Courtyard in the Government Building, Underworld, DxD Planet…
"Still water reflects that world… let it wrap you in its protective embrace!"
The instant Issei finished his transformation, Ingvild moved.
She drew on the power of Preservation, pouring everything she had. Water from across the city of Lilith answered her call, surging upward in torrents before coiling together into a colossal water serpent. It rose high above the city, its body spreading out like a vast mirror—wrapping Lilith itself in a veil meant to shield it from the Red Dragon Emperor's wrath.
And yet… it was all in vain.
"Gugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
A single roar tore through the sky.
The ground shattered. The walls collapsed. Buildings were ripped apart as a blood‑red aura exploded outward from Issei's transformed body, swallowing everything in its path.
Even Ingvild's water mirror broke instantly, exploding into countless pieces.
"Ahh—!"
"Milady!!"
"Ingvild!!!"
The backlash hit her all at once.
Blood spilled from Ingvild's lips as pain tore through her body for the feedback of her barrier being torn. Her legs gave out, strength vanishing as she collapsed forward.
But she didn't hit the ground.
Villhaze and Euphyllia were already there, catching her just in time and holding her before she could fall.
"Damn it! The kid entered Juggernaut Drive!" Azazel's voice was laced with panic and helplessness.
"What?! A-are you telling me this is the Juggernaut Drive?!" Anisphia exclaimed. "This isn't a joke! This power far surpasses anything recorded in the Boosted Gear's specifications!"
"And this isn't what Lavi told us!" Alice added sharply. "She said Juggernaut Drive was a forbidden technique that burns the user's life force for temporary power! She never mentioned it would drive the user berserk!"
"That's right!" Anisphia continued. "Even Hajime didn't say anything about this! He even encouraged Tobio, Ingvild, and Lavi to 'check it themselves'!"
"This happened because Hyoudou Issei is being consumed by his own grief of losing that girl, added with the wrath of Draig and every previous holder of the Boosted Gear,"
Instead of Azazel, it was Vali who answered. His eyes narrowed as he observed Issei's distorted form, clicking his tongue.
"From the looks of it, this is an incomplete Juggernaut Drive."
"Then…" Sirzechs spoke up, his voice strained. "Does that mean Ise-kun can still revert from it?"
As someone who regarded Issei as his brother-in-law, watching him like this was unbearable.
"Since this isn't a complete Juggernaut Drive, there is a chance he can revert," Vali said grimly. "But there's also the possibility that he will remain like this until his life force is depleted. Either way, letting Hyoudou Issei stay in this state for too long will cost him his life."
"Then if there's even a chance…" Sirzechs said firmly, his gaze fixed on Issei as another roar came from him. "We have to do something."
"It's going to be really dangerous," Vali warned. "Whoever intervenes may very well die."
"Then if you want to save the Red Dragon, you need something that can stimulate his heart, something strong enough to reach him through all that rage~."
Without anyone noticing, Loki casually joined their discussion.
"Huh? Why are you still here?" Vali said flatly. "I thought you were already dead."
"Lord Loki!"
"Lord Loki, just what kind of sinister plan are you plotting this time?!"
Rossweisse and Waltraute reacted instantly, drawing their weapons and placing themselves between Loki and the others.
"Geez, what's with you Valkyries?" Loki sighed. "So uptight. That's why you women aren't exactly successful in your love lives."
He rolled his eyes dismissively.
The two Valkyries froze, then held their chests and collapsed to their knees, feeling personally attacked.
"Uwaaaaaah!!! I'm really just an uninteresting woman after all!!!"
"Huuuu… I-it's fine! I-I'm a strong and independent woman! I can handle words like that… sniff."
His words struck far deeper than any legendary weapon.
"Oi, you damn loser brat! Even if that's true, you don't have to say it in the middle of a crisis!" Odin snapped.
"Waaaaah!!!"
That was the final blow.
The two Valkyries curled into a ball, sinking into pure despair over their utterly nonexistent love lives.
"Let's… ignore these two for now," Anisphia said with a mock cough. "Anyway, speaking of something that could stimulate Hyoudou-kun… would showing him oppai work?"
"Not in that form," Vali replied flatly. "What has always calmed dragons is a song. And unfortunately, there is no song meant for either the Red Dragon Emperor or the White Dragon Emperor."
He didn't even spare Anisphia's scandalous suggestion a glance.
"Doesn't the Nameless have that little songstress girl?" Loki chimed in with a grin. "The Leviathan Descendant."
