The lance-like dagger in Azazel's hand exploded with light.
Golden dragon armor materialized over his body. Similar design to the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail. Purple jewels embedded in the chest plate and gauntlets. His twelve wings spread wider behind him.
On his hand was a spear made from holy light.
"Armor of the Fallen Dragon, Downfall Dragon Another Armor."
"You created your own Sacred Gear?" She laughed. "How... quaint. It's useless. You cannot defeat me. Not me, who was bestowed with the blessing of the Infinite Dragon God herself."
Azazel tilted his head. The armor gleamed in the dim light.
"You really are noisy." He cut her off mid-breath. Annoyance leaked into his tone. "Are we doing this or not?"
The holy spear in his hand shifted. Pointed directly at her throat.
I watched the exchange from my position, I was fully confident in Azazel defeating Katerea especially in that armor.
My mind was focused on other things. I felt there was still something wrong.
This attack couldn't be that simple.
"Ugh... Don't underestimate me!" Katerea's shriek tore through the air.
Azazel moved faster.
His holy spear carved through the space between them. One slash. The blade caught Katerea across her torso before she'd closed half the distance. Light magic burned into her flesh.
She stumbled back. Blood sprayed from the wound. Dark red, almost black.
Then the wound closed. Skin knitted back together in seconds.
Katerea's arms twisted. Lengthened. Bones cracked as her limbs stretched ten feet in an instant. Her claws grew sharper.
"You are not needed for the creation of the new world."
She whipped both arms forward.
Azazel raised his spear to block. The clash sent a shockwave through the area. My coat whipped against my sides from the pressure.
Katerea's arms coiled around the spear shaft like serpents. Tightening. Pulling him forward.
The Governor General's expression didn't change.
"Persistent," he muttered.
Katerea yanked harder. Trying to pull him off balance.
Azazel let her.
He moved with the pull instead of fighting it. Launched himself forward. His left arm still tangled in her elongated limbs.
She grinned. Thought she had him.
Wrong.
His spear shifted. The blade turned inward. Toward his own shoulder.
One clean slash.
His left arm dropped to the ground. Still wrapped in Katerea's coiled limbs. Blood sprayed from the stump. The golden armor sealed over the wound instantly, cauterizing it with light magic.
Katerea's grin vanished.
Azazel was already moving. Free from her grip. His right hand drove the spear forward with everything he had.
The blade punched through her chest. Dead center. Light magic erupted from the wound. White-gold flames spreading across her torso.
"Should've stayed dead the first time," Azazel said.
The light magic spread faster. Eating through Katerea's body from the inside out. Her regeneration tried to keep up. Failed. The holy energy was too much. Even for Ophis's blessing.
Katerea's mouth opened. Blood poured out instead of words.
Her arms went slack. Started shrinking back to normal size. Still clutching Azazel's severed limb.
He yanked the spear free. Stood there with one arm. Didn't even look at the stump.
The golden armor vanished as pieces of light dissolved into nothing.
Azazel floated down toward us. Still missing his left arm. Blood soaked through his shirt sleeve where the stump ended.
"That was incredibly reckless," I said.
He smiled.
"Wanted to try something new." He glanced at the stump. "Works pretty well."
I stared at him. This bastard just cut off his own arm and he was smiling about it.
My gaze shifted to the battlefield. The remnants of Katerea's forces were still scattered across the area. Stray devils. Rogue magicians. Maybe fifty or sixty left. They looked confused now. Their leader was dead.
Small fry.
I turned to Issei. "Go help finish the rest."
"Huh?" He blinked. "But—"
"You and the others can handle them." I jerked my chin toward the scattered enemies. "They're nothing special. Just clean up."
Issei looked at the remaining attackers. Then back at me.
"Got it!" He activated his Boosted Gear. The red gauntlet materialized on his arm. "Let's go!"
Irina was already moving. Asia stayed close behind Issei. Xenovia cracked her knuckles.
They didn't need me for this. These were just stragglers now. Panicked and disorganized.
I was about to turn back to Azazel when someone appeared in front of me.
Right there. Less than a feet away.
