A Few Days Later.
In the middle of a vast field that stretched beyond the eye could see, a lush green plain with some trees around and a few mountains in the distance, a person could be seen.
In the center of this field stood a seventeen-year-old young man. He had blond hair in a golden hue like gold, his eyes a crimson shade like blood with slit pupils, resembling two precious rubies. He wore a white short-sleeved t-shirt, black pants, and black sneakers.
He was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes and the current Sekiryuutei.
But what drew the most attention was his left hand.
It was covered by a red gauntlet adorned with green jewels and ten golden spikes, enveloping Gilgamesh's entire arm.
This gauntlet was one of the thirteen Sacred Gears listed as Longinus, the Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor, the [Boosted Gear], where the soul of Ddraig, one of the two Heavenly Dragons, resided.
Also in his left hand was an axe.
This axe was predominantly gold and had a single-edged silver axe blade. The center of the axe featured an engraving of Regulus Nemea in its lion form. On the other side of the axe, there were three curved silver protrusions located at the bottom, middle, and top of that side. At the top, there was a gold diamond with a silver diamond in the center, and below the lower part of the axe's center, there were two diamond-shaped protrusions with extended edges.
This axe was another of the thirteen Sacred Gears listed as Longinus, the Battle Axe of the Lion King, where the soul of the Nemean Lion, [Regulus Nemea], resided.
Two weapons capable of killing gods and breaking the world's balance were in the hands of a single person.
Gilgamesh looked from side to side, between the vast strip of forest he had just annihilated with a burst of flames and back to the gauntlet covering his hand, along with the axe. The corpse of a dragon lay before him, completely charred.
The forest burned in the crimson flames of purgatory. The heat made Gilgamesh feel warm and satisfied, like drinking hot chocolate on a cold day, but in reality, the heat alone killed everything living within a hundred-meter radius.
"How did I do?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Very well, master," said Regulus, the spirit of the Nemean Lion inhabiting the Longinus [Regulus Nemea].
[Excellent, partner,] said Ddraig, one of the two Heavenly Dragons, and the soul residing in the Longinus [Boosted Gear].
Gilgamesh was currently training his control over the power of both Ddraig and Regulus together.
Even for him, it was difficult to maintain two Sacred Gears at the same time; the burden was immense.
It had been a few days since Gilgamesh's encounter with Rias.
The King of Heroes was still angry.
He knew Rias could manipulate him, but he didn't think she would be so foolish.
Perhaps he had overestimated her.
Gilgamesh was still upset about what he had done, not with Rias, but with Koneko.
Maybe he should apologize to her.
[Partner, behind you,] Ddraig warned.
Gilgamesh turned and saw, flying high, a Western dragon, half white and half red.
The dragon looked at him as if he were an insect, but Gilgamesh didn't care.
Gilgamesh saw the dragon puff up its mouth before unleashing a massive torrent of red and white flames toward him.
The flames burned everything in their path; their temperature was so intense that they scorched even the air.
When they hit Gilgamesh, the ground began to melt.
The dragon looked at him with an air of superiority.
Gilgamesh merely swung his axe, parting the flames and revealing himself unscathed, not even a burn from the flames.
As the flames dissipated, they began to freeze due to the sudden drop in temperature, leaving the dragon startled.
[Boost!!] came Ddraig's voice from within the [Boosted Gear], announcing Ddraig's power to double the user's capabilities every ten seconds.
Gilgamesh felt his aura and power double in size the moment Ddraig's power was activated.
It was truly a terrifying technique, the ability to double the user's power was incredible, and as long as the user had enough stamina, they could keep boosting.
And stamina was something Gilgamesh had in abundance, not only because he was a demigod with a body more resilient than humans and devils but also due to his intense training.
[Transfer!!] said Ddraig's voice, activating another of his abilities, the power to transfer energy.
All of Gilgamesh's amplified aura was suddenly transferred to Regulus's axe, which gained a golden and purple aura surrounding it.
With a single swing, a slash of energy shot from the axe, advancing toward the dragon, which had no time to react and had one of its wings severed.
Due to its severed wing, the dragon could no longer stay airborne and began to fall.
Gilgamesh inflated his lungs before unleashing a torrent of flames against the dragon.
"Purgatory Dragon's Roar"
The crimson flames of purgatory surged forward, incinerating everything in their path, and the moment they made contact with the dragon, it was completely burned until not even ashes remained.
Such was the power of the [Purgatory Dragon Slayer Magic].
Ddraig was certain that these flames could easily rival a Dragon King, and if his partner achieved Dragon Force, he could easily kill Dragon-Class dragons and even severely injure dragons that had reached the Heavenly Dragon class.
Sighing, Gilgamesh thought about his next course of action.
The rescue of Asia.
From what it seemed, Asia had already arrived in Kuoh, but due to Raynare's fear of Gilgamesh, she prevented Asia from wandering the city and running into him, so the girl hadn't met Issei.
Sighing, Gilgamesh decided to finish this dungeon quickly so he could rescue Asia.
