Under Bokue's direction, the subjugation team's operational objective shifted brutally from "delaying" to "extermination."
Scene transition: thousands of kilometers from Lilith, across a desolate wasteland.
This—the decisive battlefield Sirzechs and company had determined yesterday after departure. Everywhere the eye could reach revealed only barren rock mountains, not a blade of grass surviving.
Particularly crucial: this location maintained considerable distance from both Lilith and surrounding high-class devil nobility territories. No matter how earth-shattering the battle, it wouldn't affect anyone.
Whoooosh—
Accompanied by wind carrying thick dusty breath sweeping across the wasteland, wherever it passed, rock walls standing millennium after millennium released soft rustling sounds.
Current time: 9:30 AM. Two and a half hours remained until Loki's maximum dimensional gap escape deadline.
Currently, Rias's group had already reached a certain depression within this wasteland.
A small basin. Subjugation team members surrounded the basin's upper rim—eyeing the lowest central point below like predators.
According to pre-designed tactics, this marked where Loki would manifest. The moment he emerged from the dimensional gap, everyone would charge together—blades ready, firepower maximized, overwhelming him in unified assault. Some demonic outsider didn't deserve honorable combat...
Naturally, ideal scenario.
Reality obviously couldn't be that simple. Otherwise, yesterday at the palace hall when he'd floated airborne like a living target—if truly that easily resolved, they'd have already swarmed him then.
Regardless—adapt on the fly.
"Heads up. Incoming."
Sensing airborne dust particles trembling slightly—reacting to some power—Rias voiced alert warnings.
Simultaneously, Sona Sitri—leading her own peerage as main force participants—pushed up her glasses while nodding acknowledgment with a soft hum.
Almost the instant both girls' words concluded, visibly intense spatial fluctuations finally rippled outward from the basin's center.
The next second, the identical magic circle that had sealed Loki into the dimensional gap materialized from nothing—centered on the spatial disturbance's origin point.
Except compared to initial deployment, the current sealing magic circle was already on its last legs. Magic locks representing seal strength creaked ominously—seemingly ready to snap any moment. Arcane patterns across the circle's surface were riddled with cracks.
Exactly as Ajuka had previously stated: twenty-four hours marked absolute limits.
CRACK!
A shattering sound transmitted. The barely-holding-together sealing magic circle suddenly developed a massive fissure—as if an entire chunk had been torn away. Dazzling magical radiance flooded through.
Moreover, with this fissure's appearance, additional cracks subsequently emerged one after another—carving crisscrossing patterns across the already-critical magic circle.
Then—
BOOM!!
No fancy theatrics. Solidified, torrential terrifying magical power erupted in one explosive surge from the thoroughly-ruined magic circle—completely shattering the seal.
Under everyone's watchful gazes, magic circle fragments scattered in all directions. The evil god Loki—who'd once arrogantly attempted assaulting the alliance ceremony—manifested within.
He stood amid those explosive shards' epicenter. Upon breaking the seal, his first action: surveying surroundings to identify which fools dared block his path.
Most importantly—verifying whether that young man capable of punching Bikou like an intercontinental missile remained present.
Undoubtedly Loki possessed considerable pride. But he wasn't mindlessly arrogant.
At minimum, he understood clearly: if Bokue Keikain stood opposing him, then extremely likely even full-power efforts alongside Fenrir couldn't breach his defenses... hm?
However, reality permitted no such leisurely observation. A projectile containing highly-concentrated destructive magic burst through dust clouds—smashing directly toward his face. Immediately following: overwhelming lightning strikes, water-pressure impacts, even a massive golden cross descending from above like a flyswatter.
"Meaningless parlor tricks..."
Loki snorted coldly without expression changes—raising his hand to summon defensive arrays constructed from extremely-concentrated magical power.
He wasn't Norse mythology's All-Father. But absolutely not some second-rate deity either. His divine power ranked impressively even across all Valhalla. How could a few brats possibly—
BOOM!!
Concentrated bombardment converging on single points instantly swallowed Loki's silhouette. Explosive impact generated violent wind pressure radiating in all directions. Sharp-as-carving-blades wind forces directly carved collapsing scars across surrounding rock mountains. Viewed from distance, resembled a small mushroom cloud rising majestically.
Receiving the full frontal assault, Loki was blasted from the mushroom cloud's center—flying backward over a hundred meters before restabilizing. His defensive magic circle flickered unstably—already near-shattering state.
"Mm..."
The Trickster God gritted teeth slightly while casually using magical power to patch his wind-coat's torn hem—concealing minor disheveled traces.
This was his miscalculation. He'd completely underestimated attacks from several young girls carrying such devastating weight. Only when attacks reached his face did dangerous magical fluctuations alert him—forcing hasty defensive reinforcement to barely block.
Otherwise, that strike would've inflicted significant damage. Though ultimately managed without major issues.
In that case—
Reaching this conclusion, Loki abandoned pretenses—raising his hand to channel full-body magical power.
"Manifest, my sons Fenrir! Jörmungandr!"
Words concluded. The massive summoning magic circle previously appearing in the palace hall expanded once more across wasteland skies.
Except this time—not purely wolf howls alone.
Emerging from the summoning circle alongside the heaven-devouring wolf: an ultra-long dragon spanning five to six hundred meters total length.
"Uwaaaa!!"
Atop a rocky precipice peak a thousand meters from the battlefield—previously seated at cliff edges while swinging her legs—Serafall reflexively clenched small fists upon witnessing this scene, releasing extremely tense vocalizations.
"That Loki's too underhanded! Why'd he summon an additional dragon compared to last time?! Plus, if I'm not mistaken, that should be Jörmungandr—one of the current Five Great Dragon Kings!"
"Jörmungandr?"
Standing beside her, Bokue raised an eyebrow.
After all, according to Norse mythology, Jörmungandr should be a serpent. How'd it become a Dragon King?
However, the already-agitated Maou girl couldn't hear his words whatsoever—muttering to herself while preparing to stand.
"No good, no good! Onee-sama must rush over immediately! Can't let our adorable Sona-chan suffer harm..."
"Don't panic. Sit down."
Before finishing, Bokue pressed both hands onto the Maou girl's shoulders from behind—preventing her rising motion, pushing her back down.
Then he himself sat down—embracing Serafall's slender, soft waist from behind while spreading both legs alongside hers. Like holding a small child.
"Back in Lilith, weren't you the one pontificating about everyone possessing rights to realize self-worth, blah blah blah? Argued so convincingly then—backing out now? Relax. I'm watching."
"..."
Serafall fell silent.
She'd completely failed to anticipate Bokue would suddenly perform such bold actions. Could only sense the young man's breath and warmth gradually permeating from behind—like crimson slowly climbing her cheeks.
Only after considerable time elapsed did Serafall nod imperceptibly—voice mosquito-thin.
"Mm..."
Since Bokue-kun was helping watch, probably no issues.
Regardless... absolutely wasn't her neglecting sister protection.
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