Life.1

Training to Rave Reviews!

With a turbulent November behind us, we headed into December and the last month of second term at school.

In other words, it was time for second term’s closing act—final exams.

…W-well, in the end, I managed. Somehow…

Once my results came in, my two negative influences—Matsuda and Motohama—approached with sneaky grins.

“How was it? The big test?” Matsuda asked.

I breathed a despondent sigh. “Who cares…? Fine. Average. I did pretty good in Japanese, though.”

My test results were a bit above average.

All that last-minute cramming, staying up all night to study with Rias and the others, had really paid off. If not for that, I would have been dead in the water.

Matsuda’s and Motohama’s scores, it seemed, weren’t wildly different than mine.

“Yeah. Well, you know. This is just the way it is,” Matsuda deflected.

“It’s better than flunking, so I’ll take it,” Motohama added.

As for me…I was too busy sorting through potential mage partners to study, and then there was that trip to Romania. Though to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would have fared much better even with more time.

I was lucky to have so many friends willing to help me cram. The other Occult Research Club members were in the same boat as me, but they were way smarter. I was kind of jealous.

At that moment, I overheard the girls chattering at the edge of the classroom.

“Hmm? What’s up with them?” I wondered out loud.

Asia must have seen me looking, as she came running over.

“Issei!” she called. “Xenovia’s done something amazing!”

“Guess what?” Irina added. “She scored above ninety in every subject!”

…Wh-whoa. A score in the nineties was seriously impressive! And to think she pulled it off despite having to take time away from study to go overseas! It looked like she even nailed a perfect score in some subjects!

…People tended to think of her as a knucklehead because of her dependence on brute power, but she was leagues ahead of me… She just tended to get a little too amped up in battle, that was all.

“I just wanted to see how far I could push myself,” she said without putting on any airs. “My lowest score was in Japanese, like I figured it would be.”

Curious, I asked Asia for Xenovia’s score, and it turned out it was around the same as mine… Huh?! I thought I did well on the test, especially in Japanese, so I was blown away! I mean, Japanese was my native language, and here I was being beaten even there!

“Mine was a little lower than Xenovia’s and Asia’s,” Irina admitted shyly.

She could say that, but her scores were still in the eighties! She was way smarter than me! And Asia had been maintaining averages in the high eighties since the second semester midterms!

…Hold on. So I was the Occult Research Club’s underachiever…?!

While I was reeling from that shock, the bespectacled Kiryuu approached.

“It would be a tragedy if your kids took after their dad.”

Where did that come from?! Don’t go talking about children all of a sudden!

The Church Trio, however, took it all in stride.

“Not at all. With a good education and the right environment, anything’s possible,” Xenovia said.

“Yes, that’s right!” Asia added.

“Love is what children need most!” Irina noted.

Seriously, you three! You don’t need to respond to her! She’s just spouting nonsense!

Now everyone in class was fixing me with weird looks!

“Damn you, traitor!”

“Get ready to face the music from Asia’s most die-hard fans!”

Matsuda and Motohama fixed me with jealous looks and threw punches my way! Ow! What the heck?!

While those two clowns were busy perfecting their wrestling moves, Xenovia gave a firm nod. “This has given me a huge boost. I knew I should’ve taken the tests seriously.”

…She had been acting pretty strange lately. She wasn’t just taking her studies more seriously, she was also chatting with Rias and Chairwoman Sona in private.

On top of that, she was skipping club activities from time to time to help out with the student council. It wasn’t like she was fed up with the Occult Research Club or that she felt more at home with the Sitri Familia, but she kept going on and on about having some sort of newfound goal…

And in order to achieve that goal, she was going all out with her studies and extracurricular activities.

…What exactly was she aiming for? When I asked, she insisted it was still a secret.

It seemed only Rias, Akeno, Irina, and Chairwoman Sona were in the loop. I tried asking them, but they insisted they couldn’t talk about it without Xenovia’s permission. Whatever it was, Rias was mighty pleased about it.

I could probably pester Asia and Irina to share what they knew, but I didn’t want to go that far. I didn’t really mind waiting for Xenovia to fill me in when she was ready.

“So, Issei,” Matsuda said, no doubt feeling better after venting his anger on me. “What are your plans for winter break?”

“Right!” Motohama added. “It’s about time we checked in with each other.”

…Winter break. Now that our final exams were out of the way, it was almost time for the end-of-year vacation.

“So what’s the deal? Are you going anywhere?” Motohama asked.

“Er, sorry,” I apologized awkwardly. “I’d love to hang out, but apparently the Occult Research Club has some activities planned. I can’t commit to anything until I’ve checked my schedule with Rias.”

I also had my demon work to think about, and I was part of the new Team DxD as well. We had to be ready to respond if Qlippoth decided to make a move. Yes, the Occult Research Club bore a heavy responsibility.

“Even on New Year’s Eve and the first three days of the new year?” Matsuda prodded.

For the last New Year’s Day, the three of us had prayed to all find girlfriends this year… Well, in my case, it kind of came true.

“…Right. I guess I’ll probably be free, but I can’t say for sure just yet.” I nodded vaguely, scratching the back of my head.

I might be part of a counter-terrorism team, but I hoped I could at least take off New Year’s… But did demons even celebrate the first three days of the new year?

Motohama let out a sigh. “You seem very busy lately. You barely have any time to kick back and have fun on your days off.”

Like he said, I was busy training most weekends and holidays… If I didn’t make good use of my time, I wouldn’t be ready for the next battle.

That meant, however, that I was probably something of a difficult friend for these two.

We could have easily drifted apart, but they still considered me their buddy. I really appreciated that.

Matsuda struck a pose like he was pressing a camera shutter with his finger. “Maybe I should join the Photography Club? I might just make it in time for next year’s competition!”

He was really into photography. Heck, if he joined a club, it might even help improve his grades.

“Anyway, did you hear the rumor? About Rossweisse spending more time in the library?” Motohama asked as if suddenly remembering.

…Rossweisse had been seen in the library? That was odd. Then again, she had been acting weird lately.

“Yeah, I’ve heard!” Matsuda chimed in. “So apparently, she was seen sighing while reading some books… Um, Bible stuff. Anything you can fill us in on, Issei?”

…Bible stuff? Well, as demons, we did have a connection with the Bible. Still, Rossweisse may have come from a Norse background, but she was a smart woman. She should have already read the Bible, both the Old and New Testament.

So was she researching it…? Was she trying to get a better understanding of demons—or the Biblical God? Or was she looking for something in its teachings, history, or prophecies?

“I don’t know,” I said, scratching my head.

Come to think of it, I was surprised a demon could even touch a Bible. Maybe she was using some kind of protection spell? I mean, she did have a technique that let her wield a Holy Sword for brief periods. Still, talk about reckless.

Was this related to her request in the shared bathroom the other day…?

“I figured you’d know since you’re in the Occult Research Club…,” Matsuda said. “Anyway, a bunch of Rossweisse fans are pretty worried, so see if you can work it out with the other club members.”

“Right. Got it.”

I would be happy to help her if I could… But would she confide in us…? Sure, we had each other’s backs in battle, but she had never come to us about personal problems before.

While I was busy racking my brains, Motohama adjusted his glasses and shot a probing look at me. “Speaking of the Occult Research Club, who’s going to be president next year? You’d better sort it out soon or Rias won’t be able to hang up her hat.”

…

It took me a moment to process what he was saying… Right. It was that time of year. Some clubs had already picked new leaders ahead of second term. In fact, one guy in my class had already stepped up as president of his own club.

…In other words, it was time for a generational change at the Occult Research Club.

A new prez? But who? No one came to mind.

With whatever was troubling Rossweisse, and the end of the year just around the corner, I couldn’t help but feel like something was brewing.

It was all well and good to daydream about the Occult Research Club’s future, but that wasn’t enough when you were the Red Dragon Emperor.

Even when I didn’t have homework on my days off, my friends and I always had something to keep us busy.

Among those, our top priority had to be improving ourselves—in other words, training.

It was for that reason, we found ourselves in a familiar underground training space in the Gremory territory.

Everyone split into small groups or went their own way…while I found myself facing some pure white object with my Boosted Gear.

This humanoid object—some kind of enchanted dummy the old Sun Wukong had conjured up using his own fur as a catalyst—was to be my sparring partner.

Essentially, the old Monkey King had instructed me to charge my gauntlet for a full minute and then lay into this target. And not just once—again and again.

It sounded simple when you put it like that, but it wasn’t quite so easy. Leveling up and throwing punches was only part of the process.

I was supposed to hit it with the same intensity ten times over after charging my power!

…It was a tough ask—for me, the ultimate challenge.

Throwing a punch was easy. But hitting a target ten times without weakening was much trickier.

If I boosted my strength to a factor of five and hit it ten times, I would rack up fifty points of damage.

…But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it. Say I started off strong, delivering a solid five—by the third, fourth, or fifth punch, I would drop the ball and land a four or six.

All it took was one mistake and the animated target would announce, “Failure. Start again from the beginning.” The old Sun Wukong had made this thing to measure my strength, and it was unerring in calculating the damage I inflicted.

…Why was I doing this? Because the Monkey King had pointed out a critical weakness of mine not too long ago.

…Basically, I couldn’t sustain my Balance Breaker, my crimson armor, for extended periods of time.

In other words, my Red Dragon Emperor powers were sloppy. My armor state had improved a lot since the early days, when I could only use it for short periods, but there was still a cap on how long I could maintain it. On top of that, I didn’t have a firm grasp on how long that limit was and how much power I depleted with each attack.

…According to the old Sun Wukong, I was just wasting my energy on flashy displays of power. I thought I was pacing myself, but he pointed out I was simply making minor adjustments based on my momentum.

…I didn’t know what to say to that. He was right, of course.

Right now, my main goal was to perfect unleashing my power. If I could get that down to a science, I would be able to maintain my crimson armor that much longer.

Basically, if I could perfect my stamina management, I could strategize and adapt to any situation. There was no point in firing off energy like there was no tomorrow—that wouldn’t be enough against our future foes, especially not Euclid with that replica Boosted Gear of his…

Azazel had his own thoughts on the matter, “Maybe the powers you’ve inherited from Ophis and the Great Red will stabilize once you’ve tackled Sun Wukong’s challenge. Right now, your life force is bouncing between infinity and zero, but if you could bring it under control…well, you might just move on to the next level.”

The next level…

Everyone told me I was the only person to have received the powers of both Ophis and the Great Red—though honestly, I wasn’t even close to being able to use them.

If this training could help me unleash them…I had to keep going!

What with the enemies we were dealing with, I needed to get stronger to protect my friends. I didn’t want any of them to get hurt! We were going to survive this and have a peaceful school life!

I was all hyped up, throwing punches at the target, and yet…

“Failure. Your last attack was an eight. Start again from the beginning.”

Ngh… I messed up again. I let myself get carried away and unleashed more power than I should have. I was too impatient and let my emotions influence my actions. I had to learn to keep my cool better.

Even if I had a fire raging inside me, I couldn’t let it get the better of me. Though it was probably okay to let loose with a big flashy attack when things really heated up.

I heaved a sigh just as a white flash zigzagged above me. It was Vali, flapping his white wings in his suit of armor.

He joined us for training from time to time…and his sparring partner was none other than the old Sun Wukong.

The Monkey King was riding around on a cloud—his Flying Nimbus—effortlessly dodging Vali’s attacks.

Additionally, he was casually swatting aside Vali’s strikes with his staff. It was enough to leave us watching on speechless.

Vali, the legendary White Dragon Emperor, the strongest in all recorded history…was being toyed with by some old geezer no taller than a kindergartener!

Well, neither of them was going all out. If they did, this training field would be laid to waste. But still, it was impressive how effortlessly he managed to block Vali’s attacks.

…He was putting in minimal effort, just enough to cancel out his opponent’s strikes with his staff. He wasn’t even exuding much in the way of fighting spirit.

After a few minutes of back-and-forth, Vali dispelled his armor and came down to the ground. Moments later, Sun Wukong followed suit.

“…I hate to admit it, but luck isn’t on my side,” Vali said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The old monkey puffed on his pipe. “No, you’re really quite something, White Dragon Emperor. If you Two Heavenly Dragons came at me full force, I’d be turned to dust. You have me beat in raw power if you hadn’t noticed.”

That might be true, but the scary thing was neither of us could get in so much as a single hit.

Vali and I might have Sun Wukong beat in terms of raw firepower, but I doubted we had any real chance of winning against him.

As Bikou said, the old Monkey King was a legendary monster who had mastered both sorcery and sage arts.

“It all comes down to whether you can summon the strength needed in the heat of battle, and do so swiftly, like a flash of lightning! Now, you two young’uns are always radiating energy from your very beings, and you have much more stamina than ordinary folks. But mark my words—this here constant power output of yours means you lack in endurance, doesn’t it?”

…In other words, Vali and I should decrease our energy output in both our normal and Balance Breaker states and only ramp it up when it was time to go all out.

…Hold on. That all meant this was extremely high stakes, right? Basically, I had to boost my power output at the exact moment an enemy’s attack made contact with me! But they would no doubt throw a fair number of feints, too! And heck, I’d had my fair share of times when Kiba had caught me off guard during our sparring! This would leave me defenseless against those ambushes!

Trying to fine-tune my abilities was already a huge task, and the split-second decisions needed during battle were too much for someone like me…! I hadn’t even been a demon for one whole year yet!

But if I could nail this down, I felt like I would really be able to tap into my latent strength and unleash some serious power…

Vali had been stepping up his game, training hard with Sun Wukong. He seemed to be getting the hang of it. Just watching on from the sidelines, I could see he was cutting down on unnecessary moves and only launching attacks that really mattered.

…He had a natural talent. That wasn’t the sort of thing I could pick up overnight. Plus, he had a lot more combat experience than I did. Knowing him, he had probably been honing his skills since he was old enough to walk.

“In terms of overall balance, I’d say the White holds the upper hand,” Sun Wukong chimed in. “Yet delving deeper, there are moments where the Red shines brighter—particularly in terms of sheer attack power and speed when moving along a straight path.”

…It sounded like he appreciated my habit of charging in headfirst, no holds barred.

I was grateful for the high appraisal, especially of my Crimson Blaster. But the truth of the matter was Vali would instantly overtake me in both strength and speed if he used his Juggernaut Overdrive.

“Still, Vali isn’t in top shape right now, so I can’t really picture him winning,” I admitted with a sigh.

Vali’s lips curled in a self-deprecating smile. “As you know, my Juggernaut Overdrive isn’t as versatile as your crimson armor. The fact you can train in that thing already gives you the edge.”

It was nice to hear such high praise from my rival, even if it was a little embarrassing… When it came down to it, he always came through. That was what I found most frustrating.

“That Juggernaut Overdrive, or whatever you call it, might be stronger than a regular Juggernaut Drive, but it still releases your energy far too quickly,” Sun Wukong said as he took another puff of his pipe. “It puts an enormous strain on your body. It might be safer than a regular Juggernaut Drive, but you can’t keep using it again and again… The challenge for you is figuring out how to channel your power as needed. Though the same goes for the Red Dragon Emperor.” He paused for a moment. “The Red’s abilities are to multiply and transfer, while the White’s are to divide his foe’s strength and take it for his own… Such is the ancient lore of the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing. In days of old, the hosts of the Two Heavenly Dragons wielded these powers and clashed in fierce battle. Though there were those who employed their might in curious ways, never, in all the tales, has there been a soul who dared to power up in such a nonsensical manner as you two!”

Nonsensical power-ups, huh…?

Vali was working to improve his skills, but as for me… Well, I had embraced the power of breasts with a little help from Ophis and the Great Red.

…Nonsensical was definitely the right word, not only for how I bolstered my powers, but for my entire journey so far.

Sun Wukong turned his attention to me. “I’ll keep teaching you to pace yourself, but the real issue lies in the haphazard ability you’ve obtained from that White Dragon Emperor. I take it Ddraig and Albion still haven’t come back?”

Right. As he said, Ddraig and Albion had both retreated into their Sacred Gears—all because of the reflection ability I had activated for the first time during our mission in Romania.

By all rights, that power was originally Albion’s, not Ddraig’s.

“When we Heavenly Dragons were sealed away, we lost some of the powers we had in our physical forms…” Albion had said before leaving. “Never before have we regained any of them…”

So that was an ability he lost when he was robbed of his physical body…

…It seemed to manifest itself after the two of them came to some kind of shared understanding. Azazel, currently absent, had explained it similarly.

“…I’m just speculating here, but maybe the Biblical God didn’t completely take their abilities when he put those two on ice. What if he left open the possibility they could regain them in the unlikely event they made peace? It’s food for thought.”

…Honestly, I was at a total loss. I understood that this reflection power was originally Albion’s and had been sealed away, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how them reconciling had brought it back.

…If those two making peace was the key, then what were the Biblical God’s intentions when he sealed them? Did he think they would need them again in the future…?

Well, it wasn’t like all the seals on their powers had been lifted. Right now, it was only the reflection ability that had come back—and to me, not Vali.

I may have taken part of his White Dragon Emperor powers for myself, but it still felt strange that I was only one who could use it. That was why Ddraig and Albion were delving into their Sacred Gears, looking for ways to regain the powers they once possessed.

…But Ddraig was at a dead end. The lingering remnants of his previous hosts—my predecessors—had already moved on, so he couldn’t turn to them for help. He did say he had stumbled on some mysterious realm inside the Boosted Gear related to Ophis and the Great Red, but he told me he wouldn’t be able to step foot in it any time soon.

In any event, both Heavenly Dragons were still trying. Right now, they had connected their consciousnesses to dive into the Divine Dividing together.

“Albion is struggling…,” Vali remarked. “He’s trying to speak with his previous hosts, but they resent the Red Dragon Emperor. Those aren’t just old grudges—they don’t like you personally, Issei Hyoudou.”

…What was I supposed to do about that…? Apparently, the previous White Dragon Emperor hosts had formed a support group, some Red Dragon Emperor Victims’ Association. They were still mad even now that Albion and Ddraig had made peace.

…It was a weird situation, and apologizing wouldn’t solve anything. They were out for blood…

…Sure, they didn’t like that whole butt thing, but it was that old geezer Odin who started calling him the Ass Dragon Emperor, not me…! Though I did kind of feel at fault.

Maybe I would have to drag over Odin and make him apologize…?

Anyway, Ddraig had transferred his consciousness to the Divine Dividing to chat with the residual thoughts of Albion’s past hosts… Even with the White Dragon Emperor’s help, it was going to be a tough battle.

I just hoped they could find a way to restore their lost powers so they could be activated through their Sacred Gears…

“Well, all we can do it wait for good news.” Sun Wukong laughed as he breathed a cloud of purple smoke. “Once the Heavenly Dragons return, it’ll be easier for you, Red Dragon Emperor, to find your rhythm.”

“Really?” I asked.

“If you can figure out how to adjust your power, all you’ll need is Ddraig’s support and you’ll be ready to dive into battle,” he answered as he tipped the contents of his pipe into a portable ashtray. “It’s all about honing the basics, so that when the time comes, you two can fight in sync. I’m not expecting you to handle the Red Dragon Emperor’s powers all on your own at this point. You’re a team with Ddraig, after all. But if you don’t learn to manage it on your own at least to some extent, you’ll end up weighing him down. That’s why I’m pushing you so hard.”

Ah, so that was the objective here… And here I was convinced I had to learn to do everything myself.

Right. The Red Dragon Emperor was made up of me and Ddraig… I would keep training to take the load off him until he came back. Yes, I knew what I was doing now.

At that moment, Vali activated a magic square. “I have to go on ahead. See you next time, Sun Wukong,” he declared.

“Oh, scary, scary.” The old Monkey King chuckled sarcastically.

Of course, Vali and I weren’t the only ones training.

“Hey, it’s Issei!” Xenovia called as she made her way over.

“Are you finished?” Irina added by her side.

After seeing off Sun Wukong, I joined up with our sword-fighting members—Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina—who had been practicing a short distance away. We also had a magic squad made up of Rias, Akeno, Rossweisse, and Asia. Meanwhile, Kuroka was training Koneko and Gaspy. We all had our own regimens, but we also held larger meetings as a team.

Ravel wasn’t with us. She was still at the Hyoudou residence wrapping up the final details of my mage pact with Le Fay. I probably should have been there with her, but she insisted I needed to get in as much training as possible.

“Leave it to me!” she said. “I’ll call on you if we need you.”

With a manager as astute as her, my best option was to do as she instructed.

We always wore sports tracksuits while exercising, but frontline training meant they were usually in tatters by the end of the day.

Xenovia’s and Irina’s tracksuits were already torn to pieces. They must have gone all out.

“Issei! Issei! Take a look at this!” Irina called cheerfully, flying toward me on her angel wings.

She spun through the air, striking a pose like an action hero mid-flight.

Ah! Only then did I notice it—she had four angel wings!

“When did you get more wings?” I asked.

“Hee-hee! I had a revelation this morning that helped me increase my angel level!” she declared, puffing her chest out with pride. “And look! When I spread my wings, there were four of them! This has to be a blessing from Lord Michael! He’s always watching over me!” With that, she pressed her hands together in prayer, eyes sparkling.

Ah, so her status as an angel had improved. Come to think of it, she had been through a lot of intense battles, so it was no surprise she had earned herself a promotion. She had definitely deserved her place as Michael’s Ace.

Xenovia nodded approvingly. “So you’ve unlocked new angel powers?”

“That’s right!” Irina nodded. “It should be easier to get permission to use sacred weapons stored in Heaven. I had to go through all sorts of applications and procedures to get approval before, but I can skip most of them now!”

Whoa. Did that mean she could draw on new weapons from Heaven?

“…My self-proclaimed angel friend is finally spreading her wings…!” Xenovia answered, covering her face with her hands. “I couldn’t be prouder…!”

There was a tremble to her voice as she said that… Hold on, she was still calling Irina a self-proclaimed angel?!

“Ngh! Don’t cry, Xenovia! You’re embarrassing me!”

And Irina was just going along with it!

Keeping an eye on this passionate friendship, I shifted my attention to Kiba.

Equipped with the Gram, exuding its ominous aura, he had just finished summoning wave after wave of Holy Swords.

“H-how’s it going?” I called out.

“I’m trying to control the Gram with a Holy Demon Sword,” he answered without shifting his gaze from the blade in his hands. “Like how the Excaliburs were able to tame the Durendal.”

Huh. That sure sounded like an interesting experiment.

“First, I’m tapping into the Holy Demon Sword’s dark magic to embrace the Gram’s curse,” Kiba continued.

“What happens when you do that?”

“It increases its dark energy, such as its curse. But that also means it stabilizes the reverse side. It’s scary to think how boosting one negative force can stabilize another.”

Bringing its dark energy under control? That sounded like it would be easier said than done.

Kiba tightened his grip on the Holy Demon Sword. “After boosting and stabilizing its dark energy, I contain it with the holy powers of my Holy Demon Swords. It’s like putting a lid on a pot, to use an analogy. The pot has to be simmering at just the right heat so it doesn’t boil over. Once you’ve done that, you can draw on as much of its energy as you need.”

“…You make it sound simple, but I’m guessing it’s pretty tricky to control?”

“That’s right,” he said with a grin. “If I don’t strike the right balance, the curse will fall on me. It might even hurt my friends and allies.”

So that was his task, to stabilize the Gram’s dark energy and contain it within a sheath of Holy Demon Swords? Given how much power that demon sword packed, he had to be careful it didn’t explode when he drew on it.

Explaining the process was one thing, but actually carrying it out required an abundance of skill, determination, and natural talent.

“But you aren’t going to mess it up, are you?” I asked with a grin.

“Of course not,” he answered, undaunted. “If all goes well, I might be able to add some extra attributes to the blade. That would open up entirely new ways of fighting.”

“You can use your Sacred Gear in all sorts of ways, huh? Like launching elemental attacks, using your swords as platforms, and even summoning those Dragon Knights…”

I suspected he was the most skilled Sacred Gear user among us. Saji was getting more adept at using his, but Kiba was still several levels more proficient.

“I’m not particularly flamboyant compared to some of you guys,” he continued. “I need to increase the number of moves at my disposal so I can exploit my opponent’s weaknesses better.”

This coming from someone who had already fought tooth and nail to get this far.

“Anyway, how’s your training going?” he asked.

“Slowly but steadily. I just have to get the hang of it. But there are some things I can’t try until Ddraig gets back.”

My White Dragon Emperor power that I awakened in the battle with Euclid was one such example. It involved launching miniature white dragons from the jewel in my gauntlet, which I needed to activate my reflection and halving abilities.

That had been my goal with this round of training, but just as I started hitting my stride, Ddraig and Albion decided to delve into their Sacred Gears, putting a halt to my efforts.

…Those miniature dragons were an incredible ability. I could only imagine the possibilities combining it with my True Queen state…

Incidentally, I had decided to call those tiny dragons my Dividing Wyvern Fairies. Well, technically, it was Rias who had named them.

“You’re gaining lots of new abilities recently. This one is like playing fairy chess,” she had said after witnessing it.

Fairy chess—a term that referred to chess played with non-standard rules. Rias thought my growth seemed to be driven by irregular rules, so she decided to adopt the name for my new ability.

Just then, a blinding light entered my field of vision. Glancing around, I spotted an angel overhead, complete with ten pure white wings, brandishing a plume of flame in his right hand and a gigantic ice spear in his left. Thunderclouds hovered behind him, the kind that promised lightning.

Heaven’s Joker, Dulio.

…Artificial thunderclouds in an underground cavern? It must have been one of Dulio’s abilities.

His Sacred Gear had the power to control the weather and command the elements—fire, wind, water, earth, and so on. He could whip up a storm in the clearest of skies. That dazzling light a second ago must have been a burst of lightning.

Below him was a figure in a black sports tracksuit—Saji, encased in a shroud of black flame, facing off against him.

Saji was a regular participant in our training sessions lately, and a frequent sparring partner to Dulio and me.

Why? Because Saji wanted to unlock his Balance Breaker.

Chairwoman Sona had suggested training with our Familia might give him the push he needed to awaken it, so we all agreed to help.

Now that we were a team, it was only natural to want to help each other improve—especially Saji, so eager to finally activate his Dragon King Balance Breaker.

Kiba and I watched on as Saji and Dulio engaged in hand-to-hand combat. It wasn’t long before Saji’s black flames succumbed to the pressure of Dulio’s relentless elemental attacks, and he crumpled to the ground.

Dulio had won. Though Saji had been on the defensive from the very beginning.

…Saji’s abilities were extremely varied. He could channel powers through his lines, inflict direct attacks with his black flames, and trap foes behind walls of fire. Yet Dulio managed to dodge them all.

While neither was using a Balance Breaker, there was an obvious skill gap between the two.

…I had sparred with Dulio my fair share… He evaded all my attacks, freezing my hand- and footholds and stopping me from launching direct attacks with barriers of wind.

“The Joker doesn’t like to attack first,” Irina explained once. “He could if he wanted to, but attacking isn’t really his style…”

Right. I had learned that firsthand, and I was sure the others had, too.

Here in this training space, Dulio preferred to dodge his opponent’s attacks and exploit their weaknesses.

“Maybe this is just the Joker’s way of training?” Kiba asked next to me. “He’s placing limits on his abilities to test himself. I’ve heard he’s good at long-range attacks but struggles up close, so I think he’s trying to improve on that front.”

Dulio’s Sacred Gear and its ability to control the weather gave him an edge when it came to wide-area attacks, though he liked to joke he would be finished if he engaged Xenovia or me in close combat.

…So he was working to improve himself in that regard?

Saji stretched his body before walking over to join the rest of us. “Ah, I lost again. I still can’t give that Brave Saint a run for his money, can I?!”

Frustrated though he was, he didn’t seem as pessimistic as he had back in Romania.

He had seemed troubled before we left for the vampire territory, frustrated by his inability to unlock his Balance Breaker.

Something must have happened to him while we were busy thwarting the vampire coup…

“Thanks for letting me use this place,” he said, turning to address us. “All right then, I’d better head off to the school!”

By the school, he was referring to the academy Chairwoman Sona had finally managed to set up in the underworld, the first-ever facility dedicated entirely to teaching the Rating Game. They hadn’t started enrolling students yet, but they were running an open house event of sorts, and parents from all over the underworld were dropping in to take a look.

From what I gathered, between their student council activities and the number of visitors dropping by each day, the Sitri Familia was being kept incredibly busy.

“Rias said she wants to help out when we get some time off, so we might drop by as well,” I said to Saji.

Indeed, Rias had suggested we lend Chairwoman Sona and her Familia a hand, and the entire Gremory Familia, along with Irina and Ravel, was eager to help.

“That’s a lifesaver,” Saji answered, breaking out into a grin. “Honestly, we’re all still new at this, and we can’t handle everything on our own. Actually, we invited Sairaorg to join us today, and we even called in some special guest lecturers.”

I was glad to hear things were going well. It just went to show how many underworld kids couldn’t get into regular schools, and how many wanted to make it big playing the Rating Game.

Demons didn’t tend to have a great many options when it came to deciding their futures…

Well, that was just the reality of life in the underworld—only those with ranks of a certain level or who were lucky enough to receive the backing of a high-ranking demon got to live life on easy mode.

“All right. Catch you later!” Saji said with a wave as he vanished into the teleportation square.

At that moment, Dulio dropped down from the sky and pulled a donut from his pocket to munch on. Speaking of which, wasn’t he into food tours? He was practically a globe-trotting foodie!

“I can’t survive without my sweet fix.”

He was carefree, that was for sure…

And somehow, he was the leader of Team DxD…

Now that we had wrapped up our training, it was time for one last meeting before heading home.

“That’s the situation with us magic users. In short, my ultimate move still takes a long time to charge. Akeno, however, is getting better at transforming into a fallen angel without her bracelet.”

With that, the meeting came to an end.

“…”

Our leader, Dulio, was half asleep…

He tended to drift off like this after seemingly every training session…

“…Sister Griselda says it’s a miracle he even shows up at all,” Irina said apologetically. “So please, go easy on him!”

Rias heaved a sigh, then nodded her head. “It’s okay, Irina. His skills are real, so we’re not about to doubt or question him.”

Rias used to be more formal with Irina, but she was finally starting to relax around her. It did seem a little silly standing on ceremony after all this time.

She glanced across at us all before changing the topic. “As you all know, I’m helping with the open house events at Sona’s new school, but we also have a guest joining us at the Hyoudou residence tonight. She’ll be giving a special lecture at the school for prospective students and their parents, and I just received word that she decided to visit us on short notice before going there.”

Huh? Was this one of those guest lecturers Saji mentioned? But why was she coming to my house?

Only then did I feel the weight of someone staring at me. Glancing around, I noticed Rossweisse watching me intently.

The second she realized I had noticed, she looked away.

…H-huh? Did this have something to do with that question of hers the other day…? Yeah, I couldn’t see any other explanation…

C-could you be my boyfriend?

Talk about a surprise! And she had asked it in the shared bathroom, with everyone watching!

That being said, not much had happened since…

“…”

Rias flashed me a conflicted look.

“…”

Akeno was also glancing back and forth between me, Rossweisse, and Rias.

…Wh-what was going on…? The other girls all looked uncomfortable as well…

I could even hear our Church Trio whispering among themselves.

“…See, Asia, Irina? The older girls are making their move.”

“Does this mean Rossweisse is joining the fray?”

“…Rias and Akeno are usually so laid back…”

“The older girls have their own issues, Asia. See how flustered the vice prez is? She’s been caught off guard… This could be our chance!”

“Huh?! Wh-what are you thinking, Xenovia…?”

“Irina, Asia—this means we’ve finally got a chance to strive for heights that have been out of reach for us until now!”

“B-but we still have to think about Rias…”

“Don’t worry! We have to go on the offensive! This might be our chance to make off with him!”

“Th-that would be kidnapping! I—I’m an angel! I couldn’t go that far…”

“That’s rich coming from you, Irina. You’re already a horny angel! You’re always waltzing into Issei’s room without a bra on, right? You’re basically ready for action!”

“Th-that’s… I—I do that for my own health!”

