After dwelling on it for some minutes, she looked at her comrade in arms with a faint smile.
"Sorry, Xenovia… I'm not as strong as you or Shirou-kun… I can't refuse such an offer from the angels I always admired… But I promise I'll be an ally of humanity no matter what."
Her eyes slowly turned to look at Shirou. Her heart started to beat faster than even some minutes ago as the fear of seeing a disappointed expression on his face.
However, his expression didn't change. No, she could see a small smile on his face. "If that is the path you've chosen, then I have no right to judge you. I can only pray you don't regret it."
"Very well. Irina Shidou, I promise you that I'll reincarnate you the moment we manage to complete our reincarnation system."
"Well, seeing a happy ending once in a while is nice, but you're rushing things, Michael." Azazel interrupted them with a teasing smile. "We still have to ask the opinion of the two legendary dragons before we sign the treaty. Do you have any objections about this, Vali?"
The White Dragon Emperor snorted. "As long as I can fight strong opponents, I don't mind it."
Quite a predictable answer. The way he looked at Shirou was really unnerving, but they ignored it and looked at Issei instead.
"What about you, Issei? Do you have any qualms about this peace treaty?" Sirzechs was the one who asked, and the boy couldn't help but scratch the back of his neck.
"Honestly, all the things you talked about during the negotiation went over my head. But if that treaty helps to prevent an event like the one a week ago from occurring, then it's fine in my book. I mean, I would never use this power for something other than protecting the people I care."
Those words put a smile on the face of the rest of the OCR's members, and even some of the members of the student council.
"That is some wishful thinking, but I guess it's to be expected from someone as young as you." Sirzechs eyes drifted one last time to the red knight as he said that.
"I think this concludes this meeting with a really positive-"
Whatever Azazel was going to say was interrupted when a huge abnormality invaded the place.
Shirou blinked as all the alarms in his mind went off and immediately dropped his relaxed posture. Not only his "sixth sense" was going crazy, but he was feeling the strain of a certain blade summoned from his reality marble to counter the abnormality in the atmosphere trying to invade his body.
"A bounded field like the Blood Fort Andromeda… no… it isn't trying to suck my energy… this is…"
He looked up and immediately noticed what was wrong. Some of the people in the room were completely frozen in the spot… no, all the world around was frozen, with some minor exceptions.
"The flow of time has stopped!?" As he said that, he realized how ridiculous it sounded, but it was the only possible conclusion.
"That is correct." Azazel confirmed his thoughts. "I'm surprised you too managed to avoid being affected. We, the leaders, repelled it with our sheer power. The same applies to the two dragon emperors."
His eyes then drifted to the other three swordsmen in the room. "Kiba has his balance breaker, which is already an abnormality on its own, Xenovia pulled out Durandal in time, and… wait is that an Excalibur shard? Weren't they destroyed?"
"Well, Shirou-kun procured me a copy… This shouldn't be a problem, right?" Irina asked the angels a little embarrassed now that Excalibur Mimic took the form of a katana.
"That is the least of our concerns now, Irina. Besides, I know you will not use it for evil."
"Wait, if those are the reasons why we aren't frozen, why is Buchou able to move?"
[That's because my protection reached her due to having been holding your hand.] The dragon in his arm answered Issei's question, causing him to look at his master surprised.
"Well, it gave me the courage to not falter…" What was truly surprising was that he didn't notice it during the entire meeting.
"What is the situation?" Xenovia asked without beating around the bush, returning their attention to the matter at hand.
And to answer that question, Sirzechs slid the window curtains to reveal the view of the school's courtyard.
There, hanging in the sky, were several figures wearing typical wizard robes, and firing a multitude of magical attacks at the building they were in. The building was taking the attacks pretty well, but there was no one stopping them from keeping their onslaught. Any of the guards from the three factions were nowhere to be seen. The lack of corpses however indicated they were teleported away instead of being killed while they were defenseless.
"Those are magicians without a doubt. Such a coordinated attack can only be the work of a terrorist organization. And if they could teleport inside this barrier, then there must be a magic circle in this school that was prepared beforehand."
"Oi, Emiya Shirou, those won't happen to be your colleagues, right?"
Shirou threw a blank stare at the leader of the Grigori. "Do I look like a sectary to you? If I were to interact with them, the nicest things I would be called would be third rate-magician or blasphemous."
"Who in their right mind would call someone who can copy legendary weapons "third-rate"!?"
"That's the only spell I can use, Issei. Something so complicated as a teleportation circle is way above my league."
"That sounds… convincing. Now, about the time stopped, there's only one possibility." Azazel looked straight at Rias, who was already able to deduce the cause, too.
"This must have been caused by Gasper-kun's sacred gear… Not only did they interrupt this meeting, but they turned a member of my peerage into a terrorist weapon… How humiliating…"
"They must have transferred power to him via magic or another sacred gear and forced him into a premature form of his balance breaker. It will be a matter of concern if they keep transferring power to him to the point it affects us as well."
"I knew that kid's sacred gear was busted, but this is ridiculous. This is reaching the level of a marble phantasm or a reality marble…"
When Shirou noticed the questioning looks, he had to hold back a really long sigh. It would seem those terms were completely alien to them.
"Forget what I said. Where is Gasper?"
"In our clubroom. He was with Koneko, but I guess they captured her as well…"
"The old school building, huh? Emiya Shirou, you should have a clear line of fire if you sneak into the student council room."
"You're asking me to just blow the building alongside everyone inside it?" Shirou asked back to Vali with a raised eyebrow, making Rias and Issei have a microinfarct. "I'm not killing a pair of innocent kids. Go stain your hands yourself. As a person working under the same guy who ordered Issei and Asia's death, you shouldn't have trouble."
The borders of Azazel's mouth twitched. "I didn't order them to do that, but I'll admit I'm the one to blame for not keeping an eye on them, and I'm willing to amend it by helping them with their sacred gears. And Vali, don't go suggesting such things now that we are about to sign a peace treaty."
"Hmph. Even if you don't want to choose the easy way, we should get into action already. Time is not on our side. Unless you want to run, that is. That Michael sword should be able to take us out of here, right?" Vali spoke with an impatient tone.
"Running would mean leaving behind two members of my sister's peerage. I would like to save them, but I won't blame you if you want to avoid conflict."
"No, we fight here. Running away will only move the fight to a populated area." Shirou spoke resolutely, bringing a smile to everyone else in the room. "Someone should go to rescue Gasper and turn off his sacred gear. The rest keeps the enemy busy."
"A simple plan, but we don't have much choice. We have to decide a rescue party then-"
"I'll go, Onii-sama." Rias interrupted him before he could go on. "As members of my peerage, they are my responsibility. Besides, my remaining rook is in the old school building."
His sister's quick thinking brought a prideful smile to his face. "You want to use the castling, huh? That most likely will catch them off guard. Grayfia, would it be possible to transfer her with some backup?"
"That would require an actual ritual, but yes, it is possible to transfer another person alongside Rias-ojou-sama."
"I'll go with her then!" Issei took a step ahead, his gauntlet already manifested.
"In that case, take this with you."
The Red Dragon Emperor almost stumbled to catch a pair of objects thrown at him by Azazel. Upon closer inspection, he noticed they were a pair of bracelets with a purple gem and inscribed runes.
"What's this?"
"That's the fruit of my research on sacred gears. It will help the half-vampire to control his balance breaker, and you can have the other. It will serve as the sacrifice to activate your balance breaker. It will drain your stamina as always, but you won't have to turn another part of your body into a dragon. Oh, and remember that your blood will help him, too."
