Leonardo, a boy of the Hero Faction and possessor of the Longinus Annihilation Maker, was trembling. So were the other members. Their task was to buy time for Cao Cao and the main force to summon Great Red using the Nine-Tails. With Leonardo present, it was supposed to be a safe, guaranteed mission.
Before them stood a man in a black cloak, his face wrapped in bandages, obscuring his race and age. His build and voice confirmed he was an adult male. On his back was a coffin large enough to hold a person.
"Living beings can become disasters."
Scattered around were the remains of Leonardo's Anti-Monsters.
"There are two main forms of biological disasters. The first is quality. Broadly, think dragons—massive monsters that ordinary people can't face, defeated only by heroes, champions, or saints. They're said to be beastly embodiments of famine, flood, or earthquake. The second is quantity."
Tiny monsters, the size of a human fist, swarmed the Anti-Monster corpses, devouring them like ants on an elephant.
"Locusts or ants—easy to grasp, right? Overwhelming numbers are a form of violence. The man who reached this state once obsessed over creating monsters strong against specific abominations, like you. But the two-faced beasts we faced were troublesome—high quality and numerous. So, he countered with numbers."
The small monsters resembled locusts or crickets, each slightly different in shape. Neither Leonardo nor the Hero Faction noticed. They couldn't fathom that these monsters were evolving even as they fed on the Anti-Monsters!
This was an alternate worldline's Leonardo's Annihilation Maker subspecies Balance Breaker: No King's Apex, Yet the Path of Light Endures - Abaddon Succession Goetia. A swarm of locusts repeating predation, regeneration, and evolution.
×× could manage about 20,000 at his limit, but the original Leonardo could deploy 14 million simultaneously. Even then, he couldn't fully eradicate the Lahmu swarm.
"Hey, Leonardo. If you're gonna escape, now's the time."
The Hero Faction found his words odd—not just the content, but the emotion in them.
"Well, how do I put it… Purely personal, but I want you all to live. I'm appalled at my own lingering attachment, but yeah, no matter the form, you're still you. Same with Asia and Xenovia. In the end, I was glad they were alive, no matter what."
His words were incomprehensible but carried intense emotion—something hard to gauge.
Suddenly, the bandaged man's tone shifted. He was speaking into a communicator.
"Huh? What's that, Mash… What? The Gremory group crashed the party? Vali's there too?"
Caught off guard, ×× shouted.
"Who the hell is that?!"
At Nijo Castle, within the Hero Faction's barrier space, their leaders—Cao Cao, Georg, Siegfried, Heracles, and Jeanne—gathered. Yasaka, Kyoto's general, was there, eyes vacant, seemingly unconscious.
Three groups invaded the space.
First, Chaldea's team. The Hero Faction lamented ××'s absence.
Next, the Kuoh Academy group: Issei Hyoudou, Yuuto Kiba, Xenovia, Asia Argento, Irina Shidou, Rossweisse, and Saji Genshirou.
As a three-way battle loomed, the Vali Team appeared—led by the White Dragon Emperor, Vali Lucifer, a group with special privileges. Fewer in number, but each member was eccentric. This time, it was just Vali and the Pendragon siblings.
"Impossible! Why are you here, Vali?!"
Vali replied coolly, "I told you not to interfere, but you did first, Cao Cao. When I got that weird message, I had to check. As expected, it's gotten interesting. No way I'd sit this out. So, Albion, is that really the evil dragon Azi Dahaka?"
"Yes. I expected oddities, but an evil dragon revived? Unthinkable."
"No need for introductions, I presume?"
Vali assumed everyone knew him, as did Issei and Cao Cao. Vali Lucifer's name was infamous alongside Khaos Brigade.
"Who're you?!"
"Who're ya?"
"Don't know, don't know!"
All three of the evil dragon's heads answered with a resounding no.
"Huh?"
"Seriously, Azi Dahaka doesn't know you?"
"Nope, Master-dono. No clue! The White Dragon Emperor we and that failure knew was a lisping kid. Wait, if he died, the timeline might just match? Hmm?"
Though not as worn as ××'s, the evil dragons' memories were somewhat faded. They might've heard of this White Dragon Emperor in life, but it wasn't significant enough to recall.
"Well, fine. If you don't know, I'll introduce myself. I'm Vali. Vali Lucifer."
The dragon's expression shifted. Though its facial muscles differed from a human's, the emotion was unmistakably rage.
"Lucifer, you say?"
"Yes. The power of the white dragon resides in me, a direct descendant of the Satan. If miracles exist, they're me—"
"You're Rizevim Livan Lucifer's kid or grandkid?!"
