Omniscient POV
As soon as the eerie little girl's mutter and sudden appearance confused everyone, Kouske immediately cast a barrier surrounding the three of them—the little girl, the unconscious Satanael, and himself.
The barrier blocked both sound and image. To the outside world, they were encased in a dark veil, preventing any light or sound from escaping.
This way, Kouske could talk freely with her without anyone eavesdropping or knowing about his secrets.
"Ouroboros... Are you here for him?" Kouske asked, gesturing toward the unconscious Satanael, who lay pitifully behind Ophis.
She didn't respond, simply staring at him—or rather, at the huge, deep, dark purplish draconic wings that had emerged from his back.
And yes, this creepy, petite little girl was Ouroboros. Or rather, Ophis—the Infinity Dragon of the DxD verse.
The same dragon known for her imitation of infinity—one of the weakest 'infinity' ability users in the multiverse, a shame and disappointment to all who ever bore the power of infinity. Or so Kouske thought, at least.
A fake infinity that couldn't even stand up to the 'Dream'. It's just the dumb logic of the boobs world—in any other logically built world, something like this wouldn't ever be possible.
And yet, even now, Kouske was weaker than this fake infinity dragon. So he couldn't exactly call her out as the fraud she was. Even if it sounded harsh, it was still the truth.
Honestly, who wasn't disappointed by the powers of this fake?
Her real ability was just a ridiculously high mana capacity that regenerated so fast it seemed infinite. But in reality, neither her mana nor her power was truly infinite. It just refilled instantly.
That was the disappointing kind of 'infinity' she possessed—an extreme imitation of the real one at best.
"Hmnn... Are you... strong?" Ophis asked after a brief silence, tilting her head in apparent confusion. To her, everyone else was weak—like ants. And she couldn't really tell the difference between a small ant and a big ant.
"...Maybe? But I can't really let you take him," Kouske replied, his gaze locked with hers.
"Why are you in the shape of a little girl?" asked Vritra, breaking the silence as the wings on Kouske's back glowed a deeper shade of purple with each word.
A couple of hundred years ago, one of the hosts of Vritra's fragments had encountered Ophis, who, back then, had taken the form of an old man.
Though Vritra had been dormant at the time, she could still recall vague memories of such a meeting. Even though she already knew from Kouske's memories that Ophis was now parading around as a small girl, she didn't quite understand why.
Not that it really mattered—but just to give some perspective: how would you feel if you suddenly heard that Sirzechs Lucifer had turned into a girl?
[Maybe she's just into that sort of play?] quipped Clarice, even though nobody asked.
Both Kouske and Vritra immediately ignored her, choosing not to dignify the comment with a response.
"You... can talk?" was Ophis's surprised reply.
It was honestly frustrating how slowly and oddly she spoke, not even answering anything properly.
But her surprise was genuine—she had never seen or heard of Vritra speaking after becoming a Sacred Gear.
Unlike Ddraig and Albion, who remained conscious and communicative even while sealed inside Longinuses, Vritra had always been unconscious.
So for her to be awake—and talking—was something Ophis truly hadn't expected.
"Of course I can talk. It's been years, and you're just learning about it now?" said Vritra, the wings pulsing with a deeper glow each time.
"Hmm," Ophis merely hummed in response.
She had never been someone interested in the outside world. She had heard that a new host of the Black Dragon King had emerged, but nothing beyond that.
"Well, whatever. You'll have to leave him behind," Kouske said after seeing how unresponsive Ophis was.
He wasn't about to let Satanael go just because she came to take him. Last time, he'd spared Satanael only to avoid becoming enemies with Azazel and the Grigori, back when he fought Satanael and Kokabiel.
But this time, he had come with the full intention of killing him. Who knew what Satanael might do next if left alive?
The guy had already figured out how to artificially activate Balance Breakers. That alone meant more trouble and death—especially if it involved the Balance Breaker of a Longinus.
"You cannot... have him. He will... help me kill... baka Red," said Ophis, her eyes glowing as she released pressure on Kouske. He tried his best just to stay standing, resisting with all he had to avoid collapsing embarrassingly to the ground.
"Heh! You think that a crow can help you kill Great Red? Do you really believe that?" asked Vritra, genuinely surprised Ophis would even entertain such a thought.
It was like expecting an ant on the ground to bring down a blue whale flying in the sky—metaphorically speaking. It was absurd to even imagine.
"...He will get... stronger?" said Ophis, the pressure around them fading as she responded in a confused tone, likely not even believing her own words.
"And how many eons would it take for that little shit to be on par with Red's shit? If he had any potential, he would've shown it centuries ago. He isn't one of the weakest Cadres for nothing," Kouske said, still looking drained from resisting Ophis's power.
His complexion returned to normal soon after, but his mood remained foul. He could feel Clarice's silent stare, but wasn't in the mood to acknowledge it.
Clarice always had the annoying habit of acting like his mother, telling him to watch his language and all. And normally, Kouske did speak politely—always the gentleman.
