Two days before the international competition.
Today belonged to Akeno Himejima.
"Takeyo, I'm here to see you,"
Akeno opened the door with her characteristic warm smile. Actually, she wasn't the one who'd come to find him, it was Takeyo who'd asked her to come over. Something about the way he'd phrased the invitation suggested he had something important to tell her.
As soon as she entered, Akeno spotted him sitting by the window, a book in his hands.
Or rather... flipping through a book at an inhuman speed. Pages blurred past faster than her eyes could track.
'Perhaps this is the legendary quantum speed reading?' she thought with amusement.
"Ah, Akeno. You're here."
Takeyo noticed her presence and set down the ancient grimoire he'd been analyzing. The Nameless Codex held secrets that would take most mages years to decipher, but with his enhanced perception and the Alpha Stigma, he'd absorbed its contents in minutes.
He'd called Akeno here today because there was something he needed to do before the upcoming conflict with the other world, and before confronting whatever lay ahead in the Underworld.
The matter he'd discussed with Akeno before could finally be resolved.
"Akeno, what I told you about before... it can be done now."
A genuine smile crossed his face.
Over the past two months, his realm had risen to the peak of the High-Class Devil stage. Even without using any of his special abilities, his base attributes now reached the Maou-Class threshold. The fusion with the God of the Bible's essence had accelerated his growth exponentially.
It was time. He'd promised Akeno this, and Takeyo Kagutsuchi always kept his promises.
"Takeyo... is it true? Is it today?!"
The book Akeno had been pretending to read slipped from her fingers as her composure shattered. Excitement blazed in her violet eyes, an emotion so raw and powerful that it momentarily overwhelmed her usual elegant restraint.
Takeyo understood completely. This wasn't just about power or ability. This was about family. This was about the mother Akeno had lost when she was just a child.
"Yes, today. Let's go to the Realm of the Dead and bring your mother back."
His words were simple, but they carried absolute conviction.
Whether for the larger strategic situation ahead, or simply to fulfill the promise he'd made to Akeno months ago, traveling to the Underworld's deepest levels was necessary. He'd already confirmed through his divine sight that Shuri Himejima's soul had indeed passed into the Realm of the Dead, and importantly, she hadn't yet been reincarnated into another existence.
The international competition would begin in two days. The timing was perfect.
"Takeyo!"
Akeno threw herself at him, tears streaming down her face. Her whole body trembled slightly in his embrace, the composed, sadistic Queen of Rias Gremory replaced entirely by a young woman who'd spent years mourning her mother's loss.
"It's alright. It'll be done soon."
Takeyo gently stroked her long black hair, his voice soothing. His confidence wasn't arrogance, he genuinely possessed the power to accomplish this.
Even without using any of his incarnation abilities, he could defeat Hades in his standard state. And if he merged completely with the God of the Bible's essence within him, he could annihilate the God of the Dead in seconds.
After all, sacred power held particular potency against death gods. The fusion of Takeyo's abilities with the Biblical God's authority had produced a quality and quantity of holy power that far surpassed what someone at Hades' level could withstand.
"Hm?"
However, just as he was about to activate his spatial teleportation, Takeyo's expression shifted. His eyes narrowed as he sensed something through the magical formations he'd established throughout Kuoh and beyond.
A problem had arisen with one of the surveillance circles he'd placed on Ophis!
"Let's go!"
Without further explanation, Takeyo grasped Akeno's hand. Space rippled around them, and they vanished from his room in a flash of golden light.
Akeno didn't question the sudden urgency. She could see the concern on Takeyo's face, something he rarely displayed. If he was worried, then the situation was genuinely serious. She trusted him completely, so she simply held his hand tighter and let him guide her through the dimensional shift.
Takeyo's mind raced as they traveled. The magical girl contractor from the other world had nearly healed from her injuries today. He'd originally planned to retrieve Ophis tomorrow, but this complication had forced his hand.
When he'd established the contract through the sailor uniform with the magical girl contractor, she'd received a blessing from the so-called Dragon Lord. At that time, Takeyo had dressed Ophis in clothes woven with his own protective magic circles, layered defenses that would alert him to any danger and shield her from most attacks.
