normally seen were sent one after the other to us. It was simply too incredible. These things were definitely not the respectful images of God-class people that were normally seen…. And Rias had her hand over her forehead, with a complicated expression for the New Year…. However, seeing Grayfia-san being amidst those people, I felt relieved. Although it looked like a drunken mess, it showed me that she had at least recovered a bit and was back to being somewhat more relaxed. “…It seems it was Azazel and the other Gods who invited her. He said that it was that time of year, so they needed to celebrate the New Year, which really helped out my sister-in-law.”
After saying that, Rias seemed relieved. She had been worried about Grayfia-san’s situation from the bottom of her heart. After all, although Grayfia-san’s younger brother was still alive, it had provoked a lot of unrest in the underworld. “Uh-huh, I will do my best to welcome you!”
Kunou looked very happy. She had also visited the Hyoudou household before…. That was when she was called to discuss the matters relating to the shrine and met Phis. “Phis didn’t come?”
Kunou looked around at the people who were here. Phis— that was Ophis. Because of their meeting, they had developed a good relationship. As we couldn’t explain Ophis’s body, I had introduced her as a young dragon girl named ‘Phis’. I scratched my cheek, then immediately started thinking of an excuse. “Ah…. Ah that’s right, Phis said that she should stay home…she has a cold. So she’s resting. She really wanted to see Kunou though.”
After all, we couldn’t bring Ophis out. Right now she was probably with Kuroka and Le Fay playing games. Kunou seemed a little disheartened after hearing this, but she quickly regained her spirits. “I heard that a dragon’s cold is quite troublesome. I’ll go and prepare a special Kyoto remedy, just wait a moment!”
With that said, Kunou quickly ran off towards the shrine. …She was probably going home to get the medicine right? She really thought of Ophis as her friend. That was a rather good thing. Seeing Kunou, Yasaka-san showed a pleased smile. “Ufufu, Sekiryuutei-sama, you seem to have got closer to my Kunou, which is quite fortunate.”
“No, no, that’s not it. Back then, it was just a courtesy for us to take care of your child, as you helped us out during the crisis in the Underworld.”
After all, Yasaka-san helped us out when the Underworld was going through a crisis. She made an alluring smile — then leaned in next to my ear! …The fragrance which made its way into my nostrils was something out of this world…! H-How did t-this fragrance make my mind so excited that I was paralysed…I-Is this, what they call, the fragrant charm of a mature woman…!? “Sekiryuutei-sama, for the time being, can you wait until Kunou grows into an adult? If you can’t wait, you could have me live with you…. Ufufufu. After all, Kunou once pestered me about having brothers and sisters. Not to mention that I haven’t had a young man’s bare skin for a while….”
Yasaka-san’s slender and delicate white fingers slid across my chin…! Her attractive gaze and provocative voice stimulated my male instinct—. It was only the beginning of the New Year and this onee-san had already captivated me! However, Kunou had returned quickly and interjected
“Okaa-sama! Your joke has gone too far! I got him first!”
Kunou tightly hugged onto my leg. Her extremely cute expression was meant to deter Yasaka-san. “Hahaha. Truly an obsessive child. At this age you have some ‘feminine’ charm. Perhaps there’s some resemblance to being a woman.”
Seeing her daughter’s actions, Yasaka-san showed a calm smile. “…Even in Kyoto I can’t stay relaxed.”
Next to me, Rias sighed. —Then, Yasaka-san clapped her hands together, and asked Rias
“Gossip aside, Sekiryuutei’s legal wife-sama, about the previous matter, do you have an answer?”
“Yes, there is no reason for me to refuse it.”
I asked Rias who was smiling as she replied
“…W-W-What happened?”
“Oh, Kunou will be starting middle school at Kuoh Academy in the coming year. The preparations have already been made.”
—!? The sudden news left me at a loss for words! | text_19 |
It was too unbelievable! It was so unexpected, that something like would happen! Seeing me surprised and speechless, Kunou proudly raised her arm and said
“Ahem, it’s about time for me to go to learn about the human world. You could say that I want to go to a school which doesn’t have any problems for youkai! So after asking mother, then I just had to ask the legal wife Rias-sama!”
That is to say, Kunou will be coming to Kuoh Academy this spring. After all, the school had many people secretly studying there. From youkai to devils, there were all sorts of people. The most special people were probably the Occult Research Club and the Student Council’s members. Not only were there devils, there were also angels, youkai, Valkyrie, a werewolf and even a female grim reaper showed up…. …In true spirit of the New Year, it looks like there will be a lot of new things happening. …Which also means an approaching departure. Rias and Akeno-san, will be graduating in around two months…. New people arriving, also means their predecessors will be departing. Although this is the natural course of things, I don’t look forward to it and it’s only the first month of the year. “Yes, O…phis will be very happy.”
I should tell Ophis when we get back. While her face will certainly remain emotionless, she’ll definitely be happy on the inside. “Uh-huh! I look forward to seeing Phis again!”
After Kunou’s enthusiastic reply, I released the barrier and returned to normal space. We began climbing towards the top of Fushimi Inari Taisha again. After reaching halfway, we saw some familiar faces in Kyoto. “Ara ara, Rias, you finally came here as well.”
It was Sona-kaichou and her household! Those girls were also wearing long-sleeved kimonos. …But only the Grim Reaper girl Bennia was wearing a jacket. “You know, Sona. I heard you were coming to Kyoto, but I didn’t imagine that I’d meet you here.”
Rias had encountered a good friend early in the New Year, and those two stood there while talking. “It looks like they got here about ten minutes before the Gremory household.”
Kunou said. I see, so they got here just a bit earlier than us. “Yo, Ise.”
Saji greeted me. “Yo, Saji. Happy New Year. You also came here to pray for the New Year?”
“Ah, it’s great fun. Fushimi Inari Taisha is our fourth stop, after that we plan on going to two other places before heading back. A part of the New Year means us devils coming out, which is well deserved.”
As he said, Kyoto is a sightseeing spot for devils during part of the New Year — especially the devils who are part of ‘DxD’ as many places open up to them. The Gods that each shrine is dedicated to expressed their consent. Because of this, even though it’s not the school excursion, we were still able to come here. Then again, the Sitri group also came to Kyoto during the New Year for some sightseeing. This isn’t too bad. We planned to quietly celebrate the New Year at the Hyoudou home after we got back from our trip. “What, you’re going to wish to be elected Vice-President?”
Hearing me joke about him, Saji laughed. Suddenly glancing over, Xenovia and the Sitri group’s [Bishop] Momo Hanakai-san were staring. Between those two seemed to be a silent tension. This was inevitable. After all, they were competing for the position of Student Council President, in other words, rivals. “I won’t lose to you, Xenovia-san”
“Ah, Momo. I also, will definitely win.”
The two were shaking hands. Hmm, a declaration of rivalry is fine. It felt like they were full of competitive spirit. But speaking of that, Xenovia, when did she start calling Hanakai-san by her given name…? It seems like the Gremory and Sitri girls frequently spoke to each other, when the boys didn’t even know about it. Hearing the conversation of the two girls, Saji shrugged. “So on my side, besides me; the others are here to pray for the election. Well, if the Gods here really do show compassion to devils, then we need to thank them. See you, I need to head back down now.”
After that, the Sitri group began walking down the hill. There were people besides Saji and Hanakai-san who also wanted to be elected in the Student Council. But they didn’t have much chance, so the election would definitely be able to determine…. In other words, the closest competition in the Student Council election, would be between Xenovia and Hanakai-san for the position of President. Next, we should also continue heading up towards the top of the shrine. —Just as I was about to start walking, someone hugged onto my arm. It was Irina. It looked like she was in a very good mood, so much so that she was even humming a tune. “Hum, Kyoto at this time of year is really nice. Darling ♪”
…D-Darling. …That’s right, since the beginning of winter, Irina’s attitude towards me has completely changed, sometimes she would call me ‘Darling ♪’ and she became even more clingy than before! She suddenly started learning how to cook, she planned to take baths with me, and if there was any opportunity, she would sneak into my bed at night! A-Although it made me happy, it made me feel even more troubled. Everything else aside, just ‘Darling’ alone was enough to make my entire body go numb! “…S-Say, Irina.”
“What is it ~, Darling?”
Irina’s voice was sweet. …Her voice made me hesitate on how I should respond. “Why…why have you recently started calling me ‘Darling’?”
I worked up the courage to ask. I wanted to confirm it. “Annoying. You certainly are, Ise-kun. Hee hee ♪”
Hee hee ♪—was what she said! I roughly understand…that I’ve become ‘Darling’? “Just calling me Ise normally is fine. Otherwise, it feels like my brain will melt…”
Because my mind really will melt so I hope that she can stop. ‘Darling’ is just too nauseating. It already no longer has the same meaning as before…. I carefully but clearly told her. Whereas Irina looked like — she had been struck down, her expression could immediately be seen. “H-How can you…How could Ise-kun say that…! And when I kissed you was it just for fun! ?”
Why would she bring that up! Why would you say that here!? Everyone around here were just ordinary people headed to the shrine!? “Hey, hey. You don’t need to say that so loudly!”
I nervously tried to calm Irina down, next to me Xenovia sighed while saying
“Irina, just a kiss has turned you into a lover, you’re too impatient. After all, Rias-zenbuchouand Asia have already kissed Ise, and they did it more passionately than compared to Irina.”
Xenovia said tiredly in response to her friend. Uh, ah, Irina and I kissed on Christmas…. It was after that that Irina’s attitude changed. What can I say, it seemed like she was always staring at me with an affectionate gaze. But Irina didn’t continue her frustration, and instead made a stance to pray. “I don’t care! The forbidden love between Ise-kun and I will continue! Even if there’s an obstacle between us, there’ll be no problems as long as we have love!”
U-Uh, even her eyes were sparkling…! | text_19 |
It was just the beginning of the year and things were already in full swing. “That reminds me, I haven’t prayed yet.”
“Ah, I as well.”
“““Ah, dear Lord.”””
Xenovia and Irina as well as Asia, those three began praying! “What a devoted prayer! I also need to try!”
“Hahaha, everyone is rather interesting. Also…”
Even Kunou and Yasaka-san started copying the Church trio! …Why did this happen at Fushimi Inari Taisha during the New Year…? I simply couldn’t understand. These trivial things continued as we went on, and I finally reached the shrine at the summit, where I then put my hands together to make a wish. My wish is…for everyone to be healthy! That was first! Then I want to be able to make my harem in peace! That was very, very important! The third is ecchi! I hope that this year I’ll be able to encounter many ecchi pleasures! If a few of my wishes could be granted then that would be the best! Next to me, the sound of talking and praying wafted into my ears. “…When you wish, you need to give your own address and given name clearly to the God, wouldn’t that be better? Do you understand, Gya-kun?”
“Eh?! I-I didn’t know Koneko-chan! N-Need to do it again!”
After being asked by Koneko-chan, Gya-suke hurriedly started wishing for the second time. “Oh well, Gya-suke. The shrines have several different factions, this one is Inarifocused, so it’s best to make a related wish. But, I will probably come here during my school trip in autumn, so I can make another wish then.”
“Ah, I’m really looking forward to the school trip! Although Kyoto in winter is nice, I also want to have a good tour of Kyoto during autumn!”
Ravel exclaimed, with both her eyes sparkling. That’s right. Koneko-chan, Gasper and Ravel will be second year students starting this spring, and they have a school trip during autumn. How scary, they’ll be going to Kyoto just like Rias and I did. …Although they probably won’t be attacked like I was…. “I made a wish, I hope that Fafnir-san can recover quickly.”
Asia said Fafnir fought with the determination to die for the sake of protecting Asia against Rizevim, after exhausting all his power, he entered a state of temporary hibernation. …He showed a dragon’s ‘Outrage’—. When he put all his effort into protecting the people important to him, that sight has already been engraved into my mind. Recover quickly, Golden Dragon King. Even you, are an important partner to me. My eyes suddenly focused to the side, where Xenovia was praying. “What did you wish for?”
Xenovia kept her eyes closed, and replied
“…This year, I will definitely have Ise’s children.”
“H-Hey! Wishing to have a baby will not come true! Anyway, what is your wish…?”
Seeing my expression, Xenovia laughed. “Hahaha, I was half-joking. —Ah, I was hoping to have a smooth election. Even though I’m not sure if this God will grant the wishes of a devil.”
Well at this time, it’s only natural for her to wish for this. “Still, you do want to win with your own strength right?”
Hearing my words, Xenovia smiled confidently. “Of course. Victory or defeat, it’s only meaningful if you put in your best effort.”
Her face showed an expression of determination. Incredible! Such an admirable expression. Xenovia was planning to go all out for the Student Council elections from the start of the New Year. This was the usual Xenovia who feared nothing! After praying, Xenovia turned to me — and suddenly grabbed my face with both her hands! “Well, give me good luck.”
Then, her face leaned closer to mine — and our lips overlapped with each other Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!? It was such an unexpected development, which made me too surprised, and I subconsciously stepped back! B-B-B-B-Be-Because! S-Suddenly it became like this! So suddenly — she just kissed me! Everyone else was also startled and astonished by it! “—! W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-Wh-Wh-Wh-What did you do!”
I completely panicked! I was certain that my face was completely red! Xenovia slid her finger over her lips, and laughed with amusement. “Haha, it looks like you have many weaknesses, Ise. For my wish to be elected president to come true, I’ll accept that kiss.”
…Using a kiss to make a wish! What is this! Really! The New Year had just begun and this had happened…! Did the wish I just made take effect this quickly?! I should first thank the God here, right?! No, I hope that I’ll have an even more passionate and romantic kiss! Ah, although the surprise was very much like Xenovia’s style! “Irina, how does it feel? I should also try calling Ise ‘Darling’.”
Xenovia made a ‘V’-signat Irina. “Uwaahhh!”
Irina’s eyes were full of tears and she frowned all of a sudden! From behind her, Rias’s sigh could be heard followed by Akeno-san’s voice. “…Now, it looks like it won’t be as easy as last year.”
“Ara, let’s hope you can take the lead from the other girls, I’m looking forward to it, you know?”
Just like this, with a New Year — the third trimester was about to begin! The winter break came to an end, and Kuoh Academy entered the third trimester. Besides the third year students who have more freedom, the first and second year students continued as usual as they had to attend school every day. Because today was a half-holiday, after roll call and the opening ceremony, it was time for club activities. It was the important first day for the Occult Research Club to begin working under the new arrangement! The first years and second years were also gathered in the club room, around the new President to decide on the club activities. After Ravel took the tea which was prepared (Akeno-san who took care of this before had passed the duty on to Ravel) and served it to everyone, the meeting began. …But, there was a sudden silence between everyone. It became like this, because our new President had absolutely no idea where to begin. I wondered and asked the new Buchou Asia
“Buchou, what are we going to do for the third semester’s activities?”
“……”
And Asia — seemed like she didn’t expect her name to be called, and glanced around. “Buchou, Asia-buchou—”
I sighed, then called out to her again. Then, Asia seemed like she finally realised, and got up in a panic. “Ah, yes! S-Sorry! Because I didn’t think you were calling me…”
…Hmm, that was said with Asia’s style, or should I say that it was very innocent and pure. Everyone showed an understanding smile towards her. “Well, it is only the beginning.”
I said as I scratched my cheek. The first day. Regardless, it’s just changed too much. The new Fukubuchou Kiba also agreed. “Well said. Because Rias-zenbuchou is no longer here, it probably feels quite hard to understand the new environment. We’ll get used to it little by little. First, why don’t we all write down our ambitions, that would be nice.”
Calligraphy. This new style of things isn’t bad. It’s something the previous Occult Research Club probably wouldn’t do. It’s necessary to try new things. “Speaking of which, where are Rias and Akeno-san?”
I asked. | text_19 |
After leaving the club, it felt a bit lonely without those two around, it was still quite unbelievable. “…Those two said that they might come over if they’re interested. Like Sona-zenkaichou and Shinra-san, they went to visit the third year classrooms to chat.”
Koneko-chan told me. Four third year students chatting in the classroom. Perhaps they were talking about their memories of the past three years. After all, these four people, each of them would have their own memories of the past three years…. Kiba began speaking
“Rias-zenbouchou, has basically handed everything over to us. She said that if she comes here, then it would easily affect the new arrangement, so she would wait until we settled down to decide when she would come back.”
So, for the first week, she wants to see how we go. If Rias were here, she would probably be asked all sorts of questions. In that case, the new arrangement would be meaningless. However, their graduation is only around two months away, so I hope that they’ll be able to come before then. Suddenly, Gasper appeared lonely and said
“…So that means Rias-buchou and Akeno-san will hardly ever come, and then they’ll graduate…”
Gasper seemed down. Koneko-chan lightly patted Gya-suke’s head. “…Gya-kun, you’re too pessimistic.”
“But, it is very lonely. Normally, Rias-buchou and Akeno-san would be here.”
Indeed. No matter what, those two would always have greeted me with a smile here. Ravel took a sip of red tea, then said
“However, they said that Kuoh Academy’s university division was quite close to the high school division, so will they come back after graduation?”
As she said, Kuoh Academy’s university and high school were extremely close. It would only take a little while to walk. Basically, during lunch break, it would be possible to get here if you wanted. Asia stared at the seat reserved for the President that Rias usually sat in, and sincerely said
“Rias-oneesama’s graduation is one thing, the new first year students who have joined us are another thing, and both will be happening soon…. I feel that, one year passes by very quickly. I came here in the spring of last year…”
That’s right, Asia met me in the spring of last year, at the end of April. In a few months’ time, that season will be here again…it felt like a very long, yet also short time. Asia gazed at the ‘President’s’ seat…but was not mentally prepared to sit there. Even I understood Asia’s personality, so I didn’t tell her to ‘sit there’, so I decided to silently wait until she recognised herself as the new President, until she would sit in that spot of her own will. “Then, in a few months, I’ll also become a third year student, and the new first year students — will also be starting. So shouldn’t we confirm our new members?”
Hearing what I suddenly said, Koneko-chan raised two fingers. “There are two members.”
“Eh? Who?”
Ravel was the one who answered me. “They are Le Fay-san and Bennia-san.”
—! I see. Le Fay had mentioned that she would transfer here. After all, she is my contracted magician and we live together as well. Rias and Azazel-sensei often said that, a girl of this age staying at home wasn’t healthy or something along those lines. I also heard that her brother Arthur was secretly hoping for her to transfer into Kuoh Academy. I also heard about Bennia’s situation from some rumours. Whilst training with Saji, he had mentioned
“We’ve got a new person who’s quite interested in joining Kuoh Academy, they might join.”
Kiba then said
“This morning I heard from the Student Council members that, Le Fay-san and Bennia-san will be taking this year’s normal entrance exam. If they pass the exam, then they’ll become students here starting in spring.”
Ah—, things are really moving forward. Le Fay’s appearance in uniform…would look great! Another thing to look forward to in spring! Bennia in uniform…was unimaginable! Well anyway, she’s really cute so it should look good! “Le Fay-san had said that she wanted to join us. Bennia-san never had a chance to speak to us, so it’s not certain…”
“Maybe, there might also be new members we’ve never seen before joining, so we don’t know what will happen.”
Ravel and Gasper said. Indeed, until spring is actually here, we certainly won’t know about these things. Even if we’re discussing these things, they’re irrelevant right now. Kiba seemed to have the same thoughts as me, so he then stood up and said
“In short, we need to decide on our initial direction. Although I think that maintaining things as they were last year is very feasible, we’re the first new arrangement since Rias-zenbouchou was President for the past three years, so we should first—”
Like this, the discussion on being the first new arrangement began. After talking for a few hours, our new Occult Research Club took a break for the time being. Our final plans were “There would be no sudden changes, and if there were any other changes we would discuss it again.”
This was simply maintaining the status quo, the same as Rias and Akeno-san’s arrangement, any new situations which arose would be handled by a discussion between us. We got a decent outcome from that discussion. There was no other way. The previous administrators had left, and the new President Asia didn’t have any confidence, as all she could say to our opinions were things like ‘Y-Yes’ and ‘I-I understand’ to show her agreement. So, we decided that we couldn’t unreasonably force things onto her. After all, it wasn’t possible to gain enough self-confidence on the first day. We first needed to support Asia, then allow her to develop her own confidence and awareness. For Buchou, I need to try my best! Mmm!Even if the leadership has changed, my feelings towards the Occult Research Club have not changed since last year. Rias, Akeno-san, were truly amazing. I really feel that right now, as long as it’s for Asia-buchou, I could do anything! —Mmm, the matters relating to the club were put aside for now, as there was another worrying matter. I looked at the sofa where Xenovia and Irina usually sat. Today, both of them were not here. The reason was due to election activities. Xenovia had already started her campaign, and she was together with Irina in another room of the Old School Building currently discussing matters related to the election. This time, Irina was Xenovia’s assistant. As a friend, Asia also wanted to join them, but she had just been promoted to the position of President, so she couldn’t possibly leave her spot empty. Kiryuu from her class also became her helper. Kiryuu probably joined the discussion in a classroom of the Old School Building as well. “Hmm, Xenovia and Irina, I wonder if they’ll be alright for tomorrow’s election activities.”
As I just finished speaking, the doors to the clubroom went ‘bang’ and were opened. The ones who appeared before us were, Xenovia in front, as well as Irina and Kiryuu. | text_19 |
Kiryuu said in a high pitched voice
“We have picked Xenovia’s victory dress for the election!”
Everyone in the new Occult Research Club, all focused their attention onto Xenovia! “Hoo, cool right?”
Xenovia who was feeling cool, was currently dressed in fine clothing like that of the Medieval European aristocracy. But it was a man’s style! In other words, this was the man’s style beauty Xenovia! Although it looked good on her, it’s because Xenovia naturally leaned towards the boyish side…but, why wear this? Kiryuu seemed to have taken notice of my puzzled expression, so she adjusted her glasses and said
“A-Ah-Ahem, I want Xenovia to suit her new clothing, and besides, doesn’t it have the feeling of a President? If she were wearing this while standing in front of the school gates, the female students would all be screaming.”
…Uhh, I don’t understand cosplay…Xenovia was currently pretending
“Ah, should I be saying ‘André’right now, then carry Ise in my arms?”
“Mm hmm, there’s a saying that goes ‘clothes make a man just as a saddle makes a horse’, which would describe now!”
“…Irina-san, I think what you said is a little wrong…”
Asia (born overseas) gently corrected Irina (born in Japan). While watching the three of them, Kiryuu and I quietly conversed. “Ara ara, regarding that. If Xenovia were to use magic to bewitch everyone then she would be invincible.”
“Yeah, but you have to remember that Xenovia’s powers — hey, those powers cannot be used on normal students.”
I couldn’t help blurting that out. While Kiryuu made a mischievous smile like that of a child. “What you say is correct.”
““Ahahaha“”
I also laughed. ……. ……Eh? Eeeeh? U-Uh…. No no no. I carefully looked at Kiryuu from the corner of my eye. And next to her head was a [?] symbol…. “…Wait, wait a sec, hold on. Kiryuu, you, you just mentioned using magic or something?”
Just to be sure. Uhh, Kiryuu should be a normal student right…? That should be the case, she doesn’t know about the true identity of us…. “Hmm, I said that?”
Kiryuu calmly replied. …I was already speechless and turned to look at Asia, who paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realise my reaction, and nervously said
“T-That, the thing that probably hasn’t been mentioned to Ise-san…”
Xenovia then naturally continued for Asia and said
“Kiryuu is one of my regulars. Of course, she knows about our real identities.”
…………. ……Is that for real. I looked at the church trio with the expression of ‘is that for real?’, and the three of them nodded. “…Eh, Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ?”
I let out a cry of surprise! T-That was the reason! W-W-W-Why would Kiryuu know about our real identities!? A-A-A-A-And she was also one of Xenovia’s regulars?! I had no idea! I still don’t know! “W-When did this start? !”
I couldn’t hide me bewilderment and asked Kiryuu. Kiryuu recalled while saying
“It should be sometime back in December. I received a flyer near the station. Then I tried thinking about it, and summoned Xenovia. In the end, after talking to her, Rias-san also appeared so that’s how I know about the current situation.”
D-December…. That was last month. And it was around the station that she received a flyer…. Then not only did she summon Xenovia, but Rias also appeared…. Kiryuu continued while giggling. “Don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone, and I won’t tell Matsuda and Motohama. Because Rias-san and Asia are my friends, they asked me not to tell anyone. With these kinds of things, I’ll keep my lips sealed.”
