Within the barrier space deployed by Dimension Lost, a blinding barrage of light kicked up swirling dust.
"××, you know…"
Behind the girl with the massive shield, the orange-haired girl muttered softly. Her words carried a mix of half-reprimand as a Master and half-teasing as a friend.
"When you get emotional and use that, you miss spectacularly."
"The only time you hit was against the Lahmu swarm."
The shield girl, Mash, added while cautiously scanning their surroundings.
"Don't say that. My natural weapon is a spear. I'm not making excuses, but I can hit if I aim. It's just… if I don't stay calm, it goes haywire."
The anti-divine technique, False Incineration Formula XIII. A laser beam of light unleashed by linking the True Longinus with every weapon and sacred gear stored in the Noble Phantasm The End to Be Overturned I. Simply put, it's a laser beam.
Its flaw? It doesn't mesh with ××'s combat style. As someone who's wielded spears for years, ×× finds long-bladed weapons easier to handle. But when this technique was developed, battles against swarms were frequent, prioritizing annihilation over precision. With so many targets, even sloppy shots didn't require practice.
Why use it despite the difficulty? Because it's insanely cool!
"Lame!"
"You really need to fix that habit, ××-san."
"Guh!"
×× nearly spat blood again at their genuinely exasperated remarks.
"Whoa, that was some attack."
A swing of the spear cleared the dust, revealing the Hero Faction.
Some were injured by the shockwave, but none took a direct hit. Familiar faces were among them, but some expected ones were missing. Dead in this worldline? Left the Hero Faction? Just absent? Or perhaps never met at all?
Watching the brat brazenly swinging a spear without protecting comrades—unlike the steel nurse who broke his spirit or the criminal genius he once revered—×× mocked his own anger.
"I thought you were a swordsman since you have Caliburn. It's not a Sacred Gear either—what's that coffin? I came to fight the fallen angel governor and Red Dragon Emperor, but you're an unexpected powerhouse."
"Cao Cao, need a hand? I want to know why he has Caliburn."
"No, I'll handle it. Facing an unknown powerhouse is thrilling. If I can't handle this surprise, I don't deserve this spear."
"Cough!"
"Why do you keep spitting blood?! We haven't done anything!"
"No self-awareness, huh? Your stupidity is nauseating."
Scratching his head furiously, ×× didn't hide his stress. A deep sigh was spat out for the Hero Faction to see. His irritating attitude kept them at bay. The man was strong. Not just from the earlier attack—his mere presence showed no openings.
Pressing his forehead hard, ×× glared at the Hero Faction.
"Return General Yasaka, go back to your base, and have a reflection session over ice cream and chips. If not, go to a Middle Eastern conflict zone and see a real battlefield. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
"I'll break your spirit."
The Hero Faction tensed, ready for battle.
"Oh? You'll fire that again?"
×× snorted at the poised hero. He was reminded of his own shallowness before Florence Nightingale crushed his spirit.
"Don't get cocky. I wouldn't waste it on you lot. No weapons needed. True heroes kill with a look, but I'm a half-baked one. I'll kill you with words."
"Words?"
"For starters—the strongest dragon-slaying poison you're borrowing won't work on Great Red."
Cao Cao faltered briefly, and ripples of unease spread through the Hero Faction.
Their plan was exposed: summon and defeat Great Red, ostensibly to fulfill Ophis's wish, but truly to gain the glory of slaying the legendary True Dragon. The dragon-slaying poison was Samael. The man's phrasing—"borrowing"—suggested he knew. Had Hades, who controlled Samael's seal, leaked it?
His words couldn't be ignored.
"What do you mean? If you know what we're doing and what we're using, why say that?"
"Your premise is wrong. You're not thinking deeply enough. Why do you assume Great Red is a dragon?"
The question was baffling, akin to asking if the sun or moon was a star.
"Dragon Kings are treated as a benchmark of strength, legendary even. Great Red surpasses them, outclassing even Shiva, India's strongest destroyer god. An absolute exception, beyond ranking. Even Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, was driven from the Dimensional Gap by its power."
Recounting Great Red's nature to emphasize its otherworldliness, ×× shrugged meaningfully.
"Why assume such a being isn't deceiving us? If it's mimicking a dragon, could you tell? It's got that vague 'Illusion' quality, doesn't it?"
Cao Cao shook off the fleeting agreement and retorted.
"No way Great Red isn't a dragon! Why would it do that?"