“If you’re going to walk around braless like it’s no big deal, then you need to get your act together. All right, listen up, you two. Let’s huddle. In times like this…”

Without warning, our Church Trio gathered in a circle for some secret discussion.

…S-seriously? So Irina hadn’t been wearing a bra? I thought her breasts had a healthy bounce to them. No wonder! If she wasn’t wearing a bra, of course they were going to jiggle!

…I was at a loss for how to react, but that didn’t stop me from overhearing Kuroka and Koneko a short distance away.

“You know what this means, meow? This is your chance your start your own litter on the side.”

“…You’re shameless, Kuroka.”

“What are you waiting for, Shirone? You need to step up your game. At this rate, he’ll always think of you as a kid. If you put your mind to it, I bet you could manage something cute and purrfectly cheeky, meow!”

“…N-no!”

“Oh? You thought about it for a sec, didn’t you? You naughty kitty.”

“No, I didn’t! I’m shocked at you, that’s all!”

“Nekomatas are supposed to be sexy. There are some things you can only do when you’re on the small side, meow.”

“I’m not talking to you anymore! Gaspy! Let’s go over there!”

“…Huh? O-okay.”

After that sisterly spat, Koneko took off with Gasper. Meanwhile, Kuroka looked like she was having the time of her life.

Kiba flashed me an awkward smile as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hang in there.”

…Yeah. I didn’t really get it, but I would do my best.

“…Mmm. A heavenly all-you-can-eat Mont Blanc buffet…,” Dulio mumbled in his sleep.

…Our leader sure looked content!

After our training session, we returned to the Hyoudou residence to get ready to welcome our guest.

For the time being, I had decided to prepare tea in the usual VIP room. Since Kiba and Gasper had their own living arrangements, they had headed home.

We were all in need of a wash after such a heavy workout, so we took turns showering. I went first. Once I was finished, I helped Xenovia and Irina tidy the VIP room.

Asia and Ravel had gone to prepare snacks—homemade cookies.

“Mmm…”

No sooner did they arrive than Ophis, our team mascot, started sneaking bites.

When at last we were ready to receive our visitor, Xenovia, Irina, and I headed to the living room on the first floor to take a break.

“Our guest will be here soon,” Akeno came to inform us. “Let’s all go to the transfer room.”

And so we made for the basement to offer her a formal welcome.

We members of the Gremory Familia, along with Irina and Ravel, gathered in the transfer room in the basement.

It was decided Kuroka and Le Fay would stay in their own room, mainly out of concern that Kuroka might cause a scene. Le Fay felt it would be unfair for her alone to excluded, so she had volunteered to step out, too. Naturally, Ophis wasn’t with us either.

The floor of the teleportation square glowed with Norse magic, growing increasingly brighter.

“Sorry for the late notice, but our guest is Rossweisse’s grandmother,” Rias said. “I’ve heard she’s quite renowned for her magic skills in the Norse world—Asgard, I mean.”

…!

Shocked, we all spun around to look at Rossweisse, who wore an expression that could only be described as complicated.

The magic square burst into light, when—

An elderly woman in a dark blue robe appeared. She had a sharp, well-defined face, good posture, and a slender figure, and she was around the same height as her granddaughter, Rossweisse. If not for her face, she wouldn’t have come across as elderly at all.

She addressed us. “Nice to meet you, my Japanese friends. I see my granddaughter is in good hands.”

With that, grandmother turned to face grandchild. Rossweisse managed not to look away, but that didn’t stop her lips from curling in a slight frown. It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome, but it wasn’t a rejection either.

Rossweisse’s grandmother introduced herself. “My name is Gondul. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Only then did she flash us a warm smile.

Her sprightly demeanor seemed at odds with her age—though it somehow reminded me of Rossweisse the first time we met her.

We led Rossweisse’s grandmother—Gondul—to the VIP room, where we served tea and snacks and introduced ourselves properly.

“Gondul will be attending the upcoming mage gathering in the Agares’s territory,” Rias explained.

Apparently, a group of well-known mages were holding a conference in a town in the Agares territory. The fact that non-demons were even being permitted to enter the underworld spoke volumes about their standing. We were demons, and thanks to the efforts of a former governor of the fallen angels and some favors from Heaven, we were permitted to visit various places relatively freely—but that was highly irregular. A mage of average standing would have zero chance of entering the demon realm, the fallen angel territories, or Heaven. For ordinary people, places like those were simply off-limits.

Anyway, these renowned mages were supposedly going to discuss rare spells, ancient magic, and forbidden techniques. It was a major event, and there were even researchers from demon institutions attending.

“This is off the record, but it seems practitioners familiar with ancient magic—what they call forbidden techniques—have been disappearing across all the major factions,” Rias added.

…

What…? Was that bastard Rizevim behind this?

“Has that terrorist group gone after them?” I asked.

Rias didn’t give a clear yes, but she didn’t deny it either. “It could be stray mages acting on their own, or the Khaos Brigade could be pulling the strings… Either way, the various mage groups feel it’s necessary to discuss the situation in person.”

With that, Rossweisse’s grandmother, Gondul, until now listening on in silence, spoke up. “This information hasn’t been widely shared, but the different schools of magic are planning to temporarily put a hold on our research areas—the techniques we all specialize in.”

“Your techniques…? You’re going to seal them away?” Ravel asked.

Gondul nodded. “If there’s a risk that techniques we’ve spent our whole lives developing might be misused by some unknown villain, we would prefer to keep them under wraps until this situation blows over.”

Well, no one wanted to see their powers abused. And on top of that, there could be liability issues if someone got hurt. Forbidden techniques had a dangerous ring about it. No doubt they would cause a real mess if they got out.

“I’ve heard that the fallen angel organization—the Grigori—has been heavily engaging in research on anti-magic,” Gondul continued. “We intend to entrust them with the task of placing our techniques under seal.”

…The Grigori’s anti-magic? That superhero-loving Almaros flashed before my eyes… No, he had to have done some actual research, too… There was nothing to worry about. Right?

Gondul folded her hands over her lap. “If we sealed them ourselves, there’s a risk they could be released if we were kidnapped or hypnotized. Asking another mage to seal them raises concerns they could be stolen. The situation being what it is, working with the fallen angels—who have expressed a desire to build trust with those from other mythologies—seems like a sensible compromise.”

Wow. So Azazel’s people were starting to gain a good reputation? They had been widely regarded as an evil organization before the alliance between the three great powers, but now they were all about promoting peace and sharing technology. They even promised to help those vampires with their Sacred Gear research just the other day. This newfound trust must have been the inevitable result of all those small wins. It was an impressive feat over such a short period of time!

“We need to discuss several concerns before we seal them,” Gondul continued. “Some mages have opted not to join this conference… Regardless, it should still be a valuable occasion. I’ve expressed my willingness to participate. And Sona Sitri invited me to her school, as well.”

Ah. So now we were back to the new school in the underworld.

“That’s right,” Rias said, picking up from there. “Gondul will be giving talks both at the mage conference and at the school Sona is building.”

She went on to give us a quick rundown of our upcoming schedule.

The plan was for Gondul to spend a few days looking around town, and then we would head down to the underworld as a group over the weekend. Fortunately, the mage conference coincided with our time off.

We all understood, implicitly, why that was. In any event, I would have to fill in Kiba and Gasper later.

From there, the conversation took a more casual turn.

“Rossweisse’s grandmother was a Valkyrie herself, you know,” Rias said.

Whoa! So it was her grandmother’s example that set Rossweisse on her path, was it?

“I warned her over and over again she wasn’t cut out for it. She could never get the hang of it,” Gondul joked.

Faced with her grandmother’s sharp tongue, Rossweisse blushed and stared at the ground.

Gondul set her teacup on the table before addressing her granddaughter directly. “You’re one of the main reasons I came here, Rose. You understand why, I hope?”

…So Rossweisse’s nickname was Rose?

“There’s only one man here… Am I to take it he’s the one?” she asked, glancing my way.

Rossweisse rose to her feet and took a deep breath. “Yes. This is my boyfriend, Issei Hyoudou.”

…

…Th-the moment was finally here… Her bathroom confession the other day was meant to lead up to this moment.

Hold on. Did she tell her grandmother back home that she had a boyfriend over here or something?!

“Rose,” Gondul began. “First you run away from home without telling anyone, then you get yourself reincarnated as a demon and start teaching in the human world without so much as a word… All you do is fill your grandmother with worry.”

“Ugh… Er…”

Rossweisse had no comeback to her grandmother’s accusation.

Rias intervened. “That’s partly because I invited her. Please don’t just blame Rossweisse.”

Gondul, however, wasn’t satisfied by that explanation. “Not at all, young Gremory. That isn’t the issue. Well, strictly speaking, it’s one issue, but I’m more concerned about my granddaughter making such a life-changing decision without even consulting me.”

“…That’s a painful way to put it,” I heard Xenovia mutter under her breath while munching on a cookie.

Honestly, she ought to be more careful about what she said in front of the old Valkyrie.

Perhaps realizing she had been somewhat brusque just now, Gondul cleared her throat. “Well, let’s leave it at that. I’ve already told Odin what I think about the way he abandoned you, so I won’t trouble you with that.”

It sounded like Odin had gotten himself in hot water, huh? Well, he did leave his entourage behind in Japan. That was low, even for him. And the next time we saw him, he had a brand-new Valkyrie bodyguard. That Norse god really ought to reflect on his actions!

“I’m worried about you,” Gondul said to Rossweisse. “You may be book smart, and you know a few magical techniques, I’ll grant you that—but you’re so scatterbrained you’re no doubt causing all sorts of trouble in this strange Far Eastern land… I know I’ve always said I’d feel much more comfortable if you had a boyfriend to look out for you. But to hear you’ve actually found one…”

…So that was it. She told her grandmother she had found a boyfriend to avoid worrying her… A-and that boyfriend was supposed to be me…? I knew it! She must have asked me on the spur of the moment when she heard Gondul would be dropping by. Rossweisse came across as so calm and dependable, but she was really just living life in the moment! I mean, that was a good fit for the Gremory Familia, but still… Did Rias just naturally attract strong-willed people to her side…?

Rossweisse leaned over next to me and grabbed on to my arm. “Issei is a dependable man. He’s the legendary Red Dragon Emperor, and he has a promising future as a mid-level demon!”

I—I was grateful for her kind assessment, but something made me uneasy…

I glanced across at Rias.

“…”

Her smile was frozen in place! What a shock! It was like her body couldn’t handle this situation; her thoughts must have been racing through her head!

“…Sorry! I’ll grab another pot of tea!” Akeno, looking just as worn out as Rias, all but fled the room.

“I—I’ll go help!” Ravel, attentive as always, raced after her!

But that left Rossweisse and me caught between the others.

“How long have you been dating?” Gondul asked.

“…A-around three months!” Rossweisse stammered.

“…So it’s safe to assume you’re already in a sexual relationship?”

Too direct! Far too direct! Even Rossweisse was frozen in shock, her face turning bright red! Yet somehow, she managed to hold it all together.

“…W-well… We’re not married yet,” she answered, a quiver in her voice. “A-and besides! You instilled a strong sense of chastity in me, Granny—Grandmother, I mean!”

“I never said you shouldn’t sleep with someone before you get married. I just warned you not to get tangled up with strange men and let your body go to waste.”

“Y-ya think I don’t wanna know what it’s like to get naughty?!” Rossweisse, still holding tight to my arm, shouted in her thick native accent!

“Then maybe ya oughtta hurry up and get yer act together!” Gondul yelled back, her own accent no less pronounced! Noticing the atmosphere in the room had turned awkward, she paused for a moment to clear her throat. “Ahem. I give you my permission to proceed.”

For the longest moment, Rossweisse was unable to respond.

“…Huh?” She exhaled in a daze.

“Not huh. I said all is good. You can show that man what you feel for him. Take him on a secret rendezvous.”

“B-but…!” Rossweisse was thrown into a fluster.

Gondul, however, fixed her with a hard stare. “I’ll ask you about it the next time I see you. You and your boyfriend, all right…? Thank you for today. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

With that, Gondul left for the accommodations Chairwoman Sona had prepared for her.

Even after she left, a tense atmosphere hung over the VIP room.

Rias was still frozen in place, while Asia and the others were watching on with visible apprehension.

“…Sorry,” Rossweisse said, grabbing my hand and pleading with me, her cheeks flushed. “I—I need your help… I can’t back out now…!”

…And so it was decided Rossweisse and I would go on a date.

Life.2

The School of the Underworld!

The day after Rossweisse’s grandmother visited the Hyoudou residence, I found myself in an empty room on the upper floor wrapping up the details of my mage pact with Le Fay.

My manager, Ravel, stood between us, diligently overseeing all the paperwork with a special magic square at the ready. I felt nothing but gratitude for her efficiency handling all the technical aspects.

“Thanks, Ravel. Seriously. This has gone so smoothly with you at the helm,” I said while she prepared the candles and animal blood we needed for the ritual (apparently from a soft-shell turtle she had ordered from a restaurant).

“Not at all,” she answered. “You’ve found a good contract partner—that’s why it’s been so easy.”

Le Fay fidgeted in embarrassment at this praise.

A written document in the demon script would serve as the physical pact. Basically, it said such-and-such a demon was making a deal with such-and-such a mage, and once entered into, the parties could do this or that sort of thing but not these other sorts of things. It was a lot like a contract in the human world.

With a knife, I made a shallow cut on the palm of my hand, letting the blood seep out and using it to write my name in the demon script. Le Fay did the same, writing her name in magical letters in her own blood.

With that, the paperwork was complete. All that remained was to conduct the formal ceremony. Le Fay and I would step into the magic square drawn in animal blood and recite the pact spell to each other.

It wasn’t long before the square started emitting a strange glow.

“I, Le Fay Pendragon, hereby request a pact with the Pawn Issei Hyoudou of the Gremory Familia. Join with me and become my ally.”

Apparently, this spell was on the simple side. Depending on the type of pact, it seemed you might need to add extra elements touching on your background and the details leading up to the pact—but since Le Fay and I already had a bond of trust, we could skip all those unnecessary parts.

Next, it was my turn to recite the spell I had memorized.

“I, the Pawn Issei Hyoudou, belonging to the Familia of the demon Rias Gremory, hereby vow to enter into a pact with you, Le Fay Pendragon… Um, here’s to working together.” I added a short Japanese-style bow of my head at the end.

Le Fay let out a soft chuckle. “Yes. Thank you.”

The Gremory crest floated above our heads, fading away along with the magic square now that the pact was complete.

…It was so simple. Was that really all there was to it?

I glanced over at Ravel, who nodded in confirmation. It looked like it had worked. The words on the document I had just signed were glowing red, as if they had been imbued with new strength.

“…Is that really it?” I asked, just to be sure.

“Yes.” Ravel nodded. “Issei—you and Le Fay are now business partners.”

Was this really how it was done? After all that paperwork, all those interviews and screening tests, we had wrapped up the actual pact remarkably quickly.

Well, I was happy to enter into it…

“So what are Le Fay and I meant to do now?” I asked.

Were we supposed to partner up and get involved in magic research or something?

“Ahem.” Ravel cleared her throat. “That’s up to Le Fay. If she wants to conduct a magic experiment now, she can call you on to do so. Or if she wants to do one tomorrow, she can call on you then.”

So it was all in Le Fay’s court?

“This is a five-year pact,” Ravel added. “If you can achieve strong results in that time, it will be a win-win for both sides.”

“So it’s not like we need to do anything right away?” I blurted.

Ravel nodded.

In any event, the pact was official. Hopefully Le Fay and I would be able to accomplish something significant during the next five years… For now, I would just take it easy and see how it went.

Having seen the pact procedures through to their conclusion, Ravel began preparing refreshments. She set up a folding table, placed some cups on it, and started pouring tea.

“Let’s have a cup to celebrate our success.”

A post-ceremony tea party? People often thought making a deal with a demon was a dark and creepy process, but it was surprisingly peaceful. Maybe that was because Gremory demons were unusually laid back… I, for one, had never tried to come off as scary just to secure a deal. Old demon lineages were said to have their own unique flairs when called on, but the Gremorys were nothing if not relaxed.

And so our pact-signing ritual had turned into a casual chat over tea.

“I had no idea Rossweisse’s grandmother was Gondul,” Ravel exclaimed. “She’s so famous!”

“She is?” I asked.

Le Fay nodded. “She’s a renowned master of Norse magic—rune magic, spirit magic from the gandur school, and summoning magic in the seidhr style.”

“Rossweisse uses runic formulas that incorporate unique Valkyrie techniques,” Ravel continued. “She says she devised new simplified spells all by herself.”

Le Fay pulled a notebook from her pocket and flicked through the pages. It was filled with all sorts of magic squares—designs that struck a chord in my memory. Right, they were spells Rossweisse often made use of.

“I thought they looked unique, so I copied them down,” Le Fay said. “So Rossweisse is self-taught? She must have incorporated other magic into her own designs.”

“Is that unusual?” I asked.

Le Fay shook her head. “No, it isn’t uncommon for mages to invent their own formulas. Every mage has a style that suits their own talents. But the runes Rossweisse incorporates into her magic squares are highly advanced. They might call to mind conventional Norse magic at first glance, but when you look closely, you can see they’re very meticulously crafted,” Le Fay said while pointing to a diagram in her notebook…

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. After all, I was no magic expert. I knew the basic symbols that governed different elemental attributes thanks to Ravel’s and Le Fay’s instruction, but the technical details flew right over my head.

“Kuroka mentioned something like that, too,” Ravel added. “She said Rossweisse’s techniques seemed designed to minimize energy consumption while still providing efficient defenses and attacks. If you want to compare it to a video game, you could say she’s figured out how to cast spells that would normally cost 50MP at just 5MP while maintaining the same power level. Impressive, don’t you think? It sounds simple when you put it that way, but only an expert could pull it off.”

Le Fay nodded along in agreement.

That was an easy-to-understand analogy. So she could keep the same power while reducing fuel consumption…? Rossweisse liked to fire off with all kinds of magic attacks, and every last one of them was made with efficiency in mind…?

I couldn’t believe Kuroka compared her spells to RPG mechanics… Then again, she did like to sneak into my room and play my video games all the time. I just had to take my eyes off her for a second and she would be playing this or that.

In addition, Koneko and Ravel were hanging out with each other a lot now, so it wasn’t unusual for everyone at the Hyoudou residence to hold video game tournaments. But we can put that aside for now.

…All this did leave me with one unanswered question, though.

“…We belong to the same Familia, so I know Rossweisse is a powerhouse. But why didn’t she learn the same sort of magic as her grandmother? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her use seidhr magic, let alone rune or gandur styles…”

I had learned a little about runes and spirits from Rossweisse, and I knew she incorporated aspects of them in her magic squares, but I had never seen her use full summoning or spirit magic… What she did was different. I couldn’t remember her ever claim to be good at them, either.

If her grandmother was as good everyone said, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise to hear Rossweisse could handle them as well.

Ravel and Le Fay exchanged glances, neither of them responding. Maybe they also found it strange?

Hmm. I craned my neck. She was puzzling me a lot lately… I mean, it was hard not to think about someone when they asked you to be their boyfriend all of a sudden.

“Ahem.” Ravel cleared her throat. “By the way, Issei. I heard you’re going out with her after this?”

…!

…Yeah. I was supposed to go out with Rossweisse once we were finished here. She couldn’t back down after that conversation with her grandmother yesterday. It had all happened so fast.

Rossweisse wanted to show her grandmother the fruits of our relationship while she was in town, so she came to me desperate for a favor.

…I couldn’t say no. Besides, I didn’t have anything else going on until tonight’s training session. And so, I decided to join her.

Ravel knew all this, too, but that didn’t stop her from fuming. “Going out with Rossweisse might be necessary to strengthen your bonds with the Gremory Familia, but you can’t forget about Rias and Akeno!” She leaned in close. “I think you should take them both out on a date when you get the chance…”

Th-that wasn’t a bad idea… Ravel was the one who helped Akeno calm down after she stormed out the VIP room last night.

At that moment, her cheeks turned bright red. “I—I’d like to go shopping with you, too, Issei…”

My heart almost skipped a beat when she said that!

“I’ll take you next time, Ravel. And Rias and Akeno—”

Before I could finish my sentence, Le Fay raised a hand into the air.

“You, too, Le Fay? Well, I was planning on going with everyone staying here. Either way, we need to do some end-of-year shopping, and it would be nice to go out in the New Year, too.”

The girls would probably want to stock up for the New Year holiday, especially now that the Hyoudou residence had more occupants than ever before.

““Yay!”” Ravel and Le Fay exclaimed in perfect unison.

“I will go, too,” Ophis said, popping out from the closet.

Huh?! When did she sneak in here?!

Ah… It looked like I wouldn’t have a lot of time for Matsuda and Motohama… I would love to hang out with them for a day, but no doubt Kiba and Gasper would want to tag along as well.

…

I pondered my next words for a long moment.

“…Sorry, Ravel, but could you set up an hourly schedule for the New Year for me, including training time? I don’t think I’m going to be able to fit it all in if we don’t plan it out in detail…”

Honestly, this Red Dragon Emperor sure had a packed schedule. I was beginning to think I was the most overworked incarnation of all time!

After signing my pact with Le Fay, I went to my room to change into better clothes and then went downstairs to wait by the front door.

Those thigh-high boots by the entrance… Were they Rossweisse’s? I just couldn’t picture her in them, so at first I thought they must have belonged to Rias or Akeno.

It wasn’t long before I sensed a presence coming down the stairs. Sure enough, when I turned around—

There was Rossweisse, sporting a trench coat and a short-flared skirt!

…This wasn’t the typical sports tracksuit–wearing Rossweisse I was used to at home! No, she was dressed like a normal teenage girl!

Her long silver hair was neatly styled, and her lips had a glossy sheen like she had put on some lip balm.

Yes, the rustic country girl I knew was nowhere to be found! In fact, seeing her look like any other girl my age…I could feel my heart getting all fluttery!

“…Um… Uh…”

I was at a loss for words. Maybe she noticed, too, as her cheeks turned suddenly red.

“…Please don’t start acting strangely. It will make things difficult for me, too. I can dress nicely when I feel like it, you know?” she said, her expression tinged with regret.

Ah! How rude of me! Maybe it was just because I was so used to her usual style, but I was totally blown away by this modern feminine look of hers! It was like a revolution had taken place inside of me!

“Sorry. U-um… Should we get going?” I suggested when I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye.

When I glanced around—Rias and Akeno stepped out from the end of the hallway. Rias looked much the same as usual, but Akeno wore a slightly morose expression.

“Make sure you’re back by sundown,” Rias said. “We have to attend a meeting in the underworld.”

““Of course,”” Rossweisse and I answered as one.

Rias let out a muted chuckle. “I’ll make sure to tell Xenovia and the others to stay out of your way.”

Ah, so they were hoping to follow us… In fact, they had all tailed us back on my date with Akeno. Rias had been in on it as well…

Perhaps she realized where my thoughts had taken me, as she let out a sigh. “I won’t follow you. No matter what happens. I trust the man I’ve chosen. I won’t waver, whatever happens between you two. I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when you asked Issei to be your boyfriend, Rossweisse. But I have to place my faith in you, Issei,” she said with the softest of smiles.

…What a wonderful woman. She believed in me and her Familia with all her heart.

“But make sure you take Akeno and me on a date soon, all right?” she added with a wink.

“Of course!” I answered.

“I’m going on a date with Issei!” Akeno beamed, returning to her usual cheer.

If they would take me, I would happily go out with them…! Though honestly, with my schedule as busy as it was, there was no telling when we would be able to do it…

In any event, Rossweisse and I left the house together.

I thought we would just be hanging out around town, but apparently Rossweisse wanted to see the sights in Tokyo, so we were on the move!

From the nearest station, it was an hour’s trip being jostled on the train before we arrived at Shinjuku.

From there, we switched trains and headed for our destination.

“…She looks like a foreign model…”

“She’s a total knockout…”

Rossweisse was the subject of many a curious stare inside the train carriage. And why wouldn’t she be? With looks like hers, it was only natural she stole the spotlight. In a way, it was like she was too beautiful, as no one dared approach her.

She looked somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention. “Maybe I wouldn’t stand out so much if I wore a tracksuit…?” she mumbled.

“Don’t say that. You would stand out whatever you wore. You’re cute,” I told her honestly.

“…”

After a moment, her cheeks turned bright red!

Hey, hey, hey! The normal Rossweisse would have let out a cool exhale and said something like, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

It wasn’t fair! Just like with Akeno, her reactions were unbelievably cute now that we were alone! I was having trouble continuing the conversation!

After about fifteen minutes of being jostled around in silence, we finally pulled into the station a short distance from the city center.

I followed Rossweisse into the station building, where she led me to a whole floor dedicated to a hundred-yen store.

The second we stepped inside, she had a smile of pure delight, her glowing face trembling with excitement.

“…Th-this is it! I’ve dreamed about this place! A hundred-yen store entirely for women…! Bella, it’s called! It means beautiful in Italian! They stock all these stylish products—high-function, practical items! You’d never guess they only cost a hundred yen each…! Ah, look at that plate! It’s so chic! And that pencil holder! It has such a sleek, no-nonsense design! And look at that container! The storage capacity…!”

…Whoa… She all but ran off to inspect the merchandise. Her face was lit up as I had never seen before. It was only at times like this that I remembered she was a just a girl, only a few years older than I was.

…Well, her tastes were a bit quirky… I certainly hadn’t expected to be touring hundred-yen stores in Tokyo today. Given the way she had dressed, I thought we would be going to fancy stores in a high-market area or something…

“Look at this, Issei! This one! That one! They’re all just a hundred yen! There isn’t a single item here that costs two or three hundred yen!”

She was certainly excited. Some things never changed.

This did, however, feel like the real her.

“I ended up spending a full ten thousand yen… I should have known Bella would be something else…,” Rossweisse groaned as she inspected the contents of her wallet.

We were taking a break after she had finished her shopping on the terrace of a nearby café.

To have spent ten thousand yen, she must have purchased close to a hundred items. She must have realized she had gone overboard. She decided to have the items delivered, so the huge package should arrive at our house tomorrow.

…Ten thousand yen… Did we come all the way to Tokyo so she could buy a mountain of goods from a hundred-yen store…? Well, she seemed happy, so maybe it was okay… But should a woman her age really be coming all the way to Tokyo for this? I couldn’t help but worry about her future.

At that moment, however, she called out to me. “Y-you weren’t bored, were you? S-sorry… All that shopping got me hyped up…”

Maybe I was letting my feelings show, as a tense air had settled over us.

“Not really,” I answered. “I’m just happy to be here with you.”

Those were my honest thoughts. This was my first time going on a trip with Rossweisse alone, and it was a refreshing experience. I was getting to see a side of her she usually kept under wraps, so there was no way this could be boring.

She paused for a moment to take a sip of her coffee. “Come to think of it, I’ve never gone out with a man before.”

…!

What a shocking confession! I was left speechless, humbled. Was I really the best person for such an important occasion?

“I hope I was the right choice?” I blurted.

Kiba would have definitely been a better companion, while Azazel would no doubt have brought her to Tokyo in a fancy sports car. Compared to them, my dating skills were average at best.

“I-if I had to choose any man I knew, it would probably be you, Issei…” Rossweisse blushed. “But don’t get the wrong idea! If, I said! Hypothetically!”

Her face flushed crimson as she took another sip of her coffee. Then, all of a sudden, she heaved a sigh as her expression clouded.

“…I was always studying in my hometown… The other Valkyrie candidates were always obsessed with stories of warriors who became heroic spirits in Valhalla… While they were daydreaming about boys, I was at my desk trying to get ahead.”

…I could easily picture it, a young Rossweisse hitting the books while muttering to herself, “They’re so filthy. Vulgar! If I don’t study, I’ll end up a loser!”

Rossweisse was staring off into the distance. “I spent my youth studying to become a Valkyrie, but looking back, sometimes I wish I had spent just a little more time having fun…”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re still young! You’re only a year or so older than I am! It’s totally normal for you to still be enjoying your youth—heck, even to just begin enjoying it!”

She was young! She was a teacher, so we tended to forget that sometimes, but she was actually still a teenager. It was far too early for her to consider herself old.

“And being Odin’s attendant—that’s pretty impressive, right? I mean, you were working directly with the Norse gods’ chief deity. That’s an incredible résumé!”

Rossweisse might have her shortcomings, but when you really thought about it—heck, even if you didn’t—her background and skills were incredible. No matter how many times I was reborn, I could never handle the heavy responsibility of being a deity’s attendant.

“…I got left behind, though…”

She was clearly feeling down in the dumps.

…I didn’t know how to respond to that. I knew better than to say it out loud, but Odin’s treatment of her had led to her joining us, so there was that…

“…Besides… I’m not as great as you and the others all think I am…,” she said with a troubled expression.

She pulled an embroidered patch from her pocket, a complex design comprised of layered runes arranged in a circle… Right. I saw something like it last night. That was the pattern from the magic square when her grandmother Gondul teleported in.

Rossweisse sighed deeply. “This has been passed down through my family for generations. It’s like a family crest… The eldest child is supposed to inherit it from generation to generation, engraving it into their mind and body to carry it on… I was the firstborn—the oldest daughter—but this pattern…” She paused there, her voice lowering to a soft murmur. “I couldn’t carry it on…”

Every Norse demigod family—especially those in Asgard—possess their own unique tradition of magic, techniques honed to perfection and passed down through the generations. When the time came for a new heir to take over the family legacy, they would engrave their family crest on their minds and bodies as proof of their inheritance.

Rossweisse’s family was no exception. Her mother had inherited their crest, and Rossweisse, as her daughter, was expected to as well.

And yet she wasn’t able to.

No matter how many times they performed the inheritance rites, the emblem failed to take root in Rossweisse’s mind or magic formulas.

“…I’m an only child, so in the end, the family crest was passed down to a distant relative,” she said while clutching the embroidered patch. “The inheritance ceremony went flawlessly for them, leaving everyone wondering why I couldn’t complete it… That magic has been my family’s specialty for generations, but I’m completely hopeless at it… I managed to pick up some rune magic and gandur techniques, but it’s like I’m just not compatible with seidhr-style magic. I still can’t get the hang of that type… I was able to pick up a bunch of Valkyrie combat spells—I’m probably the best in the family at those ones—but my ancestors have always balanced rune, gandur, and seidhr magic, so ultimately, I’m the odd one out. The only styles I have a knack for are ones my family doesn’t use… I was lucky to be able to become a Valkyrie…but I was hopeless at it compared to my grandmother back in her day…”

…She wasn’t adept at her family’s magic, and so her talents had blossomed in other fields. I couldn’t help but think of Sairaorg. Then again, he belonged to a noble lineage intricately involved in underworld politics, so his burden must have been unimaginably more immense. For someone like me, born into an ordinary family, these inheritance issues were too complicated to wrap my head around.

I had heard Rossweisse wasn’t particularly skilled at collecting the souls of brave men during her Valkyrie days. No doubt she had faced considerable difficulty before being chosen as Odin’s attendant.

Maybe it was fate that she wound up part of the Gremory Familia, with our overarching emphasis on raw firepower. After all, Valkyries learned a lot of offensive magic! It could hardly be a coincidence.

Rossweisse’s cheeks turned bright red. “For generations, mages in my family have been experts at communicating with spirits and working with summoning magic. But not me… Instead, I soaked up attack magic like a sponge, and was even able to design more efficient spells. My parents were more dismayed than pleased by my success in that regard.”

I scratched at my cheek. “Y-you also learned defensive magic when you went back to your hometown, though, right?”

“Yes, that’s true… I’ve developed in an unorthodox way for my family. As a child, I always took it for granted that I would become a Valkyrie like my grandmother and follow in the family’s footsteps. That was what everyone expected of me. But it didn’t happen. It seemed like a given, and it slipped right out of my hands… I still don’t know what to do with myself. That’s why I’m focusing so much on my job and trying to be careful with money—because I’m anxious about the future.”

She had talent, just not the kind the people around her wanted. Being blessed with ability, she had nonetheless succeeded in finding a job. But she still couldn’t figure out what she really wanted to do.