"Err… Thanks, I guess?" He didn't look at a gifted horse in the teeth and stepped beside his master.
His mind was now focused on saving his two kohais. With all the leaders here, plus his rival and his Sensei, he was sure the frozen people were going to be safe.
"Now then, why don't you go there and wreak havoc, Vali? If the white dragon comes out to fight right off the bat, we might be able to lure in the mastermind."
The silver-haired teenager just shrugged. "I guess that'll help to alleviate my boredom to some degree. Balance Breaker!"
[Vanishing Dragon's Balance Breaker!]
And just like that, he tapped into the power of the white dragon and summoned the same pristine armor he used a week ago.
His sole presence already gave a pause to the countless magicians outside the building, and they were quickly thrown into disarray when that monster flew out of the building like a fighting jet and started firing beams of raw magical power everywhere. The school's courtyard was quickly covered in tattered robes and blood.
"Rias-ojou-sama, Issei-sama, the spell is ready."
At the same time, Rias and Issei stepped into the circle drawn by the strongest queen with determined expressions.
"Take care of my sister, Issei-kun."
"Of course, Lucifer-sama!"
"We will bring Gasper-kun and Koneko-chan in no time!"
With that, the two devils disappeared from sight, replaced by a small rook figure which Sirzechs caught.
"What do we do now?" Serafall asked her old friend, her eyes constantly shooting concerned looks at her frozen sister.
"We should wait to have our complete numbers before we counterattack."
"I don't think we'll have such luxury!" Shirou's dead serious voice put everyone on alert. "Someone is gathering a huge amount of magic ener- power outside the building!"
That was more than enough explanation for everyone present.
"Sister!"
"Yes, brother!"
Both angels clapped their hands and closed their eyes as if they were praying, and a warm, golden light emerged from their bodies to form a barrier around all the people in the room. The other three leaders and Grayfia immediately reinforced the barrier with their energy, barely making it in time.
A huge explosion took everyone's sense of hearing. Everything outside the barrier was completely demolished, and they fell to the ground alongside a good chunk of the school building.
Fortunately, no one was harmed. The barrier didn't only protect them from the falling debris, but also helped them break their fall.
"Hahahahaha! What a pitiful sight! Devils working alongside their fated enemies, what a sick joke!" A voice filled with disdain came from the sky as the group pulled themselves together.
Once the dust settled, they were able to see a woman hanging in the sky with the help of her bat-like wings. Of tan skin, brown hair tied in a bun, and purple eyes behind a pair of glasses, her voluptuous figure was opulently dressed, and she carried a staff as her weapon.
And for some reason, the face of Sirzechs, Grayfia, and Serafall morphed into a mixture of surprise and seriousness the moment they saw her face. An old acquaintance presumably, and not a pleasant one.
"Katerea Leviathan, the descendant of the original maou Leviathan. What are you doing here?" Sirzechs confronted her directly and revealed her identity at the same time.
"Isn't that obvious, Sirzechs? Just as you decided you wanted peace, we, the legitimate descendants of the original maous, reached the opposite conclusion. We joined the Uroboros and his Khaos Brigade to destroy this world and rebuild it into a new world under our rule. And your deaths will be the cornerstone for our plan."
While the mention of that name actually instilled panic into them, Shirou could see Azazel caressing his chin while whispering something to himself. Something he caught with his reinforced ears.
"So that's the name of that organization Shemzahaza found out… Nothing good can come out of bringing together exceptional beings into a single organization, but if that dragon is the one controlling them…"
"Katerea, stop this! Causing chaos left and right isn't going to accomplish anything!"
"SHUT UP!" The moment Serafall spoke, the woman's superb expression became twisted in madness. "You who stole the title of Leviathan from me! You don't have the right to reproach me! I'll kill you right now and reclaim my rightful title, even if it is meaningless in the new world!"
"So the remnants of that civil war crawled back from hell, literally, and now they say they want to destroy the world as vengeance… I've destroyed countless evil plots, but yours is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard. From what B-movie did you come out?"
Katerea's face was filled with disbelief after her mind registered, and Azazel's laughter just made it worse.
"How dare you, a lowly human, mook our crusade…" Now she was truly angered. "I was going to offer an invitation to join us, Emiya Shirou, but I changed my mind. You are dying here alongside Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel!"
As if to answer to her wrath, all the magicians floating around them opened fire in an attempt to break the barrier protecting them.
"Hmph, as if I would join a bunch of weirdos saying they want to destroy the world. Anyone's got a plan?"
"Well, if you don't mind me, I'll take her." Azazel took a step ahead while cracking his neck. "Even if you don't see me with good eyes, we are on the same page, Emiya Shirou. It's just that I'm not as radical as Kokabiel. So allow me to honor her cliché speech of a villain about to die."
"Just remember friendly fire is still a thing."
Showing them a last carefree smile, the leader of the Grigori stepped into the battlefield and immediately used his twelve crow-like wings to rush at Katerea with a spear of light at hand.
The massive explosions were not long in coming, shaking the entire place. If it wasn't for the barrier surrounding the entire place, covering this incident would be impossible.
However, the magicians didn't pay attention to the two monsters fighting in the sky and kept on with their onslaught. At the moment, their combined strength didn't even scratch the barrier, but more and more of them were coming from that magic circle in the sky.
"Michael, Gabriel, Grayfia, and I will stay here powering the barrier to protect the frozen people." Sirzechs immediately took charge. "Shirou-kun, if you managed to break that magical contract, does that mean you can do something about that circle?"
"I can try the same method, but that would mean getting there."
"Serafall, Yuuto-kun, help him carve a path there."
"We'll help, too!"
As Xenovia and Irina joined the two devils alongside Shirou, the impromptu assault squad was complete. Now they needed the other crucial part. A plan.
Shirou looked at Serafall. Despite her looks, she was the adult there. All those years of experience as one of the leaders ruling the underworld after a bloody civil war shouldn't be for show.
The only input he got from her part was an expectant look. All hopes were on him, who barely had any experience when it came to fighting as a team. But a simple plan would suffice in this situation since Azazel was dealing with the major threat.
They had an angle covered by the school building, so he could manage something. He raised his hand as the blueprints of numerous swords were loaded from his inner world.
"I'll create a small distraction so you guys can go out and wreak havoc among their ranks. I'll make a beeline for that magical circle after that. Turn off the barrier at my signal."
"Are you sure about that?" Michael questioned his plan with a worried face while eyeing the frozen people. But the only answer he got was…
"Trace, on!"
All his magic circuits flared to life and released a huge amount of magical energy, which quickly condensed at certain points in the space above him. A moment later, several swords were filling that space.
They weren't the best blades of his stock by far, low-rank nameless noble phantasms. But that was more than enough to counter several of the short incantation spells those magicians were spamming.
Taking that as a signal, the three swordsmen took their stances, the two former exorcists exchanging looks with the same idea in their minds.
"Now!"
After receiving the signal from Shirou and a nod from his sister, Michael agreed to turn the barrier off. And at that moment, before any spell could assail them, all the swords were fired in unison with pinpoint accuracy.
Steel cut through the magic, countering the current barrage of spells and making its way into the flesh or some magicians who couldn't react in time due to overconfidence or lack of reflex.
The confusion didn't last long as the magicians didn't care in the last about their slain fellow and resumed their onslaught with an uncharacteristic lack of fear. Either they were fanatics who didn't mind giving their life for their wretched cause, or they had too much faith in a leader that had her hands tied.
