Volume 3: Emergence at DesuMachi
Chapter 153: See? I Told You, I Can Handle It
Courtyard in the Government Building, Underworld, DxD Planet…
The atmosphere between Ingvild and Diodora grew heavy, so thick it pressed down on everyone present. Asia fidgeted and instinctively hid behind Euphyllia, fingers clutching her sleeve. Diodora, meanwhile, kept his pleasant smile firmly in place, but deep inside, his jaw was tight, teeth grinding with barely restrained anger.
Only silence can be heard over the courtyard.
Diodora offered no reply, only meeting Ingvild's questioning gaze. A full minute passed in complete stillness before he finally released a deep, weary sigh.
"Haa… I truly didn't expect things to turn out like this."
"Astaroth-san?" Ingvild called out, confusion clear in her voice.
"Heheheh… WAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The sudden, unhinged laughter shattered the atmosphere, making all four girls stiffen.
"I suppose this is my fault," Diodora muttered, his tone twisting. "My impatience led me here… and now I'm dealing with this troublesome outcome."
He lifted his head slightly, his smile thinning.
"My plan… my perfect plan fell apart because I couldn't restrain myself when it came to finally getting my hands on Asia." He clicked his tongue. "Tch… what an annoyance."
The venom in his words made the air go cold.
All four girls tensed instantly. Villhaze's eyes narrowed as she raised her daggers, her stance changing in preparation to attack at the slightest sign of danger. Beside her, Euphyllia reached into her storage space and took out Arc-en-Ciel, the weapon created by Anisphia and Hajime. The sword's familiar weight in her hand gave her a reassuring presence.
"You know… I truly intended to approach Asia properly," Diodora said, his voice oddly calm. "Like a gentleman."
He let out a low chuckle, the sound hollow.
"I would have gone to Gremory. Negotiated. Offered them any piece they wanted in exchange." His eyes went toward Asia, lingering far too long. "And once she was mine… then I could finally fulfill my long-cherished desire."
As he spoke, magic circles appeared around him one after another. His smile twisted, and his eyes remained locked on Asia, who was standing behind Ingvild.
"After I went to all the trouble to have Asia kicked out of the church… all of this happened!"
His mad tone sent a chill through Asia, Villhaze, Ingvild, and Euphyllia.
"She will get exiled from the Church, which she believed in, then her life will get ruined, and she won't believe in God anymore! And with nowhere run, she will come to me. With such a painful experience, I appear to save her from the depths of despair, and then… and then… AND THEN….!!!"
Sensing the change in his demeanor, Ingvild raised her hand. The Water Serpent wrapped around the group at once, forming a smooth, mirror-like barrier.
"Vill-chan, be careful," Ingvild warned. "Something is very wrong with him."
"Yes, please leave it to me, milady," Villhaze replied without hesitation. "Please focus on protecting yourselves."
"Villhaze, don't worry about the consequences. The moment you see an opening—attack."
Euphyllia said firmly, eyes never leaving Diodora
"In case we mistakenly considered this man a traitor, I will explain everything to Hajime-sama myself and take full responsibility."
"Don't shoulder it alone, Euphy-san," Ingvild said, tightening her grip on Euphyllia's hand. "I'll share the burden with you and explain it to the other leaders as well."
Euphyllia glanced at her, a small but grateful smile forming. "Thank you, Ingvild-san."
Diodora's thin reason finally broke.
"My dream… my cherished dream…" he muttered, voice slipping into something feverish. "To touch Asia with these hands. To keep her by my side, day and night—until her mind breaks."
The words were soaked in obsession.
"T-this man…?!" Villhaze took an involuntary step back, bile rising in her throat.
Asia went pale, her breath hitching. Ingvild froze in shock. Euphyllia, meanwhile, felt only raw disgust, her expression contorted in grimace as she looked away from Diodora.
"AAAAHHH!! My Asia—my Asia!!!" Diodora shrieked, his voice cracking as his eyes locked onto her. "So pure… so innocent. I wonder what face you'll make when that innocence is gone."
His smile stretched too wide, feverish and wrong. "I want to see it."
The next instant, magic shot from him, wild, indiscriminate blasts fired toward Ingvild and the others. The water veil that Ingvild had set caught the barrage and dispersed it like a stone thrown in the pond, creating ripples on its surface.
"…Are you standing in the way of my love for Asia?" Diodora muttered, trembling. "Unacceptable. Unacceptable!!! UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!"
"Vill-chan!!!"
At Ingvild's call, Villhaze moved.
