High School DxD

Volume 12 Chapter 1

I’m all right! I won’t cry!

Oppai Dragon will protect us!

Life -3 Gremory without Sekiryuutei

Two days after the mid-class promotion tests had ended, it was noon.

I, Kiba Yuuto, am presently at a floor in the Gremory castle. The Gremory castle is in a ruckus. Including the employees, the Gremory personal soldiers are also in a panic. The reason is because the Underworld is currently undergoing a crisis.

The super gigantic monsters created by Shalba Beelzebub from the Old-Maou faction using [Annihilation Maker] started their progress on attacking every main capital and important location after appearing in the Underworld. The big screen television located on this floor is showing the appearance of the monsters that have begun their invasion as an emergency broadcast.

[Please look! The gigantic monsters that suddenly appeared are progressing towards the capitals without stopping!]

The reporters are reporting about the monsters from helicopters or ship-planes that move by demonic-power generators.

In total, there are 13 monsters created by [Annihilation Maker]. They are monsters that easily exceed 100 metres. Each one of them is about 150 metres large. The television is broadcasting about each of them. It seems like we can find out about the current status of each monster from the television. When we saw them in the artificial dimension, they were a bunch of humanoid shaped monsters covered in black aura. Perhaps their appearance changed when they arrived in the Underworld, but if there are humanoid types there are also beast types that stand on four legs. In terms of appearance none of them resemble each other. Though the humanoid types stand on four legs, their heads look like either aquatic creatures, or have one eye, or have four arms. If I were to describe them in one word they look like.......”Chimeras”. Similarly the four legged monsters are also mixed with parts of different creatures. They continue to progress towards the cities with slow steps without showing any signs of stopping. At this rate, the monsters that are close to the important cities will arrive there sometime today. Other monsters will also arrive at their destinations by tomorrow. The most annoying thing about them is that they are creating smaller monsters by themselves as they progress towards their targets. Body parts of the gigantic monsters start to swell up, and lots of smaller monsters are born by ripping out from their flesh. They are only the size of humans but there are simply too many of them. Dozens to hundreds of them are created at a single time. They destroy the forests, mountains, and landscapes that they pass through and devour the animals that live there. It seems like the civilians who lived in the towns and villages along the monsters path were evacuated with minimal casualties. But entire towns were trampled down. After they leave the place, it looks so ghastly that there is nothing left. Creatures that are too overpowered.... So this is the power that was created by Top-tier Longnius, [Annihilation Maker]..... As someone who also possesses the same creation-type Sacred Gear, its ability scares me. An unusual power that is said to rival that of God. An ability that can destroy the World. Right now that is happening right in front of our eyes.

Among the monsters there is one that is far larger than the others who is heading towards the capital in the Maou territory, Lilith, and the monster is something we never expected. It is a humanoid type and is a size much larger than the other monsters. I can understand the immense size of that thing even through the television screen.

The government of the Underworld named the monster who is far bigger than others “Jabberwocky”. The other twelve monsters are called “Bandersnatch”. These were named by Azazel-sensei by taking the names of the creatures from Lewis Carroll’s work. Behind the television screen, the warriors of the Underworld have began their attacks on “Bandersnatch”. Spreading their wings they either go head on, or from the sides, or from the back or attack them at the same time by hitting them with a barrage of fire made by demonic-powers. Demonic-powers that filled the whole area around them are shot towards the monsters. The attack teams who are repeating their attacks are Ultimate-class Devils and their servants. Normal monsters would definitely perish after receiving such attacks. But.....

[How can this be!? The attacks of Ultimate-class Devils and their teams aren’t working!]

I can hear the voice of the reporter who is frightened. Yes. What is shown on the television are the monsters that haven’t even been affected by the attacks of the Ultimate-class Devils and their servants.

.......It is just like the time we were back in the artificial dimension. Our attacks only damaged their skin. They couldn’t cause any critical damage. The attack teams that were dispatched are all Ultimate-class Devils who hold the top rankings of the Rating Game. Even so, they still couldn’t do any damage that could cause any effect. It’s also because they have their hands full with the small monsters that are being created as well...... Even so, the gigantic monsters have very hard bodies. For each one of the monsters, squads were dispatched by the factions that are allied with the Devils such as the Fallen-Angels who sent their squads, Brave-Saints that were sent by heaven, and the Valkyrie squads that consist of battle maidens that were sent by the Valhalla, and large troops of warriors sent by the Greek factions. Thanks to that, we have avoided the worst case scenario. But there are still many problems.

One of them is “Jabberwocky” who is even more powerful than these monsters.

Last night the group led by Dihauza Belial was dispatched. But........ Although they were able to cause damage to Jabberwocky they could only stall its movement for a matter of seconds. Jabberwocky regenerated from its damage very quickly and healed itself. It then resumed its journey as if nothing had happened.