…Really, that was good. I didn’t imagine, that this person would actually know about our true identities…. That is to say, last month, although Kiryuu knew that we were devils, she still continued talking to us as usual…. Kiryuu nodded. “But, you haven’t got it easy, Ise. I heard from Xenovia and Asia, that you hold the fate of the world in your hands right? Although, since you’re usually so perverted, it’s quite difficult to imagine.”
Kiryuu kept poking me with her elbow while saying “You guys, you guys.”…ah, but it was still surprising. Everyone else here, half of them were calm and the other half were surprised. In other words, some people knew the truth, but there were also some who were kept in the dark like me. Then again, as our leader, Rias did not feel that this was important. …Considering that she is a classmate of mine, it was quite unexpected. Well, maybe because we fought a tremendous battle last month, Rias didn’t want us to have any extra burdens on our mind. “Well, I think that Xenovia has no problems even without makeup, so there’s no need to wear strange costumes. If you think that there’ll be an obvious disadvantage then you could try this, or something like this.”
Kiryuu pretended to hold a camera, taking pictures of Xenovia. “I won’t lose. I’ll definitely win against Hanakai!”
“Yes, that’s the spirit, Xenovia!”
“Yes, that’s right! Although I can’t come to help you as I’m the President now, but I’ll still support Xenovia as a friend!”
“Ah, that’s the heart of friendship, my friends!”
“““Amen!”””
Xenovia, Irina and Asia linked their arms around each other’s shoulders, looking full of enthusiasm. Kiryuu then called out and spoke to everyone
“So, that’s why I said that I’ll assist Xenovia, you guys of the new Occult Research Club need to work hard.”
After saying that, she took Xenovia and Irina with her to leave, returning to the empty room in the Old School Building. It seems like they have more things to discuss. …Anyway, Kiryuu, she…. It was just the beginning of a new year, and something so extraordinary already happened. That’s not to say, there’ll be a lot of noteworthy things happening this year…. I, might even die three times this year…. After Xenovia’s commotion, and waiting until everyone had calmed down, Ravel raised her hand again. “Next, I’ll wait until after the Occult Research Club has settled down from its initial period, as I need to return to the underworld for a while.”
Hearing this, Kiba said
“Now that you mention it, Ravel-san needs to temporarily return as a member of her brother’s peerage.”
“Currently Raiser-oniisama’s peerage is not full. I was quite worried, so this time okaa-samatraded pieces again, and I’ll be back to join the game.”
That’s right, Raiser’s return to the game was previously determined. What’s more, his opponent is the current Champion, Diehauser Belial-san! Everyone was shocked, as they didn’t imagine that the first match upon his return would be against the Champion. Ravel’s participation in this game was already decided. It seemed to be because Raiser still had not filled up all the members in his peerage, so he asked his mother to temporarily lend Ravel to him on the day of the game. Because Raiser obtained Ravel by trading his unused [Bishop] piece with his mother, he was currently missing a [Bishop], last year he had a competition to see who would be his last [Bishop], and I also participated…but the new member hasn’t been decided yet. | text_19 |
Well, once the peerage has been decided, it’s difficult to redo it, so you need to be careful. Having said that, it is Raiser, so compromising on having the girls he likes is one of the reasons. Hmm! I understand your heart’s troubles, Raiser! Compromise is truly difficult; after all, it is a member of his harem! At this time, I suddenly thought of a question. It was related to trades. “Say, is it possible for last minute trades?”
I asked Kiba. “Basically, trades which happen after a match is decided need to fulfil certain conditions to be recognised, so it can often lead to cancellations. If the trade happens after the match between the two was decided, then it could go on forever. If the trader was indecisive, or there were constant changes in strategy, the whole peerage could be traded within ten matches.”
That was his response, if you did make a trade after the match was decided, then it would be endless. It wouldn’t be surprising if the entire team was replaced. As a result, their peerage — the [Evil Pieces] and the Rating Game would have no meaning. Ravel continued and said
“This time, it was because onii-sama’s peerage was not full, I was originally a member of his peerage, the Rating Game prediction score is not largely affected, it was agreed to by the side predicted to win the game, and various other conditions.”
So their opponents also allowed it. To begin with this match was quite one-sided, even though Diehauser allowed the new member, it doesn’t change much. “…How much is the predicted winning side’s ranking currently ahead by?”
I asked everyone. A Rating Game was like the ranking of pieces in human chess, to Rate — points were used to determine ranking. As I had forgotten Emperor Belial’s current points, I asked everyone. Koneko-chan was the one who replied
“…It seems like it’s around 3500 points. Even the Top 10 who are ranked over 3000 points are called unknowns.”
Unrivalled. Well, I did hear that he’s been the Champion for some time. “So, what about Raiser?”
I wondered about the points of the one I fought with, Raiser’s points. “…Not even 2000 points. And he’s still regarded as one of the promising young competitors…”
Ravel timidly said. …The difference is more than 1500?! Hey, hey, hey, that’s quite ridiculous! This isn’t even a competition! “T-There isn’t a problem with such a large difference?”
I asked with a stiff voice. Kiba tilted his head and said
“Normally speaking, a game with such a large difference wouldn’t be held. This time’s game is Raiser Phoenix-san’s return match, and also a chance for the underworld which has constantly been attacked by terrorists to watch his match against the Champion; it’s more of an exhibition match.”
An exhibition match! So it’s just for show. Well, with such a large ranking difference, it would turn into this situation. Although I feel a little sorry for Raiser about saying this, but this match probably won’t be a serious showdown. Ravel continued to tell me more information. “If I had to say it, this is actually a special event known as [Emperor Belial’s Ten Matches], and one of his opponents is onii-sama.”
“Ah, so what Rias was talking about at the end of the year, ‘The Ten Matches which must be recorded…’ was actually this.”
During her free time, Rias had suddenly thought of the same thing and said that. So what she was referring to was actually this. “Because there are many combinations that you wouldn’t normally see, Rias-zenbuchou also thought of the same thing, this is because the battles apart from the Phoenix battle are just as interesting.”
Kiba added. So that’s how it was. Ten matches! That was the special event that the Champion would be participating in. And Raiser was also one of the people who would be in it. In a sense, this would be the glory of a young devil. After all, not only would you be able to compete against the Champion, it would also be an excellent experience, and simply being chosen to participate in a match would be a great honour. Even if it was me, if I was able to have such an opportunity, I’d be extremely happy. With a proud look, Ravel then said
“A-Anyway, this is a great honour to onii-sama, as well as the Phoenix family, despite only being an exhibition match, to be selected as one of Emperor Belial’s opponents, it makes us very happy. There’s absolutely no reason to refuse.”
Hehe, although she rarely talks about her brother, she’s actually very concerned about him. That’s one of Ravel’s good points, being so cute. Ravel continued speaking about the previous topic. “So because of these reasons, I will be temporarily returning to the Phoenix household.”
As everyone expressed their understanding, more than ten people entered the clubroom. Rias, Akeno-san, Azazel-sensei, as well as Sona-kaichou’s household. Everyone had a serious expression on their face. Seeing their appearance, everyone in the new Occult Research Club had a premonition that something significant had happened. Asia called for Xenovia and Irina in the other room to return as well. Whereas the ordinary student, Kiryuu, waited in the other room. After being certain that everyone had gathered, Sensei looked at everyone and said
“Although it’s the beginning of a new school term, I regret to say that there is some bad news. Well, it’s not the worst, but I should at least tell you first.”
Not the worst of bad news…. Well, these days it’s always been bad news. Sensei continued
“Some of the Church’s followers — in particular the warriors under its control are rebelling, I mentioned this last year didn’t I?”
That’s right, the Church’s warriors are currently the people who are at the centre of this rebellion. After the Three Factions joined forces, ever since they had to follow the [Prohibition of Devils and Fallen Angels as enemies], they’ve been dissatisfied with their lives. Not to mention that everyone had their own reasons, originally they didn’t have a good impression of Devils nor Fallen Angels, and then the Peace Treaty from the upper echelons appeared out of the blue. Even so, they were still disgruntled about having to stop their old job, instead going to hunt vampires and monsters. Now, however, it is said that even the vampires are moving towards the same direction as the Three Factions with a peace treaty. Whilst some of the soldiers feel at ease, naturally, there are a lot of people who feel dissatisfied. Thus, the outcry of dissatisfaction by these warriors has caused them to start a rebellion together. Putting yourself into their position, it would be like taking away their reason to fight — their chance for revenge, it’s like taking away their food, the very reason that they live for. Regarding this matter, Xenovia had previously said “It’s not difficult to understand.”
“For the Lord, for the Church, for the fight against the existence of evil, the reason that they were fighting had suddenly been taken away from them…. | text_19 |
They don’t know how they should live their lives, they really are quite helpless.”
Xenovia’s words are quite persuasive. This is because she once also lost her reason to fight, and left the Church. Although she’s settled down now and accepted her current life as a devil…not all soldiers can be the same, to be able to find a new meaning for their existence. The current situation is just like that. Azazel-sensei continued
“The Church group’s rebels…in fact, most of them have already stopped. The ones who were provoking riots have already been suppressed. The cadre class leaders who were behind it have all been arrested. —But”
Sensei raised three fingers. “Three of the rebel leaders are on the run. Currently, there are many soldiers who are still following them.”
…The mastermind is leading the soldiers huh. Sona-zenkaichou then listed their names
“The three of them are His Eminence Cardinal Bishop Teodoro Legrenzi, His Eminence Cardinal Priest Vasco Strada, and His Eminence Cardinal Deacon Ewald Cristaldi.”
Hearing this, Rias said with a soft voice
“…I’ve heard of these names.”
I then quietly asked Koneko-chan “…What are those positions?”. Although I’ve just come to understand the situation of the Devils’, I’m still unfamiliar with the Church. Koneko-chan sighed, then said
“…A Cardinal Bishop is a high position within the Church, second only to the Pope. A Cardinal Priest is one rank lower, and a Cardinal Deacon is one rank lower than that. Although there are several people who hold the title of each position, the names mentioned are highly regarded.”
So the names of those mentioned are all extraordinary people. And they’re also famous to the point that even Koneko-chan knows about them. Kiba then said to me
“That is to say, the people in the Church who are ranked second, third and fourth instigated this rebellion, and are still on the run.”
I see, it’s actually quite easy to understand then. This report left Asia, Xenovia and Irina who were originally from the Church at a loss for words. In particular, Xenovia and Irina who were once warriors nervously stiffened the expression on their eyes. Xenovia finally spoke
“…His Eminence Strada and Cristaldi-sensei”
“Do you know them?”
Hearing my question, she widened her eyes and said
“Of course. — His Eminence Strada is the previous user of Durandal.”
“—!”
This honest declaration left me, and some of the other members here speechless! …It truly was too shocking! It was beyond our expectations that the previous wielder of that holy sword was actually one of the leaders behind the rebellion! Azazel-sensei said
“This man is among the minority of Durandal wielders who is capable of rivalling Roland, and many people believe that he’s even surpassed Roland. He’s also one of the few people who’ve successfully emerged from the war. He was a man who embodied strength and authority on the battlefield, and is also a leader.”
An extraordinary man who was originally a warrior! On top of that, he was also a wielder of Durandal…. Irina then said
“His Eminence Strada is already eighty seven years old…”
This guy’s not like an old man! He’s over eighty and yet he still has the energy to start a rebellion! Is he weak from old age then? But, Xenovia’s eyes still conveyed seriousness. “…It would be best to forget about his age. This man…is a living legend. His body has barely aged.”
—! You’ve got to be joking. No matter what you say, being over eighty, that’s an old man! Yet he’s a human? Well, if he’s already eighty years old then…. Sensei’s expression was just as serious as Xenovia’s. “…Even if that guy looks older now, he’s not weak, he’s still just as strong. In World War II, he fought against Kokabiel from our side once, and in the end we were at a disadvantage. This guy has quite an interest in holy swords, and he also has many achievements.”
Kokabiel was at a disadvantage against a human?! …With what happened after the incident with the holy swords being stolen last year, it feels as though there’s some sort of strange connection of fate. Speaking of which, that guy Kokabiel had once said something about it, Durandal’s previous wielder was an incredible person. “I remember now, wasn’t he was one of the top candidates to be an Ace of the Four Great Seraphs?”
Hearing sensei’s question, Irina nodded. “Yes. Uriel-sama and Raphael-sama had both selected His Eminence Strada, but he refused both of them. …He said that he wants to return to the Lord upon death.”
Two of the Four Great Seraphs made an offer at the same time but they were both rejected! Everyone’s expression was serious, but only Asia made a complicated smile. “While I was a nun with the Church, I met His Eminence Strada once…he seemed to be an honest and friendly person.”
Asia didn’t have a bad impression of him. That was why the news of his rebellion made her confused. “Personally, I really don’t want to see Cristaldi-sensei…. After all, as warriors of the Church, we’ve been under his care and he’s also been our mentor.”
Irina mentioned another person who was involved in the rebellion, Ewald Cristaldi. The mentor of the Church’s warriors…. Xenovia and Irina were definitely facing some complicated feelings right now. Xenovia nodded in agreement to Irina. “I was also under the guidance of Cristaldi-sensei, he taught me how to fight against devils and vampires…”
“…When I went to the Vatican, Cristaldi-sensei diligently taught me how to use Excalibur. I’ve heard that when Cristaldi-sensei was on the frontlines, he was able to simultaneously control three of the six Excaliburs.”
Azazel-sensei confirmed Irina’s words
“Ah, that’s true. Back then, Ewald Cristaldi was a topic of heated discussion within the Grigori. Although he could only use three of the Excaliburs simultaneously, people have said that theoretically it wouldn’t be impossible for him to control all six of the swords at once. Anyway, whether its Vasco Strada or Ewald Cristaldi, they were well-known during the war as ridiculously strong people. Plus, they also trained a large number of warriors, and those warriors have said that those two people could be described as titans. With a single call, they could have many warriors follow in response…. In fact, more than half of the Church’s warriors are involved in this rebellion.”
…These two men are the most influential people in the Church. They’re also the former users of Durandal and Excalibur…. Since it’s come to this, it makes people feel as though this can no longer be resolved through simple means. This is how lesser powers will gather to where the stronger power is. Sona-zenkaichou adjusted her glasses then said
“They’re blessed with talent, so much so that they’re even able to kill the highest class of devils—. After all, such people are extremely rare; their power has even become a legend to devils and they’re still alive even now.”
…So the two people called Ewald Cristaldi and Vasco Strada are actually such formidable opponents…. | text_19 |
Sensei then mentioned the last person of the three who were mentioned. “Teodoro Legrenzi is the youngest, whose position as a Cardinal Bishop is a special case.”
Asia seemed to know something about this person, so she said
“…The truth is, I’ve never seen him. It’s said that within the higher-ups of the Church, he’s quite a mysterious person.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ve also only heard of his name but have never seen him in person. Even Sister Griselda is probably in the same position as us.”
Xenovia and Irina said in reply to Asia. Even a reincarnated angel hasn’t seen him, he truly is mysterious. This person probably has some reason to keep himself hidden. Hearing this, in relation to the three people who are on the run…. I don’t want to think about what’s going on behind the scenes here, but it isn’t hard to imagine. Sensei returned to the original topic
“In other words, the three people behind the rebellion and the warriors who are following them are currently fugitives. And I’m afraid that their destination is—”
Sensei extended his index finger and pointed to the ground. “I’m afraid that it’s here. We interrogated some of the captured warriors, they were hoping to find [DxD], but they certainly didn’t just want to talk.”
…So that’s what they say. …Really, during such a busy time we get drawn into the Church’s rebellion. The diverse team of [DxD] is actually the target of their own comrades. Although our existence itself is rather special. Give me a break…. Everyone’s tension was growing more and more intense. However, sensei made a wry smile. “Come on, there’s no need to be so serious. Although you’ve been through many life and death situations, you can be certain of this, that this incident should have zero casualties. In fact, although there were people injured in the rebellion at the Vatican, no one lost their lives. Reincarnated angels did their best to keep the situation from getting worse. In this incident, ultimately there were many warriors who were distressed, and their long-standing resentment burst out.”
No one died. That’s truly lucky…but it might happen again, which is almost certain now, so we can’t relax yet! Sona-zenkaichou sighed. “…But, it’s possible that this could turn into a full-scale war. Although we’re trying not to cause any harm, we can’t know for certain what will happen. …Terrorists may also capitalise on this opportunity to make their move. After all, this is the perfect opportunity for them to do so.”
Zenkaichou’s reasoning certainly made sense. Whilst we’re being attacked by the rebels, there’s no guarantee that Qlippoth won’t do anything. From the terrorists’ point of view, the defeat of either side would be favourable. Sensei shrugged. “Of course, we still need to be wary. …It’s said that this whole incident was started by Rizevim when that guy encouraged the higher-ups of the Church. In terms of the rebellion, that man is the truly the devil. If it’s related to incitement and encouragement, no one can even come close to him. You can’t be overly cautious, which is basically what Sona just said.”
…So that bastard was behind all this. I totally understand what sensei said. That guy…every single word that guy says is made to confuse people. Even if he knows everything, he does this on purpose; I can’t even control my anger towards this guy. “…Having said that, Kuoh Academy seems to have some sort of fate connecting it to holy swords.”
Saji whispered. I’ve had the same thought. I never expected that the sword’s wielders and the swords themselves would all be gathered here. “……”
Kiba noticed and went into a state of deep thought. …Having a connection to holy swords, that goes for him as well. “Sorry Kiba. I shouldn’t just say things like that.”
Saji apologised with an embarrassed expression, to which Kiba laughed softly. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ve come to terms with it now so I won’t be the same as before, relying on my hatred of holy swords to live.”
That’s true. But…his insecure feelings make me worry. If an even more significant event occurs, Kiba would definitely give up his life to fight. I only learned about it after the battle, that he acted quite recklessly to defeat the mass produced Grendel…. Although he’s usually calm, in essence he’s an unsheathed sword—. That guy really needs a sheath. And I truly hope that there’s someone who can take on the role of his scabbard…. Well, even though Kiba understands my concerns, he’s not going to hold back. …If you die, I won’t forgive you. My friend. Sensei confidently smiled then said
“No, the fate with holy swords is not superficial and not necessarily a joke. This is a good opportunity. —Xenovia, Irina, Kiba, the wielders of holy swords should strive to surpass their predecessors. If the opportunity arises, you should go all out. Since you’re taking on the name of [DxD], this is the least you can do, use your skill against the enemy.”
Hearing Azazel-sensei’s guidance, all three of them nodded with a determined expression. “Surpass our predecessors…”
Xenovia said to herself. —Exceed their predecessors. Not only with holy swords, she also has the same idea in running for President. With Xenovia’s ability, doing better than anyone else isn’t a problem. “Listen well everyone. It should be the same towards the Church rebels as with Qlippoth, you can’t let your guard down.”
With those words, sensei concluded today’s urgent meeting. The club activities for the day also ended, and the time for our after school activities began. Later that night. In the Hyoudou mansion’s underground indoor pool, were the Occult Research Club members, Dulio, Sister Griselda, the Vali team (Vali, Bikou, Arthur, Kuroka, Le Fay), as well as Slash Dog Tobio Ikuse-san and others. The Sitri team said that they had to deal with something urgent, thus they weren’t able to come. There were two people above the pool who were making waves whilst floating in the air, they were me in armour and — Rias who had completely covered herself in her aura. Prior to this, we two showed the members of [DxD] our new ability. As a result of demonstrating our new ability, water from the pool had splashed up violently, with the area around the pool completely wet, but evidently people were expecting it so they had used umbrellas, demonic energy and magic to shield themselves. About the new technique, because it would utilise the Heavenly Dragon Ddraig’s power, in order to get Vali’s opinion, I called him specifically for it…but I didn’t expect that I’d be able to use it without any preparation, and to some extent it was better than I thought! “Woohoo!”
Seeing our new technique, the audience applauded and cheered. What we showed was a collaborative move. She had been thinking of ways to combine my power and her own destruction magic together. After the New Year, she came to discuss this with me. | text_19 |
Hearing her ideas, I thought “That seems to be possible.” So, I called the other Heavenly Dragon Vali for help, listened to his opinion, and then finally created this new technique. Ah—, if I simply relied on myself, there would be too many things that wouldn’t be possible. The creation of this new technique, I think that it was only possible by relying on Rias’s talent. Good, the next time we encounter an enemy, if it feels like we can use it, we’ll try it out. After practicing the technique, Rias and I landed on the edge of the pool. I deactivated my armour to catch my breath. Everyone was having a leisurely time in the pool. “Aahh…ooh! I can’t swimmmm!”
The person who was screaming was Gasper. He seemed to be with Koneko-chan, Ravel, Kuroka, and Le Fay, playing water polo but had slipped and now appeared to be drowning. “Hey, Gya-suke! You need to be a man, let’s see you swim in this shallow water!”
I said that to him with a wry smile, but—
“I am…a vampire! I’m naturally afraid of waaatterrr!”
He cried. No, that’s not right, you were just in the water playing water polo! “You’re of mixed blood! Not to mention that you’re currently a devil! You can do it! You can stand there anyway!”
After saying that, he finally reacted and said “Ah, right” then stood up in the pool…. I can’t stand it, he finally feels a little more masculine but I didn’t think he’d still be embarrassing in so many ways…. Even his swimwear, is a ladies style! “Hoho, Gya-kun is so cute nyan ♪”
Kuroka who was touching his head…because she was wearing a bikini which showed a lot of skin, her breasts kept bouncing. Mmmm, this is a feast for my eyes! When it comes to myself
“Haha, this kind of thing once in a while isn’t bad.”
“Yes, fufu.”
I was currently with Akeno-san and Rias, helping these two onee-sans apply their sunscreen! They’re actually using sunscreen even at an underground pool! It was currently winter, and it also isn’t possible to get any sunlight underground! Also, all that’s needed to prevent sunburns is the use of some magic, so the use of sunscreen is purely for cosmetic reasons! But! As soon as I heard that they’d let me apply sunscreen, I, Hyoudou Issei happily came to do it! Two beach beds were placed side by side next to the pool! Lying on them were two onee-sans! They even took off their bikinis, so their backs were bare! Hehehe! I’m already very familiar with this type of sunscreen, I rubbed sunscreen onto Rias and Akeno-san in a skilful manner! “Mmmm”
“Ahhh”
The two of them couldn’t help making such noises. My hands glided over their bodies! …Aahhh, such incredibly smooth and delicate skin! Their elasticity is just right, with a sensual feeling as I slid my fingers across Rias and Akeno-san’s backs, over their thighs, and all the way down to their calves! After coating their toes, I started over, making sure to cover every spot! First was Akeno-san. Starting from her fingertips, going over her back, rub-rub-rub-rub-rubbing all over down to her hips! I also rubbed her bottom over and over again! I couldn’t help it! If they asked me to do it, I have no reason not to! Absolutely no reason at all! “……Aahhh, aahhh……”
Akeno-san’s sweet sounds almost made my brain melt! And the feeling of her bottom…was like a pudding that would never break, my fingers and my palms were drawn into it! Aaaaaaaaahhhh, who knew there could be such an incredible sensation! They’re so smooth, soft, and full of elasticity, it just makes me want to be able to touch Akeno-san’s bottom for the rest of my life! Seeing this scene, Rias said
“Ise, what about my front side…there’s a lot of people looking here, so it’s not very convenient. How about we continue on the bed? Or in the bath?”
Please don’t look at me and say such flirtatious things! It’ll make me very confused! Aaahhh, applying sunscreen to her chest on the bed! That would also be great! Applying sunscreen on her whilst naked in the large bath! That would also be great! I-It’ truly difficult~ ! What should I do~ ! But even in my state of confusion, I was still thinking about firmly holding onto Akeno-san’s bottom! Akeno-san couldn’t help making sweet noises whilst at the same time she also said
“Ara ara, how about, mmm, I get, mmmmm, on the bed to continue. Fufufu, this is quite exciting, ahhmmm. Ooh, I wonder if, aahhh, anything more intense than rubbing sunscreen on will happen?”
Ahhh, even Akeno-san was gazing at me seductively! —Then, I also heard the voices of other people who were around. It was Irina and Rossweisse-san. “I-I also want darling to help me apply sunscreen, but I can’t get in between these two onee-samas!”
“……How inappropriate! I thought I was only innocently looking at the way people apply sunscreen! This is so shameful!”