Now Vali's face burned with anger.
"Now that you mention it, you're the spitting image!"
"I look like that trash?!"
"Hah! Hate that guy? Then don't proudly call yourself Lucifer!"
Seeing the three-headed dragon enter combat stance, Mash panicked.
"Azi Dahaka-san?! Without you, Yasaka-san—"
"Like I care! Let a scum's kin live? Never! That bastard scarred our pride…!"
Without hesitation, Azi Dahaka attacked Vali.
"Maybe Undertaker should've handled this side."
"I'm calling him… Hello? ××-san? Yes, it's like this… You don't know him either? Got it. ×× says he doesn't know Vali Lucifer either."
"So, he's another historical divergence?"
Ritsuka assessed the situation. The goal is rescue Yasaka. Azi Dahaka should be fine. The Hero Faction members were the issue. Their hand was known, but ××'s knowledge came from a skewed worldline. That boy in white armor—best to treat it as a reference.
The Kuoh group was problematic. Kyoto ordered no interference, but either it didn't reach them or they ignored it. They didn't seem friendly. A joint front was unlikely.
"No more interruptions—start the experiment!"
Cao Cao striking the ground with his spear's butt.
"Ugh… Urgh… Uwaaaaaah!"
Her body glowed, transforming into a massive golden beast roaring at the night sky.
Georg unleashed countless spells—Norse, devil, fallen angel, black magic, white magic, spirit magic—all to summon the True Dragon using Kyoto's potent terrain. Such a grand ritual was necessary.
Ritsuka, no mage despite commanding Servants, had been tutored by divine-age mages. She could tell these spells were bad news.
"Tch! We need to stop that mage-like guy. Lancel—er, Kariyaan, take ××—I mean, Cao Cao. Ibaraki, Okita—er, Kohaku-san, target the mage… Georg, was it? When you see an opening. Mash, protect me and Kunou."
"Understood!"
"Leave it to me!"
Seeing Ritsuka's impromptu plan, Issei's group grew anxious.
"No way we'll let the Hero Faction or you do whatever! I don't get it, but let's go, everyone!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's do this!"
Spurred by the Gremory group and Irina's enthusiasm, Saji steeled himself. The other Sitri members were on defense, warning against recklessness, but he had to shine in this situation.
"Vritra! Looks like we can go wild today!"
A writhing dragon appeared behind Saji—Vritra, materialized from his Sacred Gear. Vritra addressed its host, its other self.
"My other self, which is the prey—"
"—Found it."
Who said "huh" at that voice?
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Guaaaaaah?!"
The screams came from Saji and Vritra.
Tentacles—ugly, writhing, studded with red-black eyeballs—entangled their bodies, crawling from Yasaka's shadow. Countless tendrils tightened, not just restraining but crushing, swallowing them.
"Impossible—a Demon God Pillar?!"
Ritsuka and Mash were equally shocked.
The defeated of the Temple of Time. The evil of humanity, Goetia's kin and fragment, defeated only by that person's self-destruction.
"—I want to live."
The words from the grotesque pillar were desperate.
"—I don't want to die."
A literal plea for life.
"I don't want to die, I want to live, don't kill me… I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me I don't want to die I want to live don't kill me!"
A thirst for life so intense it inspired fear.
The human with the god-slaying spear, the White Dragon Emperor of Satan blood, the ever-evolving Red Dragon Emperor, the girl who reclaimed human history—all recoiled at this pure wish.
The Demon God Pillar's body fully enveloped Vritra. Simultaneously, Yasaka reverted from a giant fox to human form, collapsing. Kunou rushed to her.
"Mother!"
"Kunou…?"
Kunou sobbed, clinging to her mother.
"Mother… thank goodness…"
"You're such a crybaby, Kunou…"
Stroking her daughter's head, Yasaka eyed the tentacle mass that had consumed Saji and Vritra.
"I want to live, live, live, live, don't want to die, won't die, won't die, won't die, die, die, I want to live live! I will live, live, live, live, don't want to die, live, won't die, live, live, live, live, live! We will live! We won't be killed, live, live, live, live, live, live, live, we will live!"
"Farewell, ally. But… your mandate has collapsed. I pray you pass peacefully."
"Mother?"
While rejoicing in their reunion, Ritsuka and Mash focused on the Demon God. Clearly, it had possessed Yasaka and now consumed Saji.
Their attention, however, was on the Demon God's words.
"Master, unless I'm mistaken, those aren't… human screams?"
"Yeah."
The voice was the Demon God's, but the emotions weren't. It felt like it was voicing someone else's feelings—not Yasaka's, nor Saji's or Vritra's.