That truth became an astonishing thing that spread around the news and resulted in making the civilians feel even more unease. Everyone thought and believed that “If the Emperor and his servants were dispatched, then they could even defeat the gigantic monsters”. There are no doubts about the strength of Emperor Belial and his servants. Even us, the Gremory group, cannot defeat them even if we were in our best condition. That’s how powerful they are. However even people like them couldn’t do it.

The other problem is the Old-Maou faction who began their coup d’état using this crisis as an opportunity. Most likely the invasion of monsters was a part of their plan and they are rampaging in the cities aligning with it. The warriors of the Underworld were also dispatched, to take care of them as well. The World of the Devils is in chaos right now. We also received a report that because of this chaos there are servants of High-class Devils who are rebelling against their masters in various locations. I can easily imagine that the Sacred Gears possessors who were made into servants by force are releasing their anger at this situation. If I were to say it like Sensei, then this situation would be a “Balance Breaker” bargain sale. Warriors from various factions were also sent out to take care of them. –But we won’t be able to lose any more man-power than this. We need to stop the progression of the monsters first. If we were to lose important locations and capitals, then there wouldn’t be any better opportunity to invade the Underworld than at that moment.

......Yes. At this point in time, the Underworld is heading into very serious chaos. Coup d’état by the Old-Maou faction through the use of gigantic monsters...... It seems like the one who was pulling the strings from the back is the God of the realm of the dead, Hades..... And we also don’t know where Khaos Brigade’s Hero-faction is plotting their next move from. In that artificial dimension, it seemed like the Hero-factions were fooled by Hades and the Old-Maou faction, but what would the descendants of the Heroes do in this situation?

They are terrorists after all, so they wouldn’t take actions that we can predict. The reason why Gods and Maou-sama cannot go and take care of the monsters themselves is because we don’t know where Cao Cao would be targeting them from. That spear has the power to easily eliminate Maou and Gods. If even a single God or Maou was to be killed, we don’t know what will happen to the balance of each faction. And we don’t even know when Hades will send his Grim Reapers......

What is fortunate is that the evacuations of civilians are being taken care of as the first priority and there haven’t been any major casualties. If the Devils were to go down in numbers any more than this, then the future of Devils will be put in a very dangerous situation. More than that, there is no way that Sirzechs-sama would think of the safety of civilians as his second priority. But at this rate the Underworld will..... So this must be the grudge Shalba Beelzebub and the Old-Maou faction have towards the current government of the Underworld.

“It seems like servants of Maou-sama will finally be dispatched to take care of “Jabberwocky” and “Bandersnatch”.”

-! A sudden voice. When I turned around, Raiser Phoenix was standing there. I was thinking very hard while looking at the television seriously so I couldn’t notice him getting close to me. Raiser Phoenix makes a sigh.

“I came here as my brother’s escort. I also came to check on Ravel and Rias along with it. But since the situation is like this. .....I can sympathise with you Kiba Yuuto.”

Raiser Phoenix narrows his eyes and puts on a serious face.

......His...... It seems like the death of Ise-kun has already reached this person as well. Yes. We lost one of our important comrades, Hyoudou Issei the Sekiryuutei, at the starting point of this crisis. Ise-kun went to retrieve Ophis who was taken by Shalba Beelzebub on his own. We tried to summon him back with the dragon-gate after returning back to our World...... But what came back to us were the evil-pieces. Only 8 Pawn evil-pieces.

....Only the evil-pieces came back, but along with his evil-pieces the aura of Samael was also detected. So we could only think that Ise-kun received the curse of Samael during his battle against Shalba. He couldn’t return for that reason...... We don’t know how the power of Samael’s curse was released but the aura of Samael definitely came past the dragon-gate. Shalba must have made an alliance with Hades.

......There is no way for him to be safe after receiving Samael’s curse because he has insufficient demonic-powers to defend against it. We were told that clearly by Azazel-sensei. In the past there were cases where only the evil-pieces were summoned, and I heard that in all of them the person summoned was definitely not alive. Servants who have a strong will to return only their evil-pieces can make that phenomenon occur. And evil-pieces that have returned have already stopped functioning and cannot be used ever again.

We also had the heavens check for what happened to the spirit of the Sekiryuutei. That is because the Sekiryuutei Ddraig goes to seek a new host automatically when the current host dies. Information like that gets recorded in the Sacred Gear database.... Though it seems like the current Longinus possessors specifics became very complex compared to the past possessors and for that reason information like that hasn’t come in yet. The Longinus observation institute of the Grigori is also searching for any available information right now. But....... We were told beforehand that receiving proper information would be very shallow beforehand. And the whereabouts of Ophis who should have been with Ise-kun is also unknown. She might have stayed in the dimensional gap or she might have perished with Samael’s curse. The search for the Dragon-God is still underway, but it is said that the chance of her being sent to Hades by Shalba is very low. –That is because there is no way that Ise-kun wouldn’t have finished off Shalba.

