Variant Detonation. A Sacred Gear that caused explosions on contact with every attack, damaging opponents through sheer detonation.
Compared to ultra-rare Sacred Gears like Blade Blacksmith and Create World, its ability wasn't exactly flashy. Mediocre, even. But when its wielder was a warrior with a powerful physique, the threat level skyrocketed.
Heracles. The great hero of Greek mythology, the demigod who completed the Twelve Labors and ascended to godhood.
Now, the man who had inherited his soul was using that monstrous physique to attack Utaha. Every time his massive fists came down, Variant Detonation triggered, engulfing her in violent explosions.
If Utaha weren't a barrier specialist who could deploy shields on demand to block each blast, Heracles would have already pounded her to pieces.
This frustrated Heracles to no end.
"Picked the wrong opponent. Should've gone for the Blade Blacksmith user."
At least that one was a close-combat fighter. Not like Utaha, who was annoyingly hard to crack.
"No can do. That little sister is mine."
Jeanne called back with a laugh, already deep in a high-speed battle with Asuna.
Both had become blurs, each gripping two holy swords, trailing countless arcs of light as they attacked furiously. Steel clashed against steel, sparks erupting in dense clusters, carving slash marks into the ground. The intensity was staggering.
"What a shame."
Not far from their battlefield, a white-haired young priest spoke with a note of regret.
"As a fellow swordsman, I would have liked to cross blades with that holy sword wielder, but Jeanne beat me to it."
His disappointment faded quickly, and he turned his attention to the person standing across from him.
"Still, getting to fight the legendary Holy Cross isn't bad. For a former Church man like me, I'd even call it lucky."
Standing opposite the white-haired youth was none other than Mahiru.
"I've heard about you from Yukino."
Mahiru studied his conspicuous white hair and was silent for a moment before speaking.
"She said our master once told her about a special facility within the Church. Its purpose was to cultivate warriors who carry the blood of the hero, Siegfried."
Leo had mentioned this back at the Yukinoshita household, deliberately bringing it up to draw out Sharon's background.
But Yukino had remembered it and later shared it with the rest of the Eligos peerage.
"Apparently, every warrior who came out of that program has a distinctive head of white hair." Mahiru's gaze lingered on his priest garb and white hair, and her voice dropped lower. "If I'm not mistaken, you're one of them."
The white-haired youth raised an eyebrow.
"Just call me Siegfried."
"Well, I was indeed the Church's top exorcist warrior. The best they had. But I left the Church a long time ago and joined the Hero Faction. That nun over there locked in a death match with the Yukinoshita girl? I'm the one who recruited her. Her circumstances were similar to mine."
Siegfried shrugged, the corner of his mouth curving upward. He seemed to be in good spirits.
"By the way, just like the hero Siegfried, I'm also a demonic sword user. The opposite type from the holy sword wielder fighting over there. But I don't use a Sacred Gear that creates demonic swords. I wield the real thing."
With that, Siegfried drew a sword from his waist.
A closer look revealed several blades hanging at the former top-tier exorcist's hip, and nearly every one radiated a vicious aura. The polar opposite of holy swords. Dangerous, terrifying, the kind of weapons that felt like they'd curse you just for staring too long.
If Kiba Yuuto were here, he'd have recognized them immediately as demonic swords. Not Sacred Gear creations, but genuine legendary demonic swords, on the same level as Xenovia's holy sword Durandal.
The one Siegfried drew was the most vicious, ominous, and terrifying of them all. The instant it appeared, Mahiru felt a chill run down her spine.
As the bearer of the Holy Cross, she instinctively sensed it. That sword was extremely dangerous.
"Gram, the Demonic Emperor Sword. The demonic sword wielded by the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried in life. The strongest of all demonic swords, the emperor among them. It once slew the Golden Dragon King Fafnir, and possesses both the vicious sharpness to cut through anything and immense dragon-slaying power."
Siegfried raised the legendary sword, letting its malevolent aura flare.
"If you're not careful, this sword's power will devour you."
The moment the words left his mouth, Siegfried swung Gram down hard.
BOOM!
The vicious aura wreathing the Demonic Emperor Sword erupted, separating from the blade and tearing through the ground as it surged toward Mahiru, her expression shifting instantly.
BOOM!
Without hesitation, Mahiru raised her hand and unleashed violet flames, sending a crucifix of pure purple fire hurtling toward the incoming wave of malice. The two forces collided head-on.
The explosion thundered outward as the clashing powers detonated, sending shockwaves rippling across the area.
Mahiru was blown back several steps. Siegfried retreated two. But the smile on his face only deepened.
"As expected of the Holy Cross that can purify all demonic and evil forces. You actually blocked Gram's aura. This fight won't be boring after all."
Gram possessed the ability to cut through anything. Against anyone else, even Utaha's barriers would have been sliced apart in an instant.
But the Incinerate Anthem was one of the three great holy relics, wielding immense sacred and purification power. Its advantage against demonic forces was overwhelming. Gram might be the strongest demonic sword, but a demonic sword was still demonic. It couldn't avoid being countered by the Holy Cross. That was why its all-cutting viciousness had been neutralized by the violet flames' purification, leaving the two to cancel each other out.
"Same as Heracles, the matchup between me and my chosen opponent isn't great either. But that's exactly what makes it interesting."
Siegfried drew another demonic sword from his waist.
"You'll die, you know."
Mahiru didn't seem troubled by Siegfried's words. Instead, she looked at him with something close to pity.
Siegfried's smile froze slightly.
He knew Mahiru wasn't saying that because she was confident she could beat him, or kill him.
