The powerful presence created an intense pressure as the dragon's imposing figure dominated the sky.
Daniel scratched his head, confused. Why wasn't it working? What was different? He remembered being able to control the Ancient Gear Golem that one time. So why was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon ignoring him? Because he was poor? Or maybe because he didn't wear a white coat?
"Blue-Eyes, attack Raynare directly!"
"..."
Silence.
The dragon ignored him once again. The enemies began to glance at him oddly as they slowly backed away, careful not to provoke or anger the dragon. Daniel felt embarrassed.
"Uh… Blue-Eyes, please?" he begged, growing dizzy from blood loss.
Asia noticed the wound on his back still hadn't fully healed and hurried to heal him.
Rias, who had been watching, asked,
"May I try?"
Daniel just nodded; he had already given up. Rias, like him, tried several methods, but the dragon treated her as if she were air, remaining motionless in the sky.
Rias was also confused. So it's not because of my demonic power? she wondered.
Meanwhile, Asia had already summoned her Sacred Gear and was healing Daniel with an expression filled with both guilt and gratitude—but mostly tenderness.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon turned its head and observed the girl with curiosity.
Rias noticed, somewhat surprised.
"Asia, you try. It seems to like you."
The blonde nodded and bowed to the dragon, speaking nervously.
"Etto… Dragon-san, could you please help us?"
Unexpectedly, the dragon didn't ignore her; it even seemed to be considering it.
A soft, feminine voice echoed:
"You're interesting, little one. You have the potential to become a dragon priestess."
Rias and the others widened their eyes in astonishment at the massive creature.
"It can talk?" exclaimed Rias, intrigued.
"It's a girl?" asked Issei, who had been silent until then.
The dragon snorted.
"Of course I can talk. Did you think I was some stupid beast?" she growled, beating her massive wings and sending out gusts of wind that nearly blew them away. "Even though I don't feel like it, I'll help at the request of the blonde girl." She then turned toward Daniel. "I don't recommend summoning powerful spirits without the proper strength. Not all of them will be as kind as I am."
Daniel watched her for a few seconds before nodding, trying to understand what she meant.
---
Raynare sped off into the distance. She and the other exorcists had heard everything. She didn't want to die—the enormous dragon before them was impossible to fight.
"She has the presence of a Cadre…" murmured the fallen angel as she tried to flee, cold sweat running down her back.
For the first time, she regretted trying to steal Asia's Twilight Healing. Still, her resentment toward those meddling demons remained strong.
"I'll get my revenge," she whispered through clenched teeth. Perhaps some Cadre would be interested in the gray-haired boy's ability. Summoning a dragon that powerful was no small feat. Even if Grigori didn't intervene, she was ready to sell the information to anyone capable of destroying those demons.
Before she could get far, she heard the cutting sound of wind and the steady flapping of enormous wings.
Raynare didn't turn her head; she knew exactly what was chasing her. She tried to speed up but was quickly overtaken.
The massive dragon appeared before her, staring coldly. The fallen angel trembled in fear but still tried to change direction before being struck by a claw that sent her crashing into the pavement near the terrified exorcists.
"Boy, activate the spell! This plane limits me too much," the dragon said impatiently.
Daniel nodded and took the last card in his hand.
"Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Beside him, Rias felt her demonic power being drained, leaving her dizzy.
In the sky, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its jaws, gathering an immense amount of energy surrounded by crackling blue lightning, then unleashed a devastating beam toward the enemies.
Raynare tried to get up. The exorcists panicked—some prayed to the god they had betrayed, others tried to raise barriers. But it was useless. Within seconds, they were all reduced to ashes.
---
Rias and the others stared in disbelief at the level of destruction the dragon had displayed. Issei trembled slightly until the presence in his left hand shared some energy with him, calming him.
Everyone turned to Daniel, who, surprisingly, looked relatively calm.
"Kouhai-kun, the golem from last time wasn't nearly as terrifying," commented Akeno.
"It disappeared before showing its true power," Daniel replied, shaking his head.
"No surprise there. The energy cost is enormous. I can't remember the last time I ran out of demonic power," sighed Rias, pulling her hand away from Daniel's.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon looked down at the ashes with satisfaction. Then, sensing something, she approached the group.
"You'd better end the summoning. You wouldn't want to die from lack of energy, would you?"
Daniel froze. He still remembered vomiting blood when he had summoned the golem without enough gray energy. Anxiously, he deactivated the duel disk, but it was too late—the little energy remaining in his body began to drain, causing unbearable pain.
The dragon sighed tiredly before glowing and shrinking, revealing a beautiful young woman with silver hair and blue eyes, wearing an elegant white dress, floating gracefully in the air.
"This way, the consumption will be lower—enough for you to cancel the summoning."
Daniel wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded gratefully. The group was once again stunned. Issei stared at the young woman with burning eyes, struggling not to drool.
The duel disk vanished, and a rift opened in the sky, releasing a gray mist that spread slowly.
The dragon—now in human form—approached the rift while saying her goodbyes.
"Don't summon me again without sufficient strength. Dragons are proud and noble; don't expect to control us without real power." She glanced at Asia, who waved at her gratefully. "In fact, I'd rather be summoned by the blonde girl."
As she crossed the rift, she turned her head, sensing something.
"Does that perverted kid… smell like a dragon?" she muttered incredulously as the rift closed.
---
The street fell silent once more as the evening sun shone faintly.
If one ignored the holes in the pavement and the scattered debris, it could almost pass for an ordinary afternoon.
Issei looked wistfully at the scorched section of the street.
"Yumma-chan…"
Even though she had only been his girlfriend for a day—and even though she had stabbed him—well, they didn't have many good memories together.
Still, Issei offered a silent prayer for his ex-girlfriend's chest, then turned and held his aching head as he walked toward Daniel's house, where everyone had already gone in.
"There's no time for regrets. If what that Sacred Gear guy said is true, I can still get stronger."
Even after witnessing the power of Daniel's summons, he didn't lose hope.
"Harem King…" Issei hummed as he entered the house.