She dashed forward in a sharp zigzag, slipping between the incoming spells. In seconds, she closed the distance. Light flashed along the daggers in her hand as she drove in.
"…Sleep for a while, Mister."
But the dagger stopped short of hitting Diodora, caught by a multilayered barrier that suddenly appeared between. Villhaze clicked her tongue as the shield blocked her attack, and in that brief moment, someone cut in, delivering a sharp kick. She crossed her forearms just in time to block and slid back a step.
"Tsk."
A second hooded figure joined the first, their attacks coming in fast and heavy combinations. Villhaze settled into a defensive stance, blocking, parrying, and dodging past their attacks. Not because she can't, but more because she won't. Her eyes tracked their rhythm, their spacing, their intent.
'Solid defense. Heavy strikes,' she assessed calmly. 'These two… rooks, perhaps. Pieces protecting this ma—…bastar—...thing.'
Out of sheer spite, Villhaze refused to acknowledge Diodora as a man at all. The insult hung on her tongue for a brief moment, but she swallowed it down and settled for the politest address she could muster, still her voice carrying not even a trace of respect.
Meanwhile, the two attackers pressing her began to slow down. Their swings grew heavier, their movements slower, impatience creeping into their rhythm. Villhaze caught that at once. Taking advantage of the opening, she stepped forward, her stance changing as she raised her daggers—ready to counter.
An unexplainable chill crept over the attackers as Villhaze's dagger caught the light. Instinctively, they broke formation, tension coiling as they waited for her counterattack.
And she did.
Just not at them.
Villhaze twirled her dagger away from the two in front, snapping it backward at the last second to intercept a sword swinging in from behind.
Clang.
She glanced over her shoulder, meeting the stunned look on her new attacker's face. In the same fluid motion, she twisted her body and sent a heavy side kick straight into its ribs.
Carefully adjusting her angle, she sent the body flying, slamming directly into the two attackers ahead.
"Kaah!"
"Uhmm!"
"Oh no…!"
Villhaze calmly patted her apron, brushing away imaginary dust as she watched the three collapse together.
"Hmph."
The very next second, Villhaze swung her dagger again, intercepting another attacker wielding dual swords. This time, she didn't retreat or evade; she stepped forward, seizing the initiative. Her movements blurred as speed and force overwhelmed her opponent, sending them back step by step.
The moment the gap in defence appeared, Villhaze fired a burst of magic at point-blank range. The attack hit squarely, sending the attacker crashing to the ground.
Without even lifting her head, Villhaze raised a barrier above herself. A blast of fire detonated against it, the explosion roaring above her, but she didn't even bother to look at it. Her eyes remained fixed on the three attackers she brought down earlier, watching them struggle to force themselves back to their feet.
While the rest of the Astaroth peerage appeared, Diodora's eight pawns stepped forward, blocking Villhaze's way.
"Tsk."
Above the sky, Diodora's Queen clicked her tongue, irritation flashing across her face when Villhaze didn't even bother to spare her a glance after the attack. Floating beside her were two of Diodora's Bishops, watching the exchange closely.
"It looks like the Leviathan's Queen is tougher than expected," one of the bishops said nervously.
The other bishop bit her lips as she nodded, glancing at their peerage's Queen, "What should we do next?"
The queen narrowed her eyes as she stared at Villhaze, gritting her teeth, "Let's surround her and attack her simultaneously. Don't give her any breathing room."
""Understood!""
The two Bishops spoke in unison before preparing their magics to boost their allies on the ground. Nearby, one of the pawns ran to the dual-sword Knight, helping her back onto her feet.
Despite taking Villhaze's magic at point-blank range, the Knight was able to get back on her feet. She might be hurt and lightly injured, but she still has more energy to spare to fight.
"You alright?" the pawn asked, gripping her arm to support her.
"I-I'm fine…" the Knight answered between her breaths. "The Leviathan's Queen held back... A lot."
"Damn it… damn it… You damn maid!!!" Diodora snarled, his composure finally broken, glaring at Villhaze, who hadn't even bothered to look back after defeating four of his pieces.
"You lot!" he shouted, turning his head toward his pawns. "I'm permitting you to promote yourselves to Queen!"
"…Yes, Diodora-sama!"
At his command, his peerage flinched then, as if forced into motion, the eight pawns promoted themselves into Queens in unison.
"WAHAHAHAH!" Diodora threw his head back in laughter. "Now then, let's see how you fare against nine Queen pieces, you damn maid!!"
Yet Villhaze—and even Ingvild and Euphyllia watching from the rear—weren't focused on Diodora's boasting.
