AN: Hello everyone!!!!!!!! I'm back for a new chapter of this fic!!
Sorry about last Wednesday, I'm currently busy in RL, so I wasn't able to update, and this might continue in the next few weeks...
Haa, life is truly full of ups and downs...
Any ways! Here is the chapter for this week. I will also upload another chapter tomorrow at the same time!
Now then, enjoy reading!
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2 hours before the operation, at the Guest room in the Devil Government building…
Team Reason—Hajime, Alice, Anisphia, Sagiri, Ingvild, Ophis, Villhaze, and Ram—and Team Slash/Dog—Tobio, Sae, Lavinia, Natsume, Shigune, and Kouki—remained inside the conference room. Seated beside them were Asia Argento and Gasper Vladi of the Gremory Peerage.
Rias had decided not to bring the two of them to the battle against Loki. This was a fight against a god, a fight that would demand frontline combat strength. Asia and Gasper, whose abilities were focused on support rather than direct combat, would only be placed in unnecessary danger if they were sent along.
Because of that, aside from the two of them, the rest of the Gremory Peerage, along with the Sitri, Bael, and Agares peerages, the Valkyrie Rossweisse, and the duo dispatched by Michael, Irina, and Dulio, had already gone ahead to confront Loki and his children.
They had departed a few minutes ago through the teleportation circle prepared by Ajuka and Azazel. The destination was the same rocky wasteland where Hajime had trained Issei.
The plan itself was simple and direct: buy enough time until Mjolnir arrived to put an end to Loki's schemes, or at least until the meeting between the Three Factions and Odin was finished.
"…But their real problem isn't Loki," Tobio muttered from the side, breaking the silence. "It's the World Devouring Wolf—Fenrir."
A slow nod passed through the room as the others shared their agreement.
"Fafnir, according to legend, possessed enough strength to contest against Odin at his peak and even defeat him," Sae explained. "That battle was said to mark the beginning of Ragnarok."
"And it's also believed he rivaled the Heavenly Dragons themselves, Albion and Draig," Natsume added.
Ingvild's expression turned worried; beside her, Asia and Gasper also increasingly became tense.
"Then isn't this extremely dangerous for Sona-san and the others?" she asked anxiously. "Even if Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing carry Draig-san's and Albion-san's spirits, Hyoudou-kun and Vali-kun couldn't actually draw out their full power, right?"
Tobio let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "That's right. Both of them might have grown much stronger and can access a significant amount of power from their Sacred Gears, but it's still nowhere near the true strength of Draig and Albion."
"…Unless they enter Juggernaut Drive," Lavinia said softly. Her voice remained fluffy and gentle, but the faint tremble in it didn't go unnoticed by the rest. "That's the only way they could temporarily tap into a Heavenly Dragon's full power."
"…But that technique is far too dangerous," Shigune said. "It burns the user's life force as fuel. In most recorded cases, the wielder doesn't survive."
No small amount of gasp escaped from each member of Team Reason. None of them had expected such a brutal cost for a momentary surge in power.
"That really is a last resort method," Euphyllia said with a sigh. "A trump card with no way back."
Anisphia crossed her arms, brows furrowed. "Then what exactly is Juggernaut Drive?" she asked. "Is it different from the Balance Breaker?"
Sae nodded. "Balance Breaker is something any Sacred Gear could do. Juggernaut Drive, however, is a forbidden ability tied to Longinus-class Sacred Gears or, more specifically, Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing."
"Hmm, not quite," Hajime cut in, his chin lazily resting on top of his palm. "Based on the data Noah and I pulled from the System of God, Juggernaut Drive, or rather, this type of forbidden ability, can technically be triggered by any Longinus."
He let out a hum as he continued to explain it as if it were a minor technical detail. "The process is similar in principle, but the name will differ depending on the type of Longius. For example, if there is an animal spirit inside, it will be called Breakdown the Beast instead."
Hajime turned to the three people in the room, those who, like Issei and Vali, wielded Longinus-class Sacred Gears. "So in theory, Tobio's Canis Lykaon, Lavi's Absolute Demise, and Ingvild's newly discovered Longuis—-Nereid Kyrie are all capable of activating something similar."
He added offhandedly, "It's one of the bugs in the system we never bothered to patch. So… feel free to explore it out yourselves."
The three he mentioned stared at him in disbelief. Even Ingvild and Lavinia wore expressions that mixed helplessness with horror.
