I exhaled slowly. I tried to keep my anger in check.
"I already told you. I'm not strong enough for Great Red. Not yet."
"You are lying."
"I'm not—"
"You will help me now." Ophis's empty eyes didn't blink. "Or I will make you help me."
The void around her expanded. The air itself seemed to distort. Bend.
My instincts screamed again. Louder this time.
I shifted my stance. Laevateinn's flames burned hotter. My armor gleamed in the dim light.
"You're really going to do this?" I asked.
"Yes."
One word. Absolute.
I sighed.
This was going to suck.
This was Ophis. The Infinite Dragon God we are talking about.
Only Great Red and Trihexa stood above her in raw power.
And she wanted a fight.
And me.
True, I was strong. But I wasn't there yet. Not yet. I was still growing. It had only been a around a year since I arrived here.
Still. That didn't mean I wouldn't give Ophis a good fight.
Or should I?
Ophis wanted me to help her defeat Great Red. But showing her how strong I was would be counterproductive. The more she saw my strength, the more she'd want me.
I could purposely lose this fight.
But something stopped me.
My pride.
My pride as a dragon.
I was a dragon. And as I'd said before—dragons don't lose to other dragons.
They fight to win.
"Fine."
I gripped Laevateinn with both hands as I took a deep breath.
Then I moved.
"Fine."
I slashed Laevateinn downward, but Ophis just raised her hand to block. Like my sword was just a normal blade.
Bad move.
Most people didn't understand what Laevateinn really was. They saw a sword. A weapon. But it was more than that. It was a concept. Destruction given form. The blade that ended things.
Laevateinn cut through her hand like butter. Clean. Easy.
Her severed hand hit the ground, the edges burning from the sword.
Ophis stared at the stump. Stoic. Empty.
No pain. No surprise. Nothing.
Then the hand regenerated. Instant. Like nothing happened.
Right. I forgot.
This was Ophis. The Infinite Dragon God. Regeneration on that level was nothing to her. She could probably regenerate from complete annihilation if she wanted to.
I knew this wasn't going to be easy.
=====
Issei POV
Strong.
That was the only word running through Issei's head as he watched Leon fight the black-haired girl.
Leon moved like nothing Issei had ever seen. His sword blazed with flames hot enough to make the air ripple. Each strike left burning trails that hung in the darkness.
Then Leon's blade cut clean through the girl's hand.
Her entire hand.
It hit the ground with a soft thud.
"No way..." Issei breathed.
The girl didn't react. Didn't scream. Didn't even blink. Her hand just... grew back. In seconds. Like it had never been cut off at all.
What kind of monster was this?
But even with all that strength, Leon-san couldn't get the upper hand. Issei could see it. The way Leon moved. The way he fought. He was being pushed. Pressured.
Training under Leon had taught Issei that much. How to read a fight. How to see the flow of battle.
And right now? Leon wasn't winning.
"Who the hell is she..?"
"Partner," Ddraig's voice rumbled in his mind. Low. Serious. "That is Ophis. The Infinite Dragon God."
Issei's stomach dropped.
Ophis.
He'd heard that name in Ddraig's stories. In Leon's warnings during training.
One of the strongest beings alive.
And Leon-san was fighting her.
"Hey, Red Dragon Emperor." Azazel's voice cut through his thoughts. The Fallen Angel Governor stood beside him, arms crossed. His usual easygoing smile was gone. "You seeing this?"
"Y-yeah," Issei managed.
"That's what real power looks like." Azazel's eyes never left the fight. "Your teacher's something else."
On Issei's other side, a white-haired guy in armor leaned against a pillar. Arms crossed. Completely relaxed.
Vali Lucifer. The White Dragon Emperor.
Leon-san's friend. His self-proclaimed rival.
Though "rival" seemed like a stretch. Leon had beaten Vali before. Decisively.
But Vali's silver eyes were locked on the fight. Hungry. Excited.
"Leon's really going all out," Vali said. His voice carried a hint of approval. "Haven't seen him like this since our fight."
"He's not winning though," Issei muttered.
Vali smirked. "Of course not. That's Ophis."
Issei clenched his fists.
The gap.
