The Holy Lance Rhongomyniad gathered power unlike anything Rizevim had witnessed before.
According to the lore Takeyo knew, the Holy Sword Excalibur was meant to destroy enemies, a weapon of pure offense. But the Holy Lance served a different purpose entirely: it was the shining anchor that bound the skin of the world to the planet itself. Merlin had once described it this way, the human realm and the realm of the fae were like a layer of skin covering the earth, and Rhongomyniad was the pillar of light that stitched them together. If that pillar ever crumbled, the world's very surface would peel away from the planet beneath.
Both Takeyo's Holy Sword and Artoria's Holy Lance bore the weight of Thirteen Restraints, seals placed by the Knights of the Round Table to limit their devastating power.
Originally, Artoria would have needed to fulfill specific conditions before deciding how many seals to release. Each Restraint represented a moral or tactical requirement: the enemy must be more powerful than oneself, the battle must be one-on-one, the enemy must be evil, and so on.
However, after Artoria had been summoned and integrated into Takeyo's peerage through his Knight piece, those limitations had ceased to exist.
Rizevim's expression shifted as he watched the sacred energy condense around the Holy Lance's gleaming tip. His worldview felt like it was cracking at the edges.
I only came to capture a hostage. Why are there suddenly this many powerful fighters?!
The woman wielding that lance had been fighting him evenly just moments ago, trading blows back and forth like equals. But now her power was surging toward a level that made his skin crawl.
She's becoming a Transcendent right before my eyes?
He didn't have time to ponder the implications. Right now, he needed to avoid that attack.
If the demonic blood flowing through his veins took a direct hit from the Spear of the End, he would absolutely die. Sacred weapons were anathema to devils, and Rhongomyniad was among the most sacred weapons in existence.
On the other side of the battlefield.
"Haaaaaaaa!"
Grayfia unleashed wave after wave of devastating magic, systematically suppressing the remaining Evil Dragon clones that Takeyo had left in her care.
Takeyo himself had already completed his primary objective. The Evil Dragons and their copies that had flooded the dimensional space were being dealt with methodically.
[Dragon Extinction: Skyfall!]
An enormous magic circle materialized in the sky above, so vast it covered everything the eye could see. The entire visible horizon fell under its shadow.
"BOOM!"
Energy specifically calibrated to harm dragons cascaded down from the heavens like divine judgment. The number of dragons remaining on the battlefield visibly plummeted.
[Super-Tier Magic: Skyfall] could extend any elemental magic across a truly absurd range. If Takeyo desired, he could expand its area of effect almost infinitely.
But since his targets were merely Evil Dragon clones, he hadn't bothered to hold back.
After a blinding flash of light, every remaining dragon replica dissolved under the targeted magical bombardment.
"Let's go. Time to find the one pulling the strings."
Takeyo spoke to Grayfia.
The mastermind was Rizevim Livan Lucifer.
He had obtained the Sephiroth Graal, the Holy Grail that could resurrect the dead. As long as Rizevim remained alive, these Evil Dragons would keep coming back no matter how many times they were destroyed.
Fortunately, all of the resurrected dragons were only at the Dragon King level. If Rizevim had somehow gotten his hands on Heavenly Dragon-class specimens, even Takeyo would have struggled to contain three of them simultaneously.
"Yes, Lord Takeyo."
Grayfia nodded, apparently unbothered by the fact that Takeyo had stolen most of the kills. She had come to fulfill her mission, nothing more.
"Oh, wait. One moment."
Just as Takeyo was about to take Grayfia's hand, he remembered something important.
He retrieved a golden divine bow from the golden ripples of his treasury, the bow bestowed by Brahma himself.
After a brief moment of accumulation, he finished charging the attack.
[Return to the Heavens: Brahmashira!]
"Go!"
A beam of light that seemed capable of piercing heaven and earth erupted from the divine bow.
The legendary arrow said to be able to break through three thousand worlds shot forth with devastating force.
"BOOM!"
A mushroom cloud bloomed in the distance. Grayfia's silver eyebrows rose slightly at the sight.
[DING!]
[Congratulations to the Host for completing a plot check-in! Sign-in level: Diamond!]
[Sign-in plot: Diodora's End.]
[Plot: A pervert who enjoys toying with nuns actually dared to target the Host's woman?
Is there any need for such a person to continue existing?
Eliminate Diodora and his subordinates!]