Her struggle was that she had something but wasn’t able to hold on to it. I had thought her similar to Sairaorg earlier, but at their cores, they were different issues.

She put the embroidered patch back in her pocket. “My parents, my grandmother, the rest of the family—they didn’t blame me for not being able to inherit the family legacy, and they still treat me normally… They put it down to every family having its oddballs, which was nice in its own way… But if they had criticized me more, pushed me a little further, maybe I would have rebelled and gone in a more extreme direction… Well, I suppose you could call becoming a demon an extreme choice…”

Was that why she had become a demon? To let go of everything?

“I was so happy when Odin chose me to serve him… He was a handful, but I felt a sense of purpose working for him… Even if he did leave me behind.”

I had personally heard that Rossweisse was the only one qualified to serve him—in fact, she currently held the record for his longest-serving attendant. Maybe that was why her successor was having such a difficult time stepping into her shoes.

Rossweisse stared up at the sky as she breathed a deep sigh. “I graduated early and never really had a chance to enjoy my youth. I was able to become a Valkyrie, but I couldn’t inherit my family crest. I wasn’t able to achieve anything important during my Valkyrie years. I was just Odin’s chaperone… Then, after coming to Japan with him, I ended up reincarnated as a demon, and now I’m a teacher in the human world… Looking back, I don’t really know what I’ve done, or what I could have been. It was all such a whirlwind…”

She certainly had been through a lot. In fact, every member of the Gremory Familia had had their fair share of ups and downs.

“…I do feel guilty toward my grandmother… I think I’ve failed to live up to her expectations…,” she murmured, staring at her feet.

…So she felt like it was a personal failing, her inability to carry on the family crest?

At that moment, she looked up with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry… I’ve ended up rambling about my life story… I try not to share this sort of thing, even to people I’m close to… It’s just, with my grandmother coming to visit, I felt like I needed to talk to someone…”

“I don’t mind,” I answered. “If anything, I’m glad. I feel like I’m getting to know you better now.”

Rossweisse wasn’t the sort to talk much about herself. I knew she liked hundred-yen stores and had a weakness for alcohol, but she tended to shy away from personal matters, so today’s outing was turning out to be a valuable experience.

She blushed in embarrassment. “I don’t regret becoming a demon, you know? The benefits are decent, and the pay is good. On top of that, I have better prospects than I did in my Norse days. Everyone in the Gremory Familia is great to be around, and it’s a friendly environment… It’s true things can get wild at times, but teaching at Kuou Academy is more rewarding than I expected.”

“You’re enjoying it, then?”

“Yes. I never thought teaching could be so much fun.”

Rossweisse was highly regarded by her students. As a civics teacher, she had a knack for the content and knew how to convey the important points clearly, which showed in her classes’ test scores. More importantly, she was a beautiful foreign teacher not much older than the students themselves, so she was popular with both boys and girls. She was attentive to her students’ performance and had a tendency to offer tough feedback, but no one ever pushed back against her for it.

On top of that, she seemed to be well-liked by the other teachers, and also had a reputation for being able to get through to Azazel, uninhibited and reckless as he was.

Speaking of teaching…

“Are you going to accept Chairwoman Sona’s offer?” I asked.

Yes, Rossweisse had received an offer to teach magic at Chairwoman Sona’s new school.

“I’m still thinking about it. Of course, I wouldn’t be starting for another year or so… We’ll be visiting it soon, so I’ll take a look while considering my options.”

Well, that was sensible. It would be rude to agree now and back out later if something went wrong. It was definitely better to see and judge it for yourself before making a commitment. Apparently, Sairaorg had also asked her to teach there, which spoke to how much her skills were in demand.

“I’m not really sure what I can do yet, but I do love teaching. No, I’ve grown to love it. So I’m looking forward to helping out,” she said with a smile.

There had been a lot going on recently, but it sounded like she was trying to find her own way through life.

“I’m here whenever you need someone to talk to. Even if it’s just to vent.”

“In that case, will you come shopping with me again? Another trip to a hundred-yen store wouldn’t be too bad. And it will help with my grandmother.”

Ha-ha… Another hundred-yen store…? It was probably fine. I was hoping to see a movie or do some sightseeing, but if she was enjoying herself, that was all that mattered.

“If you ask me, you’re every bit as impressive as your grandmother,” came an unknown voice.

…!

…I glanced around and noticed someone sitting behind us. I almost jumped from my seat. I hadn’t even noticed him sneaking up on us.

Rossweisse quickly adopted a defensive stance.

I recognized him at once, the sharply dressed, silver-haired young man. After all, we had traded blows just the other day in Romania.

The man—Euclid Lucifugus—flashed us an overly familiar smile. “Greetings, Red Dragon Emperor Issei Hyoudou. And greetings to you, former Valkyrie Rossweisse.”

…What was he doing in Tokyo, in broad daylight no less?!

I couldn’t activate my Sacred Gear here, not with so many bystanders milling about. This was no place for a fight.

I kept my guard up, glaring at him.

“I’m not here for you, Issei Hyoudou,” he said with a small, sly chuckle. “I have business with this one,” he added, turning to Rossweisse. “Let me cut straight to the point.” He paused for a moment to extend his hand. “Why don’t you join us, Rossweisse?”

…!

Wh-what on earth…? He was trying to recruit her?! Here, of all places?! Why?! Why now?! So many questions swirled through my head.

Rossweisse, meanwhile, turned deathly pale.

…Was there a reason Euclid was trying to recruit her?

“Here is wisdom,” he said, closing his eyes. “Let he who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”

…666? Trihexa?

“A passage from the Book of Revelation,” Euclid said, pressing a hand up against his forehead. “As a demon, it gives me an awful headache quoting lines from the Bible.”

…He was giving me a headache. Seriously, I didn’t want to hear that from a demon!

The Book of Revelation… The one the Great Red was mentioned in? Come to think of it, Trihexa showed up in it as well.

“I understand you wrote a paper while you were a student in Asgard,” Euclid continued. “It was titled On the Beast of the Apocalypse.”

…Seriously? Rossweisse wrote something like that as a student?

…!

It suddenly clicked. Right. Matsuda and Motohama had mentioned seeing Rossweisse reading Bible-related books in the library… So this was why. All that talk about Trihexa in Romania must have jogged her memory.

“I—I had to scrap it,” she answered, her voice trembling. “I couldn’t come to a conclusion… But I submitted a different paper for assessment. How could you know about it?”

Euclid broke into a derisive grin. “We’ve been gathering every piece of intelligence there is to find on Trihexa. Even old, abandoned research papers. If it pertains to our goal, we’ll travel to the ends of the earth to retrieve it.”

Rossweisse shuddered. “My roommate was the only person I ever mentioned it to. Don’t tell me…?!”

“We delved into her memory, but we only managed to unearth a few small fragments,” Euclid said with a shrug. “Which is why we’re coming to you directly.”

Rossweisse’s eyes lit up in rage, and she lashed out with her right hand. “You attacked her? You’re despicable! The lowest of the low!”

Euclid snorted, then made a show of scanning our surroundings. There were more than a few people giving us odd looks… This was no place to get into an argument.

Reluctantly, Rossweisse lowered her hand. It was the right call. If we attacked him here, he wouldn’t hesitate to fight back—even if it meant dragging innocent people into the fray.

“I apologize for the disturbance. I’m leaving,” Euclid said, rising to his feet and bowing slightly to the onlookers. “The girl is safe,” he murmured as he strode past. “We aren’t holding her hostage, if that’s what worries you. However…” He paused to run his fingers through Rossweisse’s hair. “I want your abilities. You’re more incredible than you realize… And this silver hair of yours is to die for. Almost like…”

…

Without even realizing it, I lashed out with a punch.

Euclid, however, effortlessly avoided it.

“Good day to you both, Red Dragon Emperor, Rossweisse. We’ll meet again. Until that time, consider your response.”

With that, Euclid Lucifugus disappeared into the crowd.

…The second I got my breathing under control I pulled out my phone and dialed Rias.

After returning home with Rossweisse, we sat down to a meeting with the other members of the Occult Research Club just as dusk was settling.

“…I can’t believe he showed up in Tokyo. I was careless. I should have anticipated this.”

Rias blamed herself for the encounter with Euclid.

…The town had already been attacked once, and security was tight because it was under the joint control of the three great powers. Naturally, work was also underway to set up a security net around nearby Tokyo as Japan’s capital, mainly led by important figures in Japanese mythology.

But all the same, Euclid had just waltzed in and showed up right in front of us…!

“…These Qlippoth people aren’t like the other supernatural groups responsible for past acts of terrorism,” Irina said with a frown. “They don’t have any qualms about affecting the human world or causing collateral damage.”

She was right. Euclid’s people were different to the enemies we had faced before. Our past foes had always had clear targets—the old Demon King regime focused its attacks on the three great powers, while the hero faction only challenged supernatural beings.

Qlippoth, however, wouldn’t hesitate to turn their fangs against the human world or any other race to achieve their selfish desires.

And as a result, the vampire world had already been left devastated.

If a battle were to break to break out in Tokyo and an Evil Dragon to be summoned… It would be a colossal disaster. The casualties would be in the hundreds, if not more…

…Had Rossweisse and I let down our guard…? My head hung heavy with guilt.

“Don’t blame yourself, Issei. They’re a powerful terrorist organization, so they could show up anywhere they felt like if they really wanted to. You couldn’t have known he would try reaching out in person.”

“That’s right,” Akeno added. “He took a considerable risk appearing in Tokyo. Sneaking into a major city isn’t something they can do repeatedly. Now that the city is on heightened alert, I doubt he’ll try again without a very good reason.”

It was already high to begin with, but as Akeno said, the alert level in Tokyo had shot through the roof as a result of this incident.

Ravel glanced across at Rossweisse. “He reached out to you despite the risk… That must go to show how important your research paper must be to them, right?”

“From what he said, they must have concluded it was worth the risk,” Rias continued. “It’s time we checked in with Azazel, so let’s ask him about it. Rossweisse, if you could?”

“Of course.” She nodded.

A dark cloud had settled over her face ever since our encounter with Euclid.

A few minutes later, we received our regular call from Azazel, currently out of town. He had decided to return to the underworld to consult with his fellow Grigori researchers on Sacred Gears, the other world, and Qlippoth’s ambitions.

Once he appeared in the communication square, we filled him in on the latest events.

“…I see. So Rossweisse was his target.” His eyes narrowed in a squint as he rested a hand under his chin. “Have you heard about the prominent mages who have gone missing?”

We nodded. Rias and Gondul had both touched on that the other day.

“They all have one thing in common—they’ve all done research on Trihexa at one point or another, approaching it from innovative angles. Apparently, some of the people coming to the upcoming mages’ conference have also engaged in similar research.”

…

…I was at a loss for words… So they were connected. Euclid was trying to recruit Rossweisse for her knowledge of the Beast of the Apocalypse. And the missing mages had all been conducting research of their own on it…

“So you’re saying they’re snatching up everyone who might have information about Trihexa?” Rias asked.

Azazel nodded. “If you know enough about the Book of Revelation and the Biblical God, you can figure out some of the sealing techniques he might have used on Trihexa. We’ve estimated there are twenty-three powerful seals, which they’re no doubt having a tough time breaking through. Based on that, we’ve been trying to work out how much time we have left before they revive it. Not that we’re going to let them, but we need to plan with the worst-case scenario in mind.”

…There was no telling what would happen to the world if Trihexa was revived and started fighting the Great Red…

We must have been wearing our anxiety plain to see, as Azazel broke out into a chuckle. “It’s too early to start worrying, kids. I’m setting up an insurance policy for you. We’ll need to work out the nitty-gritty, but we can discuss that later.”

Did he have some kind of plan? Knowing him, any insurance policy would be far from orthodox.

“Well, I can’t really say I trust our conclusions. Who knows how much information Qlippoth will be able to extract from the kidnapped mages, or how much it will help unravel the sealing techniques…?”

What was going to happen to the missing mages? Knowing Euclid’s kind, I doubted it would be anything good.

“One quick question,” Azazel said, addressing Rossweisse. “How did you interpret the number 666?”

“…I was looking into an alternative theory—616,” she answered in a heavy voice. “I used the number to piece together various formulas and compare the results to related texts and historical events.”

“…I see… I knew it.”

It sounded like Azazel had anticipated at least some of that.

…What the heck was 616? I thought the number of the beast was 666?

As if sensing my confusion, Azazel launched into an explanation. “While plenty of Apocalypse researchers have zeroed in on the number 666, some mages have been exploring a different theory—616. It turns out all the missing mages were also exploring that angle.”

An alternative theory?! Was that really a thing…? And Rossweisse was someone who had delved into it?

Azazel rubbed his chin with one hand. “Most researchers don’t consider 616 to be the original interpretation. Even we in the Grigori belonged to that camp… But given Qlippoth’s actions, maybe the Biblical God did seal Trihexa with the number 616…,” he mumbled, sounding less like he was addressing us and more like he was wondering out loud.

Only then realizing he had spoken aloud, he cleared his throat and glanced back to Rossweisse. “All right. For now, we need you to rewrite your student paper as best you can remember it and send it over to us. We’ll see how much it relates to Trihexa.”

“…I transcribed this much a short time ago,” she said, opening a small magic square and pulling out a stack of report papers covered in magical symbols and spells.

Moments later, the report appeared in front of Azazel in the communication square. A successful transfer!

“You’re something else, huh?” he murmured. “I had no idea you were researching the same topic as your grandma. I guess blood really is thicker than water.”

…

Only then did I realize why Rossweisse had looked so conflicted earlier.

The common thread among the mages being targeted by Qlippoth was their interest in Trihexa, and the same went for the mages’ conference in the underworld… That could only mean her grandmother was researching the same topic.

“…”

Rossweisse said nothing more that night, her troubled frown all but etched into her face.

Surprisingly, the Sitri Familia’s long-cherished dream—their Rating Game school that anyone in the underworld could attend—was located in the Agares territory.

As might have been expected, the original plan had been to build it in the Sitri territory. Politics, however, ended up complicating the situation.

Apparently, the fact that Sona Sitri was building a new school led to speculation that her sister, Serafall Leviathan, was involved in some way.

Naturally, Leviathan was all for the school’s construction. However, that stirred up discontent among aristocratic politicians belonging to old bloodlines. As far as they were concerned, a Rating Game school anyone could attend regardless of class or background was far from a thrilling idea. Dissent and opposition began to pile in, and Leviathan realized if she dug in her heels, critics would start labeling it her own political agenda.

That was also why Rias couldn’t step in and lend a hand. If it looked like the House of Gremory—in other words, Sirzechs Lucifer’s family—was involved, it risked causing a factional war among the Four Great Demon Kings.

In the end, Rias was only able to offer discreet assistance…

For a time, Chairwoman Sona had seriously considered abandoning her dream. It would be a mistake, she insisted, for the heir to the House of Sitri to interfere in her sister’s politics.

Fortunately, a savior revealed himself.

“In that case, why not build it on my territory? We can take it slow and keep an eye on the political situation as you go.”

This suggestion had come from the current head of the House of Agares—a perfect middle manager. Archduke Agares had the trust of politicians affiliated with each Demon King, and so after winning the support of the Bael family as well, the plans for the first school were finally set in motion.

Now, we members of the Occult Research Club (the Gremory Familia along with Irina and Ravel) had made the jump down to the underworld to help out over the weekend. After a few more jumps from the Gremory castle, we set foot in the Agares territory. We had a tight schedule.

The school was built in a town just a stone’s throw away from the floating Agares city where our Familia had faced off against Sairaorg’s.

Auros—that was the town’s name. It was said to be one of the Agares territory’s standout settlements, an exemplar of the underworld’s agricultural industry.

The population itself wasn’t large, and most of its residents made their living through farming. Being as close as it was to the floating city of Agreas, a Holy Ground for Rating Games, it wouldn’t have been surprising if it had developed into a tourist stopover—but unfortunately, most sightseeing spots were on the other side of city. That being said, Agreas itself had so much to offer that few tourists left the city at all.

As a result, Auros was a peaceful, quiet town despite the proximity to its famous neighbor.

We made the jump to the top floor of a watchtower in the center of the town. From the window, we could take in the vast landscape outside and the floating city of Agreas in the distance. The town was filled with fields for growing crops, along with a great many windmills. It wasn’t flashy, but it had a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

It certainly looked like a nice place to build a school.

A town official was waiting for us at the watchtower when we arrived. He showed us to the ground below, when—

“Hey, Hyoudou!” Saji called out.

With Rias, the heir to the House of Gremory, paying a visit, one might have expected the town’s mayor to come out to greet her. It turned out that he, however, was off at the mage gathering and would be unable to make it. Moreover, we weren’t here on official business, so she had informed the town’s authorities ahead of time that there was no need for a grand welcome.

The official who met us at the watchtower passed the baton to Saji—and with that, we set off through the town.

It truly was a peaceful settlement, its fields, windmills, and European-style stone houses free of the hustle and bustle of urban areas.

“Nice place, don’t you think?” Saji asked. “A rural underworld town, but not an obscure one! They apparently hold all sorts of symposiums and presentations here, like the mage gathering this weekend. The story is the first mayor loved holding academia-related events, so they’ve become one of the town’s hidden gems. Plus, you can get great views of the Rating Game stage at Agreas from here, too. It’s the perfect location!”

The bounce to Saji’s voice spoke to just how much he liked it. And it was a nice place—peaceful, free from conflict.

“I’d love to try working at a farm like that one day,” Asia said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the nearest farmstead.

Living in the countryside was one of her most cherished dreams. Heck, I was beginning to dream about living in a place like this one day, tinkering in the fields alongside her.

“I’d like to get into farming with you, Asia,” Xenovia added. “Demons live long lives. It would be nice to forget about swordsmanship for a while and focus on something else. Besides, Issei will probably want to live here with you, so I might as well tag along.”

So it was being taken as a given that I would stay with Asia?! Well, I did want to live in the countryside with her!

“I wonder if I should give it a shot, too?” Irina wondered, staring up into the sky. “But life in the underworld sounds difficult for an angel, so maybe I should just help out with Issei and Asia while on business trips?”

Our Church Trio, it seemed, was completely taken by this idea.

Rias and Akeno let out soft chuckles.

“It’s a little early to be thinking about retirement, don’t you think?”

Exactly. There was no point making plans that far into the future. No doubt we were all just captivated by the idyllic countryside.

After ten or so minutes of us chatting while Saji led the way, we finally arrived at a newly constructed building at the southern edge of town.

The architecture took us all back—it looked just like Kuou Academy!

It was a little smaller than our own school, but the layout was identical, and it also had what looked like a gymnasium and sports field in the exact same places.

The nameplate on the school gate read Auros Academy in demon script. So they used the town’s name for the school? Then again, it was a safe choice. If they called it Sitri or Bael, it would no doubt stir up trouble with other political forces.

We passed through the gate and made our way to the main building.

Children were running around the playground and playing games using their demon powers. On closer inspection, I could spot the Sitri and Bael Familias among the crowd. The children must have been here for the open house trial classes.

Chairwoman Sona greeted us as we stepped into the building.

“I’ve brought the Occult Research Club, Chairwoman!” Saji said.

“Good work. You can go back to your duties now.”

“Catch you later.” He waved to us before disappearing at a quick trot.

We took a look around the building. It smelled new, proof that it was freshly built. That being said, a lot of the features around the entrance and the interior echoed what we were used to at Kuou Academy, so it wasn’t completely familiar.

“Congratulations again, Sona,” Rias said, extending her hand with a smile.

“Thank you, Rias,” the chairwoman said, accepting the handshake. “We’re still in the early stages, and we won’t be officially opening for some time yet, but we’ve got enough in place to run a few trials.” She gestured farther down the corridor with an upturned hand. “Let me show you around.”

We let her lead the way, passing groups of parents with kids in tow. We spotted several members of the Bael Familia teaching in the classrooms. The children were focusing intently on what the teachers had to say while their parents watched on seriously from the back of each room. Most of the trial classes were conducted by members of the Bael Familia or visiting guest lecturers, with the Sitri Familia providing logistical support. It made sense in a way—they were still students themselves, so they could hardly take the lead. Plus, the volunteer staff the chairwoman had recruited were busy all across the campus, too.

Most of the children looked to be around ten years old, about elementary school age in the human world. There were a few teenagers, but it was the younger cohort that stood out the most.

“How many people have come?” Rias asked.

“News about the trial classes spread through word of mouth, so we ended up with more visitors than we expected. I would say there are around a hundred and fifty children here today alone. If you count the parents as well, there must be more than four hundred people on campus.”

Whoa! That was a huge turnout! More than a hundred kids? And this wasn’t even an official enrollment drive… There weren’t a lot of demon children in the underworld, so that number was seriously impressive. The number of kids who wanted to go to school but couldn’t must have been much higher than I thought… I felt like I was seeing a part of the underworld that wasn’t usually brought out into the open.

Every now and then, a parent would startle when they recognized me and Rias, what with us being the Breast Dragon and Switch Princess, but all we did was give them a friendly wave. If this turned into a handshake event or autograph session, no one would be able to enjoy the school tour. Nonetheless, it was precisely our celebrity status we hoped to draw on today—in other words, the help we were giving was in the form of a surprise visit from the famous Gremory Familia. Of course, Chairwoman Sona was delighted to have us, and Rias saw it as a golden opportunity to help a close friend.

As we crossed the walkway and entered the gymnasium, we were greeted by a flood of lively voices.

“Listen up! When you throw a punch, you need to drop your hips and launch it from your whole body!”

“Yes!”

Sairaorg was busy teaching a group of kids the basics of martial arts!

The children were clumsy in their attempts to follow suit, but they certainly looked to be enjoying themselves trying to keep up with their instructor.

“““Hah! Hah! Hah!”””

Sairaorg, noticing us, relaxed his stance and flashed us a cheerful grin. “Ah, Rias! And the rest of you!” He turned to address the children. “Look, it’s the Breast Dragon!”

No sooner did he say that than the kids all spun toward us.

“Wow! It’s the Breast Dragon!”

“And the Switch Princess!”

“Ah! And Darkness Knight, Fang! Are they gonna fight?!”

They scurried to gather around us—and just like that, this training workshop turned into a Breast Dragon event!

“Breast Dragon! Hit the switch! Hit the switch!”

“Transform!”

The children were buzzing with excitement. “No pushing! It isn’t your turn!” Chairwoman Sona called out trying to calm them down—but once they were fired up, there was no stopping them…

“Leave this to me!”

It was Ravel, my talented manager, who came to the rescue! She would bring the situation under control in no time! Or so I thought, when—

“Line up here for handshakes and autographs! Get the chairs and tables ready! Everyone will need to take turns! The Breast Dragon isn’t going anywhere! Rias—can you set up a line for the Switch Princess, too? All right, Issei, Rias, here are your autograph pens!”

Ravel lined up the kids, started dishing out instructions, and then pulled a pair of signing pens from her pocket!

Yes, just like that, my decisive manager transformed the gymnasium into an event venue…

After wrapping up our impromptu Breast Dragon event, I retreated to a quiet corner of the courtyard to take a breather… In the end, I was forced to enter my Balance Breaker state and put on a little show. Kiba agreed to be my partner, so it turned out pretty well for an unplanned show. It was all part of the job, so I couldn’t complain. The children were happy, so in the end, it was all good.

From where I was sitting, I could see most of the school areas. The kids were still absorbed in their example lessons, enthusiastically following the teachers’ instructions.

From what I could see, some of the classes were focused on the use of demonic energy and magic. Watching the children with undeveloped powers trying to develop their abilities reminded me of how Asia and I were when we just started out as demons.

While I was taking a break, the others had split up to help with the various classes—just as I would once I was properly rested.

“Issei Hyoudou,” sounded a voice—Sairaorg.

I looked up to see him approaching, a towel draped around his neck. Chairwoman Sona and Vice-Chairwoman Shinra were with him. Were the three of them out for a stroll? In any event, they stopped next to me.

“Thank you for earlier, Issei,” the chairwoman said, looking over the grounds. “What do you think about our school?”

“It’s great. The kids are full of energy, and the location is so peaceful and tranquil. It’s perfect.”

The children really were serious about learning. They broke out into laughter every now and then, but what stood out to me most of all was how intently they were following their instructors’ words.

“…Besides the children who want to take Rating Game classes, there are also those who were turned away from other educational institutions,” the vice-chairwoman said. “They’ve been denied a future until now… Some were dismissed from their previous schools because of their weak powers, and others were never able to enroll in the first place because of their family’s low social status.”

…It sounded like the children all came from complicated backgrounds. They must have seen this school as a lifeline.

For the aristocratic demons who reigned over the underworld, the idea of elevating what they considered low-class and talentless demons was unthinkable.

If given the proper education and support, some of these children might grow to equal, or even surpass, high-class demons. If that happened, demon society’s turn toward a meritocracy could mean they would threaten the nobility’s standing.

Ultimately, that was what lay behind the strong opposition to the chairwoman’s new school.

“…Japan is a good country,” she murmured softly. “Everyone has the right to an education. Your homeland, Issei, Tsubaki, is much more enlightened than the underworld.”

…Maybe she was right. I had never been in a situation where I wanted to go to school but couldn’t. School was always there, and there were always people around to teach me. It was simply a matter of course.

But these children had lived their lives without something I had always taken for granted.

“The significance of this school is immense,” Sairaorg said, taking in the facilities. “I hope it has an effect on other territories as well… No. We have to make sure it does.”

His eyes, along with the chairwoman’s, burned with intensity. They were serious about wanting to expand and build more schools—and both, I sensed, were the kind to follow through when they set their minds on something. They would keep on pushing to reach their goal, one step at a time.

All of a sudden, Sairaorg clenched his fists and broke into a grin. “I’m teaching martial arts,” he said.

The sight of him in the gymnasium earlier flashed in my mind.

“If you lack talent, you just have to make up for it elsewhere. It could be wisdom. It could be strength… For me, it’s brawn. Right now, I’m teaching the kids how to look after their bodies. This is my first time pretending to be a teacher, so I’m really just winging it after reading a few books,” he said with a genuine smile. It was clear that teaching martial arts brought him boundless joy. “They’re giving it their all, every single kid. They throw their punches for real.”

“Yeah. I felt that while watching,” I answered.

Sairaorg stared down at his fists. “These big, rough, misshapen fists have just been tools for throwing punches, all so I could get where I am… Teaching those kids, I finally understood something… Maybe I was born to do this. I came into this world without my family’s powers of destruction. This might sound a bit dramatic, but I was really happy to find something of value in these hands.”

…Sairaorg’s life was so spectacular that words failed to fully capture it. He was smiling, though, so he must have found the experience rewarding.

Chairwoman Sona looked over the school with pride. “Let’s do our best. We’ve barely even started yet. From here out, out task is to break through the barriers standing in our way.”

She was speaking almost like Rias… It just went to show how passionate she was about founding this school.

“We’re going to give it our all, too!” I declared, rising to my feet.

Today, we were all in!

A moment later, an eerie scream pierced the air. We spun around, sighting a group of children—even those who should have been in class—gathering a short distance away.

Had something happened? I shot the chairwoman a puzzled glance, but she, the vice-chairwoman, and Sairaorg all seemed to know what was going on, as they exchanged nods.

“Ah. He must have arrived.”

The chairwoman and Sairaorg headed over, while I decided to tag along to see what had caught the children’s attention.

In the center of a group was a man with a neat face, and gray-colored hair and eyes. I recognized him at once—or rather, his image was burned into the inside of my eyelids.

He was one of my goals.

Noticing us, he raised a hand in greeting. “Hey. I came to check out the school.”

This man with his refreshing smile was none other than Diehauser Belial—better known as Emperor Belial—the current champion of the Rating Game!

Seriously?! The reigning champion was here?! I sure hadn’t been expecting this! Even I was getting all hyped up! I wanted his autograph!

Sairaorg and the chairwoman took turns shaking his hand.

“Thank you so much for coming, Diehauser,” Sairaorg said.

The champion looked over the school buildings. “Looks like a nice place. You’re going to get lots of good students coming here.”

“Emperor! Emperor!” the children screamed in excitement.

Naturally! This was a school full of kids who wanted to learn about the Rating Game, so of course they would get carried away having the reigning champion show up!

“…It’s great to have the champion himself come to visit,” I murmured under my breath.

Vice-Chairwoman Shinra, overhearing, turned to me. “Actually, Diehauser Belial is taking part in a film shoot tomorrow in Agreas. He was already in the area.”

Whoa, a movie?! Being the emperor of the Rating Game must come with lots of perks. I mean, getting a role in a film? That was serious star power!

Would I get opportunities like that if I won the crown? Hold on, hadn’t I already featured in a movie? Not as the main character, mind you… A leading role would be nice.

The champion looked us straight in the eyes. “I’ll support you as much as I can. It’s great to see new Rating Game players stepping up.”

Emperor Belial even shook hands with me and Vice-Chairwoman Shinra! He seemed like such a nice guy! People really learn how to shine when they rise to the top!

Yes, this surprise visit from the Rating Game champion gave me the push I needed to help with the mock classes.

As it happened, mine was an outdoor class…

“Er, I’ll demonstrate with my Pawn ability.”

After I transformed, I started showcasing my Pawn ability to the children, mixing in a few promotions along the way.

First I became a Knight, darting around quickly, then a fire-breathing Bishop, and at last, a Rook capable of smashing gigantic boulders into fine gravel.

The children couldn’t have been more excited, applauding and even cheering at times.

“Thank you, Breast Dragon,” the instructor said, after I wrapped up my demonstration. “As you can see, the traits of a Pawn piece can be influenced by Promotions, and so…”

The instructor resumed their lecture, while I deactivated my transformation, waved goodbye to the children, and prepared to leave.

Well, that was another support job finished. Honestly, all I was doing was giving demonstrations as requested by the various instructors. My role was to move from room to room and activate my Balance Breaker. Apparently, incorporating characters like me into the lessons made it easier for the children to learn—and they did seem to be intently following the explanations.

Now that was out of the way, my next task was… Just as I was looking over my schedule, a figure came into view.

“Got it, everyone? Some humans and half-humans have these special abilities, different to full-blooded demons. We call them called Sacred Gears.”

“Understood!”

Saji was teaching a group of students at the edge of the grounds while conjuring up a mass of black snakes around his right arm using his own Sacred Gear.

After his demonstration, the instructor (the swordsman Liban Crocell of the Bael Familia) began his lecture. So Saji was also here to showcase his Sacred Gear?

Saji, having finished, raised a hand in a wave and came running over.

“Good job,” I called out.

“You too,” he laughed.

Chatting, we set off for the main school building together.

“…Hey, Hyoudou?” Saji murmured as he proudly took in the building.

“Hmm?”

He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “You know, the kids call me Mr. Saji… They’re always smiling when they say it, too… And I’m still just starting out…,” he said, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Saji’s dream was to become a teacher at the chairwoman’s Rating Game school. He didn’t have a teaching license yet, but he couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about getting one someday.

Assisting with the trial lessons had helped him to reaffirm his dreams. His eyes were brimming with determination.

“Working with all these kids, I’ve come to realize something,” he continued. “I’m definitely going to make it as a teacher. I’ve got to get promoted to a mid-level demon first, but I’ll do it, no matter how many years it takes. I’ll make it happen.”

“Yeah. I believe in you,” I answered truthfully, prompting him to scratch shyly at his cheek.

A moment later, a chorus of cheerful voices rang in my ears. I glanced over to see a group of children gathered around our Church Trio.

“Bring out the golden dragon! Bring out the golden dragon!” the children shouted.

“Yes, all right,” Asia said, before casting the summoning spell.

A golden aura appeared around us—and a moment later, a massive dragon with shimmering golden scales materialized. The children erupted with excitement.

“Fafnir,” Asia said. “Would you mind playing with the children?”

“All right. But I’m low on PP,” that big-mouthed pervert answered.

…That good-for-nothing dragon had recently set up some kind of energy metric he called PP—Panties Points. It relied on panties energy he took from Asia, and when it ran low, he lost all strength. It was plain ridiculous!