You two both wanted me to help you apply sunscreen!? I-I’m so happy, but doing four people seems a bit difficult! It would take too much time, it seems like there won’t be enough time for rubbing oppai today! Someone suddenly joined in — it was Ravel! She had come out of the pool in the middle of her water polo game. “Although now is the time for leisure, Ise-sama’s time is very precious! That’s enough time spent on applying sunscreen!”
Ravel’s management of my schedule was very strict, she objected against Irina and Rossweisse-san’s requests…but this time Rias said
“Ravel, you should let him do this. You need to relax occasionally, can you do that?”
“I-I can do that!? …Then, how should I do it?”
Whaaa! Should I do it or not, this is confusing!? After thinking for a moment, Ravel quickly took out a notebook, then shouted
“Come over to decide on the allocation of time for applying sunscreen!”
—After saying that, she began discussing this with Rias! H-H-Hey! T-There’s going to be a timetable!? No, I’m happy about this! But isn’t the number of people a bit too much!? Then Rias, Akeno-san, Irina, Rossweisse-san, and Ravel put me aside, and they began deciding on my schedule for applying sunscreen! Then Kuroka also pulled out of the water polo game, raised her hand and said “I’m also joining in nya!”. Those six people huddled together in a circular formation, and began discussing my schedule for applying sunscreen. This isn’t a scene that you see every time! At this rate, I’ll be faced with an onslaught from the girls, and it’ll become a very awkward situation! …Fine, this must be the cost of happiness! I think so! I really hope so! After being freed from my job of applying sunscreen, I walked over to a diving platform and sat down, then shifted my gaze over to the pool’s edge. Several girls were there discussing matters related to applying sunscreen, and on another side, Asia was talking to Xenovia. Seeing Xenovia’s serious expression, I could guess that they were currently talking about issues related to the Student Council Election. “Xenovia seems to have changed.”
—I don’t know who said that to me. I turned around to look — it was Sister Griselda-san who was wearing a bikini! | text_19 |
Currently, her large and prominent oppai which were usually concealed under her nun’s uniform appeared in front of me! Compared to her original plain colour and pure image, there was a large contrast after she wore a bikini, which generated a strong sense of attraction! Her dazzling white skin was too perfect! She sat beside me on the diving platform. “…Slashing Princess, that was Xenovia’s title when she was a warrior. Using Excalibur and Durandal, she killed and defeated many enemies of the Church.”
I’ve heard of this before. I’d heard that during her time with the Church, as a swordsman of God, she had executed devils, vampires and various monsters. Because she showed no mercy in killing her enemies, people didn’t understand her and along with her inaccessible personality, at some point people began making fun of her by calling her [Slashing Princess]. Sister Griselda continued. “She’s a child who needs a lot of care. Because we’ve been in the same facility, I was selected to be responsible for taking care of her, but no matter what I said, she grew big and tall, I taught her the minimum behaviour she should have as a lady, I’ve already done all I can.”
At first glance, she seemed to be complaining, but looking closer at her face, it was as if she was talking about a younger sister, with a smile full of warmth. “Ever since she met her partner of the same age — Irina, she would occasionally show the expression that a girl of her age should.”
As Sister Griselda said, to become Xenovia’s partner, the person who was with her long-term, the first person to do that was Irina. It was said that most people who became Xenovia’s partner afterwards, were unable to adapt to her personality or fighting style, rejecting partnership the next time. This meant that only Irina was able to adapt to Xenovia’s personality and fighting style. To me, it’s because both of them were girls who had quirky personalities. I’d say that the combination of their quirky personalities formed a good chemistry, they were like kindred souls, hence they became partners. With a smile, Sister Griselda said
“When I heard that she’d become a devil, I fainted on the spot, but seeing her now occasionally worried, occasionally laughing, I feel that this is good.”
I followed Sister Griselda’s gaze, noticing Irina, Asia and Xenovia together. She was watching the faces of those three in conversation with each other. Three people laughing together, it was truly a heartwarming scene—. “I heard that she plans to become the Student Council President.”
“Yeah. At first I thought she was joking, but it seems that she was serious. After school, she and her friends stayed back to have a strategy meeting for the election.”
“She really is enjoying school life.”
Sister Griselda truly felt joy from the bottom of her heart for the changes in Xenovia. Although she normally appears to be strict towards Xenovia, I think the truth is that they really care about each other. She said to me solemnly
“Hyoudou Issei-kun, please, please take good care of that child.”
“Yes, of course! But I have to say, I don’t think I’m of much use. How about this, I think letting her be together with Asia, Irina and her classmates would be much better for her.”
However, Sister Griselda listened to me and shook her head. “Although what you say is correct…I’m talking about her as a woman. Ohh, I see. Living with several girls must be difficult.”
After giving me an understanding smile, Sister Griselda stood up and left with a “Goodbye” and headed towards Xenovia. I got concerned for a moment thinking that I’d said something wrong, but then I saw Sister Griselda scolding Xenovia …humpf, that Xenovia is really…
Whatever, just being able to see a Sister in a bikini was an enjoyable experience! Every part of it was precious, I must record it into my memory. While I was doing that, I heard the Vali team’s conversation. “Hey, Vali. Can you do me a favour when we’re free which can reduce my sins? Doesn’t the work that [DxD] does seem better?”
It was Bikou. To which Vali replied
“I want to spend my time on attacking Rizevim and evil dragons, as well as training my own power. Sorry, tasks like that should be given to Kuroka or Le Fay.”
Vali directly refused. He would occasionally show such an expression when he was training. But his primary opponents were strong people like the First Generation Sun Wukong-jisanand Dulio. He came over today, one reason was to provide his opinion, and the other reason was probably because he became interested in my new technique. “I heard rumours that people who started the Church’s rebellion were holy sword wielders, which is highly interesting.”
Arthur adjusted his glasses, smiling contemptuously. That guy seems like he’s doing things according to his own motives…. Hearing Arthur’s words, Vali said
“Yes, Arthur. What do you plan to do this time? Very soon the legendary wielders of holy swords may be arriving here.”
Hearing this, Arthur stroked his chin, then eagerly said “That wouldn’t be a bad idea” and laughed. …From what I can see, Arthur is probably the most difficult to deal with in the Vali team. On the other hand, Bikou and I could get along with each other. Where the three males of the Vali team were conversing, another person was approaching them—. “Vali, you shouldn’t make things too difficult for Azazel-san.”
—It was Slash Dog Tobio Ikuse-san. Seeing Ikuse-san appear, Vali shrugged. “…It’s Tobio. Since you’re here, whether it’s a matter related to Azazel or [DxD], there should be no problems.”
“But if you’re here, things should be even better, Vali.”
“I’d actually like to have a fight with you. —I’d really like to settle the scores from last time.”
Vali’s expression showed that he was ready for a fight. —But, Ikuse-san shook his head. “If you want a fight then you should fight with the Sekiryuutei. Besides, I’m not your destined opponent.”
Hearing this, Vali laughed loudly, then turned around to leave. “Hold on, Vali. Anyway, you should at least listen to the planned schedule after today.”
After Ikuse-san finished speaking, Vali stopped walking, and said without turning around
“…I know. But I’m going to go back up first.”
—Uhhh. …Seeing Vali readily accept someone else’s opinion, I couldn’t hide my surprise. …Woah, that guy, actually said something like that to someone other than Azazel-sensei…. Shortly after I watched their exchange, Ikuse-san noticed me and began walking over. “Yo, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Perhaps you saw something unusual just then.”
“No, that wasn’t the case…”
“About Vali, I need to thank you for dealing with him.”
Ikuse-san thanked me. “…It’s a surprise, that Ikuse-san would actually say something like that to me.”
“Well, I should after all that’s happened.”
Saying so, he took out a photograph. —In the photo was Ikuse-san when he was a student, as well as other boys and girls who appeared to be his companions. One of them was a girl dressed up as a magician and a brown haired delinquent. | text_19 |
Above them there was an arrogant looking silver-haired boy. …His face had a resemblance to Vali. “…This is an old photo? Whoa, that guy is Vali? He looks especially arrogant!”
Hearing what I said, Ikuse-san laughed. “He was very arrogant. Even more arrogant than he is now.”
“The other people in the photo are also Ikuse-san’s, your companions right?”
“…Yes, they’re members of the team that was formed during the unrest four years ago. During that time, a lot of things related to Sacred Gears frequently occurred. Ever since then, I’ve been working together with them, even till now.”
Ah, that is to say, among those who help the Grigori, that was a photo of some of the members. “In the past, I lived with Vali for a period of time, so we know each other very well. Which is why I’m saying thanks to you.”
“As I had heard that you guys were hostile towards each other, I always thought that you hated him.”
Ikuse-san also seemed somewhat confused, so I didn’t know how to respond. “Hostile? I wouldn’t say hostile, rather that guy is too clingy, I simply try to avoid him. Every time we meet, he’s always shouting at me, he’s simply too annoying. It feels like having a troublesome little brother.”
If he said something like that to me, it really must have been a headache to deal with. Speaking of which, that guy used to be a battle maniac. “I heard that you’re really strong Ikuse-san? If you and I were on the front lines of the battlefield together, it certainly would provide us with a lot of courage.”
I heard that every time Azazel-sensei went to a dangerous place, the guard accompanying him was Ikuse-san. Azazel-sensei even had Ikuse-san with him when he went to the Underworld to see Hades. However, Ikuse-san shook his head. “I simply work behind the scenes. To have the Two Heavenly Dragons as an opponent or an ally, to me that is too exaggerated and doesn’t suit me.”
…He’s really quite a low-profile person. Still, for us to be able to fight on the front lines, it’s only possible because this guy and his companions are silently supporting us from behind. Forcing him to move to the front lines probably isn’t good. I suddenly realized, that at some point a large black dog had sat down beside me — I remembered that its name should be Jin. Don’t get so close to me while being silent, you little dog. The aura surrounding its body was unusual, and I could not tell what it was thinking by looking into its red eyes. Its red eyes were staring at me. …Its pupils seemed to be drawing me in, their bottomlessness would creep people out. Ikuse-san patted Jin’s head. “Sorry about that. This guy has a habit where it likes staring into things that interest it. As a guess, it’s probably noticed the dragon which resides in your body, Hyoudou Issei.”
Really, so it was looking into my body. “Yeah, that dog kept on staring at me. Perhaps it’s particularly interested in Heavenly Dragons.”
—That was what Ddraig said. “…Do you want to talk to Ddraig?”
“No, I don’t think they can speak with each other. Jin can understand human language, but it’s absolutely impossible for it to speak it.”
…It is separate from the Sacred Gear. Although it seems to be a Sacred Gear, this dog still retains a dogs’ will. “Vali was watching you rub on sunscreen before. From the looks of it, he was highly interested in the process of rubbing the butt.”
“Really! ?”
That was what happened! That guy was actually interested in the way that I was rubbing Akeno-san’s butt! I-Indeed, so Vali really belongs to the butt faction…!? However, Ikuse-san quickly followed up with
“Just kidding.”
Just kidding!? I seriously believed it! You know, that guy Vali actually watched H DVDs together with me! I was happy, that he was just as I expected, he developed an interest in the female body! But, I was surprised to see that Ikuse-san actually liked to make jokes! “Anyway, I’ll say goodbye now. You’ve shown me a good technique today.”
After saying that, he left. For someone that I don’t often speak to, it feels refreshing and good. Especially talking to someone who knew Vali before, it let me understand that guy’s other side which I didn’t know, which is unexpectedly interesting. Well, it’s time to take a look at how the timetable for applying sunscreen is going, it seems like it’s become quite noisy. Xenovia and Asia were also currently urging my manager, Ravel. “I want to register for getting sunscreen applied!”
“Me too!”
“…Well, I want it too.”
“W-Well then, I also want it!”
“I wonder if I should even try…”
Koneko-chan aside, even Gya-suke and Kiba want to!? They want me to apply sunscreen onto the males! They’re not kidding! Suddenly, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look, it was actually Dulio. He looked at the scene and laughed. “Oh—, whether it’s between boys or girls, Issei-san seems to be very popular. Hmm, well how about I ask you to help me to apply sunscreen to see how good it is?”
“Spare me from this…”
At this time, I could do nothing but helplessly lower my head. In this way, the day ended. The next day, during lunch break. I happened to come across the first year students in the school courtyard — Koneko-chan, Ravel, Gasper, and began talking to them after lunch. —At that time, the Church Trio and Kiryuu appeared. They distributed leaflets to the students who walked past. “Come over, everyone! Please take a look at this! On these leaflets are proposals from the next Student Council President Xenovia! She’s a girl who can do anything if she puts her mind to it!”
“Here, please look after me in the future. Please cast a vote for Xenovia-san.”
“I pray that you make an honest vote! In any case, please!”
Irina, Kiryuu and Asia were enthusiastically handing out the leaflets to the students. Well, because it was currently the election period, the corridors were lined with handmade posters. The posters were of Xenovia assuming the pose of the Blessed Virgin Mary, along with [I will bring true peace to Kuoh Academy! I hope you vote honestly!] in large text, creating a rather strange environment. —However, given that Xenovia was originally a transfer student from overseas, along with her personality, which were widely known throughout the school, the general opinion of her posters and leaflets from students was [I really like her style], which was a surprisingly good response. …These Kuoh Academy students, could be described as tolerant, calm, and often curious. Next, Asia (helps out with the election campaign during lunchtime), Irina, and Kiryuu accompanied Xenovia’s entrance into the courtyard. She hung a sash with her own name over her shoulder, and began to speak when she had reached the middle of the path. “Ah—, fellow students of Kuoh Academy, how are you. I am a candidate for this year’s Student Council President election, second year Xenovia. I hope that everyone will listen to my speech. Once I become President—”
Oh—, she boldly dropped the [Desumasuchō]honorific, and she’s using her usual manner of speech. | text_19 |
That’s truly to Xenovia’s style. The students stopped walking, and listened to her speech, whilst occasionally male students would yell out “Yo! Xenovia-san, go for it!” whereas the female students cried out “I’m looking forward to you, Xenovia-chan” and similar words of support or encouragement. Koneko-chan said while watching from afar
“…Xenovia-senpai is considered someone who is well known within the school, so as soon as she starts a speech, she naturally becomes surrounded by a crowd.”
Simply being a foreign girl was enough to catch people’s attention, not to mention the fact that she’s accompanied by Asia and Irina who, like her, are also highly popular people in the school. Not only the male students, even the female students are interested in her. “Her style is completely different to that of Sona-zenkaichou, which has also attracted the attention of a lot of people.”
Ravel added. That was why she had become the centre of attention. The previous President on one hand had a robust working capability, and on the other hand was also able to listen to the opinions of the students, resulting in a flexible response. Naturally the opposite of the Student Council President who gained the students’ trust by producing tangible results, the Sports Clubs type Xenovia was more of an athlete. Of course, the students want to know the reason why she’s a candidate. However, just when Xenovia had attracted everyone’s attention, another candidate for Student Council President, Hanakai-san happened to walk past, and began exchanging greetings with the students. “Hello everyone, how have things been recently?”
Hanakai-san was wearing a calm smile like that of Sona-zenkaichou whilst greeting the students. I heard that she truly respected Sona-zenkaichou, so I think this is naturally reflected in her behaviour and attitude. “Good luck, Hanakai-san, I’m rooting for you.”
“I’ll be voting for you.”
Girls from the same year were cheering for her. I think I’ve heard people say that the people supporting Hanakai-san were mostly honour students. …However, being Sona-zenkaichou’s successor isn’t easy. When I was a new student to the school, Sona-zenkaichou was already the Student Council President. That is to say, she led Kuoh Academy as the Student Council President for two consecutive years. Hanakai-san probably wants to succeed her position. The person who walked up beside Hanakai-san was the candidate for Vice-President — Saji, there were also students who wanted to greet him. “Hey, Saji, I’ll cast a vote for you as Vice-President, but you have to give my extra-curricular activities preferential treatment.”
An energetic looking male student half-jokingly said to him
“They’re two different things, I hope you can make an honest vote.”
Saji muttered something with his eyes half open, the male student then quickly laughed out loud. “Hahaha, just kidding. I’ll vote for you.”
“Seriously, that’s what people from the Sports Clubs are like.”
Saji sighed…but I heard that it was this guy’s serious personality and resourcefulness that was liked, thus receiving great support from the Sports Clubs, especially the male students of the Sports Clubs who trust him. I also heard that a female student who just transferred in, was running in the election for secretary or treasurer. According to the rumours, it was a beautiful foreign girl…but I haven’t even seen her around. Then, I also heard that a famous male honor student from the first year was entering the election. But I didn’t get the details of that guy’s information, so I don’t really know much about it…. “That girl Xenovia, I don’t know if she’ll be able to beat Hanakai-san.”
I quietly whispered. …Xenovia’s opponent was Hanakai-san, she was often accompanying Sona-zenkaichou in the Student Council, and was more concerned about the Student Council than other people. Koneko-chan said
“…I heard from a friend in the News Club, that it’s currently six to four, with Xenovia-senpai in a disadvantaged position. Hanakai-senpai has not only worked alongside Sona-zenkaichou, she’s also produced tangible results, so the support from the students for her is relatively high.”
“Well, that’s fair. But, there’s actually forty percent who support Xenovia.”
Forty percent — that’s not too bad. For a new person as a candidate to have such a level of support at this time, I think that there’s hope for a reversal. If it was only ten or twenty percent…the truth would be that loss was certain. “…She’s a foreigner, an outstanding athlete, able to get along with anyone, so this kind of personality makes her popular amongst both the male and female students. Especially with the first year female students, she’s incredibly popular.”
“It seems that to the first year female students, she’s a very handsome woman, so her popularity is very high.”
Gasper said from behind Koneko-chan. Popularity with the first year female students. “Xenovia-senpai! I’m supporting you!”
“Xenovia-oneesama! I’ll definitely vote for you!”
Seeing this situation, it was evident that she indeed had a lot of female first year students around her. Because Xenovia was slightly boyish, for those of the same gender — especially from the perspective of the junior female students, she should be very handsome. “Thank you, I’ll work hard.”
After Xenovia replied with a smile to them, they sharply cried out “Kyaa—!” in a shrill voice. Ravel suddenly said
“I heard that among Xenovia-sama’s supporters, half of those votes would be unshakable.”
“Oh, why is that?”
To my question, Ravel replied
“Because these people, are all girls from the sports clubs that Xenovia-sama has helped before, or were students that she helped when they experienced difficulties at school. Xenovia-sama was naturally born with this type of personality, she won’t turn her back on anyone who’s having trouble with anything. From the time before she was a candidate to be Student Council President or when she was an ordinary student, she was just quietly concerned about things in the school, that’s the reason for it.”
Perhaps it was also because of Xenovia’s athleticism, as she often helped out the girls’ sports clubs. Although there are some difficulties each time she received invitations to help out, by helping these people, she looked very happy. Her sense of justice is also stronger than most people, so she’ll definitely come to the aid of any student in need. I think that her kindness and deeds have accumulated over time, creating a group of unshakable supporters for her. With this, it feels like the election campaign was really effective. …The students of the school have created a new Kuoh Academy. This time last year, I felt that moving to the second year was very natural. “I’m a third year student now.”
I said to myself. Koneko-chan tugged on my sleeve. Gasper and Ravel were also smiling at me. “In the next year, we’ll be there.”
Koneko-chan said to me. Aahhh, Koneko-sama is really good at reading people’s minds. | text_19 |
I moved close to the three of them, and said
“Yes, I know. After one year, you need to take care more, my cute kouhai-tachi.”
—This time it’s my turn to lead these kids forwards. This is my role as their senior. “But as a devil, we’re the seniors.”
Koneko-chan put me down again! I can’t stand it, I know already! After school, Rias, Akeno-san and Xenovia all concluded the day’s extra-curricular activities, and we gathered together. Everyone reached a consensus, and we prepared to go to the neighbouring town’s Taiyaki shoptogether to eat. “I think that aside from bean paste filled Taiyaki, the rest are wrong.”
“But, the ones with custard are also hard to let go of.”
“…Originally they were wheat flour, sugar and eggs. Since these ingredients are also used to make baked pastries, bean paste, custard, or chocolate can be used.”
Rias sticks to the original, Ravel likes custard, whilst there’s no problem for Koneko-chan as long as it’s a pastry, and the discussion of desserts by the girls became very passionate. Watching this pleasant and peaceful everyday scene, we prepared to pass the corner on a residential street. —Ooh! We suddenly felt an indescribable surge of pressure, and everyone instantly assumed a battle stance! …What’s going on, this feeling is…? A powerful wave of pressure could be felt approaching. It couldn’t be called killing intent, but by no means did it seem benevolent…. However, it was certain that we felt an unknown person’s clear intent! Everyone was looking around warily. —At this time, Xenovia’s appearance seemed very strange. Her hands were violently trembling. “…How, this restless feeling is…. Durandal…?”
Although she used her left hand to hold on to her trembling right hand, her left hand itself was trembling slightly. Koneko-chan’s ears perked up, they seemed to have discovered something, and she turned to face a certain direction. Everyone else followed her gaze and looked in that direction! Looking in that direciton — there stood a white-haired man draped in vestments! “Buon giorno, young devils.”
This person’s face was covered with wrinkles, only going by the appearance of his face, he should be a foreign old man over eighty years old. However, the body below his face contradicted this idea. An unimaginably thick neck, a thick chest, arms the size of tree trunks, legs which are probably the size of my waist…! The greatest point was his height, which looked like it was roughly two metres…? This was an ideal young body, which completely didn’t match his elderly face! —Whoa! That old man’s figure…vanished in an instant! Where did he go!? Where did he disappear to!? No, I didn’t shift my eyes away!? There was no noise, nor were there any movements, he disappeared just like that! Someone suddenly placed their hand on my shoulder. “……Uh!”
When I turned my head to look, it was that tall and large old man! He moved behind my back in the blink of an eye!? On top of that, he was also right in the middle of our formation! None of my companions could even respond!? They pulled back to increase their distance, and prepared to fight! —But, a smile formed on that old man’s wrinkled face. He said in a gruff voice
“I’ve come from the Vatican, my name is Vasco Strada.”
……Uhhh!? …T-This old guy, was the previous wielder of Durandal!? An important person of the Church! One of the people behind the rebellion! Hearing his name, my companions became even more tense! I also tried to move — but there was an enormous amount of pressure on my shoulder. …It almost felt as if my heart was being gripped. Damn it…. How many times have I survived these desperate situations…right now I just let someone put their hand on my shoulder, and it turned out like this…! This old guy, what kind of person is this! Vasco Strada turned to face Xenovia. “Warrior Xenovia, it looks like you became a devil?”
“…Your Eminence Strada, it’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
Xenovia’s expression was very serious, with beads of cold sweat all over her face. Normally she would act tough, but in front of this old guy, she’s become more nervous than ever! The old man released his grip on my shoulder. It was like unfastening the bindings on my body, and I could move my body freely again. …Is this really an old man over eighty…uh! I was shocked. It’s the same as what Xenovia and Azazel-sensei estimated, it feels like his strength is so powerful that no one could imagine that it belonged to an old man! Vasco Strada took out an object from his clothing. “This is for you.”
—It was a letter. The old guy handed the letter to Rias. Rias carefully received the letter in her hands. “…T-This is…?”
“—It’s a challenge letter. We want to formally make a challenge to you guys.”
“—Uh! ?”
Hearing his announcement, we were shocked! Of course! Because this was the person himself, alone, giving us a challenge letter! This guy must be really courageous, heroic, or not value his life at all to come here declaring a challenge alone! What happened was far too sudden, and everyone’s face was tense! Rias’s body was shaking, her anger was about to explode! “You’ve got to be joking. Do you even know what the current situation is right now? Even if you’re one of the high ranking people in the Church—”
Before she could finish speaking, there was an index finger right in front of her! The old man turned his finger left and right, while his mouth made a tsk-tsk-tsk sound. “The Maou’s younger sister. —Is really young, too young in fact.”
……Whoa! Seeing this old man’s attitude, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and got in between them! I stood in front of Rias to protect her! I then faced the other side to speak! “…I won’t let you touch this person, no matter who you are!”
Hearing this, the old man paused for a moment — but very quickly revealed an extremely satisfied smile. His enormous hand approached me — and heartily rubbed my head. “…Not a bad look, young devil.”
