Kokabiel's spear glowed ominously above the battlefield. Everyone regrouped for defense, but even their strongest shield barriers might not hold. And hoping Vali, the battle-crazed Dragon Emperor, would intervene? That was a gamble.
Ikki took action.
"Koneko, I need your help…"
"Anything, Issei?" she replied, eager.
"I want you to launch me right above Kokabiel!"
Her eyes widened, but after a moment: "Understood. If you die, I'll punch you in the afterlife. But yes, I can teleport you."
He nodded toward Rias and Akeno. "When I fly over him, please form a dome shield barrier, not a flat wall."
"Understood!" they replied.
"On three," Koneko whispered, then whoosh! She sent him hurtling forward.
Ikki flew through the sky, positioning himself just above Kokabiel, who lowered the spear and glared up.
"Time to end this. The trump card is always saved till last," Ikki declared.
Dark runes of "False Transcription of All Things" shimmered across his arms, enough to give Kokabiel pause.
As he fell toward the spear, he shouted, "I have one last move you've never heard of: Self-Destruct!"
Kokabiel's shield snapped into full power, but Ikki detonated the spell. The explosion surged upward, blasting through the shields and erupting into the sky.
Self-destruct wasn't just raw damage, it halved the opponent's defense. With Kokabiel shielding himself, the blast ate away his protection.
Ikki summoned his familiars, they cushioned his descent, saving him from impact. Kokabiel hit the ground hard, the "Heaven–Earth Collapse" magic array vanished.
"Ikki! Are you alive?!" Rias and Xenovia rushed to his side. Koneko hovered over him, voice trembling: "That explosion nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Ikki managed a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Truly. Forgive me?"
Koneko crossed her arms. "Not forgiven. Bring me that new squid-ink strawberry–mango sundae from the station cafe once you're fully better."
Ikki blinked: …squid ink? Really?!
Before he could respond, a rumble shook the ground, something fell from the sky.
"A new player?" Rias cried, shielding her eyes from dust parted on the field.
A four-legged, tail-bearing silhouette emerged, a small dragon or draconic beast, crashing into the earth.
"Is that… Vali?!?" Ikki exclaimed.
Through the haze, a battered figure in shattered armor stirred: Vali, the legendary White Dragon Emperor, staggering to his feet.
Legends say he answered a request from Azazel to stop Kokabiel, and nearly did, but the explosion knocked him back.
Despite his wounds, Vali surveyed Kokabiel and the fallen Freed, voice low and steady: "Kokabiel and that stray exorcist… they've both gotta come with me. As elders, they hold valuable intel. Resist, and I, the White Dragon Emperor, will personally teach you a lesson."
He summoned an aura of pressure even Ikki felt in his knees.
Rias nodded, defeated. Her warriors gathered the prisoners.
Issei's artifact glowed silently as Vali and his dragon-winged form spoke softly:
"Are you ignoring me, White one?"
"You're alive, Red one."
"Meeting under these circumstances…"
"Sometimes, that's how it goes. We'll meet again."
"Yes, until next time."
With that, Vali took Kokabiel and Freed and vanished on dragon wings.
====================
Afterwards, the Sitri clan joined forces and undertook the restoration of the dilapidated school, and the Occult Research Club members were disbanded... Yuuto was facing a spanking as punishment for causing worry.
Koneko-chan offered to escort me home, so I gratefully accepted, and we used teleportation magic to return straight to my room.
She tossed Kuroka, who had been lying on my bed, aside and laid me down.
While brushing off Kuroka's protests, she placed her hand on my forehead, using senjutsu to heal me.
"Please rest well tonight," she said.
The warmth of her technique, mixed with my fatigue, quickly dragged me into sleep, and I lost consciousness.
====================
The next morning, I woke to a strange heaviness in both my arms. Something's on top of me…
Turning my hazy head to the left, I found Kuroka, using my arm as a pillow, her peaceful sleeping face inches away. Oh crap. She's… adorable. A sneak attack like this at close range? My heart can't take it.
But then, what about the weight on my right arm?
I turned the other way and froze.
Koneko-chan was sleeping in the exact same position, her innocent face resting quietly as she breathed in soft, steady rhythm. She's… so cute. Wait, WHAT!? Why is Koneko-chan here!?
Sure, Kuroka shares my room, but Koneko-chan has her own apartment! She didn't go home last night!? Three people on a single bed—it's way too cramped! Why would she even—!?
And… damn, they're both so soft, and they smell amazing!
"Fwaah… good morning, Ikki-senpai," Koneko mumbled, stirring awake.
"Ah, y-yeah. Good morning. So… why are you here, Koneko-chan?"
Honestly, after being used as a pillow all night, my arm was tingling so badly I could barely feel it.
"…Was it a bother?"
"No, not at all! Definitely not a bother!!"
Don't look at me with those lonely eyes! My guilt is already killing me after yesterday!! And how did you even manage to sleep like that? An arm pillow can't be comfortable! Though… not gonna lie, I'm kinda lucky here.
"Shirone stayed here to help with your treatment, nya~," Kuroka said, apparently awake now thanks to the commotion.
"Afterward, I told Shirone she could go home since you'd recover just by sleeping, but she insisted on staying to heal you properly. So I suggested we both do it, sandwiching you between us with senjutsu, nya~."
"And when Kuroka-nee-sama started asking about what happened last night, I got drowsy while talking… and fell asleep too," Koneko admitted softly.
"…So you two fell asleep on either side of me."
Wait, I was being sandwiched between the Nekomata sisters all night!? Why the hell did I sleep through that!? I don't remember a damn thing!!
Although… if I had stayed awake, it would've been heaven and hell at the same time. A kind of sweet torture.
Caught between joy and regret, I went to school with Koneko-chan later that morning. But of course, Motohama spotted us walking together, and I spent the whole day being interrogated under his curses of envy… Give me a break!
====================
Note: Kokabiel's Noble Sacrifice!
Vali, Become a Star!
Nekomata Sisters Sandwich!
Brought to you in three parts!