They were watching his peerage.
For just a moment, it was brief but unmistakable; each member of his peerage flinched.
Their bodies are trembling.
"…What was that?" Ingvild whispered, her brows furrowing.
Euphyllia narrowed her eyes, sharp as she studied them. "I don't know why, but… something's wrong. Their reaction isn't normal at all."
Ingvild nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving Diodora's peerage. "I don't know why, but… they look scared of him."
"I agree," Euphyllia replied, her voice low. "It feels like they're being forced. Coerced, maybe."
"If we judge by their reactions…" Ingvild bit her lip, resolve hardening. "Then that might be exactly it. And if that's true—we can't just leave them like this."
She turned sharply toward Villhaze. "Vill-chan, please knock out his peerage—but don't hurt them any more than necessary. I want to hear their story once this is over."
"By your will, milady," Villhaze answered without hesitation.
Even when facing sixteen enemies—nine of them Queens—Villhaze showed no sign of panic. She remained where she stood, posture relaxed, eyes calmly measuring the opposition.
"Villhaze, I'll assist you," Euphyllia said, lifting her sword as magic gathered around her.
"There's no need to trouble yourself over something this small, Lady Euphy," Villhaze replied lightly.
Before Euphyllia could take a single step forward, Villhaze raised a hand to stop her.
"I can handle them on my own."
"…Are you sure?" Euphyllia blinked, her bros furrowed.
"Of course!" Villhaze declared, planting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. "I'll show both of you just how powerful this Villhaze really is!"
Perhaps Villhaze's words hit a nerve.
Diodora's jaw tightened as irritation showed across his face. Villhaze's casual confidence looked to him as outright mockery. To be dismissed so easily, treated as if he and his peerage weren't even worth serious consideration, was an insult he could barely contain.
Behind him, his peerage reacted just as sharply. Several clenched their fists as others stiffened, all of them trying, and failing, to hide the fear in their expressions as Diodora's anger flow outward.
They exchanged glances, drawing strength from each other's presence. A silent agreement was passed between them as their resolve hardened.
They absolutely can not lose.
Because if they did… perhaps death would be the most merciful outcome left to them.
"I see," Euphyllia said at last, a wry smile show at lips. "Then, Villhaze… we'll leave this to you."
"Please be careful, Vill-chan," Ingvild added.
"Thank you for believing in me!" Villhaze replied with a bright grin as she dashed forward.
Watching Villhaze charge straight toward Diodora and his peerage alone, Asia, still hiding behind Ingvild and Euphyllia, felt her chest tighten with worry.
"W-will Villhaze-san be alright?" she asked softly. "She's going to fight a whole peerage by herself…"
"Mhm." Ingvild smiled gently. "Vill-chan said she can handle it. So we'll believe in her."
As Villhaze ran, she let her Quantum energy flow freely through her body, the power of Nihility seeping out with it. Diodora and his peerage unconsciously step back, instinctively sensing just how dangerous the power surrounding her was.
High above, the two Bishops moved first. Their magic flared as they poured spells into the Astaroth peerage, layers of enhancement stacking one after another. Green magical energy wrapped around their bodies.
The Queen snapped her fingers.
A massive sphere of demonic fire roared downward, tearing through the air straight toward Villhaze's path.
And yet it didn't slow her down even for a bit.
Instead, Villhaze wrapped her daggers with Quantum energy, Nihility condensing around their blades. She then jumped and, with a single clean motion, sliced the demonic fire in half.
The flames dispersed harmlessly, scattering like smoke.
The Queen's eyes widened. The Bishops froze.
Below, the Rooks and Knights stared in disbelief. Even the promoted pawns faltered, stunned as they watched the Queen's attack vanish so casually.
Villhaze didn't waste the opening.
Using the momentum from her jump, she propelled herself forward and landed squarely in the middle of the Rooks' and Knights' formation.
"Be careful!!" the Queen shouted at last, snapping out of her trance.
But she was already too late.
Villhaze moved in like a blur.
Her daggers waved and slashed in rapid succession as she twirled and spun through the four, her movements almost resembling a dance. Each clean stroke carried Nihility with it, not to wound their bodies, but to erode something far deeper.
With every passing slash, pieces of the Rooks' and Knights' existence slipped away.
Their sight blurred. Sounds faded. Their balance failed. Touch dulled. Pain vanished. Magic drained. Stamina exhausted.
Even the will to stand dissolved into nothingness.
