The same goes for Old Man Maurice. He fought Vals before getting here. Even with Asia healing his injuries, his stamina can't be fully restored. On top of that, he used a massive amount of power to protect me and Yaegaki-san.
I'm out of commission. And if Yaegaki-san steps up, she'll only end up dragging the two of them down. ...This is grim.
As dark expressions fell over our faces, the old man muttered under his breath:
"I just hope they make it in time..."
"Indeed. Until then, we must hold out no matter what..."
In time? Could that mean—
"Well, either way, we gotta do this now. Let's go, Gramps!"
"Very well! Our students have cleared the path this far. It is time I show the stubborn pride of a warrior!"
Instantly, a tremendous, terrifying aura burst from the two of them! Their sheer pressure weighed down on us standing behind them—a heavy, dense atmosphere that almost stole the breath from our lungs...
"To unleash this much power even now...! Are those two bottomless...?!"
Old Man Maurice and Grandpa Strada kicked off the ground, closing the distance to Asem in the blink of an eye. Their movements flowed like a calm river, concealing their intent from the enemy, but when they swung their weapons, they struck with the fury of a blazing fire. Completely mastering the balance between stillness and motion, there was not a single wasted movement or opening. It was the absolute pinnacle of supreme martial artists who had mastered the blade.
However—
"AHAHAHAHAHA! More! Raise your power even higher! You've got more than this, right?!"
Asem wasn't just holding off their fierce assault—he was overwhelming them. The sword strikes and magic he unleashed inflicted deep wounds on the two of them. He deflected the old man's sword and delivered a roundhouse kick straight into his stomach. Deflecting Gramps's Holy Fist, he slashed him deeply from shoulder to flank.
"Gah!"
"Ngh...!"
Grimacing in agony from Asem's brutal counterattack, the two forced the excruciating pain down through sheer willpower, refusing to stop their onslaught. They unleashed combination after combination, unleashing multiple strikes at godlike speed.
Yet Asem parried even their lightning-fast blades with ease. His power was swelling to a terrifying magnitude. Just how much of Trihexa's power had he made his own by now...?
The old man slammed his sword, blackened with dense battle aura, down toward Asem. In response, Asem swung a blade formed from his own aura—and shattered the old man's sword to pieces.
"What...?!"
My eyes went wide at the sight, my mind refusing to accept the reality unfolding right before me.
The old man's sword broke...?! You've got to be kidding me...!
It's true that the two blades the old man carried were ordinary swords, exceptional only in their sharpness. They weren't demonic swords, holy swords, or divine weapons. Yet, through his honed swordsmanship alone, he had faced down holy and demonic blades head-on. And now, that sword had been shattered. Which meant Asem's power had completely eclipsed the old man's.
Seeing his sword break, the old man's eyes widened—only for him to grab the broken tip spinning in mid-air and plunge it straight into Asem's shoulder. Watching the blood spurt from Asem's shoulder, the old man flashed a fearless grin.
"Didn't think you'd actually break my sword. Well, guess I've still got ways to go, huh? But don't think something like this is gonna throw me off!"
He drove the broken tip deeper into the wound and kicked Asem in the stomach. Extending his left hand, light began to gather in his palm.
"Is that... summoning light...?"
The light coalesced into a physical form, revealing a naginata. The old man hove the summoned naginata straight at Asem, and the blade pierced clean through Asem's chest.
Looking down at the shaft impaling his chest, Asem smiled even as blood spilled from his mouth.
"To think you would use a naginata...!"
"Don't go thinking the naginata is all I've got!"
Slipping into Asem's inner guard, daggers appeared in both of the old man's hands, and he drove them straight through Asem's palms. Letting go of the embedded daggers, he summoned a spear next.
"Before coming here, I had Valkyrie weave a spell formula for me. Now I can wield every single weapon stored inside that maid outfit of hers!"
The old man shouted as he sliced through the aura Asem unleashed with his spear.
"I'm the one who taught Alice how to use a spear! I'm the one who taught Wright and Issei how to use a sword! And I'm the one who taught Valkyrie how to use hidden weapons!"
"I see. But with your strength, you still can't reach me as I am now."
Asem grabbed the incoming spear tip and crushed it with his bare hand. Immediately after, he used his free hand to catch the thrusting tip of Durandal.
"Correction: with the strength of you two, you still cannot reach me."
With those words, Asem shattered Durandal with his hand as well.
This is bad—both of their weapons are gone! No matter how skilled they are, unarmed they won't...! Panic seized me as I watched them lose their weapons. But right at that moment—
CLANG!
The sound of heavy chains echoed as iron links wrapped tightly around both of Asem's arms. Looking closer, the old man and Gramps were each holding the ends of the chains, pulling Asem's arms in opposite directions. Those were Valkyrie's weighted chains!
With both arms bound, Asem spoke up.
"Do you really think this is enough to seal my movements? Even if you stop me, neither of you has a sword left. What do you intend to do?"
Hearing Asem's words, the old man and Gramps flashed defiant smiles, even as their own blood soaked the ground beneath their feet.
"Ha! Sure, you shattered our weapons. But—"
"—these aren't the only blades we carry!"
The very next instant—a barrage of devastating explosions engulfed the bound Asem! A sequence of ultimate attacks launched from all four directions! This power... this energy belongs to...!
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Big Brother."
When I turned around at the sound of that voice, there stood Miu with a gentle smile. And behind her were our reliable allies—Team D×D had arrived.
~ Bonus Short Story ~
Ignis: "Issei, the time has come to unlock the door to your further potential."
Issei: "Yeah. ...I'm gonna keep going further. Beyond my limits, even further beyond."
Ddraig: 『Wait, you two. I feel like I've seen this exact exchange not too long ago...』
Ignis: "The current you should understand. Let us shout it together! What you truly desire! The thing that has been deep within your heart all along!"
Ddraig: 『Are you ignoring me?!』
Issei: "I'll show you my new power, my further potential! Come to me! My—"
Ddraig: 『You too?! Can neither of you hear my voice?!』
Issei & Ignis: ""GREATEST OPPAI HAREM WORLD OF THE MIGHTY OPPAI!""
Ddraig: 『YOU JUST SWAPPED THE SISTER COMPLEX FOR BOOBS, YOU IDIOTS!』
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