AN: Alright! This will be the last chapter for this week. See you guys next Friday!
Please don't forget to leave a comment, review, and rating~.
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Wasteland, Underworld, DxD Planet…
Loki threw a massive block of condensed magic straight toward Issei and Vali.
"Getting hit by that head-on would be bad!" Issei shouted as he and Vali quickly moved to evade.
Vali dodged past it clean, but Issei was a split second too slow. The attack clipped a part of his armor, throwing him violently off balance. He spread his draconic wings wide and had his boosters at full power regain balance.
"Damn it! As expected, a god really is a god," Issei gritted out through the sting of pain. "Even an Evil God, his power is no joke!"
'And if he wanted to, Loki could probably break the Boosted Gear Scalemail easily,' he added in his mind.
Vali, taking advantage of his superior speed thanks to his light wings, shot forward in a blur of white light. His glare locked onto the Evil God's smug figure as he launched his counterattack.
A huge amount of demonic power is coming out from him, mixed with Norse magic formulas. Multiple spells formed in rapid succession before firing to Loki all at once.
But Loki dismantled them too easily; his magic alone tore through the barrage of attacks, though not completely. A few attacks still slipped past his defenses and struck his body.
Unfortunately, it didn't do any remarkable damage.
"To be expected from the White Dragon Emperor!" Loki laughed. "You've already grasped Norse magic in such a short time—but it's still not enough!"
A wave of magical power burst from Loki, glowing in a rainbow-like colour as it shot straight toward Vali. He then responded by making his wings bigger as he braced himself to take the attack head-on.
"…I can't fully activate the halving effect against a God-class opponent yet," he muttered. "So I'll reduce your power—bit by bit."
[Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!!]
The Divine Dividing activated. Loki's attack began to shrink. The magical attack shrank until it disappeared.
"Kuuh…!" Vali panted, sweat beading. His breathing became hard. "Looks like I can halve without direct contact if it's an attack like this… but it's draining me fast."
It was a technique he made from a lesson he learned the hard way. It was when he challenged Noah to a battle and attempted to halve Noah's power. This resulted in overloading his body to the point that his internal organs exploded. An event that nearly killed him.
But even so, not all of Loki's attacks were neutralized.
Several of them had slipped through, slamming into Vali's armor. Cracks spread across the Divine Dividing Scalemail, but only for a moment. He repaired white armor almost instantly.
[BoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoost!!]
Issei wasn't idle either. He charged his boost in a single second and fired a super-charged Dragon Shot at Loki without hesitation.
The attack flew straight toward its target, but Loki's expression twisted into amusement as he took it head-on. He raised one hand and slapped the attack aside, redirecting it toward Vali.
Vali tilted his body at the last second, letting the attack skip past him.
"WHAAT?!" Issei shouted, eyes wide.
The attack he had poured everything into… was treated like an annoying fly.
"Fuhahahaha," Loki laughed, shaking his smoking hand. "The White Dragon Emperor possesses refined strength, while the Red Dragon Emperor's attacks overflow with spirit. You lack technique, but you aren't someone to be taken lightly."
He leaned forward, his grin widening.
"A blow filled with raw feeling… it rings in the heart. Just how much emotion did you pour into that strike just now?"
'Damn it…!' Issei grimaced. 'Even with President Sona's buff, Loki is still an opponent I can't take on alone.
He clenched his fist, then glanced at Vali.'
'But if I'm fighting with Vali… there's still a chance. As long as I still have energy left, I can transfer it—to him, or to the others.'
But a certain memory flashed through Issei's mind—words spoken by the person who had trained him during those hellish ten days.
"Listen, Hyoudou. Even now, you're still weak. So weak that you can barely keep up with those who are on the border of the Ultimate Class," Hajime had said clearly. "Thought I'm quite confident you can handle High-Class opponents with ease, sure… but that's not where you matter most."
Issei could still picture Hajime's serious expression as he continued.
"Despite your obvious shortcomings, you're extremely valuable on the battlefield. A single piece that can tilt the board if used properly. The answer lies in your Sacred Gear—its ability to boost power and transfer that accumulated strength to your comrades."
The Hajime in the memory looks straight at him.
"But if you're going to play the support role,' Hajime had warned, his voice firm, 'you have to be very careful. Everyone knows what Boosted Gear can do. Your enemies also know you can transfer that power."
A brief pause.
"And that's exactly why they'll aim for you first."
"Rather than the White Dragon Emperor who moves at high speed—it's far easier to capture the Red Dragon Emperor!" Loki grinned evilly. "If you manage to transfer that multiplied power, it would be nothing but a nuisance. That's why I'll kill you first!"
Loki thrust his hand toward Issei, divine magic rapidly gathering at his fingertips.
'Crap!! Just like Nagumo-san said—he's going after me first!' A cold sweat ran down Issei's spine as he braced himself.
"…Ignoring me is something I can't accept."
Vali swept in instantly, slipping behind Loki as demonic power released around his arm, his attack aimed to intercept the strike meant for Issei.
An enormous amount of demonic power condensed into Vali's hand—but before he could release it, Fenrir's massive open mouth appeared from his blind spot.