If it is him, he definitely would have taken down Shalba. Even if he were to bet his life for it. Including me, everyone believes that. But no matter how much we search, there aren’t any leads that would reject the information of his death.....!

His death hasn’t been reported and only one group of people know about it. But we.....! There is no way we could accept it that easily......!

“I’m very sorry to hear that. Were you able to meet with Buchou?"

I somehow managed to get my head straight and asked Raiser Phoenix, but he shook his head.

“I couldn’t. She didn’t open her door. She didn’t even respond when I called her. .....Well she’s not in a situation where I can meet her. Since the man she loves ended up like that.”

Then there was someone who put a teacup on the table. –It’s Koneko-chan.

“......Here is your tea.”

Koneko-chan who has the same expression as always goes and sits on the chair in the corner after putting the cup on the table.

“Listen Ravel. In any case you have to cheer up.”

Two more people appear. One is a man. The other one is Ravel-san. I am familiar with the man. Well only from television that is. He is oldest son of the house of Phoenix and the next head. Ruval Phoenix. He has a graceful face, and unlike Raiser Phoenix who dresses up like a delinquent, he wears proper noble clothes. He seems very gentle and he shines just by standing. He is someone who has been in the Top-10 of the Rating Game before. There are also rumours that he will be promoted to an Ultimate-class Devil very soon. I see. So Raiser Phoenix came as this person’s escort. After he cheers up Ravel-san, he notices me.

“You must be Rias-san’s Knight. Since it is a situation like this, you should be okay then.”

He takes out several little bottles from his pocket while he approaches me. –They’re Phoenix tears.

“We came to give you this along with seeing our sister and Rias-san. Since we are in a situation like this, we can only give these to the counter-attack squads. I feel very sorry for talented youths like your group. ---Soon I will also go to counter-attack the monsters along with my foolish brother.”

So the Phoenix brothers will also go join the pursuit of the monsters. Certainly the immortal Phoenix will be a very big support at the front line of the battle.

“.......Sorry for being foolish.”

Raiser Phoenix is displeased by his brother’s words....... The house of Phoenix has many siblings (four siblings), which is very rare among current High-class Devils. The oldest and the third son participate in the Rating Game, and I hear that the second son is one of the bosses of the media.

I received the tears from Ruval. ......He must have given this to us believing that we will also go to the front lines. Ruval smiles while doing a karate chop on Raiser Phoenix’s head.

“Rias-san and also Rias-san’s Queen are both very depressed at Sekiryuutei-kun’s death. The one who should be calm at times like this is you. A servant who has deep love towards his comrades but can withstand a comrade’s death. Remarkable.”

“Thank you very much.”

.....The truth is I can’t endure it any longer, but I still have to endure. That’s because like he just said, Buchou and Akeno-san who aren’t here are not in proper shape. Buchou has hid inside her room in the castle while holding onto Ise-kun’s evil pieces and since Akeno-san also lost her psychological support, she is sitting on the sofa in the guest room with a hollow expression. Both of them do not respond when I try to talk to them. It is hard to imagine what they are going through right now because both of them were very dependent on Ise-kun’s support. ......Asia-san has also been crying this whole time in the guest room.

“.....I want to go to Ise-san’s side right this moment..... .......But if I were to go to his side......Ise-san will definitely be upset..... .......He promised me that he will always be with me..... Then I thought I will be able to be with him if I go to his side...... Ise-san...... What should I do.......?”

She was also fighting desperately against her sadness.

Xenovia and Irina-san are still in heaven. I’m not sure whether Ise-kun’s death has been reported to them.

I heard the reason why Xenovia (Someone who knows the absence of God) is able to stay in Heaven while she would have an influence on the system based there is because of the cooperation from Azazel-sensei and the system of the immense tree from Norse-mythology, Yggdrasil. But she can only stay there for a short time. Even if we receive lots of cooperation from different factions, it will still take lots of time to unravel the system of Heaven which is delicate and has many secrets.

Rossweisse-san and Gapser-kun also didn’t call us after leaving to become stronger. They still haven’t been told about Ise-kun’s death.

......The Gremory group are all separated. Until recently it was such an ultimate team that you couldn’t ask for more, but now there isn’t even a shadow of it. Even if the members who aren’t here right now return, we don’t know if we are able to return back to the original situation..... Losing Ise-kun who was the foundation of the team was big...... Am I able to support this team? Ise-kun please give me a bit of your courage. The courage you had that allowed you to stand up against anyone......

Ruval then says it.

“Our family also wanted Ravel to become Sekiryuutei-kun’s servant and possibly send her off to him if we could have.”

“Yes. I understand that.”

Ise-kun didn’t notice it, but the intention of the house of Phoenix could be understood from many perspectives.

“......What will happen to Ravel’s future isn’t decided, but can you allow her to stay here? It seems like she made friends. I think their names were Koneko-san and Gasper-kun? She talked a lot about both of them through the magic-circle. She seemed very happy.”

