BXBX NOVEL Volume 25 Chapter 7
I — Kiba Yuuto, along with my master, Rias-oneesan, and the rest of our team members were watching Ise-kun’s match in the authorised personnel room. They positioned their players in several points to deal with the opponents’ players as they aimed for the top. The match pairings were:
God Apollon against Xenovia, Irina and Nakiri-kun.
Goddess Artemis against Asia-san and Bina Lessthan-san.
Typhon against Elmenhilde-san, Bova-san and Roygun Belphegor-san.
And, God Vidar against Ise-kun, while the nearby Valkyrie squad fought against Rossweisse-san and Ravel-san.
The fight had already begun. Fierce battles were occuring at various places across the artificial Yggdrasil. The first fight I happened to come across was God Apollon going against Xenovia and the others. The wyverns that Ise-kun had sent to Xenovia got closer and transformed as they clung to Xenovia’s body. The next thing I knew, Xenovia had suddenly transformed into the Crimson Destruction Dragonar. The two swordswomen, Xenovia and Irina-san, performed a well-crafted assault upon God Apollon. However, God Apollon handled both of those fast swordswomen by just coating one of his hands with a bit of his shining divine aura! He kept dodging Xenovia’s dual-wielding style (Durandal, Excalibur) and Irina-san’s Hauteclaire with ease!
[Push through!]
Nakiri-kun, who transformed into his humanoid Dragon form, reduced the distance with intense speed. He then commenced hand-to-hand combat against God Apollon. The touki-coated punches and kicks kept hitting, hitting, hitting, and hitting! God Apollon had to respond to close-quarters combat from Xenovia, Irina-san and Nakiri-kun. —However, the Sun God handled all of that with just one hand!
[So you are going to dodge my hand-to-hand combat, huh!]
Rias-oneesan, who was beside me, was surprised. Xenovia, Irina-san and Nakiri-kun leapt backwards, creating distance as Xenovia transformed her Excalibur into a whip with its ’mimic’ specialty and suddenly lashed out at God Apollon. On top of that, she combined her attack with a godlike speed and Excalibur’s ’transparency’ specialty making the lash (the pointy end of a whip) invisible. But even though God Apollon couldn’t see the whip-transformed Excalibur, he easily dodged the attack! It was as if he felt the presence of the small amount of aura that flowed through it! No, he must have done ’that’! The invisible whip that he dodged destroyed a large part of the floating island they were fighting on. That was Excalibur’s ’destruction’ specialty. It seemed like Xenovia had already become adept at combining Excalibur’s specialties. While God Apollon kept dodging Xenovia’s continuous whip attacks, Irina coated her Hauteclaire with holy aura!
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Irina cried as she swung her Hauteclaire continuously. And every time she did that, powerful holy aura kept on flying towards God Apollon! However, he reacted to this by simply lighting a small amount of divine aura in his hand and continuously firing it. Without any hesitation, Irina-san created a whip like Xenovia’s that was filled with light energy and started to swing it along with her battle comrade simultaneously! One was a light-engulfed whip, the other was an invisible whip, and both of them were being flogged simultaneously. Vision and presence, whichever it was, would be impossible to dodge if the one being targeted wasn’t a God-class being or other kinds of existence on a similar level. Yes, God-class or similar-level...... That’s why, because it was God Apollon, he could dodge their simultaneous attack!
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Nakiri-kun transformed his touki into a sphere and continuously fired at God Apollon from a distance! The touki bullets weren’t just in the range of a few dozens. There were around a hundred that were fired towards the Sun God. The volume of Nakiri-kun’s touki was also surprising to us, but Apollon-san repelled all of them with just one hand...! As Xenovia looked at the barrage of touki, she yelled.
[Turn, turn, turnnnnn !!!]
The touki bullets that were fired by Nakiri-kun — changed their trajectory and cornered God Apollon! Was this because Xenovia used Excalibur’s power of ’ruler’!? —However, God Apollon wasn’t even fazed by Xenovia’s growth as he dodged and repelled the bullets. God Apollon suddenly flew forward while repelling Nakiri-kun’s touki bullet. With godlike speed, he closed the distance and punched Xenovia’s stomach with great vigor! That one punch broke the armor that Xenovia was wearing, leaving her body exposed!
[Gaha!]
Xenovia wailed as she received the blow directly! That one blow from the Sun God was filled with the power of light that Devils were weak to. Normally, It wouldn’t be strange if one retired from that one blow. —However, Xenovia didn’t disappear as she swung her sword down towards the nearby God Apollon. He tried to dodge that, but—.
[I got you!]
Irina-san’s whip latched onto God Apollon’s empty hand! God Apollon, who couldn’t break free, was almost struck by Xenovia’s downward slash! However, God Apollon quickly kicked Xenovia away! Xenovia was sent flying backwards...but she got back up immediately. Both the punch and the kick were filled with the Sun God’s force. However, Xenovia was in good condition. The reason was the scabbard that was on her back. —It was the scabbard of Excalibur. Rias-oneesan then said.
"...That is the scabbard of Excalibur that is said to make the holder immortal, though with some restrictions."
Yes, Xenovia had transitioned into a state of limited invulnerability. Even if she were to be fatally wounded by the Sun God’s attack, as long as she had that scabbard, it would be healed completely. God Apollon admired her.
[The scabbard of Excalibur.... I see, even though you are unlike the Angel and humanoid Dragon, the reason why you are able to stand up to me despite your weakness to light is because of that, huh. You could even say that the most suitable members were chosen for your team’s lineup.]
Xenovia then announced to the God as she equipped Durandal and Excalibur.
[This is the worst. If Ise defeats their [King], then all we have to do is hold them back until someone from our team reaches the goal after all.]
Irina-san and Nakiri-kun also prepared for another fight along with Xenovia. Their opponent was highly ranked. A God. The legendary Sun God. You could even say that losing was inevitable. But still, with unwavering determination, they took up their stance in front of the current chief God of Olympus, the Sun God, and they got ready for another fight. Irina-san said.
[My darling Ise-kun is going to win, you know? He is my darling after all!]
Nakiri-kun added as he enveloped his entire body with touki.
[I — have decided that I will become strong under him. I have to become strong. For him...I have to win for the sake of he who willfully changed our fate!]
The combined strength of Xenovia, Irina-san and Nakiri-kun forced God Apollon to start using his other hand. He enveloped both of his hands with divine aura, and also released it throughout his whole body.
[I don’t like flashy fights. —However, I will aim to meet your expectations as warriors. I will have you taste the power of the one crowned with the name ’Sun’.]
And then, the fight of Xenovia and others continued to intensify. On the other side, Asia and Bina Lessthan-san fought against Goddess Artemis. Bina Lessthan-san released Maou-class aura from her entire body, while Goddess Artemis aimed to shoot her down with her divine arrow. Once an arrow was fired by Goddess Artemis, it would always pierce its target no matter where the opponent was. The shot arrow changed its trajectory in the sky as it pursued the target who tried to escape. On top of that, the arrows were filled with divine aura. A lethal wound would be guaranteed even just from a single hit. Bina-san shot all of it down with her demonic energy, and then released demonic energy attacks once she saw an opening. However, Goddess Artemis also counterbalanced Bina-san’s demonic energy with her arrows, which allowed her to completely avoid her attacks, but... As a result of the demonic energy and the arrows which were shot during the offensive and defensive battle between the female Goddess and the Devils in the cave, significant damage to the inner part of Yggdrasil occurred. However, the system of Rating Game quickly activated and restored the destroyed parts. If there wasn’t something like that, I was sure that Yggdrasil would have suffered a great amount of damage since a while ago. Goddess Artemis fired her arrows towards Asia every time she saw an opening from Bina-san. However—
[I will protect Asia-tan.]
