Thinking of Alice and Rias, the two Switch Princesses, I manifested their powers in my hands.
Destruction magic in my right hand, White Lightning in my left.
With my power stabilized, I could handle their powers much more strongly than before.
For example——.
Eight bits shot out vigorously from my wings.
Moving at high speed, the bits aimed their muzzles at Asem.
What was charging in the muzzles was——the Power of Destruction.
"Feather Bits! Blast himmmmm!"
Spheres of destruction fired in unison!
Enhanced by the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, the power of destruction closed in on Asem!
Last time, he swatted them away with his hand, but—
"Oops, looks like I better dodge this!"
Asem leaped away, evading.
Because Asem dodged, the magic of destruction hit the ground directly and——erased the earth completely!
A giant crater... no, it was more like a bottomless pit.
The destruction magic seemed to have bored deep underground, erasing the soil as it went.
Following up, I challenged him to close combat, clad in White Lightning.
Grabbing two bits in my hands, I generated blades formed of White Lightning.
"Touch this even a little and you're toast!"
"Whoa, scary! Touching that directly right now looks like a bad idea. In that case, I'll bring out my swords too."
Saying that, Asem concentrated his aura to create two black swords.
Both wielding dual blades, Asem and I swung at each other.
Every time we clashed, cracks appeared in space starting from the point of impact.
The surrounding space was screaming under our power.
A sword fight unfolding at super-high speed.
However, even that didn't last long.
After a fierce exchange——my swords shattered Asem's swords.
Asem looked surprised at this result.
"To think I'd lose in a contest of brute strength...!"
"Yeah, right now, I think I can even push through with raw power!"
But I have a time limit.
Trans-am won't last much longer.
So——I'll finish it here!
Letting go of the bits, I grabbed Asem's arm and drove a powerful strike into his stomach!
The impact pierced through Asem's body!
"Kah...!"
Asem's body folded like a jackknife, air expelling from his mouth.
I threw Asem upwards with all my might, then deployed the cannons folded on my wings and waist.
I poured every ounce of power I had into them.
"This ends iiiiiiit!"
The moment I shouted, the red particles being released from my wings changed.
From red——to rainbow-colored.
Yes, the phenomenon that occurred in Heaven.
At that moment, the faces of two people floated into my mind.
——An unknown woman, smiling gently.
——A boy I knew, lying battered and broken.
I suddenly looked at Asem's face——and he was smiling.
It was a gentle smile I had never seen on him before——.
『EXA Over Blast!!』
The massive bombardment engulfed Asem's body entirely——.
▽
The sky of the Netherworld was dyed crimson.
My power, super-enhanced by the Oppaiser and my trump card, Trans-am, had surpassed Asem's power.
But that last attack was the end of it.
Having run out of time, my armor returned to normal, and the Oppaiser detached.
A magic circle expanded, and the Oppaiser teleported away to somewhere else.
Ignis spoke.
『When the limit is reached, the Oppaiser automatically teleports back to Azazel-kun's research facility. No point in it staying here, after all.』
That makes sense.
It's strictly for EXA compatibility.
Azazel-sensei did say that if I reached my limit, the Oppaiser would become unusable.
I looked up at the sky, still wrapped in crimson.
I used every bit of power I had.
If we fight now, I'll be overwhelmed and it'll be over.
I hope that finished it, but...
The crimson covering the sky subsided, and the original colors began to return.
And then——.
"Ahahahahaha! That went far beyond my expectations! Power, speed—you surpassed the current me! Nice! That is tremendous growth!"
With a joyful laugh, a black shadow was revealed.
What was there was——a sinister-colored butterfly.
Butterfly wings of a dark color, a mix of every shade imaginable.
They were spread wide from Asem's back.
Looking closely, Asem was covered in wounds and seemed to have taken considerable damage, but...
Asem flapped his butterfly wings and descended to my altitude.
"My, my, you're amazing. The last time I was beaten up this badly was probably when I fought Rossweisse-kun? Well, I nearly died that time, though."
"...You took that and you're still kicking?"
When I spoke with exhaustion, Asem shook his head.
"The damage is pretty heavy, you know? I took that in the flesh, after all. That's the power of the Oppai Dragon for you. Fufufu, I'm looking forward to seeing that form broadcast on TV♪"
This guy is thinking about the Tokusatsu show?!
So you are still kicking!
I used Trans-am to triple my power and this is the result?!
"Yup, yup, I'm glad to see you're growing smoothly. That power you activated for just a moment there. Old Man Rizevim was creeped out by it. But for me, it's a delightful evolution. ...I guess the pieces are close to being filled?"
Asem was nodding with a smile, saying something cryptic.
...Pieces, huh?
Come to think of it, he said that to Miwa too.
That he would make his move when the pieces were filled.
Recalling Asem's words I heard through the comms earlier, I asked.
"...You told Miwa. That the current world is wrong."
