Even though Saji had awakened and attained power on par with high-class devils, his opponent was a battle-hardened Evil Dragon—one with Maou-level might and countless years of combat experience.
To make matters worse, the Prison Dragon, who resided within Saji, specialized not in raw strength but in technique. While he could comprehend its abilities through the Sacred Gear, utilizing that power effectively in the heat of battle was another story entirely.
Even so, Saji was managing to stand against Grendel for now. But trying to protect the academy and his fallen friend's remains simultaneously? He simply wasn't strong enough.
The human body—frail and unguarded by aura or energy—wasn't something that required a fully-charged breath attack to destroy. Ignoring Saji's desperate defense line, Grendel turned his head toward Ikki Arima and casually exhaled. That light breath of his was enough to unleash a searing inferno.
Issei tried to break free from Euclid to rush to Ikki's aid, but within mere seconds, it was obvious—he couldn't get past Euclid's guard. In the next instant, the flames, potent enough to consume a small house, engulfed his best friend's body.
"Gwahaha! How pathetic! Last time was such a letdown—I didn't get to tear him apart properly before he died! I always meant to finish the job. Don't worry—I held back a bit, so there should still be something left of him. Makes it more exciting for you all, doesn't it?"
Grendel sneered, his laughter turning guttural and repulsive. At the sight, Rizevim's excitement soared.
"Hyahahaha! Yes, yes, exactly, Grendel-kun! Obliterating them completely is boring. Better to leave behind a grotesque corpse—more fun for everyone watching—"
THUD!
Mid-sentence, Grendel's lower jaw was severed from his upper in a clean cut.
"...Huh?"
Rizevim's dumbfounded voice and stunned expression made him look truly ridiculous.
Grendel? He couldn't even make a sound. The structure of his body no longer allowed for it.
A black shadow had passed through the space near Grendel in a blink—so fast it was questionable whether anyone present could even perceive it. That figure softly landed atop Ryuuteimaru.
"Huff... Huff... Oww... Damn, that hurt. But... at least the injuries aren't as bad as before. Still serious, though. Guess I've got more training to do."
"...What the hell!? How are you alive!? Apophis killed you—he killed you!"
Rizevim's scream came from beyond the monitor. He had been watching from afar, already informed of Ikki Arima's death. His shock at Ikki's return was palpable.
But Ikki merely waved him off dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry for crashing your tantrum, but I'm kind of busy right now... Shirone!"
"R-Right! I'm sealing Grendel's soul now!"
Just moments ago, Shirone had been paralyzed by despair. Now, wiping away her tears, she sprang into action.
"I'll heal Ikki-sama, too!"
Ravel, who had been crying for Ikki, joined in immediately, channeling her healing tears.
Surrounded by a ring of white flames from her conjured Kasha, Shirone began the sealing ritual. Within the flame barrier, a magic circle unfurled.
It was likely a fusion of senjutsu and traditional magic—a sealing technique.
"Hm, sealing his soul might just prevent Grendel from reviving. In that case..."
Just as Euclid prepared to launch compressed, dangerous magic projectiles, a woman's voice interrupted him from behind.
"Oh dear, now's not the time to steal Shirone's spotlight, is it?"
"Wha—?!"
Too late. He managed to glance back just in time to take the full brunt of an enormous mixed attack—an overwhelming blast of senjutsu, youjutsu, mana, and magic all at once—at point-blank range. Euclid was sent flying.
"Kuroka-san! You're okay! And Ikki too!!"
They'd all heard Ikki was dead, and even if Apophis hadn't mentioned her directly, it was easy to imagine Kuroka had perished as well.
Though she bore a few deep wounds, none were life-threatening. Even if his brain was still catching up, the warmth of relief spread through his chest.
Kuroka, meanwhile, scratched her head as if trying to remember something.
"Hm... Feels like I forgot something... Oh right, I need a catalyst!"
With a grin, she grabbed Issei's hand.
"Huh? A catalyst?"
Even if he had no impure thoughts about his best friend's girlfriend, Issei couldn't help but freeze as the black-haired, cat-eared beauty unexpectedly took his hand. In that moment of distraction, she spun him around effortlessly and hurled him through the air.
"Special delivery for you, Shirone~! One dragon, incoming"
"Perfect timing, Kuroka-nee-sama."
Still forming seals with one hand over Grendel's body, Shirone reached out with her other. Channeling the strength of the "Chariot" card and the aura control she had learned from Ikki, she focused her energy into her arm—not quite down to her fingertips, but enough to grasp the green jewel on Issei's gauntlet.
With a single crushing motion, she shattered the Boosted Gear, extracting the jewel.
No time for explanations—there were still enemies about. It was faster to act than to talk.
Maybe her growing combat instincts were someone's bad influence.
She tossed the jewel into the center of the magic circle and began chanting.
"Evil Dragon Grendel! Let your soul slumber at the threshold between eternal darkness and radiant dawn!"
Using the Boosted Gear—an artifact known for sealing powerful dragon souls—as the core, the ritual succeeded. Grendel's soul was sealed within the jewel.
All that remained was a pile of scorched earth shaped like his body and the green gem, now dyed in his attribute color—deep forest green.
Ikki descended from Ryuuteimaru and picked up the jewel, walking over to Shirone and Issei.
"Senpai!"
Shirone leapt into Ikki's arms. He awkwardly, gently wiped the tears still clinging to her cheeks.
"Sorry, Shirone. You too, Ravel. Against Apophis, playing dead seemed like the best way to survive."
"It's fine. As long as you and Kuroka-nee-sama are okay... though I'll be collecting later. When we first heard you died, I was completely devastated. If not for Izuna's telepathy telling us you were alive, I might have thought the world had ended."
Her words made Ikki wince. "Ugh... the guilt."
[Oh come on! Playing dead!? You're seriously telling me that fooled Apophis!? Don't give me that crap!]
Rizevim erupted again. There was no way such a cheap trick could've deceived Apophis—who had personally carried Ikki to this very battlefield. Not even the original Sun Wukong could've pulled that off.
Ikki responded—borrowing the words of a certain reaper-themed manga villain.
"Then let me ask you this, Prince Rizevim... When exactly did you start believing that Apophis wasn't part of this whole farce from the beginning?"
Though thrilled internally, Ikki knew better than to continue the villain act too long. It would definitely come back to haunt him in embarrassment later.
"Relax. Apophis never broke his contract with you. Think carefully—what exactly did you ask him to do?"
Even their allies were curious now, so Ikki decided to explain what happened after he separated from the group...