My body moved before my brain caught up. I summoned my sword. The blade materialized in my hand. I dropped into a fighting stance.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Someone had snuck up on me. Someone got that close without me noticing.
That had never happened before.
Then I saw her.
A little girl. Black hair. Some kind of revealing goth outfit. She stared at me with empty gray eyes.
Ophis.
The Infinite Dragon God.
I gulped. Why was she here?
The gap between us hit me like a physical weight. Crushing. Suffocating. My instincts screamed at me to run. Every survival reflex I had was firing at once. Get away. Move. Run.
The dragon blood coursing through my veins reacted. Not to her power.
To the absence of it.
She didn't have an aura. Not in any normal sense. There was nothing radiating from her. No pressure. No killing intent.
Just... void.
Emptiness.
Like staring into the space between stars. Infinite. Cold. Nothing.
My grip tightened on my sword. The blade felt useless. Meaningless.
What the hell was a sword going to do against that?
Then she spoke.
"You smell funny."
I—
What?
My mouth opened. Closed.
Wait.
I remembered. The anime. Ophis was... innocent. Childlike. She wasn't hostile unless you threatened her goal of getting her silence back.
The death grip on my sword loosened. I lowered the blade slightly.
Right. She was dangerous, yeah. But not... not like this.
I took a breath. Forced myself to relax.
"Uh." I tried for a smile. Probably looked strained. "Funny how?"
Ophis tilted her head. Those empty gray eyes stared at me.
"Dragon. But not dragon. Something else."
I stayed still. Let her... whatever she was doing.
She stared at me for a long moment.
"You are strong…"
"Uh. Thanks?"
"Help me."
I blinked. "Help you with what?"
"Great Red. I want my silence back. You will help me defeat Great Red."
My stomach dropped.
Great Red. The other strongest being in existence. The True Dragon that even Ophis couldn't beat. That's why she'd been kicked out of the Dimensional Gap in the first place.
"I can't do that," I said carefully. "Great Red is... he's too strong. Even stronger than you, right?"
"Yes." No hesitation. No shame in admitting it.
"Then I definitely can't help." I kept my voice reasonable. Calm. "I'm still weak. Way too weak for something like that. Give me time. Let me get stronger first, then maybe—"
"No."
Just that. One word.
"No?" I repeated.
"You will help now."
"Ophis, I can't—"
"You are strong. You will help." Her expression didn't change. Still that same blank stare. But something shifted in the air around her. The void-like presence pressed closer. "You will help me take my home back."
She wasn't asking anymore.
I sighed.
Before I could say anything else, she moved.
No warning. No tell.
Something slammed into my chest. I didn't even see it happen. One second I was standing there. The next I was flying backward.
I hit the ground hard. Rolled. Pain exploded across my entire torso.
I coughed. Blood sprayed from my mouth. My ribs were broken. Multiple ribs. I could feel the jagged edges grinding against each other.
What the fuck.
My vision blurred. I forced myself to focus.
She'd just attacked me. After I was trying to be reasonable with her. I knew she was pure. Naive. Like a child who didn't understand consequences.
But this?
Anger flared hot in my chest.
I reached into my pocket. Fingers closed around a senzu bean. I shoved it in my mouth. Bit down.
The effect was instant. My ribs snapped back into place. The pain vanished. My vision cleared.
I pushed myself to my feet.
Golden light materialized around my body. My armor formed. Kavacha and Kundala. The divine protection covered me from head to toe. Impenetrable.
Laevateinn appeared in my right hand. The demonic sword hummed with power.
I gripped the handle tight.
Ophis stood there. Hadn't moved from her spot.
"See," she said. No emotion in her voice. "You are strong."
"Help me," she repeated.
My grip tightened on Laevateinn. The sword's flames flickered along the blade.
She'd just nearly killed me to prove a point.
"That's your logic?" I said through gritted teeth. "Beat me half to death, and because I didn't die, I'm strong enough?"
"Yes." She tilted her head slightly. "You survived. You healed. You are strong. You will help me defeat Great Red."
Like it was the simplest thing in the world.
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