“Yes. We will take care of Ravel-san."

Ruval smiles at my words.

“Yes, then we are going Raiser. You will have to show off the splendid flames of the Phoenix since you are also a male from the house of the Phoenix. You don’t want to be made fun of for being an upstart guy any more than this right?”

“I understand brother. See ya Kiba Yuuto. Take care of Rias and the others.”

Ruval and Raiser Phoenix leave after saying that.

The room becomes quiet once again. Ravel-san sits next to Koneko-chan. Her eyes get full with tears and she covers her face with her hands.

“......This is too much for me....... I was finally able to get closer to the man I respect and have affection towards.......”

Ravel-san had deep affection towards Ise-kun. She must have respected him deeply. She usually had a tsun personality, but at times she looked at Ise-kun as her hero. She must have wanted to live under him being his servant. Koneko-chan then mumbled.

“.....I was somehow prepared for this. .....No matter how strong Ise-senpai and Yuuto-senpai are, there will be a time when they reach their limit.”

-! .....Koneko-chan. You had a resolution like that? So she was already prepared. It would be the natural way of thinking considering that we went through lots of near death experiences up until now.

Ise-kun and I had secretly talked about this before.

-About things after one of us dies.

Hearing Koneko-chan, Ravel-san stands up enraged. She talks back to Koneko-chan while crying.

“.....You are accepting it too fast......! I can’t be strong like Koneko-san.....!”

Koneko-chan received frustration from her fellow classmate. Her usual emotionless face starts to break down, and she eventually started to shake and cry.

“......I also...... I also reached my limits in many ways....! He died after I confessed my feelings......! Ise-senpai is stupid.....! He’s stupid.....!”

Koneko-chan hid her eyes with her sleeve while crying out. She must have been forcing herself to stay calm. She kept her sorrow in even when she gave out tea.

.....Things she kept within her small body start to flow out all at once. Seeing that, Ravel-san gently embraces Koneko-chan.

“Koneko-san....... I’m sorry.”

“......Sob.....Ravel. It’s too painful to bear...... This is too much.......”

For the two first years, his death was too much for them.

.....I need to endure a bit longer. Even if I cry right now.....nothing will start. It is not the time for that yet.

“Kiba Yuuto.....-kun.”

Another voice. When I turned around, one of the leaders of the Fallen-Angels, Barakiel-san, was standing there.

“I see. Then Akeno is....”

We walk through the corridor while I explain the situation to Barakiel-san. I’m taking him to the guest room where Akeno-san is. Barakiel-san is Akeno-san’s father. He had a painful expression. He is sad knowing both about Ise-kun and Akeno-san.

I asked Koneko-chan and Ravel-san to look after Asia-san. Both of them are not in a condition to do that, but having someone who loved Ise-kun as well stay with Asia-san seemed to be the right thing to do.

....I am no good. I am a Knight that is supposed to support the girls but I cannot save a single girl from our group.....

That’s why I’m thinking of protecting them by wielding my sword. That is the best thing I can currently do for the girls. We arrived in front of the door where Akeno-san is in and I knock on the door. There is no response from the inside. Barakiel-san and I open the door and enter. There was no light inside and it is dark. Akeno-san is sitting on the sofa located in the corner of the room with hollow eyes. Barakiel-san took a step and shakes his daughters shoulder.

“.....Akeno.”

Maybe it is because she heard the voice of her father but she finally responds for the first time.

“.....Tou.....-sama......”

She mumbles while confirming her father’s face. Barakiel-san just nods silently and hugs Akeno-san.

“I heard the story.”

Hearing that, Akeno-san got her emotions back and puts her face on her father’s chest.

“Tou-sama.......I.....”

Her voice is mixed with tears. Barakiel-san gently pats his daughter’s head.

“You can cry right now. Your father will be here until you stop. But you are the Queen of the Gremory group, which is turning into a representative of all the young Devils. You have to use that power for the Underworld soon.”

“......Sob...Ise.....Why.....”

Akeno-san cries within his arms.

..........If Barakiel-san is here then Akeno-san might recover a bit. I will be a nuisance if I stay any longer. Sensing that, I quietly left the room.

Part 2

While returning to the floor I had been on before, I passed someone I knew.

“—Saji-kun.”

“Yo, Kiba.”

“What brings you here?”

“Well, Kaichou came to see how Rias-senpai is doing. So I came to escort her. We met with people from the house of Phoenix on our way.”

“I see. Thank you.”

So Kaichou also came to see Buchou’s well being.

I then walk along with Saji-kun. He then says it with resolved eyes.

“Kiba, I’m planning to participate in this case. I’m going to protect the civilians living in town.”

-! It looks like the Sitri group also stood up for the Underworld’s crisis. Youths with power are being summoned. There is no doubt that the Great-King Bael group and Archduke Agares will be dispatched as well. It wouldn’t be weird if the Sitri group were to be dispatched as well. Naturally we will also have to participate as youths that have power.