Later With Gilgamesh.
The abandoned church in Kuoh City was situated on a hill in a corner of the city. Why? It should be obvious, given that Kuoh City was, in fact, Devil Territory.
The Church couldn't get close to the devils, or it would be seen as an aggressive act toward them. And after what happened in the Great War, they clearly couldn't start another war if they wanted to avoid being annihilated.
Honestly, Gilgamesh didn't go to church much, even when he was part of the Angel Faction. After all, why pray for someone who's dead?
I shook my head, clearing the unnecessary thoughts from my mind. Then I entered the church's garden.
My senses were far superior to those of a normal human, partly because I was a Dragon Slayer and due to my training.
My nose picked up dozens of different scents inside the church. Four of them were Fallen Angels, and the others clearly belonged to humans. It was hard to explain in words what a human or Fallen Angel's scent was like; I just knew and never bothered with it. Besides, the dozens of humans had a distinct smell alongside their human scent. One smelled close to blood.
Freed Sellzen, my mind immediately connected the dots.
Should I kill him? Well… if I kill him, that would indirectly help Gremory. And right now, I didn't like them because of the heiress's stupidity. After weighing Freed's death, like thinking about what kind of shoes I want to wear, what remained was making an entrance; a fucking awesome, incredible entrance.
Hey! I'm the Red Dragon Emperor and the King of Heroes. I should have an epic entrance to face my enemy, you know?
"Ddraig, Regulus? Any ideas on how I should make my entrance?"
[Kick the door?] said Ddraig.
"Meh… too cliché," said Regulus.
"Yeah, that's been overused."
Me, Regulus, and Ddraig exchanged ideas about my supposedly badass entrance. However, we somehow dragged it into pointless banter. And we wasted time unproductively.
[Go Tarzan and enter through the window?]
"With a loincloth like an uncivilized barbarian?"
[Of course, Tarzan was famous for his loincloth!]
"Could be a good one."
"You know, Ddraig, Regulus. Instead of intimidating them, I'll become a laughingstock, and they won't take me seriously."
[Damn… just go in normally already!]
"Yeah, get on with it."
"You guys are crazy? They'll mistake me for a lost kid, won't take me seriously, and look down on me! I hate being looked down on!"
[Go Juggernaut Drive!] said Ddraig.
"Go Breakdown the Beast," said Regulus.
"Ddraig, Regulus, we're just cleaning up some annoying stench in the space, not fighting a Top 10 member! That's overkill!"
[… tch. Stop whining and go in already!]
"Yeah, stop yapping and go."
"So, it's the cliché entrance, huh?"
My right foot rose. And then, I kicked the double doors. With a *BANG*, the doors flew open and shattered into small splinters from the small amount of power I exerted. At first, the church seemed empty, but my exceptional sense of hearing could pick it up; the clamor in the hidden basement.
A trapdoor suddenly opened. Dozens of men and women dressed in white robes emerged with lightsaber-like swords, reminding me of Star Wars, and silver weapons in their hands. They wore different masks on their faces: caution, surprise, and madness.
"Huh? And here I thought we were being attacked by shitty demons. Who'd have thought the attacker is actually a lost member. Hahaha… so, bastard, you've got some guts barging into this place, huh? Are you bored of living? Do you want to die?"
The speaker was a young man with shoulder-length white hair and red eyes, slightly older than me. His expression was filled with insanity and madness. He wore a white exorcist robe, just like the dozens of people here.
Freed Sellzen; that was the name of this person.
I was strangely calm. My face didn't flinch at the appearance of dozens of armed stray exorcists. In my eyes, they held no value; they were nothing more than a bunch of riffraff, ants that escaped my notice. My targets were the four remaining Fallen Angels in this area and Asia. Unfortunately, they were still in the basement.
"Mutts. Why don't you just scram and make things easier for me? It's not like your numbers matter much in my eyes," I spoke calmly, my hands folded in front of my chest, like a mighty and untouchable emperor before his rebellious people.
Freed and the stray exorcists showed a mask of anger after hearing my arrogant words. They gritted their teeth in rage. Their pride must have been wounded by my ridiculous words.
"What's that? What's that? A brat dares to say something absurd in front of this awesome me? You're courting death, huh? If you're really bored of living, I'll send you to hell!"
With a shout full of rage, Freed brandished his silver weapon and pointed it at my face. And then, he pulled the trigger.
I let out a sigh. The blessed silver bullet escaped the gun's muzzle. It flew toward me in slow motion, which made me die of boredom waiting for it to reach me. I tilted my head slightly, letting the bullet pass by.
"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL!?" Freed roared, incredulous. "How did you dodge this awesome bastard's bullet! Tell me! Tell me! How did you do it?"
"… tch. Annoying. Just get lost already, worm," I muttered coldly, my voice echoing in the silent church.
At that moment, the world slowed down. This was a phenomenon that someone with power often experienced because of how fast they could move. And then, I rushed toward Freed and kicked the side of his head, holding back my power so he wouldn't die. I decided to spare the insane exorcist so he could harass the Gremory group later.