"Why do you even want to kill Red?" asked Vritra, watching Ophis remain silently brooding.
"...Silence... I want my... home, silence back. He stole... my home," Ophis replied slowly, her tone flat but her eyes sharp.
"You mean the Dimensional Gap? It's huge. Can't you two just share it?" Vritra asked, raising a brow (or the wings?).
"Baka Red... He's too... noisy," she replied with an annoyed expression.
"For just that you want to kill him?" Kouske asked in disbelief.
"Hmmnn. He is... annoying... to be around," Ophis replied curtly.
It still surprised Kouske—even though he already knew—that such a petty reason led Ophis to become the head of a criminal organization and declare war on Great Red.
If all she truly wanted was silence, then the deep sea, the vast emptiness of space, or even some remote desert would've worked.
Places no one would ever dare approach. In fact, most factions would probably go out of their way to make sure no one disturbed her, just to avoid provoking her wrath.
Even the Dimensional Gap could still have worked. It was so massive that she and Great Red wouldn't have crossed paths for centuries if they didn't actively seek each other out, even with Red always roaming around.
But yeah... Red could be quite annoying—on that point, Kouske could agree.
He'd heard from Tannin, who, in his reckless youth, once challenged Great Red to a fight. Of course, he got thoroughly beaten—Red didn't even seem to take it seriously, just yawning and half-awake during the beatdown.
According to Tannin, Red had the personality of a rowdy delinquent: loud, wild, and utterly carefree.
He would ride monstrous bikes through the Dimensional Gap and even trespass into other factions' territories, leaving destruction in his wake just for fun.
Good thing it only happened once every few centuries—otherwise, no one would ever get a moment of peace with Red around.
So yeah, Kouske could definitely understand why someone might find Red that annoying—even without ever meeting him.
"Then, are you willing to take his place and protect the world from outside threats?" asked Kouske.
As annoying and incompetent as Great Red was, he still served as the protector of the world from any external dimensional threats. Because of him, the world remained relatively safe.
But not for long. Kouske knew that this useless dragon would eventually get one-shotted in his sleep.
Even so, he was a necessary existence—an unfortunate necessity for this world.
"...No. That's... annoying too," replied Ophis.
She had no desire to do anything. She preferred staying holed up in silence, like the ultimate NEET, avoiding any kind of responsibility. What happened to the world was of no concern to her.
"Then you shouldn't kill Red. Not that your little ragtag group would even be able to. And it's not like any of them truly want to help you. They're just tricking and using you," Kouske said coldly.
And instantly, he was slammed to the ground. Bones snapped under the overwhelming pressure Ophis released.
Even as his body regenerated, the bones broke again under the unrelenting force—turning his existence into a loop of agony. But Kouske didn't scream.
His pain tolerance was abnormal, though his anger spiked. He hadn't wanted to scam this clueless dragon like the others did—but now? She was practically begging to be exploited. He'd make proper use of her!
"Stop! You know he's right," shouted Vritra, stepping in before Kouske got flattened completely. "Do you really think any of those guys care about killing Great Red? Can they even pull it off? Satanael could never hold his ground against a Dragon King. So, how could he help kill a Dragon God? And hypothetically, even with all five Dragon Kings, do you think Great Red can be defeated?"
"No," Ophis replied as she slowly retracted her pressure, and Kouske's body returned to normal in an instant.
She was surprised by the absurd regeneration she'd just witnessed. Even she had to admit—it was one of the best healing abilities she had ever seen.
'Phenex? No…' Ophis thought.
Despite the rapid instant regeneration and his half-devil aura, Kouske wasn't a Phenex. There was no trace of Phenex Sparks—the signature of that devil clan.
Although it's a top secret that anyone could inherit their power through a Phenex Spark, those flames were always used for regeneration. Yet Kouske used none of that. After all, the real Phoenix was long dead in this world.
"He's... the weakest... I have... stronger... subordinates," says Ophis, looking at the unconscious Satanael pitifully lying on the ground, still showing no sign of waking up.
"If it's Rizevim you're talking about, then he's the last person you should ever trust. I don't think there's a devil more self-centered than him. You can't rely on a psychopath who committed patricide," says Kouske, standing completely clean and unscathed—despite being crushed deep underground just moments ago by Ophis's pressure.
Of course, Ophis wouldn't believe him so easily. Even though she was incredibly gullible… maybe even the stupidest dragon in existence. Hell, even Milim had a better IQ than this one.
"So, do... you have... any other idea?" asks Ophis doubtfully.
"How about I give you a new silence as your home? But in exchange, you'll have to sever all ties with the Khaos Brigade and help me with whatever I ask, as much as you can. In return, I'll keep providing you with your silence," says Kouske, a bit too enthusiastically—like a con artist pitching his latest scam.
Ophis raised an eyebrow at his words. While she didn't believe Kouske could provide her with silence so easily, she had no real reason to refuse. Her connection to the Khaos Brigade was shallow at best. If he could truly give her peace, then nothing else mattered.