Now those circles were screaming warnings.
The breath of Samael, the Dragon Eater, was washing over them like poison in water.
Moreover, Ophis's location had shifted. She was in the Underworld, specifically, in the Realm of the Dead where Hades ruled.
'Damn it,' Takeyo thought grimly as they emerged from the spatial corridor.
He could deduce what had happened. In the original timeline, Cao Cao had used Samael to drain and separate Ophis's power, creating the entity known as Lilith. But Cao Cao had borrowed that dragon-killing monstrosity from Hades himself.
Samael was originally sealed in the deepest depths of the Realm of the Dead because his very existence posed a threat to all dragonkind. Hades had lent the creature to Cao Cao in the original events to further the Khaos Brigade's goals.
'But this time,' Takeyo realized, 'he's decided to use Samael personally instead of lending him out.'
The God of the Dead was making his move.
At that same moment, in the Realm of the Dead...
The magic circles Takeyo had inscribed on Ophis's clothing when his strength was merely at the peak of Mid-Class Devil couldn't hold indefinitely against Samael's assault. However, they'd bought precious time, time that gave Ophis the opportunity to react.
The Infinite Dragon God's expression remained utterly blank as she gathered her immense power. With casual ease that belied the devastating force involved, she unleashed a concentrated blast of draconic energy that struck Samael just as the Dragon Eater finished devouring through Takeyo's protective barriers!
Though dragon-type power had almost negligible effect against the Dragon Eater's nature, a full-force attack from an entity at the Dragon God level could still physically impact even Samael. The creature was hurled backward, slamming into the bone-white walls of Hades' throne room.
"....."
Ophis's dark eyes fixed calmly on both Samael and the massive skeleton standing beside the twisted dragon. The skull's eye sockets burned with ghostly flames, the fire of an undead consciousness.
The skeleton was unmistakably Hades himself, God of the Realm of the Dead.
"It's you... Do you intend to devour my power?"
Ophis's voice was flat, emotionless. Just stating facts.
This skeleton registered in her perception as a particularly large ant, the kind of oversized insect she couldn't simply crush beneath her foot in a single step, but an insect nonetheless.
"Yes, Ophis. Your power is utterly wasted in your possession."
Hades' voice echoed with hollow resonance from his skeletal form. Despite his grotesque appearance, his tone carried the refined cadence of ancient nobility.
"Just like your title, the Snake of Chaos. Because of your very existence, this entire world teeters on the edge of disorder! Your presence itself invites catastrophe!"
Of course, such lofty justifications were merely convenient excuses. Hades' true motivation was far simpler: he coveted Ophis's power for himself. The moralizing was just window dressing for what amounted to theft.
"Attack!"
At Hades' command, Samael lunged toward Ophis again, tentacle-like appendages extending from his draconic lower body!
This time, none of Takeyo's protective magic circles remained to shield her. Ophis stood completely undefended before the ultimate anti-dragon weapon.
Even Ophis's own natural resistance meant nothing. The Dragon Eater's curse specifically negated draconic defenses, making dragon-type beings paradoxically more vulnerable to Samael than other creatures.
However, just as Samael's poisonous touch was about to make contact, brilliant golden holy light erupted from above, flooding the chamber!
"If that's your excuse, then you can disappear from this world entirely!"
Takeyo materialized in mid-air, radiant with divine power. In his hand blazed the platinum-white blade of Ex-Calibur, the holy sword forged from the fragments of Excalibur's truest essence, amplified by his integration with the Biblical God's authority!
The weapon thrummed with barely contained power as thirteen seals began releasing in sequence.
"Seal Thirteen, Decision Start!"
The sword's true voice resonated through the chamber, neither male nor female but utterly absolute.
"Acknowledged, this is a battle against those who are stronger than oneself!"
"Acknowledged, this is a battle against evil!"
"Acknowledged, this is a battle to save the world!"
"Acknowledged, this battle is for the pursuit of truth!"
As each seal lifted, the magical power circulating through the holy sword distorted the surrounding space itself. Under this shining blade's radiance, all evil would be annihilated. Darkness would find no purchase. Death itself would be judged.
