From within Georg's summoning circle, a wave of dark emotion surged violently outward.
What kind of emotions were these?
Pain, resentment, hatred, curses…
It was as though all the negative feelings in the world had gathered in one place, rippling endlessly from the magic circle.
And this was just the residual aftershock—the source of this terrifying aura had not even fully emerged.
Yet, even this mere echo was enough to affect everyone present. Even those who were hardly weak, like Rias and Himejima Akeno, felt their hearts constrict painfully, as though the air around them had been abruptly sucked away, making each breath agonizingly difficult.
But the effects were strongest on Hyoudou Issei, Ophis, and Fafnir, who resided within the [Down Fall Dragon Spear] that Asia always carried.
"...This presence…such overwhelming malice, directed solely toward dragons…"
Ddraig's trembling voice echoed anxiously from the [Boosted Gear]. Issei paled and hurriedly asked, "Ddraig, do you know what's going on? Do you recognize this?"
"Mr. Fafnir… Mr. Fafnir! Please, hold on!"
Asia grasped the [Down Fall Dragon Spear], noticing its glow had become dim and unstable.
Since Jeanne Alter had handed her the spear, it had never left her side. Though Asia couldn't activate [Balance Breaker] like Azazel could, she could communicate with Fafnir through it, borrowing his strength or summoning him if needed.
But the moment this dark aura burst forth, Asia discovered, to her horror, that she could no longer speak with Fafnir—or rather, he could hear her but was too affected by the sinister aura to reply.
"Ophis! Are you okay?"
Realizing she couldn't reach Fafnir, Asia anxiously turned to Ophis.
Ophis's indifferent expression had vanished entirely. Her face was tense, her body subtly rigid.
At this moment, the source of the dark aura finally appeared clearly, emerging from the magic circle shrouded entirely in black flames and horrific malice.
Seeing it fully, Jeanne Alter's eyes contracted sharply, and everyone else shuddered uncontrollably.
It was a grotesque figure, tightly bound in torture instruments engraved with eerie, ancient runes.
Its upper half was humanoid, black wings like those of Fallen Angels sprouting from its back.
Its lower half was serpentine—a dragon's tail covered densely with scales.
And yet, the creature was pierced through completely by countless nails, cruelly nailed to a giant cross, appearing as an embodiment of the world's greatest sin, a sight that shook the heart with primal dread.
Jeanne Alter's pupils narrowed in shock.
Could this be…the Absolute Evil of this world?
Yet, almost immediately, she dismissed the thought.
It was similar…but it wasn't exactly the same.
Both embodied curses defying life itself, carrying malice potent enough to exterminate an entire race—but they clearly differed.
Just what in the hell is this thing?
"UOOOOOHHHHH——AAAAAGHHHHHH…!!"
An unsettling, anguished howl erupted from the nailed figure's throat, reverberating eerily through the space as blood-tinged saliva spilled from its twisted mouth.
"The Bible states that he took the form of a serpent and tempted Adam and Eve into eating the Fruit of Knowledge. His actions enraged the Biblical God, causing God to despise snakes and dragons deeply—thus began the Church's teachings of dragons as evil beings."
Georg calmly explained the entity's origins.
"He alone endured all of God's malice, hatred, and curses directed towards dragons and snakes. Divine beings should harbor no malice; thus, this venomous hatred became a poison even to non-dragons. Merely existing, he could exterminate the dragon race entirely. Therefore, he was sealed away in the lowest depths of Hell. The divine venom he bears is the ultimate dragon-slaying weapon; his very existence is the world's fiercest dragon slayer."
"He is…[Dragon Eater] Samael."
Able to exterminate all dragons—Georg had said this plainly.
And Jeanne Alter did not doubt his words.
This sinister hatred was so incredibly similar to the "Absolute Evil of Humanity," except that Absolute Evil targeted humans, whereas [Dragon Eater] Samael targeted dragons exclusively.
Georg continued: "His power is terrifying. No dragon can withstand his venom. But conversely, he can kill only dragons. He is our trump card for this operation—the reason we dared attack you."
"...So, this is your trump card?"
Jeanne Alter's golden eyes narrowed dangerously, her voice heavy with ominous pressure.
"He certainly is a threat to Ophis, but did you really think he could suppress me? Or perhaps…do you think your group alone qualifies as my opponents?"
"Jeanne…we know very little about you."
Georg met Jeanne Alter's gaze steadily, eyes glinting sharply.
"It's as though you simply appeared in this world one day. No matter how much we investigated, your past remained blank. The first record of your appearance is Kuoh Town."