The arrows that had been fired were stopped due to the iron defense of the summoned Fafnir!
[Kuh! It’s so solid!]
Fafnir’s defensive barrier surprised even Goddess Artemis. The strong will of Fafnir to protect Asia neglected even the fact that his enemy was a Goddess. On top of that, Asia-san wasn’t only just being protected. According to the Rating Game’s rules, there would be a limit if the familiar was too strong. Fafnir couldn’t stay there for a long time. That’s why they had to do everything they could once they summoned Fafnir. As Asia-san searched in her pocket — she took ’that’ out! —It was underwear, a pair of panties! The commentator then yelled!
<<Ohhh! Asia-senshu, s-s-she has taken out a pair of panties! I-Is this that thing!? Is that rumoured thing going to come out?>>
The rumors about Fafnir’s specialty had already spread widely, huh? As the commentators continued to speak, all the spectators also began to look forward to it! Asia face turned bright red as she was embarrassed, and her voice was more high-pitched than usual as she said.
[Fafnir-san’s p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-panties classroom is going to start soooooooooooooon!]
—She was desperate! Asia-san threw her panties to Fafnir! Fafnir then caught it with its mouth and started eating it! As expected, he would eat the panties, huh! A brief moment of silence passed... Bina-san and Goddess Artemis stopped fighting and turned their focus to Fafnir because of the extremely unusual sight!
[I ate Asia-tan’s see-through panties.]
Suddenly, a blinding light was emitted from Fafnir’s whole body. What was that light? Why did he light up!? Just how effective was the underwear? After pointing his mouth towards the ground —a ladder-like thing came out from Fafnir’s mouth! Why a ladder!? All of this was already far beyond our understanding!
[This week’s shocking and surprising monster, march on!]
As Fafnir said that— something came out from his mouth and began to follow the steps of the ladder!
[Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty]
While the strange voice grew louder and louder, a large number of small Fafnirs started to come out from his mouth! What in the world is this....? What is happening....? Everyone in the spectator room was dumbfounded as well, and it was as though their expressions conveyed the idea that all of this was ’Unbelievable’!
".....What would have come out last week?"
Rias-oneesan said something that didn’t make any sense, but...I was afraid that she had gotten too confused. The number of small Fafnirs surpassed the double digits, and around a hundred of them lined up side-by-side as they began to march towards Goddess Artemis!
[WーWhat do you plan on doing...?]
Even the Goddess was frightened!
The small Fafnirs started to fly towards Goddess Artemis!
[Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty Panty]
However, their target was the area below her abdomen! The Goddess’ crotch! The small Fafnirs bit Goddess Artemis’s — panties! Everyone understood what that meant! —Ahh, the small Fafnirs were planning to eat the Goddess Artemis’s panties! No further explanations were required!
[Do you plan to take my underwear!? I can’t believe it!]
Goddess Artemis tried to shake off the small Fafnirs who climbed over her body, but they kept targeting her underwear without even flinching! They were incredibly persistent in chasing after their target!
<<And! What a surprise! The mini Fafnirs that the Dragon King Fafnir released are trying to take Goddess Artemis’s underwear!>>
Even the commentator had no choice but to say that! Goddess Artemis tried to blow the swarm of mini Fafnirs away by coating her bow with her aura, but—. After being blown away, a new swarm of mini Fafnirs was sent out from real Fafnir’s mouth!
[I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I am so sorryyyyyy!]
Asia-san apologised as she cried because of the way the situation had turned into! However, Asia-san and Fafnir’s combination surely dealt quite a blow to the Goddess!
[If that’s the case, I’ll aim for the master!]
When Goddess Artemis tried to change her target to Asia-san...
[Asia-tan, protect.]
Fafnir’s strong will repelled the Goddess’ powerful blow.
[Such solid defense!]
It was only natural that Goddess Artemis was shocked! However, I was sure that the power of the Dragon King who got excited by panties exceeded her understanding! The commentator explained the situation to us.
<<This is really frightening! The clones that the Dragon King released continue to aim for Goddess Artemis’s underwear, while Asia-senshu, who was targeted by Artemis-senshu, was protected by the impregnable wall of Fafnir! On the other hand, even though Fafnir did take some damage, Asia-senshu is continuously healing him from behind! When it comes to female opponents, this could be described as the ultimate battle formation!>>
Bina-san also chimed in by attacking with her demonic energy!
[You have an opening!]
[Kuh!]
Goddess Artemis had to deal with a Maou-class opponent while also trying to protect her underwear at the same time! It seemed like Goddess Artemis was having a hard time against the unexpected combination of Asia-san (+Fafnir) and Bina-san.
<<Artemis-senshu might have to make a choice here. Will she defend her panties while attacking with a lack of focus, or accept the shame and give her all to attack!?>>
Just as the commentator explained to the other spectators, this situation would continue until Fafnir disappeared from the field. The move that Ravel-san had made in order to deal with Goddess Artemis was superb. However, while there was one battle which progressed smoothly, there was also another in which they struggled—.
And so, this particular opponent that they faced was brutal. The third fight was Elmenhilde-san, Bova-san and Roygun-san against Typhon. ...t was a completely one-sided match.
[Gahahahahahaha! What lively folks!]
At the surface of a vast floating island which was situated slightly above the middle part of Yggdrasil—-.lashes of lighting and heavy rain kept pouring down as the weather on that floating island became stormy! Typhon, who was the origin of the word ’Typhoon’, changed the weather just by unleashing an attack. When Bova-san tried to charge in, an extreme downpour of rain and wind was directed at him and killed his momentum. Even though Elmenhilde drank the blood that was prepared beforehand by Ise-kun and Ravel-san, which gave her the characteristics of both a Dragon and a Phoenix, she was unable to even endure the King of Monsters’ attack. However, the existence of Roygun Belphegor-san, who didn’t retire gave them a huge foothold. She created a [Crack] on the strong winds, flashes of lightning and the likes that were unleashed by Typhon. The wind and lighting that had [Crack] on them strayed off towards other directions and didn’t land any direct hits on them. Typhon stopped controlling the weather for a short time and breathed flames from his mouth, but after having a [Crack] made on it, it was divided into numerous parts that killed its vigor and dispersed his brutal firepower. Thanks to that, Bova-san and Elmenhilde-san currently still hadn’t suffered any substantial damage. Roygun-san was a former Maou-class being. Even after her power had dropped as she returned the [King] piece, she still displayed such ability... It seemed as though she was able to pinpoint the location of each attack, and used her ability [Crack] at the location that could most easily be set up. That was most likely her field of expertise, and what she was a master at doing. After scattering the attacks and finding an opening, Bova-san and Elmenhilde-san unleashed their own attacks. Even though Bova-san and the others’ attacks reached, there was no noticeable damage. The King of Monsters Typhon-san, who was clearly on a different level, seemed surprised and cheerfully laughed.
[This is a big deal! You’re supposed to be weaker than me, yet you managed to counter all of my attacks!]