“We are also planning to join with you afterwards.”

I say that but Saji-kun asks me with concern.

“.....Are Rias-senpai and the others able to fight?”

.....It will be natural to feel that way knowing the situation of Buchou and others right now. He knows it. He knows that we won’t be able to fight properly with the current situation. Even so, we must go.

“We have to fight. All the Devils that have powers are summoned to it. We are Devils who have powers. ---We have to do it.”

“Yeah you are right.”

Saji-kun puts on a smile but then puts on a serious face.

“Do you know the one who killed Hyoudou?”

Saji-kun asks with eyes full of intensity.

“I do, but he’s no longer in this World. -He must have been defeated by Ise-kun.”

Yes, there is no way that Ise-kun couldn’t finish off Shalba. Even if he received the poison of Samael, he definitely must have eliminated Shalba. I believed that without the slightest of doubts. Saji-kun’s eyes shake for a moment with my answer.

“Yeah. Striking back when getting hit. No. There’s no way he would lose. He died after winning, right? There’s no way he would lose!?”

Saji-kun had lots of tears flowing out of his eyes and he seems really mortified. Saji-kun says it with a vigorous expression.

“So the guy who killed him is already gone. Then I just have to beat the Khaos-Brigade, which was the group that the guy who killed him belonged to.”

“Saji-kun. You.....”

“He was my aim. I was able to work this hard because of him. I was able to do well in the match against Agares as well....! I was able to endure any type of hard training because he was also the same “Pawn” as me who was nearby!”

......He has been running after Ise-kun’s back. For Saji-kun, Ise-kun who became a Devil at the same time as himself was a big existence to him. Saji-kun then spits out words of hatred.

“I won’t forgive those guys who took away my aim and killed my friend! I will burn all of them with the flame of Vritra....! My flame is a cursed black-flame that won’t disappear even if I die. I will take down their lives even at the cost of my own.....!”

Saji-kun is emitting an intense aura from his body. He is keeping down his power which seems like it will explode now.

“I will be troubled if you die, Saji.”

When I turned around Sona-kaichou is standing there.

“Kaichou.”

“Saji. I can understand you becoming emotional but I will be troubled if you die. ---If you are going to do it, burn your opponents while you stay alive.”

Saji-kun wiped his tears with his sleeve at her words and then nods his head.

“Yes!”

Sona-kaichou then looks at me.

“We will pardon ourselves here. We were given an order from Serafall Levithian to go to the capital of Maou territory, Lilith, to protect the city and evacuate the civilians.”

Since strong people with the power of Ultimate-class Devils are being dispatched to take care of the gigantic-monsters, the governments are making the skilled youths evacuate civilians and protect the cities.

“So have you met with Buchou?”

She nods slowly at my question.

“She’s keeping herself in her room. She won’t respond even if I talk to her.”

......So it was no good even with Sona-kaichou who is her best friend.

“But I called someone who is the most suitable at a time like this.”

“Most suitable?”

I asked her doubtfully but she makes a shallow smile. She doesn’t tell me who that person is........ Who did she call?

When I returned to the floor, the television was showing the circumstances of the capital. They were continuing the evacuations. Lots of people are being lead to safety by the soldiers. Then the children at the capitals were shown. The woman reporter asks one of the children.

[I’m okay! Oppai-Dragon will come and defeat that monster for us!]

The child answers the question with a big smile. He is holding onto a toy of “Oppai Dragon”. Then lots of voices and energetic faces appear on the screen.

[Yeah! Oppai-Dragon will defeat them!]

[Oppai! Oppai!]

Without showing any anxiety, they just believe that the Oppai-dragon will come to save them.

[Come quickly Oppai-Dragon!]

Seeing them in high spirits, I covered my mouth......to desperately stop the feeling I am keeping within me.

....Can you see, Ise-kun? The appearance of the children who are waiting for you...... They aren’t even showing a single thread of anxiety. They believe that you will come and save them...... Then you have to come back......! You have to be here......! Why can’t you go to them...!? You are their hero......! Please answer them Ise-kun. You can’t betray them......!

“The children of the Underworld are stronger than we think.”

-! A sudden voice. That man is already standing next to me.

“You are!?”

“Hyoudou Issei has put something very precious inside the children’s hearts. ---It’s been a while Kiba Yuuto. I came to see Rias.”

It was Sairaorg Bael.

Sairaorg Bael who was called here by Sona-kaichou arrived in front of Buchou’s room while taking me with him.

“I’m coming in Rias.”

Saying just that, Sairaorg Bael goes into Buchou’s room. When we walk inside the room......we found Buchou sitting on her table. Her eyes are even more hollow than Akeno-san’s were and are swollen red. ......She must have been crying this whole time. Sairaorg Bael makes a sigh of boredom after getting close to her.

“You show me something very boring, Rias.”

Seeing his attitude, Buchou asks him with an unpleasant face and voice.