"Acknowledged, this is the battle of kings!"
"Acknowledged, this is the sword to save humanity!"
All thirteen seals agreed and unlocked. The voice proclaimed the blade's true nature:
"Acknowledged, this is the Sword of Promised Victory!"
"EXCALIBUR!"
A torrential wave of golden light erupted from the blade, the accumulated holy power of thirteen released restraints concentrated into a single devastating strike!
The beam of pure sacred energy engulfed Samael's twisted form. The Dragon Eater, feared by all dragons, possessing the curse of the Biblical God's hatred made manifest, didn't even have time to scream.
The holy power didn't merely destroy Samael's body. It erased his existence. The curse-bearing creature was completely annihilated from the DxD world, his conceptual presence wiped away as though he'd never been.
Not sealed. Not banished. Erased.
"The power of the God of the Bible!"
Hades' skeletal form recoiled, his eye-flames blazing with shock and recognition. His hollow voice carried genuine fear for the first time in millennia.
Beings of his level recognized others through the fundamental nature of their power. Hades could sense divine signatures the way humans perceived colors, and he knew with absolute certainty what he was witnessing.
This was unmistakably the essence of the Biblical God, the deity who had supposedly died thousands of years ago in the Great War, sealed away with the Beast King 666!
'How is this possible?' Hades' consciousness reeled. 'Was the God of the Bible not truly killed when the original Four Satans struck him down alongside that cursed Dragon?!'
But when his burning gaze focused on the figure wielding such impossible power, confusion replaced shock.
"You are...!"
The face didn't match. The signature was right, but the vessel was wrong.
This was the young man who'd supposedly died alongside Fenrir and Loki in the Norse realm! The same individual who'd ascended to Maou-Class power with impossible speed and effortlessly wielded Sacred Gears that shouldn't exist!
A new possibility crystallized in Hades' ancient mind.
"Is it possible... that you are the reincarnation of the God of the Bible itself?!"
The theory made sense to the Death God. It would explain the meteoric rise in power. It would explain access to sacred authority that no living being should possess. It would explain everything!
Unfortunately for Hades, the truth was far more absurd than even he could imagine.
"Guess whatever you want," Takeyo said with a dangerous smile, Ex-Calibur still blazing in his hand. The holy sword's light painted golden patterns across his face.
"However... are you certain you can face Ophis without Samael to protect you?"
The simple question made Hades' metaphorical blood run cold.
"What?!"
The Death God's skull whipped toward where Ophis floated, and his flames flickered with undisguised terror.
He saw a pair of utterly indifferent black eyes, but for the first time, those eyes held a trace of emotion. A touch of coldness. The barest hint of displeasure.
Ophis never showed emotional fluctuation under normal circumstances. Her infinite nature rendered most stimuli meaningless.
But Samael's attack had genuinely annoyed her. That irritation needed an outlet.
Now that Samael was gone, well... Hades would serve as a perfectly adequate target for venting.
It was a simple, almost childlike logic. But when the one thinking it possessed power capable of destroying solar systems, simple logic became apocalyptic reality.
".....Ophis, I'm here to retrieve you. You'll come with me soon."
Takeyo's expression shifted to a genuine smile as he regarded the petite Dragon God. Despite the grim surroundings and serious situation, affection colored his tone.
Hades' skeleton frame radiated pure fear through the soul-fire in his eye sockets. Takeyo could practically taste the terror emanating from the undead deity's consciousness.
Of course Hades was afraid. The entity preparing to destroy him wasn't just anyone. It was Ophis, the world's number one most powerful being! The Infinite Dragon God who could easily defeat even the top ten strongest entities in existence!
"Mm..."
Ophis nodded slightly, then raised one small fist.
That tiny hand shouldn't have been threatening. It looked like a child preparing to play a game.
But beneath that little fist, the entire Realm of the Dead trembled violently! Cracks spread through the bone-white architecture. The very concept of the death realm shuddered under pressure that transcended physical force.
This was simply who Ophis was. An existence born from the void itself, possessing infinite power as her inherent nature. She could stand at the apex of the world merely by existing and allowing her birthright strength to flow freely.