Typhon-san praised Roygun-san. Roygun-san herself elegantly laughed as she said ’You’re welcome’, but...her stamina wasn’t infinite. Sooner or later, the situation would reach a point where they would be pressured by Typhon’s continuous attacks. But still, I admired Roygun-san’s willpower as a former second ranker to try and create an opening while remaining undefeated against the King of Monsters. —However, if they took a direct hit from even a single blow, they would be enveloped in the light of retirement. This match was the closest and most fierce match they had ever been forced into. And then, I looked at the battle of Ise-kun and the others, who were fighting in the highest place—.
I — Hyoudou Issei, descended upon the highest floating island amongst the ones that my comrades had chosen as I stood and looked at the opponent before my eyes. My opponent was — the chief God of the Norse mythology, Vidar-san, and the Valkyrie squad. The four war maidens lined up surrounding their captain Brynhildr-san, while on our side was a team of three that consisted of Ravel, Rossweisse-san and me. Vidar-san casually raised his hand.
"Yo, Sekiryuutei."
Vidar-san then pointed his index finger up to the sky.
"You want to go up there, right? Well, according to the rules, the one who reaches the goal first will be the winner. —But that’s boring right? Both to me and the spectators."
Vidar-san said that as he tapped the ground with his toes.
"So let’s have a match here. I will take on the Sekiryuutei, while the Valkyries go against the others. Of course, that includes the young lady of Phoenix over there."
...Well, that was pretty easy to understand. I will be fighting Vidar-san, while Rossweisse-san and Ravel would go against the Valkyrie squad. Rossweisse-san faced Brynhildr-san and her former colleagues.
"...Brynhildr-senpai, everyone."
Brynhildr-san unsheathed her sword from her waist as she said.
"You...have probably been training, right?"
Rossweisse-san nodded as she drew her Misteltein wand out.
"...Yes. Even though I have never won a single match, I will still challenge you."
"All right, I don’t mind. My master is currently Vidar-sama, and your current master is the Red Dragon over there. It seems we have no choice but to face each other!"
Ravel said to Rossweisse-san, who had prepared her stance.
"... I might not be of much help, but I will try to assist you as much as I can."
And with that, the fight between the Valkyrie squad against Rossweisse-san together with Ravel began! Meanwhile, I stood in front of Vidar-san. My inner voice — Ddraig said.
[After starting from a fight against a Fallen Angel, you finally have a God as your opponent.]
Aah, that’s right. Well, I did fight once during Loki’s incident, but...I guess that didn’t count, as many of my comrades were also there. So this might be my first time fighting a God seriously.
[...To be honest, I also wanted to try fighting against Typhon.]
There was a part of me that thought of them as ’fellow monsters’, but right now, I had to defeat the chief God-sama who was in front of my eyes! After glaring at each other, Vidar-san and I flew forward simultaneously. As I struck him with my fist, Vidar-san easily stopped my blow with his boots that he was so proud of! My fists and...Vidar-san’s kicks negated each other! —Then, while putting strength into my punches, I recited the incantation in a flash!
"—The Crimson Red Dragon dwelling within me, awaken from your dominance"
A dazzling crimson glow was emitted from the gem on my right gauntlet. At the same time, I continued to exchange blows through kicks and punches with Vidar-san!
[—The Crimson Heavenly Dragon I possess within me, rise up to become a King and roar]
Ophis’ voice echoed out from the gem—.
"—The jet-black God of Infinity"
The gem on my left gauntlet unleashed a jet-black aura. Vidar-san jumped back as soon as he saw the jet-black aura.An incredible crimson aura enveloped my entire body.
[—The glorious God of Dreams]
The jet-black aura of infinity was then encased over it—.
"[—Watch over the false forbidden existence we shall become that transcends the boundaries]"
My crimson armour was then tinged with a jet-black pattern. The power of the Dragon God had fully manifested. And then we recited the final verse together—.
"[—Thou shalt dance like radiance within our inferno]"
"<<[D∞D!! D∞D D∞D!! D∞D D∞D D∞D!!!! D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D!!!!!! D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D!!!!!!!!]>>"
All of the gems resounded with a voice which said [D∞D!!] and permeated through to the soul. An ∞ symbol emerged on all of the gems!
"[<<Dragon ∞ Drive!!!!!!>>]"
As I ended my chant, I transformed into my jet-black crimson armour! My Pseudo Dragon Deification could only last up to ten seconds until now, but...now, it’s different! Inside the gem on my left gauntlet, the infinity symbol rotated vertically as it doubled, creating a 88 symbol. The meaning of that was [88]. That means, I could currently... I sent Vidar-san’s kick back with my punches and threw him off balance! I closed my distance in a flash as I made Ascalon appear on my left hand! Vidar-san dodged my quick slash and jumped back as he pulled away from Ascalon! —However, that wasn’t the only Ascalon I had!
"Ascalon II!"
[Blade Two!!]
Along with a new voice, the second Ascalon sprung out from my right gauntlet! Vidar-san couldn’t dodge it completely as he didn’t expect another one and was forced to have his left forearm struck by Ascalon! This match was the first time I had taken out Ascalon II. No wonder he was surprised! Vidar-san, who got slashed, tried to kick me away! But, I also quickly regained my balance and punched him back at high speed! Vidar-san tried to deflect my blows with his special kicking technique, but — my fist slammed into Vidar-san’s kick and instantly threw him off balance! I didn’t show him any mercy as I immediately got close to him and punched his face! A good sound ’pow’ could be heard as it echoed through the surroundings. My punch did reach Vidar-san’s face, but...the middle-kick that he unleashed with lightning speed also struck my left upper arm. ...The impact was transmitted to my upper left arm even through my armour, and resulted in substantial damage. Vidar-san drew back briefly after we exchanged blows. On his left forearm, there was a graze with fresh blood. He also had a nosebleed as blood was dripping from his nose. —I hit him once. Well, if I’m using Dragon Deification, I can even take on a God! Vidar-san then tensed his forearm and stopped the bleeding. ...Just by tightening his muscles, he could stop the bleeding, huh...? Vidar-san wiped the blood from his nose with his thumb as he cheerfully said.
"You got me good. You managed to somehow keep up with your opponent who is a God. Also, who would have thought that your ’count’ would have increased that much."
Vidar said as he looked at the ’count’ on my gauntlet. It’s exactly as Vidar-san said. The miracle drug Amrita might have affected me as I could now stay in my Pseudo Dragon Deification form for eighty-eight minutes. I could stay in this form for more than an hour... This was a huge change. It would be no exaggeration to call it a rapid evolution. After all, this Dragonification that could even take on a God of this class was an important key for the fight against the strongest team combination. ...However, this was a power that existed inside me all along. And it’s because of my ’motivation’, that I could achieve this state.
"Well, I also did things that could have cost me my life."
Vidar-san looked satisfied after hearing my answer. ...And, even though I was able to be on the offensive side, something bothered me. —The figure [8] that was displayed in the jewel of my right gauntlet. It wasn’t there when we were investigating my Sacred Gear to see how Amrita might have modified it. Assuming that it was some sort of count, I think it meant eight minutes, but...what would happen when the counter reached 0...?
I wasn’t able to put my mind at ease about the changes to my body, but in the meantime, the fierce fight between the Valkyrie squad against Rossweisse-san and Ravel raged on a short distance away from me. The Valkyrie squad was divided into two groups; one was a close-quarter type, and the other was a long-range type that used magic as their main weapon. The squad attacked both Rossweisse-san and Ravel with close-ranged attacks and long-ranged magic attacks at the same time! To top that off, the Valkyrie squad leader Brynhildr-san commenced the attack with a blade imbued with magic (fire dwelled within the blade of the sword)! Rossweisse-san developed a defensive magic circle and defended against Brynhildr-san’s sword. Brynhildr-san said.