Asia was taken aback by Fafnir’s complaint.

“Y-your PP…?”

Blushing, she fished around in her bag. Oh no! I felt so sorry for her, being forced into this humiliating situation, and in public, no less! I ran over—but before I could stop her, she pulled out a pair of panties and handed them to the dragon.

She was doing this for the children. Such dedication!

Fafnir took the panties—and stuffed them into his mouth.

That was enough to leave the kids bursting out in laughter.

“Whoa! He’s awesome! He’s eating the panties!”

“A-ha-ha! Mighty panties! Yum!”

Eeehhh?! Asia looked like she was about to faint! Xenovia and Irina had to reach out to catch her!

“…Ugh. I’ve been feeling terribly tired lately,” she murmured, her voice so distant it might be carried off by the wind.

“Asia!” Xenovia shouted. “You’re doing great! Don’t worry about a thing!”

“Th-that’s right!” Irina added. “This is a great way for the children to get hands-on experience with panties-loving dragons!”

The kids seemed to be having a lot of fun riding on Fafnir’s back. Indeed, the dragon might have been the perfect play buddy for them, if not for his weird quirks… Those eccentricities meant he caused Asia nothing but worry…

“…Vritra often tells me Fafnir has changed,” Saji mumbled.

…Yeah, Ddraig had said something similar, too.

W-well, Xenovia and Irina would probably be able to look after Asia, so Saji and I headed into the school building. One of the classrooms, we noticed, was so packed that children were spilling out into the hallway. Even the parents were standing about trying to look in.

“Ah, that’s the magic class,” Saji muttered. “It’s one of the most popular subjects, right up there with the Rating Game ones. We got so many applicants wanting to sit in on the trial classes we had to increase the number of sessions and instructors. The beginner’s subject in particular has been a huge hit.”

A magic class, huh? Curious, I peeked inside.

“Ms. Rossweisse!”

“Show us more, Ms. Rossweisse!”

The children were all but swarming around her.

“Fire! A flame! It was small, but I cast a flame!”

It looked like the children were learning simple spells, and some had successfully managed to cast them.

All at once, a thought flashed through my mind—something Sairaorg had said in front of Rossweisse right after we formed Team DxD.

“I know you’re Rias’s Rook, Rossweisse, but I’d like you to think about working at the school we’re setting up in the underworld.”

Yes, he had come out with an invitation. Chairwoman Sona had already asked her before that, but it turned out Sairaorg was courting her, too.

“You don’t need to respond right away. But we could really use your help down the line.”

“…Teaching magic to demons?” she had asked.

“It probably sounds strange, huh?” Sairaorg had continued. “Magic originally comes from demons, so why would demons want to learn it? But not all demons are good at wielding demonic energy. There are people like me who can’t use it at all. I want to teach them the basics of magic. They might not be able to use demon powers, but maybe they can learn magic. And even if they can’t master it, knowledge itself can be a powerful weapon. If you want to wait a few years before making up your mind, that’s okay. But would you consider taking up a teaching role?”

Rossweisse couldn’t give an immediate answer.

“You don’t have to answer right away. I’d appreciate it if you could think it over.”

That was the last Sairaorg said about it.

She might not have committed herself, but Rossweisse didn’t turn him down either. Fortunately, neither Sairaorg nor Chairwoman Sona needed an urgent response, so Rossweisse would probably have a few years to think about it while working at Kuou Academy.

Behind a group of excited children stood a boy off to one side, desperately holding out his hands in intense concentration. He was trying to cast a magic spell…but nothing was happening. In fact, I recognized him—he was the kid who broke down in tears at one of my Breast Dragon events in the underworld because he couldn’t get into the venue. Right, his name…was Lirenkus. Wow, so he wanted to put down his name for this school? From the looks of it, he was struggling to conjure up any magic. If this kept up, he might break down in tears all over again.

“What a coincidence.”

I glanced over my shoulder—and spotted the silver-haired Gondul! She was standing right behind me, sneaking up without so much as making a sound. It was just like Rossweisse’s grandmother to pull off a move like that.

Rossweisse, perhaps sensing her grandmother’s presence, glanced over at us—and let out a surprised shout. “G-Granny…? Ahem. Grandmother. You were here?”

Gondul strode into the classroom. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m here as a special guest lecturer. This is a nice change of pace before tomorrow’s meeting.”

Ah, right. The mages’ conference was tomorrow, and she was delivering a lecture here beforehand.

Without warning, a small fairylike creature with a green aura appeared in the classroom, fluttering its wings and zipping around the children before landing on a corner of the teacher’s desk.

Meanwhile, Gondul appeared at the podium, reaching out to gently pat the small fairy. Just like that, she had caught everyone’s attention. Then, with a warm smile, she began to speak. “The origins of magic—where did magic come from? Does anyone know?”

One child’s hand shot up into the air. “I heard it was fortunetellers and witchcraft!”

Gondul nodded, flashing the child a warm smile. “That’s right. Magic was born from fortune-telling and charms—from people who wanted to know more about the world, who wanted to shift events a certain way, or to perform a miracle for someone… It was created because people wanted a way to help others.”

Gondul’s delivery was so affable that everyone—children and adults alike—were completely absorbed in it.

“There is certainly a hierarchy in modern magic, with some forms being more potent than others. But I want you to remember one thing first and foremost—whatever type of magic you use, it will always have a use for you, as it will for someone else. There is no such thing in this world as pointless magic.”

That cheerful, loving smile was something I never would have imagined seeing coming from the stern Gondul.

…So there was no such thing as pointless magic? That was a nice thought.

I glanced over at Rossweisse—who looked to be wearing a faint smile… How had she taken Gondul’s remarks? I wanted to ask, but her grandmother resumed her lecture.

“Let’s finish on this note for today. How many of you would like to befriend a fairy?”

“Me! Me! Me!”

The children raised their hands into the air all at once. I almost did so, too, but Saji gave me a light tap on the shoulder.

“I’d like to stay, too, Hyoudou, but there’s somewhere we’ve got to go.”

Ah, right. I totally forgot.

As much as I wanted to hear the rest of Gondul’s lecture, we still had work to do. And so, reluctantly, Saji and I headed off to the next classroom.

Late that night…

After finishing up for the day, it was time for dinner with the Gremory and Sitri Familias and the various instructors, followed by a short break and some free time to ourselves. Then, once we confirmed our schedule for tomorrow, it was bath time.

We were all staying in a building on the school grounds, set aside as a future dormitory. It was well-equipped, and even had a large communal bath.

“Ah. That was a long day…,” I murmured, sinking to my neck in the men’s bath.

We had spent a full day helping out with the various classes, requiring repeated transformation on my part, solving problems, and moving from place to place. It was surprisingly exhausting, in a different way than combat. I would need time to recharge my Balance Breaker.

According to our schedule, tomorrow would be just as hectic. Nonetheless, seeing those kids so engaged with their classes made me feel like I should go all out as well. I was in a privileged environment.

I was beyond fortunate to have been saved by Rias, the kindhearted heir to the House of Gremory, after meeting my end as a human being. We had been through a lot as a Familia, and I had come a hair’s breadth away from dying more times than I cared to count, but I was blessed with the way our master cared for us. And it wasn’t just her. I had also brushed shoulders with all sorts of noble bloodlines—and that was where the real discrepancy in demon society lay.

There were a great many demons who wished to participate in the Rating Game but who couldn’t. You needed your own set of Evil Pieces to take part, so essentially, only high-class demons—those descended from the original Seventy-Two Pillars or otherwise promoted—were allowed to do so.

This school was designed to help as many people as possible find a path into that world. The main way it did so was by introducing students to high-class demons as potential Familia members. It was true that some noble demons couldn’t stand the rise of their low-class counterparts, but there was also a considerable number of upper-class folks looking for quality recruits. As a matter of fact, the school already had the backing of several trustworthy high-class demons who shared that view (and some had even agreed to help cover travel and accommodation expenses for the students). Demons really did come in all shapes and sizes.

That was why this school mattered. It created demand. Reincarnated demons who worked their way up to high-class level didn’t tend to care how one developed their strength. Both Chairwoman Sona and Sairaorg were convinced there was potential for students to develop their talents and enter the competitive world.

Of course, the school wasn’t just for training Rating Game players—it also served to nurture individuals who could contribute to the underworld in other ways. It would be wonderful if its students could go on to pursue careers in the professions and industries they cared about.

A school for chasing dreams…

…I was glad to help out in any small way I could.

At that moment, I heard the sound of the bathhouse door opening.

Was that Kiba? Or Gaspy? Or maybe Saji or Rugal?

I glanced over my shoulder, when—

“…Is that you, Issei?”

Rossweisse?!

Wh-wh-what was she doing in the men’s bath?! The girls’ bathroom was in the girls’ dorm! Why would she come all the way down here…?!

Startled, I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering! She had a slim figure, but there was no mistaking the curves hidden under her clothes, or her generous bosom! And her legs? Not too skinny at all! Perfectly shaped!

Rias’s proportions were a work of art, but Rossweisse’s were no less mesmerizing! Then again, being a former demigod Valkyrie, it was no surprise she had such a divine figure!

I wanted to get down onto my knees and pray… But I couldn’t! I hurried to look away.

“Th-this is the men’s bath!” I stammered. “Isn’t the girls’ one in the other dorm?”

“Y-yes… But I was told the hot water was out and I should use this one instead… I thought no one was using it, though…”

The hot water was out in the girls’ bathroom?! So she had decided to drop by here, thinking it wasn’t being used?

No, no, no! I was in here! There must have been a breakdown in communication somewhere!

I thought she would leave after seeing me—but then I heard her start running a shower! Sneaking a glance, I saw her washing herself! Was it really okay for her to be doing that with me in here?!

“…I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll take a quick wash. Please don’t stare too closely.” She blushed in the shower.

I thought she would leave after quickly washing her body—but then came the sound of her stepping into the bath!

Naturally, I snuck another peek of her in the water!

“B-baths in the underworld aren’t so bad, are they?” she asked.

“E-er… No, they’re not,” I answered in a shaky voice. “Your magic class was a hit, huh?”

“Y-yes. We were short-staffed, so I didn’t have time to take a break.”

“B-but the kids looked like they were having a good time, right?”

“…There was one who couldn’t manifest even the most elementary magic. I wish I could have helped him more…”

She must have meant Lirenkus… Well, magic and demonic powers might look similar, but they were activated in very different ways. I had heard it could be extremely difficult for some people to get the hang of. I wasn’t very good at it myself.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence stretched out between us!

…I hadn’t expected to find myself bathing alone with Rossweisse. Now that I was, I felt so nervous I couldn’t think of anything to say next!

It wouldn’t do to remain quiet, so I figured this might be a good chance to ask something that had been weighing on my mind.

“Can I ask you something? Why were you researching Trihexa?”

Rossweisse lowered her gaze. “You probably already know this, but Trihexa is only found in legends. No one has ever actually discovered it. However, the Great Red is also mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and he exists. I was curious, so I decided to dig deeper into the stories, but it was an impossible task. Not even the gods from the different mythologies could pinpoint its location, so what made me think I could? But I wanted to know what the number meant, at least, so I started looking into the combinations 666 and 616 and any texts that mentioned them.”

Just like Rossweisse said, every faction was of the opinion that Trihexa might well be real, but no one had any clue what it actually was.

She let out a soft chuckle. “I never reached a conclusion… But maybe the answer Euclid’s people want was hidden in one of the spell calculations I failed to solve after all.”

A while back, I decided to ask Ophis about Trihexa. After all, the mythical beast was tied to the Great Red in the Book of Revelation, and Ophis’s mission was to seek out the Great Red.

The Dragon God, however, shook her head. “I don’t know much about Trihexa. I’ve never met it.”

…Right. If Ophis knew how to defeat the Great Red or where to find Trihexa, the old Demon King or the hero faction would have already used that information for their own gain.

“Hey, Issei?” Rossweisse whispered. “If it looks like they’re going to use me or what I know…can you kill me first?”

—!

…What a request… It filled me with grief, not to mention anger.

“…What are you talking about?” I blurted, storming toward her.

“…I would rather die than be used, than to hurt my friends or the wider world. I couldn’t stand to be responsible if people died…”

Her face was full of sorrow, but her eyes shone with determination—so strongly they left me heartbroken. I could never forgive Qlippoth.

“…Don’t you dare say that,” I told her, looking her straight in the eyes. “Don’t talk about choosing death like it’s nothing! There’s no need for you to die, Rossweisse!”

“But if I’m captured by Euclid Lucifugus, he’ll take the information from me.”

An image of that silver-haired jerk scooping her up with one hand flashed through my mind—prompting me to bite down hard on my back teeth and take Rossweisse’s hands in my own.

“I won’t let him have you… I won’t let him take you. If he shows his face again, I’ll make him regret it.”

“…”

Noticing her blushing in surprise, I quickly let go!

Wh-what was I doing?! I was stark naked, and I had practically just come out with a confession of love! I mean, that was totally a confession! Whoa, whoa, whoa! This was so embarrassing!

Rossweisse’s expression softened slightly. “Thank you, Issei. It’s just—”

Before she could finish speaking, the bathroom door swung open once more.

“Bath time, bath time!”

“Hey, the guys’ bathroom doesn’t look so bad after all!”

“Is anyone in here?”

“…If Issei is lurking around here and he gives you a dirty look, I’ll punch him in the face and wash his back. Don’t worry.”

“I—I want to wash his back!”

It was the Church Trio, along with Koneko and Ravel!

All at once, their gazes landed on me and Rossweisse—the two of us huddled together in the bath.

They stared back wide-eyed, then puffed their cheeks in indignation and charged toward us!

“““““Don’t forget about us!”””””

Just like that, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Koneko, and Ravel leaped into the bathtub! Come on, you five, keep it down in here!

My first day helping out at the school was super hectic—even in the bath!

Life.3

The Target of Malice

Our second day at Auros Academy soon rolled around.

I spent the night in a room at the boys’ dormitory set aside exclusively for me. The dorm wasn’t finished yet, and the room was equipped only with a bunk bed, but it was more than enough for me to catch some shut-eye.

Staying in the boys’ dormitory were us male members of the Occult Research Club and the student council along with several male staff. There were fewer guys than girls, and it was two to a room. We decided partners by drawing lots, which resulted in Kiba and Gaspy sharing a room, and the same for Saji and Rugal. In other words, that left me with a room to myself. I was pleased by the outcome, but with only a bed, there wasn’t much I could do with the extra space.

So there I was, sleeping in my room—when I woke up in the morning feeling a strong weight on either side of me.

Opening my eyes—I found Ravel on my right, and Asia on my left! Two blond beauties sprawled on either side of me! H-how had we all managed to fit in this narrow bunk bed?! And did something happen in the middle of the night?! I hadn’t noticed them slip into the bed at all!

“…Zzz…”

Ravel was still sound asleep, using my arm as a pillow…

…Her chest and thighs felt so soft around my right arm! And her legs were wrapped around my body! What a sensation! To top it all off, she was wearing nothing but a shirt—an old one of mine that didn’t fit me anymore!

“Issei? Do you have any old shirts that you’ve grown out of?” she had asked a while back.

“Sure,” I responded, when—

“Could I have one, if you don’t mind?” she asked.

I gave her one, as requested…and now I found she was using it as a nightgown!

…Under the shirt…just panties?! It felt like a pair of wonderfully round objects were about to spill from the chest area…

Asia, in contrast, was wearing the sensual nightgown Rias had given her recently! She really looked up to Rias and Akeno, and was taking notes on trying to emulate them in her own life. Elegance was certainly a good trait to foster. It was great when a woman amped up her looks and makeup skills!

But the one she was wearing now… It was definitely an erotic negligee! And it worked! Sexy Asia was now a thing!

“…Are you crying, Issei?” Ravel asked, rubbing her sleep-filled eyes. The shirt was straining at the seams, her breasts on the verge of popping out!

“M-morning, Ravel. I’m surprised to see you here,” I said, my eyes wandering to her chest.

She leaned back languidly. “I spotted Xenovia and Irina whispering with Asia last night, so I followed them. They were trying to sneak into the boys’ dormitory. I realized they were probably trying to attack you in your sleep.”

Xenovia and Irina? So they were going after me in my sleep now…? W-well, I wouldn’t mind experiencing that at least once. But it never ended well for me when those two came charging in! There were too forceful! Yet at the same time, part of me wanted to get caught up in another erotic situation!

But that didn’t answer my question. Why was Ravel sleeping in my bed?

Reading my confusion, she playfully stuck out her tongue. “I challenged Xenovia and Irina to rock-paper-scissors, with the winner getting to sleep with Issei… I won, best out of three.”

Ah. That explained it.

“What about Asia?” I asked, glancing across at her, still sound asleep.

“Asia was part of the competition as well. She tied with me, so she’s here, too.”

So they both won. Well, I was happy to have someone at either side!

At that moment, Ravel’s expression turned apologetic. “Are we bothering you…? I’m sorry… I want to hang out with you sometimes… I am your manager…”

Wh-whoa! She was so cute! I didn’t know managers were supposed to follow you to bed, but no complaints here!

“Thanks, Manager,” I said, patting her on the head.

“No, thank you!” she exclaimed.

Ah, her cheerful energy was getting me fired up as well.

“…Zzz… No, those panties are for Issei… You can’t eat them…,” Asia murmured in her sleep.

…Was Fafnir invading her dreams now? Seriously, he was such a pain! I gave Asia’s head a gentle pat, and that seemed to help her calm down.

It was a surprising wakeup call, but it was time for another day!

After breakfast, I found myself chatting with Asia and Saji before the morning meeting in the dining room at the girls’ dormitory.

“…So Fafnir is delving into Albion’s Sacred Gear?” I asked.

“Yes. The current White Dragon Emperor is having difficulty bringing around his predecessor’s lingering thoughts. Fafnir appeared in my dreams last night saying Ddraig and Albion needed him, and that he was going to lend them a hand,” Asia explained.

Huh. So it hadn’t been a dream when she called last night… I had put it down to a simple nightmare.

Saji looked puzzled. “Vritra showed up in my dreams, too. He told me the Two Heavenly Dragons were calling for him, so he was heading out… I’ve tried calling to him since this morning, but he hasn’t responded, so I guess it must have been real… The Sacred Gear seems to be working fine, but I’m running into issues controlling it without him.”

Ah, it sounded like Saji was facing the same sort of problem I was. Without Ddraig around, controlling my abilities had become a real challenge—my True Queen in particular. Right now, I was in much the same situation as when the stray mages attacked Kuou Academy. I couldn’t summon my Dividing Wyvern Fairies, either, and I was just starting to get the hang of using them… To think that two Dragon Kings had delved into Vali’s Sacred Gear. The Red Dragon Emperor Victims’ Association must be having a tough time of it in there… I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, suspecting I was to blame… But all I could do was trust those legendary dragons.

“No one from the Bael Familia today?” I asked Saji.

“Only for the morning. They’ll be joining us this afternoon.”

“Has something happened?”

Saji pointed outside the window, to the aerial city of Agreas. “You’ve heard how Emperor Belial’s shooting a movie, right? Sairaorg and his Familia have cameo roles, so they’re helping out with the shoot. Seekvaira Agares is with them, too, apparently.”

Wow. So Sairaorg and his Familia were going to be in the movie starring the Rating Game champion? I remembered hearing that Sairaorg and Belial knew each other, and that the former had sought advice from the latter on several occasions. And Seekvaira Agares would be there, too? It sounded like the Rookies Four were all gathered in one place!

On top of that, the mages’ conference would be kicking off today as well, so its members, Rossweisse’s grandmother Gondul included, could discuss their research and the Trihexa issue. I was curious what they would talk about.

Just then, our third-year students—Rias, Akeno, Chairwoman Sona, and Vice-Chairwoman Shinra—entered the dining room.

“Let me fill you in on the schedule for the second day,” Chairwoman Sona said as the Sitri Familia distributed papers outlining our agendas.

And so began day two at Auros Academy!

After breakfast, we members of the Occult Research Club split up to see to our respective tasks. I only learned what the others were doing later, but here’s a quick rundown.

For instance, Xenovia and Kiba were taking part in a Knight demonstration.

Sword in hand, Xenovia launched into a passionate lesson to the children, “Listen up! A sword is like a mirror that reflects your inner self. If you’re unsure of yourself, it will show in your swordsmanship. You’ve got to keep a cool head and be ready at all times. And remember, strike first, before your opponent gets a chance to hit you. If they start talking, that’s your chance!”

Kiba approached the topic from a different angle. “However, it’s risky relying solely on brute strength. Above all else, a Knight needs skill. And then there’s their special trait of speed. A Knight can dart around the battlefield to outmaneuver their opponents, to find openings and strike with precision.”

The children listened intently to the two contrasting approaches.

Meanwhile, Irina was in charge of a special lecture about angels.

Angels were the rarest of the rare in the underworld, and most of the children had never seen one before.

For that reason, Irina’s pure white wings and halo were a strange and wondrous sight.

“Wow! A real-life angel!”

“My dad said angels will spirit you away if you’re bad!”

Some of the children were curious, while others hung back in terror. Heaven and the underworld may have entered into an alliance, but angels were still widely feared by regular demons.

“I would never do that!” Irina declared, her eyes sparkling. “Angels are on the side of everyone who serves Heaven! Why don’t we pray together? Amen! Come on, I’m handing out homemade bread! Eating it will deepen your faith!”

The second this self-proclaimed angel started proselytizing, the parents stepped in to put an end to her lecture. I found out later it had turned into quite a scene.

Asia focused on teaching exorcist knowledge she had picked up during her time in the Church, while Gasper held a special lecture on vampires and Koneko one on youkai. Gasper, never confident appearing in public, all but panicked each time a child asked him a question.

Rossweisse continued to teach her magic classes, just as much a hit today as they had been yesterday.

Our Familia’s key members—Rias and Akeno—were giving lessons about Kings and Queens, the most important Evil Pieces.

“The relationship between a Familia’s King and Queen is incredibly important, both in the Rating Game and in private life. It’s essential to always keep your Queen by your side.”

Neither Rias nor Akeno were formal teachers—they were still young, and they both had much to learn. They were very upfront about not being in a position to teach, and that they were merely sharing their knowledge and experiences.

All the same, it was a valuable lesson for the children, and I was told they were all ears throughout.

And so we members of the Occult Research Club fulfilled our various roles across the school to the best of our abilities.

Meanwhile, the student council stepped in at times to support the teachers, while the chairwoman and the vice-chairwoman were running sessions for parents to keep them fully informed.

We may not have had a lot of staff, but both the Occult Research Club and the student council found the endless activity hugely rewarding.

While our club members were hard at work in their respective classes, I was busy holding a Breast Dragon Q&A session with my manager Ravel.

The idea was to give the children an opportunity to ask me questions—and they were eagerly raising their hands with all sorts of queries.

Questions poured down on me like a heavy rain. “How do you get stronger?” “What kind of breasts do you like?”

For that last one, I cheerfully answered, “Big or small, a breast is a breast!” I hoped the boys in particular got the message!

Having answered the children’s questions, I decided to flip the script and ask a few of my own.

“Does anyone here have something they want to be?” I asked.

After a moment, one boy’s hand shot up into the air. “I want to be a Breast Dragon!”

“He’s right there!” came another voice, followed by, “Me too!” The children were all laughing in excitement.

It wasn’t long before other kids started sharing their dreams.

“I wanna be the champion of the Rating Game!”

“I want to work at the Demon King’s research lab!”

“I wanna be a Demon King’s personal bodyguard!”

…It seemed like they all had something they wanted to do. But that made sense—whether human or demon, it was perfectly normal for children to have dreams.

“I want to be a student here,” said another, followed by rounds of, “Me too!” “Me too!”

Yes, that was what they wanted most right now. Without somewhere to study and turn their dreams into reality, they would never be able to realize their full potential.

They were just beginning to tap into a world of possibility and still had lots of lessons to learn and challenges to overcome.

Seeing just how earnest and dedicated they were, I hoped they would all be able to attend the school. God was dead—I knew that—but I still wanted to pray for their success.

What could I do for them…? I could motivate them to reach for their goals, to encourage them to attend the school when it opened.

“All right. Let me tell you about demon work in the human world. Believe it or not, I meet all sorts of customers every single day,” I said, puffing my chest out with pride.

The children were all ears. “Tell us about your demon work!” “Do people really offer their souls to trade?” They were incredibly receptive. For these children, information about how demons made a living in the human world would be vital. I knew there were classes for teaching this properly, but I was just happy to have them listening to me. Besides, if any of them decided to join another Familia, they would be all the more likely to find themselves conducting business in the human world.

Some demons, like old Tannin, had unique circumstances that kept them tied up in the underworld, but most belonging to a Familia would head over to the human world from time to time.

Next it was time to dive into contracts and pacts, and of course, a few fun stories. I was mulling over whether to begin with Mil or Morisawa when—

My sixth sense suddenly activated, an ominous chill running down my spine…

A second later, the sky, in the underworld, usually a deep purple, started turning white… Wh-what the heck?!

Everyone on campus looked up at this strange phenomenon.

Slowly, the sky’s purple hue faded away, leaving the firmament a stark white.

…What on earth? Was this some sort of event…? No one had mentioned anything ahead of time. Was it meant to coincide with the mages’ conference? No, if that was the case, they would have told us… The film shoot in Agreas, then? But this was far too big in scale for that, and again, we would have had advance notice…

It wasn’t long before the children and parents were buzzing with confusion.

…I could think of only one explanation.

…This town was serving as host to the mages’ conference, and the odds of them getting abducted were already high.

At that moment, an announcement sounded over the school’s PA system, “All students, parents, teachers, and staff, please enter the school building immediately. I repeat, all students, parents, teachers, and staff…”

That was an emergency broadcast all right. Ravel and I exchanged uneasy looks.

The Occult Research Club and the student council assembled in the staff room, while worried parents and children gathered in the gymnasium. In order to maintain calm, Vice-Chairwoman Shinra had mobilized the remaining staff to gather as much information as they could.

Rias, meanwhile, shook her head as she was setting up a communication square.

“…This is bad. I can’t reach anyone outside the town.”

Akeno sighed, giving up on the magic square she had deployed on the floor. “Same here. We won’t be able to jump very far.”

Seriously? We couldn’t contact the outside world, or even teleport outside the town…? We had run into similar situations a few times before—the first at the Togetsu-kyou Bridge in Kyoto, the second after the mid-level demon promotion exam. In both cases, a dense fog had fallen over the area while we were whisked away to an artificial dimension. There was no fog this time around, but it certainly felt like a similar phenomenon.

“…I examined the qi energy in the area around us. The trees and grass are real,” Koneko said in her cat-eared mode.

…Did that mean we hadn’t been transferred to an artificial space?

Chairwoman Sona opened her own Communication-type magic square. “I’ve gotten through to Agreas and the community center. I have video.”

Two holographical projections opened up in the staff room—the first with Sairaorg in Agreas, and the second with Gondul in the town’s community center.

Sairaorg was the first to speak. “What’s going on?”

“It’s safe to assume this area has been encased in a barrier erected by hostile forces,” Gondul answered. “We mages are summoning creatures to test the barrier’s extent. So far, reports suggest it is likely covering Agreas and Auros in an oval shape.”

…It was that big? It had to be massive…

“In addition, we mages have lost access to most of our spells. As you can see, they’ve been sealed away.” Gondul pulled back her hair to reveal an ominous magic square on her forehead.

…Sealing magic? Who would do such a thing…? My questions just kept piling up.

Curious, I gathered some demonic energy into my hands… My aura was building as per normal. I couldn’t fail to notice the members of the student council checking their own demonic energy. Irina likewise tapped into her angelic powers, which looked to be fine… So we could all still use our powers?

Just to be sure, we checked our Sacred Gears, both real and artificial, and there were no issues with them either.

“I can still use magic,” Rossweisse pointed out.

“The culprits must have targeted those of us at the conference,” Gondul murmured. “The frightening thing is there’s still no sign of them.”

A seal only affecting the mages at the conference…? There was no mistaking the target here.

“You’re telling me our enemies are capable of this…?” Saji muttered with a taut grimace.

“…There is one possibility,” the chairwoman said as she adjusted her glasses.

“Indeed,” Gondul added, seemingly of the same mind. “The legendary Evil Dragon Azhi Dahaka supposedly had more than a thousand techniques at his disposal. He would no doubt know how to incapacitate us mages.”

—!

One and all, we were rendered speechless at Gondul’s mention of the Evil Dragon. We had received reports that Azhi Dahaka had been resurrected, while Vali’s team had actually come under attack, so it was a convincing suggestion.

Responsible for the evil dragon’s resurrection was none other than the Khaos Brigade’s newly formed Qlippoth group. Those miscreants were already to blame for reviving other Evil Dragons, and even mass-producing artificial ones…

So Azhi Dahaka was behind both this white sky and the seals placed on Gondul and other the mages…

“But the scale…it’s so huge… Even for a legendary Evil Dragon, sealing off an entire city and all those famous mages…it’s unreal…,” Irina whispered.

Indeed. If it was just a physical barrier over the city, that would be one thing, but incapacitating all those mages seemed like an impossible feat even for a legendary Evil Dragon.

“They must have found a way to amplify his techniques’ effectiveness,” the chairwoman said, turning my way.

The face of that bastard Euclid flashed before my eyes.

“…That replica Boosted Gear,” I muttered.

…If he had boosted his power and transferred it to Azhi Dahaka, that might explain the unimaginable scale at play here.

Gondul breathed a sigh. “The barrier surrounding this area and the seals on us mages must have been amplified. That Longinus may be a replica, but it’s nonetheless a fearsome weapon.”

…Seriously. That bastard was abusing the power he stole from me without so much as a second thought. It really made my blood boil…!

…No, hold on. If he could to that, then I ought to be able to do the exact opposite!

“Let’s try to undo it!” I suggested. “I can use my Boosted Gear to supercharge a reversal spell!”

But the chairwoman shook her head. “We should probably assume they’ve already thought of that and will have a countermeasure ready to deploy… The outcome could be catastrophic if we try to force our way out of here.”

…So our foes had thought that far ahead? Knowing Euclid’s grasp of the Boosted Gear’s strengths and weaknesses, it was certainly possible. Yes, he would no doubt have a plan in place…

“We can’t let them use it repeatedly,” Akeno said, worried.

“It isn’t something you can use over and over,” the chairwoman pointed out. “It isn’t a genuine Sacred Gear, and from what I’ve heard, they’re using it at a huge cost. Judging by what we can see, Azhi Dahaka has assembled a very intricate technique, so amplifying it would need careful fine-tuning. After all, there is always a risk of any ability going haywire… I can only conclude Euclid Lucifugus is genuinely adept at wielding the replica Boosted Gear.”

…Euclid had put that replica to better use than the owner of the real thing. If that wasn’t proof of the huge gulf between our base specs, nothing was. A strong weapon needed a strong user to bring out its full potential.

I averted my gaze as the chairwoman flashed me a smile.

“I’m not saying you’re inferior, Issei,” she said. “You’re certainly talented when it comes to wielding your Sacred Gear… Your opponent is a genius, that’s all. He’s a Lucifugus—Lucifer’s right-hand man.”

Yeah, I realized that. I was up against Grayfia’s little brother here. He was the blood of the underworld’s strongest Queen. Of course he would be strong.

“First, we need to figure out their objective,” Rias said.

Gondul placed a hand on her chest. “One of them must be us, the mages researching Trihexa, no? But Agreas is also within the barrier, so they must also have other goals.”

The floating city of Agreas. Yes, if the mages were their only target, there would be no need to include the city within the barrier.

“Technology from the old Demon King era,” Ravel murmured.

The chairwoman nodded. “Technology from that era is still in use in Agreas. Ajuka Beelzebub’s researchers are still researching certain unexplained aspects of the city. Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the son of the former Lucifer, may be after something there.”

Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered Azazel saying something like that shortly before our match with the Bael Familia.

Technology from the old Demon King era… Rizevim was the son of an old Demon King, so it was no surprise he would be interested in technology from that time.

Gondul rested a hand under her chin, deep in thought. “The legacy of the old Demon Kings… A weapon, perhaps? It may even be connected to Trihexa.”

