The silence that followed was deafening. Cao Cao's eyes darted frantically between the shadow figure that had replaced Georg and Akira's calm, almost bored expression. The chains binding him tightened as he struggled against them, his legendary composure finally beginning to crack.
"Impossible..." Cao Cao's voice was barely controlled, his usual confident demeanor cracking. "Georg was right there the entire time. I saw him, spoke with him—when could you have possibly—"
"Ah, now that's the right question," Akira said with mild amusement, tilting his head. "Tell me, what do you think created that spectacular light show during my little tussle with your pet dragon?"
Cao Cao's jaw tightened, his strategic mind racing. "Obviously the impact between your technique and Samael's body. The force generated—"
"Wrong." The word cut through the air like a blade. "That wasn't from our collision at all."
Something cold settled in Cao Cao's stomach as understanding began to dawn. "Then what...?"
"While you were so busy congratulating yourself on trapping me with that suppression field, you missed the real game being played." Akira's tone was almost conversational now, like a teacher explaining a simple concept to a slow student. "You did your homework well, I'll give you that. Hades' divine spear, designed specifically to counter my electromagnetic manipulation abilities. Very thorough."
"Of course I researched your capabilities," Cao Cao snapped, some of his old arrogance returning. "I don't enter battles blindly. That spear suppresses all forms of energy manipulation within this space."
"And it did exactly what it was supposed to do," Akira agreed pleasantly. "Suppressed the electromagnetic energy perfectly. But here's what your research missed, Cao Cao—I had contingencies you never knew existed."
"A massive ball of concentrated electromagnetic energy, to be precise. Created by my clone and teleported directly to this battlefield." Akira's smile was cold and calculating. "You suppressed my abilities here, yes, but you had no idea I had contingencies already in place outside your sphere of influence."
Cao Cao's face had gone pale as the implications began to sink in. "Clone? What are you talking about?"
"Remember when I touched my forehead while facing you earlier?" Akira's voice carried a note of genuine amusement. "That was a signal to my clone, who I had stationed in Carmilla territory before we were pulled into this dimension. Since your spear suppresses all forms of energy within this space, I couldn't create new clones here. But the one I'd already made? He was free to act."
The chains tightened as understanding dawned on Cao Cao's face. "You mean..."
"My clone used Shadow Exchange to teleport here with that concentrated light ball, and your spear's suppression meant the electromagnetic energy couldn't dissipate immediately. During those precious minutes of cover, I teleported to Georg's position, killed him, and turned him into my shadow soldier." Akira paused, watching Cao Cao's expression crumble. "Then I had my new puppet continue acting normal while I returned to continue my 'desperate' battle with Samael."
The chains tightened further as Cao Cao's struggles became more frantic. "That's impossible! You're telling me you had a clone stationed outside this dimension? And it could use teleportation abilities to breach our isolated space? Those techniques—shadow clones, spatial manipulation—they're completely different from electromagnetic control!"
"Some questions," Akira said softly, "don't deserve answers."
The finality in his voice made Cao Cao's blood run cold. This wasn't the bravado of a cornered fighter—this was the calm certainty of an executioner.
"You orchestrated everything," Cao Cao whispered, the full weight of his defeat crushing down on him. "From the moment we were transported here... it was all part of your plan."
"Not everything," Akira corrected with clinical precision. "I simply prepared for multiple contingencies. Your arrogance made choosing which one to use remarkably easy."
Cao Cao's breathing grew labored as the shadow chains began to constrict more tightly. "But why this elaborate charade? If your abilities are so vast, why not simply kill me from the start?"
"Information," Akira replied simply. "I needed to understand your capabilities, your methods, your connections. A quick death would have taught me nothing about the Hero Faction's true structure."
As death approached, something shifted in Cao Cao's expression. The desperation faded, replaced by a strange sort of acceptance mixed with what might have been hope.
"I suppose..." he said quietly, his voice growing weaker, "in the end, humanity will have its protector after all. Someone powerful enough to stand against the supernatural forces that prey upon the innocent."
Akira's eyebrows rose slightly. "Is that what you think this is about?"
"You've proven yourself capable of defeating gods and dragons alike," Cao Cao continued, his words coming in shorter gasps as the chains tightened. "With power like yours... you could become the hero humanity truly needs. The one I... I tried to be but failed..."
His eyes held a desperate hope as he looked up at Akira. "At least my death will have meaning if it leads to—"
"You're wrong."