"Why? Maybe just because. Like picking casual clothes on a day off. No proof, sure. But there's no proof Great Red is a dragon either. Our senses can't verify it against a star-like dragon. Whether it's a dragon or not, only the strongest dragon-slaying poison could prove it."
Cao Cao had no counter to the Schrödinger's Cat analogy.
As the man said, their experiment could prove it. But if he was right?
"Impossible! Great Red is the True Dragon, the dragon of dragons, 'DxD'!"
"Did Great Red call itself that? We weaker beings just labeled it so. Who first called it the True Dragon? I don't know."
"What about Ophis?!"
"Personally, Ophis is shadier. She's pure like a kid, easily fooled even by you lot. She might think she's a dragon because Great Red is. If she suddenly said, 'I'm not a dragon,' I wouldn't be shocked."
Japan has tales of a girl becoming a dragon through belief alone, with no supernatural blood or powers. So, it's not strange if Ophis, beyond divine realms, believes she's a dragon.
"Heroes need a loose screw to reach that status. Great deeds require it. Those who think like the masses achieve nothing special. Ordinary thinkers can't become heroes."
Take sailing from the Atlantic to India, riding a horse down a cliff, cleaning stables with a river, embarking on a world-end expedition, or creating a field of impaled bodies.
Their incomprehensible ideas led to great deeds. Madness and genius are close kin. That's what makes them special.
"'Great Red isn't a dragon.' Can't even conceive that? Where's your heroic potential? Tell me, you ordinary lot. Bound by conventional wisdom, you'll never stand where no one has."
You have no heroic qualities.
Cao Cao and the Hero Faction were speechless. They lacked the wisdom to retort. The god-slaying True Longinus, the blood of Three Kingdoms heroes, and their aspiring comrades were useless. They scrambled to refute, but their minds tangled.
They'd never considered such a possibility.
"Also, Kyoto's terrain isn't ideal for summoning Great Red. Italy or England would've been slightly better."
They knew that. The difference was minor, though. There was a reason for choosing Kyoto, but this man would likely scoff at any explanation.
"Even forcing it here requires immense magical power—not from the land, but externally. An amount humans can't provide. A magical artifact with that much power would be ideal."
Cao Cao seized on the man's casual remark.
"But there isn't one, right? Even if mythical figures are helping, they wouldn't give disposable pawns like us such a treasure. Gods are cunning. They'd hand you a self-destruct grenade at best. You don't have the luck to stumble on such an item. You're just humans, not heroes chosen by heaven, gods, fate, or the era—"
"No, we have it."
They did.
"Just recently, we found it. A mysterious artifact brimming with immense magical power. A golden, mystical chalice."
As ×× fell silent, Cao Cao pressed on.
"Sure, summoning Great Red in Kyoto wasn't guaranteed. But with that, it's certain. If Great Red isn't a dragon, that's a discovery in itself. Different from what we sought, but valuable. Of course, we don't doubt it's a dragon."
Monsters are always slain by humans. It must be humans. It must be us, born with legendary weapons, inheriting heroic blood or souls. It has to be.
"That chalice ensures Great Red's summoning. It proves we're chosen by fate. We'll defeat Great Red and prove we're heroes!"
Cao Cao declared boldly, signaling Georg for a temporary retreat. He hated to admit it, but this strange man was throwing off his pace. It was a tactical withdrawal, though he didn't see it that way.
Thus, ××'s final words didn't reach him.
"There's nothing special about that. You… no, we were just ordinary humans in any era, region, or race. If you can't see that, you're below mediocre."
After the Hero Faction retreated, the group moved to a secluded forest. ××'s appearance stood out, and the conversation wasn't for civilian ears.
Irritated, ×× spoke.
"Our goal's clear. Find their base, rescue Yasaka-dono, recover the Holy Grail, and done. It's convenient they're all in one place. The Singularity's cause is likely the Holy Grail."
"Undertaker, I wanted to play more."
"Don't say that. I'm on the verge of tears from the worst-case scenario. Why do they have it? Also, forget what you saw earlier, please."
"Why's the Holy Grail here?"
"Thinking about reasons might be pointless. Remember Halloween?"
"Eli-chan, Cheyte Castle, live, pi… ugh, my head."
"Ritsuka-dono's making a scary face… Has she faced an Asura?"
Ritsuka winced from a headache-inducing memory, startling Kunou.
"Kunou-hime, you've likely guessed, but we've got a rough plan to resolve this. Yasaka-sama was kidnapped by them. They're using the Nine-Tails' power, Kyoto's leyline, and the Holy Grail we seek to summon Great Red. Can you explain this to the yokai?"