Alice's cheek twitched. She reached out and pinched Hajime's ear hard. "We just heard that using this technique burns the user's life, and now you're telling Lavi, Ingvild, and Tobio-san to 'explore it out'?!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Alice, have mercy!" Hajime yelped.
"Nagumo Hajime," Sagiri said flatly, pinching his other ear without hesitation. "Even for you… that crosses a line."
"Ouch! Ow! Even you, Sagiri?!" he protested.
"Alice-san, Sagiri-san, I don't think that's what Hajime-kun meant… so please, have mercy on him," Ingvild pleaded.
"Ingvild!! My oasis!!" Hajime cried out gratefully. "Ouch! Hey—enough already, you two!"
After one last sharp pinch, both Sagiri and Alice finally released his ears with matching snorts.
Kouki, who had been standing near the wall with his arms crossed, let out a long sigh. "Haa… so basically, what we've learned so far is that this battle is going to be extremely rough for them," he said. "Can our team at least join in? Even if it's just half of us?"
"Well…It's definitely going to be a tough battle," Hajime replied casually, rubbing his ears as he recovered from the assault. "But I think they'll be fine."
Everyone in the room turned to him, their looks filled with doubt, silently asking where that confidence was coming from.
"Old man—well, Old Dragon Tannin is going with them too," Hajime said with a wry smile. "Azazel specifically asked him to lend a hand. And besides… I don't think Vali would ever pass up a chance to fight a god."
"Eh?! Won't Va-kun and his team be in danger if they get involved?" Lavinia asked in panic.
Hajime reached out and gently took her hand. "Nah. Vali and his team can just jump in and say something like, 'I wanted to try fighting a god, and hey, there just happens to be one here. We might be in the same organization, but we aren't friends, so no hard feelings, okay?' and now the problem is solved."
"Ah… so they'll be pulling the classic betrayal act every villain organization has," Anisphia said, nodding sagely.
Tobio chuckled. "Yeah… I can totally picture him doing exactly that."
"Then I guess this mission won't be that hard after all," Alice concluded, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "With Vali and Dragon King Tannin helping out, this suddenly feels a lot more doable."
She tapped her chin as she gathered her thoughts. "Besides, they don't actually need to defeat Loki or Fenrir. All they have to do is buy time until Mjolnir arrives from Asgard. And if they play it right—if they take advantage of a god's pride—Loki will probably look down on them. He might even toy with them instead of going all out."
"I see," Sagiri said quietly. "Turning a god's arrogance into a weakness could be very effective. Loki might not even bother getting directly involved."
"So what we thought would be a dangerous mission…" Natsume said slowly, blinking, "…might actually be safer than we expected?"
"I-is that true? Will Ise-san and everyone be alright?" Asia asked, hope creeping into her voice.
Hajime smiled at her and gave a small, reassuring nod.
"That's right." He said confidently. "This mission is likely a test by the Maous for the younger devils to see how much they've grown,"
He let out a small knowing smile. "And knowing how overprotective Serafall and Sirzechs are toward Sona and Rias, there's no way they would've approved this operation unless they believed it was reasonably safe."
He leaned back in his seat, the confident image of Sairaog clear in his mind. "Also with that guy there, they might even manage to pull this mission off… maybe even land a hit or two on Loki himself."
"You really have a high opinion of Sairaog Bael, huh, Hajime?" Tobio said, letting out an amused snort as he followed Hajime's gaze.
"Ahahaha! I just admire his attitude," Hajime replied easily. "And how much hard work he put in to earn his strength."
"Well, I can understand that," Kouki said with a smirk. "Knowing his life story and how he rose to the top, even I can say that Sairaog Bael is truly an admirable person."
"Then I suppose all that's left is to wait for their good news," Tobio said with a smile. "Let us all believe that our friends will emerge victorious against a god."
Time left before the seal breaks: one hour.
—---
At the wasteland, Underworld…
"Hey, Hyoudou… this is the place where Nagumo-san trained you, right?" Genshirou Saji asked carefully, glancing at the pale Issei beside him.
"…Y-yeah," Issei answered, forcing the words out as he tried—and failed—to keep memories of Hajime's training from flooding back.
Noticing his state, Saji's expression softened. He turned fully toward Issei and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"…You did great, Hyoudou," he said gently.
"…Mm. Issei-senpai worked hard," Koneko added, her voice unusually gentle.
"Yeah," Kiba Yuuto agreed, looking at Issei with open admiration. "Ise-kun really did his best… just to survive."
The reason for everyone's gentler tone was simple. As they stood there now, the wasteland stretched out before them—the very place where Hajime had put Issei through ten days of merciless training.
