"Oooh, on-the-job demon work training directly under the next head of the Sitri family… President Sona doesn't let anything go to waste."
As I listened to the cheerful voices of the children we were assigned to guard on the bus, I couldn't help but wonder, Is this really okay? But I suppose it was meant to ease their nerves.
Meanwhile, the battle ahead was already nearing its conclusion.
The dragon forged from Jeanne's Sacred Gear had lost most of its original form, and Jeanne herself was in tatters.
In terms of raw power, it seemed Jeanne had the upper hand initially. But it wasn't enough to overcome the boost Heracles got from that drug. The gap was just too wide.
Still, despite her knees trembling, Jeanne stood back up. Her dragon began to repair itself.
"You're still going, Jeanne? You think you can beat me without using any drugs?" Heracles sneered.
"That's right," Jeanne replied. "But isn't that what makes a true hero? Facing overwhelming odds and achieving miracles? I carry the soul of Jeanne d'Arc! My past life may have fought for the God of the Bible, but that's no longer my concern. Today, I've found someone I truly serve in this life. There's no way I can suffer a pathetic defeat now—not when I have my loyalty… and my beloved BL books! I'll defeat you for their sake!!"
Such intensity! Her passion was so palpable, I could feel it even from a distance.
So that's her strength. Jeanne d'Arc only unleashes her true potential when she has someone to dedicate herself to. And this time, it's Tsubaki-senpai she's sworn allegiance to. Tsubaki's still technically a terrorist, and there's a long road ahead, but if she gets promoted to a high-class devil one day, Jeanne might very well become her vassal—or at the very least, a loyal follower.
"…I feel like Kiba-senpai is slightly missing the point," murmured Shirone.
"It's fine, Shirone. It's not something Kiba needs to understand. Just leave him be," Tsubaki replied gently.
Still, Jeanne was clearly at her limit. What was she planning?
"…My Holy Dragon of Judgement repairs itself even when damaged. That means I've still got some energy left… right? Then how about this!?"
With a fierce cry, Jeanne summoned two more dragons, flanking the already-repaired one!
One was intimidating enough—but three? Creating a single dragon requires the equivalent of hundreds of holy swords. That means she was now wielding nearly a thousand swords' worth of power. Clearly, this was a short-term, high-consumption strategy.
"Tch! So what if you added a few remote-control dragons!? I've got more missiles built into my body than that! Don't think you can beat me with numbers!"
With that, Heracles unleashed a full salvo of missiles, destroying all three dragons.
Jeanne had positioned them well, minimizing damage to herself. But the strain was showing—she was already breathing heavily.
Then, she smiled bitterly.
"Heh… I really am an idiot, Heracles."
"Huh?"
"My Stake Victim Dragoon wasn't designed to wipe out hordes of enemies. It's a weapon meant to concentrate all power into one strike to take down a single foe. I forgot that… and tried to rely on numbers again. The three-dragon tactic might've been flashy, but the only one I need to defeat is you. So I'll do it right this time!"
Her dragons combined into a single, massive, three-headed beast!
"Fusion time!"
"Wow! Dragons can combine?! That's so cool!!"
Even the kids were bouncing in their seats with excitement.
"Hey, Mister Oppai Dragon!"
"Huh? What's up, sweetheart?"
One wide-eyed little girl looked up at Issei.
"If dragons can fuse, can Oppai Dragon fuse too? I wanna see you combine with Darkness Knight Fang!"
"Eh?! Uhh, well, that's a bit…"
Even through his armor, I could tell Issei was rattled. What's wrong? She just wants to see our combo attack, right?
"What's wrong, Issei? Sounds like a great idea. Let's open the door to new… possibilities and try a fusion technique."
"Guhh!"
"Kyaaa! The Vice President fainted!"
"He's gonna die from secondhand embarrassment!"
"Somebody stop that natural-born homo quote machine!!"
Chaos broke out among the Sitri team, but thankfully no stray attacks were coming our way.
"Ultimate Holy Dragon of Judgement… This is all I've got left. Let's end this!"
"Bring it onnnnnnnnn!!"
Jeanne's triple-headed dragon surged toward Heracles. He fired more missiles in response, but the dragon's heads shot out breath blasts, detonating them mid-air. Wings beat fiercely, creating shockwaves that intercepted side attacks.
But as the distance closed, Heracles' barrage thickened. Two of the dragon's heads were destroyed.
Still, the remaining head pushed through and bit into Heracles' chest armor.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted. Heracles stumbled from the smoke, barely intact.
"Hah! Serves you right! That was reactive armor! Your precious dragon just got blown to pieces—!"
Before he could finish, Jeanne stabbed a holy sword into the broken section of his chest.
We'd seen it. Before the final charge, she had climbed inside the dragon's back, making space for herself.
"Overconfidence. Your greatest weakness. Don't forget it."
