Issei Pov
W-w-what the hell is this?!
An intense battle is unfolding right in front of me.
Wait, Ddraig?! That red one in front of me looks exactly like the Red Dragon Emperor's armor, Boosted Gear Scale Mail, that I used in my fight against Riser!
[No, while that does resemble our normal Balance Breaker, it's something different.]
R-really?
[That's definitely imitating us, but that's all it is. If you reach the proper Balance Breaker, you can overwhelm it in both performance and completion. Even that pseudo-Balance Breaker you used has higher completion than that thing.]
I-is that so?
So Riser fought against me when I was like that? That's pretty amazing.
That's how intense the battle in front of me was.
Specifically, I can't jump in.
"Tch! Setting off fireworks this big here isn't sane!!"
Kazuhi is fighting the red one head-on.
Against the red magical beast that's gradually getting stronger, Kazuhi responds by switching weapons and changing her fighting style. Being able to fight one-on-one like that, she could probably beat Riser in single combat too!?
"Don't let your guard down! You'll get overwhelmed in one go!"
"I know! I'm fighting seriously!!"
Kusei and Himari are fighting the white one two-on-one.
They're manifesting magic swords and holy swords in each hand, coordinating their attacks so the opponent doesn't get a chance to counterattack.
Wait, the magic sword is like Kiba's Sacred Gear, and the holy sword is something similar to what the president mentioned?
[Probably. Unless it's a Longinus, it's not strange for multiple Sacred Gears to exist. Since he seems connected to the white one, he probably has interception abilities to counter its power.]
Seriously, Ddraig? So how can I help?
[...You should wait for now. For the current you to jump in, you'd need to sacrifice your right arm this time.]
...My left arm has become that of a dragon.
It was my trump card for defeating Riser, the president's former fiancé. Even that wasn't enough to win, but because the dragon transformation meant my arm was no longer that of a devil, I could use the cross and holy water I borrowed from Asia to somehow win.
Having to do something like that just to help is pretty serious.
Damn it! For now, I can only do what I can!
First, I need to cover for the woman Kazuhi saved! There's nothing else I can do!
"A-anyway, are you okay...?"
[Why are you hesitating there, partner?]
Because my attention was drawn to those magnificent breasts, partner.
Calm down, me! Boobs, boobs, boobies... no!
Anyway, I need to at least pull her to safety.
Kazuhi, Kusei, and Himari are all busy with combat, and having to worry about us seems to be a burden. It'd be easier for them if we got away first.
So I quickly lift the collapsed woman and evacuate while watching behind us.
Side boob! Calm down, if I get a nosebleed now, I'll lose too much blood and collapse! That would be bad!
"A-anyway, let's get away! This place is seriously dangerous!"
"No, I'm fine. You should be the one to leave."
The woman said that in response.
No no, from how her body felt when I held her, she doesn't seem particularly trained.
If someone with a body like that gets caught up in such an intense battle, it's really dangerous!
"Just go! If you stay in a place like this, you'll really die!"
No really, that battle is seriously bad.
All three of them are fighting while trying not to cause collateral damage, but even so, concrete is getting blown away just from grazing hits. If a human touches that, it's bad.
Even I, who's technically a devil, would die from that. So we need to get away from here.
"I'll disappear in about a day anyway, and besides, I'm already dead."
Huh?
I was a bit dumbfounded by what the woman said.
"Servant... though you probably don't understand, I'm a remnant of a human who lived and died in the past... you could call me a copy. Since the Master who served as my anchor has died, I can last about a day due to my nature, but that's it."
The woman smiled reassuringly as she said this.
"So even if I disappear, you don't need to worry about it. Hurry and run!"
"I don't care about any of that!"
I don't really understand, but I'll say this clearly.
Yeah, I don't understand when you talk about Servants and stuff.
I'm a new devil, and I'm pretty stupid in some ways. So honestly, I don't really get it when you say complicated things.
But there's one thing I can say.
Yeah, it's obvious:
"Being afraid of death is natural. First time or second time doesn't matter! Besides, a guy who would abandon a woman making that face could never become a Harem King!"
Yeah, knowing that much is enough.
So I won't let go of this woman.
"So I won't abandon you or anything, so please don't give up either!!"
If I abandoned a woman here, especially one who's prioritizing me over herself, I couldn't face the president, Asia, or my comrades. How could I say I want to become a Harem King!
So I quickly started running.
[Partner, above!]
At Ddraig's panicked voice, I hurriedly jumped away.
Jumping away while carrying the woman too, I guess I have been training.
I thought that because I realized the threat in front of me was seriously dangerous.
The color was... purple. With that obviously villainous coloring, armor that looked exactly like the red and white ones Kazuhi and the others were fighting was attacking us.
Can't help it, I have to do this!
"Ddraig! I'll sacrifice my right arm, so please!"
"Wait! I don't know what you're planning, but rash actions are forbidden!"
At that moment, the woman stepped in front of me protectively and stopped me.
The woman, who had somehow drawn a kitchen knife, looked straight at the enemy and raised her voice.
"A dead person can't drag down the living! I'll hold it off here, so please escape to safety! Don't pay such a price for something like this!!"
No no, I can't do that!
"There's no way I can do that! I can't just leave you here!"
Yeah, that's not happening.
I mean, I've been saying this whole time that I won't do that kind of thing and that I can't become a Harem King if I do!
Even so, the woman persisted, shouting loudly.
"I'm a remnant. I can't let myself drag down someone who's alive. If one of us has to die, then it should be me!"
"Like hell!"
Ugh! Why do you have to say such troublesome things!
Yeah, none of that matters.
I remember when I couldn't save Asia and let her die once.
I remember when President Rias, who had never died, cried once.
And I remember when I died once.
Yeah, that's right, of course!
"Whether you died once or you're a remnant doesn't matter!! Dying is scary and horrible, and I absolutely hate seeing someone die in front of me, or even seeing them cry without dying!!"
So I strengthen my body with accumulated doubling and clench my fist.
"...A man who wants to become a Harem King can't push that onto a girl! Right, Ddraig!!"
[Hahahaha! Indeed, dragons should be more free and selfish. Moving by emotion rather than logic is what befits the host of a Heavenly Dragon!!]
The moment Ddraig answered, the opponent started moving.
Damn! If I don't have time to go Balance Breaker, I'll just punch it once.
Ah, but this one hit will probably...
*Thud*
Just as I thought that, the armor's footing suddenly collapsed.
And then it lost balance and fell headfirst...
"Ah"
*CRACK!*
With that sound, at just the right place, in just the right way, with just the right momentum, my fist connected with its face and sent it flying.
Issei Pov End
---
After that, Rias Gremory received an emergency contact.
It came from the team that had been investigating the surroundings and searching for enemies.
The team consisted of her servant Yuuto, the holy sword users Irina and Xenovia, and Saji Genshirou who had been dispatched from the Sitri servants. The contact came from Saji Genshirou.
They had made contact with the holy sword user Freed Sellzen and Valper Galilei, but the opponents had fled. Everyone except himself had been driven by passion and pursued them.