“Or maybe they think it will help them open a path to that other world?” Rias suggested.

We all fell silent.

…Did the aerial city really have so many big secrets? Then again, the fact that it was floating suspended in the air was a technological marvel on its own. I just hoped it wouldn’t be revealed as a dormant superweapon meant to destroy the underworld or anything…

“Given the size of the barrier ward, wouldn’t people on the outside have noticed it?” I asked.

It wouldn’t be surprising if soldiers in the Agares territory took action if all contact was lost with Agreas. And once people realized Qlippoth was involved, the other big hitters in the underworld, not to mention the other members of Team DxD, would spring into action.

Chairwoman Sona wrinkled her brow. “They must have taken that into account when launching into this large-scale operation. They could have warped time and space to keep those on the outside unawares.”

“…If time and space have been distorted, an hour for us might last just one minute outside the barrier,” Rias pointed out. “Like a lot of techniques, it would require a careful preparation by a highly skilled mage, but it isn’t impossible… The replica Boosted Gear and Azhi Dahaka’s forbidden techniques are a fearsome combination.”

“Even for a dragon, a spell of that magnitude would take a toll on the caster. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had to pay with his life,” Gondul remarked.

…The Holy Grail. If Qlippoth resurrected him once, they could do so again… We needed to retrieve that Longinus, and not just for Gaspy’s sake. So long as those bastards were holding on to it, there would be no end to these crazy antics.

…And if they could mess with time and space, that would make it all the more difficult to counter them in the future!

Rias must have sensed my unease, as she turned to me. “Barriers have been set up around important sites in the underworld ever since the hero faction’s anti-monster attack. They’re designed to prevent terrorism attacks from manipulating time and space. I know they’ve been installed in Lilith, the capital of the Demon Kings’ territory, as well as major cities in the Gremory territory. Kuou Academy is also protected by one, and it’s been reinforced after it was breached last time. But…” She glanced at Chairwoman Sona, who gave her an awkward nod.

“The barriers haven’t been set up here yet,” the chairwoman answered. “Or rather, the plans have been postponed several times. Agreas is a hub for Rating Games, and a major entertainment and tourist hub. The authorities would have had to shut down those attractions temporarily to install the barrier, so the city’s departments have been dragging their feet… Well, it’s certainly backfired, hasn’t it? Agreas is a major source of revenue for the Agares territory, so the archduke may well have an aneurysm when he learns the tourist board was responsible for delaying the security forces’ countermeasures…”

…The defensive barrier was delayed to prioritize entertainment facilities…?! Every territory had its own way of doing things, but the archduke would no doubt be pulling his hair out at this. And now he was caught between the various Demon King factions, not to mention the house of Bael… Talk about a middle-management nightmare…

Chairwoman Sona rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. “A ward covering Agreas and this town, activated before Agreas’s defensive barrier could be installed and right in the middle of the mages’ conference… It can’t be a coincidence… I’m concerned.”

The chairwoman was starting to have her doubts. I was really glad to have her around, especially considering Azazel wasn’t here.

At that moment, a staff member burst into the room, laboring for breath.

“…What’s wrong?” Rias asked.

After getting his breathing under control, the man pointed with his finger. “There’s a video feed in the sky.”

We all darted out into the schoolyard.

Looking up, there was an image of a flowery field stretched across the sky, along with the words PLEASEWAIT written in the demon script. Uneasy, we braced ourselves—when a playful voice echoed down from above.

“Huh? We’re on air? Seriously? Hold on a sec. C’mon, I haven’t even finished my lunch yet. What? Get started already? All right, all right, whatever you say.”

…I recognized that lighthearted, flippant voice. There was only one person it could be. The others recognized it as well, shooting nasty glares up into the sky.

The image shifted to that of a silver-haired, middle-aged man—Rizevim Livan Lucifer!

“Hiya!” he said with a wink. “It’s your favorite celebrity, Rizevim! Nice to meet you all—or if we’ve already met, good to see you again…! Now listen up, things are going to get a bit dicey here. Let me break down what’s going to happen. You know how it is—the big baddie has always got to explain his evil plans, right? Even if it puts us at a disadvantage. That’s just how it is!”

He was as annoying as last time, his impudent voice giving me the creeps.

“I’m sure you’ve already realized this, but we’ve encased this whole area in a massive barrier. Surprised? Sorry about that!”

Despite his words, that joking grin of his didn’t come across as even slightly apologetic.

“Give it up to our pal, the Evil Dragon Ladon! You know, the guardian of the golden apples, the one taken out by the legendary hero Heracles? This is him!”

A huge creature appeared, lurking behind him like a tree in the shape of a dragon… Or a dragon made of wood? Huh? So this was another revived Evil Dragon, Ladon… Qlippoth kept bringing more of them back like it was nothing, and we hadn’t managed to beat even a single one of them yet!

“Anyway, we resurrected him with our key item, this lovely chalice, and his barrier and seal techniques are still going strong. Euclid’s replica Longinus has nabbed us an entire territory here! That thing’s insane!”

Next, Euclid appeared beside Rizevim, holding the Holy Grail in one hand.

“…”

Gasper clenched his jaw, his eyes giving off a dangerous glint. I could only imagine what he must be going through right now.

“And all you in that teeny, little town! We’ve surrounded the place with more wards, and shut down the powers of all your famous mages! Can you guess who did it? The biggest, baddest Evil Dragon in the world, Azhi Dahaka! The one with thousands of techniques at his disposal! We powered him up with that replica Boosted Gear. Naturally!”

At this, another massive dragon appeared behind Rizevim—a three-headed one. Even over the video feed, its dense, ominous aura was palpable. Azhi Dahaka was meant to be on par with Crom Cruach, right? Apparently, he kept charging forward covered in blood even after taking a beating from Vali’s team… Honestly, he was one dragon I didn’t want to have to fight.

“By the way, this place is totally cut off from the outside world, so no one on the outside knows what’s going on in here,” Rizevim continued gleefully. “Evil Dragons and Longinuses—pretty amazing, huh?” He shrugged his shoulders. “So why am I doing all this? It couldn’t be simpler. If those mages down there aren’t going to play ball, we might as well wipe them out. That’s it!”

So if he couldn’t kidnap them, he was going to kill them instead? That wasn’t so much heavy-handed as childishly immature!

“Oh, and I’m going to help myself to some of Agreas’s tech while I’m here. My old man and his crew poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this city, you know? I’m his son and heir, so I’m only taking what’s rightfully mine. Don’cha think? Ha-ha-ha!” He chortled in amusement. “And you DxD guys, you think you can take us down? Well, let me fill you in on the latest scoop. There’s a horde of mass-produced Evil Dragons—and maybe one or two real ones—heading for the aerial city here. They’re gonna wreak havoc. So if you wanna stop us, give it your best shot.”

Rizevim snapped his fingers—and a moment later, plumes of purple fire rose skyward around the town!

What the heck?! What were those for?!

“Shien flames,” sounded a voice over my shoulder. “This is going to be handful.”

Glancing around, I spotted Gondul, evidently having decided to leave the mages’ conference to join us. She was staring aghast at the plumes of flame as they took on the form of a cross.

“…Is that…the Incinerate Anthem?!” Rias gasped.

…The Incinerate Anthem?! The Longinus currently in the hands of the stray mage group, Hexennacht?!

“Those flames have the town boxed in,” Gondul explained. “The Incinerate Anthem is a Longinus. One touch would be enough to annihilate a demon, or to reduce one of us mages to ash… I’d heard she was working with the Khaos Brigade, but I wouldn’t have expected her to show up here…”

So on top of those Evil Dragons, a Longinus user was involved in this terrorist attack?!

“Hang in there!” Rizevim said with a cheerful wave. “We’ll be kicking things off in three hours! Ha-ha-ha!”

The video ended there.

…This couldn’t be any worse…! We had to move quickly. I spun around.

Auros Academy.

…All those kids, with their smiles, their dreams. They had goals. They were about to start their academic journeys… There was no way I was going to let those terrorists shatter their dreams!

…I would never ever let them lay hands on the school!

We all leaped into action.

First, we members of the Occult Research Club and student council were to guide the children, their parents, and the teachers to a temporary shelter in the school’s basement. Anticipating the worst, Chairwoman Sona had seen that a sturdy shelter was constructed deep beneath the school grounds.

Her attention to detail was beyond impressive. There was plenty of space to spare, so we invited the townspeople to evacuate as well.

At present, everyone on campus was busy guiding the civilians to safety.

“So the evacuation is already under way,” Sairaorg said to Rias over magic square. The video was slightly glitchy, probably a result of the Shien flames.

“It isn’t a big town, and there aren’t too many residents. Three hours should be enough to get everyone to safety.”

“Have you found any way to get out?” Sairaorg asked.

Rias shook her head. “The town is surrounded by a ward, separate from the one covering the area around Agreas. We’re also boxed in by those Shien flames. We tried to make an escape route, but we only managed to pierce a hole in the barrier and the flames for a split second before it closed again.”

Xenovia and Rossweisse had attacked the ward and Shien flames surrounding the town with the Ex-Durendal’s cannon fire and Rossweisse’s curse-lifting spells, and while they managed to break through, the opening snapped closed before giving anyone a chance to escape. If we could hold it open, even just for ten seconds, we might be able to get out some of the townspeople, but we weren’t having any luck there…

Xenovia tried digging under the ward…but the flames extended deep underground.

In other words, escape seemed to be out of the question. It didn’t help that the mages weren’t able to use their magic abilities. If not for that snag, we might have been able to combine teleportation spells to bypass the wards…

We were all set. The mages from the conference were applying every dispelling technique they knew to create a new form of teleportation magic in the school’s underground shelter. It was a crazy feat to attempt, but they were all experts in their field, so success wasn’t necessarily out of the question.

It sounded like it would only take a couple of hours to set up the spell to teleport the townsfolk and the children to safety. Until then, our task was to keep the Evil Dragons at bay and protect the town.

Sairaorg breathed a sigh. “Same here. We can break through the ward surrounding Agreas, but any hole we tear in it repairs itself in moments. At this rate, we won’t be able to get anyone out of the city… And we’re already surrounded by Evil Dragons.” He showed us a live video feed.

—! Rias and I couldn’t believe our eyes.

It was like the sky was covered in a pitch-black cloak draped over the floating city.

…A swarm of mass-produced Evil Dragons…! There had to be at least a hundred—no, two hundred—of them!

…At the center of the swarm, hovering right in front of the city, was a particularly sinister-looking three-headed dragon, held aloft by six massive wings… Its glossy black scales radiated a purplish hint, standing out among its black, mass-produced counterparts.

…So Azhi Dahaka was headed for Agreas? Even Vali’s team had struggled against him. He wasn’t the kind of foe you wanted to go toe-to-toe with.

“We have my Familia, along with Seekvaira Agares and her people. And Diehauser’s team is here as well. We won’t go down without a fight.”

Sairaorg’s, Agares’s, and Emperor Belial’s Familias were on the defense. It was certainly a formidable combination.

“Seekvaira has stepped in to represent the archduke, taking charge of operations here in Agreas. She’s quite capable. She somehow managed to convince the mayor and those stubborn old committee members to put her in charge through this crisis.”

Seekvaira? She had given off a scary first impression all right…

“…We went to all that trouble setting up Team DxD, and we’re the only ones who can respond to this,” Rias fumed in frustration.

Sairaorg flashed her a bullish smile. “Not at all, Rias… We’re here. That’s better than nothing.”

He was right about that. We would be much worse off without him or the others.

“This is the moment of truth, Issei Hyoudou,” he said, looking me straight in the eye. “We have to save Agreas, the town, the children—everyone.”

“…These kids don’t have anything to do with Trihexa or Qlippoth’s agenda, do they?”

“No.”

“They just came here carrying their dreams in their hearts, right?”

“Yeah.”

“…Then Team DxD should do everything it can do protect them, shouldn’t it?”

“Of course. Protecting the hopes of the underworld is our job. We can’t let any of them perish. And we can’t let these bastards get away with it. We’ll take them all down. That’s the lot of those who hold power!”

…He hit me right in the heart with that speech. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

I was so glad we made this team, DxD! It was reassuring to know we had like-minded friends fighting alongside us!

“We’ll find a way to help you once we’re done over here, so hold tight.”

“Sure thing! And we’ll head your way if we manage to get out!”

Minute by minute, the coming battle was closing in.

Rias and I headed for the operations room set up in the underground shelter for a final meeting before launching our defense.

As we continued down the hallway, I caught a glimpse of a couple seated on a bench, probably the parents of one of the visiting children… Looking at the woman, I felt like I had seen her somewhere before.

The second the man spotted Rias, he walked over. “U-um… Lady Rias? What’s going to happen to the school…?” he asked in a worried voice.

“Don’t worry,” Rias answered with a reassuring smile. “This shelter is well-built. It should hold up to any terrorist attack. On top of that, the teleportation square will be ready by the time the enemies reach us, so we’ll get you all out of here safe and sound.”

Hearing this, the couple’s anxious looks eased somewhat.

“…My son…he took it all in stride,” the man murmured. “He wasn’t blessed with demonic powers, and he’s been shunned from society for it all his life… But he’s still our child. We waited longer than a century to have him. We’ve nurtured him, hoping he can find a way to realize his potential…”

—.

…He was in the same boat as Sairaorg.

“Other children his age can use their powers without any trouble… He lost his smile when he realized he’s different to the others… But then we came here…and it came back. I haven’t seen anything like it since he first learned about the Breast Dragon,” the man confessed with tears in his eyes.

…I couldn’t imagine their pain, watching over their son as he struggled without the use of any demonic powers. This school must have been a beacon of hope for them.

Sensing a presence nearby, I glanced around—and laid eyes on Rossweisse and the child.

It was Lirenkus—who jumped straight into his parents’ arms.

“Mom! Dad! Look, look!” Lirenkus said, thrusting his hand forward.

A second later, a small flame appeared over his palm for the briefest of moments.

“Fire magic!” he exclaimed proudly. “See, I can use fire magic!”

The father was taken aback at first, but quickly leaned down to wrap his arm around his son with a beaming smile.

“…Ah… Great job!” he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face.

Behind him, Lirenkus’s mother was quietly bawling her eyes out as well.

This sight—something typical demon families would take for granted—was no doubt something both parents had long wished for but given up on. And now, it was theirs. No wonder they couldn’t keep their emotions in check.

“You’re Lirenkus, right?” I asked. “You came to my show a while back?”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

His mother startled. “You remember us?”

Seeing him running down the hallway, I recognized him at once.

“See! The Breast Dragon didn’t forget about me!” he exclaimed proudly.

“Yes, I see.” His mother chuckled.

“How did you find the school?” Rias asked him.

“I love it! Do you think I’ll be able to get stronger here?”

“I’m sure you will,” Rossweisse said, patting him on the head. “I’m impressed to see you didn’t give up. You succeeded because you kept pushing yourself. No matter what happens, you have to believe in yourself. Okay?”

“Yes, Ms. Rossweisse!” Lirenkus answered.

With that, his parents took him by the hands and led him back to the waiting area.

After seeing them off, the three of us continued to the operations room.

“…He’s been practicing for ages, it seems,” Rossweisse remarked. “He said he wanted to get stronger so his mom and dad wouldn’t cry anymore.”

…In his own way, Lirenkus was thinking about his parents. He was just a child, but he wanted to be strong for his mom and dad.

Rossweisse broke into a soft smile. “Whatever type of magic you use, it will always have a use for you, as it will for someone else…”

Yes, that was what Gondul had said during her lecture.

Rossweisse let out a small laugh. “My grandmother used to say that to me all the time when I was a child. I thought I understood, but maybe I didn’t see the whole picture… Now, I feel like I can understand the true meaning of what she was saying.”

I couldn’t fail to notice the cheerful, sunny cast to her features.

Just as we were about to enter the operations room, I spotted Chairwoman Sona, Saji, and a pair of kids.

The children all had worried looks on their faces.

“Mr. Saji? Are those scary dragons coming here?”

“Is the school going to be destroyed?”

Saji patted them both on the head. “Don’t you worry about a thing! We’ll take down those bad dragons! I don’t want you getting hurt, so be good and stay here, okay? Right, Chairwoman?”

“Exactly,” she answered, smiling. “Don’t worry about anything. Why don’t you watch one of the Breast Dragon videos? By the time this is all over, the bad dragons will all be gone.”

Hearing this, the children relaxed and left for the evacuation area.

Saji saw them off, then clenched his fists as he let out a sigh. “There’s no way I’ll let anyone harm this school. Those kids are looking to us for hope… And this is our dream, too.”

“We’ll defend it,” I said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“It will be okay, Saji.” Chairwoman Sona nodded. “We’ve survived every other battle we’ve faced. We’ve protected what matters… This is just like last time. We’ll protect the town and our school again.”

“We aren’t letting anyone ruin this,” Rias added.

With that, we stepped into the operations room.

There were only thirty minutes left until the end of the three-hour deadline.

We—the Occult Research Club and the student council—had just returned to the school from the underground shelter. Rizevim had said we had three hours, but I wasn’t counting on him to honor that. We remained on high alert, completing our preparations shortly after two hours. Then, with thirty minutes left to go, we returned to the surface and readied ourselves for battle.

It would be a relatively straightforward defensive battle. Our job was to defend the town—or rather, the school—until the mages completed their teleportation square.

Seeing as Ravel was a non-combatant, I asked her to stay in the underground shelter.

I was making my way down the hallway to the exit when Asia stopped in her tracks, distracted by something.

I followed her gaze to the wall alongside us, laying eyes on messages and drawings left by the students after the trial classes.

I WANNABETHECHAMPIONOFTHE RATING GAME!

I HOPE I CANCOMETOTHISSCHOOL.

I CANUSEMYDEMONPOWERSNOW!

I GOTTOMEETTHE BREAST DRAGON!

I CAN’TWAITTOCOMEBACK!

I WANTTOCOMETOTHISSCHOOLALLTHETIME!

So many courageous souls.

The handwriting and the drawings might not have been top-notch, but the children were pouring their hearts into those messages, telling us what they had gained from this experience.

…It was overwhelming, enough to lift my spirits. It really tightened my resolve to protect this place. The others, I sensed, felt the same way.

All of a sudden, we sensed a presence approaching.

Men in soldiers’ armor were marching our way, though from their faces, they didn’t look like warriors. Could it be…?

“…The children’s parents,” Kiba explained.

Yes, these were the fathers of the visiting children, all of them ready to protect their families.

“We’re fighting, too!” one of them declared, stepping forward.

“There aren’t a lot of people in this town who know how to fight, and there aren’t any soldiers stationed here, so it’s on us to step up.”

“The more hands on deck, the better, right? There have to be other ways we can help besides fighting.”

“There may still be residents who didn’t make it out in time.”

Indeed, we were the only fighters here. That fact limited our options somewhat. If there were any civilians who still hadn’t evacuated, I doubted we would be able to rescue them on our own.

Earlier, Koneko had mentioned she hadn’t been able to use her sage arts to detect qi energy around the town. Apparently, those Shien flame pillars were dulling her senses… As a result, we couldn’t be entirely confident we had evacuated all the residents.

“They may be mass-produced, but they’re still Evil Dragons,” Rias said with a stern look. “There may even be legendary Evil Dragons among them… This will be a fight to the death.”

Right. We were dealing with terrorists and a horde of vicious Evil Dragons. There was no guarantee we would make it out in one piece. We would all have to put our lives on the line here.

Yet far from feeling daunted, the parents broke into bold smiles.

“All the same, please let us help, Lady Rias.”

“We’re just regular demons. Who are we to talk about protecting Agreas or Auros?”

“So we’re going to give everything we have to defend this school.”

“Our children have discovered their dreams here. It’s a beacon of hope for us—and something we want to stake our lives on.”

…They were willing to put their lives on the line. For their children’s dreams. For their family’s hopes. All while wearing the brightest of smiles.

Rias fought to hold her emotions in check, responding with a confident grin. “I won’t say anything more. Just promise me one thing,” she said, looking over the crowd of parents. “Don’t die. You have to stick around to see your children find success. That’s what this school is for.”

“““Yes!””” the fathers shouted as one.

We had made it this far, so we weren’t going to let the school be destroyed. We would defend it—without losing a single soul!

And so we geared up for a do-or-die defensive battle.

A swarm of jet-black Evil Dragons hovered over the town, perched to attack all at once. Just thinking about it sent a chill coursing down my spine.

There were hundreds of them. More than hundreds. Far more than we had encountered in Romania, and that number had been enough to lay the castle town to waste.

Even the volunteer fathers were horrified to see the horde of Evil Dragons.

After leaving the school building, we did one final check of the grounds as we prepared to head for our respective posts.

“Stick to the plan,” Chairwoman Sona said, stepping forward. “I need you all to spread out across the school and work in pairs to take on the enemy.”

And so we split up, taking up our posts across Auros Academy to intercept the Evil Dragons. We had agreed on the following pairings:

In essence, we were combining firepower with defense and arranging everyone into support, rearguard, or vanguard units. Chairwoman Sona and Gaspy took their positions in the schoolyard, with Gasper going into his dark mode to churn out as many of his creatures as possible, ready to dispatch them under the chairwoman’s directions.

We asked the volunteer parents to go house-to-house to check if any residents had yet to evacuate. Of course, if the Evil Dragons went after them, we would have to do everything we could to help. That was the most we could offer without stretching ourselves too thin. To be honest, they weren’t a particularly strong fighting force, so it would be best for them to avoid combat as much as possible.

“Issei,” the chairwoman called out. “About that thing we talked about…”

I nodded, activating my messenger—my familiar, Skidbladnir. When I first received him, he had been no larger than a toy, but my little Ryuuteimaru had since grown to the size of a boat.

“Asia, use Ryuuteimaru to move around the battlefield,” Rias instructed.

“Yes!”

Ryuuteimaru had learned to pick up considerable speed. He wasn’t quite as fast as Kiba, but he could still travel short distances in no time at all.

“A mobile healer is an easy target, so stay on guard, Rossweisse,” Rias said, turning to her.

“I know,” Rossweisse said, stepping forward. “I’ll be her shield, and I’ll provide as much covering fire as I can for everyone else.”

She was the perfect person for the job. She could protect Asia with her defensive magic while launching long-range attacks from aboard Ryuuteimaru—and since she wouldn’t have to worry about moving around by herself, she could dedicate her energy to her magic.

“…”

Kiba wore a difficult look… Right, he hadn’t finished fine-tuning the Gram yet and wasn’t at a level where he could safely wield it. Frankly, I was afraid he might try something reckless. He wasn’t always the type to see reason, after all.

“Vice-Chairwoman,” I began, leaning over to whisper in his partner’s ear. “Kiba might act on impulse, so keep an eye on him. He might try using the Gram even if it cuts into his own lifeforce. If it looks like he’s going to throw caution to the wind, can you step in and stop him?”

“Understood.” She nodded.

“This is your chance to make a strong impression,” I added with a faint grin. “Go for it!”

The vice-chairwoman was totally smitten with Kiba, and this could be the perfect opportunity for her.

“Wh-wh-what are you talking about?!” she stammered, her face turning bright red. “I—I—I…”

Whoa, she couldn’t be more flustered! Her eyes were darting all over the place!

“…?”

Kiba, meanwhile, tilted his head in confusion.

I happened to overhear the Sitri Familia’s two newcomers talking. Bennia wore an awkward smile, while Rugal was as expressionless as ever.

“I just signed up, and I’ve already been thrown into all sorts of tough battles. Talk about bad luck!” bemoaned Bennia.

“…That’s our fate,” replied Rugal.

Yes, it was bad timing, wasn’t it…

They both did an exceptional job supporting the classes at the school. Bennia had run a lecture on Grim Reapers, while Rugal mixed martial arts with magic in his live demonstration.

Both, I felt, were finding their footing.

With our final checks complete, a Communication-type magic square—the kind mages use—began to unfold in the middle of the schoolyard.

A moment later, a figure appeared in its center.

It was a young woman in a purple gothic Lolita outfit, complete with a frilly parasol. She looked like a doll in her early twenties, with an alluring beauty—yet I couldn’t help but feel there was something sinister about her.

“Greetings, demons,” she said with a sly grin. “I’m Valburga, one of the leaders of Hexennacht. We’re going to get to know each other super well, I hope!”

I had never seen this woman in my life—yet several of the others seemed to recognize her name.

“Valburga of the Purple Flame,” the chairwoman whispered. “The wielder of the Incinerate Anthem…”

—!

I was at a loss for words! Sh-she was the wielder of the True Cross?!

Valburga’s grin deepened. “I’m here under Uncle Rizevim’s order to set your souls ablaze with my dragon companions. I do so love it when people fawn over me! It makes my flames burn all the brighter.”

Her chirpy voice grated on my nerves, and the aura surrounding her set my teeth on edge. She seemed to have a tough personality, in spite of her tone of voice…

“We’ll unleash the battle soon. Tell me, dearest friends, are you prepared?”

One and all, we glared back at her—prompting Valburga to feign fear.

“Oh, how frightful. You demons are positively furious! Oh-ho-ho. This will be fun.”

—.

That ugly grin of hers sent a chill coursing down my spine… There was no mistaking it—this girl could kill without so much as a second thought. If I went easy on her, I would be reduced to ashes.

Valburga looked us all over once more. “Which of you is the famous Rossweisse?”

…Rossweisse? We all glanced her way, inadvertently revealing her.

“Just so you know, I’m to bring you back safe and sound.”

“…? Bring me where?” Rossweisse demanded.

“To Euclid,” Valburga answered, twirling her parasol over her shoulder. “He’s head over heels about you. Ah, how I wish a dashing young gentleman had eyes for me!”

…He wanted Rossweisse that badly? Just for what she knew, or for her talents as well…?

Rossweisse shook her head. “I’m not leaving with you. I’m going to fight.”

“I hoped you would say that!” Valburga smirked, before lifting the hem of her skirt to bid farewell. “Very well, demons. Let’s have us a splendid battle, shall we?”

With that, the magic square disappeared.

…So she just wanted to show her face before the fight?

“I hate people like that,” Xenovia spat. “They get a kick out of staring people in the eye before going in for the kill. It’s disgusting.”

Yeah, that was the impression I got from her as well. She was mocking us.

Rias breathed a heavy sigh, then forced herself to flash us a reassuring smile. “Are you all set, everyone? Let’s go! We may be facing terrorists and mass-produced Evil Dragons, but just remember how many tough spots we’ve squeezed ourselves out of in the past. I know the odds don’t look good, but we’ll pull through! We can’t afford to die here!” she declared confidently. “We’ll blow them all away, just like we always do!”

“Right!” we (the Gremory Familia plus Irina) responded as one.

On the Sitri side, the chairwoman was addressing her own people. “If we lose, the school will be decimated. Our dreams and hopes have taken root here. We can’t just build a new one… No, we won’t let it be destroyed. It’s ours to protect. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

“Right!”

The Sitri Familia, along with the volunteer dads, were raring to go!

With that, we split up and took our posts!

I teamed up with Nimura, the Sitri Familia’s Pawn, and quickly activated my Balance Breaker as we arrived at the south side of the school, setting up camp on a freshly plowed field.

Aaauuuggghhh!

A bestial roar echoed from the sky… The Evil Dragons. It could only mean that Rizevim’s three hours were up.

Just like that, a whole bunch of Evil Dragons started swooping down from above! I countered them one by one, sending them flying into the surrounding fields, the earth shaking with each impact. Nimura had likewise activated her leg armor Sacred Gear, her aura flaring as she kicked the dragons away.

“I’m still in training, you know?!”

Every time I saw her, her martial arts skills seemed to improve a notch. She already had her Sacred Gear under control, moving so fast she left afterimages in her wake.

Violent thuds sounded in the distance. Every now and then, I caught glimpses of holy aura shooting up into the sky, or flashes of lightning striking in the distance. It looked like everyone was on a rampage out there!

There were even explosions going off toward Agreas. Sairaorg and the others were no doubt going all out as well.

At that moment, a shape emerged from the shadows—a massive creature born of darkness, materializing at our feet to confront the Evil Dragons.

Gaspy was whipping up his dark beasts, sending them our way! They would be a huge help against these enemies!

It sure was reassuring to have such strong allies, but there was no end to the sheer number of these Evil Dragons! Gasper had unleashed his darkness over the entire castle town back in Romania, but that ability quickly left him exhausted. It wasn’t the sort of move he could maintain beyond a few minutes. Nonetheless, he was a key pillar of our defensive strategy, so the chairwoman had decided it would be most efficient to keep summoning up more darkness beasts than pushing him too hard and risking burnout.

At that moment, more than a dozen Evil Dragons charged our way, so I changed my Pawn into a Bishop piece and started charging the two cannons that appeared over my shoulders!

This was my Welsh Blaster Bishop, though I made sure to tweak it slightly so I didn’t wreck the town!

“Time to do this!”

Two overcharged red auras spewed from the cannons, engulfing a swathe of approaching Evil Dragons in a giant explosion! Now that was a good start!

But still, the creatures showed no sign of backing off—so I spread my own dragon wings and charged in alongside Nimura.

Ten minutes went by, fallen Evil Dragons piling up all around. Behind us, more explosions rang out.

I glanced over my shoulder—and laid eyes on a cross-shaped pillar of purple flame shooting up into the sky!

Valburga… That was north of the school, where Rias and Bennia were stationed!

A moment later, a voice sounded through my earpiece—Chairwoman Sona.

“The True Cross user is attacking from the north. Rias and Bennia might not be able to handle her alone, so let’s tighten our defense and fall back into groups of four before—”

Her voice was cut off by a loud boom followed by a plume of black smoke rising in the southwest! That wasn’t the True Cross! What now?!

“This is Koneko from the southwest team!” she shouted through my earpiece. “The Evil Dragons Grendel and Ladon are here…”

…!

Grendel?! He had to choose now to show up…? No, he would have been waiting for exactly this moment… So we had a Longinus user to the north of the school, and two legendary Evil Dragons to the south?!

Koneko and Saji were in charge of the southern area! They couldn’t hope to face Grendel and Ladon alone!

Nimura and I exchanged glances, then set off to help Koneko and Saji.

By the time we reached them, they had already been pushed back to the edge of the school. The surrounding area was dotted with windmills, most of which had been cruelly destroyed, smoke billowing from their broken husks.

One dragon with a particularly sinister aura noticed me coming, its lips curling in an ugly smile and its silver eyes gleaming dangerously—Grendel!

“Hey, Red Dragon Emperor! It’s me!”

Yeah, I know. I was beyond fed up with this guy. This would be our third encounter. Seriously, I was sick and tired of him.

But where were Saji and Koneko…? I found them battered and out of breath as they confronted Grendel. Thank goodness. We made it just in time.

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, a massive treelike dragon blocked my path. What I could only assume was its mouth split wide open, while those glowing red hollows had to be its eyes.

I leaped back when it spoke, “We meet at last. I’m Ladon, the Insomniac Dragon, master of wards and seals…”

…So he was responsible for trapping us here. As I recalled, his skills were in defense and placing seals. He was one of the trials the original Heracles faced, only going down after being fed the Hydra poison. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any items like that on hand, and even if I did, the Holy Grail would probably render it ineffective…

“I heard you guys built your own school?” Grendel barked in amusement, pointing toward it with one hand. “If I try to break it, you’re gonna have to fight me for real!” he added, his sinister grin deepening.

…!

…That bastard…!

His mocking tone only got Saji and me even more fired up! It was up to the four of us—me, Koneko, Saji, and Nimura—to stop these guys! There was no way we were backing down! We would keep them busy until the teleportation square was ready—and you could bet I was going to knock them around to the best of my ability!

Grendel spread his wings, unleashing a deafening roar. “Let’s see who’s faster! Me, destroying your school—or you, stopping me! Gwa-ha-ha!”

Without hesitating, he took in a deep breath! He was about to spit fire!

And he was turning toward the school! He was going to unleash a massive fireball straight at it!

“Damn you!” I shouted, leaping to punch him square in the face—only to run straight into some sort of barrier!

It was like I was trapped in a giant soap bubble!