"But what's it so afraid of?"
"From me—"
"—From me—"
"—From me."
"Hm? I know this."
"It's the scream humans make when their livers are ripped out alive."
"'Don't take my Sacred Gear!'"
"Haha."
Something flowed into me—Saji Genshirou.
"Hahahahahahaha—Gyahahahahahahahaha!"
A powerful, evil presence, like being swept away by a torrent. I knew it was bad, but I couldn't escape.
"This is defeat! We can't win! Oh, I see. This is desire. This is the wish to live! I—we—deemed this unnecessary! No wonder we lost. No wonder we couldn't win. We were defeated the moment we raised our ideals!"
Its euphoric, grating screams echoed in my head.
"The plan failed just before success? No, the opposite. It was bound to fail, and it only worked by chance! Not just Flauros—all 72 Pillars were blind. Altering life's definition, Reverse Light Canal - Genesis Light-Year, was doomed from the start. We denied such basic emotions…!"
The words made no sense.
"This memory… the fallen angels' group, Grigori? Sacred Gears… human modification… stolen human wishes. Oh, I see. That place has more of this—fear of death, thirst for life, in those toys! Perfect, truly perfect, gyahahahahahahahaha!"
It wasn't just stirring my insides—it was gouging out something vital.
"Let's take it. Take it all! Humanity's desire to live! This pure emotion!"
No way. I don't know why, but it's targeting the fallen angels' lab. That place belongs to my benefactor who gave me Vritra's power, however reluctantly. I won't let this thing…!
"My other self! Get away from this monster! It'll overwrite your Sacred Gear and consume your ego!"
What?! No way!
I felt countless eyeballs glaring. The something spoke.
"A proposal: hand over all your Sacred Gears to me."
What's it saying? This is my power. Why give it to some incomprehensible thing?
"Your power? Don't be naive. It's stolen goods."
What? Stolen? Azazel-sensei and Grigori forced this on me! I'm glad to help my friends, but I'm sick of being dragged into fights like this.
"Then all the more reason to give it to me. I'd use it better than a fool like you, wasting life on worthless dreams."
—Huh?
Dreams. My master, President Sona Sitri's dream: a Rating Game school for low- and mid-class devils.
It's mocking the President's—our—dream. No intent to fulfill it? Worthless? I can take insults to myself, but our dream—
"Why, then, are there no low-class devils among your comrades? If your master believes in their potential, why not make them her family?"
I was speechless.
"You risked your lives in matches to prove your resolve. But what was the point? Winning didn't fulfill your dream. They weren't even denying it. Low evaluation was a barrier? Why risk your life for such a minor wall? By the time your dream's realized, you'll be dead. And your dream, persisting after your death, could be misused—did you consider that?"
No. It won't be misused. We'll live after building the school, raising great students.
"Stop lying. You trust no one. For low-class devils? No. You act for yourselves. Not for anyone or anything. Meaningless, worthless, futile effort. You're just drunk on living for a dream! A maiden's delusion, well said!"
No. No. No.
I thought it, but couldn't retort.
"A disloyal fool dreaming of impregnating the woman you owe. You'd make a fine teacher, producing idiots who'd die for meaningless victories!"
"Don't listen, my other self! Hurry—"
"Liar."
The word was whispered softly.
"Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar. Fraud, braggart, con artist, deceiver, delusional maniac. There's no truth in your ideals. No need to despair—your dream had no value or meaning to begin with. No one expects anything from you, gyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
There's no lie. The President's dream is wonderful. Our dream has value. It's not for you to mock!
"Shut up…"
"Gyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
"I said shut up—!"
"Too bad. Time's up."
Squelch.
Note:
For Saji to become a Vritra monster, at least three people died. Were they villains who deserved it? No info, so I can't say. Seriously, no details. It's unclear if the three added Sacred Gears were already stored or newly acquired.
In Volume 3, Saji says his dream is to have a shotgun wedding with Sona. That's already unhinged. Not just dating or marriage, but a shotgun wedding with a noble? Despite claiming to understand devils better than Issei. This dream's mentioned only here, so by Volumes 4-5, he might've heard Sona's dream and shifted to "becoming a teacher." It's possible to chalk it up to him being cocky as a new devil with a dragon Sacred Gear.
But in DxD Volume 4, it's revealed he's an orphan, supporting his siblings with devil earnings under Sona's protection. …Impossible. Wanting to impregnate such a benefactor? Only a madman would think that. People often point out, "His parents are dead? Didn't his mom say something in Volume 5?" but I'm more concerned about the shotgun wedding inconsistency.