Everyone blinked.
As much as they hated to admit it, Loki was right. Ingvild's Sacred Gear, Nereid Kyrie, is indeed capable of controlling dragons. With her singing talent, she could calm Issei.
"Unfortunately, that option is no longer available."
Euphyllia stepped forward. Over her back was Ingvild's unconscious form, with Villhaze standing anxiously at her side.
"Ingvild lost consciousness after Hyoudou-san forcibly shattered her water veil."
"…Damn. Looks like you're really out of options now," Loki's expression turned grim.
As if adding yet another layer to the pile of bad news, Issei—who had been roaring moments earlier—suddenly fell silent.
The abrupt stillness was worse than the noise.
Then they heard something else.
[Boost!]
[Boost! Boost!]
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
The eyes on the armor burned crimson.
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!!!!!!!!!!]
The courtyard was drowned in nothing but the sound of boosting.
"What's going on?!"
"I—I don't know… but whatever this is, it must be bad!"
An enormous amount of red aura erupted from Issei's body, violently spreading.
"This is bad! If that fires, we'll get dragged into it too!"
Just as Issei was about to unleash his attack, a voice filled with absolute authority rang followed by crushing gravitational pressure.
"Kneel."
Thus, the giant dragon form of Issei slammed into the ground, crushed by the overwhelming pressure of gravity.
When everyone turned toward the source, they saw him—Hajime—stepping out from the Anywhere Door—Trailblazer edition casually as if he had just arrived late to a meeting.
" "Hajime!!!" "
"Hajime-sama!!!"
"Your Majesty!"
Alice, Anisphia, Euphyllia, and Villhaze cried out at once, relief and joy breaking through the suffocating tension.
"Yo. Sorry, I'm late," Hajime said with an easy grin. "We took a few detours."
As if on cue, more figures came out from the Anywhere Door behind him—Arthur, Lefay, Kouki, Tobio, Gasper, Sona, Rias, Seekvaira, Sairaog, Tannin, Bikou, Kuroka, Dulio, Irina, and the remaining members of the Sitri, Gremory, Agares, and Bael Peerages.
But what caught everyone's attention wasn't the people who arrived with him.
It was the girl lying unconscious in Tobio's arms.
Asia was there—peacefully asleep.
"Asia?!"
"But… how?!"
Alice and Anisphia's eyes went wide, which worried Hajime that they might pop out of their sockets.
"Well, after Tobio, Kouki, Gasper, and I grabbed ramen in Lilith, we met up with Sagiri and the others at Yuuragi-sou," Hajime explained.
"That's when I got a message from Lefay-chan. She said they'd found Asia floating in the Dimensional Gap. Not long after, Ophis told me she could feel Draig's aura. At that point, I knew something was wrong."
He exhaled slowly. "I wanted to come here immediately, but my intuition told me to check on Sona and the others first. So we regrouped with Arthur and Lefay at the inn, and they filled us in on what happened."
"Hajime-san then brought almost everyone from the wasteland to pick us up," Sona continued. "With the help of Arthur-san, he used Excalibur Ruler to tame the weakened Fenrir, Skoll, Hati, and the five Midgardsormrs after they fought Sairaog, Tannin-sama, and Dulio. Once that was settled, we came straight here."
"I–I s-see?" Alice tilted her head.
Hajime walked straight toward the unconscious Ingvild on Euphyllia's back. He gently brushed her bangs aside, his expression gentle.
"Good work, Ingvild," he whispered, his voice full of warmth and affection. "You protected everyone here."
He then turned to Euphyllia and gave her an appreciative smile, before lightly patting Villhaze on the head.
"And you too—Euphy, Villhaze. You both did great. Leave the rest to me now."
"H-Hajime-sama…"
"U-uh… Y-your Majesty really isn't fair…"
The two of them blushed, shy smiles forming in their expressions.
Seeing their reactions, Hajime let out a small laugh before turning toward Issei, his hands slipping casually into his pockets.
"Azazel, Sirzechs, Michael-san," he said calmly. "Since this isn't about Loki or the traitor of the Three Factions, but regarding my idiot disciple… You won't mind if I step in, right?"
The three leaders exchanged wry smiles.
"Of course, Hajime-dono. You may do as you please," Sirzechs replied.
"But make sure you don't cause too much damage to the surroundings, okay?!" Azazel added, half-joking.