"Yes. If Mother was taken out of Kyoto, there'd be a disturbance, so she's somewhere here. Their hideout must be too."
"But considering they haven't been found despite the yokai's frantic search, it'll be tough even with more manpower."
As Mash said, even with Kyoto's yokai scouring the city, no clues surfaced. They're likely hiding with Dimension Lost.
"Their appearance means preparations are complete. They'll probably start the experiment tonight… Tsk. It's infuriating how predictable this is."
"Hey, ignoring us?"
"…What, Azazel, fallen angel governor? I heard you're posing as a teacher chaperoning a school trip. Shouldn't you check on your students? It's not impossible they're being targeted to harass you."
××'s venom toward Azazel doubled as an explanation for Ritsuka and Mash. As Kunou mentioned, this human-looking man was truly the Biblical fallen angel governor. To Ritsuka, a mystery novice, it was baffling that such a figure posed as a high school teacher.
Last night's talk revealed the Biblical factions—Heaven, after God's death; devils, after losing the original Four Satans; and fallen angels, with most non-leaders dead—formed an alliance, brokered at a Japanese academy involving a Satan. Azazel teaches there, overseeing students tied to Satans due to the academy's nature.
This baffled Chaldea. It was a completely different worldview.
"I'll handle that later. More pressing matters first. Who are you? You're with Kyoto's princess, so not Khaos Brigade. The girls said 'Chaldea'—'Stargazer'? Never heard of it. Some Greek combat unit?"
"No obligation to answer, Governor."
Azazel. Empowered by God. Oh, how ×× wanted to kill him. In this worldline, the God of the Bible hadn't revived, but his sins were unforgivable.
Yet, as a non-native, it'd be misdirected anger. Only this world's humans who hate him have that right. Killing the governor would draw out the entire Watchers of the Children of God. The incident shouldn't escalate.
This must end as a foolish youth's failed, bothersome experiment. The strange artifact and the group seeking it should be ignored in records.
"This is Kyoto's issue. Without a formal request, the Three Factions, not yet allied, intervening is overstepping."
"That's why I'm here. I want the talks to succeed. Hearing they're summoning Great Red with Kyoto and Nine-Tails' power, I can't stand by. It's a Khaos Brigade matter. As fallen angel leader, I want to help Kyoto."
"What do you think, Kunou-hime? Borrowing the Three Factions' power now would force an alliance on bad terms, so I'd avoid it."
Kunou took ××'s words seriously.
"Y-Yes… With Mother gone, I must decide…"
"You bandaged jerk! Azazel-sensei and Sirzechs-sama wouldn't do that! They're genuinely worried about her mother!"
Issei Hyoudou, the current Red Dragon, interjected. Unlike the worldline where he was summoned as Solomon's Archer, his personality matched ××'s history.
Looking around, ×× saw familiar faces: Asia Argento, Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou. Sensing devil and angel auras, ×× was slightly surprised. Beyond that, Asia lacked the madness ×× knew. She wasn't supposed to be this fragile, breakable girl.
"When Flauros found her… Right. A scholar discovering humanity's rodent ancestors must've felt this. The shocking part? I feel no negativity. Just 'Oh, okay. Huh.' Am I that cold?"
"What's with the nonsense?! You don't seem like a terrorist, so why use Dimension Lost? I saw you fighting yokai at Fushimi Inari!"
Swallowing a curse to shut up or die, ×× sighed exasperatedly.
"That was a misunderstanding, already cleared up. Is that how you talk to strangers? No manners or education. Says a lot about your master."
"Don't dodge! The President's got nothing to do with this!"
Doesn't he realize his evaluation reflects on his master and mentor? No awareness of his protected status?
"Fine, I'll be clear. Stop picking fights just because you're sore about failing to pin me as a terrorist."
"Huh?! What're you—"
"Because Dimension Lost isn't the only Longinus I have."
"What?"
"Longinus. The sacred relics among them: the True Longinus that idiot had, the holy cross witches wield, and the Holy Grail. There's also the Shroud and Nails."
"So what?"
"Why bring up sacred relics…? Wait, you don't mean…!"
From Issei and Azazel's reactions, ×× realized the Holy Grail Longinus hadn't been discovered here.
"Exactly. One of my Longinus is the Sephiroth Graal. The forbidden power to manipulate life."