It didn't matter in the end. Those seconds they wasted regrouping spelled their doom.
"I'll take the right side!" Kiba vanished after leaving those words behind.
Just as Shirou assumed, their impractical garments gave away their aversion to close combat. As such, they were completely merciless against the Gremory knight. His speed made it impossible for them to land a single spell, and his holy-demonic sword was able to cut through their protection spells like a hot knife cutting through butter.
More like an assassin than a swordsman, Kiba ran through the courtyard slashing the magicians one at a time with quick attacks.
On the other hand…
"ORRRAAAAAA!"
Xenovia threw with all her might her Durandal wrapped in holy light at the group of magicians at their left. The pristine blade spun like a circular saw, destroying everything in its way.
Throwing a legendary sword at them just like that was a really good way to leave the enemy completely confused and disoriented. But at the same time, it was a one-time attack, leaving her with just her set of black keys… or should have been had it not been for the string made of steel that was fired after it.
Excalibur Mimic wrapped itself around Durandal's handle, and Irina used her entire body as a pivot to spin it around in a wide swing that annihilated even more magicians.
"Xenovia!"
"On it!"
Irina dropped the legendary sword in the middle of the air as her partner was already running in that direction with a pair of black keys at hand to deflect any incoming spells. But it was hardly unnecessary as she got her back covered.
The Excalibur shard retracted and reached inside Irina's garments. The next thing the magicians knew, a bunch of black keys were flying at them.
And amidst that chaos, Xenovia recovered her sword to unleash another massive wave of light.
Their flawless teamwork allowed the pair of humans to hold their ground against the seemingly unending waves of magicians. If Kiba was ruthless and precise, then Xenovia would qualify more as an unstoppable berserker letting the power of her sword run wild with the confidence that Irina had her back covered with her more sophisticated and planned attacks.
But they couldn't stay like that forever. Their stamina wouldn't last forever, and a single mistake would be fatal.
"Shirou-kun, I'll create a path for you!" Serafall's voice stopped Shirou before he jumped into the fray.
She walked in front of him and stretched out her right arm. He was able to feel an absurd amount of energy concentrated in the tip of her thumb, index, and ring fingers, which she released in the form of a small shining drop.
The moment that drop made contact with the ground, a massive wave of ice burst forward. All the magicians in front of her died, either trapped in the ice or skewered by the icicles protruding from it. But more importantly, the ice was forming a ramp that led directly to the magic circle in the middle of the air.
Shirou didn't allow himself to be surprised. Kanshou and Bakuya were already in his hands, and he pumped magical energy into his legs to shoot forward.
The intentions of the red blur rushing at them were obvious. Even if the magicians who survived Serafall's attack, or just came out of the circle, didn't know about Ruler Breaker, they completely forgot about the people inside the barrier and fired everything they got at him.
Only to widen their eyes in disbelief.
"What the…"
"I-impossible!"
"Why aren't we even scratching him!?"
The red knight batted aside all the spells fired at him without slowing a bit. Be it fireballs, icicles, or straight-up beams, they were all cut down by the married blades. None of them had enough power to pierce through his magic resistance enhanced by his cloak and twin blades.
Their only option was a large-scale ritual, but that option was denied by the devil flying behind him who was bombarding them with ice spears with just a snap of her fingers.
"Why are you doing this!? Aren't you a fellow magician!? Why are you siding with them!?" One of the magicians who was the last line of defense reproached him, lost in the hysteria of seeing death coming.
"Right back at you! You are the ones siding with terrorists and some dragon nonsense!"
"You-" The magician could answer back as the twin blades came at him from different angles.
Kanshou and Bakuya drew a pair of beautiful arcs, cutting through some of the magicians and intersecting right on that particular magician's neck.
Taking advantage of the hole in their defense, the red night slipped past them, the iridescent, jagged dagger already in his hand. With a sound like glass breaking apart, the massive magical circle returned to nothingness.
Figuratively speaking, that was the first nail in the coffin. Now that their last source of confidence, their capability to continuously replenish and increase their numbers, was gone, the remaining magicians started to panic.
They couldn't lower their guard though. A cornered prey is always more dangerous, and they were still outnumbered.
But the magicians had something else coming.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting! Ascalon!"
[Blade!]
Issei arrived just in time to skewer a magician who tried to sneak on Irina with the blade emerging from his gauntlet.
His entrance however was ruined when blood splashed on his face and the urge to throw up his dinner assailed him. This wasn't the first time he saw something like this, courtesy of his sensei, but this was the first life he took a life with his own hands. And from a human, nonetheless.
At the end of the day, he wasn't someone trained to kill like Xenovia or Irina, nor did he have battle experience like Koneko or Kiba.
"Get a hold of yourself, pervert-senpai." Fortunately, Koneko was just behind him to cover his distraction, and her monotone voice brought him back to reality.
[You better start getting used to this, partner. As a dragon, you are going to see your fair share of bloodshed.]
"You don't say… Sensei makes it look so easy…"
[I wouldn't use that man as a reference in that regard. I would daresay those golden eyes have seen more conflict than those angels and the maous.]
Issei widened his eyes upon hearing the words of the dragon. Coming from him, Issei could say that was probably true.
"I'll be joining this party if you don't mind!"
Kiba also joined the fray, and balls made out of power of destruction rained on the magicians, tearing down their defenses like nothing.
"Don't worry, Gasper-kun! This will be over in no time!" Rias reassured the little… boy dressed in a girl's outfit beside her.
As a half-vampire, his skin was already pale, but he surely had seen better days. Whatever the magicians had been doing to him, it drained him both mentally and physically.
However, as his red eyes watched how his comrades and new allies, his expression grew resolute, and his little hand reached the metallic band attached to his arm.
"No, Buchou, I'll fight too! As a man of the Gremory house, I too have to protect the girls!" His voice surprised her, a motto he picked from his senpai.
"Wait, Gasper-"
She was late as he had already activated Azazel's device. The band emitted a blinding light before breaking apart, and the half-vampire fell flat on the ground without any energies left.
But his efforts weren't in vain.
"Gasper-kun!" Asia ran to his side with a worried face, leaving for later the fact that, from her perspective, the world around her suddenly turned into a battlefield.
"It seems he managed to revert the effects of his sacred gear. I guess it's a bit late, but we should start the counterattack."
The two angels and Grayfia nodded at Sirzech's words and commanded the barrier protecting the now unfrozen people to fade.
"Sirzechs-sama, what is going on here?" Akeno asked the question on everyone's mind, her brain still struggling to process what just happened.
"That is a long story. For now, as you can see, we are under attack by a terrorist group. So we could use a hand dispatching the remnants."
"Of course! Leave something to me, Buchou!" Akeno rushed to her master's side with a disturbing smile.
"Everyone, this is an opportunity to put in practice all the formations we've been training! Standard formation, go!"
""Yes, Kaichou!""
Sona's peerage immediately engaged in combat with a formation befitting of a military regime, but she remained behind as she couldn't find a person among them.
"Sirzechs-sama, may I ask where is my sister?"
"About that…" The ruler of the underworld allowed himself to giggle at the sight.
"She seems to be having the time of her life." Gabriel beat him to it. There was a kind smile on her face seeing how the other female leader was no longer making stern faces. That she was the reason for that was unbeknownst to her though.
"You have to be kidding…" Sona stared in shock at the duo tearing through the magicians with a surprising level of coordination. "How can he get along with her!? They are polar opposites!"
"That is indeed a good question. I haven't seen her so enthusiastic about something that isn't you in a long time."
