Meanwhile, atop one of the buildings Kuro had previously purchased, Karna and Ishtar stood side by side, gazing at the forest in the distance.
The waves of mana that occasionally swept across the night sky could still be felt even from this far away.
Ishtar let out a long sigh while rubbing her forehead.
"That stupid student..." she grumbled resignedly. "He begged me countless times not to attract attention. But look at what he's doing now."
Beside her, Karna continued staring toward the forest without saying a word. His silence only made Ishtar even more irritated.
Of course, she knew exactly who the "stupid student" was.
None other than their own Master, Kuro Tokito.
"I'm serious, Karna." Ishtar pointed toward the distance. "That isn't even just attracting attention anymore."
Another burst of mana could be felt coming from the direction of the forest.
The corner of Ishtar's eye twitched.
"He's practically putting up a giant sign saying, 'Look at Me' across the entire city."
Karna remained silent for a moment before finally answering.
"...It is rather conspicuous."
Ishtar's eyes immediately lit up as though she had just found an ally.
"Right?!"
"Yes." Karna nodded slowly. "Even so, I believe Master has made an effort."
"An effort?" Ishtar stared at him in disbelief. "Karna, he almost tore the sky apart."
"Correct."
"He destroyed an entire dimension."
"Correct."
"And you call that making an effort not to attract attention?"
Karna appeared to think for several seconds.
"At least he did not ask me to use my Noble Phantasm."
Ishtar froze. For a moment, even she did not know how to respond. Eventually, she simply covered her face with one hand.
"I give up."
She turned around and began walking away from the rooftop. Her footsteps were heavy, though not enough to damage the surface beneath her.
Just from the way she walked, it was obvious that her patience was hanging by a thread.
"Just you wait," she continued in a tone that sounded vaguely threatening. "The moment he comes back, I'm beating him up."
Karna watched Ishtar's back as she grew farther away before turning his gaze back toward the forest.
After a brief silence, he spoke softly.
"I pray for Master's safety."
Whether that prayer was meant for the battle currently taking place or for what awaited him after he returned remained unclear.
***
At the same time, in one of the rooms within the building, the lights had been turned off some time ago.
Even so, its occupants had yet to fall asleep.
On the bed, Yuki sat behind Kama, gently brushing her long silver hair, which shimmered softly beneath the moonlight entering through the window.
"Kama Nee-san's hair is so pretty," Yuki praised cheerfully. "It's like a goddess's."
Kama smiled with satisfaction at the compliment and closed her eyes.
"Of course," she replied. "I am a Goddess, after all. The Goddess of Love and Desire."
Yuki giggled softly.
"A lazy goddess of love?"
Kama snorted quietly, though her smile remained.
"Not lazy," she protested. "I'm simply consistent about not taking action involving love."
Yuki's hand stopped for a moment. She tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh?"
"You're still young," Kama continued casually. "So you don't know yet how troublesome this thing called love can be."
Yuki became even more confused. She had experienced the bitter side of life before, but when it came to love and desire, those things still felt far too distant for her to understand.
In the end, she decided not to think about it and resumed brushing Kama's hair calmly.
On the other side of the room, however, they were not actually alone.
Illyasviel von Einzbern sat near the window, gazing at the night sky outside.
As a former Lesser Grail and half-homunculus, Illya possessed a much higher sensitivity to mana flow than an ordinary human.
For some time now, she had been able to sense extraordinary waves of mana coming from afar.
Kuro's mana—and something that was fighting him. Although she could not understand what was actually happening there, Illya continued gazing toward the sky calmly.
Deep in her heart, she simply hoped that nothing bad would happen to Kuro.
***
Some time had passed since the tremendous clash between the Sword of Ruin: Ragnarok and the Sword of Rapture: Ea.
High above the clouds of the DxD world's night sky, Vimana floated peacefully through the sea of stars.
Gabriel stood on the ship's deck, gazing at the distant night scenery.
"After merging with the Hōgyoku, your existence has become nearly impossible to kill, hasn't it?" Kuro remarked from behind him. "Quite impressive."
Gabriel immediately turned around.
Not far away, Kuro sat casually upon a golden throne.