The gap between him and Leon-san was still massive. Even after a year of training. Even with all the power he'd gained.
He thought back to before the Loki incident. Leon-san had offered him something. The Zodiac Piece. A way to get stronger. Faster.
Issei hadn't thought much about it back then. He was satisfied. Happy, even. He had Asia-chan by his side. He was getting stronger bit by bit. Training every day. Making progress.
That was enough.
Or so he thought. Then Loki happened.
That was the eye-opener. The wake-up call.
There were beings out there that could crush him without trying. Gods. Dragon Gods. Monsters beyond imagination.
And he was still so weak compared to them.
Compared to Leon-san.
The Zodiac Piece...
Maybe he should've taken it.
It was not too late though Leon-san had said the offer still stood.
But Issei was still hesitant.
The Zodiac Piece wasn't just power. It was something more. Something that would change him fundamentally. Leon-san had been clear about that.
Was he ready for that?
Did he even deserve it?
"Shit." Azazel's voice cut through his thoughts.
Issei looked up. Azazel's expression had changed. The laid-back demeanor was gone. His face was hard. Alert.
Even Vali straightened. His smirk faded.
"More guests," Vali muttered.
Magic circles blazed to life across the area. Multiple ones. Their light cut through the darkness.
Reinforcements?
No.
Enemies.
Issei's instincts screamed at him. His hand moved to his gauntlet.
"Partner, be careful," Ddraig warned. "More Devils are arriving."
Two figures stepped through the circles.
One was a man with black hair tied up in a small ponytail and violet eyes. The other had long brown hair, dressed in black armor with a cape.
"Who—" Issei started.
"Shalba Beelzebub," Azazel said quietly. His golden spear materialized in his hand. "And Creuserey Asmodeus."
The names meant nothing to Issei.
But the way Azazel said it told him everything.
These two were dangerous.
"The rest of the Old Satan Faction," Vali added. "This just got interesting."
"Azazel-san," Issei said quietly. "What do we do?"
Azazel didn't answer right away. His eyes scanned the area. Calculating. Planning.
Vali laughed.
"Now this is what I'm talking about." His armor appeared. "This is going to be fun."
"Fun?" Issei stared at him. "Are you insane?"
"Probably." Vali's grin was wild. Excited. "But tell me, Red Dragon Emperor. When else are you going to get a chance to fight opponents like this?"
Issei wanted to argue. Wanted to tell Vali that this wasn't a game.
But he couldn't.
Because part of him—the dragon part—agreed.
"He's right, partner," Ddraig rumbled. "This is what it means to be a Red Dragon Emperor. We fight. No matter the odds."
Shalba stepped forward. His cold eyes swept over them.
"Perfect," he said. "Everything is going according to plan."
"Plan?" Azazel's eyes narrowed.
Shalba's smile widened. "Did you really think Ophis found the strongest human by accident? We led her here. We knew she'd want his power."
Creuserey laughed. "And now they're both distracted. Fighting each other. Too busy to notice us."
"Those bastards," Serafall hissed. Her usual cheerful demeanor was gone. Replaced by cold fury.
Asia clutched her staff. Her hands trembled. "Leon-san..."
"He'll be fine," Xenovia said. But even she sounded uncertain. Her hand gripped Durandal tighter. "He has to be."
Irina nodded quickly. "Leon-san is strong! He won't lose!"
But Issei could see the worry in their eyes.
Leon-san was strong. The strongest human alive.
"Now that accursed human won't be able to help you," Shalba said. His smile was cruel. Vicious. "He's too busy with the Dragon God."
Sirzechs' crimson aura flared. "You planned all of this. Just to eliminate us?"
"Of course." Shalba's eyes gleamed with hatred. "You weak fools. You and Ajuka. Playing at being Satans. Making peace with angels and fallen angels. Disgraceful."
Creuserey stepped beside him. "We'll kill you both. Take our rightful places as the true Satans. And rebuild the Underworld as it should be. Strong. Pure. Dominant."
"Over my dead body," Serafall snarled. Ice crystallized in the air around her.
"That's the idea," Creuserey said.
====
If you'd like to read ahead and support me, feel free to check it out: [email protected]/VashFF