"Defensive magic! It’s not something we would usually see in our Valkyrie days!"
Rossweisse-san, who was being overwhelmed, said replied.
"... I had an unexpected talent for it, you know!"
The Mistilteinn wand shone brightly in Rossweisse-san’s hand as she increased her magic output! The firmness of the defensive magic circle was then strengthened as it jostled against Brynhildr-san’s magic sword! —However, before Brynhildr was knocked back, she weaved signs just as she put her hands in front of her, shouting ’Release!’, and the defensive magic circle that Rossweisse-san created was undone! Brynhildr-san then commanded the Valkyrie squad!
"Now!"
The Valkyrie squad unleashed a burst of fire magic all at once!
"Be careful! It’s dangerous!"
Ravel then appeared in front of her as she created a defensive magic circle and covered Rossweisse-san! The precision of Ravel’s defensive magic was overpowered and immediately destroyed by the Valkyrie squad whose origin was the same as magic itself. The fire magic rained down all over Ravel! Luckily, Ravel was a member of the immortal Phoenix Clan, so even if she received attacks, the flame would restore her body to its original condition. However, the recovery did use quite a lot of stamina. If her body were to be destroyed several times, sooner or later, she would be defeated due to lack of stamina. Rossweisse-san was shocked by the fact that her defensive magic circle had been overpowered. Even though this time, I had registered her with the [Bishop] piece, so her magical power had been buffed. Brynhildr-san said.
"You haven’t fixed your weakness since that time, have you? —After being in an offensive stance and thinking that you could counterattack, you became full of openings. You haven’t changed since that time."
The savage comment made Rossweisse-san feel frustrated. Brynhildr-san then pointed her sword at Rossweisse-san.
"Your magic power exceeds even mine thanks to that wand. No, even without the wand, you are better than me in terms of magic power. However, magic isn’t all about power, you know?"
The Valkyrie squad once again lined up around Brynhildr-san. The war maidens then said.
"Rossweisse-san, I pity you. However, this is the captain’s order!"
"This is your punishment for getting a boyfriend sooner than us!"
"But, I am sure that a late bloomer like you hasn’t even kissed yet!"
They said those things. Vidar-san then said to me.
"The Valkyries are generally divided into two types. The first kind are those who quickly find themselves a handsome boyfriend and retire early, while the other kind are those who continue being Valkyries after being unable to find a boyfriend for a long time. These guys here are, well...you know it. Including the captain."
Aahh, these Valkyries were the ones who couldn’t find boyfriends, huh... Wait, Brynhildr-san too....? Brynhildr-san spoke proudly as I looked at her.
"A maiden’s kiss and purity should only be taken by a prince who will certainly appear on a white horse, right, everyone?"
[Yes!]
The Valkyrie squad responded energetically to Brynhildr-san’s words.
... A prince riding a w-white horse, huhhhhhhhhhh!? ... T-To think that the captain of the Valkyrie squad... The strongest Valkyrie is...a daydreaming maiden....! S-She is so cute, isn’t she!? But then, Rossweisse-san murmured as her face became red.
"...I did it."
"Huh? Did what?"
Rossweisse-san directly and clearly answered the question that Brynhildr-san asked.
"I kissed. With Hyoudou Issei-kun."
Starting from Brynhildr-san, every one of the Valkyrie squad was frozen in place following those words. The atmosphere suddenly became stiff and silent. Brynhildr-san said as she trembled.
"... K-K... K-K-K-K-K.... Kiss, you did it? With a male?"
Rossweisse-san nodded in response to Brynhildr-san’s question. As if the war maidens were all shocked, they released their attacking stance! I-It shocked them that much!? Was a kiss that important to Valkyries, who didn’t have any relationship with men!? Brynhildr-san screamed.
"No way! You are too perverted! Rose is perverteeeeeed! I can’t believe you did something like that before getting married, yaknow!"
She said it with a dialect! She said [yaknow]! The members of Valkyrie squad also added as their faces reddened.
"You are perverted!"
"Rose, you have gone too far!"
"I have never even held hands with a male!"
"And on top of that, you did it with a younger male! What a perverted girl you are!"
.......
...I-I couldn’t say anything. I-I see, so many of the single Valkyries are incredibly innocent, huh. Well, it was certainly the same with Rossweisse-san, as she was as naive as them. Uwaa, what a waste! To not have a boyfriend even though all of them were so beautiful! Anyway, that dialect is a standard for Valkyries, huh...? I learned so much today... Vidar-san said to me in a small voice.
(Brynhildr is still a virgin, you know. Of course, everyone in that group too. They are all late bloomers who pale in comparison to Rossweisse-san.)
Are you serious!? Brynhildr-san and everyone in the Valkyrie squad... It developed into a wonderful situation, but our strategist didn’t let this chance go away.
"They released their attacking stance! Rossweisse-sama, let’s counterattack with magic!"
"Y-You are right!"
Rossweisse-san instantly responded and released a magic attack at the Valkyrie squad as she held the wand in her hand. A giant full-burst downpour was directed at the Valkyrie squad! It was probably because of the feeling ’One of our ex-comrades kissed someone earlier than us’ that the Valkyrie squad—.
""""Kyaaa!""""
The strongly risen magic power that Rossweisse-san channeled in front of her was enveloped by the retirement light!
<<From the [Leisure of the Kings] Team, four [Pawns] have retired!>>
There was a retirement report! All right! I didn’t really know, but I didn’t think that the kiss that I shared with Rossweisse-san last night would have such an impact on the game! However, since the Valkyrie squad had been defeated by Rossweisse-san, Brynhildr-san looked like she had become calm again and pulled herself together as she equipped her blade once again. A glimmer of light shone on that blade. That must be light magic. Because Rossweisse-san and Ravel were Devils, she endowed her blade with the light that was a Devil’s weakness.
"It was my fault. Let’s resume the attack once more, shall we?"
The fight between Rossweisse-san + Ravel against Brynhildr intensified.
— While it was good to pay attention to the fight between the fellow Valkyries...my first priority was to fight against Vidar-san, who was in front of me. Vidar-san then said.
"We can keep hitting each other like this, but it’s not entertaining. —I also want to capture the spectators’ hearts."
As Vidar-san said that, he created a magic circle in his hand. The pattern belonged to Norse magic.
"Your [Bishop] over there is called Asia-chan, right? She personally attracted attention because she is participating as a Dragon priestess. So I also had an interest in making a pact with a famous Dragon. That’s why I added him to my team."
Vidar-san was probably talking about the Dragon in their team, Midgardsormr. He also entered the match this time, but we had not seen his form until now. He could be sleeping at the bottom of Yggdrasil...
"Come forth, oh will of the mighty Dragon."
As Vidar-san said that, something was projected from the magic circle on his hand. It was the figure of a giant Dragon who was sleeping at the bottom of Yggdrasil. Because his original form was around five hundred to six hundred meters, he didn’t summon him directly, but rather just projected his will. It was the same as the summoning of his consciousness during Loki’s incident.
"It’s finally the time to show up, Midgardsormr. ...Hey, are you awake?"
Vidar san tried to talk to the projected Midgardsormr, but...
[......ZZZZZZZZZ......]
The lazy Dragon was still asleep.