"Let's show them the power of our magical girl-hero combination, Shirou-kun!"
Shirou would have given her a blank stare had he not been busy warding off the enemies' attacks. She insisted on fighting side by side when she could just destroy them in an instant if she wanted.
His eyes then drifted to the battle in the sky, and by the looks of it, its outcome was already decided, too. However, there was still a troublesome factor that everyone seemed to have forgotten. Everyone except that boy's caretaker.
"I guess it is time to wrap things up…"
"Heh, it seems you are running out of gas, Katerea Leviathan!" Azazel remarked with a teasing tone.
There wasn't a single wound to see on his body, some minor burns on his expensive suit at best, and he didn't seem to be fatigued at all.
On the other hand, Katerea was having a hard time. Devils always had a bad matchup with fallen angels, even if their light no longer held holy attributes, and that was reflected on all the burns she had across her body.
The battle was already decided. However, Azazel was still wary of his surroundings, as if he were expecting a surprise attack.
"Your underlings are about to lose, too. Won't you make things easier for me and just give up on this excuse of a terrorist attack? You should have known better than picking a fight you can't win."
The woman gritted her teeth, barely holding back the anger compelling her to attack the man in front of her.
"If you think my source of confidence came from those lowly humans we hired, then you are sorely mistaken."
Azazel could only raise an eyebrow when the woman introduced her free hand between her "assets" and took out a small bottle. When his eyes recognized what was inside that bottle, however, his easy-going expression faded.
"A snake? Don't tell me-"
"Yes, this is a gift from our leader! Now tremble in fear, Azazel!" Katerea smiled, confident in her victory as the snake crawled into her mouth.
The effect was immediate. Her body was flooded with an absurd amount of power, to the point it was starting to mutate into something gross. Her presence was so oppressive that everyone else stopped what they were doing to look at the two combatants.
"Try to not die, Azazel-"
She stopped in her tracks after realizing Azazel just smiled at her transformation, without any trace of fear or distress.
"That's more like it. Now you are the perfect opponent to test this little baby of mine."
The leader of the fallen angels then pulled out what looked like a small, golden spear with a huge purple gem at the tip of its handle. But what really gave Katerea a pause was the draconic presence she could feel from it.
"Meet the first artificial I was able to create! The Down Fall Dragon Spear! And of course, its balance breaker!"
The spear-like dagger emitted a blinding light, and at the next moment, it became a golden armor covering Azazel's body. Its design was obviously inspired by Vali's balance breaker, but instead of dragon wings, Azazel was still using his crow-like wings to fly.
"I-impossible." Now Katerea was the one starting to panic. "How did your research go that far!?"
"You could say I have a really good sample to study. Now, try to not die too quickly, okay?"
Throwing back at Katerea her own words, Azazel rushed at her with a halberd made out of light.
It could be hardly called a fight. While the descendant of the original Leviathan obtained a power she was barely able to control and was slowly destroying her body from the inside, Azazel increased all his parameters without sacrificing anything.
In less than a minute, the devil was again in a sorry state, full of wounds and burns. Her trump card had proven to be meaningless, as the fallen angel could feel she was still no match for them.
However, the way she started to smile as his spear tore holes in her body was concerning. He chalked it up to her finally losing her mind, but then he finally realized it.
The power her body was barely able to contain was now starting to escape through her wounds.
"You finally noticed it, Azazel!? I didn't want to resort to this, but I guess I will take every one of you with me to hell!"
"You really lost what little rationality you had, woman!" Azazel gritted his teeth.
If he didn't play with her, this wouldn't be happening. Now, his enemy turned into a ticking bomb on her own accord, and attacking her relentlessly would only speed up her detonation.
Granted, he wanted to capture here so they could obtain more information about that so-called "Khaos Brigade", and there was an obvious counter to that strategy.
But said counter wasn't showing up-
"Guh!"
Azazel gasped as a fist sunk into his back, causing him to crash into the courtyard, near his fellow governors. The golden armor faded away, leaving only the purple gem behind.
"That hurt… I guess it still needs a lot of improvements if I want it to be close to the original…"
Azazel grumbled as he raised from the crater he caused with his landing and waved a hand to tell the others he was fine.
"You bastard! What are you doing attacking your ally!" Issei reprimanded his natural enemy with a really annoyed face. If it wasn't for Koneko holding him in place, he wouldn't be able to repress the primal instincts compelling him to destroy that man's existence.
"What can I say? This side is more interesting, and I couldn't refuse the proposal they made when I met them after retrieving Freed Sellzen. The opportunity to fight Norse Gods is really appealing."
"You joined a terrorist group just because of that!?"
"What took you so long, Vali? You were supposed to join me after we infiltrated the place!"
Vali ignored Issei's outburst and looked at Katerea. His helmet made it impossible to see his expression, but everyone was sure he was showing her a mocking smile.
"Who said I did that to protect you? I just couldn't control my impulse to attack a fake dragon. Besides, I wouldn't be that confided about your strategy."
His armored hand pointed behind her, and what she saw upon turning around made her vision turn red.
There was the woman who usurped her rightful title of the Leviathan, flying straight at her while holding the human who mocked her ideals. The only thing that crossed her mind at that instant was killing them.
"Shirou-kun, I hope you have a plan!" Serafall shouted as she saw Katerea starting to gather her power in the tip of her staff.
The red knight didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the enemy. Forcing magical energy into his eyes, he activated the skill born from his fusion with Muramasa. The lack of the swordsmith's ambition greatly diminished its effectiveness, but his current enemy had such a stagnated karma that it was hard to not see it.
"Trace, on!" He traced the katana that was most appropriate for the job in his hand, and its wicked aura made Serafall flinch for a moment.
"Throw me at her!"
"What!?"
"Just throw me! I'll cut her!"
That was the definition of not having a plan at all and just facing the problem head-on. However, the determined expression she saw on his face, which was actually really close to hers, was enough for her.
"DIEEEEEEEEEE!"
Katerea fired a massive beam of raw magical power at them just as Serafall dropped Shirou at her like a bomb.
The devilish blade of his katana sliced the beam without any difficulty, causing the voluptuous woman to gasp in astonishment.
"You little!" She switched targets, prioritizing now the pest that was coming at her with that flimsy katana. Her fingers stretched as if they were living creatures, and shot forward to restrict him.
But it was useless. The wicked katana severed them with abnormal easiness. Her fate was sealed the moment Shirou was able to see through it, and she wasn't able to discern the nature of that blade.
Had she been aware of it, she would have never allowed such a super demonic blade to touch her.
The confidence in her face born from thinking the only thing he would accomplish with that attack would be just killing himself alongside everyone in the vicinity, faded the moment Myoujingiri Muramasa cleanly cut her body in half.
She didn't feel an ounce of pain, but she immediately knew she was doomed as her body started to crumble like a house of cards blown by the wind and the energy dispersed harmlessly.
"Curse you… Emiya Shirou…" Those were the only words she was able to utter before becoming dust carried by the wind.
The last thing she saw was that human landing and letting his katana fade away. He never looked at her vanishing for, as the chances of her surviving were literally zero.
"He cut the snake inside her…" Gabriel started with a faint voice, her mouth trembling as she couldn't believe what she just saw. "… alongside her fate…"
"Well, it seems he wasn't just bragging about forging swords that can cut through karma and that bullshit… But leaving that aside…" Azazel pushed aside his scientific curiosity and looked at the treacherous dragon in the sky. "I really thought for a moment you would side with her, but I guess it's just like you joining them for the sake of just fighting strong opponents, right, Vali Lucifer?"