"Hahaha! I don't think he will," Michael said optimistically. "After all, we're all still here."
Hajime glanced back at them.
"…Sorry," he said flatly. "I don't think I can promise that."
"Eh?"
"W-what?"
"Oi! Don't joke at times like this!!"
"Sorry, I'm not joking," Hajime replied. "It seems that… THEY have cast their gaze at Issei."
Just like with Ingvild yesterday, a heavy presence made itself known to everyone.
But this presence was nothing like that time.
There was no sense of protection. No stability. No safety.
Instead, it was destructive. Oppressive. Suffocating. Crushing.
"Of all the Aeons who could have taken interest in you…It had to be THEM." Hajime's expression turned dark. "No… perhaps because of the nature of your power, Nanook chose to look your way."
Being bathed in the Destruction flowing from Nanook's gaze, Issei slowly began to move again. Pushing himself upward even under the crushing pull of Hajime's gravity attack.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!!!"
[Boost! Boost! Boost!]
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
The jewels embedded in Issei's armor lit up dangerously.
Hajime didn't hesitate.
His eyes lit up as a Gear iris appeared in it. The power of Reason has fully activated. He clasped his hands together, and as a band of lights with ones and zeroes spread out.
In an instant, Hajime constructed an artificial space around Issei as thousands of Cross Bits and tens of bipedal humanoid machines—Titan Mechs materialized beside him. The Cross Bits flew high while the Titan's eyes lit up as they stood and started walking in formation, aligning themselves at the Cross Bits above the sky, creating a massive wall of blue light barrier that sealed them both inside.
A colossal cannon came out from Issei's chest armour. As its charge reached completion, a menacing crimson aura spilled outward.
[LONGINUS SMASHER!!!!!!!]
The entire field was swallowed in crimson.
The very earth shook as the attack was fired, throwing everyone off their feet. Shockwaves rippled outward, and cracks raced across the barrier Hajime had placed, spreading wider at every passing second.
Then
Slowly…
Slowly
The trembling stopped. The red light faded.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the barrier had held.
The next instant, it shattered like brittle glass.
When the smoke and dust finally cleared, the broken pieces of the Cross Bits and Titans were scattered around. Only Issei's dragonic form was there, letting out an angry roar.
And in front of him was Hajime…. Kneeling with one hand against the ground, coughing with blood that stained his lips.
He actually got injured.
"No way!! Hajime!!"
"Hajime!!!!!!"
Alice and Anisphia gasped in unison. Even Euphyllia, Villhaze, and Sona froze at that sight. Disbelief was showing in their eyes.
The invincible Hajime was on one knee.
And it wasn't just them.
The leaders of the Three Factions and everyone watching stared in stunned silence, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"Ahh… damn it," Hajime muttered as he forced himself to stand, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. "The Destruction Path is really hard to defend against… if you don't have the power of Preservation."
He raised his head to Issei.
The next second, Hajime vanished from where he was.
"And you, my dear disciple…"
He reappeared right below Issei's dragon jaw and sent a punch straight into it. The impact was so strong that it launched Issei's massive dragon body into the air. Below, everyone could only gape at the sheer force of that punch.
With a wave of his hand, Hajime summoned Enkidu and guided it forward. The chain's pointed tip hit into Issei's dragoninc body, drawing a roar of pain from Issei.
Using Star of Eden's gravity manipulation, Hajime propels himself upward. He snapped his fingers, and dozens of Gravity Cannons materialized around him, firing in unison and slamming Issei back into the ground.
"…Sure is a handful!" Hajime muttered.
Finally, he formed a sword-hand sign. Behind him, a massive satellite railgun materialized. In just a split second, it finished charging.
He pointed.
The railgun fired.
The colossal dragon got buried in the ground. As the dust settled, Issei's form shrank, returning to normal, his armor dissolving away as he lost consciousness.
Hajime landed casually beside him, looking at his unmoving disciple.
"So… just sleep for a bit," he said. "Once you wake up, I'll beat you again."
—--
Watching from afar, the two Valkyries couldn't take their eyes off Hajime. They didn't even notice the entire Gremory group rushing toward the fallen Issei.
"Such power…" Waltraute whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's like watching an epic unfold right before our eyes."
"Mm…" Rossweisse nodded slowly. "He dealt with the berserk Red Dragon Emperor as if it were nothing more than a minor errand."
They watched as Hajime stepped away once Rias reached Issei and gently cradled the unconscious boy in her arms. The Gremory group bowed deeply in gratitude. Hajime only waved it off with a smile.