"... I have to wake him up, huh?"
Vidar-san sighed and after he poked the projected image, it seemed to have an effect on the other side as Midgardsormr opened his eyes.
[...Wha? Who is it? Oh, it’s Vidar... What’s up?]
"It’s not ’What’s up?’. I’ll have you help me in accordance with the pact we made the other day."
[...Okay...I have no choice. But please, end it quickly.]
After that exchange of words, the magic circle on his hand glowed and transformed into a jewel. I was surprisingly familiar with that jewel. ...Azazel-sensei once used something like that before... As Vidar-san lifted his leg up, he operated the mechanism on his footwear, and on the side of his calf, there was an indent that appeared to have the purpose of holding something. He affixed the jewel into that indent. In an instant, the gem that was attached to his footwear caused it to begin emitting a grey light. ...Don’t tell me, he’s going to...! Vidar-san’s whole body was enveloped in a grey aura.
"These boots are an improved model. With the help of the Grigori, our Norse mythology tried to copy the Sacred Gear system by also using the power of the original Yggdrasil!"
The light that Vidar-san emitted was so bright that it covered the entire floating island and made me want to shield my eyes from it! After the light settled down, there was — a materialised full-body suit of plate armour constructed from a Dragon’s power just like Vali’s, Saji’s, and mine! It was only natural that I had a sense of deja vu! That was...exactly the same as the way that Azazel-sensei turned Fafnir into armour! An artificial Sacred Gear armor! It was used by Vidar-san! The pact was with...the Dragon King Midgardsormr! A full set of grey plate armour! However, there was a slight difference between ours and his, which he had made by following Azazel-sensei’s method. The bulk of the armor was concentrated around his feet, and that seemed to be where the centre of the structure. The parts on his legs also seemed more elaborated than his arms. It was fitting for a wielder those primary attacks were kicks.Vidar-san explained as he tapped his toes against the ground.
[I would say this is a semi-God armament. The Asgard version of the artificial Sacred Gear. —I named this form [Ragnarok Earth Berserk]. It’s a simple, yet good name, right?]
After saying that, Vidar-san lowered his posture and prepared to jump.
[All right, it’s time for the second round!]
The booster on the back of Vidar-san’s armor emitted fire! The next moment, he flew with godly speed towards me! I responded to it in an instant as I countered by throwing a quick punch, but just as it was on the verge of hitting, Vidar-san lightly dodged my attack by just a few millimeters as if he was dancing! Vidar-san turned as he aimed and launched a high-kick towards my head! I bent my upper body as I tried to dodge his high kick, but — while in that position, Vidar-san spun his entire body and kicked one more time! What an acrobatic move! As I couldn’t respond to the second kick that he launched at great speed, I guarded with my left arm and suffered the impact of the kick! I received an intense attack that surpassed my guard as I got blown away! I fell over and rolled across the ground several times before I quickly stood back up and turned my body towards Vidar-san—
[Too slow!]
Vidar-san had already closed the distance and unleashed a kick towards me without stopping! The heaviness of those hits...the impact and damage even penetrated my Dragon Deification armour and went through to my body! Kuh! These kicks were too fast! Because I couldn’t see the beginning, I couldn’t predict where they would come from! On top of that, he could also change the trajectory so that when I thought that it was going to be a low kick, it turned out to be a middle kick, and when I thought that it was going to be a middle kick, it turned out to be a high kick! And like so, he kept finding my openings, and occasionally kicked me straight in the abdomen as well, keeping me on my toes! Compared to punches, there was more variety in his kicks, and they were also less predictable. But the speed, agility, and heaviness of Vidar-san’s kicking technique exceeded what he was recognised for! Thinking about it, this was the first time I had fought against someone whose forte was kicks, and that was why it felt pretty difficult! Not only that, but his evasion speed was also amazing, so he always saw through my attacks and dodged it in real-time! He always grasped the reach of my attacks! If I had to describe him, his type was like Kiba. However, Kiba used swords while he used kicks! On top of having my own draconic armour, I could also destroy his armour with the Dragon Slayer! I doubled the power of Ascalon on my hand and commenced an attack, but...as if he had anticipated this, he lightly dodged all the Dragon Slayer attacks! Kuh! So a half-hearted Dragon Slayer endowment won’t work, huh! Vidar-san said as he slipped through my punches.
[Imitating the Sacred Gear users who wear such armor, I also thought of a special move.]
Vidar-san concentrated an enormous amount of aura on his feet! It was enough to make me shudder! That aura was then mixed with Midgardsormr’s grey aura and made a terrifying and dense wave that shouldn’t even be possible. As Vidar-san jumped from that place swiftly, he created a magic circle in the air and used it as footholds for his leaps!
[Shoot!]
Along with that voice, another voice could be heard from the gem on Vidar-san’s armor.
[Maximum Charge!!]
Vidar-san, who was clad in a tremendous amount of aura, jumped towards me with godly speed! I tried to dodge it as it looked like it would be dangerous if I took a direct hit, but...before I had realised, a magic circle appeared on my back and bound me! I emitted aura throughout my whole body and forcefully destroyed the magic circle. I could move freely again, but by that time, it was already too late.
[—Fimbulvetr Shot!]
Vidar-san’s kick pierced through my stomach... Upon receiving that intense blow, I got blown away backwards a great distance as I crossed over the floating island and crashed onto Yggdrasil! ...A part of Yggdrasil was violently destroyed, and the force of the kick stopped. ...I myself...my whole body trembled because of the damage I took from that one kick.
"Gaha!"
I spat out blood from my mouth. ...The abdominal part of the Dragon Deification armor was damaged. That single strike from a God could even destroy my Dragon Deification armour, huh... I somehow stood up from Yggdrasil as I spread my dragon wings and returned to the floating island. Both the announcer and the commentator went through a play-by-play of the attack from just earlier.
<<Fimbulvetr, in other words, it’s about the [Fimbul Winter] in the Norse mythology. A phenomenon that is said to be the sign of the end of the world, Ragnarok.>>
<<The chief God Vidar-senshu crowned his secret move with that name. What a frightening attack indeed. For it to be able to damage the Sekiryuutei’s black armor that much...>>
Even though the armor had been repaired, if I got hit by that kick many times, as expected, even my Dragon Deification armour wouldn’t last... I had no choice but to find an opening and finish it with either Infinity Blaster or Longinus Smasher. Yes, it was just when I had started to think about my next move.
<<From the [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] Team, one [Knight] and one [Rook] have retired.>>
—! That was...the announcer reporting that players from my team had retired! While I was still reeling in shock, it continued.
<<Also from the [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] Team, two [Pawns] have retired.>>
...Are you serious. Ravel was still fighting, which meant that the remaining [Pawns] Bova and Elmenhilde had... While I received the report about my comrades’ retirement, those people came and gathered—.
[Gahahaha! You still haven’t defeated him, huh, Vidar!]
The one who appeared with a lively laugh was the giant King of Monsters, Typhon. Typhon was supposed to have been fighting Bova, Elmenhilde and Roygun-san.
[The Devil woman managed to somehow keep up until the end, but...she collapsed due to lack of stamina. I am sure that she will retire soon.]
Typhon said. ...I see, everyone but Roygun-san retired.... And even if Roygun-san didn’t retire, she wouldn’t be able to fight, huh. Apollon-san flew towards me along with the brilliance of the sun’s light.
"I am sorry for being late. It took longer than I expected."