“......Sairaorg. Why did you come here...?”

“I received a call from Sona Sitri. Don’t worry. I received this call privately. So not a single thing about what happened to that man has been leaked to the Great-King faction.”

If the death of Ise-kun is leaked to the politicians from the Great-King faction, then we won’t know how they will argue against the current Maou government after this chaos. Ise-kun has become a very big existence in the Underworld. It seems like this person understands that. I think it is only a matter of time ’til it is leaked...... But even so, I feel happy for this person’s concern. Sairaorg Bael directly says it to Buchou.

“—Let’s go. It is a crisis in the Underworld. What is the point for you who has strong servants staying here and being useless? We are young Devils with great powers and we need to show and demonstrate it to the people behind us. And we can stand up to the standard of the higher ups, the Maou-sama, who has been watching over us with warm eyes.”

He said something very proper. The usual Buchou would have agreed with that. But Buchou just looked away.

“......It is not my concern.”

“....So you will fall this low, just because your man’s whereabouts are unknown, Rias. You were supposed to be a better woman than this.”

Hearing Sairaorg Bael say that, Buchou throws a pillow at our direction and she gets enraged.

“A world without him! I don’t care about the World without Ise! ......To me he was..... that person was..... He was more important than anyone else. For me to live without him......”

She tries to calm down while shedding tears. But.....

“That man...... The woman who that Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei, fell in love with wasn’t a woman like this!”

Sairaorg said it loud to Buchou.

“That man was a strong person who kept on standing up with courage for your dream and living up to your expectations! How can the master, the woman that man loved, have such a low capacity and appearance!?”

Buchou seems shocked hearing Sairaorg Bael’s words. Sairaorg Bael continues.

“Stand up Rias. That man stood up no matter what. He stepped forward. He just kept on going forward. You should know that man, who defeated me in a fist fight head on, the best!”

Something only a rival can understand. Sairaorg Bael must have felt something from Ise-kun in that Rating Game through their fists and witnessed Ise-kun’s way of life.

“And do you really think that man actually died?”

-! Buchou.....and I became speechless at hearing Sairaorg Bael. He smiles looking at our reaction.

“Then that is something to laugh about. There’s no way that man will die. I will ask you one thing. Did that man make love to you yet?”

“......No he didn’t make love to me”

Hearing Buchou say that, Sairaorg laughed loud.

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha!”

After he finished his laugh, he then says it with eyes full of strength.

“Then that man really didn’t die. There’s no way that Hyoudou Issei will die when there’s you and other women that are in love with him. He wanted to make love to you the most. There’s no way he will die without making love to you.”

-!

....That is something unreliable. But Sairaorg Bael’s words had more persuasive power than anything else.

“Isn’t that the [Oppai-Dragon]?”

He turns around after saying that.

“I will wait at the battlefield. ---Definitely come, Rias. And Gremory team! How can you call yourselves [Oppai-Dragon]’s comrades if you don’t protect the children of the Underworld who that man tried to protect!”

After saying that he leaves.

......A sudden silence.

So this is what Sona-kaichou meant by most suitable. ......Yes. We could have searched more to find the possibility of his survival. We could have searched for his resurrection even if his evil pieces were the only thing that returned! How come we couldn’t realise something so simple and easy to understand like that?

It looked like there was a bit of light in Buchou’s eyes.

And a bit of hope returned within me.

Sairaorg Bael. A man who fights only with his fists. That’s why it seemed like there is something only that man can understand.....

That certainly has reached us.

Part 3

After hearing that a certain someone has shown himself within the castle, I was walking towards where he is. I also know the reason why that person came. Most likely to cure the curse “that person” has on himself. That room is located in the basement of the castle. –The Vali team is over there. After that incident, their leader Vali got put in an unfavourable condition so the head of Gremory decided to hide them after being asked by Sirzechs-sama and Azazel-sensei. Of course having the terrorists in the Gremory castle will be a very serious matter. Even so, it is true that they helped us......they helped Buchou. Hearing that, the head of the Gremory decided to take care of them temporarily.

They have been classified as traitors from the Hero-faction and they are wanted by various groups. Right now, hiding is also hard for them. So the suggestion from the Gremory is like a passing boat for them. When I entered the room Vali is resting in, I see members of The Vali team and an old man with a very small build. He had a very wrinkled face with cyber-type sunglasses, and a pipe in his mouth.

-It’s the man himself, the first Sun Wukong.

Yes, the person I wanted to meet is this person. The reason I came down here to the basement is because there is something I want to ask him. The First is putting his hand on Vali’s body and he is using Sennjutsu to make the Ki flow within Vali’s body. He moved his hand covered in white Touki light from Vali’s stomach, to his chest, to his neck, and then to his mouth.

GOUGH.....

A black solid came out from Vali’s mouth. The First put the black solid into a transparent jar and then closed it with a lid. On top of that he put something that looks like a sealing paper and sealed it. That is most likely the poison of Samael that was inside Vali’s body. The First then smiles.