That bombshell quickly overshadowed the previous surprise. The implications of that family name were just… mind-blowing, at least for the inhabitants of this world.
"You have to be kidding… he's actually the descendant of the original Lucifer!?"
The leader of the Grigori nodded at the conclusion they arrived. "Born from a descendant of the original Lucifer and a human girl, and as fate would have it, that human part ended up being the host of the Divine Division. A true monster this world has never witnessed if you ask me."
"I like to think the word "miracle" suits me better." Vali responded with a playful tone and looked at Issei. "Isn't fate cruel, my rival? I am, without doubt, the strongest White Dragon Emperor, and in turn, you are the weakest Red Dragon Emperor. I've been waiting for years to meet you, excited to reenact a legendary battle, just to be disappointed. But you still have a really long life ahead to keep training, so maybe you will one day catch up to me, Hyoudou Issei. I can wait patiently…"
Those vicious eyes exuding an immense battle lust turned to look at the red knight, who returned the stare with an unsurprised expression.
"… especially now that I've found a fellow "miracle" to compare strength."
"Hmph. So that's the reason you revealed yourself as the traitor. You think I will fight you if you are officially an enemy."
"Of course. Isn't that what heroes do? Fighting for the sake of justice and trampling evil? But more than that, I want to know. I've made an investigation, and the name Emiya Shirou doesn't appear in any record regarding the supernatural. For all intents and purposes, you should be a regular human who just has a particularly tragic childhood. But here you are, leaving a mark in the world and making possible what was thought impossible."
Vali descended from the sky as he spoke and finally landed in the middle of the courtyard. Now they were on equal ground, a symbolism that wasn't lost to the present.
"That would label you as a fellow genius, but we both know that's far from the truth. In fact, you are my antithesis. You have no gift or talent, and from an objective point of view, you will never be more than a third-rate magician. But you took that strange magic of yours and developed it to its utmost limits. You trained to master numerous disciplines so you could use that magic to its utmost potential, and honed those skills through countless battles, to the point you became strong without a doubt. All of that... in less than two decades of life."
The White Dragon Emperor clenched his fist as his barely suppressed hostility started to expand.
"I'm not a researcher as the old man, so as a fellow warrior, let's exchange blows to get to know each other!"
Shirou let out a sight. It was like he was staring at the lost son of the Hound of Ulster. And trying to talk things out with such people with muscles for brain was as, if not more, impossible than with a magus.
"And why would I accept your challenge when we can just gang up on you? If you are trying to appeal to my pride, then I'm sorry to inform you I threw that thing into the trash can a long time ago."
"Heh, I figured it out that would be your answer. So, I guess I'll have to spice things a little bit. You no longer have anyone you can consider dear to you, and you surely have been actively avoiding such relationships. However, that seems to have changed after you took those human girls under your wing. I might not be able to content against the heavy hitters, but aside from them, I can easily kill all the other people."
The only reaction Vali got from the red knight was a slight twitch of his eyebrows, so continued to taunt him.
"And do you think this barrier can contain me? It would be really easy to go out there and wreak havoc. Isn't that enough reason to reenact one of the most repeated matches in history, the hero vs the evil dragon? Or is it that your conviction in that childish dream of yours, to save everyone, isn't that strong?"
There was a pregnant pause with no one daring to say anything, some worried looks focused on Shirou's back.
And then, the red knight wordlessly started to walk, circling Vali so that there wasn't anyone behind him that could get caught in the crossfire. With each step he took, his hostility grew to match the dragon's, and when they were able to see his face, they met the expression that was familiar to just a few of them, but it was shocking all the same.
An expression devoid of emotions, and those cold eyes staring right at the opponent and analyzing the optimal way of destroying them.
"Sensei…" While everyone was paying attention to the red knight, Issei clenched his right fist.
Due to his weakness, Shirou would have to be the one fighting that bastard on his instead. He could use that band to use his balance breaker, but he knew very well that he was more likely to get on Shirou's way instead of helping him.
So instead, he decided to do the thing only he could do.
[Boost!]
"Are you really doing it, Emiya Shirou?" Azazel asked for confirmation, even if he already knew the answer.
"I'm gonna do what you should have done a long time ago." The Yin Yang swords were projected into his hand one more time and he lowered his center of gravity. "I'm gonna beat that cockiness out of him."
"Now that's what I wanted to see. Show me the true monster that humanity can be!"
As a reminiscence of the battle between the fallen angel and the hero, both combatants stood there, none of them wanting to take the initiative. But unlike that time, this seemed more like a classical Wild West duel, where the two gunslingers would make a quick draw at any time.
Shirou filled his lungs with air in anticipation and took the first step. The moment his steel-tipped boot rattled against the floor, there was a sudden change in the environment.
But before anyone could get a grasp on that change, Shirou was already running full speed at Vali, and this one answered creating several magic circles above him and firing a barrage of massive beams from them.
That attack would put to shame the combined power of more than fifty of those magicians hired by Katerea. But the only difference against his opponent was that he was forced to zig-zag between them instead of just rushing through them.
From his standpoint, Vali observed with fascination how the red knight drew the optimal path to surpass his attacks without expending too much energy. His twin swords deflected the beams he couldn't dodge, and he ignored the ones that got really close to avoid being led into a trap.
Such precise movements could only be born from experience. Experience fighting a kind of opponent that was war itself, sending constant barrages of deadly attacks at the opponent. But what really caught his eyes was the way his attacks' trajectory was diverted the moment they graced him. There was something more at play there.
"Hnnn!"
Kanshou came for his throat the moment Shirou finally closed the distance between them. He could easily block the attack with his armor, but the fight against Kokabiel was an example of why he shouldn't underestimate the red knight. So instead, the White Dragon jumped backward to create more distance between the two.
The red knight immediately reacted by throwing the twin swords at him, but it did little as Vali just batted them aside with the claws of his armor. However, that second of distraction was enough for Shirou to close the distance with a mana burst.
The clashing sound of steel resounded throughout the battlefield as Vali blocked the second pair of Yin Yang swords in the red knight's hands with his forearm. To his surprise, the blades managed to carve a few inches into the scale mail, but he paid it no mind and immediately attacked back with his other fist.
The punch passed inches away from Shirou's face, and he shoved Kanshou over his arm, aiming at the opening between his breastplate and helmet. The dragon side-stepped and readied his fist, aiming to Shirou's side.
However, that attack stopped when he felt an impact on his right side. A surprise attack in the form of the Bakuya previously thrown which came back attracted by the Kanshou in Shirou's hand. His armor stopped the sword before it sunk into his flesh, but it still drew the first blood.
The red knight took advantage of that momentary and attacked with the Bakuya in his hand, and now Vali was aware of the other Kanshou coming at him from the opposite direction. Playing it safe, Vali used his right hand to block the attack with easiness and fired a blast of magical power at the other sword with his other hand.
But he then realized Shirou already predicted that outcome. Bakuya self-destructed upon impact, cracking his gauntlet and throwing off his balance.
Vali gritted his teeth when he saw Shirou project the third pair of twin swords and poured magical energy into them to deal the finishing blow of his technique and decided to throw his pride out the window and disengage completely. His bluish wings shone with power, and he rose to the sky in an instant with his blinding speed.
"That was a close call. That technique was specifically devised to defeat stronger opponents… if it wasn't because of my armor… Hehe, fascinating." The White Dragon Emperor chuckled with excide and raised his hand. "Now, let's see how you react to this, Emiya Shirou!"
