Fine. Permission granted. Now I could focus on crushing him.
Wrapped in a shroud of crimson aura, I spread the celestial wings that had grown even larger after "docking." I leveled my gaze at Rizevim and charged!
"Uhyahyanya! Did you forget?! As long as you're using a Sacred Gear—it's useless!"
Under normal circumstances, he'd be right. He'd touch me, the armor would vanish, and my power-up would be forcibly canceled.
But—
『PENETRATE!!』
The announcement rang out. His hand reached for me—but my fist didn't falter. It gained momentum, sinking deep into his face with a sickening crunch!
The force of the blow sent him skipping across the stone floor like a stone over water until he slammed into the far wall.
Rizevim scrambled up, blood leaking from his nose.
"What… what was that…?"
He wiped the blood away, staring at the red smear on his hand in disbelief. I felt the satisfying sting in my knuckles and confirmed the damage.
"Just as I thought. I figured if I could get through Diehauser's 'Worthless' ability, I could handle you. Your nullification doesn't work on me anymore. The power I've gained—Ddraig's innate 'Penetrate' ability—allows me to phase right through your cheat code."
"…You phased through my Nullification?! Don't give me that bullshit! My power cancels everything! Every Sacred Gear, every Longinus—EVERYTHING!"
Even with his face smashed in, Rizevim refused to accept reality. He screamed at me, pointing a trembling finger. I took a heavy, deliberate step forward. My killing intent coiled around me like a physical weight as I closed the distance.
"Believe it or not, I don't care. Prepare yourself. You really think you're walking away from two Heavenly Dragons?"
Vali stepped up beside me.
"Two against one… I usually prefer it the other way around."
"Don't be picky. I'm itching to break him. Let's just end this together."
To an outsider, it might have looked cowardly. But a piece of filth like this didn't deserve a fair fight.
Think of what he'd done. He'd decimated the vampire city. He'd slaughtered children in Auros. He'd attacked Heaven on a whim and wounded Asia.
And now, he had come for my family.
I could never forgive him. Vali was right—this man was Evil incarnate. He played with lives for sport and trampled over everything sacred.
"Rizevim! You're the avatar of everything rotten! For every person you've made cry, I'm gonna—we're gonna—punch the hell out of you!"
『TRANS-AM DRIVE!!!!』
A thunderous roar erupted from the jewels of my gauntlet!
The armor turned a brilliant, incandescent crimson, and a massive cloud of shimmering red particles erupted from my wings! I closed the gap at god-speed, entering his guard before he could blink, and unleashed a devastating uppercut.
『PENETRATE!!』
The Penetrate ability slipped past his defense, and the full weight of my EXA power—tripled by the drive—slammed into his jaw!
As Rizevim was launched into the air, I followed up with a spinning heel kick that connected with the force of a falling star.
"Gubah! What is this?! What the hell IS THIS?!"
Rizevim screamed, spraying blood into the air. But Vali was already waiting behind him.
"You shouldn't focus all your attention on Hyoudou Issei, Rizevim!"
Vali dispelled his gauntlets, coating his bare hands in a dense, terrifying concentration of demonic power. He delivered a knife-hand strike straight into Rizevim's neck!
The villain crashed through the floor of the observation deck, falling into the levels below. Vali and I dove after him.
"Tch!"
Rizevim clicked his tongue, narrowly avoiding our follow-up strike. He smashed through a glass window, fleeing the building. He had clearly realized that fighting both of us in a cramped space was a death sentence.
"You're not getting away!"
"This is where you end!"
There was no escape.
A Red Dragon and a White Dragon. The two Heavenly Dragons, hailed as the greatest in history, gave chase.
The brawl erupted over the skies of Agreas. Centering our tactics around my "Penetrate" ability, Vali and I hammered Rizevim with a relentless barrage. Every time my fist or Vali's kick collided with Rizevim's counters, the shockwaves leveled nearby buildings. Mass-produced Evil Dragons caught in the aftershocks were shredded instantly.
I had to give it to him—holding his own against both of us at once proved he was the real deal. His personality was garbage, but his power was legitimate. He was in a different league than the Old Satan Faction posers who relied on borrowed strength.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Rizevim spread his Lucifer wings mid-air and unleashed a storm of massive magic circles. Each blast carried enough localized destruction to be fatal.
But with my power tripled, I was a different beast. Even if this form only lasted a few minutes, I had the raw output to crush his spells head-on. My Feather Bits deployed, forming blades of aura that sliced his magical blasts into ribbons.
The severed masses of energy detonated, shaking the very sky of Agreas.
While I neutralized his long-range game, Vali lunged in for the kill.
"Hah! The Red Dragon's phasing is a surprise, but I can still nullify your Gear!"
The moment Rizevim reached out to touch Vali's armor—
A crimson aura suddenly swirled around Vali. It acted as a shield, intercepting Rizevim's hand.
And then—the White Dragon's fist found the Son of Lucifer.
Vali's punch buried itself deep into Rizevim's gut, folding the villain in half. Rizevim staggered back through the air, coughing up blood, his eyes wide with frantic confusion.
"How…? Why didn't the nullification work on you either?!"
Vali looked at the red aura shimmering around his limbs.
"Because of Hyoudou Issei's aura. He's shared his 'Penetrate' ability with me."
I pulled up alongside him to finish the explanation.
"My aura can't be nullified, and now it's acting as a second skin for Vali. As long as I'm here, your 'Sacred Gear Nullification' is useless against both of us."
Rizevim's face twitched. He looked at the two of us standing side-by-side, his eyes filled with pure loathing.
"This generation of Heavenly Dragons… you're freaks. Red and White have been killing each other for an eternity. To see you teaming up against me… what kind of sick joke is this?!"
I'd fought Vali. I'd worked with him. Our first real team-up had been against Loki. It was true—compared to the Heavenly Dragons of the past, we were… well, we were outliers.
Even Ddraig and Albion had made peace.
The jewel in my gauntlet pulsed, and Ddraig's voice boomed.
[Son of the Great Satan Lucifer. I believe I told you—never underestimate Albion or myself.]
Albion's voice followed immediately.
[You were far too foolish. What you did to Vali in the past, and what you have done to Hyoudou Issei now… you have done more than enough to rouse our ire.]
[You have touched the Dragons' reverse scale,] Ddraig growled. [And for that, we shall erase you from existence.]
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