The words cut through Cao Cao's final speech like ice through flesh.
"I'm not a hero," Akira said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion or regret. "I never claimed to be one."
Cao Cao's eyes widened in shock and dawning horror as the shadow chains constricted violently. The last thing he saw was Akira's impassive face watching his death with the detached interest of someone observing a mildly interesting experiment.
The Hero Faction leader's body went limp, suspended for a moment by the ethereal bindings before they released him entirely. His corpse crumpled to the ground with a dull thud that seemed to echo endlessly in the dimensional space.
The battlefield fell silent once more, broken only by Yoruichi's sharp intake of breath.
"Well now," she said, her golden eyes studying him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance, "that was quite the performance. Though I have to wonder..." Her tone carried that familiar teasing quality, but there was an edge to it. "Were you planning to let me in on your little scheme at some point, or was watching me worry part of the entertainment?"
Akira blinked, genuinely surprised by her relatively calm reaction. "You played a crucial role in—"
"Oh, I'm sure I did," she interrupted smoothly, hefting Incursio's spear with casual expertise. "But next time, a little heads-up would be nice. I may enjoy a good fight, but I prefer knowing whether I'm fighting for my life or just providing a distraction."
Despite her calm words, she moved with fluid grace, the spear suddenly whistling toward his head. Akira activated Shadow Exchange just in time, the weapon passing through empty air as he reappeared several meters away.
"Yoruichi, if you'd just listen—" he started, coughing slightly from the rapid displacement.
"I am listening," she replied pleasantly, already anticipating his next position. Her follow-up strike came close enough that he felt the wind from its passage. "I'm also expressing my displeasure. Multitasking, you could say."
Another Shadow Exchange carried him away from her next attack, but she was adapting to his movement patterns with the skill of a former Stealth Force commander. Her strikes were precise, controlled—not trying to seriously injure, but definitely making her point.
"Your distraction was absolutely perfect!" he called out while dodging. "Without you keeping them occupied—"
"Mmm," she hummed thoughtfully, pursuing him with that characteristic laid-back grace. "And here I thought we were actually in mortal peril. Silly me."
This continued for several more minutes, though it felt more like an elaborate dance than a genuine battle. Finally, Yoruichi came to a graceful stop, dismissing the Incursio armor with a casual gesture.
"There," she said, tossing the ornate sword back to him with a slight smile. "I feel better now. Though you're cooking for me as an apology—and it better be something spectacular."
Akira caught the sword, visibly relieved. "Absolutely. Whatever you want."
Yoruichi gestured casually toward the unconscious form of Samael still sprawled across the battlefield, though her tone remained slightly irritated. "So what's the plan for sleeping beauty over there? Even knocked out, I can feel that nasty energy radiating from it."
Akira followed her gaze, considering the problem with tactical detachment. Converting Samael into a shadow soldier was impossible—the technique required actual death, not unconsciousness. And killing something bound with divine seals would be virtually impossible even for him. The wounds he'd inflicted were already healing at a crawl, which was still concerning given enough time.
"I'll have Azazel deal with it," he decided, pulling out his communication device. "This is definitely above both our pay grades."
The response was immediate and characteristically laid-back. "Yo, Akira. How'd everything work out on your end?"
"Situation's handled, but I need someone with your expertise for cleanup. Can you teleport here?"
"Sure thing. Give me a sec."
. . .
Azazel materialized on the battlefield in a flutter of twelve black wings, which he folded casually against his back. His sharp eyes took in the scene with the practiced assessment of someone who'd seen far too much supernatural chaos. The unconscious Dragon Eater, the scattered debris, the general destruction—none of it seemed to faze him particularly.
"Well, that's definitely Samael," he said with his typical nonchalance, nodding toward the massive form. "Please tell me you didn't actually kill it."
"Hard to kill something wrapped in that many divine bindings," Akira replied pragmatically. "Besides, I figured the collateral damage from whatever curses get released probably wouldn't be worth it."
"Smart thinking," Azazel approved, his tone carrying genuine respect. "If that thing died here, the human world would be drowning in supernatural toxins and curses for the next few centuries. The contamination would make Chernobyl look like a minor inconvenience."