……Uh! I felt that I was being belittled, so I smacked his hand away! —But, the old man had already disappeared from sight at some point, and moved to a spot a considerable distance away! …Again there were no signs of his movement that could be detected! Is he moving at a high speed? Can he make people feel as though there’s no scent or sound? The old man turned to face a certain direction and said
“—Very well, Your Eminence Legrenzi, please make your declaration.”
After he finished speaking, a small figure appeared—. It was a black-haired boy who appears to be the size of a fifth or sixth grade elementary student. Although he had a childlike face, he had a majestic presence. Furthermore, he was clothed in the same vestments as Vasco Strada. The old man addressed him as [Your Eminence ]. From the looks of it, that boy at his age already has a position which deserves such an address. Perhaps aware of this, Rias asked the boy
“You’re Teodoro Legrenzi?”
“That is correct, I am Teodoro Legrenzi.”
The boy nodded his head, and replied with certainty! …What is this! | text_19 |
One of the people behind the rebellion, whose identity was said to be a mysterious high ranking person…it was inconceivable that it would be an eleven or twelve year old boy! My companions had the same reaction as me, upon knowing the boys identity, we couldn’t our surprise. The young Cardinal’s body was shaking nervously, but he spoke in loud voice! “I…need to protect the rights and views of the exorcists! Although you are ‘good’ devils, there is also a need to eradicate the evil devils and vampires! To unilaterally deprive them of judgement for their sins — I cannot accept this! Even if this goes against Archangel Michael-sama’s will…only this, only this I cannot accept!”
Although the boy was trembling, his eyes maintained a strong sense of determination. As if in response to his words, we became surrounded by a myriad of warriors who emerged, and prevented our escape. Looking closely, there were male priests, as well as female warriors who wore uniform similar to that of Xenovia and Irina, there were many of them, thus surrounding us. …They were probably the warriors who were following the people such as the Cardinals in the rebellion. I could also see several white-haired priests. …They were probably warriors who came from the same organisation that Freed previously belonged to. Seeing them, I couldn’t help thinking about that guy and Siegfried. Just from those that I could see, there were more than a dozen warriors here. To be able to bring so many people here, certainly wasn’t an easy feat…. To be honest, I thought that all that was needed to become an outsider was to step outside Kuoh town. …I can’t stand it, every time we venture far, we get attacked, there’s no stopping it. I want to ask whether we really have any freedom or not. Among us, the first to ready their weapon — was Xenovia. She seemed to have controlled her trembling, and removed Durandal from the other dimension, holding it in her hands. Xenovia pointed the sword at Vasco Strada. “…Your Eminence Strada.”
The old man’s wrinkled face showed a slight smile. “Warrior Xenovia, are you able to use Durandal well?”
This sentence seemed to have lit her fuse, and Xenovia charged forwards with Durandal! “See for yourself, actions speak louder than words. This is what Durandal’s wielder should be like!”
The old priest did not seem to have the intention to evade, and prepared to take Xenovia’s attack head on! Ex-Durandal’s blade was carrying an immense amount of holy energy, and if this one hit was received entirely, no one could possibly remain unscratched! The attack landed — in an instant! Xenovia’s strike was stopped! She maintained her swinging posture motionlessly. No, she couldn’t move at all! —Because Vasco Strada, had used one finger to block Durandal! …That can’t be real! To actually use a single finger to block Xenovia’s attack!? Even if it was a devil with a considerable amount of skill and training, they wouldn’t be able to do something like that!? Moreover, the opponent is a human, an old guy over the age of eighty! “—Ugh!”
Seeing this result, Xenovia was bitterly gritting her teeth. “It looks like you’re far from it.”
Vasco Strada shook his head. …The aura covering Durandal was gradually disappearing! This old guy was the previous wielder, so he should be very familiar with how to control Durandal. However, was one finger all that was required to do this!? Seeing this situation, I really wanted to support Xenovia, but the warriors surrounding us were still watching us, and most importantly, I couldn’t see a single opening on that old guy’s body! If we could use a large area to attack, it should be possible to overcome this situation. But this was a residential street. It was impossible to do anything more extreme than that! It looks like my companions were doing the same as me, they didn’t know how they should attack! “Xenovia! Your Excellency! Forgive me for being rude!”
Charging like her friend, Irina spread her white wings, and rushed towards the opponent at high speed! Held in her hand was the holy sword Hauteclere! Just before her attack was about to hit the old priest, a figure inserted itself between the two! It was a black-haired, middle-aged man dressed in vestments, he was resisting Irina’s attack head on! Seeing the person who was blocking her attack, Irina was astonished! “—Uh! Cristaldi-sensei!”
The man that Irina addressed was holding a sword which was capable of emitting a holy aura. It was that sword which was currently blocking Irina’s Hauteclere. Cristaldi—. That was definitely what Irina called him. It looks like this middle-aged man was the third person behind the rebellion — Ewald Cristaldi! He was the famous previous wielder of Excalibur! Ewald Cristaldi used the weapon in his hands to push Irina back, then he said
“…Warrior Irina, you shouldn’t limit your vision so narrowly.”
…This man’s body also didn’t appear to have any openings. —But, there was one person, who rushed towards him with a sword! “The previous wielder of Excalibur…!”
It was Kiba! He was wielding a holy-demonic sword, pointing it at Ewald Cristaldi! “Come on! Let’s decide this!”
With a single breath, he quickly closed the distance between the two of them, and dashed towards the person who was known as the Church warriors’ teacher! The opponent turned to face Kiba’s high speed attack — barely evading it by twisting his body! It was a body twist that had no wasteful movements! Kiba continued attacking whilst mixing in some feints, even producing afterimages whilst attacking nonstop, but this still seemed to be within the expectations of Ewald Cristaldi and he used his sword to fend off the attacks! My eyes couldn’t even keep up with that man’s sword movements! This can’t be real! Not only is he able to keep up high speed combat with Kiba, he’s actually able to evade as well!? Even during combat training, I had no way of blocking all of Kiba’s attacks! That man spoke whilst he was evading Kiba’s attacks
“Holy-demonic swords? So you’re the survivor of the Holy Sword Project? Your movements aren’t bad.”
He fiercely swung his sword! Receiving this blow, Kiba suddenly fell onto the pavement! The aftermath of that attack destroyed the road, producing a crater! “Agh…uh!”
Kiba seemed to have difficulty breathing and the sounds of his groaning could be heard! “—But, if you’re comparing me to someone lowly like Freed, I will be very difficult you know?”
Ewald Cristaldi gave him a glance, then sheathed his sword. …I’m just guessing, that sword…is it somehow related to Excalibur? I remember that kind of high speed sword movement and the destructive power dealt to Kiba’s body. That’s right, it’s exactly the same ability as Excalibur. “Kiba, Xenovia, Irina!”
Just when Rias and I had made up our minds, ready to step forward, Vasco Strada made a gesture towards us, beckoning us to stop. “Princess of the Gremory family, we came here, not to start a war, but to make a final announcement. | text_19 |
I hope you can understand this.”
Once the old man said this — the warriors who were surrounding us silently withdrew. “…So, it would be best if we put away our weapons.”
Seeing this, Rias stopped walking, and responded. The previous wielder of Durandal — Vasco Strada, the previous Excalibur wielder — Ewald Cristaldi, and the young Cardinal all turned around together in preparation to leave. “—Let us say goodbye, young warriors.”
After simply saying this, the group of rebels left—. “……Uhh”
Xenovia didn’t make a sound, holding on to Durandal while she appeared to be upset. “…Why, would conflict arise between their own people.”
Irina looked depressed, sitting on the floor. “…Damn it.”
After challenging the wielder of Excalibur and being easily defeated, Kiba expressed his feelings, heavily punching the ground with his fist. …The battle of people related to holy swords was about to begin again. That day at night—. The members of [DxD] were gathered in the VIP room of the Hyoudou household. Gathered here at the location which was also their base were the Occult Research Club, as well as the Student Council, Sister Griselda, Dulio and others. […I’m terribly sorry. To have you repeatedly get involved in matters related to us….] Michael-san was communicating via a three dimensional projection from a magic circle. The first thing that came out of Michael-san’s mouth was an apology. It was probably because of last time’s incident in Heaven and this time’s matter with the Church’s rebellion. [Their request is to have a battle against [DxD]. And they especially hope to have a fight against you guys in Kuoh town.] Michael-san said. “Why do they want it here…?”
Azazel-sensei replied to my question. “…This is the birthplace of the alliance between the people from various factions. They probably have very complicated feelings about this place. Then, you guys also currently have an inseparable relationship to this matter. It’s also a bit like revenge, but, from their perspective, [DxD] is definitely an extremely complex and hated opponent.”
So it means that if there was no alliance, the job of the exorcists wouldn’t be restricted. We’ve been related to the incident with Kokabiel as well as the Peace Treaty between the Three Factions, and more importantly, we’re members of [DxD] which stands as a symbol of the alliance. …I see, so that’s why they say that there’s no more suitable enemy for the Church’s rebellion than us. Sister Griselda said
“…The people involved in this rebellion are mostly…those whose families were killed by Devils or Vampires, or those who have had their lives destroyed by those people. In the past, they wanted revenge or to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy which has befallen the Church’s warriors—. When the Three Factions formed an alliance, the greatest opposition to it was from them or the high ranking officials of the Church supporting them.”
…Those who saw the lives of their loved ones taken away by the Devils or Vampires, they couldn’t accept the alliance. This rebellion was started with this sentiment as its core…. There was an indescribable feeling in my heart…. Irina said with a sorrowful expression
“Although some of them have defected to join other organisations, most of them are still devout followers of Christianity. …Although they believe in God, they’re still unsatisfied.”
“…It’s said that their displeasure finally erupted. That’s the reason behind the rebellion…”
Irina nodded after hearing what I said. Sensei said with a sigh
“…To be blunt, this incident is an internal strife. Although I really want to call upon the members of [DxD], Seekvaira Agares and Sairaorg Bael for assistance, protecting their own territory is their obligation. It would be best to say that if we were going up against Qlippoth, then that would be the time to call over the heirs of the Great King and Archduke families, and that side’s old men in the upper echelons estimate that it will be complicated again….”
That…could be possible. Although an alliance was formed, the Underworld’s side might not stop blaming Heaven’s side for this incident, and if even the heirs of the Great King and Archduke family were sent over as well, those stubborn seniors definitely won’t be pleased. Simply by explaining the situation to them, Seekvaira Agares and Sairaorg Bael would probably come to help out, but just as Sensei said, maintaining their own territory is extremely important. There’s also the need to guard against Qlippoth who may take advantage of this rebellion to attack the Underworld. Michael-san said with a serious look
[…The fundamental reason for this is because our management is poor. I will use our power—.] “Hold on, don’t act so rashly.”
Sensei interrupted Michael-san. “Michael, you should be a symbol of Heaven. I think that giving strict orders is also the responsibility of a leader. —But, this matter is what you’d call a conflict. Even if there are complicated reasons, using force to coerce people won’t solve the problem. Since it’s like this, this incident should be handled cleanly.”
[But, Azazel. Handing this matter over entirely to [DxD] is….] “I’m slightly worried. I don’t think Strada or Cristaldi would put all their burdens onto their students just to start this rebellion. That is to say, they’re using so many people who have trained as warriors, who probably think like this. As someone who has always directed people, how much have you noticed?”
[…I’ve watched them grow up, and I’m certain that they are all devout believers. They are very innocent people, and they deeply care about humanity. That’s why I believe that their way of thinking is very direct, they won’t go around in loops….] …They said that this rebellion was being led by the high ranking members of the Church. It looks like Azazel-sensei and Michael-san seemed to have realised what those people were thinking. So, this was just a pointless argument which was slightly irrational…. There was also that boy—. To be at the top at such a young age was certainly surprising, but at the same time, the fact that he is also the mastermind behind the rebellion was quite concerning…. Perhaps, he could be the key to this situation? Then, Michael-san spoke as if he had read what was on my mind. […There is also the young Cardinal, Teodoro Legrenzi, who has the greatest abilities among the ‘Miracle Children’. That’s the reason why he has been given that position at such a young age.] …’Miracle Children’? Everyone except me seemed to know about it. Sensei explained to me
“…’Miracle Children’, they are the hybrid of Angels and humans.”
—! …So it was that. The hybrid of Angels and humans whose existence was originally thought to be impossible. If Angels had desires, then they would fall. In relation to humans, a vast number of Angels became immersed in ecstasy with them, turning into Fallen Angels. The majority of Fallen Angels in the Grigori were former angels who fell because of their desires. | text_19 |
But only through special ceremonies and certain enchantments were Angels able to engage in lovemaking with humans. At that time, both sides won’t indulge in lust, but only pure love XXOO. …I’ve thought about it in the past, that if it was myself, I definitely would’ve thought about something perverted, so that would probably be out of the question, but anyway, Angel and human hybrids actually exist. Michael-san suddenly looked at Irina and I then asked
[…Although asking at this time is probably a bit inappropriate, did you use it? Last time’s room. I never imagined that I’d be looking forward to it….] ――! A-Asking this kind of inappropriate question at such a time, Archangel-sama! Both Irina’s and my face were completely red. What exactly were you looking forward to, Archangel-sama!? But Irina actually endured the shame and responded to her superior! “I-It’s only a matter of time!”
What kinds of words are you saying!? You’re telling me it’s only a matter of time!? Where does your self-confidence come from!? C-Could Irina be talking about all the things that she did to me after Christmas!? That girl Irina, ever since she received that doorknob, she’s been calculating my moves wherever I go! For example, when I went to an empty room upstairs in the Hyoudou household to construct a model, as soon as I walked through the door, I had somehow entered that baby-making room from last time!Irina had calculated my actions beforehand, and changed the doorknob to become the ‘The baby-making room’s doorknob’! Then Irina said things like this as soon as I entered! “Ara, Ise-kun. What is it? If you have any problems, I’ll help you solve them! …T-This not a problem right? I think that if we’re in here, Michael-sama won’t be able to see…. …W-We’re childhood friends after all, s-so kissing is only natural…going a step further, isn’t strange right…? B-Because, we’re childhood friends…”
There was more to it besides talking, sometimes wearing a swimming suit, sometimes wearing gym clothes, she would ask me to come over! A-Although it really made me feel appreciative…, because of the surprise, sometimes I would loudly scream [Waa!] when things related to the doorknob occurred. In the end, even when I was in the bathroom, I began to keep a close eye on the bathroom’s doorknob! I should at least have some freedom when I’m trying to use the toilet! Most recently, Asia and Xenovia began to borrow the baby-making room, making it a shared object. Sometimes, if I opened a door with my guard down, I would see the Church Trio wearing all sorts of costumes, with drinks and snacks laid out like a cosplay pub awaiting me! At that time, their greeting would even become [Welcome!]! Hence, I always inspected the doorknob before going through a door every time now. …Although I really appreciate them doing these sorts of things, when the Church Trio creates such situations and uses methods to tempt me, I don’t know how I should react! It’s too difficult for an inexperienced young male like me! [That would be good.] After hearing Irina’s report, Michael-san was nodding with satisfaction! This is somewhat off-topic, Archangel and your Ace! Disregarding the confused me, Sensei said
“That’s the situation. I’m sorry, please accept the challenge of those guys. Basically, help clean things up with Heaven and the Church. I’m sorry for making you draw the short straw.”
Not only sensei, but even Michael-san was expressing his deepest apologies saying [I’m very sorry.]. Seeing as both of these people who acted as leaders were showing such expressions whilst making this request, it left us with no other choice. Rias calmly smiled. “At that time, not only were we fighting against Kokabiel, we were also involved in the matter. Even if we don’t have the assistance of Seekvaira Agares or Sairaorg Bael, it won’t be a problem. The most important thing is that, since we’ve received a challenge, we need to accept it.”
Sona-zenkaichou stood next to Rias, saying
“We also accept this challenge. As long as we’re attending classes at this town’s school, this is not something that can be ignored. In addition, we were also involved in the fight with Kokabiel and the meeting of the Three Factions.”
Irina also raised her hand with a bitter expression. “Michael-sama, can I join in? As one of Rias-san’s companions—.”
[Of course. You also need to work hard, Irina. Blame me for being useless….] Michael-san truly seemed to be ashamed, but Dulio laughed loudly and shook his head. “Ah, I said you don’t need to worry Michael-sama. Things like this can happen. To change something it means that, at the same time, there will be a sacrifice, so there are definitely people who will be unhappy.”
Hearing this, Sister Griselda couldn’t help saying
“You actually said something that’s fitting for a leader…you’ve grown up, Dulio.”
“Nee-san, if you give me even more positive feedback then I’ll be very happy….”
Dulio gloomily said. N-No, I think that your opinion showed the qualities of a leader! “So not only Irina, but Dulio and Griselda-san as well?”
Hearing my question, both Dulio and Sister Griselda expressed their agreement. “That’s right, with me and Dulio included, those from Heaven’s side who work here, and everyone on the Church’s side supporting us as well. This also shows that there are a lot of people who support the alliance.”
——. …Those words sound very reassuring. Yes, there were people who recognised the alliance even within the Church! There were also people like that among the Devils and Fallen Angels…, so there were definitely also people who recognised and agreed with peace in the other factions! Exactly because of this, we formed [DxD]! By now, I’ve certainly come to understand just how important these things are. “Azazel, what about Vali’s Team?”
Rias asked Azazel about Vali’s current situation. “Couldn’t be contacted. They’re probably acting on their own. But with the current situation, if they were involved, it would actually become more troublesome.”
“Hmm, I’m worried about asking. If he comes along, it may turn into a real fight.”
“Kuroka and Le Fay are at your place, if you want to use them, just let them know. Don’t let them turn into leeches.”
That’s right. Besides Le Fay who helps out the Hyoudou household by doing housework, the complete freeloader Kuroka doesn’t help out at all when things happen! That bad cat, every time I tell her this, she says [Then you can use my body as payment nya♪] then undresses to hug me…although it does make me very happy! But this time I have to make her work hard! …Although I’m saying this, I really want her to use her body as payment! Sensei summarised the matter at hand. “Well, let me sum up. This time, the people who will accept the rebellion group’s request for a challenge are Rias’s group, Sona’s group, and [DxD]’s [Brave Saints] group. There should be no problems there. | text_19 |
I will head over to the other side to let Seekvaira Agares and Sairaorg Bael know about the current situation.”
That’s easy to understand. We’ll be using the members who are close to Kuoh town to handle this matter. “Also, I will have Slash Dog to act as support behind the scenes. Well, if it’s him then he should do his job well.”
—Sensei said. Oh, Ikuse-san will be responsible for working behind the scenes. So even if Qlippoth were to appear in the midst of this, it shouldn’t turn into a dangerous situation. After things had settled down, Sister Griselda said
“Although saying this might be a bit vague, His Eminence Strada and His Eminence Cristaldi’s true strength is like twice that of Dulio’s.”
…This information wouldn’t make people happy! That old man and that ossanare on the level of Dulio times two! They were respectively the former wielders of Durandal and Excalibur, they were also known to be the best, but I didn’t expect this! Dulio smiled as he patted me on the back. “Ah, hahaha. Ise-kun, that old man and ossan are extremely strong, we need to be careful.”
…Aw, [DxD] is really unlucky. However, fighting against allies, I still felt a sense of hesitation. …Differing values between each species. The effect of the internal strife. Although I’m currently a devil, I was previously a human. Perhaps from the moment that I changed species…in their perspective, I became someone that shouldn't existence…. …I glanced over at the worrisome Swordsman Trio. Whether it was Xenovia, Irina or Kiba, their faces all showed very complicated expressions. After receiving the challenge, we began to decide on the day. The challenge would be — in three days’ time. Having said that, although it was only a few days, a lot of things happened between the members of the Gremory household. Two days later, someone came to visit us — it was Tannin-ossan! This was a surprise visitor! Tannin-ossan in his mini-dragon form had travelled here via magic circle to the Hyoudou house’s underground. As soon as ossan arrived he said
“In fact, I came here for your assistance.”
That’s right, ossan who I rarely see came here for our assistance. I heard that it was about something related to a rare dragon race. Ossan explained to us
“My role is mainly for the sake of the dragons that come from the human world seeking peace…. And there’s one in particular called [Spectre Dragon] which is a rare species. It recently laid eggs.”
Oh, laid eggs. That’s a cause for celebration. —While I was nodding as I listened to him, another person beside me was startled. Then everyone also jumped in surprise. Rias frantically said
“—Spectre Dragon!? I heard that there were very few of them left.”
In other words, it is a very rare species of dragon. Tannin-ossan expressed his agreement. “That’s right. That’s why the egg which has been laid provides a lot of hope. …However, the incubation and hatching of [Spectre Dragon] eggs is very difficult. In particular, the Underworld’s environment has a bad effect on the egg of a [Spectre Dragon]. If this goes on, the egg may decay before it is able to hatch.”
That is not a good thing. …Ah, I think I have an idea for the reason why ossan came here. Ossan continued
“I would like to ask of you, Rias, to borrow and use the area under Kuoh town.”
Oh, I see. But there are often enemies who attack here, so I can’t say that it’s very peaceful. “Is that alright? Qlippoth might be keeping an eye on this place right?”
Hearing my question, ossan scratched his chin with his finger. “Hmm, it’s because I couldn’t find a more suitable place in the human world than here. If it was anywhere else, then I can’t guarantee that Qlippoth won’t go after the egg. In that case, I think that since we know there are dangers, until the time that the egg hatches, it would be best to keep the egg at a secret location deep underground, protected by several layers of magical barriers.”
Rias then asked
“How long will it take to hatch?”
“If it’s in the human world, it should be faster than expected. The Spectre Dragon’s egg has already been in a location which is not ideal prior to this.”
In that case, it would be best to move the egg over here as soon as possible. Otherwise, the environment of the Underworld may have an adverse effect on the child. After hearing this, Rias spoke to express her agreement
“I understand. Then we will do our best to protect it.”
“I’m sorry. Thanks in advance.”
After both sides agreed, all that was left was to wait for the person who would be bringing the egg over. After waiting for a while, the silhouette of a person illuminated by light from the magic circle appeared, holding a large egg which glowed with a shining lustre. “….”
It was a man wearing a black coat, silently holding the egg. We were shocked to see him! “—! Crom Cruach! Why is it you! ?”
I pointed at the man with my finger as I called out his name! I never imagined that the person bringing the Spectre Dragon egg over would be this legendary evil dragon! As soon as this person was seen, everyone assumed a battle stance! However, Tannin-ossan shouted [Slow down.] and moved in between us. Ossan scratched his face then told us something which was very surprising. “…Hmm, it’s a long story…but Crom Cruach is currently my guest.”
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhh! ?”
I yelled out loud! W-Who would’ve thought! T-This evil dragon, would actually stay under ossan’s command! The evil dragon didn’t even care about our surprised stares, and calmly said
“…I’m currently being taken care of by Tannin. This is simply in return for that.”
…N-N-N-No. Come on, everything that comes out of this guy’s mouth is strange! Tannin-ossan is providing him with food, clothing and shelter, in return for him to transport the egg, and then coming to our place! All of this seems like a lie! Tannin-ossan spoke again
“Crom Cruach is an evil dragon. He was also previously serving under Evil God Balor. But he is also a pure dragon. I think that since he is a dragon, then there is a way to understand each other.”
Crom Cruach silently nodded. …Ara, that is to say that he fled from Heaven to the Underworld, then encountered Tannin-ossan, and those two were able to get along? [Although he seems to be better than the other evil dragons, you should still be careful.] Ddraig reminded Tannin. “Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind. But—.”
Tannin-ossan turned his gaze towards Crom. Then Crom Cruach — spoke about the unthinkable, he came to my place for our mascot, to confront Ophis! Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh! This could turn into a disaster! There exists nothing more frightening than the meeting between an unsurpassed evil dragon and pure Dragon God in this world! If things aren’t handled well, this house will even be blown apart aaaaaaaahh! Crom Cruach ignored us with an expressionless face, placed the egg on the floor, and then made a battle stance towards Ophis. “Ophis. Fight with me.”
The Dragon God-sama held a banana in one hand and said to him
“I, made a promise with Ise that I would not fight. | text_19 |
Impossible.”
Crom Cruach didn’t expect that he would be rejected so quickly, and widened his eyes in surprise. “…Really? Then, what needs to be done for it to be possible?”
“Don’t know.”
“…Indeed.”
After speaking, Crom Cruach fell silent, and picked the egg up again. Ophis very curiously kept touching the egg. …H-How, what was going on in this puzzling situation…. The evil dragon appeared, challenged Ophis, was rejected, and then he accepted that…? Tannin-ossan found it very funny and laughed [Kukuku.]…. “You see, there’s nothing to worry about.”
