Chapter 21: The King's Jealousy and the General's Shadow
Inside the quiet apartment, Motohamaru tilted his head, burying his face deeper into Rias's lap. The warmth of her skin was the only thing soothing the sting of the day's "justice."
Motohamaru: "You took responsibility by letting me stay here, but don't be surprised if I retaliate tomorrow, Rias."
Rias: [Her hand pausing in his hair, eyes narrowing playfully] "Are you blackmailing your King? I can always arrange for a second round of punishment, you know."
Motohamaru: "No more punishment, please. I'm already at 1% health. Have mercy on your favorite Pawn."
Rias: "Just this once, I'm letting you off the hook. But don't think this makes us even."
The Dangerous Game
The next evening at school, the tension from the previous day had settled into a simmering unease. As Motohamaru limped through the hall, he spotted Sona Sitri walking with her usual sharp, icy elegance.
Motohamaru: "Sona-kaichou. You look particularly elegant today. That uniform seems tailored for perfection."
Sona: [Stopping and adjusting her glasses] "Motohamaru. I see you are still walking. Does that mean Rias was too gentle, or are you just physically resilient?"
Motohamaru: [Leaning in slightly, lowering his voice] "I deserved the punishment, surely. But I can't help but think... if I were your Pawn, you would have been much gentler, right? A President who understands me?"
Sona: [Smiling sharply, her eyes cold yet amused] "Careful. If you were mine, Motohamaru, you wouldn't be walking at all. I don't believe in 'gentle' for those who break my rules."
Motohamaru: [Laughing nervously] "Noted. I'll keep my distance."
From the end of the hall, a crimson aura flared. Rias Gremory was standing there, her face a mask of calm fury.
Rias: "Motohamaru. You are coming back with me tonight. You are dead."
Issei: [Whispering from the sidelines] "Was it worth it, bro?"
Motohamaru: "Not even a little bit."
Koneko: "He enjoyed it. Refined perverts are all masochists."
Crom Cruach: [Inside Motohamaru's head] "You rely too much on your tongue and not enough on your fists. You are weak, boy. Even weaker than that Red Dragon. It's frustrating me. Train, or I'll find a host who doesn't spend his time flirting with every President in the building."
The Scent of War
The playfulness evaporated later that night. Rias and Akeno had sent their familiars across Kuoh, searching for Kiba and the stolen fragments. One of the familiars returned with a signal—blood and holy energy near the park.
The Gremory squad arrived to find Irina Shidou unconscious and bleeding on the pavement. Asia immediately knelt, her Twilight Healing glowing soft green.
Rias: "Where is Xenovia? Where is Kiba?"
Sona Sitri arrived shortly after with her own squad, her expression grimmer than usual as her team took Irina to safety.
Sona: "Someone is pulling the strings, Rias. It's not just a rogue priest. If this continues, the treaty between the three factions will be shattered."
Motohamaru: "That's a nice way of saying we're about to be in the middle of a slaughterhouse."
Suddenly, the sky above Kuoh Academy split open. A massive, six-winged figure descended, sitting on a floating throne with a bored, arrogant expression. The air grew heavy with the smell of ozone and death.
Kokabiel: "Rias Gremory. The sister of the Lucifer. You look just as fragile as the reports said."
Rias: "Kokabiel! A Cadre of the Fallen Angels... why are you here? Starting a war with the Underworld isn't something even you can survive!"
Kokabiel: [Laughing, the sound like grinding metal] "War? No, I'm starting the end. Valper is almost finished with his toy. I'm simply here to watch the world burn. Do try to entertain me, little Devils."
With a wave of his hand, he vanished, leaving behind a lingering pressure that made Issei's Boosted Gear roar in warning.
The Final Pieces
On top of a skyscraper overlooking the school, Xenovia stood alone, her eyes fixed on the massive barrier forming over the academy. In the basement of the old school building, Valper Galilei watched as the four fragments of Excalibur began to glow, merging into a single, twisted mass of holy energy.
Valper: "Almost there... the perfect blade for the perfect tragedy."
Motohamaru: [Looking at the school from the gates, clenching his fist] "Crom. If I die tonight, I'm taking you with me."
Crom Cruach: "Then don't die. Show me why the 'Refined' one is the one I chose."
This chapter captures the shift from desperate survival to a coordinated counter-offensive, weaving the MC's "Refined" interference into the high-stakes canon battle against the Fallen Angel Cadre.