"No intel on a Holy Grail discovery. Fits the coffin, though… Is that why you can use Caliburn?"
"Not quite, but close enough. I didn't kill Arthur, for the record."
He's likely alive in this worldline, in some capacity. The Hero Faction's reaction to Caliburn suggested he's not with them. As Caliburn's a family and national treasure, he wouldn't easily return home or join public organizations.
"Holy Grail activation. Quad-layered Noble Phantasm deployment. Holy-Evil Inversion Heavenly Chalice - Qliphoth Alternative."
The coffin stirred, its lid flung open. A dark-skinned youth in black ceremonial robes emerged. Humanoid, but his aura wasn't human. Ritsuka and Mash, used to dragons, were unfazed, but Kunou let out a small scream. The Three Factions reacted similarly.
Sensing the sinister aura, Ddraig, sealed in Issei's Sacred Gear, roared in shock.
"That aura… Apophis?! You're supposed to be dead… No, this is the Holy Grail's power! Foolish human, what have you revived?!"
Apophis, the primal Darkness Dragon of Egypt, devourer of the sun, a top-tier evil dragon alongside Celtic god-slayer Crom Cruach and Zoroastrian Satan Azi Dahaka.
"Hey, failure."
"Stop calling me that, lousy dragon."
"You're a failure enough. More importantly—"
Apophis pointed at Asia. His eyes held disappointment, disdain, sorrow, contempt, and pity. Asia, clueless about why, flinched and hid behind Issei.
"What's with this revolting girl? I've never seen such an ugly creature."
"So, the contract's sealed, Kyoto yokai general, my temporary ally."
"Yes, I agree, Demon God from another world, my temporary cohabitant."
"Those self-proclaimed heroes plan to use you to summon the True Dragon. I'll hijack their ritual, connect to this city's leyline through you, gather the abandoned ##, and ##."
"Your mandate?"
"Exactly. I—we—were defeated by a mere human. Thus, I want to ## a human's ##. ##ing ## is my mandate. If I prove it, if I ## ##, I might accept that defeat. This city overflows with abandoned ##. The answer to my mandate must be here. Don't worry, I'll erase this crude ritual's aftereffects when I leave this body. You'll return to your daughter cleanly."
"Say, cohabitant, why not stay within me?"
"What?"
"Your mandate is mad. Achieving it means nothing. Proving it yields no value. You don't even know what counts as proof. It's an unsolvable equation, endless refinement. Why not forget defeat, abandon your mandate, and live within me?"
"Welcoming a being like me? Objectively, you're crazier."
"What? I'm a woman selling her city to devils. A Demon God who shares their heart is far more trustworthy than devils who don't."
"The 72 Pillars of this world? They annoy me too. Inferior beings nearly destroyed by a Welsh dragon, daring to share our name… No, I, who fled from a human, have no right to say that."
"Lend me your wisdom. The knowledge of a ritual that once destroyed the world. In exchange, I offer my body. If it doesn't suit you, I'll find another. Protect Kyoto. Love this city's history. Will you help me?"
"No. Your ## has ## value, but you're human. It must be a human's ##. This mandate is to understand that defeat. Meaningless or not, it doesn't matter."
"Pity."
"Why seek my wisdom? Fully accepting me risks your self-destruction. That obsession is beyond reason. You're not aiming to become a god or Satan. What drives you?"
"As you can't abandon your past, I can't forsake my future. We yokai, non-humans, aren't eternal. Before our nation's history began, a king sharing your king's name cursed us, eating away at us."
"That man's curse? True, for you, who didn't exist then, it's only a negative legacy."
"The world will forget us someday. My generation may hold, but what of my daughter, Kunou? Her descendants? Must we tremble, waiting to be forgotten? Lose the Kyoto my late husband entrusted to me like that? No way. I'll use any means—allying with harmful factions or clinging to a defeated otherworlder."
"How foolish. How desperate. How beautiful. Oh, your ## is beautiful. If only you were human, I could've ##ed it. But voice those feelings. Some things don't convey without words. You wouldn't want your daughter or kin to misunderstand."
"Your words carry weight."
"Don't say that. I, we 72 Pillars, didn't see our merciless king's essence. We didn't try to understand an ordinary woman's motives. That's why we lost. Why we fell. That's why I want to ## ##."
"If you abandon proving your mandate, return to my body anytime."
"My answer remains unchanged."
Note:
×× knows a 'different worldline,' so he's less shocked that Asia and the others are with the Three Factions, at least outwardly.
***
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