By the time her final slash landed, the four collapsed to the ground like broken puppets. They could no longer feel or hear. Their awareness of the world around them was gone, bodies while alive, yet empty, as if death had brushed past and taken everything else.
Villhaze raised her head, eyes settling on the remaining pieces of the Astaroth peerage.
The promoted pawns let out small, broken whimpers as fear crept into their very existence. Watching their friends and comrades fall so easily, unmoving and unresponsive, left a deep, terrible dread lodged in their hearts.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Diodora shouted, panic breaking through his voice. "GO STOP HER! KILL THAT DAMN MAID!"
Forced by his orders, the remaining members of the Astaroth peerage moved to intercept Villhaze. Their bodies shaking as they advanced, fear clear in every hesitant step, but none of them dared to disobey.
'I thought showing them something terrifying would break their will,' Villhaze realized grimly as she watched them close in. 'But whatever he did to them… it ingrained itself too deeply within them. They'll obey him no matter what.'
"As ordered by the Queens of Reason," Villhaze declared, her voice firm with sympathy, "I will free you from whatever binds you to that thing."
Magical attacks rained down toward her as the promoted pawns closed in from all sides.
And yet, Villhaze didn't retreat.
She slipped between the spells, daggers crossing to deflect a pawn's weapon while her foot pivoted just enough to avoid being pinned. Another attack came from above, but she turned aside at the last moment, her apron flapping as the attack narrowly missed.
Her eyes remained sharp as she read their formation.
They pressed in from every direction, but Villhaze only smiled, not to mock them, but to acknowledge their will to face her despite knowing they would lose against her.
The moment the Queen was about to move, Villhaze vanished.
She flashed through the sky like a streak of light, reappearing directly between the Queen and the two Bishops. Her dagger swung, tapping the Queen's shoulder for barely an instant.
It didn't cut.
But the effect was immediate.
The Queen's eyes widened as her power began to drain away. Strength slipped from her limbs, numbness spreading through her body as she lost control and fell from the sky.
"Gh—?!"
"No!!!"
"Curse you!!!"
The Bishops jumped in from either side, their magic flaring as they reacted. Villhaze twisted at the side, letting the spell pass harmlessly, then moved forward. Her daggers hit their sides.
Like the Queen earlier, both Bishops felt their consciousness slip, their strength vanished, and they dropped to the ground, unconscious.
The rest of the promoted pawns charged in together after that.
Weapons, spells, punches, and kicks filled the air as the remaining members of the peerage threw themselves at Villhaze from every direction. She moved through all of it like flowing water, never staying in one place, never meeting force head-on. Each swing of her dagger carried the power of Nihility, making those who get hit feel something within slipping away. Though her attacks seemed ruthless, Villhaze still held back enough to disable them rather than destroy them.
One promoted pawn stumbled as her footing slipped, collapsing before she could even raise her weapon.
Another fell when the pommel of a dagger struck the back of her neck.
A third fell as Villhaze appeared in front of her, tapping the pawn's forehead once before vanishing again, leaving her unconscious on the ground.
Within minutes, the noisy courtyard, filled with shouts and clashing magic earlier, fell into a chilling silence.
At last, Villhaze came to a stop at the center of the battlefield, sliding her daggers back into the sheaths hidden beneath her skirt.
"…See?" she said calmly, glancing back toward Ingvild, Euphyllia, and Asia. "I told you. I can handle it."
====
~~~~~~~~OMAKE ~~~~~~~~~
In a random ramen shop in Lilith, the capital of the Underworld, Hajime suddenly paused mid-slurp. He blinked, tilting his head slightly, much to the confusion of Tobio, Kouki, and Gasper.
"Is something wrong, Hajime-senpai?" Gasper asked.
Hajime didn't answer right away. He slowly set his bowl back on the table, finishing the noodles already in his mouth as if carefully buying himself time.
"Bro?"
"Hajime?"
Even Tobio and Kouki called out, their shoulders tensing. For a brief moment, their thoughts ran wild—was he sensing danger? Some kind of disturbance?
And yes, Hajime did feel that something was off… just not in the way they were imagining.
"Well…" Hajime finally said, his expression as serious as he could make it, "I feel like I somehow missed half the plot already."
The three stared at him.
Then, almost in perfect sync, Tobio, Kouki, and Gasper deadpanned—before letting out tired sighs and returning to their food as if nothing had happened.
Hajime's cheek twitched at their complete dismissal. He scratched the back of his head, shrugged, and picked up his chopsticks again.
'Oh well,' he thought as he resumed eating. 'Probably just my imagination.'