The barrier over Kuoh Academy shimmered like a bruised sky. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and the mechanical hum of Valper's machinery. Rias Gremory stood at the center of the chaos, her wings spread wide, but her eyes kept darting to the empty space where her most reliable Pawn should have been.
Rias: "Akeno! Any word from the familiars? Where is Motohamaru?!"
Akeno: [Firing a burst of lightning to deflect a light spear] "Nothing yet, President! He's vanished from the map entirely!"
In the void between dimensions, the MC stood before the towering silhouette of Crom Cruach.
Motohamaru: "I need the output. Not a trickle—I need a flood. What's the price?"
Crom Cruach: "Two fingers. Not now, but when the debt comes due, I will take them. I am an investor, boy, not a thief. You are a long-term asset; I won't break you before you're useful."
Motohamaru: "Deal. If surviving means knowing who my ancestors were, then I'll pay any price."
Crom Cruach: "Then take it. Feel the weight of a true Evil Dragon."
The Siege of the Academy
Back in reality, the battle was failing. Xenovia was being hammered into the dirt by Freed, who was wielding the merged Excalibur with psychotic glee. Nearby, Kiba was on his knees, staring at Valper Galilei, who stood amidst a pile of glowing crystals—the crystallized souls of Kiba's dead friends.
Valper: "Look at them, defective. They were so happy to become 'useful' for the Church. Why aren't you joining them?"
Kiba: [His voice a low, vibrating growl] "You... you used them... you turned their lives into batteries..."
Suddenly, a crystal in Kiba's hand shattered. The spirits of his comrades didn't cry out; they hummed. In a flash of dark radiance, Kiba manifested a blade that seemed to swallow the light.
Kiba: "This isn't a Holy Sword. It's the end of yours. Sword Birth: Demonic Eraser!"
The Dragon's Entry
As Kokabiel prepared a massive spear of light to end Rias and Akeno, a streak of jagged, violet-black energy tore through the barrier.
Kokabiel: [Pausing, his eyes widening] "What is this? This isn't the pathetic aura of a Devil's Pawn. It's corrupted... ancient."
Out of the dust, Motohamaru appeared. His left arm was encased in a jagged, obsidian-like dragon scale, and a single black horn had sprouted from the side of his head. His eyes were no longer human; they were the golden slits of a predator.
Motohamaru: "Sorry I'm late, President. I had to negotiate a loan."
Rias: "Motohama! Your arm... what did you do?!"
Motohamaru: "I did what a Pawn does. I sacrificed to protect the King. Issei! Boost me! We're going to be the wall they can't break!"
Issei: "You got it, bro! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! Transfer!"
The Final Stand
The fight became a blur of high-speed violence. While Issei acted as the hammer, Motohamaru became the shield. Every time Kokabiel targeted the exhausted Akeno or a distracted Rias, Motohamaru was there, his scaled arm vibrating as he took the impact of Light Spears that should have vaporized a Mid-Class Devil.
Akeno: [Watching as Motohamaru took a blow meant for her, his blood splattering the ground] "Motohamaru-kun! Why go so far?!"
Motohamaru: [Coughing up blood, his grin sharp and terrifying] "Because... I like the way you look when you're not crying, Senpai."
Kokabiel, losing his patience, manifested a spear the size of a telephone pole. He hurled it directly at the group. Motohamaru didn't dodge. He stood his ground, channeling every ounce of Crom Cruach's borrowed power into a defensive circle.
Motohamaru: "TAKE MY ENERGY! RIAS! AKENO!"
He channeled the dragon's raw, violent mana outward, acting as a bridge for Issei's Boost. The air exploded with crimson and violet light. Rias and Akeno felt their power levels skyrocket for a fleeting, desperate second.
Rias: "POWER OF DESTRUCTION!"
Akeno: "HOLY LIGHTNING!"
The combined blast slammed into Kokabiel, momentarily grounding the Fallen Angel. Motohamaru collapsed, a massive puncture wound in his stomach from a stray light fragment. He lay in the crater, his vision blurring, but the dragon's sealing kept his heart beating.
Issei: "MOTOHAMA!"
Motohamaru: [Weakly] "Finish it, Issei... I'm... just taking a nap..."
As Rias and Akeno stood over his fallen body, their feelings for him transitioned from simple attraction to something far more primal and protective. They weren't just fighting for the world anymore; they were fighting for the Pawn who had bled himself dry to keep them standing.
But above them, Kokabiel stood up from the rubble, wiping blood from his lip. He was laughing. The battle was far from over.