"Haa... haa... haa... Cough, cough!"
Gasping for breath, I coughed violently.
My armor was cracked in several places, and bright red blood streamed from wounds all over my body.
Seeing my battered state, Miwa let out a scream.
"Big Brother!? You're hurt!?"
"Nah, it's nothing serious. Just ran into a little interference."
"Interference...?"
"While tracking your energy to get here, I got swarmed by my replicas, Evil Dragons, and hordes of demonic beasts. Took me a while to deal with them. More importantly, are you okay?"
It was like they were waiting for me to try and pass. They just kept coming.
They overwhelmed me with sheer numbers; it was seriously dangerous.
Miwa rushed over to me and tried to sprinkle her Phoenix Tears on me, but I stopped her.
Phoenix Tears are an instant-recovery tool that heals wounds immediately.
Using them on injuries like this would be a waste.
If we're going to use them, it should be a bit later—we need to save them for that moment.
Nodding, Miwa stopped trying to use the Tears and cast healing magic on me instead.
Of course, it wasn't as fast as Phoenix Tears or Asia's healing, but it was enough to close my wounds securely.
Once the healing was done and my wounds had closed, I gently patted Miwa's head.
"Thanks. That helped."
"No... you pushed yourself too hard for my sake, didn't you...? Because of me..."
"It's fine. Being able to push yourself for your little sister is a big brother's privilege. Besides, losing you would be way more painful for me. ...Now then."
I told Miwa that, then shifted my gaze to Asem, who was elegantly sipping from a teacup.
"Asem, you've got some nerve laying a hand on my little sister... is what I'd like to say, but it doesn't look like you actually did anything to her."
Two teacups sat on the table.
One was in front of Asem, and the other was at the seat opposite him.
That was where Miwa had been sitting just a moment ago.
He probably served that tea, but... talk about being too laid-back!
Asem spoke up.
"Well, naturally. I never planned on attacking her from the start. I just wanted to have a little chat this time. I figured you'd come once I brought her here, but you were pretty fast. I expected it to take you a lot longer."
"You think I could take my time after hearing Miwa was taken?"
"Whoa~ total sis-con mode engaged."
I won't deny it.
If Miwa is kidnapped, I'll chase her through fire or water.
I'll chase her to the ends of hell and take her back.
That is the duty of a brother who loves his sister!
[Sis-con...]
Fufufu, you're realizing that now, Ddraig?!
We've been together long enough, haven't we?
[That is true, but... you really overdid it this time. You even used EXA just to get here. weren't you supposed to save that for Asem?]
If I hadn't used it, I wouldn't have made it here.
Besides, I minimized the consumption as much as possible, so I still have plenty left in the tank.
...Well, we already found out last time that EXA alone isn't enough to reach Asem.
[The adjustments for THAT aren't finished yet, are they?]
Azazel-sensei is working on it even now.
I think it should be done soon...
Anyway, I just have to wait for Sensei to contact me about that.
I asked Asem.
"Why did you target Miwa? No, maybe I should ask why you wanted to talk to her."
"Oh-ho? Judging by that tone, you were listening to our conversation?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
I listened in through Miwa's comms.
Well, I was busy fighting off delaying tactics like Evil Dragons and whatnot, so I didn't catch every single word.
But I got the gist of it.
There are a lot of things I want to ask, but first, why Miwa?
That was what bothered me the most.
Asem answered.
"In a word, she is... no, perhaps I should say you two were special."
"Special?"
"Yes, special. I don't know if you realize it, but you two symbolize the current Ast-Arde. A world where those who fought for years now join hands. That is the current Ast-Arde. A Hero who continued to fight on the side of humanity despite being from a different world, and a girl who is the daughter of a Demon King."
Asem pointed at Miwa and me.
"A Hero who, even after his best friend was killed by demons, did not hold a grudge or hatred, but wielded his power for the future. And Miwa-chan, who lost her biological father and her family, yet accepted his feelings and his will, resolving to walk forward. Normally, it wouldn't be strange for you to point swords at each other. But you are different. You understood everything, accepted it, and trusted each other. You are the symbols of that world. That's why I wanted to talk. ——You have good eyes."