At that moment, tens of magical circles came to life behind him. Something of that scale needed some time to be prepared, either he prepared it beforehand, or he prepared it while he was fighting Shirou. A demonstration of his absurd talent when it came to devil's magic.
All the circles fired massive beams at once, each of them with the power to easily destroy a small building. A situation that was somewhat familiar to the red knight.
And to everyone's surprise, Shirou didn't move an each as the first beam rained upon him. The cacophony of explosions left everyone deaf for a few seconds, and the courtyard was shrouded by a big cloud of dust and smoke.
"No way… Shirou-kun…" Irina squished out a faint voice as she witnessed the destruction in front of her. And at her side, Xenovia was holding her breath without realizing it.
"You don't need to worry girls." The tension was then disrupted by Serafall's voice as she rested her hands on their shoulders to ease them. "If you didn't notice, the first beam dispersed before even touching him."
"What could that be though? It's not a power coming from those swords, right?" Azazel hummed as he replayed the confrontation in his mind.
"That seems similar to the magic resistance trait of the Balam clan… but it seems to work differently. It nullified the attack before it even impacted instead of just making him more resistant to it."
"We have some records of some individuals developing that kind of trait too, but not to such degree…"
A massive wave of power interrupted the speculations between the three leaders and blew away the smoke to reveal Shirou's figure. His red cloak had some burns, but aside from that, he was completely fine.
He was shooter's stance, leaning on his knee as he pulled the string of his black bow. The projectile he was about to fire was a pitch-black long "arrow" with small edges coiling around a thin core. The great amount of magical energy pumped into it was causing it to exhibit a reddish glow, and it was giving off a huge bloodlust.
"Hrunting!"
With its true name uttered, which caused some gasps among the audience, the broken phantasm was fired at an immense speed at the dragon still waiting in the sky.
Vali's eyes widened behind his helmet, and his instincts kicked in. With another burst of speed, he dodged to the side, barely avoiding having his chest pierced by the demonic bullet.
"What the!" However, he couldn't relax as the "arrow" just "bent", correcting its trajectory to seek a straight path between it and its target. It was like a bloodhound chasing after its prey.
For the first time in his life, Vali put to test the speed he was so proud of as a dragon and began to zig-zag to shake off the arrow.
"He just fired a legendary sword as a heat-tracking missile… from a bow… Tsubaki, please tell me this is a dream and I just fell asleep before the real conference…"
"Kaichou, I think we wouldn't see that even in our wildest dreams..." Tsubasa commented with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.
"Aww, don't be like that, So-tan! Isn't this the coolest thing you've seen in your life! I'm definitely using that in my show!"
"Onii-sama… that sword…"
Sirzechs nodded to his sister. "That's one of the swords my pawn inherited from the original Beowulf. A sword that always seeks the optimal swing… but I guess that's what happens when you fire it as an arrow…"
Now, the obvious question was, how in the world did Emiya Shirou put his hands in that sword?
"Move out!"
Some of them had a micro-stroke as the red knight ran through them like an exhalation in the direction of the school building. He reached the outer wall of the building... and then started to run up the wall.
"What!? Since when is running up walls like "Matrix" is a thing!? Can you do it too, Kiba!?"
"We-well, I've never tried it before, Issei-kun."
"Huh?" At that moment, Michael noticed her sister was unnaturally still, her eyes fixed in the form of the red knight. "Is something wrong, sister?"
"Spirit…" She mumbled that word in a tone of voice so low that only he could hear it. She seemed to be in a trance as she kept muttering apparently random things. "A lonely man… a hill of swords… a light carrying humanity's hopes and dreams…"
"Gabriel?"
Calling her out had no effect, but she returned to reality once he shook her. The woman blinked a few times as if she was expecting to see something else when looking at the red knight.
"Is everything okay, sister?"
"Oh, uhm… yes… It's just that… when Shirou-kun got close, his presence felt… different."
Michael decided to save that information for later as the two angels focused again on the battle.
"Kuh!" The White Dragon Emperor gritted his teeth. The demonic bullet was literally on his heels, and it didn't seem it would lose momentum any time soon.
His last option before taking head on the "arrow" was to try to make it crash into something else. And so, he made a beeline for the school building, hoping that a last-minute turn would be enough to shake off the demonic bullet.
However, that was the most obvious course of action to take, and Shirou was already prepared for that.
"OORRRAAAAAAAA!"
Having jumped from the rooftop of the school, the red knight was already in front of Vali, swinging a massive stone axe-sword at him.
The only thing he was able to do was cross his arms in front of his face and brace for the impact. But the unexpected monstrous strength behind the attack blew him away like a rag doll into the courtyard.
And just a moment after his back crashed against the concrete, the Red Hound fell upon him like a falling star.
"Shit-"
A massive explosion shook the entire place, shattering what crystals remained in the school building and the ice ramp Serafall created. Fortunately, the two angels erected a barrier to protect everyone from the shockwave.
The red knight landed beside the crater, never relaxing his posture as he watched how the dust and smoke dispersed.
"Guh… That hurt…"
A figure raised from the crater with some difficulty. The only thing that remained of his pristine white armor were some shards, and his clothes did not fare well either. Not only it was torn in some places, but it was bloodstained.
"If it wasn't for the barrier I created at the last moment… I would have lost consciousness at best... This is the second time you almost killed me in just a few movements… You really are terrifying, Emiya Shirou…"
"You still want to keep going?"
"But of course. I'm having the time of my life here. It would be a pity if things ended here." Having said that, his body shone, and at the next moment, the white draconic armor was back as if it had never been destroyed.
"Wait, how!? I wasn't able to use the Boosted Gear for three days after using the balance breaker!?"
[You are just weak, partner. That is actually how dragons fight. Never yield to your opponent as long as you draw breath.]
"Besides, Vali can keep his balance breaker for an entire month. Even with those injuries, I would say he will be able to fight with it for some hours."
Ddraig and Azazel's words felt like a pair of knives staving his chest, and Asia had to comfort him.
"Now then, fighting you as a spellcaster was a mistake." Vali admitted without shame as he leaned his body forward and put power into his armor's wings. "I thought you excelled at fighting stronger opponents, but now I know your true specialty is killing magicians. So, I'll return the favor… by fighting like a dragon!"
Shirou's golden eyes widened as he was barely able to put his head away from the trajectory of Vali's fist. Another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya were projected into his hands as he turned to look behind him, and once again, he barely avoided the white blur by sidestepping.
Now, the white dragon was using his immense speed to attack relentlessly from all possible angles with devastating blows. Shirou's eyes weren't able to track him, and he had to rely only on his Mind's Eye and the huge killing intent the dragon was giving off. No counterattack was allowed to him, and the only thing he was able to do was to ensure his survival.
Vali knew he was going to be bested in a head-on fight, as he wasn't as nearly as skilled as Kokabiel. So instead, he was going to just overwhelm him with his speed and strength.
"How can he be that fast?" Xenovia asked, her face growing pale by the second.
[Dragons can nullify concepts like inertia and friction at will. That's why he can increase and decrease his speed so quickly. It's impressive how he mastered it when he's just the vessel of the power of a dragon.]
"That bastard is really a genius in every sense, huh?"
"As things stand, it's only a matter of time Shirou-sama makes a mistake…"
"No, Grayfia-chan! Shirou-kun won't lose!" Serafall affirmed with utmost confidence, her eyes never leaving the form of the red knight. "He will definitely turn the tables!"
