The catalyst was the Demon God Zepar.
"Irina! Why are you doing this!?"
"Didn't you hear? It's all for His Majesty, the Lion King!"
"The Lion King?"
"Yes! The Lord was absent. Michael deceived us. But the Lion King is different. She's there. She guides us rightly! I… we were wrong. That goddess is the one we should truly worship…!"
When Zepar approached Ddraig through Issei's dream, showing him a future as the Oppai Dragon, it declared, "This is your form in another world. A conclusion of choices yet to be discarded, an outcome still preventable."
"Damn it! Where did these knights come from!? And they're stupidly strong!"
"Azazel, step aside! I'll burn them all!"
Another world. Zepar had indeed used the term "another world." It could have been called a parallel world, but Zepar chose "another world." There was no deep reason, no mistake—just a casual choice of phrase.
"Arondight Overload!"
"Clarent Blood Arthur!"
But Ddraig fixated on the term "another world." It struck him with profound unease. Not a future, but another world. Not foresight, but observation of another reality. He alone in this world arrived at the answer.
The Demon God Pillars were the genuine Seventy-Two Pillars from another world.
"Dragons, of all things? They're not Vortigern!"
"If Father could defeat them, so can I!"
"Wait, Mordred. Our mission is to retrieve the soul of the 'Red Dragon.' We shouldn't fight unnecessarily."
"Huh? We're gonna kill them all later anyway, so what's the difference?"
"That's not certain. They might be chosen. Besides, we're not enough alone. I wanted to wait for Azazel's return."
"Hah! Tell that to the self-proclaimed knight who rushed off!"
Figures like Sirzechs and Serafall were undoubtedly real in this world. But these knights were just as real. From this world's perspective, Sirzechs and his ilk were the true ones, while these knights were mere impostors with coincidentally matching names. From their perspective, however, Sirzechs and the others were the fakes.
"Arondight and Clarent…!? Who the hell are you guys!?"
"If you know these swords' names, you should understand who we are."
"No way! That's impossible…!"
"What's that supposed to mean? Run if you want—I'm Mordred, and I'll take you on!"
To Ddraig, the authenticity of the Seventy-Two Pillars was irrelevant.
If another world existed with its own Seventy-Two Pillars, the Two Heavenly Dragons likely existed there too. And that had become reality.
He sensed it clearly—a presence of "himself, yet not himself." The other world's Ddraig had come here.
The other world's Seventy-Two Pillars sought to eliminate their counterparts in this world. So what would the other world's Red Dragon do upon arriving?
Ddraig intuited it. That presence was incomplete, as unstable as his own soul-bound state. It sought him to compensate for that instability.
"Guh, guaaahhh!"
"What!? Irina, what did you do to Issei!?"
"Hehe. Alright, Issei-kun, I'll take Ddraig now."
Zepar's vision shocked Ddraig, but he understood it wasn't the full picture. It was a negative campaign to sway him—naturally, it omitted the positive aspects. So what were those positives?
Even in that absurd future, Ddraig couldn't imagine betraying Hyoudou Issei. That Issei, despite such antics, possessed something extraordinary enough to outweigh them. The Issei Ddraig knew showed signs of it. Lacking talent or special power, he had the potential to become the "greatest Red Dragon Emperor" if nurtured properly.
"Ddraig…?"
For the first time, Ddraig felt an emotion he'd never experienced with past hosts.
"Farewell, Hyoudou Issei. Even without me, the gauntlet will still work. Train recklessly and grow strong. You lack talent but have potential."
When Ddraig learned of Vali Lucifer, the strongest White Dragon Emperor, he thought he'd lose this time. Yet, through luck, Vali's arrogance, or item compatibility, Issei overwhelmed him. He bridged the gap in talent, experience, and raw specs somehow.
"I didn't hate your reckless stupidity."
Ddraig wanted to fight this man—not as a partner watching over him, but as an enemy to push his growth. If it was Hyoudou Issei, maybe—
"Defeat me and become a 'Heavenly Dragon' yourself."
A final achievement for a life reduced to a soul.
"Have you ever thought about what you're fighting for?"
Summoned to the Temple of Time for the battle against the goddess, Xenovia posed this question to a human she'd soon fight alongside.
"What I'm fighting for? To win."
"For myself, obviously."
Heracles and Jeanne, Hero Faction leaders, answered without hesitation, shame, or secrecy. Xenovia, seemingly shocked, prompted Heracles to sigh and explain.
"I'm a man who inherited the soul of that Heracles. The greatest hero of Greek mythology, a star among heroes! How could I not be thrilled? But I got cocky, thinking I was the strongest, even without a Sacred Gear or Longinus. Then I met my mentor."
"Mentor?"
Jeanne answered, "You don't know? Separate from the 'Teacher' or 'Professor,' he's a Heroic Spirit they summoned. Heracles calls him 'mentor,' but the guy never accepted him as a disciple. I think he's from India or something. Hehe."
"What's so funny?"
"Come on! Heracles challenged him, got crushed instantly, and then got roasted verbally! He sulked for three days with that big frame of his. Then he tried to become a disciple, got rejected in seconds, and was hit with more insults…"
"You got the same treatment! And he didn't say it because it was obvious—'Lowering your head for strength is strength itself.'"