The fallen angel governor began chanting in what sounded like a mixture of Enochian and something far older, his voice resonating with power that made the dimensional space itself seem to vibrate. A massive, incredibly complex magic circle appeared beneath Samael's unconscious form, its runic patterns shifting and writhing with their own malevolent life. Ethereal chains emerged from the formation, wrapping around the Dragon Eater's body like silver-white serpents before the entire construct—creature and all—vanished into the magical matrix.
"Where'd you send it?" Akira asked with mild curiosity.
"Where it belongs," Azazel replied cryptically, though his expression turned more serious. "So what happened to your Hero Faction friends?"
Akira gave him a condensed version of events, carefully editing out some of the more sensitive details about his abilities. When he finished, Azazel let out a long, tired sigh.
"Hades is sneakier than I gave the old bastard credit for," the fallen angel admitted with obvious frustration. "I should have known his agreement to stay neutral was too convenient. Guess I'm getting soft in my old age."
"How did things go at the summit?" Akira inquired.
"We managed to slap temporary seals on Loki and Fenrir, but those won't hold forever. Maybe a few days if we're lucky." Azazel shrugged with typical casualness. "When they break free, we'll have other headaches to deal with. Nothing immediate though."
His gaze shifted to Yoruichi, and his expression brightened considerably. "And who might this absolutely stunning lady be?"
"New team member," Akira replied quickly. "Actually, it's thanks to her that I managed to win this whole mess."
Yoruichi shot him a look that promised creative revenge for dragging her into his schemes without proper warning.
"Isn't that right?" he continued, trying to deflect some of her ire.
"What about Valerie and the rest of my team?" Akira asked, steering the conversation away from dangerous territory.
"Everyone's safe and accounted for," Azazel assured him with a wave of his hand. "They're getting debriefed now, but no casualties on our side."
"Perfect. Then we're done here." Akira made a shooing motion. "You can head back to whatever fallen angel governors do in their spare time."
Azazel raised an eyebrow at the casual dismissal but grinned. "Try not to get into any more world-threatening situations for at least a week, yeah? I need a vacation."
"No promises," Akira replied as the Governor General vanished in a swirl of teleportation circle and what might have been mildly amused laughter.
Once they were alone, the dimensional space began to feel strangely quiet after all the chaos and revelations.
In the shadows at the edge of the ruined battlefield, two figures emerged from the darkness like wraiths materializing from nightmare. The first was a pale man with silver hair and cold, calculating eyes—Euclid Lucifuge. The second was tall and imposing, with an aura of ancient power that made the very air around him seem to thicken with malevolent energy—Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the original Super Devil.
"Fascinating," Rizevim murmured, his voice carrying amusement as he surveyed the destruction. "Absolutely fascinating."
Euclid's expression was one of barely contained excitement. "You saw what he did, didn't you? That human—Akira—he didn't just defeat Cao Cao and neutralize Samael. He completely outmaneuvered the entire Hero Faction using abilities that shouldn't exist in any normal Sacred Gear."
"Indeed," Rizevim agreed, his eyes glinting with interest. "The electromagnetic manipulation, the shadow soldiers, the spatial teleportation—and that technique he used to knock out Samael. Most intriguing."
"More than intriguing," Euclid pressed, his hatred for the current Satan regime bleeding into his voice. "This human has power that could challenge the established order. He destroyed a True Longinus wielder as if it were child's play. Don't you see the opportunity here?"
Rizevim's smile was cold and predatory. "Oh, I see it perfectly, Euclid. The question is whether this Akira would be useful as an ally... or if he's dangerous enough to require elimination."
"He's already proven he's not aligned with the current Satans," Euclid argued. "And his power—imagine what someone like that could do if properly motivated. The devils who think they rule us now would tremble."
"You really do despise Sirzechs and the others, don't you?" Rizevim chuckled. "Very well. This human has certainly earned my attention. It's been far too long since something genuinely surprised me."
As they prepared to fade back into the shadows, Rizevim cast one last look at the battlefield where Akira and Yoruichi stood.
"Yes," he said softly, "I think I'll be keeping a very close eye on you, young Akira. You may prove to be the most entertaining thing to happen in centuries."
The two figures vanished into the darkness, leaving behind only the faintest trace of malevolent energy and the promise of future complications that neither Akira nor his allies could yet imagine.
. . .
You can check my other new work as well : Highschool DxD : A Knight with CCA System
Read upto 20 chapters at pa-tr-eon /opeler
Check out my pa-tr-eon, if you find it interesting do join or support me
Enjoy!