Technique didn't matter. Strategy was irrelevant. Ophis was infinity made manifest.
"Then, it's time for me to complete my own mission."
Takeyo glanced at Hades' rapidly deteriorating defensive position as Ophis's assault intensified. His lips quirked with dark amusement.
'By the time I return,' he thought, 'Hades' bones will probably be scattered across his own throne room.'
Leaving the Death God to face the Infinite Dragon God's wrath, Takeyo turned his attention to Akeno and activated his Black Sky Krishna incarnation. The divine aspect granted him perfect awareness of all souls within his range, allowing him to easily locate the one they'd come for.
Navigating through the twisted corridors of the death realm, Takeyo found Shuri Himejima's soul without difficulty. The essence of the gentle priestess remained remarkably intact despite her years in this place, perhaps protected by the same spiritual purity that had made her so remarkable in life.
"Mother!"
The moment Shuri's ghostly form appeared before them, Akeno couldn't contain herself. She tried to embrace her mother, but her arms passed straight through the spectral figure.
Being merely a soul, Shuri had no physical form for the living to touch.
"Don't worry. You'll be able to contact her soon enough."
Takeyo gently wiped away the tears streaming down Akeno's face. His other hand moved in complex patterns, tracing symbols of power and authority in the air.
What he was about to do required more than simple resurrection. He needed to restructure the fundamental order of this realm itself, and that required power beyond even what he currently wielded.
Fortunately, he had exactly what he needed.
Some time later, Takeyo returned to where he'd left Ophis and Hades.
"Crack,"
Ophis was in the process of fitting a bone into what appeared to be a skeletal puzzle spread across the throne room floor.
Where Hades had stood, there was now... a reconstruction project.
The God of Death, in the High School DxD world manifesting as an actual skeleton, had been quite literally disassembled. Ophis had taken Hades apart bone by bone, then begun reassembling the pieces into... something else entirely.
"What are you... what have you turned him into?"
Even with Takeyo's vast knowledge and experience across multiple realities, he couldn't quite identify what Ophis had created with Hades' remains.
"...Great Red..."
Ophis spoke softly, her voice carrying the faintest note of something that might have been satisfaction.
She meant she'd reassembled Hades' skeleton to resemble the Great Red Dragon God Emperor, the form of Ddraig's ultimate manifestation.
"I see..."
Takeyo couldn't help but laugh.
No matter how he looked at it, the construct resembled a large lizard more than a dragon. The proportions were all wrong, the skeletal structure didn't match... it was clearly an attempt by someone with no artistic sense whatsoever.
But for Ophis, who only cared about the Great Red Dragon God Emperor, this probably made perfect sense in her alien perception.
"You also killed some of the highest-ranking Grim Reapers."
Takeyo glanced around the throne room. Scattered among the debris were the remains of several dozen Grim Reapers, Hades' elite guard, each one at least Ultimate-Class in power.
Hades' skeleton alone wouldn't have provided enough bones for Ophis's "Great Red" construction project. A quick count revealed she'd harvested additional materials from roughly thirty of Hades' strongest subordinates.
"They tried to stop me. So I took them apart too."
Ophis delivered this statement with her characteristic emotional detachment, as though describing something as mundane as picking flowers. The phrasing was quintessentially her, straightforward, logical from her perspective, and completely oblivious to normal moral considerations.
"Alright. Well, this actually makes my next task easier."
Takeyo smiled. Reducing the Realm of the Dead's military strength would simplify what he planned to do.
From his soul-space, Takeyo withdrew a World-Class Item he'd obtained from a previous sign-in reward: the Ring of Glorious Light!
The artifact's overwhelming presence flooded the Realm of the Dead with radiance that was anathema to everything dark and undead. Just manifesting the ring caused the bone-white architecture to crack and splinter. Weaker souls screamed and fled from the purifying light.
This was one of YGGDRASIL's ultimate treasures, an item capable of reshaping reality itself within its domain of influence.
And Takeyo was about to use it to rewrite the fundamental laws governing the Realm of the Dead.