She'd factored in the dragon's destruction and targeted that one moment of carelessness. Her body was slashed and burned from the debris, but there was no doubt—this was her victory.
…Well then. It's time to stop using Jeanne vs. Heracles as a means of reality avoidance and focus on the other battlefield.
After all, Georg, the mist-user and Sacred Gear wielder of Longinus, is still here. He arrived with Siegfried, and even Heracles had been blown into this area with him.
Yet now… Georg, second only to Cao Cao in the Hero Faction, was being utterly overwhelmed.
By… Gasper…?
"Um, President…"
"Yes, Kiba?"
"That black aura-covered cardboard box in the sky, launching missiles, firing machine guns and lasers… that is Gasper, right?"
"…Yes."
I knew it! I hoped I was wrong, but I knew it!
"Damn it! My mist and magic are being overwhelmed! What is that grotesque aura!? And why… is he inside a cardboard box?!"
Georg shouted in disbelief.
"Fufufu! I'm glad you asked! I'm one of Grigori's watchers of God's offspring, and under Sahariel-san's guidance, I've unlocked a new power—or rather, unleashed what's always been inside me!"
Okay, fair enough. Sacred Gear power is tied to willpower and emotional state. Issei's Boosted Gear is probably the clearest example of that.
"Sahariel-san told me that my introverted personality was holding back my potential. So, to fix it, he gave me a suggestion—he said I should fight in a cardboard box! That way, I feel safe and calm!"
Wait, what!?
"And since boxes are my second home, Sahariel-san helped me customize it—with weapons! Lots of them!"
WHY!? Drawing out Gasper's potential makes sense, but the missiles are 100% his idea!
"As a result, my magical output and Sacred Gear performance have skyrocketed! I've even gained the power to wield darkness itself! Sahariel-san believes this is just the beginning of what my Mutation Piece can unlock. But for now, this darkness is enough to pierce your defenses!"
Gasper's confidence blazed.
"I'm no longer the weak boy hiding in a box—I am the Cardboard Vampire God. No—Cardboard Vampire God Alter!"
He… he just called himself a god…
I'm going to accept that he's grown, and try not to think too deeply about it.
"All weapons, full deployment!"
"There's no stopping him like this… I have no choice. I must retreat!"
Georg tried to open a teleportation magic circle—but it fizzled out halfway.
"What!? My magic was… stopped!? His Forbidden Balor View has evolved that much!?"
He selectively shut down Georg's spell? That level of precision means… he's mastered his Sacred Gear.
"This ends now!!"
"NOOOOOO! IMPOSSIBLEEEEEE!!"
Gasper launched his attack, screaming a name that Azazel-sensei would absolutely adore.
Georg vanished in a swirl of pitch-black flames.
"Be consumed… by the flames of darkness," Gasper declared, striking a dramatic pose.
He's so into this.
"…Hey, Kiba."
"What is it, Issei?"
"Where the hell is Gasper heading with all this?"
"…Probably toward being Cardboard Vampire God Alter."
Honestly, what else can I say?
"At any rate, all enemies in this area have now been neutralized. Jeanne, you will be taken into custody. Even if Heaven claims jurisdiction over you, I promise to negotiate favorable terms—preferably in the form of BL book donations."
Sona said this while binding Jeanne with magical restraints. Jeanne offered no resistance.
"The immediate threat has passed," she continued.
"Rias, we'll resume escorting the children. Since the teleportation gates are jammed, we've been using a bus. But now that a Hero Faction member blew up the bus, I'll make sure we get teleport clearance."
"Understood, Sona. That means our next target is… that thing."
Rias looked down the avenue—and there it was: the colossal magical beast, Jabberwocky.
It had already reached the outskirts of Lilith. Explosions and magic blasts echoed in the distance.
Beelzebub-sama's counter-formula should be arriving now. We need to join the battle. Issei's flashy attacks will definitely be effective against that monster.
As we headed toward it, we met Sairaorg and Regulus along the way.
"Sairaorg! You're here too?"
"Of course. I can't sit back while the Underworld is in danger. My team and I just finished subduing Old Satan Faction remnants in the city. I left Kuisha in charge of mop-up and came here. That thing—if it enters the city, the damage will be catastrophic."
"Then let's move, fast!"
By the time we reached the battlefield, the fighting had already begun.
Beelzebub-sama's formula seemed to be working—ranged attackers were damaging the beast's surface. It healed rapidly, so the damage wasn't visible, but compared to before—when even Bandersnatch could only be slowed—this was an enormous improvement.
The fact that Beelzebub-sama needed days to create this formula, while Ikki-kun can crack defenses with his "Explosion" trait just because it's his ability, really shows how absurd that skill is.
"Looks like they're splitting their attacks between the beast's upper and lower halves. The ones at the feet… they're Lucifer-sama's retainers."
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