I spun around to face Ladon while the wooden dragon radiated a pitch-black aura, its reddish eyes glaring back at me!

Ugh…! He got me! I let myself get distracted by Grendel’s flames, and now I was stuck!

Fortunately, Saji’s black flames managed to counter Grendel’s attack.

Meanwhile, Nimura and Koneko burst out to charge at Ladon!

“Take this!” Nimura shouted, delivering a full-body kick.

“Let go of him!” Koneko, meanwhile, unleashed a punch infused with her fighting spirit.

Their attacks were delivered with precision, but Ladon effortlessly repelled them with more defensive barriers.

“It’s futile. Your half-hearted attacks can’t break through my defenses.

It wasn’t that their attacks were weak—either one of them should have been able to knock the Evil Dragon on his backside. The problem was the barriers stopping them from reaching him!

I tried to attack from inside the ward holding me in place—but it wouldn’t budge! And my punches were normally strong enough to obliterate an entire magic square!

“Hey, you! Ladon!” Grendel bellowed. “The Red Dragon Emperor is mine!”

The bloodthirsty dragon was fixing his counterpart with a murderous glare. They really didn’t have any sense of camaraderie, did they? A moment later, Grendel took a swing at Ladon.

“I can play with him, can’t I?” Ladon answered nonchalantly. “You’ve had your fun with him—twice, if I’m not mistaken. The current Red Dragon Emperor is all about raw power. I want to see if he can break through my wards.”

Grendel glared back at him, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he backed away. “Tch! This is why I hate teaming up! Fine! That pest Euclid never stops squawking when we fight. I’ll take my own foes, then. This is the only time, Ladon! I won’t give you a second one!”

Like that, Grendel charged for Saji.

“Vritra! Hey, Vritra!”

Uh-oh! Grendel was too much for Saji to fight alone! I could see Koneko and Nimura wanted to back him up, but they were held back by more Evil Dragons swooping down from above!

…There was only one option! This was no time to be conserving energy!

I needed to pull out my crimson armor!

“Awakening, I, the Red Dragon Emperor, speak this truth unto the heavens! I embrace infinite hope and immortal dreams, to become the Red Dragon Dynast—”

“I shall lead you down the crimson way of the primordial!”

A crimson glow radiated from my armor as it changed shape—and I took full advantage of the momentum to break through Ladon’s barrier!

One punch in my True Queen form was all I needed to smash through it!

All right! His wards wouldn’t contain me now!

After delivering a solid kick, I rushed to join Saji—only for another barrier, a multi-layered one, to envelop me!

The hollows of Ladon’s eyes gave off an ominous glint.

“Ah, your crimson armor. It seems you can break through my wards… But what if I doubled, or tripled them?”

“Then I’ll tear them down one by one!”

I punched through them without a second thought, but each time I did so, a new barrier popped up, blocking my path! Was there no end to this?! Was he trying to wear me down, forcing me to waste my energy on pointless attacks?! Maybe I should try firing my Crimson Blaster at him? But there was no telling if it would penetrate the ward he was using to shield himself.

This dragon was the worst possible matchup for someone like me! My gimmick was raw firepower, yet he was brushing my attacks aside like they were nothing! If Ddraig was here, I might at least be able to conserve my stamina a little, but he wasn’t…!

Gasper’s dark beasts pounded away at the barriers encasing me from the outside, but Ladon just summoned more each time they broke through. In the end, I was trapped.

At that moment, a dull crack—the sound of bones breaking—rang out. Spinning around, I watched as Saji fell to the ground clutching at his abdomen.

Grendel had just delivered a powerful kick. Did Saji take that hit head-on?!

…Saji’s black flames flickered, a line connecting him to Grendel. But going toe-to-toe with the Evil Dragon, who was incredibly strong in hand-to-hand combat, was practically impossible for anyone who wasn’t a Power-type fighter. Knowing Saji, he would have tried to avoid that kind of combat. In other words, Grendel must have read his movements and intercepted him before he could escape!

“Gwa-ha-ha! What’s that? No Vritra? You wouldn’t have gone down so easily if he was around. Hah! There’s no way you can fight me just with that puny little Sacred Gear! Not unless you’re as good as the Red Dragon Emperor!” the Evil Dragon chortled.

Right. Vritra had delved into Albion’s Saji with Fafnir and Ddraig, so Saji couldn’t call on him right now.

Grendel, meanwhile, turned away from Saji to face the school.

“I won’t let you!” Saji cried, forcing himself to his feet.

A wall of black flames appeared around Grendel, yet the Evil Dragon just swatted it away. But Saji was still connected to him, doing everything he could to sap the dragon’s strength.

“Nimura! Toujou! Take these lines!” he shouted, releasing them to our companions.

He must have been trying to sap Grendel’s strength and convert it into something Nimura and Koneko could use. If it worked, we might still stand a chance. And yet…

“Enough of this! Aaauuuggghhh!”

With a roar, Grendel spun about, completely overpowering Saji’s movements. A second later, he kicked Saji into the air and swung an arm downward to strike him from above!

Saji hit the ground hard, bouncing several times and rolling across the earth!

“…Gah!”

A mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth. This was bad news! That was a fatal wound! Without healing, he was done for…!

I activated the Crimson Blaster stored in my wings and aimed for Ladon in an effort to save him!

Ladon, meanwhile, twisted his mouth into a creepy grin. “Yes, good! Is that your secret move! Give it a shot! Let me stop it in midair!”

“Damn you!”

I channeled my aura into my cannons, gathering power! Meanwhile, Koneko and Nimura raced to break through the mass-produced Evil Dragons to reach Saji!

“Run, Genshirou! Get out of here already!”

“…We won’t let you die!”

The two were desperate to save him! And so was I! I would blow this ward to shreds!

As soon as my cannons were fully charged, I fired them straight at Ladon!

“Gooo! Crimson Blasteeerrr!”

Two massive plumes of aura spilled forth, effortlessly shattering the multi-layered barriers encasing me and surging straight for Ladon! There was a dazzling flash, followed by a thunderous boom!

Once the explosion faded, smoke was billowing from every part of Ladon’s body! Yet he seemed to be doing just fine!

…Some body parts were missing, but on the whole he looked okay…!

Once again, I was left in awe of these Evil Dragons’ robustness. I couldn’t even find the words to describe it. Our firepower was like child’s play in comparison!

For the third time, I found myself encased in layers of barriers. Not again!

Ladon let out a low chuckle. “That was a solid attack. I wasn’t expecting you to break through my defensive barriers… But I’m sturdier than you think. Not as resilient as Grendel, perhaps, but factoring in my wards, my overall defenses are no doubt higher.”

…So this was our enemy right now—and there was worse waiting ahead. If Crom Cruach showed up here, we would be done for. Our only choice would be to fall back, regroup with the others, and hit him all at once. But who knew how effective that would be…? No, this was a defensive battle. So long as the mages had enough time to set up the teleportation square and get everyone out, we could call it a win. Then again, we would probably have to keep fighting these guys for as long as the massive ward covering the area stayed up, even if we managed to evacuate the civilians…

With Ladon and me locked in battle, Grendel made his way toward the school!

I couldn’t let him reach it! He would gladly destroy it all! We couldn’t let him tear down all that hard work, destroying the dreams of so many kids…!

I caught a glimpse of my friend, battered and bruised but still standing tall.

“…I won’t let you!” Saji cried, bleeding all over as he pushed himself up and unleashed more lines to ensnare Grendel.

He pulled on them with all his might to stall the dragon—but Grendel merely flashed him a defiant grin.

“Huh?! You think that weak move is gonna stop me?! Gwa-ha-ha! It’s useless! Useless! You pathetic loser!”

Grendel spun around, his momentum throwing Saji into the air! A second later, the dragon launched a powerful punch! Saji started casting a fiery shield to protect himself—but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid a sharp punch!

A dull thud sounded as he slammed into the ground, bouncing several times before crashing into a windmill so hard he tore the building apart—yet one of his lines remained unbroken.

He rose from the rubble, covered in blood and with his right arm twisted at an unnatural angle.

“…I won’t let you…destroy the school… I won’t let you…,” he muttered under his breath.

Yet Grendel, having lost all interest in his battered foe, continued toward the buildings.

Gasper’s dark beasts did their best to stop him, but the dragon brushed them aside like they were nothing!

Desperately trying to steady his shaky legs, Saji pulled back on the line connecting him to Grendel—only to be pulled to the ground himself as Grendel pressed on.

Even being dragged across the ground, he continued to hold firm to the line…

“…I won’t let you… I won’t…”

Though struck again and again by Grendel’s tail, he refused to let go.

I couldn’t stand to watch…

Saji’s comments earlier replayed in the back of my mind.

…Hey, Hyoudou?

…You know, the kids call me Mr. Saji… They’re always smiling when they say it, too… And I’m still just starting out…

Working with all these kids, I’ve come to realize something.

I’m definitely going to make it as a teacher.

I’ve got to get promoted to a mid-level demon first, but I’ll do it, no matter how many years it takes.

I’ll make it happen.

You idiot…! What are you doing…?! Y-you’re really willing to go that far to protect the school…?!

I know what you’re thinking, Saji. Those kids’ smiles are dancing around in your head, aren’t they? You feel like you have to take action! You’re fighting back, even if it kills you!

But come on! At this rate, you’ll die for real!

I continued to lash out at the wards holding me back, tears streaming down my face. There was no end to them! Each time I smashed through one barrier, Ladon created another! But I had to keep trying!

My friend was in danger! He was out there on the brink of death, still giving it everything he had! He was standing his ground! So why was I so pathetic, locked behind these invisible walls?!

“You’re really going at it,” Ladon laughed. “Impressive power. At this rate, maybe you will break through… But not in time to save the boy, or the school.”

Grendel let out a hearty laugh, then prepared to stomp Saji underfoot.

“Gwa-ha-ha-ha! Too bad! You’re finished! Gwa-ha-ha-ha! Once I’m done with you, your school’s toast!”

But just before the dragon’s foot could reach him—

A figure reached out to grab Saji, helping him escape.

Others soon appeared as well—the fathers of the visiting children.

I recognized one—Lirenkus’s father.

“You… You’re Lirenkus’s dad!”

“…We couldn’t find any unevacuated residents! We’ll hold off the dragon for as long as we can! Use the time to regroup…!”

With their help, Koneko and Nimura managed to pull free from the mass-produced Evil Dragons and get Saji to safety.

The fathers, meanwhile, bravely confronted Grendel!

“Y-you! Dragon!”

“We’re not letting you touch the school!”

They were trembling in fear, but still they didn’t turn to flee.

Grendel snickered in amusement. “What the hell? You think you guys can ruin my fun? You nobodies have gotta learn your place!”

The dragon puffed out his chest and unleashed a massive fireball! The parents activated magic squares to defend themselves, but that did little to halt the attack. Within seconds, they were blown away by the sheer force of the strike.

“Get out of here!” I shouted. “You’ll get yourselves killed at this rate!”

But the fathers charged at Grendel all over again, injuries and all!

Before the battle, Lirenkus’s father and I had a brief chat, and he had shown me an embroidered patch—Breast Dragon merchandise.

“My son found something he loves—the Breast Dragon TV show. It’s about a reincarnated demon called Issei Gremory, who fights all sorts of enemies with his friends. He’s a goofy character, but he always steps up when it counts. My son is obsessed with that show. Completely hooked…” He had paused to look over the school buildings. “Lirenkus’s face lit up when he heard about this school. Do you know what he said to me? ‘I want to go there and become a demon who fights for justice, like the Breast Dragon!’ I was so happy to hear that. My son, talking about his dreams… He used to withdraw into himself, and now he had a dream of his own… He was convinced he didn’t have any talents, and now he’s learned magic. Can you believe how amazing that is? My son is capable of something…! For my wife and me, it’s a miracle…” He flashed me a beaming smile. “This school is a beacon of hope for my family. It’s our dream. We can’t let it disappear! I have to protect my son’s dreams, even if it costs me my life.”

Grendel unleashed a merciless barrage of fireballs, each of them erupting in spectacular explosions.

Lirenkus’s dad was blasted into the air, crashing hard into the ground.

Another kid’s father landed near me, his armor shattered and blood spurting all over his body.

“…I’m sorry,” Lirenkus’s dad apologized. “This is all I can do…”

“Hang in there!” I shouted, shaking my head. “You need to look out for your son’s future! Don’t you dare die! Asiaaa!”

Saji and Lirenkus’s dad were in need of her healing abilities! We couldn’t let these brave warriors perish!

They had to live—not just for themselves, but for the kids who wanted to attend the school!

“Sorry, Issei!” Asia’s voice sounded over my earpiece. “Other people are injured, too… I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

…Glancing around, I could hear explosions sounding elsewhere, while the ground shook violently. Everyone was putting up a desperate defense. Though wounded, they refused to give up…!

…And here I was, trapped between these wards and unable to do anything…!

There was only one thing to do—I started charging my Crimson Blaster for another shot!

“I see, I see. You’re trying again?” Ladon sneered. “Go ahead. The outcome will be the same as last time!”

Seriously, this guy was such a pain!

Before I knew it, the mass-produced Evil Dragons had the four of us and the group of dads surrounded.

…Even if I managed to break through and escape, there was no telling whether Saji and the parents would be safe!

…I needed help—from anyone. With another ally on our side, I might be able to break through!

“…I’m here!” Koneko declared, steeling herself and channeling her qi energy. She was preparing to enter her Shirone mode, her last resort. There was every chance she would collapse afterward.

The situation was out of control, deteriorating by the minute. I gritted my teeth in frustration, when—

One of the mass-produced Evil Dragons nearby took to the air. No, that wasn’t quite right. It leaped unnaturally, something about its movements striking me as off.

And it wasn’t the only one. One after another, its counterparts were hurled upward. Whatever the phenomenon was, it was slowly making its way toward us.

At last, an overwhelming mass of fighting spirit rose up into the air.

Only then did I understand. The Evil Dragons were being knocked back.

And the man charging toward us, blasting his way through the creatures with naught but his fists, making a bold appearance accompanied by a golden lion, was none other than Sairaorg Bael!

Grendel chortled in amusement. “Hey, hey, hey! Who’s that jerk beating up our mongrel dragons?”

“Sairaorg Bael, heir to the title of Great Prince, I presume,” Ladon answered. “I was told he was born with a dearth of demonic power. Apparently, he fought the Red Dragon Emperor using only his bare hands.”

With a mountain of fallen Evil Dragons behind him, Sairaorg finally reached us.

“Looks like I made it just in time.”

“Sairaorg…!” I exclaimed, bawling my eyes out.

“Sorry I’m late. We’ve taken the upper hand in the battle in Agreas, so I’ve been sent here. I had to use a considerable amount of my fighting spirit forcing my way through those flames generated by the True Cross.”

So we were winning in the floating city! Just hearing that was enough to renew my determination!

And now that Sairaorg was here…!

He turned his attention to Grendel and Ladon. “So you’re going after the school,” he muttered.

Everyone here, including me, was focused solely on protecting the town and the school.

Sairaorg, however, had a broader combat awareness.

He fixed the resurrected Evil Dragons—Grendel and Ladon—with a baleful glare.

“I won’t let you destroy it…! I’ll end you, dragons!”

This was where our counterattack got underway!

Life.4

Young Demons

Sairaorg faced off against Grendel.

The dragon broke out into a defiant grin. If anything, he was excited to have a new opponent.

“Gwa-ha-ha! I’ve heard of a Bael who likes to throw his fists around like a real knucklehead! So that’s you?”

“Grendel. I know the tales. You’re a wicked Evil Dragon who finds joy even in death.”

“Gwa-ha-ha! To be called wicked by a demon prince! Whatever. Can you take me on?!” The Evil Dragon laughed, his sinister aura seeping from his body.

“…Come at me,” Sairaorg answered simply.

The massive Evil Dragon’s fists went flying—but Sairaorg chose to take the hit head-on! His abundance of fighting spirit had rendered his body tougher than steel, more than enough to withstand the force of the blow!

Next came his counter!

“Hmph!”

Sairaorg jumped up and launched a punch straight into the dragon’s face, the force of the impact sending shock waves through the air.

“Hah!” Grendel chortled in delight, blue blood oozing from his mouth. “Seriously? A demon using martial arts in the flesh…? And you actually hit me with a punch…?” Shaken, Grendel, turned to his counterpart. “Ladon! Let me take this one! Come on! He’s the best damn demon I’ve seen in ages! He’s practically begging me to mess him up! If I don’t do it, who else is gonna beat the crap out of him?!” he roared, baring his teeth at Sairaorg.

Ladon shook his head in disbelief—when small magic squares unfolded by the dragons’ ears. A communication technique, no doubt.

…It must have been Euclid, giving them both fresh instructions.

“I’m staying right here! I’ve finally found a worthy opponent!” Grendel roared, arguing with whoever was on the other end of the magic square.

Ladon, on the other hand, breathed a heavy sigh—and with that, the barriers holding me in place were suddenly released.

“…Very well,” the dragon answered, dissatisfied. “I’ll make my way over.”

The next moment, Ladon activated a teleportation square—a Dragon Gate—right beneath his feet.

“We’ll meet again,” he said, casting a glance our way and vanishing in a flash of light.

…Had he fled? No, maybe he went to Agreas? Our side seemed to have the upper hand over there, after all. Did the attackers need the Evil Dragon’s barrier and ward abilities? It sounded like Grendel had been ordered to go with him, but stayed behind to fight us…

Now that I was free, I took my position next to Sairaorg.

“This guy is too tough to take alone,” I told him.

Sairaorg nodded. “Yeah, I gathered as much after that last attack… But what if you and I worked together?”

—!

…Those words struck a chord in my heart, a sense of exhilaration taking root inside me.

How could I possibly refuse such an offer?!

To think Sairaorg had offered to team up against this enemy!

A wave of joy swirled within me, my fighting spirit surging!

“I’d be honored. Let’s knock this Evil Dragon out of the park!”

“Ha-ha, that’s the spirit. Time for me to don my Lion’s Robe.”

Beside Sairaorg stood a golden lion—Regulus.

Sairaorg pointed a finger straight at our opponent. “Evil Dragon Grendel! I hereby declare you a sworn enemy of the underworld! Regulus?”

“Right!”

Regulus began to emit a golden glow! I recognized this move!

“My lion! King of Nemea! Heed my ferocity, robe me in your glory!”

The ground began to tremble, the space around Sairaorg and Regulus being blown away!

“Balance Breaker!”

“Balance Breeeaaakeeerrr!”

The next moment, a dazzling golden light flooded Sairaorg’s surroundings as he equipped his golden armor.

This was his Balance Breaker, the Regulus Rey Leather Rex!

He stood beside me, shrouded in fighting spirit… Last time I had seen him like this, we had been enemies. This time, however, was different. Now, he was a solid ally, ready to help me take Grendel down a peg or two!

The Evil Dragon chortled in amusement at the sight of me in my crimson armor and Sairaorg in his Balance Breaker.

“Good, good! Now we can have a good old-fashioned brawl!”

The next moment, Sairaorg and I charged straight for him. Grendel, however, crossed his arms and took our fists head-on!

A thunderous crash echoed all around as our double punch shattered the Evil Dragon’s guard. Surprise flickered in his eyes for a second, before his lips curled in a mischievous grin!

Neither Sairaorg nor Grendel stopped, both of them launching into a fistfight that belied their size difference. Sairaorg’s fists landed squarely in the Evil Dragon’s face, while Grendel’s punches connected all over Sairaorg’s body! They were aiming for each other’s weak spots, hitting, gouging, piercing, kicking, and striking again and again!

Blood continued to splatter all around as dull thuds rang out. Sairaorg’s and Grendel’s primal brawl showed no sign of slowing down!

As fighters, they were both embodiments of raw power. There were no fancy techniques on display, no magic, no demonic powers—just brute strength running up against its mirror image.

It was a battle of wills between two stubborn, unyielding, Power-type fighters!

…I had to join the fray…! I was the Red Dragon Emperor, which made me a Power-type fighter, too! There was no way I could just stick to the sidelines!

After taking a deep breath, I charged straight for Grendel, throwing a punch into the side of his face and launching into a barrage of hellish blows!

On seeing this, Sairaorg flashed me a grin while launching a simultaneous attack!

Our punches and kicks slammed into Grendel, and with each hit, fierce counters came flying back at us! He could slam me into the ground and throw me into the air, but once I started, there was no stopping me!

Sairaorg and I kept pressing on, a relentless show of brute force, hitting and hitting as we whittled down our foe. There wasn’t a shred of strategy to our actions. Even with our armor breaking and our bodies crying out in agony, we kept on going, throwing even more ridiculous physical attacks!

Slowly but surely, bitterness wormed its way into Grendel’s smile!

“Hah!”

Our simultaneous punches landed squarely in Grendel’s face!

He arched his back, dropping low to the ground as he gasped for breath. There was no way he could have managed to breathe properly during that last exchange. Even an Evil Dragon would be at its limit under a constant bombardment like that.

In fact, Sairaorg and I had used up so much energy that we were likewise laboring to catch our breath.

“…Gwa-ha-ha! Awesome. Awesome! You’re trying to corner me with just close combat? Most people who fight me try to avoid a straight-up brawl!” Grendel laughed, spitting out blood.

“Sorry, but that’s the best I can do,” Sairaorg answered. “I’ve come this far with my fists alone.”

Grendel positively trembled with joy at those words, jumping back to regain his footing. At that moment, he crunched something between his teeth—and his wounds started healing.

A vial of Phoenix Tears. Where did he get his hands on that?!

His abdomen swelled as he prepared to unleash a fireball. Sairaorg and I split to the sides to launch kicks into his flanks—but just before we could reach him, Grendel started letting loose with several massive fireballs!

I leaped sideways to avoid a direct hit, while Sairaorg dispersed the fireball coming his way with an all-powerful punch. Impressive! He could practically speak with his fists, blowing away the dragon’s fire with just a single punch!

But by the time the flames died down, Grendel had vanished. I glanced around—and spotted him right above us, diving down from the sky at high speed!

“Hah!”

Sairaorg refused to back down, firmly planting his feet as he prepared to throw another punch. But come on, there was no way he could intercept that swoop alone! So I jumped behind him—and transferred my power!

“Transfer!”

My increased power flowed into him, bolstering his fighting spirit to explosive levels! Sairaorg, in turn, channeled enough energy into his fists to level a mountain, and unleashed it at the approaching Grendel!

His perfectly timed uppercut struck the dragon flat in the face, slamming him into the ground as blood sprayed from his wounds!

“Gwa-ha-ha! I’m not done yet! Haaah!”

He rose to his feet with a laugh, while I closed in to unleash a powerful kick!

The impact threw back the dragon, sending him staggering!

But even so, he stood firm, wiping the blood dripping from his mouth with one hand. A smile of genuine joy spread across his face… Yep, he was utterly obsessed with fighting.

“…You’re strong. That last hit from the Bael princeling really packed a punch. It’s like your hits are reaching all the way to my soul… My spirit hurts so much I could keel over. No doubt about it.”

…Was Sairaorg’s fighting spirit so strong his attacks reached all the way to Grendel’s essence? A strong fighting spirit was said to enhance one’s life force, so maybe the opposite was true as well. In that case, he was dealing more damage than I first thought.

Sairaorg clenched his fists once more. “I see. You’re even tougher than they say.”

Perhaps he had finally realized just how much endurance the Evil Dragon possessed.

He flashed the creature a defiant smile. “But you’re nothing I can’t beat. If the Red Dragon Emperor and I combine our fists, we can send you flying!”

Right. Exactly! Grendel was just as tough as when we last met, but for whatever reason, he didn’t seem quite so threatening this time around!

Why? Because I had the offensive power of the next Great Prince by my side. He possessed immense destructive power—of a different kind to Rias. I had experienced it firsthand, which was how I knew—together, he and I could push through!

Grendel continued to wear that creepy grin of his. He cracked his neck—then lunged at us again! A full-frontal attack, as always! It was almost comical! Yet we dived forward in exactly the same way!

Just before we could collide head-on, Grendel leaped into the air in an effort to pass over us, unleashing a massive blast of flames! But Sairaorg and I didn’t let that stop us. We shot up into the air, not caring about the fire! I wasn’t afraid! I couldn’t afford to be! After all, it wouldn’t do to let Sairaorg see me hesitating!

I couldn’t put in any less than he was, not when the two of us had beat each other bloody last time!

We burst through the flames and slammed our fists into Grendel’s stomach! For my part, I boosted my punch with my Solid Impact ability, while Sairaorg poured all his fighting spirit into his strike!

The moment we hit, the collision sent a shock wave ricocheting through the surrounding area, so loud it seemed to ring through the very sky!

A huge gush of blue blood spurted from the dragon’s mouth!

Now that had to be a fatal blow! No matter how sturdy he was, there was no withstanding that hit!

This time, I was taking him down!

But just as victory began to seem like a real possibility—

A massive pillar of purple fire in the shape of a cross erupted beside me…

When at last it ceased, Sairaorg stood there scorched and smoldering.

“…”

Without so much as a single word, he collapsed to the ground!

…An ambush?! How?! What was going on?!

I had been caught off guard—as too had Koneko and Nimura! I raced to scan my surroundings!

A high-pitched laugh sounded in my ears. It was coming from above! When I glanced up, there she was—a figure standing on a magic square suspended in the sky!

“Oh-ho-ho! My apologies. I couldn’t help myself, I just had to throw out a superstrong crucifix.”

Valburga of the Purple Flame?! What was that mage doing here?! Wasn’t she supposed to be fighting Rias and the others on the north side of the school?!

I had so many questions—but at that moment, Grendel pulled himself up from the ground and shouted to Valburga above. “Hey, hey, hey! Cut it out, you damn mage!”

“Oh dear. And here I thought you were having a hard time down there? You should be grateful.”

…Seriously?! They were getting into an argument now?!

Sairaorg still lay unmoving on the ground, smoke billowing from his body… That crucifix was a Holy Relic! It wasn’t just a potent poison to us demons—it was practically a finishing move! Sairaorg’s heightened qi energy from his fighting spirit had helped him avoid being annihilated outright, but the attack had still caused serious damage! That hit had probably been even more powerful than the flames crisscrossing the town. If he wasn’t healed soon…

A jet-black image flew into my field of vision. At first, I thought it might be another Evil Dragon—but it was Gasper, shrouded in darkness!

“Sorry, Issei! She started flying around, causing chaos across the battlefield!” he called.

Talk about a pain. So she was using that magic square to stir up trouble all over the school? If she could cast that holy crucifix attack at our people from a distance, our defensive strategy was shot!

“Oh-ho. Hello there, pretty vampire boy. Let’s play!” Valburga said in challenge, skipping away like they were in the middle of some child’s game!

“Gasper!” I called after him. “Sairaorg and I are tied up, so you’re the only one who can stop her! Please!”

“Got it! I’m not sure how much good they’ll be, but I’ll leave a few beasts behind…! You, with the True Cross, wait for me!”

Exactly as promised, he set a few of his darkness-wrought beasts on the ground and chased after Valburga.

Grendel repositioned himself. “Gah! Whatever. At least that should slow things down a little!”

Out of nowhere, he lunged forward—stomping over Sairaorg, still lying on the ground!

“Damn yooouuu!” I cried in fury, but he kept on stomping on Sairaorg again and again!

“I like a good old bloody showdown—but sometimes a torture kill is what you really need! Gwa-ha-ha! What’s wrong? Get up and punch me again, why don’t you?! Hah!”

Unable to hold back my rage any longer, I charged at the dragon ready to kick him into the horizon—but he jumped away before I could reach him!

I rushed over to Sairaorg, mortified at what I found… His face was badly burned, both legs crushed from that stomp attack, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle, and blood oozed from all over his body.

…They were fatal wounds. He wouldn’t be able to fight anymore… Damn it all! To think he would have to suffer all this because of a chain of cowardly attacks…!

I held him in my arms, tears streaming down my face.

“…Don’t cry,” sounded a voice.

Startled, I watched as he opened his eyes.

—.

He was trying to push me out of the way and climb to his feet.

His armor was shattered, his body broken, his pride crumbling—yet still he forced his quivering body upright.

Blood gushing from his wounds as he spat clumps of some dark red substance from his mouth, this future Great Prince slowly stepped forward—because ahead was a foe he absolutely had to defeat.

Seeing the fierce, unwavering look in his eyes, what he had said to me earlier came rushing back.

These big, rough, misshapen fists have just been tools for throwing punches, all so I could get where I am…

“I can’t afford to fall…!”

…Teaching those kids, I finally understood something…

Grendel snorted in laughter. “Does this building really mean so much to you? The future Great Prince is going to put his life on the line for that?! You’re out of your mind!”

Nonetheless, Sairaorg pushed forward, step after bloody step.

“That school is worth risking my life over…!” he shouted, his voice rich with fighting spirit.

Maybe I was born to do this. I came into this world without my family’s powers of destruction.

“…I’ve…sacrificed a lot…to get here… But I’ve had enough… No one else needs to go through what I did.”

At last, he reached the Evil Dragon and prepared to throw one more punch.

“Those days of beating my fists bloody are over…now that we have teachers and students.”

The next moment, his fists came back to life in brilliant white.

“…My fists might lack my family’s destructive powers, but they’ll still lead you to your demise…! My name is Sairaorg Bael…! And I’m the heir to the princely House of Bael!”

A second ago, he could barely move—and now he had hit the ground running!

Grendel couldn’t have had much strength left, either, but he confronted his challenger head-on! Sairaorg poured his remaining fighting spirit into his right arm and took a swing at the dragon! Left with no time to dodge, Grendel took the hit then quickly countered, slamming Sairaorg to the ground!

Sairaorg collapsed once again, while Grendel swayed unsteadily on his feet.

Realizing he had taken more damage than he first thought, the Evil Dragon shook his head and broke into a maniacal grin.

“…Tch! You’re hopeless! Gwa-ha-ha!”

The next moment, a Communication-type magic square unfolded next to his ear—and Grendel’s expression shifted to one of unbridled rage.

“You’re telling me to hightail it…?! Get lost…! That’s why I told you not to use that Holy Grail as your shield…!”

…Was Euclid ordering him to retreat?

Within seconds, a magic square unfolded beside him—a Dragon Gate! He was planning to escape!

“I’m getting out of here!” Grendel snorted as he strode toward the gate. “I’m gonna get me a new body, you hear? And then I’ll be back to pick up where we’ve left off! Gwa-ha-ha! So long as we have the Holy Grail, we can keep doing this forever!”

I leaped forward in an effort to stop him from escaping.

“Wait, Grendel!”

The Dragon Gate, however, lit up as he prepared to make the jump.

Dammit…! Damn it all…! We were going to let him slip away again?! How many times were we going to have to fight this guy?!

But before he could reach the Dragon Gate, he came to a sudden halt.

Why? Because someone had grabbed him by the tail.

“…I won’t let you get away…!”

He wasn’t even able to stand up, but Sairaorg, down on his knees, had caught hold of Grendel’s tail and was refusing to let go.

“—! Y-yooouuu!” the dragon bellowed in rage.

Again, Grendel stomped on Sairaorg with a massive foot, a hint of fear beginning to show in his bearing.

“Why are you so damn persistent?! You stupid demon! Nggghhh!”

My ears weren’t deceiving me—frustration had entered the Evil Dragon’s voice.

By all indications, he had the overwhelming advantage. Sairaorg had been pushed far beyond his limits, to the point he couldn’t even stand up.

And yet he refused to release his grip on the dragon’s tail.

Sairaorg, his eyes alight with fighting spirit, wore a fearless grin.

“…Pfft. Ha-ha… It seems my tenacity has earned the approval of this notoriously persistent Evil Dragon, Issei Hyoudou.”

Still grasping the dragon’s tail, Sairaorg slowly rose to his feet.

His legs should have long since given up on him, and yet this lion warrior pulled himself together through sheer determination.

“A-aaauuuggghhh!”

Overcoming the pain wracking his body, Sairaorg unleashed a powerful war cry from the very depths of his soul and stood before Grendel.