If Apollon was here then that meant Xenovia, Irina and Nakiri had.... And on top of that, it seemed like he also broke Rossweisse-san’s barrier. Apollon-san said.
"I couldn’t finish the Durandal user off as she has Excalibur’s scabbard, but...she shouldn’t be able to move anymore as I trapped her within a cage of light."
...Xenovia had become immortal thanks to the scabbard of Excalibur, but she couldn’t come here because of God Apollon’s prison! Vidar-san apologised to Typhon and Apollon-san.
[I am sorry. As expected, the Sekiryuutei is on a different level. It seems like I couldn’t defeat him that easily.]
Typhon could only laugh.
[That’s nice! If that’s the case, then I will take your place! Ddraig! Come out, Ddraig!]
Rather than me, it seemed like was provoking Ddraig who resided inside me. Vidar-san ordered the energetic Typhon with his hand.
[Nope, this is a fight that I started. I will defeat him. ...Anyway, where’s Artemis?]
The Goddess didn’t show up here. Apollon-san then said.
"... It seems like the Dragon priestess who uses Fafnir is stronger than we expected in a different way. It seems like Fafnir’s time was up as he already disappeared, but...Fafnir’s will to protect the sorceress seems like a curse, and there was a report saying that attacks didn’t reach at all."
Because of the rules, Fafnir couldn’t participate in the game for a long time as he was a strong familiar. However, Fafnir’s abilities and protection stayed even though Fafnir had gone. His will to protect Asia was particularly strong. A half-hearted attack wouldn’t give any damage to Asia even if it was from a God. That was how strong Fafnir’s feelings towards Asia were.
"Fafnir has always had this temperament of defending the best treasures for himself until the very end since long ago after all."
Vidar-san explained it thus. Now that I thought about it, his origin was also from Norse mythology . ...And like so, it had turned into an awful situation. Vidar-san and Apollon-san, two great chief Gods were in front of me, and even Typhon, the King of Monsters, was here too. Even if I could still use my Dragon Deification for the fight against them...it was impossible to take three of them on at once. However, my team didn’t have any remaining strength to fight them as my comrades had retired. Now, I could either fly and aim for the top of Yggdrasil, or.... But they wouldn’t forgive me for doing such things... I took a glance at Rossweisse-san. The fight against Brynhildr-san was certainly close, but I didn’t think that she would lose. If Rossweisse-san’s barrier magic worked, we could certainly win. I mean, I also wanted to use that barrier magic here, but...I guess I couldn’t afford to say such things, huh?
.......
...Checkmate? No, no, I can’t afford to give up here! I had already decided that I would win. It wouldn’t have any meaning if I didn’t win! If I didn’t win...Vidar-san would take Rossweisse-san away from me! I have to somehow manage to avoid that. At the very least, even if it’s only Vidar-san... No, no, no, it shouldn’t be like that! I have to win if I fight! I can still fight! I still have the power and stamina to keep fighting! ...But, it’s not enough. The fighting power isn’t enough! If only two more people... no, if even one of my comrades could fight together with me here, then it might be...! Such thoughts streamed through my mind. The counter [8] on the gem of my right gauntlet would soon reach zero. ...This is...what did it mean? I didn’t quite understand... Ddraig, who was inside me, suddenly then said.
[...I see, I finally understand. Partner, that counter is...]
After that, the counter turned to zero and my gems all shone with a brilliant light that I had never seen before! Deep crimson light — was released from the gems on my armor! The irradiated light started to take the form of something! And then, what appeared in front of my eyes...was a giant red Dragon! It was the form of a majestic red Dragon that seemed familiar—. The Dragon looked surprised as it glanced around everywhere. The commentator screamed.
<<Wow! A red Dragon has suddenly appeared on the field! We are now searching through documents and checking with experts, but...>>
The guest commentator said.
<<This, isn’t this the [Welsh Dragon]!? It looks like the Red Dragon Emperor written down in legends himself!>>
It was just as the commentator said... Yes...that red Dragon was Ddraig himself whom I had met several times before!
"Ddraig!?"
The red Dragon looked at me — and grinned widely.
"Yeah, partner. It’s me. The Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig!"
—!
.......
...Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Is this real!? For Ddraig to appear here in front of my eyes with a real body at the last moment! Ddraig said.
"It seems like this is the effect of the miracle drug. I don’t really know, but it seems like the power that was sealed within the Sacred Gear has been temporarily released."
"But, even though Ddraig appeared there, I am still wearing my armour!"
Ddraig grinned as he said.
"It means that we are still connected. What, you and I being separate is something that doesn’t exist, partner. We have come this far together after all."
"That’s right, isn’t it!"
I didn’t know the reason Ddraig why was released. However, what’s certain was that this only could have happened because of us growing and experiencing things together! I stood side-by-side with Ddraig. There were two Red Dragon Emperors—. Ddraig confidently stepped in front of Typhon as he said.
"Now, I will be your opponent, Typhon. Since you were so provocative, I will happily be your opponent."
Typhon even trembled in response to the appearance of Ddraig. He showed a look of joy that he hadn’t before! Typhon-san laughed energetically.
[Kuhahahahahahahahahaha! That’s the best! Who would’ve known that in this era and in this moment, I would be able to fight against the [Red Dragon Emperor Y Ddraig Goch]!?]
His gigantic body flew to the sky! In response, Ddraig also spread his wings and flew into the sky! The thick and ferocious aura that enveloped Ddraig’s entire body even made the air feel cold! That was the aura of Ddraig! What an outrageous density of aura! It was equal to my Dragon Deification aura, or stronger perhaps—. Typhon controlled the weather as he produced a thundercloud in that particular area and tried to hurl bolts of lightning at Ddraig’s gargantuan body! Ddraig took those lightning bolts head on without evading, but — the sparks simply ran through his giant body and basically didn’t do any damage! Are you serious!? Those powerful bolts of lightning ended in that way!? Ddraig returned it by expanding his stomach and breathed fire from his mouth! The scale was so enormous that it covered the entire sky! Typhon tried to extinguish the fire by using a strong wind, but it didn’t do anything to the fire as the whole body of the King of Monsters was bathed in it! The body of the King of Monsters was scorched by the flames of a Heavenly Dragon!
[Nuguuuuu! What powerful flames!]
It penetrated! Ddraig’s attack penetrated Typhon!
"I won’t let you!"
The Sun God Apollon-san flew towards Ddraig in a flash as he released his divine aura or light at the same time! Ddraig warped the trajectory of the divine aura by flapping both his wings at once and counter-attacked by unleashing his draconic aura! Apollon-san created a defensive magic circle in front of him, but it was easily destroyed and he got hit by the abominable draconic aura! The Sun God was blasted all the way to Yggdrasil! A part of Yggdrasil was even hollowed because of the force! Apollon-san was shocked as he separated himself from Yggdrasil.
"Impossible! For someone to be able to break through my defensive barrier!"
Ddraig proudly said
"Did you forget? [Boost] and [Penetrate] are my original abilities. I can increase the power of my flames and aura, and make it ’penetrate’ as it hits you just like that."
Yes, that was Ddraig’s specialty. The original abilities that dwelled in my Sacred Gear... The commentator screamed.
<<The Legendary Heavenly Dragon Ddraig has reviveeeeeeeeeeeeeed! What a surprise! Who would have expected that things would turn out like this! There are two Red Dragon Emperors — and the system’s result as to what the organisers think about Ddraig’s revival has come out!>>
My heart pulsed rapidly! The revival of Ddraig was certainly a good thing, but he wasn’t registered as my team member, and he was also not my familiar! This situation, how would it be evaluated!? The commentator then informed us.