In truth, if the two of them fought, Siegfried was certain he'd be the one with the upper hand.
As the Church's former top exorcist, armed with the strongest demonic sword and several others besides, Siegfried's strength ranked among the highest in the entire Hero Faction. Second only to Cao Cao himself.
Within the Hero Faction, Siegfried held a position akin to vice-captain. Cao Cao's right-hand man.
His power rivaled Ultimate-Class Devils. Perhaps even surpassed them.
In the Eligos peerage, aside from Leo, only Yukino and Ram could probably take him on.
In other words, Mahiru was outmatched.
But the angel's words weren't without basis.
"Demonic swords are cursed weapons by nature. Even if you were the Church's greatest warrior, using them takes a toll. And you're wielding multiple demonic swords at once, including the strongest one of all."
Mahiru looked at Siegfried with eyes full of genuine concern.
"Using these swords so recklessly... can you really keep going?"
Mahiru's words left Siegfried silent.
Then, quietly, he tossed out a single line.
"It's not like I ever planned on living long."
Having said that, Siegfried seemed unwilling to continue the conversation. He swung his demonic sword down hard.
Mahiru immediately conjured a violet flame crucifix and sent it to meet him.
BOOM!!!
The vicious aura of the demonic sword clashed with the violet flame crucifix once more, erupting into a violent storm of conflict and thunder.
With that, all four veteran members of the Eligos peerage were locked in battle with Hero Faction warriors.
And the remaining three weren't idle either.
Ravel, Ram, and Rem were in their own fierce fight, and the scale was no less than the other four battlefields.
Their opponents were no ordinary fighters. Their backgrounds alone were intimidating.
"I'm Georg. A descendant of Georg Faust."
The young mage who had appeared alongside Cao Cao earlier introduced himself.
He wore an elaborate mage's robe and glasses, clearly a magic specialist through and through.
But that wasn't what demanded caution.
What truly set him apart was that beyond being a powerful mage, Georg was also the wielder of one of the top-tier Longinus: Dimension Lost.
"You're the one who sent us here, aren't you?"
Ravel spread her flame wings and hovered before Georg, her expression stern.
"That's right. I'm the one who dragged you all in and locked you in here."
Georg adjusted his glasses and admitted it without hesitation.
Beside him stood a young boy, dark-skinned with pale gray hair, quiet and expressionless. He looked like he'd wandered onto the wrong set.
But behind the boy, a massive creature emerged from the shadows, roaring at Ram and Rem.
"A new monster...!"
Rem braced against the shockwave of its roar, her face going pale.
"So that kid is the Annihilation Maker wielder?"
Ram, winds swirling around her, completely ignored the roar's blast and muttered under her breath as she eyed the boy.
"His name is Leonardo. A descendant of the genius artist Leonardo da Vinci. He's the wielder of Annihilation Maker and the youngest member of our Hero Faction. He doesn't talk much, so please bear with him."
Georg placed a hand on Leonardo's shoulder, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"The two of us will be your opponents."
Three against two, but Ravel, Ram, and Rem didn't dare let their guard down.
These were two Longinus wielders. And both held top-tier Longinus at that.
"If that fallen angel Governor General were here, he'd probably be losing his mind."
Ravel made the observation with dry humor.
The True Longinus, Zenith Tempest, Annihilation Maker, Dimension Lost. All four top-tier Longinus, gathered in one place. Forget Azazel. Anyone would lose their composure at a sight like this.
Especially when the first two were the leaders of each side, currently tearing the sky apart above them. Having the remaining two top-tier Longinus standing right in front of them put serious pressure on Ravel's group.
"Be careful, Rem."
Ram's gaze swept past Georg, then settled on the massive creature behind Leonardo. Her expression was grave.
"That thing isn't going to be easy."
She could already sense the danger emanating from it.
"Don't worry, Sister. Rem can handle it."
Rem gripped her morning star tight, eyes locked on the beast. Her pupils began glowing faintly red, and pinpricks of white light gathered on her forehead, her aura building like something about to erupt.
ROOOAAAR!!!
Another deafening roar blasted from the massive creature's maw, rolling outward in waves of sound like a violent storm sweeping in every direction.
The beast couldn't contain itself any longer. It charged past Leonardo, its silent young master, and barreled forward.
Ram and Rem didn't flinch. They met it head-on together.
As for Ravel...
"I'll be your opponent!"
She blazed with flames from head to toe and shot toward Georg.
"Very well."
Georg smiled with equal confidence, magic circles blooming around him.
The five-person battle erupted in an instant, shaking this corner of the battlefield to its core.
Kuoh Town. Above.
By now, Leo and Cao Cao had drifted far from the plaza, expanding their battlefield across the entire pocket dimension.
WHAM!
A ball of searing flame detonated in Cao Cao's face, sending him hurtling backward like he'd been hit by a truck. He slammed into a skyscraper, smashing through walls and glass.
"This is really..."
Cao Cao shoved aside the rubble piled on top of him and staggered out of the building. Blood was already streaking from the corner of his mouth.
Leo's figure appeared outside the tower, his five pairs of devil wings spread to their fullest, so wide they seemed to blot out the sky.
"How's that? Different from last time, isn't it?"
Leo looked at Cao Cao stumbling out and spoke.
"Ten wings..."
Cao Cao wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at the devil wings behind Leo, and let out a bitter laugh.
"Last time you only had eight."
"That's why you had it so easy last time, gathering intel on me." Leo's expression was calm. "This time, let's see if you can still hold back while fighting me."
Around Leo, wind, fire, lightning, and every manner of elemental phenomenon manifested at once, framing his silhouette like a god descending.