[Congratulations to the Host for receiving the reward: Three Thousand Ways, Holy Way!]
[Three Thousand Ways, Holy Way: The sacred path among the Three Thousand Ways. Incorporates powerful holy energies into the Host's attributes and can cause tremendous damage to specific creatures or those with opposing affinities. Additionally...]
[DING!]
[Fusible power detected!]
[Would you like to integrate?]
"Fusion," Takeyo decided immediately. According to the system's rules, integration never caused him to lose his original abilities. There was no reason to refuse.
[DING!]
[The Ninth Incarnation Buddha & Three Thousand Ways, Holy Way... integrating!]
[Integration successful!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Awakened Incarnation: Enlightened Saint.]
[Awakened Incarnation, Enlightened Saint: Perfectly inherits both the Ninth Incarnation and the Three Thousand Ways, Holy Way. The so-called Enlightened Saint is not merely one who has transcended humanity to achieve enlightenment, but one who has transcended even the original incarnation itself!]
Takeyo experimented with this new avatar for a moment, and immediately noticed something different from before.
Previously, when he'd used his incarnations, the sensation had been like borrowing power from an external source. But now... it felt as though he had become the enlightened saint himself. All power flowed naturally from his body and soul, as though it had always been part of him.
"Let's go."
After observing the changes for a second or two, Takeyo spoke to Grayfia.
"Yes."
Grayfia replied quietly.
Taking her hand, Takeyo activated his [Dwarf Vamana] incarnation, and both figures vanished from the spot instantaneously.
As she traveled with him, Grayfia wondered if it was merely her imagination. She could have sworn that Takeyo had undergone some subtle transformation.
He seemed more... sacred, somehow. Just looking at his face made her want to sink into contemplation. And strangely, he also felt more familiar to her than before.
On Rizevim's side.
The Super Devil surveyed the guardians protecting his intended hostages and ultimately could only curl his lip in frustration.
"I should have brought more reinforcements this time."
Unfortunately, even if he wanted to summon backup now, he couldn't. Takeyo had sealed the entire dimensional space, no teleportation in or out was possible.
"President, what exactly is happening?"
Tsubaki hadn't yet recovered from the sudden chaos unfolding before her.
"I mentioned before that Takeyo has an enemy he's been preparing for," Sona explained, adjusting her glasses. "It seems that enemy has finally appeared before us."
She studied Rizevim's twelve pairs of devil wings with a frown.
Twelve pairs. That was the same level as the original Lucifer himself, on par with the Serafall among angels or the Cadre-class among the Fallen. No... the man standing before them seemed even more terrifying than that.
"We've been targeted by terrorists. Let's see if there's a way to escape."
Sona sighed. Fortunately, this situation had been within Takeyo's predictions. The golden chess piece he'd given her had successfully summoned powerful defenders to their side.
"Don't worry. Takeyo is very reliable."
Ingvild smiled, offering comfort to the three others.
After training for some time, her sleeping sickness had been completely cured. Now she had officially taken up residence in Takeyo's home.
Originally, Asia and Raynare had wanted to accompany them as well, but since neither had reached Maou-class strength yet, it would have been too dangerous.
"Oh? Who is this 'Takeyo' you speak of?"
Sona asked softly, a hint of warning in her tone.
But the naturally oblivious Ingvild failed to notice the dangerous undercurrent in Sona's voice.
"Takeyo is my master!" Ingvild said brightly. "And the one who saved me!"
"Is that so...?"
Sona sighed internally. Now she wanted nothing more than to pin Takeyo to a bed and demand answers. She'd specifically told him not to accept any male peerage members, yet here he was, apparently collecting female servants without restraint.
But she could already predict the outcome.
He would either deflect with some vague excuse, or simply admit everything directly and then... convince her to accept it.
And by "convince," she meant she probably wouldn't be getting out of bed for a while.
"He's here."
Ingvild looked toward the sky, a smile blooming at the corner of her lips.
There he was, her hero. The one who had rescued her from the grip of a goddess and cured her incurable illness.
She didn't know what kind of "education" Nyx, the Goddess of Night who had kidnapped her, was currently receiving at Kouju's hands. But it probably wouldn't be long before Takeyo's sign-in task to subjugate the Night Goddess could be completed.
Sona and Tsubaki followed her gaze.
There, the boy they'd been waiting for appeared.
