"You look awfully pleased with yourself, you damn monster!"
I charged forward despite Apophis's spreading darkness growing denser. Twisting my body through gaps in the shadows, I forced my way forward until I was right in front of him.
"Impressive... but you realize you've left yourself no room to escape?"
He wasn't wrong. There was no space left to dodge, and now he had conjured a dark shield in front of him. If I struck it head-on, my arm would likely melt away.
But that shield was made of formless darkness—massless, defensive only through absorption. So instead of punching, I grabbed the edge of the shield and yanked it aside with brute force.
"What!?"
Since drawing my sword would've slowed me down, I never summoned it. With my right fist hardened, I smashed it into Apophis's chest.
"Guh—!"
Huh? That landed better than expected.
"Kehehe... Seems I underestimated you. Surprised? I am the embodiment of darkness. I normally deflect physical attacks with ease, so I'm not as tough as someone like Grendel. That said, in my true form, I could easily engulf this entire town in darkness. I thought that alone would be sufficient… Never imagined someone would just grab hold of my Primordial Water like that."
So he wasn't holding back for fun—he was restraining himself. Great.
As for that so-called Primordial Water, countering it was fairly simple. I infused my own corrupt energy into the point of contact, transmuting it—figuratively speaking—from "primordial water" into "mud of the Holy Grail," effectively seizing control of it.
Granted, he's still stronger than me in raw aura. I can only neutralize small areas of contact, not fully overpower it.
Still, something about taking a hit seemed to get Apophis hyped up. Though his human form remained unchanged, he began to wildly manipulate torrents of darkness in every direction, attacking with far more ferocity.
"Nyaaaa! Why the hell would you go and motivate him like that?!"
"You were attacking him nonstop too! I just happened to land a hit, that's all!"
"Stop trying to shift the blame! If anyone's at fault, it's Rizevim!"
But regardless of whose fault it was, we were in trouble. While I had become capable of redirecting or deflecting incoming dark attacks with sheer force, Kuroka wasn't so lucky. Her barriers were ineffective, and being more of a rear-guard fighter, her close-combat skills weren't as honed as mine. It was only a matter of time before she'd fail to dodge.
In fact, she'd already taken a few minor hits—small grazes, sure, but they were accumulating.
When I rushed in earlier, I got nicked too, but Kuroka's injuries were becoming more serious. There's a big difference between getting scratched while attacking and getting scratched while defending. And Apophis's onslaught kept escalating.
Eventually, one of his attacks cut her more deeply.
"Tch! That hurt! No more holding back, nya!"
Drawing in a deep breath, Kuroka stopped casting her usual illusions and enchantments. Instead, she summoned only the flaming wheels of her signature spell.
Purifying flames while not as devastating as sunlight are still a major weakness to beings like Apophis. She was now pouring all her power into the Kasha, resulting in a more concentrated, more dangerous fire.
"Go!"
At her command, dozens of fiery wheels raced toward Apophis, but he still wore a smug expression.
"Oh my, that certainly looks hot. But you expect an attack that's weaker in volume to work against someone who's already deflected all your earlier efforts? I'll melt them all down."
Darkness surged from all sides to intercept the Kasha, but Kuroka's fine control allowed the wheels to slip through the gaps—like threading a needle with fire.
"Hmm… impressive. But putting all that focus into control means your attention is split. Can you still dodge me?"
But unlike before, Kuroka was now evading Apophis's attacks with ease—all while still guiding her Kasha with precision.
The fire wheels weaved in bizarre, complex patterns, homing in on Apophis. He reinforced his defense beyond just the shield this time, but it didn't help. The wheels moved with such micro-precision that they slithered through his defenses and struck him directly.
"Grrgh! This speed… it's different. Almost as if you've gained Arima Ikki's reaction speed!"
Correct. Nice catch.
You see, after a certain spirited night with Kuroka and the others, I wondered—could they, via senjutsu, trigger the same brain-limit unlock technique I use in high-level fights?
There are two types: sensory acceleration and physical enhancement. Kuroka and Shirone being senjutsu users learned to use them, though not perfectly. Still, it worked well enough. Remember how Shirone evaded Grendel's attacks without a scratch that one time? This was the reason.
They're naturally sturdier than humans, so their limiters can be pushed further. Eventually, they may even surpass me.
Even Ravel though a pure support-type has nearly figured it out through training with me. With limiter control, she could go from a stationary turret to a rapid-fire artillery cannon.
This wasn't my personal power-up—it was a team upgrade. Something I could proudly report to President Rias.