"Your origins, your past experiences, your connections, the source of your power—and even your reason for using the name 'Jeanne'—everything about you is shrouded in mystery. Naturally, we began making hypotheses."
"We studied your abilities closely. You have two primary combat methods—your own innate flames, and your countless weapons."
"However, both methods seem to have a critical weakness: tremendous consumption of mana."
"Your magical reserves are abnormally immense. Despite being merely Satan-class, your mana reserves easily rank among the highest in the world—seemingly endless, inexhaustible… Once we realized this, we formed a theory: you bear the blessing of Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God. Am I correct?"
Huh???
Jeanne Alter was momentarily stunned by Georg's meticulously reasoned deductions.
Now she was curious to hear what else he would say next.
"One day, without warning, Ophis suddenly left Khaos Brigade, disappearing without a trace. Later, we correlated our intelligence—your first appearance in Kuoh Town matched very closely with Ophis's disappearance. At that time, you encountered Ophis and gained her blessing, did you not? With that 'Infinite' blessing, you instantly ascended to Satan-class, gaining unlimited mana."
"Your unnatural allure toward dragons and serpents, and your weapons surpassing their legends—those were gifts from the Biblical God, correct?"
Georg briefly glanced at Samael, his voice growing heavier: "Such intense hatred—one even Ophis and Great Red would struggle to endure—only that person could achieve something so absurd."
He turned back to Jeanne Alter and continued:
"The Biblical God prepared these exceptional weapons specifically for you. Yet, because their use demands enormous mana, God gave you an irresistible charm to attract dragons, intending for you to secure Ophis's blessing—thus granting you power formidable enough to face even the top ten beings in the world."
Jeanne Alter was genuinely taken aback by these absurd yet convincing theories. If even she was speechless, Rias and the others, totally uninformed, were already beginning to believe Georg's wild conjectures.
Their expressions plainly showed "Ah, I see now," as if enlightened.
But most troubling to Jeanne Alter was Ophis herself.
What's with your expression, Ophis? Why do you look like you're thinking, 'Oh, I did something like that?' Aren't you the person in question? Don't you remember if you gave your own blessing?
"...Wait a moment. If Jeanne-san really has Ophis's blessing—!"
Rias suddenly froze, eyes widening in panic.
Immediately, the others also realized the implication, their expressions turning horrified.
Georg calmly confirmed their fears:
"Precisely. Just like the current Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor, though still human, having received Ophis's blessing grants you dragon attributes. Hence, you fall within Samael, the [Dragon Eater]'s lethal reach!"
"Jeanne-senpai! Get back now!"
A voice filled with desperate anxiety—Koneko's—cried out from behind.
"It's already too late!"
Georg pointed at Jeanne Alter.
"Kill her, [Dragon Eater]!"
"UUUOOOOOOOOOHHHHH—!!"
With a wailing roar filled with malice, Samael violently twisted his nailed body, spewing blood that hung unnaturally midair, solidifying into sinister crimson arrows aimed directly at Jeanne Alter.
Jeanne Alter's pupils trembled. Though not yet struck, she already felt sickened, her life force weakening.
Even without dragon attributes, this poison's potency is terrifying!
Refusing to risk it, Jeanne Alter swiftly dodged, leaving afterimages as the arrows struck the ground, instantly corroding it with a nauseating hiss.
Dangerously venomous…
Yet, before she could relax—
"Jeanne-san!!"
A terrified cry came, sounding as if she'd already been mortally wounded.
Only then did Jeanne Alter notice—dark flames now enveloped her gauntlet.
"Even indirect contact with its venom is severe," Georg calmly noted.
"You bastard—!!"
Thunder, dragon-breath-like blasts, golden slashes—Akeno, Issei, Kiba, Xenovia's furious attacks all converged upon Georg and Samael, yet the Satan-class reaper Pluto effortlessly deflected them.
The Hero Faction, Jeanne and Siegfried, stepped forward to engage them once more.
Meanwhile, Koneko, Rias, Gasper, and Rossweisse hurried to Jeanne Alter's side, intending to aid her.
But Jeanne Alter sharply ordered:
"Don't come closer!"
"This venom is dangerously persistent. Just standing near me is dangerous!"
She firmly warned Asia, too, via telepathy—Asia's human constitution was especially vulnerable.
"You wasted too much time on that woman," Pluto complained impatiently.
Georg simply replied calmly, "Once we remove Jeanne, capturing Ophis becomes much simpler."
He signaled again to Samael, eyes glinting coldly:
"Samael, devour the 'Infinite.'"