198.
Issei won against Irina, but Kiba lost to Zenovia because he was too obsessed with destroying Excalibur. It's a natural result since a demonic sword focused purely on power doesn't suit Kiba, whose specialty is speed.
Should I say he's that emotional.
Kiba might be more emotional than I thought.
The 1v1 ended in a draw, and since no one could be declared the winner, the matter was settled by agreeing not to interfere with each other.
More importantly, is that all they sent? Just two holy sword users? Even if they aren't directly confronting Kokabiel, that's a bit too few, don't you think?
199.
Before discussing Kiba's issue, if Kokabiel attacks this base directly, it's no joke. A fallen angel executive could easily wipe out a small country. Supernatural beings have an unspoken rule against such acts because no one benefits, but if someone goes rogue, you never know what might happen. That's the scary part of this world.
Rias and Sona contacted the Satans, but they said it's unknown if they can come immediately.
Hmm, if things go wrong, will I have to step in?
I'm not sure if I can beat a fallen angel executive in my current state. In the past, I could win without even trying. I've really gotten weaker.
200.
We plan to lure the wandering exorcist named Freed using the exorcist outfit I obtained from Raynare's remnants. The first joint operation between the peerages of both factions, coordinating together. Everyone seems nervous since it's their first real battle like this.
And he took the bait.
201.
We rushed at the madman wielding Excalibur.
One or two they could handle, but since ancient times, numbers equal power. There's a reason for gang-up tactics. As we rushed in like a tsunami, they shouted for us to stop joking, but why should we care?
But it seems they weren't alone either, as fallen angels suddenly swarmed in. They appear to be radical fallen angels following Kokabiel. Creatures with wings ranging from three pairs to two pairs gathered in droves, and suddenly we were in danger.
202.
Die!
I took the lead as a tank and blew them all away with a single punch. No matter how weakened I am, I'm not so feeble as to lose to these guys. Light spears flew at me mid-fight, but I used my power of illusion to negate them and knocked them down.
The other peerage members seemed able to handle mid-level fallen angels, but Sona's peerage seemed to struggle.
Hey, you guys need to fight hard too.
Perhaps judging they couldn't beat me, they retreated and fled.
After it was over, Issei's gaze asking why I'm so strong is seriously burdensome. Hmm, how do I explain this? The others also look at me curiously. I vaguely said something like that exists and glossed over it.
203.
Kokabiel set up a self-destruct spell at Kuoh Academy to provoke us.
Even so, not involving ordinary people is an unspoken rule. He's crossing a line.
Sona's group outside set up a barrier to suppress the power, while Rias and our group went inside to confront Kokabiel. Frankly, a barrier of this level would break immediately if a fallen angel executive like Kokabiel went on a rampage, but it seems Kokabiel has no intention of breaking it and is just watching.
Did he do that on purpose to split our forces?
He's a warmonger for a reason.
204.
"Kuhahaha! How amusing. Should a human like you even exist? I never thought there would be such a monstrous human besides the warrior of the previous Durandal!"
I handled Kokabiel, while the Gremory peerage handled the high and mid-level fallen angels following him. There were so many that Issei had to use his Balance Breaker as a tank to barely maintain the front line. But the numbers were worrying, so I was concerned about our rear.
"Kehehe, or perhaps it's because the Satan and even God died, causing humans like you to be born in droves. The balance between holiness and evil is broken, so bugs are appearing."
At those words, not only I, but also the Church-related personnel behind me were greatly shocked.
Huh?
...The God of the Bible is dead?
That's a shock to me too.
205.
We fought Kokabiel and the fallen angels, and it turned into a war of attrition. True to being a warmonger's underlings, even if their power was weak, they knew how to fight and how to attack even when they were about to die.
First Issei, now this... does our family have some connection with fallen angels?
If this continues, the others are in danger, even if I'm not.
....I guess there's no choice.
206.
"Ugh."
"Brother?!"
I pushed myself a bit and drew out more power. Whether it's because I was drawing out power I didn't have, or due to the influence of my past life, my body is in terrible shape. Still, it was enough to deal with Kokabiel and the remaining fallen angels.
As I coughed up blood and collapsed, Issei rushed over in surprise.
"Well, this is an unexpected sight."
And then the White Dragon Emperor appeared.
Ah, if Ddraig is sealed, then Albion must be too.
I didn't want to reunite like this.
207.
Fortunately, Asia healed me, so I didn't suffer further injury.
Hmm, but this is less an injury and more because I've weakened.
It seems even drawing out all my power in this body is difficult to reach even one-tenth of my prime.
Well, I gave most of my power to Ophis, so it's natural.
I was tired, so I slept.
208.
I had a dream.
In my time as Great Red, the Dream Dragon, I often saw things similar to others' dreams, but this is the first dream like this. Feeling it was lucid, I slowly checked what kind of dream it was. Then I saw a familiar figure.
A girl with long black hair and a small frame appeared.
Ophis.
The Ouroboros Dragon, my family member, appeared.
Whether she could see me or not, Ophis gazed blankly into the distance from a strange place and muttered emptily.
"Meaningless."
Ophis, who muttered that, continued.
"Living in this world that seems ready to collapse at any moment without a single thought, meaninglessly expending their lives on futile ambitions and greed. ....The lives you saved, Red, continue without knowing how, merely repeating the same patterns for thousands of years. Not knowing when another invasion from external forces will come, humans, devils, angels, fallen angels, youkai, gods........ All are foolish."
Having muttered that, Ophis looked up at the sky weakly and sighed as she whispered.
"Do such beings have the right to live, Red?"
.......What?