Always reliable. Always capable of handling anything with apparent ease.
"Rizevim, this is where it ends for you. Don't bother hoping for reinforcements, they're not coming."
Takeyo faced Rizevim across the battlefield, then drew two holy swords from his treasury.
[Holy Sword Est!]
[Loading... Loading target... Excalibur, the Holy Sword of the Stars!]
[Loading successful!]
On his other side, golden particles gradually condensed into the Golden Sword of the Divine Word.
Additionally, Takeyo infused both blades with the God-Killing attribute.
Fenrir's God-Killing Fangs weren't only effective against deities. For any race, being struck by that power meant severe injury at minimum. Even a Dragon King like Tannin would be instantly crippled if he took a direct hit.
"You're Takeyo Kagutsuchi, the one who's been making waves lately."
Rizevim studied the young man before him, though his gaze held no respect, only the clinical interest of someone examining an object.
"Are those your last words?"
Takeyo shook his head and channeled the power of the Divine Word into his golden sword.
[Your name is Rizevim Livan Lucifer! You are the character recorded in the Bible under the name "Leirin"!]
[The strongest Transcendent born from the Original Satan Lucifer and the Mother of Devils, Lilith!]
[Before you, the power of all Sacred Gears becomes void!]
[As a devil, your behavior is undoubtedly the most befitting of a true demon!]
[You have descendants of pure devil blood. You once ordered your son to persecute your grandson, driving Vali to flee his home!]
[You even killed your own offspring with your own hands!]
[...]
As the inscriptions on the Sword of the Divine Word shifted and changed, the golden blade specifically designed to slay Rizevim was complete.
If he'd used the previous version of the Golden Sword, a successful strike might have sealed away all of Rizevim's power. But now, enhanced with Fenrir's God-Killing essence, a direct hit would mean death within minutes unless Phoenix Tears were administered immediately.
"Ara, ara~ It seems you knew of my existence all along. These guardians were prepared specifically for me, weren't they?"
Rizevim spoke with forced calm.
He refused to believe that a devil heiress of Sona Sitri's caliber would normally have bodyguards of this quality. Even Serafall Leviathan herself didn't have this much firepower on standby!
"That's right. After all, you're a lunatic. So tell me, are you planning to release the Beast?"
Takeyo smiled.
The ideal outcome would be to eliminate Rizevim here and now. Then, once Takeyo had accumulated enough strength, he could travel to the dimensional prison where Trihexa was sealed and deal with the Apocalyptic Beast on his own terms.
Rizevim was genuinely insane. There was no predicting what he might do.
After learning about the existence of other worlds, he'd become obsessed with invading them. He'd prepared Ophis's clone, Lilith, and the Beast of the Apocalypse, all considered top-tier combatants in the DxD world, as his invasion force.
Unfortunately, was interdimensional invasion really that simple?
Even if Great Red and Ophis were to cross over to the other side, the defensive systems that world had established near Earth's oceans and the Moon's orbit, the Heaven and Sea Kings of Jidu Tianhai, possessed roughly seventy percent of Great Red and Ophis's power.
The highest combat strength on this side barely qualified as Middle Class on the other. Trying to lead such forces into invasion? It would be suicide.
After all, even Great Red himself had been forced to retreat from that world eventually.
To prevent this lunatic from doing something catastrophic, Takeyo had resolved to end him right here.
This was, quite literally, for the sake of world peace.
"So you even knew about my plans for the Beast?"
Rizevim nodded, seemingly impressed.
"Then... do you know about this?"
His lips curled into a slightly manic smile.
"This?"
Takeyo frowned.
Was Rizevim just stalling for time?
But the next moment proved that the Super Devil wasn't bluffing at all.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous explosion shook the dimension.
"CRACK... CRACK... CRACK!"
The sky shattered inch by inch, crumbling like broken glass.
Through the fracturing firmament, everyone could see dimensional rifts tearing open, windows into the space between worlds.
"What is that...?"
Takeyo's eyes narrowed.
Through the broken sky, he glimpsed a dragon. But this was no ordinary dragon, its body radiated a distinctly mechanical aura, something that spoke of futures yet to come.
"A dragon from another world," Rizevim announced, his smirk widening. "Takeyo Kagutsuchi, you who also come from another world should recognize this. Allow me to introduce him: Trimurti Dragon."
Rizevim's grin turned absolutely deranged.