There was no time to dodge.
The divine beast's fangs tore through Vali's armor with brutal ease, instantly destroying the white armour and piercing straight through his body.
"Guhaa!"
Blood sprayed into the air, staining Fenrir's jaws, stained in red by Vali's blood as his body was thrown aside.
"VAAAAALLLLIIIII!!!!!!!!" Issei screamed.
"Fuhahahaha!" Loki roared with laughter. "Looks like I've crushed the White Dragon Emperor first!"
But before Loki could continue celebrating, a calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Bishop to G5."
Seekvaira teleported in a flash near Vali and Fenrir, her six devil wings spreading wide as she took to the air.
"Time Reversal!!"
She had used the power of the Agares bloodline over time. The flow of time returned on itself just before Fenrir's fangs closed in.
It was as if someone had pressed the replay button; the world went backward.
The beast's mouth returned. Blood vanished. Vali's torn flesh knit itself whole, and the broken white armor reformed around him, pristine once more. In a blink, the scene was pulled back from the moment of devastation to the right before Fenrir was about to bite Vali.
"Rook to G6."
Similar to Seekvaira's sudden appearance, Bikou teleported in beside them.
"Extend—Ruyi Jingu Bang!!!!"
With his shout, the staff shot forward at impossible speed, expanding midair and slamming straight into Fenrir's throat.
"ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!!"
The world-devouring wolf let out a furious howl as it was driven backward, forced away from Vali.
"Pawn to F6."
Issei felt a tremendous amount of power flow into him. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, then reappeared right in front of Fenrir.
[BoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoostBoost!!]
"Take this, you damn dog!!!"
His arm ignited, a blazing fire shaping itself into a dragon's claw. Issei glares at Fenrir.
"Heavenly Dragon's Claw!!!"
The attack landed squarely on Fenrir's nose, smashing the divine beast into the ground with a thunderous impact.
But the DxD Team wasn't finished.
"Pawn to E7."
"Nyahahaha~."
A grinning Kuroka warped in above where Fenrir crashed. Magic circles appeared around her feet as a massive, thick golden chain burst forth, wrapping itself tightly around the struggling giant wolf.
It was a chain weapon Hajime favored—the Chains of Heaven, Enkidu… or rather, a mimic created through the power of Reason. At Sona's request during the strategy meeting, he made one for her, which Sona entrusted to Kuroka, who kept it stored in her personal space up until now.
In the next instant, the rest of the DxD Team moved.
Tomoe, Ruruko, and Tsubasa from Sona's Peerage. Koneko from the Gremory Peerage. Ladora Buné, Gandoma Balam, Liban Crocell, and Beluga Furcas from the Bael Peerage—and finally Bafeel Furcas from the Agares Peerage.
Each of them grabbed a section of the chain and, with all their strength, pulled it tight, immobilizing the divine beast completely.
"Fuhahahahaha! It's useless! Countermeasures against Gleipnir were already in place…!!!" Loki laughed loudly—until his eyes finally focused on the chains binding Fenrir.
"Those chains… Impossible! How could they be here—?! That's the Godslayer's…!"
The realization hit him at once. According to rumors circulating, it was said that Hajime Nagumo possessed Enkidu.
Fenrir let out a pained howl that spread across the battlefield, its massive body completely restrained.
"—Fenrir, captured," Sairaog said firmly, eyes fixed on the immobilized divine beast.
Loki's expression froze in disbelief. His mouth hung open as he stared at the scene he never expected to witness. This should have been their victory—Fenrir had successfully taken out Vali. And yet, in the blink of an eye, everything had been overturned.
The wounds inflicted on Vali were gone, erased as if they had never existed. Fenrir, meanwhile, had been subdued through the combined efforts of the DxD team.
With his face darkening, Loki slowly turned his gaze toward the one who had orchestrated it all.
Sona Sitri stood calmly atop the cliff. In her hands floated a miniature chessboard of water, its translucent pieces mirroring the exact positions of everyone on the battlefield—a reflection of the massive water chessboard she had deployed since their initial confrontation.
Sona, on the other hand, let out a small sigh of relief. She had made it in time and saved Vali, pushed Fenrir back, and bought everyone a moment to breathe.
"Sona… you do realize what you just did was completely ridiculous, right?" Rias said beside her, half-exasperated, half-amused.
"…I didn't do much," Sona replied, shaking her head. "I only made use of everyone's strengths and guided them in the right direction."
"Hehehe~ speaking like a true Nameless now, huh?" Rias teased.
Sona's cheeks flushed as she turned slightly away, rubbing her face with a finger.
With Fenrir's movements sealed, the group could finally focus on finishing the fight, so long as they didn't let their guard down.
'Then that means Loki is the only one left…' Sona thought as she looked up at the frozen Evil God.
But instead of panicking over Fenrir's capture, Loki let out a low, unsettling laugh. The sound alone sent a chill through the DxD team.
'Does he still have something up his sleeve?' Sona narrowed her eyes, carefully watching him.
"I'll admit it," Loki sneered, spreading his arms wide. "I didn't expect you to push Fenrir this far. But if you think this is enough to stop me… then you're sorely mistaken."