"That's a pretty important part."
"Yeah. And for my mentor, I want to win. So he'll one day call me his proud disciple!"
It was a boyish wish, yet it diverged from Heracles' usual nature.
"As for me, it's for myself. Disappointed? Think a woman with Saint Jeanne d'Arc's soul should have noble reasons?"
"N-No, not at all."
"Your face says otherwise!"
"I can't be like her. I can't not hate those who burned me. The Saint didn't resent being branded a witch. She didn't hate people, her country, or God—not in life or death. At least, not in that world."
That world—the one with the Demon God Pillars, where Saint Jeanne d'Arc existed, along with Durandal and Roland's tales.
The idea of another world sounds far-fetched, but the Demon God Pillars' existence proves it. Though, their alien nature aside, it's easier to believe they're artificial lifeforms created by some secret organization.
Jeanne bared her heart about that world's "Saint." "I can't do it. I have her soul. I bear her name. But I'm not Jeanne d'Arc. I'm just me."
I am only myself.
All Xenovia has is Durandal—not because she inherited Roland's soul, but by mere chance. She has no family, only family-like figures, but as an exile from the Church, she can't face them. She has no Sacred Gear. Her Durandal pales compared to her predecessors.
So what makes Xenovia, Xenovia?
"I fight for myself, I'll win this battle and be celebrated as a strong, beautiful woman."
"Isn't that a bit… shallow?"
Jeanne didn't flinch. "Like I said, I'm just someone with Saint Jeanne's soul. I have no flag to raise morale, no strategist to fund my campaigns, no divine voice. The only thing I might share with the real one is burning at the stake. Not guaranteed, though."
Her self-deprecating humor froze Xenovia and drew a wry smile from Heracles.
"If we're talking like that, I don't have Chiron, Amphitryon, Autolycus, Eurytus, Castor, Linus, Iphitus, Philoctetes, Iolaus, Hylas, Phyleus, Hippolyte, or Deianira."
"What about Jason?"
"We've got Cao Cao. Looking back, his 'ship' wasn't the Argo—it was a mudboat. Now we're on a slave ship."
"True."
"We were born with the right to be heroes."
Heracles clenching his large fist with a tinge of sadness. Was it fear of the foe ahead, regret for the path taken, or longing for a peaceful life he might have had?
"But maybe we didn't need to chase heroism at all."
He had no intention of turning back. But to lessen that regret, even slightly, he had to keep moving forward—one step at a time.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
"B-But can we win? She's a goddess, leading real Knights of the Round Table!"
"It's not about can we win."
"We will win."
That's how humans have always made the impossible possible.
"Report from Flauros. Dulio Gesualdo has agreed to cooperate. This should prevent Heaven's self-destruction."
"Report from Andras. Evil Dragon control completed."
"Confirmation from Buer. Forces secured to counter Norse and Greek pantheons during Heaven's incineration."
"Acknowledgment from Gamigin. The remaining issue is dealing with the Lion King."
"Report from Astaroth. A problem has arisen with Hyoudou Issei, the reincarnated Devil who repelled Gremory. He was attacked by the Lion King's forces, and the soul of Y Ddraig Goch, sealed in his Sacred Gear, was extracted."
"Speculation from Sabnock. They intend to strengthen the Lion King by using the Red Dragon's soul. Arthur Pendragon is the Red Dragon's incarnation. As a Divine Spirit, she can employ forceful methods. Even across worlds, fusion is possible with mutual consent."
"Concern from Orias. Our Red Dragon's abilities are 'Boost' and 'Transfer.' If the Lion King gains these, the Hero Faction may face insurmountable odds."
"Question from Berith. It's unlikely our Y Ddraig Goch would agree to fuse. That dragon rejected Zepar's offer. Dragons have strong pride—fusion with another world's self seems improbable."
"Counterargument from Paimon. Yet, the likelihood of fusion is high. We should plan assuming the Lion King and Red Dragon Emperor merge."
"Question from Phenex. With the Red Dragon Emperor compromised, will Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex's Rating Game be canceled?"
"Supplement from Astaroth. Hyoudou Issei isn't dead, and his Sacred Gear remains functional. No abnormalities beyond the dragon soul's extraction."
"Opinion from Botis. Cancellation is unlikely. The match draws attention from Biblical and external factions. Canceling it would damage the Underworld government's reputation. No combatant has died, and the peerage is intact, so it will proceed."
"Supplement from Gremory. This assumes the Lion King doesn't act further. Her intentions are unclear. If she attacks Underworld government strongholds, even those fools will raise their alert level."
"Opinion from Andrealfus. Rias Gremory's peerage has grown since the game was decided. Victory depends on the game's conditions."
"Proposal and request from Andromalius. We shouldn't waste more time on unrelated matters."
"Proposal from Baal. Command Center, are we truly letting the Hero Faction handle the Lion King? They're underpowered. They have a critical role post-plan. We can't lose them here. Shouldn't we use it, even at some risk?"
"Response from Goetia. That's precisely why they must fight. If they can't defeat a mere goddess, they're unfit for that role. —Let's see this world's potential."
***
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