After invoking "Divine Avatar: Vamana," Sai Akuto took only a few steps to touch each experimental subject and transfer them all into his personal space. ...
Looking at the girls inside his space—some still bleeding while a healing array worked over them—Akuto recognized someone he barely knew.
"Hm? Isn't this... the experimental subject from Ryoukuu High School they just captured?"
"As expected, the timeline tied to [Trap of the Sky-Eater] doesn't match what I imagined."
The girl held in this base was named Higashijō Sae, formerly a second-year student at Ryoukuu High School.
In the original Dog God storyline, she's Kise Tobio's neighbor and childhood friend. Sae and Tobio have a close relationship.
Sae herself—and her family—took great care of Tobio. After Tobio's grandmother Kise Shuba passed away, Sae's parents even kept the relics Shuba left for him.
Originally, after a string of events, Sae was supposed to end up together with Kise Tobio.
But during the Utsusemi incident, Sae was abducted and [modified] to become the host of the "Lion Who Lost His Courage," one of the Three Eagle Wings.
Later, in her battle with Kise Tobio, Sae awakened.
To stop the lion from hurting Tobio again, she actively guided the Sacred Gear blade into her own chest, seeking release.
In the end, she survived under the protection of a spell on Tobio's prayer beads—relics left by Shuba.
Afterwards, she requested to keep her memories and joined the "Fallen Ones" with Kise Tobio. Although her physical wounds had not fully healed—according to Yaukusta—she actually benefited from misfortune: "The Lion Who Lost His Courage" still resides within her, merely sealed for now by the operations of the Kami Overseers.
Ordinarily, by the present point in the DxD timeline, [all of this should already have happened].
But the worldline Akuto inhabits seems different. Right now, Sae has only just been attacked; there's been no time yet for experimentation or Sacred Gear implantation.
Judging by her condition, she was gravely injured in the Utsusemi assault; without prompt treatment, she would soon die.
...
After casually applying a wave of healing to the injured experimental girls, Akuto turned his attention back outside.
"Whoosh—"
"Whooosh—"
Within mere seconds, bluish-violet Leviathan Water seemed to condense from nothing, spilling out of the void until it fully wrapped the surroundings.
"This is... the Sea of Dissolution?"
Katerea recognized the spellwork, yet something felt off.
"No. This is... the Sea that Devours Heaven."
Akuto answered calmly.
"Hmph! 'Devours Heaven,' my foot! Get him!"
Himejima Karatachi commanded the Sacred Gear-wielding teens under him to charge.
"Don't act rashly!" Katerea shouted.
But it was already too late!
The "Sea that Devours Heaven" seemed to have its own will. It slipped past all attacks and struck directly at the true bodies of those Sacred Gears!
If "Tide of Dissolution" and "Sea of Dissolution" merely melt flesh and dissolve attacks, then the "Sea that Devours Heaven" possesses the terrifying power to dissolve souls!
"Aaah!!"
Screams rose one after another. The moment their Sacred Gears were touched by the sea, all those wielders suffered soul damage and were forced out of their Gear states!
Such an uncanny sight filled both Himejima Karatachi and Katerea with stunned disbelief.
Katerea ignored Karatachi entirely and instead looked at Akuto with urgent eyes.
"The Sea that Devours Heaven—wasn't that an incomplete technique even our forebear failed to finish? How can you possibly use it?"
Katerea had asked a question with an obvious answer.
"Because I've already surpassed the First Leviathan," Akuto spread his hands helplessly. He truly couldn't fathom how she came up with that question.
Though the First Leviathan never reached Chief God-class, the underworld's blessing gave him insights beyond his tier; he developed many successors to ultimate Leviathan formulas.
With the God of the Bible's knowledge and his own mastery of spellcraft, Akuto had already learned every final technique recorded in the Book of Leviathan!
Beyond those finals, he'd even kept going, researching and forging ultimate techniques that would be entirely his own!
Rough development routes and progress:
Water Burst → Aqua Demolition → Swift・Aqua Demolition → ???
Tide of Dissolution → Sea of Dissolution → Sea that Devours Heaven → ???
Serpent of the Abyss → Abyssal Tri-Dragon → Ten-Headed Leviathan → ???
Torrent → Surging Tide → Ocean Roar → ???
...
"No! Impossible!"
How could Katerea accept that Akuto had surpassed the First Leviathan!?
The ultimate arts of the Leviathan line, perfected by an outsider—her humiliation was unprecedented!
"Let's see whether you, a counterfeit Leviathan, are just bluffing!"
Katerea raised her staff as dark-violet mana swelled.
[Abyssal Tri-Dragon!]
Riding a massive water serpent, Katerea ascended to Akuto's height in a flash.
"Katerea, I respect your courage."
"But people must grow. In the end, you still have to face the facts."
Thoom—
Akuto tapped the air. A beast far larger than Katerea's triple-headed serpent surged up from below!