Contrary to her hopeful words, Shirou was starting to see his own defeat. He was losing his balance with each attack he had to deflect, which finally led to a situation in which he was forced to block Vali's fist.
And the moment the gauntlet made contact with the twin swords…
[Divide!]
The fist pierced through them as if they were glassworks, and continued its way right at Shirou's chest.
The red knight could see the smile behind Vali's helmet. He found a weakness in his magic that was only exploitable by a power like his. By using the power of his sacred gear to absorb half of the magical energy used as the foundation for his projections, their structure became flawed and they fell apart with little strain.
The only thing he was able to do was reinforce his armor, muscles, and bones to their limits, summon the swords of his reality marble to cover them, and grit his teeth.
"Gah!"
The red knight flew through the battlefield like a rag doll. He lost his vision for an instant as the immense pain assailed him.
He rolled through the ground, clamping down the pain with sheer willpower, and was finally able to sink his boots on the concrete to slow down his momentum. While he regained his balance, he swallowed all the blood accumulated on his throat and introduced air in his lungs again.
Even with all the precautions he took and his now E-rank endurance, that punch fractured several ribs, ripped some muscles, and damaged some organs. Camael's flames were already healing the internal damage, but he wouldn't be able to fight in an optimal way for a while.
He didn't have time to think of a strategy either. His enemy was already crossing the distance, only slowed down for a couple of seconds by the weird sensation of punching a wall of steel. He could only deduce he didn't use his sacred gear to steal his energy because it was negligible compared to his.
Shirou didn't want to resort to extreme methods, but given how dire the situation, he had no choice. He would have to end things quickly before he ran out of energy.
"Trace, on!"
A pair of red daggers were projected on his hand, and he crossed them in front of him. The dragon threw his punch again, ready to use the same strategy to destroy such flimsy blades-
[Divide!]
CRACK!
"Gah!"
Blood splattered on the concrete followed by the sound of steel being shattered. The fist of the White Dragon Emperor was completely repelled, his gauntlet falling apart, and blood splattered from inside his helmet.
The red knight's plan was a total success. His arms were left numb after the impact, but he regained their mobility after putting strength. It was now or never.
"What's this!?"
Vali was barely able to think straight as all his body screamed in pain as if something really harmful had invaded it. The feeling faded after a few seconds, and then he heard the voice of the Vanishing Dragon.
[Vali! I don't know how, but the moment you absorbed the power of those daggers, a surge of anti-dragon attribute invaded your body! I was able to expel it through your wings but be careful with those blades!]
That explained a lot of things. He had been wondering if the red knight had a dragon-slayer weapon in his arsenal, but a pair of daggers was the last thing he expected.
Using his wings to regain his balance, Vali faced his opponent one more time to reassess the situation… only to see how Shirou threw the daggers in the air and proceeded to punch them at him.
"Kuh!"
Vali created a barrier in front of him to block the attack. Thankfully, his magic didn't hold draconic attributes, and even so, the impact of the daggers felt like a speeding truck crashing against him.
But that was the least of his concerns. A shiver ran down his spine as a really dangerous aura came flying at him. His heart skipped a beat when a red sword wrapped in flames clashed against his barrier and nearly pierced it.
[You have to get out of here, Vali! I've never seen such a powerful dragon-slayer sword in my existence! Its power is comparable to that Merodach sword that human showed!]
Having a prideful dragon like Albion admit that with such a worried tone was the straw that broke the camel's back. But he was late.
"HAAAAAAHHHH!"
Shirou kicked the pommel of the sword, causing a massive mana burst that blew away the barrier and his right wing.
Vali rolled through the gran, the burns on his right shoulder causing a huge numbing pain.
"Albion, repair the wing!"
Another wing barely came to life just in time to avoid being burned to cinders. Their roles were now swapped, with Vali being forced to constantly dodge that sword Shirou continuously punched at him.
And those moments he didn't have the sword, he would pull out that pair of daggers that were able to shred his armor like nothing as well. Though refined, it was a brutal fighting style that felt more like… if he were fighting another dragon.
"Those daggers he used during our training… were just the side weapons of that sword…" Now Issei's face was starting to resemble Vali's armor.
"Huh?" Azazel let out a small surprised voice when he noticed the purple gem in his hand trembling slightly. "You have to be joking… The Dragon King Fafnir is trembling in the presence of that sword? And here I thought this couldn't possibly get more ridiculous…"
The thought of using a certain chant crossed Vali's mind in that moment of desperation, but there was no way Shirou would let him finish it.
The wounds he received from that sword were starting to catch up to him, but at the same time, his opponent wouldn't be able to keep that pace for a long time. He had only one last card to play.
Taking some distance, the White Dragon Emperor spread his wings and extended his hand, pointing at the Gram already flying at him.
[HALF DIMENSION!]
The space in front of him became distorted, and the light of the flaming sword faded away. The sword crumbled just before piercing him, as its foundation was reduced to half.
"What the…" Shirou looked with surprise how everything around him started to be compressed as if they were inside an industrial press.
The mystery of how Vortigern destroyed Excalibur in this world was solved, but that was really bad news. His magical resistance was having a hard time repelling that power trying to squish him… and that had been his final trick.
"Come on, Emiya Shirou! Just as I showed you my final trump card, show me yours!"
"Way isn't he attacking back?" Xenovia asked at the edge of her sit, figuratively speaking.
"He ran out of gas." Sirzechs stated flatly. "Unlike with Kokabiel, he couldn't finish the opponent off before running out of magical power."
"But he almost won…" Serafall spoke with a pained expression, seeing the inevitable defeat of the hero. "That must be a bluff. There's no way Vali can keep that thing working in such condition."
"Even if that's the case, it will come down to who loses consciousness before. And at the end of the day, Emiya Shirou is just a human… I guess we should try an absurd solution then…"
Azazel turned to look at the Red Dragon Emperor, but before he could speak…
[EXPLOSION!]
Issei's gauntlet shone with a respectable amount of power.
"Ddraig, do you think this will be enough!?"
[This is hardly enough to face the White Dragon, but that human doesn't require that much energy to use his magic, so I say we give it a try.]
Issei then turned at Koneko, who was startled having such an intense look pointed.
"Koneko-chan, throw me at sensei!"
It didn't take a genius to deduce his intentions, and the little girl nodded at him without thinking twice.
"Hnn!" Using her rook strength at her utmost limit to throw Issei at the red knight.
"Sensei! Accept this power!"
When Shirou turned to the side alerted by the voice, he had barely any time to react when Issei tapped his shoulder with his gauntlet.
[TRANSFER!]
The power flooded his body completely in an instant, giving him a somewhat familiar feeling.
It was hardly the power of a low-rank servant, not coming close by any means to that massive power able to destroy his body once unleashed, but it was more than enough.
"Thanks, Issei! Now… trace, on!"
His black bow appeared in his left hand, and a drill-like sword appeared in the other hand. He immediately loaded the sword in the bow, altered its shape to be more aerodynamic, and started to pour all the power gifted to him into it.
As the oppressive aura of the sword started to spread across the battlefield, the White Dragon Emperor smiled through the cracks of his helmet, as if to tell Shirou he was waiting for it with enthusiasm.
"I am the bone of my sword…" The first line of his aria was uttered to reinforce the fake spiral sword, and it was finally ready to be fired.
"CALADBOLG!"
The moment he let loose the bowstring, a sonic boom tore apart the concrete surrounding and caused Issei to fall on his butt.
The "arrow" flew at the dragon like a blue comet, and the dragon immediately pointed at it his Half Dimension. However, it was a useless attempt.