He gave them a brief nod before turning and walking back toward Alice, Anisphia, and the others.
"Yes… I thought we might have to fight alongside him," Waltraute admitted softly, her cheeks tinged red without her noticing. "But he handled the Red Dragon Emperor so effortlessly."
"Yeah…" Rossweisse bit her lip, eyes remained on Hajime as he was immediately surrounded—almost smothered—by his queens. "It would have been… an incredible experience to fight along with someone like him."
Unnoticed by the two Valkyries, Odin watched the scene with a slow, mischievous grin forming on his face. Beside him, Loki held his head, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
"...I suppose I should be grateful that he wasn't the one I had to face after coming out of that seal," Loki muttered, his face remaining pale as he shuddered. "Otherwise… I'd already be dead, returned to myth."
"Hmph. Now you understand why I insisted on keeping ourselves aligned with the Three Factions," Odin said firmly.
Loki looked at him with a blank, unsettled expression.
"The Godslayer is part of the Nameless," Odin continued. "And the Nameless are allies of the Three Factions. Do you remember the cataclysm a few months ago? When Trihexa tore through its cage—and the dimensional wall with it?"
Odin's gaze hardened. "It was the leader of the Nameless who slew that so‑called unkillable beast of apocalypse. He reduced it to nothing but dust."
Loki's eyes widened. "...Are you saying that Godslayer works under the one who killed the 666?"
"That's right." Odin's grip tightened. "We gods of this world all know that event. Every pantheon watched it happen. Every one of us felt that power when it was unleashed."
Odin closed his eyes, and memories flowed back to him, the moment he grasped those trails of light. Along with every god across the pantheons, he had felt it.
An attack powerful enough to erase a planet.
"That is why," Odin muttered, "I have to make sure that power, no matter what cost, must never be turned against us."
Loki fell silent, his eyes went back to Hajime and his group, watching them laugh and interact as if they hadn't been fighting for their lives mere moments ago.
"The Nameless… huh."
On the other side, Vali kept staring at where Issei lay. The image of how Hajime had dealt with the rampaging Red Dragon Emperor replayed endlessly in his mind. So deep was he in thought that he didn't even notice Bikou, Kuroka, Arthur, and Lefay approaching his side.
"That was crazy, wasn't it?" Bikou muttered. "The way Demon King-sama subdued Oppai Dragon."
Kuroka nodded slowly. "Never in my life did I think I'd witness something like that."
"I suppose it really shows the difference between them and us," Arthur said with a sigh. "The gap we thought we could eventually overcome… turned out to be far wider and deeper than we imagined."
"And to think there are still so many people stronger than Hajime-sama," Lefay added, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "There's Noah-niisama, Kiana-neesama, Ellie-neesama… and him. The one they call the Shadow Monarch."
Vali didn't respond. His hand clenched tightly as he turned his gaze back to Hajime, who looked utterly relaxed—neither tired nor exhausted—despite the overwhelming power he had just unleashed to stop Issei.
Watching that calm demeanor, Vali couldn't help but imagine how he himself would have tried to subdue Issei… had Hajime not stepped in.
Noticing Vali's gloomy expression, Bikou and Arthur exchanged a glance and nodded. Just as they were about to step in to cheer him up, someone beat them to it.
Kuroka swung with all her strength and slapped Vali squarely on the back.
"Gah—!"
Vali stumbled forward, turning back with wide eyes, while Bikou, Arthur, and Lefay froze in shock at her sudden attack.
"Cheer up, bad boy!" Kuroka snapped, planting her hands on her hips. "Why the gloomy face? Feeling overwhelmed by how far your goal is? Don't tell me Vali Lucifer is already giving up on reaching—or surpassing—his precious 'brother-in-law'?"
Vali blinked.
Then a grin slowly crept across his face before he let out a short laugh.
"Heh… to think you'd be the one to snap me out of it."
"What do you mean by that, huh?!" Kuroka narrowed her eyes sharply.
Vali smirked back at her. "But thanks, Kuroka. You woke me up. I won't give up."
His gaze sharpened, confidence burning brightly once more.
"I'll reach the same level as him… and then I'll surpass all of them. Heh—after all, the harder the challenge, the more motivated I become."
—--
"Hajime!!!! That was so cool!!!!!" Anisphia squealed as she latched onto his side. "Kyaa!!!! My heart is still pounding after seeing your domineering side again~!"