[Ten-Headed Leviathan!]
Gazing at the all-too-familiar giant she'd seen on the pages of the Book of Leviathan countless times, Katerea's Dao heart shattered.
"Impossible impossible impossible impossible!!"
"Impossible!"
[Aqua Demolition!]
Refusing reality, Katerea struck first at Akuto!
"How pitiable..."
Akuto didn't move, standing right where he was.
A second later, the Ten-Headed Leviathan beneath his feet tore Katerea's Abyssal Tri-Dragon to shreds!
There was no helping it. Even with the Core of Evolution boosting her, after this period of training Katerea had only just reached mid-tier Super-Maou. The gap from Akuto—whose power now brushed Chief God-class—was painfully obvious.
"Boom boom boom boom!!"
Several watery demonic phantoms detonated around Akuto, rattling space.
A few seconds later, his form reappeared. Cocooned in Leviathan Water, Akuto was completely unharmed!
"Now!"
Seizing the moment, Himejima Karatachi hurled his supposed game-winner at Akuto.
A special arrow smeared with "Samael's Poison" shot forth!
Even though Akuto was enveloped by Leviathan Water, that water was also draconic-serpentine power—and thus within the counter range of Samael's poison!
Fwish!
The black poison-tipped arrow sliced through space, cut through the outer Leviathan Water, and struck Akuto's crimson Scale Mail!
And then...
And then...
It bounced off.
"What!?"
Himejima Karatachi's eyes bulged. How!? Did he bring the wrong tool!?
"Dragon-Slaying, is it? So that's why your side dared to move against me?"
Akuto shook his head.
Back when he first awakened, his Sacred Gear had already purged all weaknesses.
"It's time to end this fight."
...
While Katerea and Himejima Karatachi attacked one after another, Akuto's Sea that Devours Heaven had fully sealed the area!
Even if Karatachi tried to open a teleportation array, it would be destroyed instantly by the sea's energy-dissolving nature!
"Ka-ka-ka-ka—"
[Momentary Ice Emperor] activated. All water-element mana—Katerea's included—froze solid!
And then...
[Frost Demolition!]
"Boom boom boom boom!!"
A chain of explosions!
Perched atop her water serpent, Katerea's body froze together with the beast—then the blast hurled her away!
[Frost Demolition] was Akuto's specialty technique for dealing with water- and ice-type foes.
Harnessing the Cloud Dragon of the Eastern Sea's qi and a special lattice of ice, Akuto could shunt his energy into an enemy's water or ice constructs by special means!
Thus Katerea's ice and water would first freeze—then detonate!
"Damn it! How is this happening!?"
Collapsed weakly on the ground, Katerea tasted a defeat she'd never known.
Akuto had not only surpassed the First Leviathan; he'd even developed techniques unique to himself—clean counters to a fellow water-attribute user like her!
...
"To avoid becoming Akuto's prisoner, I'll have to use that thing."
Gritting her teeth, Katerea activated an extremely rare teleportation item.
Vmm—
A thick halo of spatial energy welled around her body with a strange fluctuation.
"Hm?"
Akuto arched a brow and reflexively tried to intercept with the Sea that Devours Heaven.
Normally, when a teleportation array touches that sea, its formation and energy desynchronize and it fails on the spot.
But this time, as if unimpeded, Katerea's array succeeded and whisked her out of sight right before Akuto.
"This is..."
Through the "Eye of Truth," Akuto watched the entire process of Katerea's teleportation—clearly seeing what set her array apart.
"This is... a teleportation array from another world."
"If I'm not mistaken, it's from the EXE World."
"As expected, the Band of Calamity has deep ties to the EXE World."
Arriving at the coordinates where Katerea vanished, Akuto attempted a reverse trace.
But, lacking a grasp of the EXE-world teleportation's operating principles for now, the trace failed.
"The EXE World... truly terrifying."
"It ignored time and worldlines to snipe the God of the Bible right as He was about to break through to Dragon-God class in ancient times."
"It altered the world's rules to force the God of the Bible into a destined death."
"And now, this special teleportation array."
"The EXE World's depth is obvious; no wonder it's a 'super-world' that has conquered who-knows-how-many realms. Against a late, not-yet-transcendent world like DxD, it's simply overwhelming."
"I just don't know whether they've noticed me yet—or when they'll make their move."
"But rather than wait for their strike, I've always preferred to attack first."
Akuto glanced at Himejima Karatachi, who had been blasted into a near-death state, and casually tossed out a healing domain.
Katerea ran, but this wasn't a loss.
There was a trove of research data here—and the Utsusemi leader, Himejima Karatachi.
Karatachi's value was immense. Whether as the head of a terror group or for the secrets of the Band of Calamity locked in his mind, he was a prize beyond price.
Soon, the soul-search ended, and Akuto pulled all the intel out of Himejima Karatachi's head.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]