Worried murmurs drifted from the classrooms into the hallway—the voices of the students who still hadn't gone home and had been caught up in that strange incident, their lives put at risk.
Daniel sighed as he looked out the window at the piles of lifeless insects. Even though they enjoyed a brief moment of calm thanks to the reduced number of monsters, he didn't lower his guard.
The system still wouldn't respond, they had no way out, and the maid in whom Rias seemed to place so much trust showed no sign of returning.
How long would they be stuck there? They had no supplies and no running water. As far as he remembered, a human couldn't survive more than three days without water; maybe a devil could last longer. That is, assuming more hordes didn't return—or something stronger didn't show up.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice Asia approaching after treating the injured from Riser's and Sona's groups.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Daniel looked at her with concern; she looked exhausted from the effort, though she wasn't complaining. Even if healing everyone had been part of the alliance terms, she was pushing herself too much. She simply couldn't leave anyone wounded if she had the ability to help. Daniel shook his head—she was still far too kind.
"I'm fine. What about you? You look tired," he said as he approached, hoping she would care more about her own body.
"Don't worry. I finished treating Sona-san's and Riser-san's groups pretty quickly," she murmured, lowering her head, a bit embarrassed as the young man's arms wrapped around her. "I spent more time healing the rest of the students."
Daniel nodded as he pulled her against his chest. Though he didn't want to admit it, he was afraid: seeing that enormous number of frozen insects and imagining what would happen if the same amount appeared again unsettled him. Not knowing if they could leave, and the fear that everything had been provoked by the system, terrified him.
He didn't want to die—not after accepting what he felt for Asia and Koneko. He didn't want them getting hurt either. But nothing seemed clear; he had no idea what to do.
He sighed before making up his mind: if there was no escape, he at least needed to be honest about his feelings. He didn't want to die again with regrets.
"Asia… I… I like you," he said, tightening his hold on her.
The girl blushed but didn't pull away; she even nestled against his chest.
"I like you t—"
Before she could finish, Daniel interrupted her. He wanted to make everything clear before hearing her answer.
"Asia, I also like Koneko. I know that's unfair to you, but…" He crouched down to meet her green eyes. "I can't force you into anything. If you don't accept this…"
Asia gently interrupted him.
"Etto… Akeno-san already told me about devil customs, and I pleases Koneko-chan, so…" She lowered her gaze and whispered, "In fact, I already thought of us as a family."
Daniel was surprised. That girl was far too kind and pure—but he wasn't going to complain. Those were precisely the reasons he had liked her from the start.
He smiled and hugged her even tighter, determined to protect her from whatever would come. "Worst case… I'll make sure I die first," he thought, before pushing those dark thoughts away.
He needed to stay positive. He would get out alive and tell Koneko what he felt. Maybe even in the opposite order…
At that moment his body reacted on instinct, wrapping his wings around her. Asia was startled by the sudden change in the atmosphere, but before she could speak, she saw the blade of a sword tear through one of Daniel's wings. Blood splattered as the young man staggered back, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Daniel looked at the attacker: a monstrous figure holding a two-handed sword and wearing a blue cloak. It was Zure…
A chill ran down the young man's spine; it even masked the pain of his wounded wing for a moment. He took a breath, trying to calm himself. The creature before him was something he could never defeat alone, but if he could stall long enough for Rias to arrive, they might stand a chance.
Zure, oblivious to his thoughts, advanced with his sword raised.
"Surrender, child. Accept your role as a sacrifice."
Daniel clenched his teeth as he directed gray energy into his arm, forming the duel disk.
Zure sensed the energy shift, surprised that the boy could use spiritual energy. Though thinking about it, since he was the node, it wasn't that strange.
His legs tensed, and with a burst of power he shot forward. Daniel gritted his teeth—he could barely track his movements.
He summoned the Ancient Gear Soldier to buy time. Sadly, the explosions and screams outside crushed his faint hopes. It seemed Zure wasn't the only monster that had appeared—reinforcements wouldn't be coming.
The Ancient Gear tried to stop Zure, but its spear was brushed aside effortlessly by the monster's sword. Daniel attempted to defend using the golem's shield, but it was sliced like butter—along with part of its arm.
The young man stifled a groan as he tried to think. Asia, cradled in his arms, begged him to let her heal him, but Daniel wouldn't risk her.
Seeing Zure continue his advance, he made the Soldier retreat; he didn't want to lose it. After a moment of hesitation, he summoned the Ancient Gear Wyvern and sacrificed them both. His muscles tensed—he braced himself for the pain of lacking enough energy.
Soon, a rift opened behind him and a massive mechanical arm emerged.
CLANK
The metallic sound echoed as Zure's sword struck the Ancient Gear Golem's hand, bouncing off without leaving a mark.
Daniel, meanwhile, felt his body burn and twist in agony with each second the golem remained summoned.
Zure hesitated for a moment. Facing the colossus was never simple. Even so, he attacked again, but it was futile—the giant arm curled protectively around Daniel, blocking every strike.
Watching the metal hand repel the blows, Daniel felt confused. It seemed he could endure longer than before. Had he gotten stronger? Or was it simply because only an arm had passed through the rift?
It hurt, yes, but he could bear it long enough to defend. The problem was he couldn't attack. The arm was tied to the rift, and the rift didn't move, limiting the range.
Daniel worried: even if he was safe for the moment, what if Zure decided to go after the others? He didn't believe they could defend themselves. Riser struggled with a Beiige with 1600 attack; a Zure with 2100 would turn him into slices.
And who knew if those numbers even mattered here. Maybe he was even stronger. Daniel searched for a solution—he didn't want Koneko in danger.
At that moment, a water dragon passed by him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Zure swung his sword and split the spell effortlessly.
Soon, footsteps echoed—and a beautiful bespectacled young woman appeared before them.
Zure observed her for a few seconds, thinking she might make a good sacrifice, but then lost interest. The powerful maid was already enough. They only needed the node to break the dimensional seal.
He looked back at Daniel and examined the mechanical arm of that rusted desert relic. Then he glanced at Sona again, and an idea formed.
With a leap, he shot toward her. Sona aimed and launched another spell, but Zure dodged with ease.
Daniel took advantage of the fact they were in a hallway. Sona was behind him, so the monster could only pass through his side—and the golem's arm wasn't just decoration.
Unexpectedly, Zure jumped out the window and ran along the wall at high speed. Daniel was stunned, and so was Sona, who stepped back as she realized his intention.
Daniel knew she couldn't handle Zure, so he turned the golem's arm to block the attack, taking advantage of Sona being within its range.
But it had all been a feint: the true target had always been Daniel. With his sword, Zure halted his momentum, creating just enough time for the arm to retract. He lunged at the young man and smashed through the window.
Daniel's pupils dilated. The tip of the sword was already upon him. With all his strength, he threw Asia toward Sona just as Zure's blade pierced his shoulder.