“I took out most of the curse with the sennjutsu. Now your body should feel better. Geez. When I thought that the super stupid Bikou made a call to me, I never thought it was to take care of the Vanishing Dragon.”

Bikou who is sitting on the chair next to the bed had his eyes half opened. It seems like the one who called the First was Bikou. I heard that the First is someone he can’t deal with...... It might be an action taken because he wanted to save Vali.

“Shut up, Geezer. –So will Vali recover?”

“Well this guy is someone with exceptionally high demonic-powers. It will be enough if I just give it a start.”

“.....My gratitude, First-dono. Looks like I can fight with this.”

Vali gave his gratitude to the First with respect. For that Hakuryuukou to give respect to someone..... Even the First Sun Wukong is a very big existence to him. First says while smacking Bikou’s head,

“To think about fighting after having the curse lifted. A Battle-maniac which can’t be helped. –Now I will be on my way then, since I got to see the idiot’s face.”

“Are you going somewhere Geezer?”

“Well even if I look like this, I’m Sakra’s vanguard. Just a little errand in the Underworld. –Something you could call, taking down a terrorist. That Sakra sure does make a Geezer work hard.”

So the First will also be helping out this time as well. He sounds like a very supportive ally but there is one thing bugging me. Vali voices my suspicions instead.

“...First-dono. Sakra is connected to Cao Cao right? The incident at Kyoto. The meeting between the Youkai and Sakra’s side. So where is Cao Cao standing in Sakra’s mind since he interfered in the meeting?”

Yes. Sakra and Cao Cao are connected. I heard it from Azazel-sensei. But the incident in Kyoto doesn’t connect then. So what does that mean? The more we think, the more mysterious it gets. The First just smiles happily.

“No idea. Since I’m just a vanguard of Sakra and a freedom Geezer at that. I’m not interested in what that baldy God of military arts is thinking.”

It feels like he isn’t hiding anything. This person didn’t have any evil intents from the beginning. I can sense him having a naughty personality just like Bikou, but I can’t sense even the slightest enmity towards us.

......Though I would agree if he said that he is using Sennjutsu to make us think like that......... The First says it while putting his hand under his chin.

“But I don’t think Sakra will rampage, you know? I don’t know what will happen from now. He would most likely just watch from the sides. Though Hades overdid it this time.”

-Hades.

So I am not mistaking it, that his “rampage” led to this incident. ......If Sakra also gets involved, then the Underworld will have an even bigger crisis on its hands. He is a Battle-God that is said to have the power where all the Yondai-Maou have to combine their powers and finally they would have the power which rivals him. When the First and Vali’s conversation finished, I interrupted their discussion.

“First. I have come here because there is something I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it, Holy-demonic-sword guy. This Geezer will answer anything He is able to.”

“I want to ask you, who just touched the curse of Samael. ----In what circumstance can a Dragon survive after receiving this curse?”

A Dai-Youkai[1] who mastered Youjutsu and Sennjutsu. The one who was promoted into a God. Qítia-n Dàshèng[2] Sun Wukong. How did this person feel when he touched the “Snake of Eden’s”, the curse of Samael. I want to ask him that.

“First of all, the body can’t be saved. From the density of this curse, the body will perish first. Then their soul. There’s nothing more fragile than a soul which lost its vessel. Though the soul will also get devoured by the curse and perish quickly. Now the problem starts from here. ---Why didn’t the evil-pieces which are connected with the soul receive the curse? What happened to the Sekiryuutei reached the ears of this Geezer as well. The pieces returned to the master right?”

So this person already knows as well.

“Yes. Only the pieces responded to the summon.”

“Was the curse of Samael detected from the pieces?”

“No, it wasn’t detected. Samael’s aura was only felt from the Dragon-Gate. His pieces weren’t cursed with Samael’s curse.”

It happened just like how I answered. When Ise-kun’s evil-pieces returned, Sensei examined the evil-pieces, but it wasn’t cursed by Samael’s curse.

......Sensei made sharp eyes after knowing that and returned to Grigori headquarters.......

If I think about it now, the doubt of Ise-kun’s death had existed from back then. All of us, me and my comrades, thought that cases like the return of the evil-pieces would mean death. Because of the sadness of losing him and learning the facts about previous cases, we discarded the possibility of his survival. The First puffed his pipe and then smiled at my reply.

“—Then it means that there is a possibility that his soul is at least safe. I don’t know what state that erotic boy is in, but he might just be floating in the dimensional gap.”

......When I heard those words, I tried very hard to keep down the emotions which were about to come out of me. Not yet. It’s too early for that. It’s still too early to be overjoyed.....! But there are still possibilities! The possibility that my best friend is alive!

The First smiles when he sees me shaking and then turns around.

“See you then. I have Yu-long waiting outside. ---Oh. So what are you going to do now, Bikou? I hear that you guys are wanted by all the factions and [Khaos-Brigade] right?”