<<W-Well, as the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig originally dwelled within Hyoudou Issei-senshu’s Sacred Gear, he is considered to be the same individual. And because of that, even if the Heavenly Dragon Ddraig has appeared, it will be treated as one of Hyoudou Issei-senshu’s new abilities! That’s what it means! In other words, it’s acceptable from the tournament organisers’ point of view! What a thing it has turned out to be! In this situation, there are two Heavenly Dragons!>>
Ohh! So it’s acceptable! Well, what appeared was something that originally dwelled inside me after all. I think it’s as the organisers said. However, I did also feel that it was somehow unfair! Ddraig laughed as if there was no enemy that could stand up to him as he said to Typhon and Apollon-san.
"Do you want to find out once again? —Just how strong I as a Heavenly Dragon once was in this world!?"
Ddraig continuously attacked Typhon! The flames and aura that Ddraig released were mixed with the power to [Double] and [Transmit], so everything pierced into Typhon at full power!
[Guuuuuuuh! Ddraig! You are really interesting, aren’t you!]
Despite taking damage, Typhon laughed in joy as if he was enjoying this from the bottom of his heart! In the sky that surrounded the artificial Yggdrasil, the fellow legendary monsters started to attack each other flashily! Ferocious flames and bolts of lightning on a mythological level, enveloped almost the entire sky! The attacks, which were sufficient enough to cover the entire field, were repeated over and over again, and the intense battle escalated into one that was on a mythological level! Even though it was a fake, those attacks even shook the gigantic Yggdrasil! Vidar-san yelled.
[Apollon! Just follow Typhon like that! The burden of taking Ddraig on is too heavy! If our [King] is defeated, it’s the end!]
Indeed, Typhon was the [King]. If he was defeated, the game would end there. It would be our win. I was sure that their team wouldn’t let Typhon lose easily. But even if they didn’t say so, it was something that I knew.
"I know! But!"
[Gahahahaha! It’s fun! This is too fun, Ddraiiiiiiiiiiiiig!]
Unexpectedly, the violent fight continued as he became obsessed, but Apollon-san couldn’t find an opening to get in!
[You’ve always been a fighting maniac since a long time ago, Typhon! Very well! As my newly revived body is a bit dull, I will have you be my warming-up opponent!]
However, since Apollon-san couldn’t leave Typhon as was, he also participated. And even though Ddraig fought against both Typhon and Apollon-san, he still managed to wreck them! —Then, a cross-shaped holy aura was fired off at Apollon-san! It was Cross Crisis! Looking at the source — a battered Xenovia stood on the staircase of Yggdrasil while wielding Durandal and Excalibur! She came here, huh! While Xenovia emitted an aura that was filled with the intention to fight, she said to Apollon-san.
"...Sun God, why don’t we continue our fight from earlier until all strength is depleted from my body?"
Xenovia who was panting said so bravely! Looking at the tough form of Xenovia, Apollon-san also laughed and made a bitter smile.
"I see, so the [Knight] of Sekiryuutei-dono is immortal in every aspect, huh."
The second fight between Apollon-san and Xenovia began! ...If Ddraig and Xenovia were to fight, then I could also concentrate. Once again, I faced off against Vidar-san who shrugged.
[No, no, this is not good. To think that there would be two Red Dragons in this situation. We’ve suddenly lost sight of the situation. But, we still have our own fight, right?]
I replied with ’Yes’ in response to Vidar-san’s words. Oh, that’s right! This is the perfect time! I should just say this while we have this momentum! I took a deep breath as I screamed with a loud voice.
"Rossweisse-san, hear me out!"
As I prepared myself, I declared to Rossweisse-san with a loud voice!
"ROSSWEISSE-SAN! PLEASE GIVE BIRTH TO MY CHILDDDDDD! PLEASE GIVE BIRTH TO MANY, MANY OF MY CHILDREN!"
Vidar-san was expected to have a heir by everyone. And Rossweisse-san was chosen as his partner. ...I can’t let that happen! Rossweisse-san was...someone important! Rossweisse-san stopped her attacks in response to my sudden confession as her face reddened!
"I-I..."
Rossweisse-san screamed towards the sky!
"I WILL GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR CHILD! PLEASE LET ME GIVE BIRTH TO MANY OF ISE-KUN’S CHILDREN!"
—! That was an ’OK’! I got the OK from Rossweisse-sannnnnnn! I then turned to Vidar-san.
"And as you heard, I am sorry, but...I will make Rossweisse-san my bride! Because she just promised that she will give birth to my child!"
Vidar-san was dumbfounded by the series of events, but after he processed the information—.
[...Pfft.]
He suddenly burst into laughter.
[Ahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha! I see, I see! So you just promised to let her give birth to your child, huh! And also, you confessed that right in front of me, huh! That really hurts!]
I thought that he would fuss over it, but Vidar-san lightly said.
[Okay. It’s enough for me to hear Rossweisse-san’s real opinion and the Sekiryuutei breaking through his doubts. Well, I didn’t originally have any intention of marrying her though.]
Are you serious!? You didn’t have any intention to marry!? So I was set up!? Well, it’s fine as I have no regrets after the confession. In fact, I felt refreshed.
[Let’s end the matter of Rossweisse-san here. —But, Sekiryuutei, the match is different right?]
Vidar-san got into an offensive stance.
[It doesn’t matter if Rossweisse-san will be your bride or not, our fight is a different thing. —If you are a man, a long-cherished battle is where we will fight while betting each other’s pride over a woman or another. Don’t you think so too?]
"...Although I do enjoy fighting for the sake of girls, I also like fighting against fellow guys with no hard feelings like this, you know!"
And then, the final stage of the fight between Vidar-san and I began! As I punched him, Vidar-san also kicked me repeatedly! My punch hit Vidar-san head’s, and Vidar-san’s kick pierced my stomach! Because each attack was filled with an unbelievable mass of aura, our armours cracked, and the impacts even reached our bodies, causing us to throw up blood from our mouths. As I was punching him, I said.
"Magic, you aren’t using it! You are only doing hand-to-hand combat!"
Vidar-san continued to kick me as he answered.
[Nope, I am using it! I am buffing my body’s abilities with strengthening magic! I also shrouded each of my kicks in magic! But I still can’t defeat you! Seriously, just what kind of a person are you!?]
As I punched Vidar-san, I spoke in response to his words!
"I am the Oppai Dragon!"
[I see! Well, that’s pretty easy to understand!]
We continued the intense exchange of punches and kicks from there and took distance from each other. The violent fight pushed the floating island past its limit as the small foothold that was left got destroyed. Vidar-san and I breathed hard. I mean, we dropped to our knees and rested. The armour could be repaired many times, but our bodies inside received so much damage that we were completely worn out. I couldn’t tell where the injuries were as I felt extreme pain throughout my whole body. Vidar-san stood up and focused his aura on his feet.
[Let’s decide this soon. With our trump cards!]
Vidar-san jumped! I felt like he was going to use that crazy move again! This is the end, huh. I expanded my four cannons as I gathered a crazy amount of aura. As it rumbled ’Douuuu...’, the power of crimson and jet-black concentrated on all four of my cannons! Vidar-san deployed magic circles in the sky as footholds for the second time, and made a stance to release his secret kick move! The aura of my cannons had also gathered enough! Me and the chief God of Norse mythology, we both started to move!