Anyone present could see the aftermath.
Dozens of scorched marks lined the ground. Hundreds of deep craters marked the Earth. Shattered rocks and debris lay scattered in every direction.
It was silent, unmistakable proof of how brutal Hajime's training had been. It was actually a miracle that Issei didn't become a 'chunni'.
"Huhuhu… for Ise-kun to experience all this and still survive, it must have been incredibly tough," Irina said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "As your childhood friend, I can't help but worry about you… and admire you."
"Ugh… I can't even imagine how anyone could survive training like this," Dulio muttered, staring at the wasteland.
"Ara, ara… it really must have been difficult for our dear Ise-kun," Akeno said gently, her voice filled with sympathy.
"Do you think Hajime-kun's black hole made all of these craters?" Momo whispered to Renya, Tsubasa, Tomoe, and Ruruko beside her.
"Ahahaha… I don't think Hajime-kun is the type to use black holes just to train someone," Renya replied with a stiff smile. "....I hope."
"Should we ask Hyoudou-senpai?" Ruruko suggested.
"…Let's not," Tsubasa said quietly. "From Hyoudou's expression, we might accidentally dig up some trauma."
Tomoe nodded vigorously. "Hyoudou-kun is technically our ace against Loki. If he ends up unable to fight because of that trauma…"
"As expected, that Godslayer really is interesting," Sairaog said with a broad smile. "I'm getting fired up! Kuisha, next time we meet that guy, I'm absolutely challenging him to a spar."
"Hehehe~ if that's what you want, Sairaog-sama, we can ask Mr. Godslayer after this mission," Kuisha Abaddon replied with a gentle smile.
"Hmm… looks like some of these craters were caused by missiles and beam attacks," Seekvaira murmured as she adjusted her glasses.
"…At least Ise came back home stronger," Rias murmured.
"Hajime-san must've had fun during those ten days, huh?" Sona said with a wry smile.
Contrary to what Hajime and the others imagined, the group that will face Loki is in a surprisingly easy-going and relaxed atmosphere.
"Looks like you guys are having fun."
A voice cut in suddenly, drawing everyone's attention and tensing the air for a brief moment. Heads turned toward the sound as a magic circle opened not far away from them.
Vali Lucifer stepped out first, followed by Bikou and Kuroka.
The Bael and Agares peerages immediately went into a fighting stance, their eyes narrowing in alert. In contrast, both the Gremory and Sitri peerages visibly relaxed once they realized who the newcomers were.
"You wouldn't mind if we joined, right?" Vali asked with a casual smirk.
"You certainly have guts to show yourself here, Vali Lucifer," Seekvaira said coolly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Aren't you afraid we'll subdue you and hand you over to the Maous?"
"Ahahaha! You really know how to joke, Agares's spawn," Vali replied lightly. "As if you have the ability to do that."
Seekvaira's eyes narrowed as her peerage stepped forward, adopting a combat formation.
"Hoo… such confidence," Sairaog said as he stepped forward to face Vali directly. "Under normal circumstances, I would welcome the chance to test myself against the descendant of original Lucifer and the current White Dragon Emperor. But unfortunately, we're rather busy right now."
He gave a small, regretful smile. "So I'll have to ask you to leave peacefully instead."
"Sairaog Bael, huh," Vali said, narrowing his eyes as he studied him. "This generation's strongest young devil. I'd like to fight you as well… but today, we have a different agenda."
His eyes went past Sairaog and locked onto Issei.
Issei met the stare head-on, refusing to look away.
Vali's lips curled into a faint smirk, one of genuine interest. Whatever Hajime had put Issei through over the past days… it had clearly worked.
"White Dragon Emperor, if your goal is to fight the Red Dragon Emperor, who grew stronger and somehow survived my fiancée's training, I suggest you save that for another day," Sona said smoothly, neatly cutting through the tension that was starting to build up. "Just as Sairaod said, we're currently preoccupied at the moment."
Amused by how smoothly Sona improvised, Vali decided to play along.
"Heh. And if I don't listen?" he said with a grin. "What then? Will you call that Godslayer? Just to inform you, I'd welcome that."
Sona raised an eyebrow. Around her, several members of the Sitri Peerage twitched in unison. Even knowing Vali was likely acting didn't stop them from reacting. Rias had to bite back a laugh while the rest of the Gremory Peerage openly rolled their eyes at his audacity. Only Irina and Dulio seemed to be enjoying the exchange without restraint.
"Please be assured, White Dragon Emperor," Sona replied coolly, folding her arms. "I won't trouble Hajime-san over something so trivial. I can deal you myself."