"Their specs are lower, but…"
The space on both sides of Loki was distorted.
From the warped space, two new figures emerged.
Ash-grey fur. Razor-sharp claws. Eyes utterly devoid of emotion. Jaws stretched wide, lined with merciless fangs.
"Skoll. Hati."
Though smaller than Fenrir, the two were still unmistakably gigantic wolves. They threw their heads back and howled toward the sky, answering Loki's call.
"AWWOOOOOO!!!"
The clouds overhead were blown apart as their cries rang out, revealing a full moon glowing in a golden hue. Bathed in its light, the two beasts—no, the wolves—howled again.
"It wasn't just one of them?!" Issei shouted, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
"I transformed a Jotunn woman living in Járnviðr into a wolf and had her breed with Fenrir," Loki said smugly, explaining with theatrical pride. "The result was these two. Their specs are lower than their father's, yes—but their fangs are genuine. They can kill a god… and every last one of you."
He pointed forward, laughter dripping from his voice.
"Go, Skoll! Hati! Those are the ones who captured your father! Tear them apart—rip them to shreds with those claws and fangs!"
Along with the gust of wind, the two wolves run forward.
One shot straight toward Sona and the group atop the cliff.
The other charged at those holding the chains binding Fenrir.
"Hmph! A mere dog!"
Tannin moved instantly, positioning himself between the wolf and Sona. He drew in a breath and unleashed a torrent of dragonfire, a blazing inferno that swallowed Hati whole.
Yet even within the flames, the beast kept moving—as if the attack barely mattered. Its body was being scorched and damaged, but it didn't flinch.
"Ngh! I won't let you take them down!"
Sairaog lunged at Sköll, his arm glowing gold as Ki surged through him. Sköll reacted at the same time, swinging its massive forepaw downward.
Fist met paw in midair.
The impact detonated outward, blasting dust and wind across the battlefield.
"On this occasion, I'll have you fight against these as well."
As if piling disaster atop disaster, Loki summoned more reinforcements. The shadow beneath his feet expanded, stretching unnaturally—then split open.
From it emerged a gigantic serpent—no, several of them. Five long, slender dragons slithered forth, their forms unmistakable.
"You even mass-produced Midgardsormr!" Tannin growled in disgust.
The five smaller Midgardsormr inhaled as one, then unleashed their flames simultaneously.
The DxD team tensed, bracing themselves against the incoming deadly dragon breath.
But despite the sudden assault, Sona had already begun to move.
The giant water board that Sona made lit up. Streams of water move outward, wrapping around Sköll, Hati, and the mass-produced Midgardsormr, forming cage-like chess pieces that lock their bodies in place.
In Sona's hand floated a golden king piece, representing herself. Without hesitation, she threw it onto the board and smashed the chess pieces that represented the enemy beasts.
The moment it hit them, roaring water erupted.
A flash flood swept across the battlefield, crashing into the enemies, forcing them back in unison.
Sköll, Hati, and the five Midgardsormr staggered under the impact, letting out frustrated roars as they were driven away, their glares all fixed on Sona standing at the rear.
"Hell yeah!!!" Issei pumped his fist into the air.
"Damn… no wonder she was confident saying she could handle me," Vali said with a grin.
From the back, Sona finally let out a long sigh of relief as she confirmed her move had worked.
'I'll have to thank Alice-san after this,' she thought. 'Her training really helped me react when things went out of control.'
"Ahahahaha! Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, you went and flipped the table, Sona!" Sairaog laughed heartily, genuinely amused by how the situation had changed from dire to balanced in a single move.
"Hmph. Indeed," Loki scoffed, though his eyes narrowed with interest. "You truly surprised me, devil—no—Sona Sitri, I, Loki, acknowledge you. You are a partner worthy of that Godslayer!"
Sona's serious expression immediately broke as color rushed to her cheeks, her sudden fluster drawing amused looks from everyone around her. She shot them a glare, but with her face still red, it carried no real intimidation.
"Ahem… t-this is just what anyone would expect as Hajime-san's partner," Sona coughed lightly, turning away. "More importantly, aren't we still fighting here? Stop focusing on me!"
"WAHAHAHAHA! Interesting—really interesting!" Loki laughed wildly, eyes locked onto her. "Looks like I'll have to take you down first if I want to defeat the rest of them. Get ready, girl!"
Divine power surged from Loki, shaking the world itself. But before he could take even a single step toward Sona, his path was blocked—red and white standing side by side.
"Sorry," Vali said calmly, stepping forward. "That woman is the partner of the person I intend to defeat. And she just saved me, so I owe her a favor. I won't let you lay a finger on her."
"Heh! President Sona is our comrade, after all!" Issei added quickly. "Besides… It's honestly terrifying to imagine what Nagumo-san would do if she got hurt. So—uh—we'll stop you from reaching her!"
"AHAHAHAHA! Then come at me!" Loki roared. "White Dragon Emperor! Red Dragon Emperor!"
The battle against Loki entered its next stage.
The outcome was still uncertain—but everyone in the DxD team understood one thing now.
This fight was no longer hopeless.
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