To everyone around, it happened in a flash. I was just standing there one moment, and the next, I reappeared beside Freed with my foot raised in the air, the mad exorcist's body thrown out of the church through the window, shattering it in the process.
"GUAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Freed screamed and wailed pathetically as his body soared through the air until it disappeared from my sight. I placed my foot back on the ground and turned to look at the dozens of stray exorcists around me, my eyes sweeping and observing their expressions.
Disbelief. Denial. Surprise. Shock. Fear. Their expressions varied from one to another, giving me something to see.
"So? Are you going to flee from my sight, or are you going to hand over your lives to me?" I asked calmly.
"HYAAAAAAH!"
"KILL HIM!"
"ATTACK!"
Shouts filled with rage, fear, and despair echoed in the air. The dozens of stray exorcists attacked me with abandon, showing their desperation for the impossible—killing me.
"Humph!" I snorted, the air escaping sharply from my nose.
I flicked my thumb and middle finger. At that moment, a red magic circle with a dragon skull symbol appeared on the floor. The glowing circle was wide, almost filling the church's floor.
An emerald-colored jewel appeared on the back of my left hand, and then [BOOST] and [TRANSFER]—it shone with a bright light. What happened next was a horrific sight to recall; they all exploded, blood and body parts scattering across the former holy house. And so, silence descended. What happened was that they exploded because their mortal bodies couldn't withstand the Gift of the Red Dragon Emperor.
Y Ddraig Gosh was inexplicably powerful. So powerful that he shared his power unintentionally. It was the root of the second base power of the [Boosted Gear]; [Gift]. [Penetration] and absolute [Dragon Fire] of Ddraig existed because of this absurd power too. I had mastered all this power—the power of Y Ddraig Gosh. And if I activated the [Juggernaut Drive], the power I could access was truly the power that belonged to Ddraig at his peak.
I wiped my blood-stained cheek from the stray exorcists. Surprisingly, I didn't feel disgust or the urge to vomit. What I felt was excitement from so much blood, and I wanted to see more; the blood of my enemy. At that moment, I, who was once a normal human, finally understood the true meaning of bloodlust.
As I was about to enter the basement through the trapdoor, someone came out first.
"Who are you?"
The short and cautious question came from a man in a fedora and trench coat. He had a refined appearance and a handsome European facial structure. Brad Pitt, an artist from my previous world, would be embarrassed to compare himself to this mere cannon fodder.
Dohnaseek. The only male Fallen Angel in Raynare's ragtag group.
Before I could answer his question, two silhouettes emerged.
First, a tall woman with smooth, glossy blue hair. She wore a tight red suit, accentuating her G-cup breasts, slim and slender waist, and wide, magnificent hips. Her short skirt let me see her full and flexible thighs. Her narrow golden eyes stared at me cautiously. Surprisingly, this woman had an oriental appearance for a Fallen Angel.
She was Kalawarner—another member of Raynare's riffraff group.
The last silhouette belonged to a pretty, petite girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, accentuating her European facial structure. Her untamed hair was tied into two ponytails with black ribbons with white frills. She wore a gothic Lolita dress, unlike Ophis's provocative gothic Lolita dress. Her dress gave her the air of a cute noble family daughter. Her delicate yet sharp facial structure sent a tsundere vibe to me.
She was Milttet—the only loli in Raynare's group of nuisances.
"Gilgamesh…" I responded coldly.
Dohnaseek and Kalawarner's eyes widened in surprise. Milttet was the only one with a clueless expression. I found it amusing.
"That's the name of our human target… Aren't you supposed to be dead by our subordinates? Weren't they supposed to intercept you?" Dohnaseek sent me a series of questions. And then, a flash of anxiety and hostility entered his eyes. "Where are they now? Speak, human, or I'll kill you!"
I looked at Dohnaseek. His intimidation was like crap. It was too cliché for my taste. Honestly, I'd heard that threat over and over like a broken record in the anime I watched in my previous life.
"Huh? Huh? So, he's the target human. Hey, he's really handsome, isn't he? What a shame. What a shame! Let me play with him before killing him, okay?"
Milttet spoke with a childish and cheerful voice. My eyebrows raised because of it. This little Fallen…
"Milttet, shut up. He's dangerous," Kalawarner whispered harshly to the loli. Her golden eyes swept the place, observing the blood and gore everywhere.
At that moment, I realized Milttet was an airhead, while Kalawarner was cautious. And then, I looked at Dohnaseek.
"Those idiots, huh? I don't know. Maybe they're dead in some corner somewhere," I said with a careless shrug.
"YOU!" Dohnaseek roared. There was wild light and anger in his eyes. It rushed toward me. It was animosity born from knowing his comrades were harmed.
I watched lazily as Dohnaseek created a light weapon in his hands. Two spears. Two blood-red spears in both hands. It happened in just a second, but to me, it happened in slow motion. My eyes caught how specks of light appeared around his palm and then condensed into two solid light weapons.
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