Bikou scratches his cheeks when he gets asked by the First. Kuroka who is next to him says it while making a fist.

“I’m just going to follow our leader –nyan. Afterall, I have the most fun hanging around this team.”

The magician, Le Fay, also nods.

“Yes. I will also follow everyone else! How about you Arthur-oniisama?”

Arthur who has a calm aura like always says it with a smile.

“I don’t have a single interest nor attachment to the Hero-faction. I will be able to meet strong foes if I stay here and do the same things we have been doing till now. At least for me, it’s easier to be with Vali than Cao Cao.”

Hearing their opinions, Bikou says it to Vali.

“I will also just follow you like I did until now. The only one who can order half-assed guys like us is you Vali.”

Hearing the thoughts of his team mates, Vali made a small smile.

“.....I’m sorry.”

“Act like you usually do! Don’t apologise Ketsu-Ryuukou[3]!”

Bikou says it while making a big laugh and smacking Vali’s back.

“Stop it. Albion will cry. He’s already in a state where he’s asking for a counsellor.”

.......So Albion also had his heart that torn huh. So the reason why Albion was absolutely quiet back in the artificial-dimension is because he didn’t have any energy left in him?

“Sekiryuutei attracts the hearts of people. Hakuryuukou attracts the hearts of the “exiled”. Two-Heavenly Dragons. You guys are Heads and tails. You guys are interesting Heavenly Dragons.”

The First Sun Wukong leaves after saying that. Confirming that the First left, I ask Vali once again.

“Vali Lucifer. What are you going to do?”

“.....Will you be satisfied if I say that I will take Hyoudou Issei’s revenge, Kiba Yuuto?”

“No. I will just spit it out and say that it’s not like you. And if there are those we have to seek revenge on, then that is our job. No. I will take them down.”

He smiles at my answer.

“I see. That’s right. ---I just want to release the power I couldn’t to someone. There are lots of people I am after and there are lots of people who are after me so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Vali showed a smile of a battle-maniac who doesn’t feel like he will lose.

After asking the First about what I wanted to know at the room The Vali team is present in, I came out of the basement. I was thinking of sending the opinion the First gave to a certain someone. But.....

“Yuuto-san. So you were here.”

Someone calls me from behind. –It is Grayfia-sama. But she is not in the maid outfit she is usually in. She tied her braided hair into one, and she is wearing a battle costume which shows her body line. I can understand what it means with one look. –She will be heading out as a servant of Maou.

“Grayfia-sama....... You are going to the front line?”

Grayfia-sama nods at my question.

“Yes. Because of the Holy-spear, Lucifer’s servants and I will assault the monster, Jabberwocky, who is progressing to the capital since Sirzechs can’t go out. We will stop its movement at least.”

If this person says that with confidence, then I strongly feel that it will turn out like that. Other pursuit squads had attempted to freeze the Gigantic monsters, forcibly teleporting them, or creating a huge hole to seal their movements. But all of them ended in failure. I received information that demonic powers and magic relating to transport by force, space, and time won’t work on them. Maybe those monsters were created with a spell where such techniques won’t work on them.

.....To be able to create such a terrifying thing..... Just like I thought, the possibilities [Annihilation Maker] has are very dangerous. I can understand why the higher-ups placed it among the Top-tier Longinus and discussed seriously about whether they should seal it away. Even so, I start to think that the Lucifer servants who are said to be the strongest among the Devils can stop them. My sword master is also in the Lucifer group and he is a [Knight]. There is nothing he cannot cut with his absolute technique.

“Can you give this to Rias? It is information from Sirzechs and Governor-Azazel.”

From Sirzechs-sama......and Sensei? Grayfia-sama handed me a memo with information on it.

“This is?”

Knowing that it is rude, I checked the memo which is for my master. On it, the words “Ajuka Beelzebub” and “Base” written with Devils letters.

“The current location where the current-Beelzebub, Ajuka Beelzebub-sama, is at. I will also pass you on the message from Govenor-Azazel. "Have him look at Ise’s evil-pieces. If it’s that man, then he should be able to analyse what’s left in the pieces". Go there with Rias and the others, Yuuto-san. Ajuka-sama should be able to pick up any possibility.”

Yes. This Maou is the one who created the evil-pieces system. And he is the person I wanted to contact. .....So Sensei gathered information beforehand. He was concerned about us, even though he is supposed to be the busiest person right now......

.....Thank you very much Sensei. Ajuka-sama will definitely tell us about any possibility. Grayfia-sama then smiles.

“I won’t allow the person who will become my brother-in-law to perish with something like this. Go and get the information of his safety and make Rias stand on her feet again. It is foolish for her to call herself the next-generation when a youth with power isn’t even standing for the crisis of the Underworld.”

......Ise-kun. Your sister-in-law is very kind and also very strict.

Translator’s Notes and References