…This, I don’t know what to say about it. I totally can’t understand what this evil dragon Crom Cruach is thinking! This guy’s way of thinking is even more difficult to understand than Ophis! —Speaking of which, Tannin-ossan was not surprised to see Ophis. “Ossan, you know Ophis….”
I wanted to confirm, then ossan immediately nodded. “Hmm. Maou-donotold me about it. I won’t tell anyone. Just knowing that the Dragon God is here with you, I can rest assured.”
That really is quite a relief. As much as possible, I didn’t want Ophis to come into contact with other things. She was very dangerous to begin with, so I didn’t want her to become any more conspicuous. Then Tannin-ossan began to talk about Crom Cruach. “…Crom Cruach’s eyes, they have seen too many things which have occurred in the human world. I also have not been sealed, and even now I continue to watch the world. I feel like I can understand his feelings. As the times change, human culture changes, good and evil change, accompanied by the change in devils…after watching this for years, even if you are a powerful dragon, your values will waver.”
…These words were quite convincing. In fact, it looks like Ophis has only had little contact with us, yet she has become like this now. …All those who are called dragons, perhaps the stronger they are, the purer they are. However, there are also those like Grendel, dragons who are rotten to their core. Tannin-ossan continued
“Anyway, Crom Cruach appears to be interested in my observations of dragons over time. There have been a lot of species of dragons which I’ve brought over. I’m sorry, Hyoudou Issei, members of the Gremory household, I hope that you don’t publicise this matter. I want to continue watching him for some time.”
…Perhaps Tannin-ossan wants to find something from this evil dragon. For even ossan to say this, one could guess that he hopes to get something out of it. Ossan was my mentor. After sharing such a bond, I wouldn’t doubt him. “I know. I trust you ossan. After all ossan, you’re the Dragon King that I think is ideal.”
Hearing what I just said, ossan timidly scratched his face. Rias followed by saying
“Understood. Please entrust the Spectre Dragon’s egg to us. If we find that there are any signs of decay then we’ll contact you straight away.”
Hearing what Rias said, ossan replied
“I’m very grateful.”
Like that, the unexpected visit was peacefully concluded. The location for the egg’s safekeeping was chosen to be the underground space below Kuoh town which was the most difficult to access. …However, just knowing that there’s hope for us to have a mutual understanding with evil dragons is an achievement. Although I think that this is mostly thanks to Tannin-ossan’s idea…. Even so, it’s possible to talk with Crom Cruach. I believe that it’s also possible for us to have a mutual understanding with the warriors of the Church’s rebellion. This event makes me have a strong feeling about it. A day later—. The showdown against the Church’s warriors was tomorrow. On this day, Xenovia was using one of the classrooms in the old school building, within which she was deciding what her Election Day speech would be about. After the discussion with the New Occult Research Club, Asia and I had somehow ended up at this classroom. “Um-, the reason I’m running in the Student Council Election is….”
Xenovia was slowly reading her speech, almost about to put it down. Irina and Kiryuu were next to her holding the speech in one hand as they discussed their opinions on it. “I think that, compared to the usual conventions, perhaps being a bit bold, using humour is also feasible.”
“I think that an action style would be even better than trying comedy. Prepare a target, and then Xenovia will slice it cleanly in half! It’s sure to catch people’s attention!”
…Kiryuu and Irina were both talking about something. Xenovia wasn’t paying any attention to them and simply stared at her speech. Asia also joined into their conversation, thus turning it into a decent election discussion. The main point of that day’s speech, the importance of commitment, a predetermined order to speak about things, everyone put in their best effort to contribute with their ideas. After most things had been settled, we took a break. I walked up to Kiryuu who was preparing tea, and spoke to her. “Hey, Kiryuu.”
“What, you’re so serious. It’s not really like you.”
I think that she already knows the truth right now, so I wanted to ask her. “…A devil is here at this school as the Student Council President, isn’t it a bit strange?”
The school at which a devil is the Student Council President—. That was Kuoh Acacdemy. The majority of students went about their daily lives not knowing a single thing about this. I suddenly wanted to know what Kiryuu thought after she had learned about the truth. After all, she was currently helping Xenovia in her campaign for Student Council President. This also means that the next President could possibly be a devil. Kiryuu sighed. “Speaking of which, you know, the existence of devils itself is something which defies common sense. Really, this magic stuff is way too exaggerated.”
That…was what was said. From what she said, it was certain that she was didn’t know what to say. Kiryuu held her chin with her fingers and after some thought she said
“But, that stuff…. There’s no reason why it can’t be possible right? There are one or two such schools yet Hanakai and Xenovia aren’t trying to confine or eat us, they’re not dictating the school, nor are they trying to lure us into darkness right? That being the case, isn’t there no difference between us and any other ordinary student? Humans and devils may be different species, but they quintessentially still follow the same principles and values as human society. We should say that we need to be stronger, or that we should be thankful. Anyway, perhaps the devils that are powerful in comparison to humans will come to protect us in a dire situation. I think that is highly possible.”
——. …So this is what she thought, what she just said…left me feeling amazed. Kiryuu continued. “In addition, both Xenovia and Asia are my friends. Even if I know about their identity, nothing has changed. At least I think so. Besides, I also thought that you never stopped being a pervert. This doesn’t matter, I will still continue here as a student.”
She must have said what she truly felt in her heart. | text_19 |
Although you have to keep in mind that she was able to accept the truth to begin with. But I think that there’s no doubt that she meant what she just said. Because of this. I believe that what she just said was a gesture of kindness to accept me, in which case we…. …Not good, my eyes are wet. It’s because I’ve recently been thinking about the reason for the existence of devils, and too many things like conflicts have been happening. I don’t know if Kiryuu had noticed my current appearance, but she made a mischievous looking smile then poked my face with her finger. “What are you hesitating about. It’s not like you at all. So I’ll say this to you. I recognize you and Asia.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“You’re overthinking things. People can be good or bad, devils are the same, isn’t that so? It’s the same no matter where you are in this world, right? I don’t want to say this to you as a Japanese person, but you’re looking at things too pessimistically.”
Kiryuu spoke normally, but to me right now, such ordinary words were making me feel incredible joy. I felt moved by the fact that she called me a Japanese person. “For that, thank you so much. I feel like you’ve helped me up.”
“This is too exaggerated.”
Kiryuu smiled wryly. I made another request of her. “Xenovia will be depending on you then.”
Kiryuu puffed out her chest and did made a thumbs up pose. “Leave it to me. I’ll do my best.”
Ah, in this regard you’re full of enthusiasm. These were the words that Kiryuu said to me. —I was formerly a human who is now a devil. I live in Kuoh town, I’m a student of Kuoh Academy, and most importantly, I look forward to peace. I only want to live a peaceful life. Nothing more. I want to hold this feeling in my heart, as I take on tomorrow’s battle. That day late at night, I was alone in the underground swimming pool of the Hyoudou household. The battle was tomorrow, so I came to the pool to perform my final preparations. I wasn’t wearing armour, with only a bare upper body, I had released my dragon wings and I was flying above the pool. I was floating in mid-air, silently allowing energy to wrap itself around my body. This is what I’ve recently been doing, mental purification. Although training the body isn’t bad, training the mind shouldn’t be neglected. This is because it can allow a person to quietly think about a lot of things. Meditating while flying in mid-air is even better. I dimmed the room’s lights down to their lowest setting, as this environment made it the easiest to concentrate. …Flying was previously quite difficult, but now I could do it even without wearing my armour. Speaking of which, I meant that I wasn’t using a devils’ wings, they were dragon wings. Although I’m able to bring out my devil wings, my compatibility with dragon wings seems much better, as I didn’t think that I’d be able to fly so easily. …Currently I was able to use my dragon wings without wearing my armour. This means that my current body is no longer the same as the body I had before. This, I already understood very well. But each time I realised that my body had changed without me noticing, I couldn’t help thinking about it. …My previous body has already been destroyed as a result of Samael’s poison. My current body was born from the flesh of Great Red. Of course, Ophis also helped make my body function like a human’s…but most of it was still a dragon’s body. After that I reincarnated as a devil again…. Although my body has changed, my mind hasn’t, it really is quite a strange feeling. Although Azazel-sensei replaced a part of his body with a mechanical part, I still don’t feel that it’s very useful. Right now, the only change in my body that I could feel was that I had dragon wings on my back. Ddraig said
[Your body was made by Great Red, and it has also inherited Ophis’s power. It will probably bring about an unprecedented change, and it may also contain an unbelievable hidden potential.] In other words, even a dragon didn’t know what would become of it in the future. [Ah, yes. This thing, although it is worrying, it was also interesting. No, just let it be. To this day, we’ve overcome an innumerable number of crises.] I listened to him as he talked about this. …No, but peace comes first. It would be the best if everyone could understand each other…. [Whether it’s a human, a devil or a dragon, their upbringing will be different, and so will their values and experiences. There will naturally be some disagreements. You can only hope the grudges between each species won’t grow even larger.] Hmm, although you can say that, we’re always going against other people. Thinking about these things is inevitable…. Although peace and an alliance have been achieved, there will still be places where disarray arises, and it will unknowingly accumulate until it breaks out…. And I think that in principle, the [Khaos Brigade]’s Old Maou Faction, Hero Faction, Qlippoth, and this current situation are all the same…. “This is what you may call peace, but there are people who have suffered as a result….”
What Vali said to me has constantly been on my mind. It’ll probably be something that I’ll continue to ponder about…. I quickly patted my face. …I’ve got to cheer up. After all, the battle was tomorrow. “We accepted the challenge. Simply put, it’s a conflict. I — don’t want everything I’ve done till now to be wrong, so we accepted their challenge!”
Yes, that’s it! What I’ve been fighting for isn’t wrong! I need to sustain this belief when I take on tomorrow’s challenge! [This is fine, it’s too early for a kid like you to start doubting your own path. Say that after you’ve lived another hundred years. If you need to question your own path, it’s not too late to do it later.] Oh yeah, Ddraig. I must first continue without regrets. I need to take the path that I believe in to the end! Because I’m going to become a harem king! After I had steeled my determination, I moved over to the side of the pool. Then, it seemed like someone entered the pool. “Huh? Ise?”
It was Xenovia who was wearing only a T-shirt. “So it’s you. What are you still doing here so late?”
Xenovia made a wry smile when she heard my question. “Nothing really, I just wanted to come here. I wanted to go for a swim. Did I disturb you?”
“Of course not, I was just about to leave.”
“I see.”
After saying this, Xenovia headed over to the diving platform — then haughtily took off her T-shirt! She was wearing nothing underneath so she was completely naked! Not even wearing underwear! Her tight and curvaceous body, which was well proportioned, was visible in the dim lighting! The shape of her oppai was so beautiful! “—Hey, you swim naked! ?”
Although I said that with sarcasm, Xenovia didn’t care at all, and climbed onto the diving platform to make a diving pose! My gaze was attracted to her bottom, and then Xenovia jumped in! She was swimming through the pool freestyle. Then Xenovia said to me
“Swimming nude feels very unrestrictive you know? | text_19 |
Sometimes I come here by myself late at night for a swim!”
Xenovia swam around three laps in the spacious pool, and then lifted her head out at the edge of the pool. “…Ise.”
“Hmm?”
She suddenly asked me seriously
“…I, can surpass them right? Surpass Sona-kaichou, and surpass His Excellency Strada right?”
The opponents that Xenovia had to beat. Both of them were strong opponents. Xenovia continued
“I…I’ve always thought that, if it’s going to be done, then it has to be able to surpass the predecessor. Whether it’s as a warrior, or as a student of Kuoh Academy.”
Although she was saying the things that made her feel uneasy, her eyes possessed a strong determination. This was proof that she had the mentality of ‘if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to win’. “That reminds me, I haven’t asked. The reason why you want to become the Student Council President.”
Although things had already progressed to this stage, I still asked this question. Because this girl wasn’t the type to speak about it with initiative. She was the type who didn’t discuss things beforehand, the type who would decide on things without you knowing. Xenovia became silent for a while, then answered
“…This is the first school that I’ve attended since I was born. Since I started attending school here, I’ve never felt bored. Chatting with classmates during class, in breaks, club activities, class activities, school trips, all of them are very new and exciting to me, I’m truly very happy. Ise, I, really like this school. I truly think that it’s possible to have such a meaningful place in this world. So, I…want to give something back in return. No, I want to leave something behind at this school. That’s why I naturally thought about becoming the Student Council President, to give my all for the school.”
…I see. She really likes Kuoh Academy. Indeed, this girl is always so active at this school. She enjoys anything that she does. No matter whether it’s attending class, engaging in activities or chatting during breaks. Xenovia’s always been doing her best to enjoy all this. Speaking of which, Xenovia seemed to have understood something. “…Oh, now I get it. It would be good to say this to everyone. There’s basically nothing difficult to understand in this situation. Regardless of what’s said, there’s still the battle—.”
Xenovia looked up towards the ceiling. It looked like she had reached some sort of conclusion. Suddenly, Xenovia extended her hand out and said to me
“Ise, pull me up.”
I sighed, thinking to myself “Alright” and extended my hand out. —In that instant! Xenovia grabbed onto my hand and forcibly pulled me over! “H-Hey! Suddenly—.”
I was caught off guard and got dragged into the pool! As I was about to emerge from the water, just when I was about to object against Xenovia, my mouth was suddenly blocked. ——Xenovia was hugging onto me as she kissed me. I maintained the position that I was in, and didn’t resist—. Xenovia revealed a strange smile as she moved her lips away from mine. “…Ahahaha, that’s the second kiss. Ise, I’m serious. Whether it’s for the Student Council President, for the battle, and of course for love.”
Xenovia kept hugging onto me in the water. As she was currently completely naked, the sensation of her body was transmitted directly onto mine…the feeling of her oppai were amazing! Hey, what am I doing in the pool this late at night!? No, although I’m very happy, I can’t let the other girls see this! It doesn’t look like we’re having a secret rendezvous! Xenovia looked at me with moist eyes and said
“The reason I was able to choose this way of life, is all thanks to Rias-zenbouchou, Asia, Irina, as well as other friends and people. But there are so many things that I want to do, only because I have you by my side, Ise. I was able to have such happiness in my life together with you. And I’ve gradually been reaching my goal. You’re the first, and you should also be the last man to give me such things. —When you become [King], Ise. I’ll follow you.”
——. …This girl, unabashedly said something like that which would make people happy. “Hmm, I’m definitely going to become [King] one day. If you want to follow me then feel free to do so. But, I’m not as skilled as Rias, so it will probably make things hard for you, you know?”
“That’s what I want. To start from the beginning and experience each step. That sounds quite interesting.”
This is exactly something you’d say, Xenovia! Since you’ve said that, it would be good if I took Asia, you and Ravel, the four of us together, with me when I become independent. Xenovia held my face with both her hands. She was probably imitating Sister Griselda whom she admired. “…Yes. Ise, you’ve found your own path, to surpass Juggernaut Drive. I need to discover my path….”
After Xenovia muttered to herself for a while, she seemed to have understood something again, and then she began to swim again. “I’m feeling motivated. I’m going to swim another lap. You go up first, Ise.”
H-H-Hey, forcible pulling me into the pool and forcibly kissing me—. But, seeing her happy, I’ll leave it at that. It seems like Xenovia had widened her perspective, and completely let things go like me. But, Xenovia. About what you said, I’m truly happy. Because you said that you were really happy living together with me. Say, Vali. There are also people who have felt happiness as a result of my peace, you know? After I climbed up from the pool, I shouted to Xenovia
“Hey, the battle is tomorrow! Be more appropriate!”
Xenovia waved to me from the pool in response. “You two are actually having a secret rendezvous! This is too devious!”
After hearing that, I was suddenly hugged by someone from behind — it was Irina! A feeling like soft marshmallows pressed onto my back! Oppai! And this feeling…they were nude! Irina embraced me and moved around to my front — she had let her hair down, and was only wearing a pair of panties! Irina puffed out her cheeks and said
“…I saw you and Xenovia doing something.”
“Ah! Uh, t-that was….”
“You’re going to take Xenovia with you?”
She really was eavesdropping on our conversation just then. I scratched my face and thought…. “T-That isn’t certain yet.”
“Then, won’t I be together with you in the future, Ise-kun?”
“Irina, you’re an angel right? Y-You want to, suppose that after hundreds of years you’ll have a respectable position, by which time it might not be convenient to see each other….”
After all, she was Michael-san’s Ace. In the future, Irina was definitely going to become someone of great ability. Irina moved back slightly, but moved her face closer. She said to me with moist eyes
“In a sense, childhood friends are more important than girlfriends or peerage members….”
“G-Girlfriend…you’re saying even more important than Rias?”
“Although you may not think so Ise-kun, I think that childhood friends are more important than girlfriends. So I’ll do for you whatever Rias does, and I’ll go even further than that.”
She hugged me again, and said such stimulating words! | text_19 |
Her wings also began to flicker as she said that! Does doing this count as starting to have thoughts which could make her fall!? Irina’s oppai which were pressed against my chest changed shape, and I was currently in a state of high alert! The sensation of an Angel’s delicate skin was pressed against me — this sensual feeling put me in a trance. Irina placed her head against my chest and said
“…That, do you want to go over to that room like this? I want to help improve your morale before the battle, Ise-kun….”
…I*gulp*swallowed my saliva. …Irina you! Ever since Christmas, your words have been so provocative aaaaah! I want to! I want to go to that room! I really want to take you there like this! But while my mind was filled with these thoughts, Xenovia suddenly emerged from the pool and came into my view! Xenovia came up from the side of the pool, and came straight towards us. “I also want to boost our morale! Irina! Lend that room to me! I reserved Ise earlier than you!”
What do you mean reserved!? You mean that!? D-Doing that thing!? Irina’s face swelled up again when she heard this! “Not—possible! That’s something Michael-sama gave to me! It’s my and darling’s love nest! It’s fine to use it for Ise-kun together with Xenovia and Asia, but if it’s only for you by yourself, you’ll probably stay in it for a week and won’t return it to me Xenovia!”
“Of course! Lend me Ise for ten days! I want to discover all the possibilities in there!”
“I said it’s not possible so it’s not possible!”
Irina was tightly holding onto my arm, she didn’t plan on letting go! Xenovia, unwilling to yield, hugged onto my other arm! Ahh, both of my arms felt the unparalleled soft sensation of a female’s body! Their surging, soft and tender oppai wrapped around both of my hands, I was overcome with unsurpassed happiness! Both of them had very large oppai, I could really feel their incredible texture, this was truly beyond words! “Ise-kun belongs to me as my childhood friend! He’s my darling, darling!”
“No—He’s the person that I reserved! Only I call him darling!”
Both of them hugged onto me as sparks continuously flew between them! Then, when I didn’t know what to do, another person hugged me from behind. “…Ise-san, you need to get some rest~.”
…It was a sleepy and confused Asia. H-Hey, you came here half-asleep…? In front of Asia who couldn’t possibly be here, I decided that I needed Xenovia and Irina. I persuaded Xenovia and Irina, and then picked Asia up like a sleeping princess. “Sleep? I can’t leave Asia near the pool.”
After I said that, Asia dreamily said to me
“…Wet, not possible without water…Ise-san, splashing me~.”
“Alright, let’s go back.”
“…Splashing me~swimming together~.”
Ah, my Asia-chan is so cute. Asia who was sleeping really was adorable. I swear to support the new Buchou! From the beautiful Rias-buchou to the cute Asia-buchou, it really was a great succession! Xenovia and Irina looked at the sleeping Asia then looked at each other — then laughed “Heehee”. “Well. Since Asia-buchou said so, there’s no other way then.”
“Hmm. Asia-buchou’s orders must be followed.”
The two of them agreed. Being able to quickly reconcile was one of the good things about these two. —But, they clung onto my body again. “Well, I’m going to sleep in Ise-kun’s room tonight. Be careful not to wake Rias-zenbuchou when you go to sleep though.”
“Yeah! Then we’ll go and sleep with Ise and Asia on the same bed!”
No way! I have to sleep together with Rias, Asia, Xenovia and Irina! B-But, they probably won’t listen even if I says something…. “Fine, on another note, we need to win tomorrow. We can do it.”
Hearing what I said, Xenovia and Irina both made confident smiles. Fine, although quite a few things happened in the pool, I also have to cheer up. I had a good feeling about tomorrow’s battle. …Although that was what I thought, I woke up on the floor next to the bed. Not only Xenovia, but even Irina was rolling around on the bed, thus I was kicked off—. The day of the battle against the Church’s rebellion group finally arrived. The members of the Occult Research Club, the Sitri group, Sister Griselda, and Dulio gathered at an underground level of the Hyoudou residence, in the room where a magic circle was prepared for transportation. Azazel-sensei, the personnel from Heaven and Ikuse Tobio who were acting as support members also arrived. Azazel-sensei emerged from the crowd of people and briefed us on the battle. “Listen up, this time we’re going up against the Church’s rebellion group. The location was hurriedly built for this battle in the style of a rating game and we’ll be going there via magic circle. The other side has accepted this, as this battle will certainly be more intense than the previous one.”
The location that will be used for the match. If that’s the case, compared to fighting in the small town, it’ll be much more dangerous. Sona-zenkaichou said
“It’s scheduled to start at midnight. Our opponents will be using the magic circle that we prepared to be transported to the location of the battle.”
After hearing this, Saji added
“Whether it was the location of the battle, or us preparing the magic circle for transportation to the location, we really weren’t sure if they would accept it. Being transported into a prison or barrier, or the location of the battle being a trap to begin with, they never considered that.”
Indeed, that was a valid point. This was a condition which was clearly favourable to us, so we really had to thank them for being able to accept such conditions. Azazel-sensei smiled wryly and replied
“Then let me ask you, even if you thought that, what would you have done? I’ve considered the other possibilities, but I never planned to use them. That’s all there is to it. The other side guessed that we wouldn’t use such methods, after all, when we begin fighting, the impact of it won’t be small. If it’s a fight, then we should just accept the reality of it. Both sides already understand that the Church’s rebellion has reached a point of no return.”
This meant that we believed in accepting it. The belief that we wanted to fight against our disgruntled opponents, the belief that we were the reason for their dissatisfaction…but we had to keep in mind that as warriors, we were going to be their opponents in this battle. Perhaps it was also because of Strada and Cristaldi, two people that they trusted, hence the warriors following them also had trust in us. Sensei then continued
“…I’m really sorry, to make you guys draw the short straw. However, Strada and Cristaldi certainly brought with them more than just discontent warriors. Although the fact that the warriors are hoping to vent their anger at us isn’t a lie, the three Cardinals must have another motive. …I’ve received some information from the Vatican’s headquarters. It let me understand…sperathat they were the real idiots.”
Sensei smiled wryly again. It was slightly unexpected, but the look in his eyes was a little sad…. | text_19 |
I think sensei discovered the true motive behind that old man and ossan’s challenge to us. Hearing what sensei said, everyone displayed a docile expression as they nodded. It looked like everyone was determined and had already made up their minds. Sona-zenkaichou darted her eyes over to Shinra-san, encouraging her swiftly to explain the situation behind the scenes. Shinra-san used her own magic to summon a large mirror in mid-air, and then began explaining. The mirror displayed a map of the entire area that would be the stage for this battle. “The stage for this battle uses the area within a ten kilometre radius of Kuoh Academy as a template. The creation of this stage is all thanks to the assistance of Rossweisse-sensei.”
Rossweisse-san also helped out in creating the stage? I felt rather surprised, and then Rossweisse-san said to everyone
“This battle’s stage uses an application of the sealing technique for Trihexa that I’m still researching. …But I hope that the results are good…”
I see, using the sealing method that she was researching. Rosseweisse-san used her self-developed theory, and she hasn’t stopped researching the specialised seal for Trihexa for years. It seems like Azazel-sensei and the other researchers also assisted…and the results of her research have been used in this battle’s stage. …The unknown opponents, and the beast that no one has ever encountered…. With these things as her goal, I really admired Rossweisse-san who dedicated time every day to think about this sealing technique. This was all because she was a rare, talented woman in magic, thus she was able to do it. Shinra-san then stated
“The opponent will be splitting up their forces into two squadrons. Ewald Cristaldi and Vasco Strada will be acting as the leaders of each squadron.”