Hearing Asem's words, my sister and I looked at each other.
Me and Miwa, symbols of the other world, huh?
I never thought of it like that... but now that he says it, maybe it's true.
I also... when Miwa was entrusted to me, I had thoughts.
I, the one who drove her real father to his death... Someday, this child might—
But Miwa was different.
She accepted my feelings and Sirius's feelings, and told me she would walk with me.
She relies on me.
She shows me smiles from the heart.
She became my family.
To me, Miwa is someone entrusted to me, but at the same time, she is truly precious—
I turned my gaze back to Asem.
"For all that talk, the vibe feels completely different from when you met me."
The tone is the same as when we first met, but the atmosphere is totally different this time.
The "prankster" Asem isn't here; his eyes look like they are gazing at something... distant.
Then, reaching for a cookie on the table, Asem smiled meaningfully.
"Now, was it really? ...Either way, I am your enemy, an existence that brings harm to this world. Aren't I someone you should defeat?"
"——Tch!"
A thin film of aura enveloped Asem's body.
It was barely visible, yet the pressure was immense.
At that moment, something appeared on Asem's left hand.
Seeing it, my eyes widened.
"That is...!?"
What appeared on Asem's left hand was—a Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, dyed black.
The shape was slightly different, but it was unmistakably the Boosted Gear.
Tracing the surface of the gauntlet with his right hand, Asem smiled.
"This is a Sacred Gear dedicated to me, which I obtained by searching inside the 'System' using your replica as a base."
Ddraig let out a voice of shock.
[You bastard... Did you use my copy for that?!]
"No, no. This gauntlet doesn't have anything sealed inside it. I should say it contains my own power. You know how Loki made Laevateinn? It's kind of like that. I said I used the Hero-kun's replica as a base, but that was mostly just for the shape. You can consider the contents something completely different."
"...What do you plan to do with something like that?"
This guy is powerful enough without needing weapons.
Judging by his conversation with Miwa, if he really wanted to, he could probably toy with even the gods.
Why seek even more power...?
I was both shocked and suspicious.
However, the words that came from Asem were unexpected.
"I made this thinking about when I fight you."
"What...?"
"Right now, you're not there yet, but someday you will reach me. You have the potential. Well, let's save its true value as a surprise for that time. ——Come on. The one standing here is a bad god who might destroy the world. Try and stop me."
"..."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
His current demeanor reminds me of someone... yeah, him.
There are parts of him that resemble Rothwald.
They aren't exactly the same, but he reminds me of him somehow.
Ddraig, this is the second time today.
Can we do this?
[I have no problems. However, how will you fight? We cannot see the bottom of his power. If he goes all out, what will happen...]
I know that all too well.
But we have to do it.
Enveloping myself in a red aura, I stepped forward to face him.
My armor was in EXA form—my current strongest form.
...Azazel-sensei, please hurry, okay?
I took a deep breath.
"This time, I'm going to make you show me your true intentions."
"Aha♪ Try and make that fist reach me."
[Azazel Side]
Several hours have passed since Issei and the others entered the Underworld.
I was in the underground room of the Hyoudou residence.
Aside from me, the Occult Research Club members, the Sitri retainers, Sister Griselda, and Joker were present.
Finally, the time designated by the Church coup faction had arrived.
I stepped forward to explain the outline of this operation.
"This battle is a brawl with the Church coup faction. It will take place on a Rating Game battlefield set up beyond this teleportation circle. The opponent has already agreed. Therefore, you guys can go wild."
Though this field is a bit of a special custom job, unlike the normal ones.
Well, it would be best if we didn't have to use it... but honestly speaking, I kind of want to use it to gather data.
Sona spoke up.
"It is scheduled to start exactly at midnight. The other side will likely come to the field through our magic circle as well."
Saji followed up on that.
"Still, I'm surprised they agreed. Did they not consider that the destination might be a prison, or inside a barrier, or that the field itself might be a trap?"
Saji has a point.
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