A cigarette was held between his index and middle fingers, while thin wisps of smoke slowly drifted into the air.
A faint smile appeared on Gabriel's face.
He folded his arms across his chest with an almost arrogant expression.
"Of course," he replied. "The Lord of the Pale Mist cannot perish, even after being struck by a primordial sword."
Kuro chuckled softly.
"Don't get too arrogant, kid." He exhaled a stream of smoke before continuing, "You're still alive because I simply had no intention of killing you."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"If I had genuinely wanted to kill you," Kuro continued casually, "I would have used Anti-Life or a much more troublesome Divine Weapon."
His gaze remained fixed on Gabriel.
"Shine Brighter than the Sun," he added. "Sword of Flame: Loptr Laegjarn."
The smile on Gabriel's face slowly disappeared. The memory of Surtr's weapon immediately resurfaced in his mind.
A sword that, even within its own legend, stood as one of the most absurd symbols of destruction. For the first time since their conversation began, Gabriel chose to remain silent.
Then he turned his face away.
"That doesn't count."
"Hmm?"
"That's cheating."
Kuro laughed louder for several seconds at the protest.
"Forget it," he said while flicking away some ash. "Once you've recovered, get off Vimana. You have several things you need to do in this world, don't you? And I have my own business to take care of."
Gabriel clicked his tongue softly but did not argue. After all, this time, he really did not have a proper response.
"Next time, Ash will prepare a much grander stage," Gabriel declared, pointing confidently at Kuro. "Remember that well, Primordial Chaos!"
After saying that, Gabriel immediately jumped from the deck of Vimana and fell through the sea of clouds, leaving Kuro alone aboard the flying ship.
Kuro merely shook his head before exhaling another stream of cigarette smoke.
"What a strange kid."
Yet a faint smile remained at the corner of his lips. Not long afterward, he raised the hand wearing his Sling Ring.
Sparks of golden light appeared in the air, forming a circular portal leading to another dimension.
As Vimana continued cutting through the night sky, Kuro guided it toward the portal without hesitation.
"All right," he murmured softly. "Time to take care of my own problems."
The next moment, Vimana passed through the portal and disappeared from the sky of the DxD world, leaving behind nothing but calm clouds and starlight.
***
One night had passed since Kuro returned from his first expedition to gather various valuable materials for his collection.
At present, he was sitting casually in the outdoor area of a café, enjoying a warm cup of coffee in the morning as though he had absolutely no concern for the chaos that had occurred in the Kuoh forest the previous night.
Besides, if the incident really developed into a problem, he could simply use a combination of mind-manipulation magic, charm magic, and his Divinity to alter the memories of ordinary citizens on a large scale.
Kuro raised his coffee cup to his lips and took a slow sip.
"It tastes good," he murmured in satisfaction. "Perfect for celebrating yesterday's haul."
His thoughts returned to his encounter with Great Red. He had not understood a single word the old dragon had said.
All he had heard were long growls without any clear meaning. Yet strangely enough, Great Red had been able to understand every word Kuro said perfectly.
Without much negotiation, the dragon had casually given Kuro several of the materials he requested: blood, a few scales, and naturally shed teeth.
To Great Red himself, those things held little value.
To him, Kuro was simply an unusual creature interesting enough to interact with.
"So next..." Kuro murmured while slowly rotating his cup in his hand. "Devil technology such as Evil Pieces, Grigori's technology, other dragon materials, including Ophis's..."
He paused for a moment.
"But where should I start?"
While Kuro was still lost in thought, a little girl suddenly sat down in the chair directly across from him without asking permission.
Her long black hair was adorned with ribbons, while the Gothic Lolita outfit she wore made her look like an extraordinarily beautiful living doll.
Her half-lidded eyes stared silently at Kuro.
The gaze was calm.
Almost too calm for a child.
Kuro observed her for several seconds before finally raising his right hand.
"Excuse me."
A waiter immediately approached their table.
"Yes, sir?"
"Could you bring me a cup of pulled milk tea and a full set of desserts?"
"Certainly, sir. Your order will be prepared shortly."
The waiter bowed politely before turning toward the interior of the café. Meanwhile, Kuro took another sip of his coffee. And the little girl sitting across from him continued staring at him without blinking.