[Shoot!]
[Maximum Charge!!]
Vidar-san’s body was enveloped with enormous aura along with that voice and, after assuming a kicking posture, he dived with a godly speed! At the same time—.
"[<<D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D D∞D!!!!!!!!>>]"
An [∞] symbol appeared on all of the gems of my armour as the colours of red and black flashed alternatingly.
"Let’s goooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
"[<< ∞ Blaster!!!!!! >>]"
An absolute bombardment was released from my four cannons...
[—Fimbulvetr Shot!]
Vidar-san’s kick...somehow managed to keep up with the ∞ bombardment that was released from my canons! Damn! Are you serious!? Even though that was the trump card of Dragon Deification, for it to not be able to defeat Vidar-san’s kick! This was God-class! If my opponent was a God who surpassed that, even ∞ Blaster wouldn’t be enough, huh! Well, even though I was sure that he was also using the armor! I — had resolved myself. I had decided that if I fired it, my stamina would be completely depleted and there was a chance that I wouldn’t be able to move. But, if I didn’t use it here, then I might not be able to defeat Vidar-san! And, there is also another reason why I must win! Dad said it to me before the match began.
—Mum was beginning to say that she might come to see the tournament if you qualify for the main stage. She said that ’If my own son qualified for the main tournament, I can’t afford to not come and not see the tournament.’ Beyond this point — after this win, after I win against Vidar-san, the wonderful thing was that mum would probably come and see my matches! Please grant my wish! I want mum to witness my activity in the near future! I began to prepare for the forbidden move — Longinus Smasher. As crimson aura gathered at my chest, the hole for firing opened.
"Longinus Smasherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
"[<<Longinus Smasher!!!!!!!!!!>>]"
The Infinity Blaster + Longinus Smasher from the fight against Apophis! The enormous aura mixed with the bombardment of Infinity Blaster as the mass of the power exceeded my imagination was finally able to crumble Vidar-san’s kick as it swallowed the chief god of Norse mythology.
—Or so I thought, but Vidar-san instantly responded by dodging my two strongest frontal bombardments! They didn’t hit! But this was also within my calculations. My most powerful attack — it’s only natural that he would look out for it. Dodging it was the best move. And it was performed by Vidar-san. But, I had also taken Vidar-san’s move into account! The moment I ended my bombardments, without any delay, I sent the power of Dragon Deification to Ascalon that had been stored in my gauntlet towards Vidar-san — Ascalon ejected in its entirety! The main idea was like the time I tossed Ascalon to Xenovia! I had strengthened Ascalon with [Boost] on its natural [Dragon Slayer] trait, and it flew out towards Vidar-san at high speed! Vidar-san, who had received damage from the two bombardments, had Ascalon thrown towards him, but with the determination to endure the damage, Vidar-san forcefully kicked the Holy Sword away!
[Gah! The wave of the Holy Sword even went through the armor...!]
Vidar-san said with an anguished look. That’s right! Since that Ascalon had been endowed with [Penetrate], the damage reached Vidar-san! But, I didn’t end it just like that! It will be decided here! My desire that is! And also for the sake of my team who had fought for this moment!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I — shot my other sword, Ascalon II! Of course, I endowed it with the power of [Boost] and [Penetrate]! The former ∞ Blaster, Longinus Smasher, Ascalon, [Boost], [Penetrate], [Dragon Slayer]... And finally, Ascalon II! I used all of my powers! My weapons weren’t just ∞ Blaster and Longinus Smasher! As if he had reached his limit, Vidar-san couldn’t react well to Ascalon II that flew towards him at high speed, but still, he made a kicking posture!
[... OOOOOOOOH!]
Vidar-san cried as he tried to kick Ascalon II away.But perhaps because Vidar-san had reached his limit, he couldn’t get his feet up as Ascalon II pierced through his stomach. The next moment, the armour of Midgardsormr was destroyed completely, and Vidar-san was enveloped in the light of retirement.
[... So this is a Heavenly Dragon!]
Vidar-san left those words with satisfaction as he vanished from the field.
<<From the [Leisure of the Kings] Team, the [Rook] has retired.>>
Vidar-san disappeared into the light of retirement while the fight near me also looked like it was about to finish. With incredible precision, Rossweisse-san used barrier magic just on the surroundings of Brynhildr-san’s right foot, sealing her opponent’s movement!
"I’ve been concentrating for this moment!"
Brynhildr-san tried to destroy the barrier on her foot with magic attacks, yet it didn’t even budge. She was surprised by this.
"Kuh! What a solid magic seal! I can’t see any cracks!"
Rossweisse-san raised the magic power of her offensive magic with the wand in one of her hands and yelled
"When it comes to offense, defense and support, I fall behind you in the degree of perfection in all aspects of magic. However, I won’t lose when it comes to barrier magic! Because this is the power that I gained after meeting my comrades!"
The Trihexa incident made the talent of Rossweisse-san’s barrier magic bloom. In that aspect, even against the strongest Valkyrie, there existed something that was beyond her power. The full blast of magic that was strengthened with the Misteltein wand engulfed Brynhildr-san—.
<<From the [Leisure of the Kings] Team, one [Knight] has retired.>>
As the strongest Valkyrie vanished into the light of retirement, we heard.
<<From the [Leisure of the Kings] team, the retirement of the [King] has been confirmed.>>
—! As we heard that information, I looked to the sky, where the light of retirement appeared before Ddraig. It must’ve been Typhon’s retirement light. Amazing, that Ddraig, he really beat Typhon huh! Ddraig, whose body was pretty worn out, showed me a grin.
"I’ve said it before right, Partner? That there is no one stronger than me and Albion."
After he said that, Ddraig’s body turned into a mass of red light. And in the following moment, the light burst, leaving behind only particles. And then, I could feel Ddraig’s presence inside my Sacred Gear again. Ddraig then talked to me through the Sacred Gear.
[Well, it seems like there is a time limit.]
Aah, the situation returned to the original. But, it’s enough. As the opposing team’s King [Typhon] was defeated and it meant our win, Apollon-san stopped attacking. After I waved my hands to my comrades who were tired and collapsed, I flew into the sky. Going higher and higher.
<<As the [King] of [Leisure of the Kings] team has retired, the resignation of the [Leisure of the Kings] team is confirmed. The win goes to the [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] Team.>>
We heard the announcer’s report of our win. Instantly, there were many cheers from the spectators’ seat towards us.I arrived at the top of Yggdrasil. From the scenery that could be seen from there...there wasn’t anything that caught my eye as it was artificial, but...I felt deeply moved. I won against...a team that had several strong Gods in it..As it was such an immense result, I was sure that it would boost my confidence.
"Ise-kun!"
Rossweisse-san followed me as she flew to the top. Although her body was ragged, the expression on Rossweisse-san’s face seemed to show that she had accomplished something in defeating her senior. I grasped Rossweisse-san’s hand as we looked at the artificial Yggdrasil together. Rossweisse-san then said to me.
"N-Next time, let’s watch the real world tree Yggdrasil..."
Her face became red! It’s so cuteee! Moreover, it was an invitation to a date. I tightened my grip on her hand and said as I smiled.
"Yes, I’ll look forward to it!"
This match...was our golden star...
And then, not long after this, the last preliminaries for the first Rating Game World Tournament [Azazel Cup] ended, and it came down to the decision of who would participate in the main tournament...