For the first time, the overconfident dragon shuddered in fear. Here stood a man who should be unable to move, who by all rights should be on the verge of death—and his fighting spirit wasn’t just undiminished, it had grown even stronger.

“…! Damn yooouuu…! Y-you’re really getting back into it?! How the hell are you able to stand?!”

Sairaorg fixed him with a determined glare. “Because I’m going to destroy you.”

“…!”

Those were the words of a dying man. Spoken from anyone else, they might have sounded like a pathetic joke—but they carried such weight that they instilled raw dread into the heart of the Evil Dragon.

“Issei Hyoudou. I can’t finish him alone,” he said. “Let’s do this together.”

I was more than happy to oblige!

“Right! Sairaorg! Let’s take him down!”

I leaped forward and started charging my Crimson Blaster! Meanwhile, Sairaorg continued to hold firm to our opponent’s tail.

“Aaauuuggghhh!”

With a burst of energy, he spun around and hurled him into the air, while I unleashed a colossal explosion of raw aura straight for him!

A direct hit with my Crimson Blaster! Hurling out of control, Grendel couldn’t hope to dodge it—and after a thunderous boom, he started falling to the ground.

Below, Sairaorg prepared his martial arts stance—just like when he had taught the kids to punch in the gymnasium.

Listen up! When you throw a punch, you need to drop your hips and launch it from your whole body!

“…Awesome, Sairaorg…!” I exclaimed, weeping tears of joy.

Meanwhile, in an act of outright violence, the lion warrior’s strike tore clean through Grendel’s abdomen.

The dragon seemed to spew up every ounce of blood he had left, then crumpled to the ground.

“…Dammit…,” he murmured breathlessly, no longer even moving. “C-come on… First that destruction princess, now this guy… I’m… Ugh… Damn it all to hell… Not like this…”

After waiting to make sure he had finally stopped moving, Koneko jumped forward.

“…I’m going to try a technique I learned from my sister!”

With that, she gathered the surrounding qi energy and synchronized it with her own fighting spirit, causing light to erupt from all over her body. This was her Shirone mode!

Then, transformed into a mesmerizing mature beauty, she summoned a group of kasha fire wheels and unleashed them around the fallen dragon.

She made a sign with one hand, and the kasha wheels began to spin, forming a blinding white magic square with Grendel at its center!

“…I’ll seal the Evil Dragon’s soul! Issei, lend me one of the jewels from your armor!” she urged.

I quickly yanked out one of the gems and tossed it to her. After catching it, she threw it straight for Grendel while making some more signs with her hand.

“Evil Dragon Grendel! May your soul find rest between the realms of eternal darkness and everlasting light!”

The moment that incantation left her lips, the magic square blazed brilliant, casting bursts of light all around.

When finally it ceased, all that remained was a crumbled mound of earth shaped like the fallen dragon and an emerald-green jewel.

Koneko breathed a relieved sigh. “I talked with my sister about how they keep resurrecting themselves with the Holy Grail. And she said, why not seal their souls away instead? There are sage arts techniques that can bind an opponent’s life force, so I’ve been practicing some. But I couldn’t do it alone. She suggested one of the Red Dragon Emperor’s jewels might help… It was a shot in the dark, but it looks like it worked.”

So that was what she did. Impressive, Koneko! If she could seal a target’s soul away, the Holy Grail wouldn’t be able to resurrect it. The only reason these foes were so much of a pain was that they kept regenerating themselves, even from mere fragments of consciousness. Without a soul, did that mean their bodies were reduced to dust…?

…Hold on, was this all we needed to beat these guys?

Koneko must have sensed my unease, as she continued. “When we get back, we should ask Heaven to put multiple wards over the gem to make sure his consciousness doesn’t leak out.”

I see. In that case, maybe Grendel was finished after all? And we could use the same strategy against the other Evil Dragons! With this technique, we wouldn’t have to worry about the Holy Grail bringing them back after we beat them.

Incredible! Thanks to Koneko and Kuroka, we finally had a chance at winning!

With Grendel’s seal complete, Koneko returned to her original form—and promptly collapsed from exhaustion. Nimura helped support her…but with Saji and the parents injured as well, we couldn’t afford to stay for long.

“Sairaorg!” I called out, lifting him into my arms.

“…I’ll be fine…”

He shouldn’t have been able to move at all, but still he forced a smile.

…We won! A total victory! At long last, our unwavering dedication had allowed us to overcome that pesky Evil Dragon before he could get away!

“…The children of the underworld are our greatest treasure. We have to protect them,” Sairaorg said, despite his swollen face.

“…Right!”

Defeating Grendel, the Crime Force Dragon, marked Team DxD’s first victory.

Afterward, Asia and Rossweisse rushed over to see to the injured. Thanks to their efforts, everyone made a strong recovery, though they were all severely exhausted. From what they said, it sounded like everyone else was struggling just as much as we had elsewhere on the school grounds.

It wasn’t long before fresh instructions flew in from Chairwoman Sona.

“Everyone, fall back to the school.”

The mages’ new teleportation square, based on untested techniques, was nearing completion.

Kicking away the horde of mass-produced Evil Dragons that came charging at us, we finally arrived at the front of the school, where we caught sight of our friends battling against the onslaught.

“You’re late, Issei!” Kiba called, panting for breath as he sliced an Evil Dragon clean in half.

“Quit acting like the hero all the time, always swooping in at the last minute to save the day!” Xenovia added, fighting off her own foes.

Kiba’s complexion looked awful. He must have used the Gram. A moment later, Vice-Chairwoman Shinra flashed me a sorrowful look, all but confirming it.

The others, having arrived ahead of us, looked utterly worn out from their own battles, their clothes in tatters and their expressions weary. Only Gasper was missing, probably still in pursuit of Valburga.

Rias rushed over to see Sairaorg, who had only just recovered from his injuries. “Sairaorg! You’re here!”

“Yeah. We gained the upper hand over in Agreas.”

I gave Rias and the others a thumbs-up.

“…We managed to take down Grendel!” Koneko said, showing off the gemstone and explaining the situation.

The others couldn’t have been happier to hear the news.

“Got it,” Irina said. “I’ll report back to Lord Michael once we get out of here.”

With that, we started setting up for a defensive battle in front of the school. The entire perimeter was covered by Chairwoman Sona’s water barrier (enhanced after I transferred more power to her), which would hopefully be enough to neutralize the fire-based attacks of any Evil Dragons. We also laid down traps at every turn to ensnare them if they tried getting too close.

Of course, we would be taking on those mass-produced Evil Dragons directly. Those of us who were too worn out to fight, including the parents who had stayed behind, would support us from the rear, while those who still had strength to spare would attack from the front.

Our sword-fighting team—Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina, along with the Knights Meguri and Bennia—would look out for each other as they attacked. Our Rooks—Rossweisse, Rugal, and Yura—were working together to block incoming fire while they launched their own counterattacks. It was a perfect display of coordinated teamwork. And Vice-Chairwoman Shinra’s Counter-type Sacred Gear had evolved to the point where she could summon multiple instances simultaneously to reflect attacks back at our opponents.

“…Begone!”

Koneko, in her Shirone mode, unleashed an incredibly powerful kasha fire wheel. The Evil Dragons wouldn’t stand a chance against that… The problem was she was laboring for breath and wouldn’t be able to maintain this state for much longer, and so it had fallen on Nimura to back her up.

“Hmph!”

“Take this!”

Those of us capable of fighting multiple foes at once, namely Sairaorg and Rias, carved through the oncoming horde in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, Akeno supported the two Kings with defensive magic and barrages of Holy Lightning.

“All right! Time for my next transfer!”

For my part, I followed Chairwoman Sona’s instructions, soaring across the battlefield and taking down Evil Dragons while transferring energy to boost the strength of my allies.

“Issei! Transfer to one of the swordsmen!” the chairwoman ordered while maintaining the water barrier, defended by Saji—still badly injured—and her two Bishops, Hanakai and Kusaka.

“Restore…!”

Working tirelessly to hold the team strong was our healer Asia. No one was more exhausted than her, but still she sent beams of healing light to help our wounded comrades.

In the midst of this desperate battle, a blinding flash burst forth from the school.

…The teleportation square! It was gradually expanding to encompass the entire campus. With this, we could get all the residents out of town! Once that was done, the rest of us would have no choice but to fight until the barrier surrounding the town came down. It would probably turn into a war of attrition, but the other side couldn’t keep us contained forever. According to Gondul and the chairwoman, there were limits to any ability, even those conjured up by Evil Dragons. We just needed to hold on until the technique wore off…

While I was busy pondering this, the others tilted their heads in confusion—the transfer still hadn’t begun.

“…Something’s off. Is there a problem down there?” Chairwoman Sona activated a communication square to check the situation with the mages in the underground shelter.

The next moment, the teleportation square emitted an eerie glow, beams of light shooting off in an unexpected direction!

Taken aback, we followed the beam—all the way to the floating city of Agreas.

As the light radiated toward the aerial city, a loud, mocking laugh sounded all around.

Above us was Valburga! Gasper had caught up to her, too, but it looked like he hadn’t been able to finish her off.

“Oh-ho-ho,” Valburga chortled, holding a hand over her mouth. “How unfortunate for you! The attacks here and on Agreas were just a pretense—nothing more!”

“…Now I understand,” Chairwoman Sona said. “Your real target is Agreas itself. You want the floating island, a relic from the old Demon Kings. And you want the technology the current government, led by Ajuka Beelzebub’s researchers, is still trying to unravel. Or rather, that’s what your leader, Rizevim Livan Lucifer is after, isn’t it?”

“Oh-ho-ho! As expected from the illustrious Sitri heir! That’s exactly right! Rizevim has an interest in the island itself. So we came up with a plan—to use the teleportation magic wrought by your dear mages! Yes, indeed! We’ve planted some of our own people among them! So just as the spell was activated, we made a few minute adjustments and targeted Agreas! And what a brilliant success!”

…What?! So there were traitors among the mages?!

Beside me, Rias pulled a sullen grimace. “This was their plan from the very beginning… They trapped us here so they could use us to take Agreas…!”

…They couldn’t hope to seize Agreas through normal means, so they trapped it within these wards and barriers—but even that was likely to be insufficient. And so they manipulated this mage gathering, infiltrating the Trihexa conference with their own people, while preventing the use of traditional teleportation magic.

Basically, they had forced everyone to work together to devise a brand-new teleportation formula resistant to conventional wards.

And when it was deployed…they swooped in to make their own adjustments, triggering that beam of light aimed straight for the floating city.

In the distance, Agreas was aglow in the magic siphoned from the teleportation square.

Chairwoman Sona nodded quickly to the other members of the student council. Hanakai and Kusaka sprang into action, making straight for the underground shelter to see what was happening down there.

…It finally made sense. Why had they waited three hours before attacking us? Because that was how long it would take to prepare the teleportation square.

This was all just a ploy to snatch Agreas! How deep had they wormed their way into the underworld’s affairs?!

Rias clenched her fists. “There are still lots of demons who support the old Demon Kings, especially when the name Lucifer is involved. With the old Lucifer’s son reappearing, it isn’t particularly surprising some would be willing to join forces with him.”

“What are you planning to use the island for?” Chairwoman Sona asked. “Or rather, what do you need from Agreas?”

Valburga turned her gaze toward the aerial city.

Bathed in the light…Agreas vanished! The entire floating city just disappeared! Did they change the spell to spirit it outside the barrier?!

“And now—”

But before Valburga could gleefully fill us in on their plot, a communication square unfolded next to her ear. She listened on for a moment, her smile turning into an anxious frown as she looked up.

“…No way!” she gawked.

Above us—cracks were tearing through the white sky! Clearly something had happened to the barriers enveloping the area! And they continued to expand, shattering the wards one by one!

Before we knew it, the underworld’s unique purple sky had returned!

In other words, the barriers had been broken!

Who was behind this?! It wasn’t us on the inside, so it must have come from beyond the barriers! But who could have done it?!

At that moment, a flash of light fell from above, crashing into the schoolyard like a meteor strike.

I couldn’t have been more shocked at what I saw—the True Longinus!

…Seriously?! What was that Holy Spear doing here?! Wasn’t its owner out of action…?!

The others were just as speechless as I was!

We waited for the weapon’s user to make an appearance, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Then, all at once, the Holy Spear disappeared with a bright flash!

Valburga let out a tired sigh. “Goodness… I wasn’t expecting to see him here, but perhaps it’s too late now…”

She snapped her fingers—and just like that, the remaining mass-produced Evil Dragons came together to surround the school. We had taken down a considerable number of them, but it looked like there were still a hundred or so left…

…So they were still going to attack even after their operation proved a success?!

Valburga broke out into a grotesque sneer. “Oh, I absolutely adore annihilating things, you know? You look worn out, but do indulge me a little longer, won’t you? Tee-hee!” she said jokingly, before swinging down her parasol.

That must have been the signal, as the mass-produced Evil Dragons swooped toward us all at once!

Though exhausted and still recovering from his injuries, Sairaorg forced himself to his feet.

“Let’s go, Rias, Sona Sitri! If we don’t step up here, the disgrace will hang over us for generations!”

““Right!”” Rias and the chairwoman answered as one.

I took to the skies to confront our foes—when an ominous movement entered my field of vision! Valburga had turned her hand toward the school!

In an instant, a fiery cross rose high over the schoolyard, blowing apart one of the buildings!

“The school! Nooo!” the chairwoman cried in despair, rushing toward the building.

That was beyond reckless! Was she planning on dousing those holy flames all by herself?! If she tried that, she would be annihilated for sure!

She was usually so calm and composed, but seeing the school of her dreams burning before her very eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to stand still. Gone were her calm, precise instructions, raw emotion taking their place as she rushed toward the school.

But it was too dangerous for her to go alone!

“I’ll go, too!” Rossweisse shouted, quickly deploying a magic square and taking off into the air.

Within moments, she had caught up to the chairwoman, landing in the schoolyard and unleashing defensive incantations and magic squares!

But all the same, Valburga’s flames came rushing in!

Those purples flames lashed out at both Rossweisse and the chairwoman! The two were fending them off with their defensive techniques, but their magic squares were starting to crumble under the intensity of the flames! At this rate, they would be consumed in no time!

“Target that witch!” Rias directed.

We leaped into action, ignoring the Evil Dragons to focus on Valburga—yet she conjured up still more purple flames to protect herself!

“Oh-ho-ho! Touch these and it’s game over for you demons, I’m afraid!”

If we couldn’t get close to her, then we would bombard her from afar! Xenovia and I readied ourselves, gathering our auras. A second later, a swarm of mass-produced Evil Dragons swooped toward us trying to interfere! No—they were forming a wall to stop our shots from reaching Valburga!

Meanwhile, the witch continued conjuring more fiery crosses throughout the schoolyard. Faced with those chained attacks, Rossweisse and the chairwoman were on the verge of collapse! Another assault like that and they would be in serious trouble! But by the time we managed to fend off the dragons, Valburga’s next attack was already underway!

The burning cross rapidly approached the two defenders—only to break in half just before reaching them as another figure tore through it.

It was Saji, shrouded in his black flames.

He was using himself as a shield—which meant he was being consumed by the attack in the chairwoman’s place, the purple flames overpowering his own black ones!

“Aaauuuggghhh!” he screamed.

“Saji! Run! You’ll die!” the chairwoman shouted.

Saji, however, refused to budge—holding back the fiery cross at all costs!

…His skin began to split, consumed by the flames.

“…I wanted to be like you, Hyoudou…”

His black flames were weakening, but he kept on talking.

“You became a Pawn around the same time I did… You’re into pervy stuff, you’re as vulgar as they come—downright lecherous, even… But you know what…? You’re always giving it your all… For your friends… For anyone who needs you… That’s the kind of guy you are…”

The purple flames wrapped around him.

“I wanted to be someone people could rely on. But every time I took a step closer to you, you would leap five or ten steps farther ahead… No matter how hard I tried, you were always surpassing me… And then I realized it—I’ll never be able to beat you… I’ve never been more frustrated.”

His voice was tinged with regret, yet he broke into a bright smile.

“But I was wrong. You were chasing after your own ambitions. That’s how you’re always improving yourself. It’s no wonder I can’t surpass you. I’m not you. It’s funny it took me so long to realize that…”

His eyes reignited with determination—and little by little, his black flames began to recover!

“I can’t be you, Hyoudou. But there are things I can do. I’ve found a dream I want to follow!” he cried out from the depths of his heart. “I…! I’m going to be a teacher! For those kids! I’m going to show them the way, how to do the things only they can do!”

Behind Saji, the chairwoman burst into tears. She couldn’t fail to notice the resolve of her own Familia members, that her dream had become Saji’s, too.

Valburga, meanwhile, chortled in amusement. “Oh-ho-ho! It’s futile! This very second, you and your pathetic little school are going to be reduced to ash by my glorious flames! Let’s get this fire started, shall we?”

She stretched out her hand to increase the intensity of her flames, when—

A black serpent appeared next to Saji! Vritra!

“Sorry I’m late, my other self.”

“Vritra?! You’re back from the Sacred Gear?!” Saji exclaimed.

Vritra’s eyes lit up as a confident grin stretched across his face. “Yes, I’m back. It looks like you’ve grown in my absence.”

“…I think I can do it now. I’ve let go of everything that’s been holding me back,” Saji murmured.

A strange aura began to envelop him! I had seen this before! Yes, it was the same phenomenon as when Kiba activated his Holy Demon Swords, when the hero faction enhanced their Sacred Gears, and when I switched to my Boosted Gear Scale Mail!

“Wielder of the Holy Relic!” Vritra roared. “Don’t underestimate my pitch-black flames!”

“Let’s go, Vritra! I know we took some detours getting here, but together, we can do this!”

“I almost grew tired of waiting, my other self! Let’s unleash the full force of the Prison Dragon’s darkfire!”

With that, Saji and Vritra wrapped themselves in their jet-black flames!

“Balance Breaker!”

The black aura burst forth—revealing Saji clad in a suit of obsidian armor, with dark flames swirling around him and multiple tendril-like appendages sprouting from his body.

Having finally achieved his Balance Breaker, he shouted, “Malebolge Vritra Promotion. My darkfire—no, our darkfire—is like Hell itself! Let’s see which is stronger—my black flames, or your purple ones!”

Saji’s voice was blended with Vritra’s, like the two of them had merged together. So it was the combination of their feelings that helped them reach this point! I had never heard of a Balance Breaker like that!

“Malebolge is the eighth level of Hell, the second from the bottom. It’s the place where those who commit malicious crimes end up,” Rias explained.

The next moment, Saji effortlessly dispersed Valburga’s Shien cross and darted toward her.

The Evil Dragons launched their attack—but the tendrils sprouting from Saji’s armor ensnared them all, draining their auras and reducing them to dust.

Meanwhile, a curse had materialized around Saji, spreading across the sky!

“…A Balance Breaker with such a powerful curse…?” Vice-Chairwoman Shinra said hesitantly. “Don’t get too close or it might kill us as well!”

Indeed, the mass-produced Evil Dragons soon succumbed to the curse, plummeting to the ground one after the next!

“Which will prevail? My darkfire or your purple flames?”

“Oh, how delightful!”

Valburga accepted Saji’s challenge—and their midair showdown was underway!

I wished I could lend a hand, but there were still plenty of those mass-produced Evil Dragons hanging around. I had to focus on eliminating them once and for all!

But at that moment—

“—! That was Fafnir’s aura!” Asia shouted across the battlefield. “Ddraig and the others must also be back from the Sacred Gear!”

That made sense! If Vritra had returned, the others probably had as well.

My jewel started flashing. I could feel Ddraig’s consciousness pouring in!

“Hey. I’m back, Partner.”

Whoa! You kept us waiting! How did it go?

“Leave it to me. I’ve got this under control. We can talk once we get out of this mess.”

Got it! Then let’s get this sorted quickly!

Asia, meanwhile, had activated a Dragon Gate to summon Fafnir!

“Answer my call, O Golden King. Creep upon the earth and receive my offering. Come out! Gigantis Dragon Fafnir!”

The gate exploded in light as she finished the summoning incantation, and a golden aura poured forth.

Out popped Fafnir—sporting a chef’s hat?! H-hold on! Why on earth was he wearing that?!

All at once, an upbeat tune started playing in the background, like something ripped straight from a daytime cooking show.

Only then did Fafnir speak up. “Hello, and welcome back to Fafnir’s Three-Minute Meals.”

Was he out of his mind?! But all at once, a kitchen popped up out of nowhere! I couldn’t even think of a comeback! All I could do was watch as he continued talking.

“Today’s dish is Diablo-Style Fried Mighty Panties.”

…Leaving the rest of us watching on speechless, a projection with a list of ingredients appeared beside him.

“This is what you’ll need.”

Diablo-Style Fried Mighty Panties

Ingredients

• Lil’ Asia’s mighty panties, to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• 1 red chili pepper, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Karaage coating mix

…? I couldn’t keep up! Wh-what was he trying to do?! Something bizarre was about to happen—I could see that—but come on! This was way too much over the top!

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

Question marks all but hovered above us. Even the mass-produced Evil Dragons were tilting their heads in confusion! Seriously?! Was this a ploy to get them to stop attacking?!

Fafnir stood in the middle of the kitchen, his eyes sparkling as he started cutting the prepared ingredients.

“First, finely chop all the ingredients except for the mighty panties.”

Next, he turned to Asia. “Lil’ Asia. Mighty panties, please.”

“Y-yes…,” she murmured reluctantly.

“The freshest ingredients are always the best. Now, after giving the mighty panties a good sniff, we dust them with the flour mix.”

…Right in front of us, he shoved his face into the panties and then covered them with flour—before tossing them into a pot of oil!

“Fry them at high temperature until crispy.”

The sound of sizzling oil echoed pleasantly across the battlefield. With the exception of Saji and Valburga, everyone ground to a halt, watching on awestruck. A few of the mass-produced Evil Dragon were even nodding their heads in approval! What was going on here?! Was this cooking show enchanting our opponents or something?!

At just the right moment, Fafnir carefully retrieved the panties from the frying pan, presenting them on a plate alongside the ingredients he had prepared earlier.

Then, with a proud grin, he declared, “It’s ready. My very own Diablo-Style Fried Mighty Panties.”

More than a few of the Evil Dragons broke into a round of applause!

As for Fafnir—he placed the plate of Diablo-Style Fried Mighty Panties right in front of Asia!

“Let’s eat. Nom-nom!” He took a bite, chewed it a few times, then said, “Never change, Lil’ Asia.”

Some of the Evil Dragons were bawling their eyes out! What in the world was going on? How did today’s events bring us here of all places?!

Asia collapsed backward, Xenovia rushing to hold her up!

“Asia! Hang in there! You have to stay strong!”

“…I want to be a crab.”

“No, Asia! You’re thinking about the TV show I Want to Be a Shellfish!”

“Impressive, Xenovia!” Irina nodded. “You’re so knowledgeable! As expected from an honor student with scores in the nineties!”

…

I—I didn’t quite get it, but the Evil Dragons had clearly stopped their assault. What a mysterious power Fafnir had over them!

…It was probably best not to overthink things.

Anyway, Ddraig? Did you bring the previous White Dragon Emperors around?

“…Ah, w-well, about that…”

…You’re being kind of evasive there…

“…Er. I recorded it, if you want to see for yourself… It’s not exactly something I’d recommend…”

…Just show me already.

I closed my eyes, delving into the depths of my Sacred Gear—and Ddraig started playing the footage of his encounter with the previous White Dragon Emperors.

Their faces flashed before me—all of them wearing bright, cheerful expressions.

“Greetings, current Red Dragon Emperor. We’re the residual thoughts of past White Dragon Emperors.”

They seemed really upbeat! Ddraig and the others must have succeeded in bringing them around after all!

“We sincerely deplore a great many actions you’ve taken.”

Ah, sorry about that! I had to own up to it. Then again, this was only a recording, so they couldn’t see my apology.

“That’s why we established a support group, the Red Dragon Emperor Victims’ Association… But it seems we underestimated this new world.”

Did that mean they were dissolving the group? Much appreciated!

I breathed a sigh of relief, when a particularly fearsome man spoke up, “Fafnir has led us to the greatest of truths.”

…

Okay, that name made me more than a little anxious…

“Yes—we have learned the splendor of panties.”

…

…

I was lost for words, my mind grinding to a halt.

Nonetheless, the former White Dragon Emperor continued with an enlightened look, “We all share one thing in common—a fascination with the opposite sex’s behind.”

…Yeah. I suspected as much. The former White Dragon Emperor in the jewel I had added to my armor said the same sort of thing.

“As the White Dragon Emperor, we were forced to deny our ourselves.”

“The White Dragon Emperor should not have sexual proclivities.”

“But Fafnir has shown us the ultimate treasure—Lil’ Asia’s mighty panties.”

Without warning, the former White Dragon Emperor spread what looked like a pair of Asia’s panties—holding on to them like he was clutching a sacred artifact!

“We learned that in today’s mundane world, these amazing fabric products are wrapped around the most wondrous of derrieres.”

“Their shape, function, texture—not to mention the hip line…”

“Hip line…”

“Hip line…”

“Hip line…”

The past White Dragon Emperors all echoed the words one after the next…

“It was a shocking revelation to learn how long we had been deceiving ourselves. But now we have this incredible treasure.”

“We’re told the residual thoughts of past Red Dragon Emperors faded with the words Squishy, squishy, oooooh.”

“Then let this be our declaration of reconciliation.”

The former White Dragon Emperors embraced themselves, then shouted in loud, cheerful voices.

“Lil’ Asia’s mighty panties! Sniff, sniff, achoo!”

…

…

…You’re okay with that, Ddraig?

“…Some things are beyond my comprehension,” he answered in a tired voice.

Yeah, I could imagine his exasperation. He must have been sick of breasts and buttocks by this point…

I knew the dragons were having a hard time with the former White Dragon Emperors, but was it Fafnir’s panties lecture that finally brought them around…? It was too much to imagine…

How was Vali taking it…?

“I wish for all to find peace through Lil’ Asia’s mighty panties,” Fafnir declared. “Such is my hope. Cute mighty panties. A symbol of peace. An international treasure.”

My friends were all aghast, covering their faces in shock. Poor Asia had been all but knocked out!

Rias shook her head. “This generation’s Heavenly Dragons are as weird as they come…”

She was including me in that?!

Sorry! But it was my fault she had become the Switch Princess! This situation was ultimately my fault! But I had to blame Fafnir for it, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to cope!

“That’s it,” Ddraig said. “And now…we can use the White Dragon Emperor’s ability!”

…Ah, so we were good to go? All right. Yep, thanks!

“Stopping our Evil Dragons… The Two Heavenly Dragons and this Dragon King are most unpredictable.”

—!

A familiar voice sounded across the field, a flash of red light passing us by and descending into the schoolyard close to Rossweisse and the chairwoman!

“Eeep!”

The red flash of light sent the chairwoman flying, then seemed to catch Rossweisse.

When at last the light faded, there stood Euclid Lucifugus, clad in his replica Boosted Gear Scale Mail!

That bastard! Making some grand entrance just when we tipped the scales in our favor!

And he was holding Rossweisse in his arms, refusing to let her go despite her protests!

“Greetings, Team DxD.”

“Euclid!” I shouted.

“And you, too, Red Dragon Emperor,” the scumbag continued with a shrug.

Still holding Rossweisse tight, he launched into another of his soliloquies. “We at Qlippoth will be making use of both the flying island and of Rossweisse. Now that Agreas is securely under our control, it would be ideal if we could make a quick exit before the underworld’s army catches on. But I doubt they’ll let us escape so easily.”

The rest of us positioned ourselves around him.

“You!” I shouted, pointing at him with an outstretched arm. “Let Rossweisse go!”

“We’re taking you into custody and handing you over to my brother and sister-in-law!” Rias added, incensed.

That was absolutely right! I was going to throw this guy at the feet of Sirzechs and Grayfia! I had heard Grayfia was still under suspicion because of him, so it was time to put an end to this once and for all!

Euclid simply chuckled. “I’m scared. Perhaps I should at least put up some modest resistance?”

He snapped his fingers—and all at once, the Evil Dragons who had been left stunned by Fafnir’s strange display snapped back to reality and resumed their attack!

However—

“I refuse to back down! I’m not letting anyone beat me at this late stage!” Irina shouted, spreading her four angel wings and taking flight.

“You said it, Irina!” Xenovia called, tightening her grip on the Durendal.

“I’m coming, too! Fafnir, please, lend me your strength!” Asia added.

“Of course. I’m on Lil’ Asia’s side.” Fafnir was likewise ready to make his final stand.

“Issei, President! We’ll leave Rossweisse to you!” Kiba said, charging in with Vice-Chairwoman Shinra!

Rias and I closed in on Euclid—then an enchanted arrow suddenly flew straight for him.

Tracing its path, I spotted Gondul, looking utterly exhausted and barely managing to stay on her feet, her arms outstretched.

“…Release my granddaughter!” she shouted, as stubborn and as strong-willed as ever.

“It seems our people below must have caused quite a ruckus?” Euclid answered. “You look like you could do with a lie-down.”

“Granny!” Rossweisse shouted. “Stop! You’ve used up all your strength! You can’t even move properly!”

Right. She must have used her non-sealed techniques against the traitorous mages who had sabotaged the teleportation square. It stood to reason the traitors were formidable mages in their own right, so she must have really pushed herself to her limits.

“…Be quiet,” she said to her granddaughter. “At the very least, I’ll still save you!”

Euclid heaved a tired sigh. “I’m sorry to say this, but esteemed mage though you are, you won’t be able to defeat me in your current state.”

With that, he conjured a teleportation square beneath his feet. Was he hoping to slip away with Rossweisse in tow?!

We readied ourselves for action—when Gondul mustered her remaining strength to launch another arrow, this time at Euclid’s magic square! The square immediately lost control, twisting and writhing before exploding into a dissipating cloud of light. She had canceled the jump!

“…Sealing my teleportation spell. You’re quite the clever one, aren’t you?” Euclid muttered in annoyance—before spreading his dragon wings in another effort to escape!

Just like that, he took off at breakneck speed! So if he couldn’t teleport, he would just try to fly away?!

Rias and I were about to set off after him when Gondul collapsed to the ground. “Red Dragon Emperor, Lady Rias… Please, please… Help my granddaughter. I beg of you…”

Rias and I exchanged confident smiles.

“Of course,” Rias answered.

“Rossweisse is our friend!” I added.

…She was a valued member of our Familia! We would save her! No doubt about it!

Rias and I nodded to each other once more before taking off into the sky!

We chased after Euclid and found him waiting for us a considerable distance ahead.

Still holding Rossweisse under one arm, the bastard pointed downward with one finger.

The cheek. He was telling us to come down and face him.

Rias and I descended to the ground. We had reached an area of rugged terrain, far from any farmland. There were no buildings or signs of life as far as the eye could see. We could probably be a little reckless here without having to worry about collateral damage.

“Euclid!” I shouted as we prepared to face each other once again. “What are you doing?! Why have you and your terrorists shown up again now?! You’re rebelling against the demon government?!”

He might have been one of the terrorist masterminds, but I owed it to Grayfia to double-check his intentions. After all, he was still her brother.

“…There are a great many reasons, Issei Hyoudou,” he began. “From my discontent with the current government, to questions about my sister, to my countless hours spent in self-reflection. Answer me this, Issei Hyoudou. What is a demon?”

I found myself at a loss at this sudden question.

Euclid nodded in response to my silence. “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, is there? I arrived at the same conclusion.”

“…Are you saying you share Rizevim’s ideas?”

“Everyone has their own thoughts. I’ve simply decided his perspective is essential to my own inquiry.” He took a deep breath. “In my view, what matters most is that one present oneself as a demon to humans and other forces—in other words, that one be more wicked than any other creature or being. This does indeed align with Rizevim’s thoughts. But that is where our perspectives diverge.” He spread his arms wide. “Through Rizevim, I will show the world the true meaning of the word demon. I will have every being remember how vicious and dangerous we are at heart, how inherently evil. At this point, politics and control don’t mean anything to me. Nor do they to Rizevim… Ultimately, we will reveal the true nature of demonkind to humanity as well.”