That was easy to understand. The stage for the battle was Kuoh town! The opponents were the former wielder of Excalibur and the former wielder of Durandal who would be leading the two squadrons. Following what Shinra-san said, Sona-zenkaichou said
“We will also be divided into two groups. As for the assignment, [Joker] Dulio Gesualdo will be the leader, Sister Griselda, Irina-san, those of the [Brave Saints], as well as the Sitri group except Saji who are acting as support will be responsible for taking on Ewald Cristaldi’s side.”
So that means it would be the Angels and the Sitri group against the holy sword wielder Cristaldi-san. “So that means, it’ll be the Gremory household, Saji-kun and the other members who will be responsible for going up against Vasco Strada.”
Rias said
“Our opponent is…the former wielder of Durandal, Strada-ossan.”
The raging flames of battle had already ignited in Xenovia’s eyes. “Kuroka, Le Fay and Slash Dog will be responsible for that side’s support.”
—Sensei added. I see, the support members were still quite competent. …Even so, Qlippoth only needed a slight opening, at which they would certainly jump in. This was quite worrisome. Then someone stepped out from the crowd — it was Kiba. “Sona-zenkaichou, can I go over to [Joker]’s side?”
—! …Hearing this, everyone was quite surprised. But everyone quickly understood the reason behind it. …Kiba’s fighting spirit had been ignited again by Excalibur. Sona-zenkaichou closed her eyes and asked
“It’s because of Excalibur right?”
Kiba silently nodded. “I heard that Cristaldi is the former wielder of Excalibur.”
Sona-zenkaichou asked Sister Griselda about this. “Yes, although he’s now retired, he is indeed a rare person, naturally able to wield Excalibur. It’s said that in his youth, he was able to use three of Excalibur simultaneously.”
…Three of Excalibur at the same time. Although that bastard Freed was able to do similar things, he was probably only using them indiscriminately. After all, after the incident with Kokabiel’s attack, Kiba raised his power tremendously and showed no mercy to that ossan. Sister Griselda then said
“He is also the only person that the Pope gave a replica of Excalibur during the production of Ex-Durandal.”
“A replica of Excalibur?”
I asked, at which time Rias placed her hand over her forehead. “I heard that after gathering the seven Excalibur swords, they wanted to create a replica which contained the same power. From what I remember, the replica’s actual power was less than a fifth of the original….”
So that ossan’s sword was actually a replica of Excalibur! So the feeling that I had back then was actually this. “His Eminence Strada should also have received a replica of Durandal similarly.”
—Sister Griselda said. That old man has a replica! …It looks like this was going to be a fierce battle…. After hearing this, Kiba strongly pleaded. “…Please let me fight against him. I want to surpass Excalibur again, surpass the wielder of Excalibur. This is not revenge, but a challenge!”
Among the great individuals within the Church, the former wielder of Excalibur had ignited his passion. The expression that exuded from Kiba’s eyes was not out of hatred, but a mixed feeling. …I didn’t know if it was anger towards himself, or anger towards his opponent, or even—. Rias struggled to find an answer, and thus another person’s voice interjected
“—How about simply letting him do so?”
The person who was in agreement with this was Arthur Pendragon. An unexpected person showed up here. …No, the opponent was directly related to holy swords. Vali had hoped that this guy would be able to fight. So in consideration of that, it wasn’t surprising for this guy to show up. All eyes were directed towards the handsome youth who said to Kiba with a faint smile
“A swordsman’s dedication can only be matched by another swordsman. Isn’t that right, Kiba Yuuto-kun?”
Kiba was silent. Then the eyes of those two met, and I felt as though there was something that only swordsmen could understand. Arthur placed his hand on his chest and said
“I don’t really want to replace you, but allow me participate in the fight against Vasco Strada. Being the old man who is known as the strongest wielder of Durandal, I’ve always been interested in him, in particular, his own strength is regarded as the strongest among the wielders of Durandal.”
So Arthur wanted to join the Gremory household’s side. With what he said, it was even more unexpected. After listening to what he said — she sighed and then turned to her friend. “…Sona, let Kiba join your side then.”
“Is that alright, Rias?”
After confirmation of that, Rias turned to Kiba and said
“Yuuto, only this time, please settle things with your feelings.”
Kiba immediately knelt down, and expressed his gratitude to his master. “Yes, thank you.”
His expression was not only that of gratefulness — it also made me feel the determination of a warrior. …Anyone would think that his current expression looked rather gallant. However, my friend. I’ve already noticed. After this concluded, everyone discussed the battle with each other, and the remaining time was the last chance to rest before the battle began. | text_19 |
Everyone went about with their own ways to relax, while I went over to Kiba who was leaning against a wall. “Kiba, can I talk to you for a bit?”
“What is it”
“You’re not reverting right?”
I bluntly asked him. He hesitated for a moment, then made a false smile. “…No, I know that I’m the Knight of Rias Gremory, and the sword of the Occult Research Club.”
What he said came from the heart, but it still annoyed me. “Hmm, that’s right. You’re the sword. —But do you have a scabbard for that sword?”
“—”
Kiba didn’t reply to my question. I…said everything that was on my mind. “…That is something you definitely need to remember. To take your place in anything, I have to politely decline. Rias Gremory’s [Knight] are you and Xenovia. I’m not going to take your place. So…you definitely can’t die, idiot.”
After hearing what I said, Kiba was surprised, but quickly smiled again. After it felt like he was thinking about what I said again, he revealed a modest smile. “Really, a replacement…is not possible. You told me so seriously, it feels as though I’ve been given a shot from a needle.”
I think that was able to help reduce his tension a bit. Since it worked, it seems like what I said to him was correct. …Alright, Kiba had no problems now, what remained was…. I looked over at Asia. She was sitting on a chair which was prepared there, facing Heaven as she prayed. I went over to her side and asked
“Asia, mind if I interrupt you for a while?”
Asia opened her eyes, and replied calmly
“…We have to fight against those people from the Church right?”
Yes, Asia needed to confront the people from the Church next. Her feelings were definitely very complex right now. “Hmm, if it’s too hard for you, you don’t have to go. …Although you’ll come along anyway even if I say that.”
That’s right, I already understood Asia’s response. Hmm, if it’s her, then she would definitely—. [Yes, Ise-san, Rias-oneesama, Xenovia and Irina. If everyone is going to fight, I will also go with them.] She would definitely reply with a smile. Asia’s absolute defender was not here right now. “Fafnir hasn’t woken up yet so you’ll have to rely on the four evil dragons to protect you. Naturally, we will also protect you! But when the situation gets bad, we’ll have to let them protect you.”
Since Fafnir wasn’t here, Asia really needed to rely on the power of those four evil dragons. “Yes! The evil dragons are also very gentle, so that means I can focus on healing!”
Asia nodded firmly. But, would they intentionally attempt to attack the healer? The previous incidents with the rebellion have not had any casualties. …Since they know that Asia is a healer, we could expect that they won’t specifically try to attack her…. However, it was quite likely that they would try to seal her ability. Such a Sacred Gear has never actually been seen, although it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in the Church possessed this kind of ability. Ah, in that case we’ll have to be careful about such an ability. After all, the Gremory household was one which focused purely on power. Kuroka and Le Fay came up to me as I was thinking. “Well, if you encounter any strange techniques that you can’t understand, we’ll sneakily help you cancel it from behind nya.”
Saying something like that! Neko-sama was the same as well, she was really good at reading my mind, that nekomata ane! “Please look after my brother.”
Le Fay made this request. And that brother was quietly standing there, reading a library book…. Completely indifferent towards his sister’s concerns. “I don’t think that there will be any need, but you can leave it to me.”
Whilst replying to Le Fay’s request — Xenovia and Irina entered my view. Both of them had unsheathed their holy swords, and their swords were interlocked. “…Although I don’t really want to fight against comrades, I’m going to say that this is to surpass the former wielder of the holy swords, Xenovia.” “Ah, we need to become worthy wielders to live up to people like Durandal’s Roland, or Hauteclere’s Oliver.”
Both of them appeared to be rather cheerful. After all, they had the honour of being chosen to be the wielders of holy swords. Then Sister Griselda moved towards Xenovia, and suddenly grabbed her cheeks with both hands! Xenovia and I both thought that she had come to say a few words before the battle. However—. “Xenovia, your opponent is His Eminence Strada. You understand this 120% right?”
“Uh huh. Of course. I-I will fight with respect. A-Absolutely won’t be disrespectful.”
Born in the same facility, Sister Griselda was like a sister to Xenovia and someone she had to obey. The sudden question seemed to have puzzled her. As the opponents were related to the Church, she felt some disrespect, and Xenovia could only apologise. —Then Griselda-san hugged Xenovia in her arms. “…I had to say that first. Do understand, Xenovia. —A woman’s power is not her physical strength as a girl. But it is her abilities and skills in the household.”
Hearing this, Xenovia was slightly embarrassed. “—! T-That is something I already know! There is no misunderstanding that allowing boys see my trained biceps will fascinate myself! After I find the true meaning at the end of this, I’m going to improve my real womanly power!”
…Umm, what are you talking about just before the battle! Uh, although it really suits your style! “This is something I already knew last year! You’re rather slow to realise this, Xenovia!”
Irina proudly said! Weren’t you also slow to find about this!? Hearing the exchange between them, Griselda-san smiled as she said
“…But, Xenovia. You’ve become much like a girl, which makes me very pleased. It used to be for God, for your faith that you constantly wielded Durandal and your eyes never saw anything outside of battle. …Although you could say that you didn’t have a choice since your birth…. But the current Xenovia is far more amazing to me.”
Sister Griselda tightly hugged Xenovia and said
“You’re the source of my troubles, the person that makes me worry…and also my cute sister. If it’s you, you should be able to become the Student Council President, and also surpass His Eminence Strada.”
Xenovia who looked embarrassed as she was being hugged replied
“…I’ll work hard to become the sister that you’ll be proud of.”
This scene was touchingly warm. Although their positions had changed, their feelings never changed. “Ise-sama”
Ravel said to me. This time she was staying back to do the housekeeping. The day of Riser’s rating game was approaching, so I shouldn’t force her. I smiled softly. “Hmm, I understand. I’ll come back as soon as the winner is decided.”
“Of course. Ise-sama is a very busy person.”
Really, my manager is very strict! —Sona-zenkaichou stood up from the chair that she was sitting on. “The time has arrived. —Let’s go the battlefield.”
Everyone gathered in the centre of the magic circle for transportation. From there, our battle against the Church’s rebellion group began! | text_19 |
A few minutes had passed since we arrived at the battlefield via transportation from the magic circle — I — Kiba Yuuto, in order to participate in the battle against Ewald Cristaldi, joined the side of the [Brave Saints] and Sitri household. This side’s battlefield — was the area around the ruins of a church. That’s right, this was the place that the Fallen Angels like Raynare had used as their base. This was a place that Irina’s father once belonged to, and also a place which held a lot of fate for us. On the [Brave Saints] side there was Dulio Gesualdo-san, Sister Griselda-san, and Irina who acted as the leaders, with a total of around ten people on that side. Of the [Brave Saints] which were under the Four Great Seraphs, three groups of them had gathered here. The remaining [Brave Saints] were responsible for guarding Heaven. It hasn’t been a long time since the attack last year. It was understandable for Heaven’s side to keep some of the reincarnated angels there. With the battle looming ahead, and about to start at any time, Joker Dulio spoke to me while I was waiting on standby. He sat down beside me and said
“Ah, I didn’t expect that I’d be able to be together with Kiba-kun on the frontlines.”
“In that case, I feel honoured to be able to be here.”
I’ve already fought this guy several times in mock training battles. …He was the type of person who simply exemplified the concept of the ultimate [Trump Card]. Dulio scratched the back of his head and said
“I’ve already heard about the complicated situation surrounding Kiba-kun’s origin, I thought that Kiba-kun wouldn’t want to cooperate with me.”
“My hatred towards things is clearly distinguished, and I currently have nothing against you who is my captain.”
…After speaking with this man several times, I knew that the man named Dulio Gesualdo was actually more [soft] than expected, he was a youth consistent with his age. To be honest, he was a nice person, a man who was very suited to be smiling. “Yeah, because I heard about Kiba-kun’s past. I’m a little concerned about whether Kiba-kun will be bloodthirsty today. Even if you hold a grudge, this is an internal conflict between your own comrades. Only the kids who can endure right now are the best.”
At the same time that he said this, Dulio took out an unknown object from his chest. —It was an origami paper crane. “In the underground of the Church’s facilities around Kuoh town, a ceremony regarding the dispelling of a Sacred Gear will soon be held.”
Since the alliance, several places around town were opened up to Heaven’s side — those were the facilities for the Church’s people who were dispatched to stay at, and it was said that one of them in particular was a facility related to Sacred Gears. Dulio played with the paper crane then continued
“There is a child whose legs are disabled. Most of the time, that child is on a wheelchair. In fact, that child actually has a Sacred Gear related to the legs, but because his resistance is too weak, it’s causing his power to develop in a bad way. That is to say, the Sacred Gear which could allow his legs to run faster is actually binding its user’s legs. Sacred Gears, although highly convenient, they’re also very frightening.”
He smiled wryly, and his eyes were filled with sadness. “Thanks to the success of the Grigori’s analysis and technical work, for the children with Sacred Gears, the dispelling procedure has already been able to enter the phase of a trial run. Although in theory, they’ve already reached perfection, still, that child chose to undergo the dispelling procedure.”
“What will happen after the dispelling?”
“The hindrance from the Sacred Gear may weaken, and he may be able to live a normal life. Well, it relies on the technology of the former Governor, so it’ll definitely be successful. That’s what I believe.”
Dulio smiled happily, this was proof that he truly trusted Azazel-sensei’s technology. …Although he was originally more hostile, Azazel-sensei requested the alliance in good faith, so while some people were sceptical, there was a little bit of trust. Dulio stood up, held the paper crane as if would hold a paper plane, and then said
“Amusement park—. That child said that if he could walk, he would go to an amusement park. Using his own two feet, his would play at every amusement over and over. Everything that I want is probably impossible. But…that’s very normal. Even with the Sacred Gear, he is still an ordinary child. So, he wants to go to an amusement park just like most others.”
He let go of the paper crane. Then, the paper crane flew into the sky as it rode on a passing gust of wind. After the paper crane looped around in the air, the wind died down and it returned to Dulio’s hand. “I think that simply being able to protect the dreams of those children is already enough.”
He turned around, and left me with these words
“Well, what comes next is the time for battle. It’s time for a reunion with that scary teacher. But first, we should greet him.”
As if in response to what he just said, the figures of a group of warriors appeared before us—. In the midst of the warriors who were lined up in front of us, there were more warriors wearing a priest’s outfit, but it was also possible to see the figures of female warriors who were dressed like Xenovia and Irina. Occasionally, I could see the figure of young, white-haired priests like Freed. Although they didn’t have seem to have the same bloodthirsty atmosphere as Freed, I could still feel that they were full of hostility. …Based on a visual assessment of the opponent, the number of warriors which had come for the battle was near one hundred. I’m afraid that the number of people who came to battle against the Gremory household’s side would also be the same. In the middle of the warriors was — the man who had the replica of Excalibur and wore modern vestments from a few days ago, Ewald Cristaldi. …Not only was he the teacher of the warriors, he once also taught Xenovia and Irina swordsmanship who are his disciples. He held the replica of Excalibur in his hand as it released a holy aura. The one who went forward first was — Dulio. He raised his hand as a greeting towards Ewald Cristaldi who didn’t care. “This is sensei. Long time no see.”
Without changing the serious expression on his face, Ewald Cristaldi said in a low voice
“…This reunion, should it be happy, or should it be sad. Dulio, and also the reincarnated angels, if you still recognise me as a mentor, then can you accept the punishment of my sword without any further ado?”
Irina and the other [Brave Saints] who were here were people who had all revered Ewald Cristaldi as their teacher. She had a complicated expression on her face as she faced her teacher. “There are a lot of things that this side wants to ask. After all, it would be even better if we could discuss things.”
Dulio replied calmly. He was constantly complaining of the internal strife, and first began a conversation with his former teacher. | text_19 |
If it was possible to drop the weapons which were already held just by a conversation, that would be even better…. However, Ewald Cristaldi saw through his disciple, then said
“…This place that you often visited will soon hold a ceremony to dispel a Sacred Gear, right?”
“Yes, it’s as you say.”
This is something that I heard he found out about today. It looks like the rebellion group received this information in advance. Ewald Cristaldi sighed as he said
“However, that facility has become occupied by [Devils’ rituals]. This is already sinful. I need to carry out the judgement on those people whose minds and bodies have already been dyed black…. There are people within my subordinates who also hold such views, and I am a true believer. In this position, I cannot deny what these words.”
Hearing what Cristaldi said, Dulio narrowed his eyes. “You mean that to say that you want to destroy that facility? Well, what do you plan to do about the children who are living there?”
“In purgatory, they will be purified of their sins. —If I say that, what will you do?”
Hearing a single sentence from such an aggressive person, the expression on Joker’s face which was always a smile — suddenly changed. “…Even if it’s a joke, don’t say such things in front of me, sensei.”
Dulio’s voice was filled with anger. That’s right, the man who was formerly known as his teacher clearly knew the words which would aggravate the youth who was normally so laid back. Dulio also knew that the opponent was trying to provoke him, but he still couldn’t ignore the frivolous statement. Ewald Cristaldi shook his head, and said as if he was lamenting
“Dulio, why? A good warrior like you, someone who even reached the position of Joker, yet why haven’t you realised? Even if there is an alliance, there is still a need for the eradication of evil! Or has even your heart been replaced after Michael-sama reincarnated you as an Angel? Your power — is the power of Zenith Tempest, and you can even the destroy the balance of the world, right?”
Known as one of the unparalleled powers which could even destroy God, Dulio Gesualdo possessed the second most powerful ability among them. Just as Ewald Cristaldi just said, as long as Dulio-san had such intentions, it would be possible for him to be like Cao Cao and have the entire world as his enemy. —However, Dulio-san shook his head in disagreement. “…Sensei, I never once thought about the world like that. No matter what happens, I only go about doing one thing.”
He—opened his arms as if he was embracing someone. “—Doing what is within my power to protect the smiles on the faces of those children. I became strong for this, became Joker for this. This belief has never changed.”
These words made the man who was formerly his mentor and the warriors on standby around him to hold complicated expressions on their faces. It seems that from the things that Joker just mentioned, they felt a part of themselves which resonated with the same feelings deep down. Sister Griselda-san then said
“…Your Eminence Cristaldi, continuing this conversation is meaningless. …Even if this continued, there are no words to be said which can shake the heart of this child.”
Hearing the Sister’s opinion, Ewald Cristaldi looked up at the sky as he said
“Truly a stupid man. …Haven’t changed a bit.”
“Yes, I think that if it was only me, a stupid Angel, there probably wouldn’t be any punishment.”
“Well then, I will follow my beliefs too. Even though the God we respect is the same, if the [Justice] we believe in is different, then it will have to be corrected.”
Ewald Cristaldi pointed the blade of the Excalibur replica at us, and then loudly shouted! “Continuing to talk is pointless, it…really is like that. If you’re also warriors, then use your weapons to make me yield! Warriors, this is a battle that Heaven will allow. Today, we will let all of our beliefs out here!” “Ou——————————————————-!”
The warriors let out a loud roar which was enough to make the air tremble. “Have no regrets in death! For the wages of sin — is death!”
Ewald Cristaldi raised his sword up high — then swung it down with force. “Ou———————————————————————————————————————-!”
That was the signal for the start of the battle, the warriors roared loudly as they charged towards us! The interior of the church instantly became a battlefield. At the same time, equipment using communication magic automatically broadcasted Sona-zenkaichou’s voice in our ears. The former President and her [Bishop] Kusaka-san were located together in the rear guard. “Well, everyone. It’s begun. First, Tsubaki and Tsubasa, advance to form a shield!”
““Yes!””
Bearing the brunt of the attack was Shinra-senpai and the Rook Yura-san. Shinra-senpai called forth her counter-style Sacred Gear [Mirror Alice]. Yura-san who was beside her initiated her artificial Sacred Gear [Twinkle Aegis]. The former was able to return double the power of an opponent’s attack which destroyed the mirror. The latter had a pact with a fairy which allowed it to use various offensive and defensive abilities in accordance to the attribute of the fairy. The warriors lined up at the rear unleashed projectile attacks. Using guns of light or long-ranged Sacred Gears, they fired off their attacks together. Shinra-senpai had manifested a countless number of mirrors in the air, and supporting her, Yura-san’s shield used the power of the fairy to create a large barrier of light. Shinra-senpai’s mirrors doubled the strength of the attacks and reflected them back to the opponent’s side, whilst Yura-san’s shield enveloped the long-ranged attacks from the warriors in flames and destroyed them. The first wave of attacks from the warriors was completely blocked by the defence of the Sitri’s [Queen] and [Rook]. In order to prevent the opponent from aiming directly at them, the [Bishop] Hanakai-san used her artificial Sacred Gear to produce a protective barrier which enclosed Shinra-senpai and Yura-san. The next to arrive were the close-ranged combat warriors. They wielded swords, guns, axes and other weapons as they charged towards us in a group formation. Sona-zenkaichou issued the following instructions
“Well, our side will use close-ranged members to engage them.”
The four people to advance were the Sitri’s [Pawn] Nimura-san, [Knight] Meguri-san, [Knight] Bennia-san, as well as the [Rook] Rugal-san. In addition, I and several reincarnated Angels of the [Brave Saints] joined them. Everyone was holding a weapon (Nimura-san wore greaves, and Rugal-san was barehanded), as a vanguard type of warrior. Standing in front of Shinra-senpai and Yura-san, we of the vanguard clashed with each other! From their body movements and their use of weapons, it could be understood that these warriors had definitely experienced numerous battles. That is to say that not a single person was a new recruit. They had also fought against devils and vampires. Their experience was being displayed without reservation. | text_19 |
Anyway, they all used swords of light, the tips of their guns had been prepared with vials of holy water and they even had crosses to greet us with! If hit, a serious injury would be inevitable. Even if it wasn’t a fatal injury, the physical and psychological damage would be immense. However, we have also survived several near-death situations. Any half-baked attacks won’t strike us. I used the characteristic of the [Knight], speed, to evade all of the attacks from the warriors. I then used a holy demonic sword that I crafted to shatter the opponent’s swords, and knocked them out in a single breath. …But it was not possible to kill them. Although it was the other side which started this battle, their rebellion did not result in any deaths. Of course, the other side also knew that they were in a position where they could be cut down without any complaints, the guns and swords which they held in their hands were real. …Even so, simply killing them recklessly could provoke the resentment of revenge. …But when the necessary time comes, I have the courage and awareness to kill them, even if hated, there would be no other way. However, there is no need to kill the opponents if their problems can be resolved without death. Because the only opponent which needs to be defeated — there is only one person here. It was Ewald Cristaldi who had remained motionless so far. With the Excalibur replica stabbed into the ground, he was observing the battlefield. “Ah, so troublesome.”
Bennia-san complained. As a Grim Reaper, she felt unsatisfied by the fact that she could use her scythe to hit her opponents without much effort. Her scythe was capable of harvesting souls. Just by cutting them, their souls could be harvested, and it would most likely result in death. If such a situation occurred once or twice, it couldn’t be helped, but she specifically chose not to use her scythe. Currently, she was using the part without a blade to attack. Although her personality was usually unpredictable, she listened to our intentions of not having any fatalities. “…But, this would be a test of that.”
The [Rook] Rugal-san was boldly brandishing his arms which were covered in fire magic to knock down numerous warriors. He was a Werewolf, but at the same time, he also possessed offensive magic that he used against the warriors. As long as he wanted to, he could tear apart most of the warriors here as if they were paper. But he was controlling his strength here. “Although it’s difficult, we have to go along with this.”
“…It’ll be good to do a bit of practice adjusting the destructive power of my sword.”
The [Pawn] Nimura-san and [Knight] Meguri-san were repelling the warriors as they were adjusting the power of their artificial Sacred Gears. That’s right, in here — it could be said that we were putting limits on ourselves when fighting. To our opponents, this was known as [Going easy]. Cristaldi seemed to be aware of this, so he simply observed the battlefield. …Although this is only my personal conjecture, perhaps…they, no, since the beginning, Cristaldi…. Just as I was contemplating the ideas of the warriors’ mentor, Shinra-senpai cried out loudly
“Kaichou! The conditions have all been satisfied!”