Before Vali's surprised eyes, the sword's drill-like blade was spinning so fast that caused a spatial distortion around it, which repelled his technique without a problem.
He tried to dodge the sword, but it was no use as he was caught in that twisting spatial distortion. A choked voice came out of his throat as part of his body was twisted, any protection his armor could offer being rendered useless.
The "arrow" continued its path without slowing down, blowing away the barrier surrounding the campus and piercing through the clouds, leaving behind a spiraling trail.
"Haaah…" Shirou let out a tired sight amidst the awkward silence and slowly walked up to where the White Dragon Emperor.
He surely had seen better days. His armor was completely gone, and his left arm and leg were completely shredded. It was a sight that would make most people puck. But even so, he was still conscious.
"You missed… on purpose…"
"Hmph." Shirou grumbled at him. "I've never said I was trying to kill you. You're no terrorist, just a brat with muscles for brain who needed some scolding. I'll give you the last chance. If you quit that Khaos Brigade, you'll have plenty of battles to fight against them, right? Even if you don't give a crap about fighting for what is right, I don't think a dragon would settle with being someone's attack dog."
"Heh… you do have… a point… But that side lacks something… this one has… The key to… fight the… strongest opponent…"
The red knight let out an exasperated sight as Kanshou was projected on his left hand.
"If you want to cling to that dream so much… then you leave me no choice." His tone became cold as he raised the twin blade over Vali's neck, and the White Dragon Emperor closed his eyes in acceptance.
"I guess… dying against a true hero… isn't that bad…"
"STOP!"
The executor's blade stopped inches away from its mark, and his cold golden eyes turned to the direction that voice came from.
When those eyes met Irina, she felt a lump in her stomach. The dissonance was so big she thought she was looking at another person for a moment.
But she could still see that gentle boy beneath that cold exterior. It was obvious he didn't want to resort to that. It was just… she didn't find the courage to say it out loud…
"Don't do it, please… It doesn't have to be this way…" A gentle voice filled with sorrow took Irina's place. It came from a Gabriel looking at him with eyes filled with compassion. "Even if you cover it with steel…your heart of glass won't endure it forever…"
That oddly specifical choice of words gave the red knight a pause, and another fellow blonde widened her eyes in realization.
"Tsk!" Shirou clicked his tongue. Coming from those two of all people, he couldn't just ignore them. And even if he could, he no longer had time.
CLANG!
He had to swing Kanshou to block a staff coming at his chest and was sent sliding a few meters away.
"Kuku, not bad. I was sure I concealed my presence, but you still saw my attack coming."
A young man clad in traditional Chinese armor stood between him and the fallen dragon. His staff, the famed Ruyi Jingu Bang, would be enough to deduce his identity, but as it wasn't the original but a really faithful replica, then this yokai had to be someone related to Sun Wukong.
He was concealing his presence and animal traits, but his experience dealing with Assassin servants helped the red knight to avoid the attack.
"That face… just must be the infamous Emiya Shirou. Seeing how you left poor Vali here, I guess the rumors were even an understatement. I'm Bikou, a pleasure to meet you. Man, this makes my blood boil!"
Shirou screamed internally. Just what he needed, another Cu Chulainn eager to fight him when he was on his last legs. But fortunately, this one seemed to be able to keep his battle lust in check as he prioritized his comrade.
"If you don't mind, I'll bring him with me. I guess our little trip to Asgard will have to wait. But this are definitely some interesting news to deliver."
"Hey, I don't know who the hell are you, but you aren't-"
Issei stopped in his tracks, his hand already reaching to the band Azazel gave him, when his sensei stretched his free hand to the side.
He appreciated the help, but this was the worst matchup for Issei. No matter if he used his balance breaker, an opponent as skilled as that yokai would mop the floor with him.
"To think the descendant of the original Sun Wukong would join that terrorist organization, too… Things are about to get complicated." Despite how serious the situation was, Azazel was showing a smirk as he spoke.
"Heh, I live the way I choose, unlike the old geezer. Now then, see ya!" And just like that, the descendant of the Monkey King took his leave with the unconscious Vali on his back, and no one made an attempt to go after him.
It had been a really long night, so it was understandable.
The moment the adrenaline left Shirou's system, he almost lost his balance and fell on his butt.
"Sensei, are you going to just faint like last time?" Issei asked with some amusement as he lent him an arm to lean on.
"I think this time I can at least make it to home… Ugh…" The way he spat the last remains of blood in his throat wasn't inspiring confidence.
"Let me heal you, Shirou-san!" Asia was the first one to approach him. Being the only one who had worrying injuries, she couldn't help it.
But Shirou stopped her before she could activate her Twilight Healing. "There's no need… My wounds are mostly healed."
He couldn't show proof of it since what little injuries he had left were internal, and that caused the ex-nun to ignore his words with a determined expression and start healing him.
"Shirou-kuuun!" However, she was interrupted when Irina hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you were going to die!"
Everyone there was able to witness for the first time a small blush on Shirou's cheeks. He sent a questioning stare at Xenovia, who could just shrug before proceeding to hug him too. It made a quite tender sight.
"I guess all's well that ends well. Heh, I never lost my faith in you, Shirou-kun."
"Is that so? You seemed really worried a couple of minutes ago, Onee-chan."
Serafall threw a betrayed look at her sister, who was smirking behind her stoic mask. This was the first step to return all those years of teasing.
"Well, we should wrap things up here. There are a lot of things to do aside from making official the treaty, preparing countermeasures for this "Khaos Brigade" being the most urgent. And for that…"
The other four leaders followed Sirzechs, who walked up to Shirou. It didn't take a genius to deduce what they wanted to ask.
"Well, I don't mind siding with you guys to fight those terrorists. The entire world is at stake here."
"Excellent. Having the representant of humanity on our side will be crucial in the dark times ahead."
Shirou blinked a couple of times at Sirzechs. "I'm not that important. Just a nameless who decided to act in times of need."
"But from my standpoint, the way you fight with all those weapons of legend is as if you were using the collective power of mankind."
"And you were chosen by the original sword of selection, right?"
He couldn't argue against Azazel and Michael's logic. Azazel's in particular was closer to the truth than he would ever suspect.
"Think whatever you want."
The guards that were teleported away didn't take long to arrive at the place and start managing post-battle activities.
The leaders started to speak about negotiations with other factions and about reporting the events to the Shinto faction, but Shirou didn't have the energies to pay attention to it.
"Let's go home, shall we?"
""Yes…""
The two girls were also exhausted, and the three were about to head home, but they were interrupted by Michael.
"Irina, I'll send an envoy to pick you up when the system is ready."
"Oh… Thank you, Michael-sama."
"No, I must thank you again for forgiving me."
"Lord Michael, if I'm allowed to ask…" Surprisingly, the one who cut into the conversation was Sona, and she continued once she got a nod from the archangel. "What should I do about the paperwork I have already prepared to transfer Irina Shidou to our academy?"
"Oh, right, that was a thing…" With how hectic those days had been he completely forgot about that.
"Keep them ready. We will need them when we send her here as a representant of the angels."
His answer took Irina by surprise, and that surprise turned into a bright smile. This would be just a goodbye instead of a farewell.
""See you again, Shirou-kun!""
The strongest female devil and the most beautiful angel bid him farewell in an amicable way, and when they realized it, they had opposite reactions. While Gabriel smile tenderly at her fellow, Serafall glared daggers at her.
The red knight could just wave his hand, his brain too tired to process the situation. His life just became more complicated in another sense.