"Sure," she replies curtly.
Then, Kouske immediately opened a portal leading into the Demiplane—a section he had been developing for years with the sole intention of luring this gullible dragon to stay.
"Follow me," said Kouske as he stepped into the portal.
Ophis, being as powerful as she was, followed without hesitation. She wasn't even slightly concerned about it being a trap—she was simply too strong to care.
Behind them, only the unconscious body of Satanael remained within the dark veil, while the rest of the fallen angels, including Baraqiel, anxiously watched from outside, unsure of what was happening inside.
Baraqiel didn't attempt to break the barrier, as Kouske had already telepathically instructed him not to interfere.
Soon, Kouske and Ophis stood inside a secluded section of the Demiplane—its space and connection to the rest of the world completely severed. While it wasn't as vast as the Dimensional Gap, it was still immensely large.
The whole place was silent as Kouske observed Ophis's reaction. He had done his best to replicate the quality and aura of the Dimensional Gap, even if the appearance was entirely different.
Instead of a vast, empty void, this space was filled with lush greenery and rare fruits—specially cultivated with dragons in mind.
He had studied the preferences of Tannin and the dragons in his territory to gather information. Dragon Apples and Vanilove Fruits were just a few of the many planted here.
"The Dimensional Gap? No—" Ophis murmured, visibly taken aback.
She was genuinely surprised. The sensation, the aura—everything carried an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.
It felt eerily similar to the Dimensional Gap, a place she once called home. And yet… she could tell it wasn't. It wasn't that place. It was different—its own world. And maybe, just maybe… it was even better.
She could sense it was a separate, self-contained dimension. She had seen many broken worlds and fragments floating through the Dimensional Gap, and this place felt more like one of those—yet stabilized, complete, and teeming with life.
"No. But this can be your new home if you want," said Kouske as he broke a dragon apple from the tree and gave it to her to taste.
"And these are yours too," he added, urging her to try it.
She took it in her hand and found the taste to be many times better than any dragon fruit she had ever had. It was easily the best-tasting one in her life. And that's saying something for a being as ancient as she is.
Like all the other dragons, she liked dragon apples and had a bit of a sweet tooth. Instantly after taking a bite, Kouske could finally see emotion on her until-now emotionless face.
"Do you like it? Wanna stay here?" Kouske asked, and all she could do was nod, too busy savoring the taste of the fruit.
After that, Kouske gave her a small tour and handed her a bracelet that allowed her to open and close the portal, letting her access this space anytime.
He strictly warned her not to use force, but to rely only on the bracelet if she didn't want to destroy her new home by accident.
After that, Kouske left her inside and stepped out into the dark veil, where the unconscious Satanael lay. He had adjusted the flow of time inside the space so that not much time had passed in the outside world.
Before leaving, he synchronized the time with the outside world and brought out the snakes that Ophis had given him, as that was always the first thing she thought of whenever someone asked her for something.
Although Kouske would never use them directly on himself, he still took the snakes since they contained the power of infinity—something he could definitely make use of.
After returning, Kouske severed Satanael's head, killing him instantly. Then he handed over the body and prisoners to Baraqiel to deal with.
He had no interest in keeping them. At the very least, he could let them bury Satanael's body—or whatever the Fallen Angels did with their dead—since, at the end of the day, Satanael had still been their sibling. Baraqiel and his subordinates left the area.
When Baraqiel asked about the little girl, Kouske didn't say anything, only mentioning that Akatsuki would meet Azazel soon and tell him then.
Later on, Ophis would suddenly appear at the Khaos Brigade's base, announce that she was disbanding it, and disappear without offering any explanation.
Before all that, Kouske had remained in the forest, reviewing the footage he had recorded of the battle.
DeviNet was becoming more and more popular, and if the videos were going to spread anyway, it was better for him to release them on his own terms.
He also had to plan the right time to leak the video of Diodora and the Ballboon.
That was one of the reasons he recorded this battle himself—deliberately blurring out the Ballboons.
He also intended to release Diodora's video through one of the old faction devils, so that any investigation would lead back to them instead. Kouske didn't want to be seen with the Ballboons, though he knew it wouldn't remain a secret for long. But he would keep it that way for as long as he could.
As Kouske was going over the videos—his own fight, Tobio's fight, and Hyousuke Koga's use of the artificial partial Balance Breaker of his Four Fiends Sacred Gear—the little rats from the Church, who had been spying on him since the battle began, finally came out.
Everyone else had already left the area after the intense fight, leaving only Kouske behind, and that was exactly why he had stayed.
David and Freed emerged from the bushes, weapons in hand.
[A/N: How was the chapter? Don't forget to leave a comment!
I'll be open for commissions soon. If you want something specific written, even ecchi or R18 ones, feel free to DM me—after November 25, once my exams end.
We finally got the dragon loli who won't stay a loli anymore (most probably).
https://discord.com/invite/TpZWKss5bj ]