…What kind of crazy logic was that?!

So he wanted to flaunt his own misguided notion of what it meant to be a demon?!

The smiling faces of the kids who had come to the school floated up in my mind.

Why did they have to get dragged into this mad plot…? Honestly, why…?

“…Are you trying to push demonkind away from everyone else, even the human world…?!” I shouted with a snarl.

Euclid gazed off into the distance. “My sister…was my inspiration. She was always stronger and braver than anyone else I knew. To me, she embodied pride itself. I thought supporting her was to be my path in life. Yet she defied her duty as a Lucifugus to serve the true Lucifer and opened her heart to one not even worthy of being called a demon. Can you imagine my shock, Rias Gremory? What that did to my sense of values?” He pointed to me with one finger. “For the longest time, I was lost—all but dead, both mentally and physically. But then I met you, Issei Hyoudou, always acting as you please. It was a breath of fresh air. And it made me realize something important.” He stared up into the firmament, his expression radiant. “Ah, yes, I thought. I, too, can live life as I want.”

—!

Was he saying he figured out he could live the life he wanted…? What was that supposed to mean?! I couldn’t make heads or tails of this guy!

“Is that really what this all comes down to?!” Rias fumed.

Euclid didn’t seem particularly concerned. “It was a simple thought. A hero for demonkind… The children see him and look up to him. But it doesn’t feel very demonic. So I thought, why not show them a true demon?”

“And you’re saying that’s Rizevim?! Quit fooling around!” I shouted, just as angry as Rias was.

“…You’ve twisted it all!” she cried, on the verge of tears. “Why do you want to abandon peace for the sake of chaos when the future of demonkind itself is in danger?!”

Euclid tilted his head to one side. “Twisted it, have I? Me? You blame me for the distorted nature of demon society? Not the annihilation of our true Demon Kings? We are merely extras; outsiders whose existence has deviated from the Bible and scriptures. No, it’s precisely because the mythos was already shattered that irregular entities like your brother and Ajuka Beelzebub have come about. Perhaps we aren’t even the demons of scripture anymore.”

…

He wanted to show the children what he thought it meant to be a demon? And I had triggered that desire in him…?

I shook my head.

“You can brag about your grand ambitions if you want…,” I growled.

No. Whatever his ambitions, whatever his dreams—those children had nothing to do with them!

“But keep the kids out of it, dammit! You’re trying to tear down the underworld, aren’t you?! In that case, we have to stop you!”

Euclid flashed me a faint smile as I unleashed my crimson armor. “That’s right, you’re doing fine. After all, heroes are supposed to offer fierce protection. You’re on the right track. Unlike Rizevim, I won’t deny you your role. It’s what makes you such a worthy opponent!”

Did he ever shut up?! I would never forgive him!

“Then why go after Rossweisse?” Rias demanded. “Do you need her help to unleash Trihexa? You took quite a risk coming after her in Tokyo.”

Exactly. It was foolhardy in the extreme for a terrorist to go out of his way to try recruiting her in the heart of Japan. If they were caught, they would have difficulty breaking in a second time. They wouldn’t have taken that risk unless there was a very good reason for it.

“…Because of her wisdom,” he said, shifting his gaze to Rossweisse. “She has talent. We could put her to great use. What she was trying to discover wasn’t a way to unleash Trihexa, but the opposite it—to seal it.”

—!

Rias and I were taken aback!

Rossweisse’s paper hadn’t been about breaking the seals placed on it…?

“Besides…,” Euclid said, stroking her silver hair. “The two of them are very similar. Very similar indeed.”

“…Who is?” Rias asked, visibly confused.

“Rossweisse and my sister.”

—?!

All three of us—Rias, Rossweisse, and myself—were left speechless.

Similar? They didn’t look at all alike. I mean, they both had silver hair and carried themselves with confidence, but that was about it…

“…Perhaps she could take my sister’s place for me?” Euclid said with a faint smile. “That’s what matters most.”

…

…It finally made sense… That’s why he told me to give Grayfia his regards when we first met…

…Had he been chasing after her shadow all this time…?

Had he committed himself to this insane cause in a misguided effort to reconnect with his sister?

I mean, the fact that he had risked everything to meet Rossweisse in Tokyo just because she looked vaguely similar to Grayfia… If that wasn’t a red flag, I didn’t know what was.

“…Euclid Lucifugus,” Rias began, her face awash with sorrow. “Your heart, it’s already…”

“…Huh? What are you talking about? I’m perfectly normal here.” He breathed a sigh, then turned to me—or rather, to Ddraig. “Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig—would you consider transferring your soul to this gem?”

“You’re asking me to switch sides?” Ddraig asked out loud so everyone could hear.

“Exactly. I can master you better than any of your previous Red Dragon Emperors. I can bring out far more of you than Issei Hyoudou here. You could be the embodiment of the Heavenly Dragon you once were without having to rely on the false power of that crimson armor… You wouldn’t need that Juggernaut Drive.”

“I see… I’m sure someone like you could tap my full potential.”

“Precisely. I’m stronger than Issei Hyoudou.”

“…Yeah, my current partner is the weakest I’ve ever had. Not only does he struggle to use the strength he has, he always ends up pouring his energies into unnecessary distractions. His obsession with breasts has caused me no end of trouble.”

…He was really letting it all out there, wasn’t he? I mean, I knew he had a lot of pent-up stress, but still!

“But,” Ddraig declared, “he’s still infinitely better than you. In fact, he’s better than anyone I’ve had up till now. What I’m saying is he’s a great partner for me.”

…Thanks. Not that was I was worried, of course.

Euclid shrugged his shoulders, then burst into laughter. “Ha-ha-ha! Then let’s do this!”

He snapped his fingers, and a small magic circle appeared and unfolded atop his hand.

The next moment—a powerful explosion echoed far behind us.

…That was the direction of the school…! No…!

Rias and I were struck dumb with shock.

“Given your lack of foresight, you probably captured the traitorous mages alive, I take it?” he said nonchalantly. “They were rigged with a little surprise—primed to explode at the right moment. Your cherished school is no more, all your hard work up in smoke.”

“…”

“…You bastard…,” I growled.

Both Rias and I were shaking in rage, but that didn’t stop him from going on.

“But ultimately, who cares? It was just a pathetic school building for low-class demon children. What do you know of the school only select high-class, pure-blooded demons can attend? The teachers, of course, all hail from high-class backgrounds as well. The facilities incorporate modern technology while still valuing traditional education. Students connect with their peers through various activity programs. It creates a solid foundation for their futures. For expanding one’s children’s social circles, an elite school is a solid investment… But what value did that school serve?” he asked, speaking as if he found its very existence abhorrent. “Which high-class demons will be going there? No matter how hard one studies, they will end up with average jobs at best. Perhaps they’ll even earn enough to scrape by. But that will be all.”

…

…What the hell was wrong with that…? Those kids were still just discovering their dreams. They were filled with hope… And this scumbag, this lowlife…

I stormed up to him, my aura radiating from every inch of my being.

“…I’m glad you’re a dirtbag. Seeing as you’re Grayfia’s brother, I figured you must have been struggling with self-doubt, probably even second-guessing yourself about teaming up with Rizevim. But you’re not.”

A swarm of wyverns burst from the jewels in my crimson armor. Yes, now that Ddraig was back, it was fully functional again.

“I was in two minds about whether I should go all-out against you… So I’m glad to see you for who you are. You’re a complete scumbag! Which means I don’t need to hold back! I’m going to beat you senseless and then deliver you to Grayfia!”

My aura burned like a roiling flame! Yep, this guy was going down! I was going to knock him out cold!

As the Red Dragon Emperor! As someone who held Grayfia in immense respect! As Rossweisse’s friend and ally!

“Stand back,” I said to Rias. “This won’t take long.”

“But, Issei…,” she began, worried.

“I won’t lose,” I said firmly. “Not again. This time, I’m taking him down.”

Rias, perhaps realizing the strength of my resolve, took a step back.

Euclid, meanwhile, bound Rossweisse with a rope of demonic energy before letting her go.

It was time for a second showdown between the real Red Dragon Emperor and this replica one. In terms of raw power, he remained leagues ahead, despite his Sacred Gear being a mere copy. He was probably more adept at bringing out its unique traits.

But I still wasn’t about to lose to him.

“I’m taking back Rossweisse,” I declared.

“I’m afraid not. I’m going to help her unlock her true potential,” Euclid declared blithely.

“She’s out of your league! But she’s my friend! You think I’m going to let you have her?!”

“Stop him, Issei! Even if you have to take me down with him!” Rossweisse called out.

…Rossweisse. I knew what I should have said to her now.

“I would never do that. I’m going to help you. And I’m going to stop him. That’s all.”

Euclid glanced about at the wyverns flying around me. “They were a hindrance last time, but I know better than to underestimate them now.”

As soon as he said that he ramped up his demonic energy, his aura rapidly swelling until it had enough mass to blow away the entire area! The force was enough to gouge a hole in the ground beneath him, sending cracks tearing through the earth.

…It was an insane level of power. If he unleashed that as a single blast, it would be enough to annihilate even a high-ranking demon. So this was his true strength.

But for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to measure up to Grayfia or Sirzechs. Yes, he was immensely powerful—much more so than I was. Yet it seemed vague and superficial.

…Well, I was paper-thin as well—but at least I was better than this guy.

“Let’s go!” he said, raising his hands in front of him and channeling his demonic energy.

“Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!”

A voice rang out from the replica Sacred Gear, amplifying his aura even more—a colossal level of raw power!

Not even I would emerge unscathed if hit with that. But I lined up my wyverns in front of me.

Euclid’s wave of demonic energy hit them head-on, when—

“Divide!” “Divide!”“Divide!” “Divide!”“Divide!” “Divide!”“Divide!” “Divide!”

With each wyvern the wave of energy hit, its strength was diminished by half. By the time it reached me, it was weak enough for me to sweep away with one arm.

Euclid, however, had seen this last time, so it couldn’t have come as a surprise. Indeed, the second he fired the burst, he darted toward me at high speed, channeling his demonic energy into his fists.

I fired off a Dragon Shot. Euclid moved to dodge it—but one of the wyverns appeared beside him!

“Reflect!”

Without warning, my Dragon Shot bounced off it, changing trajectory! Then it hit another, returning to its original path and flying straight for Euclid!

He spun around, ducking low to dodge it as he launched a fully charged punch at me! If I took that blow head-on, it would shatter my body along with my armor!

I poured my own energy into my arms, letting them swell to boost my defense!

“It’s useless!” Euclid laughed, unfazed. “That won’t stop me!”

Sure enough, his brutal strike slammed into my crossed arms!

The blow resonated through to my very core! And yet I maintained my guard. That unexpected development had Euclid freezing in surprise.

Seizing the moment, I unleashed a powerful punch right into his face with my Solid Impact Booster!

Euclid was thrown back violently, his replica armor severely damaged!

“…What’s the meaning of this?” he asked, staggering to his feet. “My punch was beyond your aura. You shouldn’t have been able to defend against it… But your power surged at the moment of impact.”

Exactly. He was an observant one, wasn’t he?

A small red wyvern was flying next to me. Euclid stared at it, stunned.

“…Don’t tell me that wyvern… It can reflect your Red Dragon Emperor powers?!”

Indeed. This was the ability I had worked so hard to develop. Ever since acquiring my wyverns, I had been trying to figure out how best to use them. They could divide and reflect, of course—but then I thought of this.

Yes. A Red Dragon Emperor wyvern could usher in entirely new fighting styles.

“Give it a go,” Ddraig had said at the time. “At the stage you’re at now, you might be able to manage it.”

I had to push myself to manifest that red wyvern. I was so close to succeeding when Ddraig went to accompany Albion, which put all our efforts on hold… Luckily, his efforts winning over the previous White Dragon Emperors proved a success, which gave me the final push I needed, making my envisioned technique a reality.

The wyverns flew around me, shifting between red and white. With just a single thought, I could make them switch between the powers of the Red and White Dragon Emperors.

Euclid shook his head in disbelief. “Impossible… Harnessing the powers of the White Dragon Emperor…and infusing them with your own…?!”

“A replica can’t do that, can it? Knowing how smart you are, I’m sure you know what’s coming next.”

“…Mixing red and white?!”

Indeed. I could alternate the wyverns’ powers at will. I could see he knew what that meant!

I dashed forward, the wyverns at my side! I sent a few ahead to scout the way, a few to the side, unleashing barrages of demonic blasts, and lined the rest up ahead of me and turned them red!

“I’m not going to lose to you anymore!”

I unleashed a flurry of Dragon Shots!

“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”

The power of my attacks surged as they went through the red wyverns, transforming into a colossal Dragon Shot that all but erased my opponent’s aura on impact.

Euclid took to the skies in an attempt to evade it, but then the Dragon Shot hit the white wyverns I had sent on ahead.

“Reflect!” “Reflect!”“Reflect!” “Reflect!”“Reflect!” “Reflect!”“Reflect!”

The attacks chased after Euclid, reflected high into the sky! He managed to dodge several of them, but it only took one hit to shatter his armor.

Come on, Ddraig. Let’s finish this.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Red wyverns gathered around me, amplifying my power.

“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”“Boost!” “Boost!”

The red wyverns latched on to my body and completed the transfer in a split second.

“Transfer!” “Transfer!”“Transfer!” “Transfer!”“Transfer!” “Transfer!”“Transfer!” “Transfer!”“Transfer!”

…!

…My aura flared to record heights, emitting a dazzling light that flooded our surroundings and temporarily transformed my Red Dragon Emperor armor into something extraordinary.

My chest and abdomen crunched and changed shape—and a cannon barrel popped out, identical to the one that appeared when I merged with the Great Red while using my Juggernaut Drive.

“The Boosted Gear’s forbidden ultimate technique. Longinus Smasher—made possible thanks to my connection with Albion!”

I turned toward Euclid and started charging my aura. Frankly, the intense mass accumulating in my gut frightened even me.

There was no way I could launch this thing toward the ground. I would need to throw my target into the sky to get a clear shot.

Euclid, sensing danger, turned to flee.

“…I hate to say it, but I can’t withstand that!”

But before he could run, he found himself restrained by magical ropes!

“Do you really think you can just insult people like that and walk away scot-free? Your demonic energy may be powerful, but it’s also wasteful. As far as this rope is concerned, I’ve enhanced it and eliminated all superfluous elements.”

It was Rossweisse! She had managed to break free from Euclid’s rope and turned the tables on him instead, all while refining it with her own techniques! She knew what she was on about!

“…Yes, you’re exactly the kind of woman I like!”

How could he still talk like that?! Unbelievable!

He pulled the rope binding him apart—but by then, he was too late. I had finished charging my cannon.

“Euclid Lucifugus,” Ddraig spoke. “There can only be one Red Dragon Emperor in this world. Your defeat is inevitable.”

Right. Exactly!

“There’s only one Red Dragon Emperor!” I cried as I unleashed a massive burst of aura from my abdomen.

“Longinus Smasher!”

The flood of light that struck him filled the sky with a deep, crimson hue.

His armor obliterated and seriously injured after taking a direct hit from my Longinus Smasher, the silver-haired Euclid lay flat on the ground, blood flowing from wounds all across his body…

He stared blankly at the sky in disbelief that he had lost.

As for the sky—it was still stained crimson from the impact of my Longinus Smasher.

…I couldn’t believe it myself. How could my aura still be affecting it?

“Don’t use that too often, Partner. That’s a forbidden move, one that could alter the very environment around you depending on how it’s used. And of course, one shot is enough to drain your stamina.”

Yep, it was scary stuff. I would have to use it with care, only when absolutely necessary… It had left me exhausted… I could barely stand…

Meanwhile, after confirming the others were safe, Rias reached out to the underworld army for reinforcements, to report on the situation in Auros and Agreas, and to inform the authorities that we had captured Euclid.

…Speaking of which, he wasn’t even trying to escape anymore. It was like he had lost the will to fight.

He continued to stare up into the crimson sky. “Why do you like red so much, Grayfia…? I made myself red, too, you know…?”

New Life

After the battle, it was time to deal with the situation in Auros.

The town…had been utterly ravaged by the Evil Dragons, with the area around the school particularly hard hit. There wasn’t a fully intact house or undamaged field to be found.

The school itself was half destroyed, probably due to Euclid’s last attack… It had stood just to be laid to waste at the very end… If there was a silver lining to be found, it was that the buildings hadn’t completely collapsed.

Soldiers dispatched by the underworld authorities were investigating the debris littering the school grounds and the surrounding neighborhood. More than three hours had passed within the barrier, but it seemed barely three minutes had transpired on the outside. How had Rizevim’s people managed to compress an entire hour into just one minute…?

The main culprit behind the attack—Euclid—had been transferred to the Demon Kings’ territory. He had been wearing that annoying smirk of his right up to the very end… I guess all we could do was leave him to Sirzechs from here.

Apparently, the witch with the True Cross—Valburga—had made a quick getaway with Azhi Dahaka and the remaining mass-produced Evil Dragons using a teleportation square… That Holy Relic user made for a powerful enemy as far as we demons were concerned. We would be in a real bind if we couldn’t come up with a better strategy against her moving forward…

After Asia had treated their injuries, Saji and Sairaorg, along with the parents who had fought alongside them, were transferred to a hospital by a medical team. From what I heard, none had sustained life-threatening injuries, but they would need to remain in hospital while they recovered.

…Saji, Sairaorg, the parents—they had given their all to protect the school. It was thanks to them the children—the underworld’s hope for the future—were safe. That was one thing we could be proud of.

Having unlocked his Balance Breaker, Saji was utterly drained, losing consciousness the moment he dispelled his armor… After all, he had just gone toe-to-toe with Grendel, pushing himself far beyond his limits.

The children, their parents, and the townspeople began to emerge one after the next.

“That was quite the show!” sounded a familiar voice—Azazel. “Sorry I couldn’t make it in time.”

I shook my head.

“No. No one could have guessed it would come to this…”

Rizevim’s people were so good they had taken the entire city of Agreas in one fell swoop. From what I heard, the residents had all been safely transferred to the surface, so it was only the floating city that was snatched away.

“What do they want with the aerial city?” I asked Azazel.

Agreas was said to utilize technology from the old Demon King era, many aspects of which remained unexplained. Chairwoman Sona and the others believed Rizevim, as the son of the original Lucifer, might hold the key to some of those secrets.

Azazel breathed a sigh. “Part of me wonders if it houses a superweapon, or if it transforms in some way… Ajuka Beelzebub was in charge of the place, so he might know something. I’d try asking him.”

Not even Azazel knew the answer.

…I hoped it wouldn’t transform into a giant robot or something…

Their goal was Agreas and Trihexa. That was why Euclid had mentioned Rossweisse’s research paper.

Azazel must have been thinking the same thing, given his next words. “I’ve been able to clarify Rossweisse’s research, at least to some extent.”

“…It was about the sealing method used on Trihexa, right?”

“Huh? Did Euclid say something? Yeah, that’s right. Her research wasn’t about breaking the seal, but about understanding how the method worked. She’s the real deal, that girl. I dipped my toes into the topic out of curiosity once, but she really delved into all the possibilities.”

…So it wasn’t about breaking the seal, but understanding how it had been applied? In other words, if there was any indication Trihexa might come back, might Rossweisse’s research help us put a new seal in place?

“…Her analysis is going to hold the key. Which is why she’s going to be a major target from now on… Who would have thought she would end up being our trump card? You never know what life has in store, do you?” Azazel said with a sigh.

Right. Rossweisse might be the one to turn this situation around. Honestly, the members of this Familia were nothing if not incredible…

Azazel reached out to ruffle my hair. “I’ve got a message for you from Sakra… The old Sun Wukong led the fight against the Khaos Brigade with the Heavenly Emperor, and now his successor’s been announced. It’s Cao Cao.”

—. So he was back, was he…? Then that spear… He must have been the one who shattered the barrier… In that case, we would no doubt be bumping into him again soon.

“Don’t let your guard down just because you beat Euclid. You need to tap into more of your Red Dragon Emperor powers if you want to defeat Crom Cruach and the others… Though I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

If Azazel thought I was up to it, I would take that as a confidence boost.

…Hey, Ddraig? We’ve still got room to grow here, yeah? Those bastards tried to take something they shouldn’t have, so we’ve got to be ready.

…There’s no way I’m forgiving them.

“Yeah, no problems there,” he answered confidently. “Let’s go wild together. That’s what the Red Dragon Emperor lives for.”

We could do it. So long as I had my friends and Ddraig by my side, I could pull through no matter what was needed…

“…Now we just need to see if those responsible for this latest incident realize that, too,” Azazel said with a stern look.

…Those responsible. Yeah, it was strange how everything had gone so smoothly for Rizevim and his people. For now, we had managed to secure the sole surviving mage who had tampered with the teleportation square, who had pulled through thanks to imperfections in the explosion spell.

I couldn’t help but think the lack of counterterrorism measures in Agreas and the fact that Auros was chosen to host the mage conference were connected. Without those two factors, this elaborate scheme wouldn’t have been remotely possible. On top of that, the culprits were very careful to seal Gondul’s magic, along with that of the other mages.

We could only assume they had planned this in full knowledge of Team DxD’s capabilities.

…In other words, they had an inside source close to the underworld authorities.

There are those for whom our current peace means endless torment.

All at once, something Vali said not too long ago sounded in my mind.

The next moment, Dulio rushed over, out of breath. “Sorry I’m late! Er… Let me take over from here!”

Not even Heaven’s trump card could respond in time to what had ultimately been just a three-minute event.

I made my way to the tent temporarily set up in the schoolyard.

Those of us who had sustained relatively minor injuries were still utterly exhausted. Asia, having finished treating the injured, was taking a breather. Meanwhile, Gaspy, worn out from continuously summoning his dark beasts, had dozed off in a folding chair.

I decided to plop down in another chair to catch my breath.

“…It’s almost winter break,” I murmured with a sigh. “What a whirlwind second term has been. Honestly, it feels like it’s been one incident after another ever since summer break…”

I had come dangerously close to dying more times than I cared to count over the past four months… Oh, and I actually did die once, at least physically. Was I supposed to kick the bucket every term or something?! At this rate, I was scared about what lay ahead in third term! This was no joke!

“Let’s all get together over winter break,” Rias declared.

“For a special training camp, you mean? With everyone else in Team DxD?”

“As much as I’d like for us all to be able to take a break, we’ve received a request for assistance before the start of the holidays.”

“A request? From where?”

“The Church. Or Heaven, strictly speaking.”

Heaven…! Was it safe for demons to go there? Ah, right, Xenovia journeyed there safely to repair the Durendal, so it was probably fine.

I had never been to Heaven, so I was looking forward to seeing it… What was it like up there? It felt strange thinking I might be able to visit, despite the fact that I was still alive, and a demon no less.

“It seems we’ll be spending the end of December among angels,” Rias said with a smile. “I’m currently finalizing the details with Irina and Sister Griselda.”

Now that sounded exciting.

Before I could respond, Xenovia returned from the basement.

“Ah. There you are, Prez.”

“What’s wrong?”

Xenovia nodded a few times while looking over the rest of the Familia. “I just thought it was a good time to talk, now that Issei’s here.”

Huh? What was going on?

I couldn’t fail to notice Irina puff her chest out and exclaim, “Ahem!”

“I heard there’s going to be an election for the student council at the beginning of third term,” Xenovia said.

Ah, right. It was scheduled right when we all went back to classes.

“Yes, Chairwoman Sona and Vice-Chairwoman Shinra will both be graduating in March, so the council will need new members… Hold on, you’re not suggesting…?”

I suddenly realized what she was hinting at, standing there, arms crossed, positively oozing confidence!

Xenovia raised a hand to the heavens, and declared, “I’m putting my name forward in the election, Issei! I want to be the student council’s next chairwoman!”

—!

“Whaaaaat?!” Kiba, Koneko, Ravel, and I fell back in surprise! Gaspy remained fast asleep, but the others—Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Rossweisse—seemed to have seen this coming.

No way! I had never even considered she might run for student council chairwoman! So that was why she had taken such a keen interest in school events!

“We were just as astonished when we first heard,” Rias said. “Who would have thought Xenovia would put up her hand for it…? That’s why she’s taken such an interest in the school lately.”

Xenovia herself nodded along to all this. “I’ll kick off my campaign at the start of third term… I might have to leave the Occult Research Club, but I hope you can understand. There’s ambition burning inside me.”

…Wh-whoa…

Th-this was going to be something else… To think that Xenovia was stepping up to fill Chairwoman Sona’s shoes!

“I-is that okay?” I asked Rias. “Xenovia leaving the Occult Research Club, I mean?”

She was still part of the Gremory Familia, which formed the heart of the Occult Research Club.

Rias nodded. “Yes, I think so. It wouldn’t stop her from being part of the Familia. And it might be interesting if she was in charge of the school, don’t you think?”

H-how could she say that so lightly?!

“We still have a few more days until the break, so let’s finalize our plans,” Rias said to us all.

Asia reached out to wrap her arms around Xenovia in a hug. “I’m here to help!”

“Me too!” Irina added, jumping over to join them. “I’m pretty good at missionary work! Leave it to me to preach your message!”

“Yeah, I know a thing or two about proselytizing as well,” Xenovia answered. “Let’s do this!”

“”“Yes!”””

The three of them couldn’t be more fired up!

Well, this was an unexpected direction for our Church Trio. It was good to see them offering to assist with Xenovia’s campaign. I was here to help as well! Still, talk about a shock.

I glanced across at Rias, who wore a slightly forlorn look.

“Graduation will be just around the corner after school resumes. The Occult Research Club will need a new president as well,” she said with a sigh.

“Have you decided on a successor?” I asked.

She raised a finger to her lips. “That’s a secret,” she said with a wink. “Akeno and I have made a joint decision.”

Ah. Who could it be?

In any event, there was a generational change over the horizon, both for the student council and the Occult Research Club…

Rias clapped her hands to get our attention. “All right. we’ve still got work to do before winter break. First things first, we need to finish up here.”

“““Right!””” we answered as one as we went about our tasks.

Just then, Irina, tugged at my sleeve.

“By the way, Issei,” she said with a cheerful smile. “It’s time you made good on that promise.”

“Eh?”

I could muster only a goofy wheeze at the sight of her bright smile, but that didn’t stop her from continuing on without a care.

“The promise we made when we were little… I’m sure you’ll remember when Christmas comes around!”

“Here is fine,” Gondul said, activating a teleportation square in a corner of the schoolyard.

She was severely worn out after all the fighting, and was off to get checked out at an underworld hospital. She could have easily let the medical team handle the teleportation spell, but she insisted on doing it herself.

Rossweisse and I had gone with her to see her off.

“…”

“…”

Silence hung suspended in the air, neither Rossweisse nor her grandmother speaking up. All of a sudden, I sensed several presences rushing toward us—children. Lirenkus was among them.

“““Ms. Rossweisse!””” they called out sadly.

“Ms. Gondul!”

“Are you really going?”

“Are you coming back?”

“I want to learn more about magic!”

“I want to be able to use it like you do!”

Gondul reached down to pat the children’s heads. “I’ll be back. And I’m sure Rossweisse will, too.”

Hearing this, the children’s faces lit up with the brightest of smiles.

“Rose,” Gondul said, looking her granddaughter in the eye. “The path you’ve chosen to take and the knowledge you’ve gained may be different from the rest of our family, but they aren’t wrong. Look here…” She gestured to the smiling children. “These smiles are the result of all your hard work. They’re only possible because of the person you’ve become. You should be proud of yourself… You’re my pride and joy.”

Rossweisse covered her mouth with one hand, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check.

“…Yes. Thank you,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

With that, Gondul channeled more magic into the teleportation circle.

“Well, I’ll be off… Ah, yes.” Just before making the jump, she turned around as if suddenly remembering something. “Be a good boyfriend and take care of Rossweisse for me,” she said, winking my way.

“Um…”

I started to shake my head, but Gondul’s smile was unwavering.

“It’s reassuring to know she’s in your hands.”

With that, she disappeared in a burst of light.

…

It turned out to be an awkward farewell… I let out a forced chuckle, while Rossweisse’s face had turned bright red.

“U-um, Rossweisse?” I called.

“…B-b-b… Er. B-but you were so amazing! A-and…it made me really happy when you chased after me.”

“Of course. I’d always be here to protect you,” I answered.

Rossweisse stared down at her feet. “U-um… What if we went to a two-hundred-yen store sometime?”

A two-hundred-yen store…? Yeah, that sounded about right.

“Sure thing,” I answered with a warm grin.

She smiled back in turn.

A moment later, the children started teasing the both of us.

“Are you gonna kiss? Hey, are you gonna kiss?”

“The Breast Dragon is going to kiss someone other than the Switch Princess!”

“I ain’t gonna go kissin’ him! Ain’t no way! Not me!” Rossweisse answered in a fluster, her country accent returning in full force.

After seeing off Gondul, we went to assist in the town’s recovery efforts.

…Finally, it was just me and Rias, clearing rubble around the school. So much had happened lately, and I hadn’t had a chance to ask her out on a real date.

…All the same, I wanted to shorten the distance between us.

…

I paused to catch my breath, then addressed Rias while she lifted a huge pile of rubble with her demon powers.

“…U-um, I don’t know how best to say this… Er…” I hesitated. “I’ve made a decision… But I wanted to double-check with you first, if that’s okay…”

She turned to me with a puzzled look. “What is it?”

…Just go ahead and say it, Issei Hyoudou! If you can’t take the plunge here, you won’t be worthy of calling yourself the Red Dragon Emperor! You’ve been wanting to say this forever, so go ahead! There’s no telling when you’ll have another chance!

Reprimanding myself, I brought my nerves under control.

“…Do you mind if we speak more casually when it’s just the two of us…? I just want to chat like normal…”

The next moment, the debris Rias was lifting came crashing down. She looked dazed, like I had caught her by surprise—but a second later, her eyes glistened with emotion.

“—. Yeah.”

…All right! I did a mental fist-pump.

“Thanks, Rias.”

“No, I’m happy. I love you, Issei.”

We took each other’s hands, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Me too. I love you as well.”

We were finally talking normally! Seeing as she was older than me, and my master to boot, I was a little intimidated at first! But now that we were talking, it felt like the most natural thing in the world! I had been dying for this sort of conversation!

I was glad I had come out with that… Because I did love her…! And I wanted to be closer to her.

At that moment, someone cleared their throat a short distance away.

Rias and I startled—and spotted Chairwoman Sona.

Had she seen all that?! Did she sneak up on us or something?!

Embarrassed, Rias and I quickly let go of each other’s hands!

“Shall we build a monument to you two here on the school grounds?” she asked in a flat voice.

““No need!”” Rias and I answered as one.

Brother?

“Hello, Euclid.”

“Greetings, Sirzechs. Or should I say, brother-in-law? I’m surprised to see you taking the time to come and see me.”

“…I have a great many questions for you. But one stands above the rest… Why?”

“…Because…you have my sister…and I don’t. That’s all… It seems your other brother-in-law is the better man…”

“He was strong, wasn’t he? He’s our pride and joy.”

“You’re bragging.”

“…So are you interested in this other world?”

“…No. I just wanted to taste real chaos. Do you mind if I ask something…? What does the word demon mean to you?”

“Demons are living beings. Individual demons may have different humans, but as a species, they possess both good and evil.”

“…You are a soft one…”

Emperor

“Ha-ha-ha! Thanks to you, we’ve snagged the entire floating city!”

“…The name Lucifer means everything to a true demon.”

“Anyone sharp enough might peg there’s a snitch among the demons involved in this mess. But talk about a laugh when they find out the backstabber is none other than the legendary Emperor Belial!”

“…I was merely following your orders.”

“So what do you want to get out of working with me?”

“…I wish to investigate something both Heaven and the current demon authorities have let slide.”

“Oh-ho. Now that tickles my fancy. So what is it?”

“The town in the human world that Rias Gremory claims as her own territory was once the domain of a relative of mine. However, they were erased due to political maneuvering… I suspect Archangel Michael, Irina Shidou’s father, and several other members of the Christian Church were involved.”