In response to Shinra-senpai’s cry, Kaichou replied
“Good, Tsubaki. —Accomplished. Everyone, fall back!”
Accomplished? Could it be that — we complied with Kaichou’s order, and Shinra-senpai maintained her distance! “—Balance Break!”
Shinra-senpai yelled out sonorously, and at the same time numerous mirrors of all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours appeared. “Come out, [Mad Hatter], [Dormouse], [March Hare]!”
Out from a mirror came a demon wearing a hat, an enormous mouse, as well as a hare which wore a tailored coat and walked on two legs! The creatures emerged from a strange mirror! Through the communications device, we heard Kaichou say
“That is Tsubaki’s Balance Breaker, [Nostalgia Mad Tea Party]. There is a condition for the activation of her Balance Breaker. The condition is to use [Mirror Alice] to perform a certain number of counterattacks.”
That is to say, including the massive attack just then, it has also reflected the opponent’s attacks several times in this battle. “The three creatures which were generated by the mirror are each able to use specific abilities.”
The large mouse ran towards the warriors, and expelled a gaseous substance from its mouth. Then the warriors’ legs became weak, and they fell to the ground one after the other. “[Dormouse] will forcibly put to sleep all of the opponents in a fixed area.”
A compulsory slumber! That’s incredible! The warriors had all fallen asleep on the spot! “Hwaaaa……!”
“Uoooo……!”
At that time, some of the warriors burst out in mad laughter and savage growls, they suddenly began to riot! The rabbit in a tailored coat jumped horizontally and vertically all over the battlefield, and it created ripples on the surface of the ground every time it jumped. It could be deduced that the warriors became abnormal after being influenced by these ripples. It looks like that was the reason. Sona-zenkaichou explained
“[March Hare] causes the people within a fixed area to become violent.”
Next was the slender demon which wore a hat on its head. In the instant that demon caught the attention of the warriors, its eyes emitted a dazzling light. The warriors which were seen by the hat-wearing demon instantly appeared to have entered a trance. “Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa………!”
All of a sudden, the warriors became frightened of something unknown. They wielded their weapons towards something invisible which was in front of them. The weapons in their hands were only slicing the air. “The last is [Mad Hatter]—. It is capable of causing the people in an area to hallucinate.”
The former President said. A forced slumber and a stimulant, followed by hallucinations—. “After being affected by these three abilities, anyone would be unable to continue fighting. This isn’t a direct attack. However, it is possible to weaken the enemies’ forces without using physical force.”
Listening to what zenkaichou said, it felt as though she was talking directly to me. It wasn’t satirical, but rather, it was showing us a different kind of fighting style to ours. “But, to actually be able to summon three demons which can use three different abilities, it’s basically the same as having a Sacred Gear with more than two abilities…”
Zenkaichou disagreed with my opinion. “That is not the case, I think that it’s fair. Tsubaki’s subspecies has only one ability: [Summoning demons with abilities from mirrors]. It’s the same as how Kiba-kun’s demonic swords can have various types of attributes; Tsubaki has the ability to summon demons from her mirror.”
…So it’s a similar type of Balance Breaker to my Sword Birth…. Demons possessing different abilities can emerge from the mirror. Besides those three, there would definitely be others. | text_19 |
After all, the names of the demons were references to Lewis Caroll’s [Alice in Wonderland]. That was the ability of the Balance Breaker that Shinra-senpai chose—. To be called a subspecies Balance Breaker of the Sacred Gear [Mirror Alice], it had an ability that truly lived up to its name! Shinra-senpai’s family — [Shinra] was originally a family associated with magic. It was similar to Akeno-san’s [Himejima] family, in Japan it could be said that it was ranked as the fifth most powerful family. However, Shinra-senpai has been troubled since her birth by a strange curse which caused her to summon things out of mirrors which did not exist in this world. They finally turned to the Devils — I heard that if they didn’t get the help of the Sitri family, it would even affect their lives. Probably because of their relationship with Devils, senpai’s parents were exiled from the main Shinra clan…. …To be honest, it’s quite horrifying. This power, it belongs to the [Trap] category. In other words, it was especially bad against us of the Gremory household. Calling it the worst wouldn’t be an overstatement. Not only Shinra-senpai, Saji-kun and the other members of the Sitri household were mostly technique types, or wizard types. Besides that, Saji-kun and Rugal-san could be considered power type members. Azazel-sensei also commented that in terms of the balance of the household, the Sitri’s were clearly a grade above us. That’s the truth. We had reflected on this point, and learned techniques, but if we had go against the purely technique type Sitri household as opponents, it would really be…thinking about future rating games evoked a sense of dread. …Well, when this battle is over, I need to have a good training session with Ise-kun and Xenovia for technique types. At the least, we should remember how to deal with a technique type opponent, otherwise the future would be worrying. As we continued to knock the warriors down, it came to the point where Shinra-senpai’s Balance Breaker was the decisive factor of this battle. The man who was watching from the sidelines finally grabbed the sword which was stabbed into the ground. “—Withdraw.”
His deep voice instantly brought silence back to the battlefield. The warriors noticed their sensei’s actions, and neatly opened up a path. It could be seen from their actions that they didn’t want to give their mentor any unnecessary or troublesome thoughts in his advance, and that they had absolute trust in his strength…. He held the Excalibur replica, and advanced to take us on alone. There was clearly only one person…but it made us feel an immense pressure as though there was an entire group of warriors advancing towards us. We couldn’t stop cold sweat from dripping down our faces. Dulio-san put on a false smile as he said
“…Kiba-kun, I think you already know, Cristaldi-sensei used to be the wielder of Excalibur. Now, that is a replica of Excalibur. It currently has the seven abilities of the original. …It would be best to think that its true power is greater than four of the strongest holy swords combined.”
In other words, we should think of the opponent as a monster which far exceeds any expectations — as such is the case. Sona-zenkaichou said via the communications device
“The opponents of the warriors will remain as my household and the members of the [Brave Saints]. Cristaldi’s opponents — will be led by Dulio Gesualdo-san who has been on standby until now, as well as Irina-san and Griselda-san. Kiba-kun will also be going.”
““““Understood!””””
The four people who would be the opponents of Cristaldi, Dulio-san, Griselda-san, Irina-san, and I answered at the same time. The reincarnated Angels opened their symbolic pure white wings while I created several holy demonic swords all around me, of which I then took one of them and got into position facing the target in front of us. As Cristaldi was slowly walking towards us — he suddenly split into numerous avatars. …Were these the avatars created by using Rapidly’s high speed movement? Or were they conjured by using Nightmare’s ability? Although I hesitated on my judgement because he had produced several avatars without the slightest preparatory movements, there was someone who moved ahead first — it was Griselda-san. She gathered particles of light together at her palm to produce many balls of light. “Cristaldi-sensei! I’m firing!”
After saying that, Griselda-san fired an innumerable number of balls of light forwards! Each ball contained a dense amount of light that could even be felt, and even if someone wasn’t a Devil, being hit would result in immense damage. The spheres of light pierced through the avatars! The pierced avatars were destroyed, returning to nothingness. They weren’t avatars created by using high speed? In that case, that means they were illusions created by Nightmare! Just when I was thinking of this, one of the avatars used its sword to deflect the balls of light, and came rushing towards this side! That is the real thing! Irina-san and I raised our swords, and prepared to engage him — Dulio shouted! “It’s Mimic!”
—! I reacted as soon as I heard the warning, and jumped to the side. This was because I realised that if we continued to stay there, it would be dangerous! Irina-san faced his charge, and slashed through what was thought to be an avatar of Mimic in one blow. The avatar’s shape collapsed, turning into a string. I followed it with my eyes. In the middle of the illusion that was shattered by Hauteclere just then — Cristaldi’s figure could clearly be seen. The string in Cristaldi’s hand completely rebuilt itself, returning to the shape of a sword, and then he darted towards Irina-san! Something like this actually existed, within all the countless avatars, there were illusions created by Nightmare, and at the same time it was combined with Mimic. On top of that, the real person used Transparency and Nightmare to conceal himself within the avatars. In only a brief exchange, the three abilities of Excalibur Mimic, Nightmare, and Transparency had all been demonstrated. This all happened in the course of a natural battle. Irina-san probably realised that it was Mimic, so she foresaw the next move and used her sword to block Cristaldi’s attack which appeared out of the illusion! A beautiful defence — the moment I thought that, I saw Irina-san receive a fierce blow from Destruction! The opponent also added on the ability of Destruction in that strike just then! Irina-san endured the blow completely, and half-knelt down on the spot! A vast crater formed on the surface of the ground! The power of Destruction was clearly demonstrated! Even so, Irina-san had used Hauteclere to block a hit from the Excalibur replica, and she made a fearless smile towards her mentor. But the side of her mouth — had blood trickling down it. | text_19 |
“…Sensei, in terms of destructive power, I think Xenovia’s a notch better.”
In response to his disciple’s defiant statement, the man who was her mentor simply revealed an eloquent smile. “Well, I know that. —But, don’t just measure Excalibur by its destructive power.”
Cristaldi took out several crosses from the clothing around his chest, and threw them up into the air. The moment after Cristaldi recited a chant, the crosses in the air dispersed, and planted themselves into the ground to surround us! Then a barrier was formed by the crosses which surrounded Cristaldi and us (Me, Irina-san, Griselda-san, Dulio-san)! Noticing this, the Sitri household attempted to move closer — but a huge wave of holy energy was generated from the crosses, and they were unable to contact us or move closer. Cristaldi said
“It uses Blessing’s power to enhance the barrier of the crosses. The Sitri household’s Devils over there will be unable to get closer for around ten minutes.”
…He’s also able to use Blessing. And this barrier’s strength is quite substantial…. Even for me here, it would be impossible to escape unless I used Gram. Cristaldi smiled eloquently. “Even for Angels, it isn’t easy to break through this barrier which has been strengthened by Excalibur. Use fast movements to evade. Flying into the air to increase your distance will not be possible.”
…Although I have speed, the flying capabilities of the reincarnated Angels have been restricted. Moreover, the barrier prevents the Sitri group from providing assistance…. Irina-san recovered from the damage, and powerfully pushed her mentor’s sword back. As Cristaldi jumped backwards, he released several waves of holy energy towards us at the same time! [***] I could use this type of attack, and so could Xenovia and Irina-san! Irina-san and I each swung our swords to release waves! We intended to cancel out our opponent’s waves, but—the attack which was coming towards us evaporated like fog! Even the waves were an illusion! No, the waves also cancelled each other out. The real waves were mixed in with the illusory waves! The illusory waves of holy energy even had the same feeling as the real thing thus it was really difficult to make a quick judgement. An assault from Rapidly which is a direct attack would be better. Coming to this conclusion, we evaded and allowed several waves to go past—! But the waves of holy energy behind us changed direction, and came towards us again! Cristaldi said
“—Although I didn’t have this back in my day, I occasionally do use the abilities of Ruler.”
—Ruler’s ability! He’s able to freely control the waves of holy energy he released in mid-air! There was nothing more troublesome than having to deal with homing-type waves of holy energy! “—So be it!”
Dulio-san generated light from his palm. In the next instant, the waves which were closely following us were dissipated by the lightning strike which was released from his palm. …It was an elemental attack from his Sacred Gear. We supported Dulio-san, temporarily increasing our distance to regroup. But because we were inside the barrier, there wasn’t much space to move around freely. …He’s actually able to use Excalibur’s replica to such an extent. Within a single attack directed towards us, it combined at least two abilities. Xenovia was also learning this style of combat though… But because the opponent utilised these sorts of attacks in a completely natural way, it always caught us by surprise. When Xenovia uses the abilities, because her mentality of [Only use the ability next!] is reflected in her actions, defending against it in a mock battle is really easy for me. But this man is different. It’s as if he’s accustomed to using abilities, so he naturally implements them in his attacks. This was the power of Excalibur, and he reached this level after becoming so familiar with it. Honestly speaking, I’ve been starting to suspect that the man in front of us isn’t real, and that he was actually created by using Nightmare or Mimic. …No, perhaps letting us have these thoughts was actually this man’s tactic. Cristaldi took out a small vial of holy water, and poured it over the blade of the replica. “Even if this is a replica, as long as I’m wielding Excalibur, this kind of situation is a piece of cake.”
When he finished speaking, Cristaldi suddenly disappeared from our sight without the slightest hint of moving. Is it high speed movement? Or is it Transparency, or is it Nightmare? Damn it! After initially witnessing the abilities combined together, this sword Excalibur has turned into such a difficult thing! As we attempted to track his presence, we were also vigilant of our surroundings! Then, several of Cristaldi’s avatars appeared from the side! This kind of situation happened again! It’s Nightmare or Mimic! Irina-san and I both raised our swords at the same time in response! Both Irina-san’s and my defence — actually succeeded at the same time! Are both of them the real thing?! That’s impossible! Irina-san and I began clashing and exchanging blows with our opponent’s sword at high speed, and we then steadied our aim to land a blow on him. —In the end, the avatars vanished! So it actually wasn’t the real thing, and it wasn’t Mimic either?! There were already a countless number of avatars here, on top of which, they once again formed the appearance of Cristaldi. “—Avatars which are tangible?! Were they really made using the ability of Excalibur Nightmare? !”
I yelled out in surprise. It was incredibly hard to believe! Even avatars with substance could be created?! “—It’s a combination of Rapidly and Nightmare. High speed and illusions are used, which results in avatars that are physically tangible.”
That voice travelled here from behind! Unbeknownst to me, a third Cristaldi had moved behind me! I deactivated my holy demonic sword, and changed my Sacred Gear to Blade Blacksmith, and created an army of Dragon Knights which arose from the ground! Using the armoured knights as shields, Irina-san and I jumped backwards to retreat! Cristaldi successively cut down the Dragon Knights almost instantly, and drew closer to us. “Metaphorically speaking, even someone known as a strong Devil like you, can’t quite defend against the effects of holy water…”
Right in front of me — he threw a vial of holy water. Cristaldi destroyed the vial with a single horizontal slash! Holy water spilled out of the shattered vial — and onto my entire body! Cristaldi chanted a prayer after confirming that it was on me. —! In the next instant, there was an indescribable pain, agony — swept across my entire body! The sanctified power of the holy water was ferociously burning parts of me as a Devil! That seemed to be the body, though even my mind was burning up and with the pain pulsing throughout my entire body, I couldn’t speak at all! Did he amplify the effects of ordinary holy water several fold?! No, you could say that it might even have been intensified by a factor of ten! | text_19 |
“The effects were elevated to this level using the ability of Blessing. Would you like to listen to me narrate the Bible with the power of Blessing?”
“Sensei!”
Irina-san unleashed a slash with Hauteclere to his neck in order to save me! That attack — sent her mentor’s head flying! Seeing a body without its head, Irina-san was absolutely horrified! She totally did not expect that her own attack would hit her mentor. “—Too naïve, Shidou Irina.”
The voice came from behind Irina-san. The headless body of Irina-san’s sensei in front of her vanished. Irina-san turned around when she heard the voice — an avatar of Cristaldi was already there and he had raised his sword, preparing to swing it down! He deliberately let his own student see an illusion of his death to cause her to panic! Irina once again used Hauteclere to block Excalibur’s blade — but the power of Destruction pressed down again! The pressure of a second hit from Destruction fully knocked her down onto the ground. “Don’t forget that I’m also here!”
At the same time, Dulio-san hurled fireballs and spears of ice. —However, just when they were about to hit Critaldi, their trajectory changed, and they twisted to the side! The fireballs and spears of ice struck an empty patch of ground to the side. Dulio-san didn’t seem to care that his attacks were evaded, and generated a vast number of sharp icicles which protruded up from the ground everywhere! I thought that it would at least hit once — but rather strangely, there were no icicles only in the area around where Cristaldi was. “—Did he take control of Joker’s attack? !”
Sister Griselda expressed her dismay upon seeing what had happened. Cristaldi said as if it were only natural
“As long as I have the power of Ruler, even Sacred Gears—”
Before the man could finish speaking, he noticed that a part of his clothing had been frozen. “…can be controlled. I want to say that, but I’m already exhausted after defending against that attack. Being a reincarnated Angel has saved you, Dulio.”
…Even if Dulio-san didn’t use his full power, and I didn’t use Gram, the opponent we were fighting against was just a human! “…You’re actually this strong, natural born wielder of Excalibur…!”
Witnessing such incredible power, I was at a loss for words, and Dulio-san smiled wryly as he said from the side. “Hahaha, so that’s why you can’t say it? The other person who is also known as one of the two monsters of the Church. Whether or not it’s a replica, as long as it’s Excalibur, sensei is able to use his limbs in the same way.”
“So he isn’t the user of a Sacred Gear right…?”
I asked to be certain. Although the warriors’ mentor was using the abilities of Excalibur, he didn’t use any special abilities of his own unlike those that Dulio-san and I possessed. “Neither His Eminence Cristaldi or His Eminence Strada possess a Sacred Gear, people have always commented on Cristaldi’s skill, and Strada’s power.”
“…If they’re the famous warriors of the Church, as a child I heard that even the highest class of Devils could sometimes be exorcised…I truly understand how powerful they are now after seeing it with my own eyes.”
Sona-zenkaichou’s voice was heard through the communications device. I have also come to understand this. The warriors of the Church whose true power rivalled that of the highest class of Devils—. Before I was sceptical, and even thought it was superstition, but after seeing the real people with my own eyes, I understood that it was the truth. …And the sword that he had was a replica. If it was the real thing, what would’ve happened…? A human who has honed their skills to the utmost level, was actually strong to such an extent… …I don’t need such thoughts. I shakily stood up. I prepared to open the other dimension, and announced to everyone
“…I’m ready to release Gram. Even against a user of Excalibur, the time that Joker has made for an opening is hard to come by.”
I walked towards that man with the aura of Gram raised to the maximum for a single strike, and even if it didn’t hit, it would be able to create an opening. Then, if Dulio-san attacked — there would a chance of victory! It should be said that this would create an opportunity for victory. However, after Dulio-san heard this, he shook his head. “…That will not do.”
His expression right now — was filled with sorrow. “You intend to use up your own lifespan right? That will not do. Listen up, Kiba-kun. This battle, is similar to a physical exchange between members of a family. You only need your fists to vent your frustration against each other. There is no need for you to cut down your own lifespan.”
……. Joker spoke nicely to me to such an extent that it caused my emotions to flare up. “But! The opponent is serious! If this continues, won’t the injuries that we’ve accumulated have been in vain?! Do you plan to keep harbouring the discontent of your own people? !”
I burst out with dissatisfaction. This wasn’t at all like the usual me. Of course. Excalibur—. My life has been troubled by it. Not just me, many of my comrades were taken by it. …Is this all over? Since Valper Galilei’s death and the Three Faction’s peace, it could tentatively be considered the end. …As a friend, Ise-kun saw right through it and told me. But! …But, the natural born user of Excalibur was before my eyes, and although he only had a replica, it was still a real holy sword. Furthermore, he was standing before me as an enemy! Doesn’t that make people want to gain victory over him! Doesn’t it make people want to surpass him! I, and the others, everything that happened in that facility wasn’t an illusion! It wasn’t useless! Doesn’t that make people want to prove…! Dulio-san placed his hand on my shoulder, and said with a slight smile
“—You’re wrong, I will defeat sensei, [You big idiot!]. However, the opponent which is worth giving your life to use that demonic sword is Qlippoth.”
Dulio-san was hugging me tightly. “That, Kiba-kun. —No, Yuuto. You came from one of the Church’s facilities right? Well, that’s the same as being my younger brother. As the older brother, I cannot allow my younger brother to be reckless. Leave it to this older brother. This captain ain’t for nothing.”
Dulio-san — stepped forward. He stood in front of his sensei Cristaldi. Cristaldi asked
“—Dulio, known as the strongest man in the Church, in the end, what do you fight for?”
Dulio-san revealed a surprising smile
“—In order to let everyone live a peaceful life. That’s not the only definite reason though.”
He opened his ten wings, which were as white as snow — his body was wrapped in a golden aura, and the man known as the [Trump Card] was gradually concentrating the power of light into his palms. He made a ring in both his hands, and blew through the middle. What came out of the middle were —bubbles which glowed with the colours of the rainbow. The bubbles spread limitlessly within the barrier, then finally passed beyond the barrier, and surrounded the entire area. | text_19 |
In such a fantasy-like scene, everyone in the area stopped what they were doing, and searched for the source of the bubbles which glowed with the colours of the rainbow. Dulio-san said
“This is a technique utilising [Zenith Tempest] — [Speranza Bolla di Sapone]”
In Italian, Speranza Bolla di Sapone had the meaning of [Bubbles of Hope]. Bubbles — had inadvertently fallen onto my hand, and burst in a dreamlike manner. Then, my mind recalled — memories which made me feel nostalgic. That is — singing hymns together with my comrades in that facility. “Say, if we leave this facility, what does everyone want to do?”
“I want to be an artist. I want to draw a picture of Jesus that people will praise.”
We discussed our dreams every day. We embraced the hopes of life outside —
“I want to become a Sister. But, opening a florist would also be nice.”
“I’m want to be a race driver. I’ll be driving the coolest F1 at top speed!”
“…I, as long as I can live happily with everyone, then…I’ll be very happy.”
Everyone smiled at the shy girl who said that. Then, I also said
“Of course, that would be the best!”
…Yes, that would be the best. …That’s right, them, as well as me…towards Excalibur…we actually had no interest in it at all. …! My cherished dream, which I had hoped for, was to live an ordinary life like any other child…! Holy swords, suitability…we should just…in order to achieve our dreams…actually important…! I…covered my mouth as I sobbed. Finally, I recalled it. Finally, I remembered it again. I…as well as them…never wished for revenge. We only wanted to live. Nothing more. Even I understood that! I was well aware of it! That person’s voice, floated into my mind. “—Live for me, and for yourself at the same time.”
The crimson haired woman who saved me—. And the most important person who also admired ane—. “—You definitely can’t die, idiot.”
The best friend who was supporting me—. Even so, the friends I was worrying about from the bottom of my heart—. I…am already happy enough. Why, what reason is there! I failed to notice it…. …Rias…nee-san, Ise-kun, I’m really a big idiot…. Looking ahead — everyone on the battlefield was also in tears. With their weapons dropped on the ground, they were sobbing and crying. Dulio-san said
“…These bubbles, are able to remind the people who touch them about their most precious memories, and their most important people. That’s all there is to this technique. But, this is the technique that I desired the most, so I used my Sacred Gear to create it.”
Bubbles which were able to make people remember what was most important to them—. These rainbow coloured bubbles, actually had such an ability…. —Dulio is the Church’s most gentle child. Sister Griselda’s words echoed in my mind. The technique which could make anyone gentle—. Known as the second most powerful Longinus ability, he intentionally didn’t use it for its power. Entirely using the method of another technique, he prevented harm and destruction. However, even though Cristaldi had tears streaming down his face, he lifted his sword again. “…Nevertheless! If I don’t settle this now, our rebellion will be in vain! Dulio!”
With Dulio-san’s technique, he should also remember what’s most important to him. Even so, that man was currently relying on sheer willpower to hold on to Excalibur. “—Well, let’s finish this.”
Griselda-san opened her six wings, and generated light at her palms to form the shape of a bow and arrow. …I heard once that the Queen of Hearts had a unique arrow of light. It wasn’t an attack—. Irina-san also followed and arose, lifting Hauteclere up. “Hauteclere, lend me strength! I want to get even on the wielder of Excalibur for that because it hurts!”
Irina-san also spread her four Angel wings and flew off! Following that, I created a holy demonic sword. I…was surprised when I saw the blade of the holy demonic sword that I created. The edge…released an aura more pure than any previous time, and the blade itself was not dyed at all. For the first time, I felt that the holy demonic sword I created was exceptionally beautiful. It was as if the sword shone because it had discarded all the troubles of my mind. …The blade would cast light upon itself. Even the holy demonic swords that I created were for the same reason. I held up the sword which truly combined the holy and demonic, and ran forwards. Chasing after Irina-san who rushed out first, the two of us zigzagged towards our opponent! Cristaldi once again created numerous avatars, preparing to confuse Irina-san and I. As we cut them down one after the other, and continuously destroyed his tangible avatars, Irina and I felt that our blades were gradually getting closer and closer to the real body. Catching up, an avatar which I thought had already been destroyed, was actually made by using Mimic, and the real Cristaldi had jumped up above us. As the Mimic avatar was in the process of changing into a sword, my blade caught him! Two blades clashed against each other, emitting sparks! Although my frontal attack was blocked, my opponent’s holy sword began to change. Its holy aura was gradually being absorbed by my holy demonic sword, and my sword’s holy attribute was being strengthened. Cristaldi was greatly surprised by this phenomenon. “—! Absorbing the holy aura of Excalibur using the power of the demonic attribute, in order to increase the power of its holy attribute? !”