Although... since the method requires intimate senjutsu channeling, I doubt Rias or the guys—like Yuuto, Issei, or Gasper—would ever want to try it. Nobody wants that kind of "♂" development.
Even if the gods begged me, I wouldn't do it! Maybe someday, if my senjutsu mastery reaches a higher level... in a few decades.
"I'll admit it—you're truly formidable enemies," Apophis said, solemnly. "It's a shame I can't go all out... and that I've been ordered to kill only you, Arima Ikki. I would have preferred to face you under better circumstances."
Kuroka blinked, surprised. "Huh. For a so-called evil dragon, you're pretty thoughtful. Grendel wouldn't care—he'd just wreck the place. Are you really following that dumbass prince's orders willingly? Or are you just more rational? Either way, you're a pain."
"Agreed. Obedient evil dragons and chaotic ones are both a pain."
Seriously. Dealing with both types in Khaos Brigade is a nightmare.
"It's rather insulting to be lumped in with that brute Grendel," Apophis said with a sniff. "If you want another comparison, Ladon is at least more reasonable. And I'm not 'obeying' Prince Rizevim. He's small-minded, petty, and incompetent—but I owe him a debt. He revived me via the Holy Grail. Once I've repaid that debt, I intend to sever ties. His every word reeks of childishness."
Damn, that's a harsh evaluation. Not just low—Rizevim's approval rating is burrowing underground.
"Wait, didn't you say earlier you were going to stop my heart?"
"It's the same thing, isn't it? Humans die when their hearts stop."
Don't answer so seriously… Wait, hold on.
"Hey, Apophis. Mind if I ask something?"
He paused his attacks, surprisingly agreeable.
"You don't actually like Rizevim. He didn't tell you to 'kill' me, just to 'confirm my heart has stopped.' And ideally, you'd prefer a better setting for this fight… is that all accurate?"
"Yes, but… what's your point?"
Ah, he's intrigued.
I grinned and asked, "Then how about this—we fulfill Rizevim's request and mess with him at the same time. How about making a contract with me?"
"So, that's what happened," I explained later. "To fulfill Apophis's task, I stopped my own heart with physical control and kept my blood circulating via senjutsu. Turns out, if you know what you're doing, humans don't die just because their heart stops. It wasn't even that hard."
"THAT MAKES NO SENSE!"
Everyone shouted at once. Fair. Even I knew I was saying something ridiculous.
I mean, yes, it uses minimal power, but if you screw up the pressure levels on internal blood flow, you could literally pop from the inside.
Besides, if I'd forced Apophis into a corner, he probably would've unleashed some final form and expanded his darkness to consume the entire school.
It was better to avoid that fight entirely.
I secretly contacted Shirone and Ravel via Izuna's telepathy to prep my recovery and seal Grendel quickly.
"So yeah. If Rizevim had just said 'kill him' instead of that poetic 'make sure his heart stops,' none of this would've worked."
As I spoke, I pulled out a special item from my dimensional storage. Just in case something like this happened... I had Azazel-sensei make it.
Yes, I'd recorded Rizevim's inevitable dumbfounded reaction via the usual hidden camera, but we were trying to avoid getting repetitive.
Last time he embarrassed himself in the vampire kingdom, I held a viewing party with Azazel—he had brandy, I had oolong tea.
He even queued up footage of Sharuba getting stomped, and the giant lady monster blowing up. Wild times.
Anyway, the item I pulled out was... a fan.
Opening it with a snap, it displayed bold characters:
[ TOO BAD ]
Just that was enough to make Rizevim twitch with rage onscreen. But before I could say anything else, Apophis—now returned to Rizevim's location—joined in.
[Prince Rizevim. I have something to tell you.]
[Tch! After breaking our deal, now you have more demands?!]
[Hardly. I fulfilled the letter of your request. You asked me to contract with a god-class being in order to leave your service. Arima Ikki qualifies. Our contract is complete. I'm done with you.]
[What?! That clause was to prevent you from contracting with dangerous evil dragons! I thought only wicked gods would take you in!]
[You said "god-class," not "a god." Semantics matter. I won't argue further. Unless… you'd rather fight me here and now?]
Apophis's quiet pressure radiated through the screen. Rizevim, grimacing, waved him off like a fly.
"…This is a betrayal livestream."
"Burn that scene into your memory, Issei. That is what it looks like when a 'King' has zero charisma."
"…You two are ruthless."
Ruthless? No. Rizevim deserves every bit of this.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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