"I did. Right now, this world is starting to move in various ways. But it's insufficient. As I told her, Gods, humans, and all other existences are parts of the world. The world moves because each existence is there. The beings of this world don't understand that."
"In the end, does that mean you want to unify the world? But you know, this world has finally started moving toward peace, right?"
In this past year, the world situation has changed dramatically.
Factions that have fought for years are forming alliances.
Naturally, voices of dissatisfaction and backlash are emerging.
The coup d'état in the Church this time is an explosion of exactly that.
Azazel-sensei and the others understand this, yet they are trying to move the world in a better direction.
And yet he...
However, Asem shook his head.
"Dissatisfaction and backlash? That is only natural. There are those staging a coup in the Church right now, aren't there? They gave voice to their feelings, moved into action, and clashed with you. And you are responding to them. Clashing beliefs and feelings against one another like that is also necessary to turn the world."
"Then, what are you——"
Asem interrupted me and continued.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I believe I also said this: ——'Those who possess power needlessly become arrogant and fixate on trivial things. The weak rely on their status, detaching themselves from the world, claiming they are unrelated. These people deny others, shut themselves away, and stop trying to understand one another.' They don't try to convey their feelings from the start, nor do they try to understand the other."
Asem spread his arms and shifted his gaze back and forth.
"Does the world belong to them? Does it revolve around them? That is a mistake. Are they unrelated? That is also a mistake. There are too many in this world who think that way. Gods, humans, and everyone else. Whether they do it consciously or unconsciously, I don't know. ——I simply want to make them realize: 'We are parts of the world.'"
Hearing those words, a thought popped into my head.
Could it be... that attitude, that tone he had when we first met, was actually——.
However, even if that's true, there's still a question.
"I kind of get your objective. But why? Why would you, the God of Ast-Ahde, try to achieve that in this world?"
Right, he is essentially a God of Ast-Ahde.
Why go out of his way to do this here... even teaming up with Qliphot and picking a fight with the Gods?
I don't understand the reason.
Then, Asem said——.
"——Because of a promise. One I made a long, long time ago. Though from the perspective of this world, I suppose it's a very selfish reason."
...A promise?
He... with someone...?
Could that person be... the one from earlier...?
It was then——.
Countless magic circles expanded across the entire Netherworld area.
Magic circles filling the sky.
Those patterns belonged to——Qliphot.
Asem looked up at the sky and muttered.
"Good grief, Old Man Rizevim doing unnecessary things again... He must have been really pissed off about being punched by the Hero-kun."
What emerged from the magic circles were Evil Dragons.
A terrifying number of Evil Dragons filled the sky.
And they weren't just the mass-produced models.
"Grendel and Ladon?! That bastard...!"
There were mass-produced Grendels in Heaven... but he mass-produced Ladon too?!
Wait, is this just harassment directed at me?!
How petty!
Asem spoke.
"Even if we are cooperating right now, this is... Interrupting my fun like this, he's got some nerve... or is he just an idiot? Well, what will you do, Hero-kun? The Evil Dragons here have been unleashed upon you. Naturally, they will come for you."
As soon as Asem finished speaking, the Evil Dragons roared and dove toward me all at once!
With this number, right after going toe-to-toe with Asem, can I handle them...?
I took a stance——but then, something strange happened.
An Evil Dragon closing in on me was shot down.
——By a beam of light that flew from far, far away.
Asem looked shocked.
"An attack from outside my sensory range...?! Impossible... I see. Hero-kun, you have her——"
Asem figured it out.
Who was responsible for that attack——that snipe.
▽
[Perspective: Third Person]
"Alright! One hit! As expected of me!"
There was a girl pumping her fist in victory, laughing.
She was a red-haired girl with a high-energy, lively atmosphere.
"But there are still many left, you know? This isn't the time to be celebrating just one hit."
Speaking to the red-haired girl was another girl.
In contrast to the redhead, this one had a quiet appearance, with pale light-blue hair tied back.
Though they looked completely different, they shared a common trait.
They were clearly not human.
Their height was about the size of a human palm.
On their backs, they possessed two pairs of glittering wings.
Their appearance was exactly that of fairies.
These two were perched on the shoulder of a woman.
The woman spoke.
"Fina is right, Sally. Issei seems to have used up a considerable amount of power, and Alice and the others are in combat. This is where our turn comes in."
"I know, I know! Jeez, you two are always so uptight."
"It is you who is always too sloppy, Sally."
"What part of me is sloppy, Fina?!"
"Everything."
"I'm gonna cry! I'm gonna cry, you know!"
The two fairy-like girls bickered noisily on the woman's shoulder.
The woman readied the gun in her hands and spoke to the two.
"Both of you, we're starting, okay? We are here precisely for emergencies like this. ——Please deploy the Rifle Bits and Shield Bits."
""Roger! ——Leave it to us, Leesha!""
[Perspective: Third Person - Out]
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"