…I was also surprised by the effect. I didn’t imagine that a holy demonic sword would exhibit this kind of ability…. Using demonic energy to absorb holy energy in order to enhance my sword’s holy attribute. On the other hand, using holy energy to absorb demonic energy, which enhances the demonic attribute could also be possible. —Studying the holy demonic sword would be good. Because the miracle that occurred is still a miracle even at this level. …Reaching this conclusion, what Cao Cao said in Heaven came to mind. Did he already foresee this result? No, as he shouldn’t know about this ability. However, he might have wanted to say that holy demonic swords contained many powers which were not yet known. If I were to completely unlock the power of holy demonic swords, being able to safely wield Gram would no longer be wishful thinking. My holy demonic sword had completely absorbed the holy aura of Cristaldi’s Excalibur now. Then, Irina immediately slashed down with Hauteclere. “Hauteclere! Use the power of purification!”
Hauteclere responded to its owners thoughts, and released its ability! Hauteclere had the power of purification. Once released, if received directly, even the great mentor of the warriors would be eliminated from this battle—. “Haah!”
—However, whilst Cristaldi was in the process of receiving the force of purification, he exhaled with strength! Exhaling, he gripped the holy sword even tighter! The holy aura of Excalibur’s replica was slowly returning. | text_19 |
Once again, I used my holy demonic sword to absorb the holy energy, and Irina poured her strength into the final blow again—. Just when I was thinking about this, a large beam of light was fired from behind me. “—My arrow is able to increase the power of an Angel!”
Griselda-san’s arrow of light struck Irina-san’s body. In an instant, an immense amount of light burst out of Irina-san, and further enhanced Hauteclere’s power and ability! Cristaldi’s holy sword — its holy aura was slowly and gradually fading away. “—Sensei, here we go.”
Dulio-san announced. Everyone raised their heads to look at the sky. —-A large thundercloud had formed in the sky, and a piercing cold air was beginning to blow everywhere. The blade of Cristaldi’s holy sword has beginning to freeze. When even his feet were frozen with ice, an immensely large bolt of lightning descended from the sky, even the barrier generated by the crosses surrounding us was easily destroyed, and the strike of lightning from the Sacred Gear then poured onto the body of the warriors’ sensei—. Cristaldi was lying on the ground. Holy demonic sword, Hauteclere, Griselda-san’s arrow of support, and Dulio-san’s Longinus which delivered the final blow—. Receiving these attacks, the warriors’ sensei had finally fallen. Receiving treatment from the female warriors, fatal injuries were avoided. The warriors had already lost all their will to fight, most people were sitting on the floor in a depressed state. Those who suffered severe injuries in fighting against us, which was followed by their master Cristaldi being defeated, had now lost the battle. While lying on the ground, Cristaldi asked his student Dulio-san
“…If, you used those bubbles at the beginning, you would’ve won already. No, as long as you used your Balance Breaker, you should’ve been able to easily defeat us all at once.”
…There was indeed that. As he said, if Dulio-san used those bubbles right at the beginning, or if he used his Balance Breaker, then the battle would’ve been one-sided. But, would that be good? As if answering the questions on my mind, Dulio-san said
“…I didn’t want to use my power to do that as the warriors wouldn’t have been satisfied, I simply decided to use that after a certain of period of time passed; rather than cutting the battle short, exhausting all your efforts would be better. Moreover, if I really had to release my Balance Breaker, the opponent must really have been beyond redemption, wicked people with no remorse.”
It looks like he was considering the warriors’ feelings. Indeed, instead of crushing their fighting spirit from the start, allowing them to vent their thoughts would prevent any future troubles. Precisely because he was a warrior, it allowed him to take into account the feelings of similar people. The sensei of the warriors smiled when he heard the reply of his own student. “…Truly, you’re too gentle…. …Known as warriors, ultimately we can only use our swords to communicate. It’s your victory, Dulio. Well, do as you wish. But, let the others go. After all, I’m the one that brought them here. Only I am guilty.”
From the defenceless Cristaldi, he spoke words which expressed that he would take responsibility for everything. The warriors raised objections against what their sensei said. “Please wait a moment, Dulio!”
“Kill us if you must!”
“Sensei was only responding to our feelings!”
“We’re the ones who are truly guilty!”
The warriors desperately stood up in an attempt protect their sensei. Looking at this scene alone, it was obvious that this man was greatly respected by the warriors. However, their mentor shook his head. “…Everyone here, has had their lives derailed by Devils or Vampires. I am also one of them. We simply couldn’t find another way of life other than continuing to fight against those guys…. Well, give me a punishment. Those children, they will then be able to change their way of life.”
Dulio-san — simply sighed, and shook his hand. “…I won’t do anything at all.”
That’s right, Dulio-san sat down on the ground, and didn’t do anything. “…Why?”
Being surprised at the same time, the teacher asked his student. The student only laughed. “…If I defeated sensei, what good would it have done? And — as long as I live, I can freely eat good food. …In this world, there are far too many people who do not know what is valuable.”
“…Too gentle, you really are, your heart is too kind.”
Cristaldi muttered this as a thin stream of tears trickled out of his eyes. For the warriors, this was undoubtedly the declaration of defeat. There were warriors who were kneeling down as they cried, and there were also warriors who smiled wryly, having discarded their weapons. Dulio-san said to Irina-san and I
“Yuuto, Irina-chan, go now. There are no problems here now. Go to Ise-kun’s side. I…will talk for a while longer with Cristaldi-sensei here.”
As Dulio-san said, we were quite concerned about the other side which was fighting a battle at the same time as us. I thought, if this side was able to finish their battle earlier, then I would rush over to that side. That was because I selfishly chose to take part in this side’s battle. Dulio-san knew this, so he made such a suggestion. Irina-san and I nodded our heads, and prepared to leave. At this time, Dulio-san said
“By the way, next time, will you take a look at the facility here that the children live in? There are children who have also had the same experiences as you living there. They are also my little brothers and sisters like you. Why don’t we share a cake together?”
—. Dulio-san’s expression…was very gentle from beginning to end. A gentler captain than anyone else. This was Dulio Gesualdo who was known as the [Trump Card]. “…Yeah, certainly.”
I smiled, and Irina also nodded. “Knight of the holy demonic sword.”
Cristaldi called out to me, and only said one thing
“—His Eminence Strada, is the true monster.”
…Since he was called as such by the man who was also known as a monster, he must really be an exceedingly powerful monster—. Irina-san and I kept this warning in mind as we quickly rushed towards the direction of the other side. The jisan who wielded Durandal — Vasco Strada led a group of warriors and had begun fighting in the schoolyard of Kuoh Academy (replica). A few minutes after the battle had started, I — Hyoudou Issei became surrounded by rainbow coloured bubbles everywhere. As soon as they appeared, a change occurred in the crowd of warriors — they began crying together. Some of our allies also began to cry. Huh? What’s going on? Ddraig said inside of me
“…It looks like the ability of these bubbles is to stimulate intense memories of their targets, causing them to remember the things that they cherish.”
Oh. But, why does nothing happen when I touch these bubbles? “Hmm, this is just my thought: It may be because you, partner, are always thinking about the things that you cherish the most, hence there is no effect. | text_19 |
Don’t you always have a lot of unnecessary worry on your mind?”
Indeed, whether it’s something concerning the future, anything concerning my nakama, anything concerning oppai, as well as other things, I’m the type of person who always worries unnecessarily about them. Well, precisely because of this, nothing unusual happens to me when I touch these bubbles? “Basically, that’s what seems to have happened.”
…Amidst all this fighting, my eyes were attracted to the oppai of the female swordsmen among the warriors more frequently than usual, which is…
“Ah, this could also be the effect of these bubbles, or perhaps not.”
…Yes, whenever their oppai bounced, my gaze would be directed there more often than usual, is this the reason? “These bubbles…came from their side?”
Rias looked up in surprise. “Yes, that’s right.”
The person who replied to her — was Kiba! Irina was also beside him! What, the battle on the other side has already ended! “These bubbles were made by Joker, and it’s said that it makes the opponent remember things precious to them, thus dissolving their will to fight.”
Irina’s report agreed with Ddraig’s thoughts. But, these were made by Dulio…Hehe, he’s still only thinking about getting things done gently. However, there are still people whose will to fight wouldn’t be weakened in such situations. “Well these…these bubbles are really quite beautiful.”
A smile appeared on Vasco Strada’s wrinkled face. He was holding the replica of Durandal in his hand. We had been fighting against the warriors up until now, yet this jisanhad not directly been participating in the battle…in any case, it appeared as though this jisan had given up before, but he was finally coming now. He definitely wanted the warriors to rampage for a while, allowing them to vent their anger. After that, he would join in — aside from him, the warriors at the frontline had already collapsed after being attacked by us as well as from the effects of those bubbles. Of the warriors who remained, it could be said that only that jisan was left unharmed. He began taking his vestments off. Underneath his clothing was — a body of thick, shiny, armour-like muscles, completely unlike an old man over eighty years old…a truly amazing body. Trained to this extent, it was completely disproportionate with his face which was covered by wrinkles! Coupled with a tall figure, he was reminiscent of a giant. Even Durandal’s replica felt small in comparison. Strada took a step forwards. A piercing cold air enveloped my body for a while…and cold sweat streamed down my back. This pressure…I’ve only felt something like this from the evil dragon Cruach. And this jisan who is a human, gave me the same kind of feeling. His body, was a bottomless pit of horror. He spread his hands out, and with a smile on his wrinkled face he said
“—Well, it’s time for some lecturing. Little Devil children, learn well.”
A dense pressure was released — and everyone gasped. Even Saji and I, who were clad in a full suit of armour, couldn’t help feeling but feel a strong fighting spirit which permeated through our armour. Xenovia swallowed, and said
“…Durandal’s replica. I’ve heard that its power is equivalent to one fifth of the original…but seeing that His Eminence is wielding it, there won’t be such limitations.”
This would become a showdown between Ex-Durandal and the Durandal replica…based on the power of the swords, Xenovia’s genuine one should be far superior to the replica. However—. The first to charge ahead were Kiba and Irina who had just joined up with us. Moving with the momentum of victory from the previous battle, their strides were brimming with confidence. Strada-jisan didn’t move, and he didn’t even lift his sword up. He didn’t seem to be careless, and neither did he seem at ease. Then, Kiba’s holy demonic sword approached him at high speed. —However, using only one hand, he caught the holy demonic sword! Seeing his own weapon being blocked by someone’s hand, Kiba had a surprised expression as he looked back and forth between his sword and Strada’s face. He wanted to pull his sword away, but the sword remained motionless. The holy demonic sword was being held with immense power. That jisan was nodding his head [MmHmm]. “Your swordsmanship isn’t bad. It’s very accurate, and you don’t hesitate against humans. But”
A sharp metallic sound reverberated in all directions — Kiba’s holy demonic sword had been shattered by his bare hand. “It’s too blunt. You haven’t trained enough.”
After Strada said that, he swung his fist at Kiba! In the blink of an eye, Kiba raised the broken holy demonic sword to defend — however, the blow was too heavy, and he was sent flying through the air quite far! “Your Eminence, how rude!”
Following that, Irina slashed at him using Hauteclere — even so, the sword was stopped between two of his fingers, and he then threw her and the sword away using his strength! “We’ll use magic then!”
Rossweisse-san who was in the rear guard created numerous magic circles, which fired out projectile attacks of various attributes! That jisan didn’t dodge it, and just when he was about to be hit by the magic attacks, he simply extended his finger, and rapidly touched them all. The magic attacks which he touched lost their power and dissipated into the air. Seeing the result, Rossweisse-san was extremely surprised! “—Hm!? With that magic — you disassembled it! ?”
“This so-called magic, is a calculation — so, using the theory behind its formula to oppose it, it’s possible to cancel them out or destroy them. Especially the techniques of young magicians, they’re unrefined and not concise. As long as a slight flaw is found, it’ll be completely useless — as long as its structure is known, it can be disintegrated with power.”
Noooooo! I was shaking my head in utter disbelief at this phenomenon! My nakama seemed to be thinking the same thing, and were just as astonished! After all, he only moved his finger around, yet he was able to decompose Rossweisse-san’s magic spells! This jijiwas way too surprising! Even if he understood the structure of the spell, who could possibly decompose spells with a single finger!? From the perspective of other magicians, Rossweisse-san’s spells have been praised and admired! Yet, he glosses over it just by calling her young!? “In that case, I’m going!”
Gasper turned himself into a dark beast, and dashed forth! Perhaps because he was influenced by me, Gasper in this state was particularly militant, and always had the style of charging forward! And because he’s always with me in hand to hand combat, he’s now able to confront people directly! The current Gasper is quite strong! Strada-jisan finally got into a fighting stance, and pulled his right fist back. The muscles on his right arm swelled up to a ridiculous size. “Hmph!”
Exhaling with a breath full of vigour, his right fist moved straight forward! | text_19 |
Gasper who was charging straight towards him from the front dodged just in the nick of time — the buildings behind him had all collapsed from the impact of his punch against the air! “—This can’t be real right!? That’s the aftermath of his punch alone!? That’s on par with Sairaorg isn’t it! ?”
Rias expressed her amazement! It’s just as she said! Aside from Sairaorg-san, there’s actually another person who can destroy objects with only the shockwaves from their fist! On top of that, this was a human, and also a jiji! Xenovia said to us
“His Eminence’s punch is known as the [Holy Punch]. Even his punch contains holy energy! Be careful everyone, Devils will suffer immense damage from that if they’re hit!”
In such situations, one could only make a wry smile! Gasper evaded the punch, and charged towards his body! Seeing this happen, Strada raised Durandal for the first time. A dense holy aura radiated out, and enveloped the entire sword! Gasper began punching at his large body! Each of these attacks carried enough power to send an ordinary Devil flying! However, that old man Strada used the body of Durandal’s replica or shifted his own body to easily parry each of these attacks! He was using power to counter power…! Gasper wanted to supress Durandal — but instead he was overpowered and pushed back by its immense holy aura! A portion of the darkness covering him peeled off, and a small part of Gasper’s flesh could be seen. “—What’s going on, that holy sword actually has this much power…! ?”
Gasper’s darkness was extremely tough, and couldn’t be stripped off by any ordinary holy aura. After all, he was known as the incarnation of the Demon God Balor. Even in a short period of time, to be able to peel off Gasper’s darkness was evidence of this old man being beyond common sense. “Well, I’m coming next!”
Saji was wearing jet-black armour, and ignited black flames, then extended out numerous lines! Strada, who was hit by these lines simply swung Durandal with a light horizontal motion — everyone present felt a momentary chill, and then ducked down! Something flew over our heads at high speed! I turned my head to look behind at the replica buildings in this artificial space. Perhaps the waves which he released were too sharp, thus the buildings didn’t collapse at all, and there was only a horizontal line across the buildings. Even the glass windows had not been shattered from it…how sharp was the wave that he released to leave behind just a horizontal line…! Saji’s lines had also been cut cleanly in two, and even the black flames had vanished for now after the release of that holy wave! “Damn it!”
Saji fearlessly continued to release vast black flames! So long as it hit, the curse would take effect, and the flames which never died out would burn the opponent! Alternatively, it could also drain the strength of the opponent! However, all of Saji’s black flames were erased by a light swing of Durandal’s replica! Even with the shockwaves of his punch, Saji’s black flames could be blown away! Saji determined that direct attacks would be useless, so he created a black wall of flames surrounding Strada on all sides! This was Saji’s best barrier! But, that jisan turned around, and using the momentum of his rotation to swing Durandal, he effortlessly split the wall of flames in two! Seeing all of his black flames being extinguished, Saji cried
“What is this, that jiji! ?”
Exactly! What exactly is this, that jiji! This could be called unreasonable, or that it exceeded common sense, and against all the reason, he supressed them with just brute force! Strada shook his head as he said
“It’s because you rely too much on these powers given by God — Sacred Gears.”
He raised his fist, and declared
“There is no particular reason for my strength. But my own flesh and blood is the result of constant training, and the experience of countless battles. As long as you always maintain your faith in God, and do not forget to care about your body, power will be built in your soul. Children — is there any power within your soul?”
……Even if you say that, we also have things that we cannot back down on. We’re also known as attackers of the power type. Moreover, his words emphasised power, known as [Power Idiots?? lit. (muscles even in the brain)], this was an obvious challenge to us of the Gremory household! Everyone seemed to have the same thoughts as me, and the rising energy inside them could be seen from the expression of their faces. We’ve fought until now, even if we stayed silent, we were also able to tacitly match this guy’s fighting style! “Jisan, I also need to get serious.”
After I announced this, I began the crimson chant! “—I, who is about to awaken, am the Sekiryuutei who holds the truth of the king up high! Holding the infinite hopes and unbreakable dreams and walking the path of righteousness! I will become an Emperor of Crimson Dragon—”
“And I will lead you to the Path of Heaven, glowing in deep crimson light—!”
[Cardinal Crimson Full Drive!!!!] Wearing crimson armour, I opened my dragon wings, and flew to the front! I already knew very well that even if I moved around in mid-air as I tried to get closer that it would be meaningless! In that case, I might as well just use high-speed to close the distance in an instant, and then simply go for a direct attack! I changed my right arm into the Welsh Dragonic Rook’s, and then attacked! [Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!!] I increased my power and concentrated it into my right fist! A huge amount of dragonic power was gathered! [Solid Impact Booster!!!!] Close combat — this single strike was of the highest level! With my right fist raised high for this heavy blow, attempting to block it from the front was not a good idea! He didn’t intend to evade, and instead opened his stance! However, if my deduction was correct, this old man would — that’s right, this old man with such power was called Vasco Strada, he would actually…would actually! Defend against my punch head on! He held the Durandal replica in front of his chest, blocking my fist! My Solid Impact fiercely collided with the Durandal replica, and the aftershock of our collision blew away everything in the surrounding area! …The force of my punch…had been completely nullified by him! What kind of joke is this! I just unleashed a full-powered attack! That jisan was actually able to withstand that blow using the replica of Durandal!? The two people who just clashed and blocked each other naturally jumped backwards to increase their distance. At the same time that I finished my attack, Kiba and Irina charged forth again! Then Koneko-chan and Akeno-san also came to assist! Kiba and Irina repeatedly slashed at him, but Strada-jisan did the same as he did before, using minimal movements of Durandal or his body to dodge or deflect the assault! | text_19 |
At this time, Koneko-chan momentarily grew and sent a punch with the power of purification towards him, but the old warrior used the hilt of Durandal to block this attack, and then actually pushed it back! “Holy Lightning!”
Akeno-san summoned lightning, and shaped it into the form of a large dragon! They were Holy Lightning Dragons! And there were five of them! The number has increased compared to before, and the density of the holy lighting had also increased! The large dragons of holy lightning eagerly moved towards Strada! “—Descended from the angel known as the Lightning of God! It truly is beautiful!”
While Strada was praising Akeno-san’s attack, Durandal’s blade was still wrapped in a holy aura, and then it was swung down in an instant! The wave which was released was clearly more potent than that which was released by Xenovia. The enormous surging wave completely blew the Holy Lightning Dragons away! In addition, this wave showed no signs of weakening, and continued to fly towards us! “Shield!”
Rossweisse-san took a step forward, and conjured several layers of magic circles of strong defensive magic! Each layer of the strong magical barriers was progressively destroyed by the Durandal’s replica, and the approaching wave loomed ahead of us! —However, Rossweisse-san created layers of barriers once more, and then finally negated Strada’s attack! …However, in order to nullify this wave, a significant number of defensive magic circles had been deployed…at the least, Rossweisse-san used twenty layers. Even though she had the trait of the [Rook] to boost defensive power, she still needed so many…! Once again, I was in awe at this old warrior’s skill in using Durandal! “It’s not over yet!”
The last person to rush out was the current wielder of Durandal, Xenovia! She wielded Ex-Durandal, using it in a combined mode to slam it down at high speed and with the power of Destruction! The old warrior used his replica to block Xenovia’s attack, and it felt as though he was smiling in enjoyment. “Very good! That’s it! That’s just right! There’s no need for deliberation! Listen up, warrior Xenovia! Even if you assimilate Durandal and Excalibur, the essence of Durandal is — pure power! Which is why you were chosen by it! You should not deny it! Power should not be denied!”
While he was resisting Xenovia’s attack, Strada still repeatedly slashed his sword, as if illustrating how a sword should be used, conveying the core essence of a sword. In the midst of the clash between the genuine holy sword with the added power of Destruction and the replica, Strada looked straight at Xenovia and said to her
“—However, there’s more than one way to represent power. That sword’s form, is that really what you want it to appear as?”
“—Hmm! !”
Hearing that jisan’s question, Xenovia made an expression as if she had noticed something. Xenovia jumped back for the time being, and then — she meaningfully stared at Ex-Durandal. Strada began to smile as he saw this…was this something that only a wielder of Durandal would know about…? Then Rias straightened her body! Her entire body was enveloped in a destructive aura, and a huge sphere of magic had formed above her head! “—Well, how about this?”
—Extinguish Star! Rias’s ultimate attack! She concentrated her magic to produce it while I went ahead to fight! “This will result in death if you don’t avoid it!”
After Rias declared that, she released that massive attack! Although the sphere of destruction moved forward slowly, no one could possibly remain unharmed if they came into contact with it. This unparalleled attack was merciless, and even the body of an evil dragon could be destroyed. But Rias deliberately made such a declaration before releasing it. Which also meant — she was letting him escape. Being hit by that would result in inevitable annihilation. But even so, Rias decided to use this move precisely because she was in awe at the opponent. However, the old warrior seemed to have no intention of evading! He simply smiled, and faced Rias’s sphere of destruction directly! “Well well…this thing might be a bit difficult for my old bones — but.”
He raised Durandal’s replica and pointed it towards the sky — a vast amount of holy aura began to cover the blade. Facing one side as it slowly absorbed the objects around it, the sphere of destruction was approaching — then the replica of Durandal was swung down! The light released was blindingly bright, and we could only close our eyes in the face of such intense light…! When we opened our eyes, the first thing which we saw was — the scene of Rias’s Extinguish Star sliced apart! “—Ah.”
Rias was speechless at the sight of this. This was only to be expected. Even against an evil dragon, it was completely defenceless against this technique. Yet an old man, a human, was able to destroy it using the replica of a holy sword. We were also quite shocked by this. Strada’s shoulders were heaving as he breathed…after all, it was true that he cut the Extinguish Star. Rias could only smile mirthlessly. “…After this, I have no choice but to smile bitterly.”
As Strada adjusted his breathing, he said
“—Listen well. Durandal is able to cut [Everything]. Even if it’s the Bael’s power of Destruction, that is no exception.”
He said to us, as if giving Durandal an introduction. …So if Durandal is used properly, even that can be cut…! Well, when Xenovia is really able to master Durandal, there won’t be anything in this world that she won’t be able to cut…! Koneko-chan made a stiff smile. “…Really, is the Church able to rely solely on this ojisan? I think that…”
…Yes. Relying on this jisan alone, is the Church able to survive? After all, even the highest class of Devils have been defeated at the hands of Church warriors…if such a rare old man was born in this world, indeed even the highest class of Devils could be destroyed. “—Well, it should be my turn next right?”
After saying this, the person who took a step forward was — Arthur Pendragon who had been quietly watching from the side! He was wearing glasses, a suit, and smiling as usual. However, held in his hand was the legend of legends which was wrapped in a dense and thick aura — The Holy King Sword Collbrande. “Hoh…I wouldn’t have imagined that I’d be able to see that at my age…”
Strada looked at the holy sword in Arthur’s hand, and sighed in admiration. Arthur fearlessly replied in response with
“It is quite regrettable that the sword you hold is not genuine — I really wanted to use my body to withstand its power.”
Arthur quietly approached Strada, and in response, Strada also began to move forward. They did so until they were within reach of each other’s swords, and there was also no need to prepare a stance. Eventually, they reached the point where they were directly in front of each other, and they then stopped. They looked as though they were a jovial young gentleman and old warrior, but the intense pressure which they released from their bodies was unreal. | text_19 |
Subsets and Splits