She stopped for a second just long enough to let the words sink in before a faint smirk curved her lips. "Or better yet, I'll call Lavi."
Vali's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. His body flinched slightly at the mention of Lavinia's name.
"H-hmph! You've gotten awfully confident, Sona Sitri," he scoffed, though his voice betrayed a subtle hitch. "Do you truly believe you're capable of facing a Heavenly Dragon now?"
The surrounding groups exchanged glances. Sona's calm confidence and the brief tremor in Vali's reaction at Lavinia's name were impossible to miss.
Sona merely met his gaze with a knowing smile and said nothing.
But instead of pursuing or challenging her, Vali shook his head. "As much as I'd like to test your confidence or Hyoudou Issei's newly developed strength, our priority today is that god."
As expected, Rias and Sona thought in unison, sharing the same conclusion as their peerages, along with Irina and Dulio. Vali and his group were likely the 'backup' Azazel had prepared. On the other hand, the Bael and Agares groups, who weren't in on the 'know', grew visibly skeptical of his words.
"Loki?" Sona narrowed her eyes, continuing the act. "Why should we believe you? Aren't both of your groups part of Khaos Brigade?"
"I've always wanted to fight a god," Vali replied calmly. "And with a Longinus, I want to see if I can become a godslayer myself, just like your fiancée. Bikou and the others are on board."
He shrugged. "So when I heard someone was stirring up trouble, I decided to take the opportunity. Besides, even if we belong to the same organization, no one really cares if we clash. We're all just a collection of people with our own agendas."
The lack of reaction from the others made Vali's cheek twitch. Even Kuroka and Bikou feel uneasy.
Sona stared at him flatly. "Nice try. Now tell me the real reason."
"Tsk. You're hard to satisfy," Vali clicked his tongue. "Why does no one believe the truth anymore? As I said, I want to fight Loki and Fenrir. Is that really not enough for you?"
"Of course I'm not satisfied," Sona said, tilting her head slightly. "But we do need manpower. Knowing your strength, adding you and your people to our roster will surely help. Especially right now—when we can't expect help from other factions thanks to the trouble your 'friends' in the Hero Faction have been causing."
Vali rolled his eyes as he let out a cold snort. "Don't bring those idiots up ever again. I'd rather deal with Lavinia's coddling than cooperate with them."
For a moment, Sona—and nearly everyone else—simply blinked.
Those who knew Vali well were especially taken aback. Hearing him openly admit that he would rather endure Lavinia treating him like a child than work with the Hero Faction was nothing short of shocking, considering how much he despised that treatment.
"…You hate them that much?" Sona asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah," Vali replied flatly, crossing his arms. "We avoid getting involved with each other whenever possible."
He then continued, his tone sharpening. "So—what's your answer to my proposal? I'm still going to fight Loki and Fenrir, with or without your cooperation."
A faint smirk returned to his lips. "And if you choose not to cooperate, then we'll still battle them—just while dragging all of you into it as well."
His words caused the tension in the air to tighten once more.
"…A threat, huh?" Sairaog said slowly, narrowing his eyes at Vali. "If we cooperate, you'll defeat Loki with us. And if we don't, you'll attack us alongside Loki just to achieve the same goal."
"Aren't you arrogant? You think you can face all of us while fighting a god at the same time?" Seekvaira snapped, venom lacing her words. "This guy is clearly plotting something."
"Who knows?" Vali replied with a lazy smirk.
"Now, now," Rias stepped in before the tension could escalate. "Seekvaira, Sairaog—let's cool it down for a moment."
She then turned her gaze to Vali. "Actually, Onii-sama has been considering this as well. He said he wouldn't be able to turn down an offer from you, especially since you, aside from Ingvild, are the remaining surviving descendant of the original Maou."
She let out a small sigh. "While there are many things we won't see eye to eye on. Even so, I also believe it's better to have you cooperating with us than letting you roam freely."
Though clearly dissatisfied, Seekvaira and Sairaog didn't argue further. Instead, the three of them turned their attention to Sona, silently waiting for her judgment.
"…Fine. Just for this mission," Sona said at last. "We'll cooperate with you, White Dragon Emperor."
"A wise decision, Sona Sitri," Vali replied, his smirk returning.
"But understand this, Vali Lucifer," Sona continued coolly. "We'll be watching you closely. If you make any suspicious move, we won't hesitate to cut you down."
"I have no intention of doing anything like that," Vali replied evenly. "But if you come at me, I won't go down without a fight."
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