"Yeah, yeah—sure, I'm cool and amazing," Hajime sighed, his cheek twitching. "But could you please watch where your hand is going?! We're out in public!"
Despite his words, he didn't actually try to pry Anisphia away.
"Isn't it fine? Isn't it fine?!" Anisphia hummed happily. "Slurp."
Before she could go any further, two hands landed firmly on her shoulders and pulled her away from Hajime.
"Anis."
"Anis-san."
"Shall we have a talk about what you can—and can't—do, especially in public?"
Alice and Sona's synchronized voices sent a chill down Anisphia's spine, instantly snapping her back to reality.
"A-ahah-hahaha… h-have m-mercy?"
At the side, Tobio, Kouki, and the Sitri Peerage watched the scene with a mix of exasperation and helpless acceptance.
"Well, Anis-chan letting her pervy side show up aside… what Hajime-kun did was undeniably cool," Momo said with a shrug, earning nods from the others, while pointedly ignoring the offended shout of "Who are you calling a pervert?!" from a certain princess.
"Yeah…" Reya exhaled. "For a moment there, when I felt that presence watching over Hyoudou-san, I honestly thought we were done for."
"Mhm. Destruction truly is a terrifying Path," Kouki added, his expression serious. "It gave Hyoudou enough power to actually injure Hajime."
"And because of that," Tsubaki continued, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Hajime-san had no choice but to treat the berserk Hyoudou-san as a genuine threat."
"Still," Tobio said, finally relaxing as he let out a relieved sigh, "even with that unexpected power‑up… Hajime was able to deal with him perfectly."
With him finally free from Anisphia's grasp, Hajime carefully scooped the sleeping Ingvild from Euphyllia's back. Perhaps feeling safe in his arms, Ingvild unconsciously held his shirt. Seeing her like that, Hajime let out a faint, gentle smile.
"Hehehe… I guess even while unconscious, Ingvild-san really feels safe in your arms, Hajime-sama," Euphyllia said softly, lightly poking Ingvild's cheek.
"I guess it's the same for me as well," Hajime replied with a small smile, glancing at Euphyllia. "As long as I'm with all of you, I feel… at home."
That simple admission made Euphyllia blush.
"S-saying something like that is a bit unfair, Hajime-sama…"
Hajime chuckled at the sight of the usually composed Euphyllia blushing, a silly grin slipping onto his face.
"Ah—right. Villhaze," he said, his tone changing as he turned toward her. "How are you feeling right now? With how 'dead' the Astaroth peerage looked earlier, you used the power of Nihility, didn't you? Do you feel any discomfort?"
Villhaze shook her head. "Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I feel just fine. There's no discomfort or anything unusual."
"…Are you sure?" Hajime pressed, narrowing his eyes. "You're not hiding anything from us?"
Villhaze gave a wry smile. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I wouldn't do something like that. Lady Sirin's training helped greatly in mitigating the corrosive effects of Nihility. And with your blessing powering this body, the effects are practically negligible. I'm confident I won't become a Self Annihilator."
"If you say so…" Hajime sighed, relaxing a little. "Just let us know immediately if anything feels off."
"Of course," Villhaze replied with a gentle smile.
Hajime nodded, just about to tell everyone to prepare to return to Yuuragi-sou—where Sagiri and the others were waiting for them—when a familiar chime rang out.
Their terminals buzz up all at once.
From Hajime, Euphyllia, Villhaze, Tobio, and Kouki, to Alice and Sona—who immediately halted their ongoing lecture toward Anisphia—everyone paused and reached for their devices.
Carefully balancing the sleeping Ingvild in one arm, Hajime skillfully pulled out his terminal and checked the message.
"Huh? From Hachi?" he muttered. "What does he need now?"
As they read the contents, the expressions across the group slowly froze.
Alice, Sona, Euphyllia, and Villhaze blinked in unison, clearly unsure whether they had read it correctly. Anisphia even rubbed her eyes, squinting hard at the screen as if dust—or reality itself—was playing tricks on her.
Meanwhile, Hajime, Tobio, and Kouki could only stare, mouths hanging open in sheer disbelief.
[Hachiman: Guys, I need some help. I… kind of brought back some slave sisters who're cursed by a contract-type spell called Geass. It's binding them to their fate, and I can't release them. Any ideas on what I'm supposed to do now?]
'Just what kind of plot hole are you throwing yourself into this time, you Hero?!'
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