Scythe and sword slashed out in tandem! Packed with far more force than the blade Master had destroyed earlier, every swing tore the earth open and split the sky!
Their speed was barely readable to my eyes, and with every consecutive strike, Asem's flurry grew faster and heavier.
Yet Master and Strada evaded every single attack using masterclass footwork and parries!
Evasion and counter. Without even making eye contact, tuning into each other's rhythm and the flow of battle, the two executed flawless combination attacks.
A clash between the two ultimate swordsmen and the ultimate god who absorbed the strongest beast. The shockwaves began to affect even me, sitting a distance away.
"Whoa!? Shoot… my body…!"
Unable to move after my fight with Asem, I was on the verge of being swallowed by the howling gales and cracking ground.
It was at that moment—
I felt a sudden surge of holy power from behind me. Turning around, a dragon formed from pure holy energy rushed toward me—and swallowed me whole.
"WOAHHHHHH!?"
What now!? First a battle of legends, and now this!?
Confused by the sudden turn of events, I was carried away from the chaotic battlefield by the holy dragon—
"Forgive me for being late, Hyoudou Issei-kun."
Adjusting his glasses with a finger, a young man spoke calmly. I stared at him in utter shock.
"Yaegaki-san!?"
Yes, the one who saved me was Yaegaki! The holy dragon that swallowed me was likely an Eight-Headed Serpent formed from the holy power of the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.
Spotting Yaegaki, Master Morris called out while actively trading blows with Asem.
"Yo! You're late, Four-Eyes!"
"You two are simply too fast! You left me in the dust in an instant!"
"Can't be helped! Anyway, no time to chat right now, so I'll keep it brief! Take care of Issei! That kid doesn't even have the strength left to stand!"
"Yes, I am well aware. That is precisely why I came here."
As Yaegaki spoke, the holy dragon gently spat me out beside him, coiling around the two of us to form a defensive barrier against the battle's collateral damage.
"Thank you… But why are you here?" I asked.
Yaegaki looked down at his palms and replied, "I told Irina and the other angels before. I came here to secure a future. As someone who was once dead and is now a sinner… I wondered if there was anything someone like me could still do. That is why I came."
He turned his gaze toward me. "It might be strange to ask this after coming all this way… but I wanted to ask you. Can someone like me still protect something? Can these sinful hands of mine shield others?"
His expression and question reminded me of my past self. I, too, had wondered if these bloodstained hands could ever protect anything.
I let out a soft smile and answered, "You definitely can, Yaegaki-san. Besides, you just protected me right now."
"I see… Perhaps you are right."
Together, Yaegaki and I turned our attention back to the battlefield—to the fight for the future.
"Using only weapons seems disadvantageous," Asem muttered as he swung his blade, simultaneously deploying magic circles around himself.
The quantity was staggering—far surpassing what he had used against me. Magic attacks of terrifying power rained down from the sky-filling magic array, targeting Master Morris and Old Man Strada!
Yet neither of them showed any intention of dodging. Standing their ground, they swung their blades, slicing through every incoming spell! With supreme body control, they slipped past what they couldn't cut, and cut what they couldn't slip past.
Master smirked. "Hey now, did you really think taking our heads with such sloppy attacks was possible? Well, I guess for the current you, this is the best you can manage."
"What?" Asem's expression darkened with suspicion.
Strada added, firing a blast of holy energy from Durandal, "We observed your fighting style before arriving here. Against an unknown foe it might be different, but we have sufficient data. Once we cross blades, we can adapt on the fly. Furthermore—"
Ducking beneath Asem's bombardment, Master Morris charged in. Asem caught Master's downward strike with his own blade, locking them in a sword bind. Pushing Master back, the two engaged in a violent exchange of slashes.
Master spoke mid-clash, "Listen here, God. If you were actually able to use that beast's power properly, even we wouldn't be having such an easy time. You're trying to cover it up with flashy attacks… but you're nowhere near top condition, are you?"
"…!" Asem's eyes widened.
Asem isn't in top condition…? What does that mean?
As if answering my internal question, Old Man Strada called out, "Though you absorbed Trihexa, its power is still thrashing inside you. You are exhausting an immense amount of effort just to suppress it. The proof is that your control over your output has been erratic ever since you began clashing with us!"
So that was it…!
Trihexa was still resisting inside Asem! He hadn't fully mastered its power. In fact, most of his energy was being drained just keeping the beast subdued, which actually weakened his combat efficiency! Master and Strada had analyzed that entire dynamic purely through swordplay!
Mid-clash, Master suddenly ducked low.
In the very next frame, a wave of holy energy soared over Master's back, striking Asem dead-on and sending him flying! Strada had synchronized his attack perfectly with Master's movement!
Master pursued the airborne Asem, firing off slashes of sword pressure as he ran!
However, just before hitting, the slashes were blocked by a barrier Asem deployed. Strada followed up with another holy blast, but it too bounced off the shield.
It was a barrier so durable that Master tutted in annoyance.
As I watched to see how they would crack it, Master threw one of his two swords. The thrown blade plunged straight into the barrier… but failed to break through.
"With just that much force, this barrier won't—"
Before Asem could finish his sentence, his voice cut off and his eyes flared wide.
Standing in his line of sight was Old Man Strada—with his fist pulled back. The muscles in his arm had bulged to an unbelievable size, surging with dense holy aura.
"HNAGH!"
A single, explosive punch thrust forward! A vast torrent of holy energy erupted!
—Holy Fist!
The sheer holy force unleashed from the punch struck the pommel of Master's embedded sword, hammering it forward! Powered by Strada's Holy Fist, Master's blade pierced clean through Asem's barrier!
The momentum carried the sword forward, grazing Asem's shoulder and drawing blood!
"Guh! You broke my barrier!?" Asem gasped in shock.
Behind him, Master Morris had already circled around.
"I told you, didn't I? ——Don't underestimate old men."
Holding his remaining sword with both hands, Master raised it high. Responding in tandem, Old Man Strada raised Durandal as well, sandwiching Asem between them from the front and back.
Immense aura wrapped around both of their blades.
"Let us settle this before you can fully master Trihexa's power."
Both swordsmen swung down simultaneously—and the unleashed shockwaves engulfed Asem completely.
[Afterword Mini-Story]
Azazel: "Hey, Michael."
Michael: "What is it?"
Azazel: "Looking at Issei lately… instead of 'Sekiryuutei who returned from another world,' I keep thinking of him as 'Sekiryuutei who returned from a late-night booty call.' Well, we're partly to blame for that, though."
Michael: "Isn't that a wonderful thing in its own right? From here on out, we of the Three Great Factions must focus our efforts on repopulation and prosperity. Fufu, my expectations for the Sekiryuutei and Angel Irina are only growing!"
Azazel: "Right, yeah… Alright then! Let's raise a glass to Issei's repopulation efforts! Let's call Sirzechs over too!"
Sirzechs: "I'm already here, Azazel! As a Demon Lord and as an individual Devil, I hold great expectations for him as well!"
Azazel: "Love how quick you are! Tonight, we drink to our hearts' content! A toast to Issei, the breeding stud of the Three Great Factions!"
Michael & Sirzechs: ""CHEERS!""
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