I deployed my bits and lunged at him. I'd coated my fists and the bits with Penetrate to bypass his defenses, unleashing a desperate, full-power rush. I mixed punches, kicks, and long-range cannon fire, trying to overwhelm him with sheer volume.
But Rizevim didn't need his nullification anymore. He caught my punches, parried my bits, and smashed through my defenses with raw, terrifying strength.
"He's stopping my attacks with his bare hands!"
『Uhyahya! I don't need to nullify your little toys anymore! With this power, I can tear that armor open like a tin can!』
His fist buried itself in my stomach. I felt my internal organs scream as I vomited a massive spray of blood. Just one hit, and I was already falling apart.
"RIZEVIM!"
Vali roared, soaring back into the sky, his white aura burning with a dangerous, unstable intensity. Rizevim's wings lashed out like sentient whips, their tips hardening into drill-like points.
Vali moved at high speed, but the wings tracked him with impossible precision. A graze on the arm, then the leg, then the shoulder—until finally, a wing-spear drove clean through Vali's abdomen, pinning him against a nearby building. Blood soaked his white armor, turning it a ghastly crimson.
I tried to move to help him, but I couldn't. The powered-up Rizevim was beyond even my EXA form. What kind of forbidden science could grant this much power? His speed and strength were so far beyond comprehension that even a glancing blow was enough to shatter my armor.
I summoned Ignis, swinging the massive sword with everything I had, but he wasn't even there when the blade landed.
Rizevim grabbed me by the ankle and slammed me into the ground next to Vali. The impact rattled my teeth and blurred my vision.
The monster loomed over us, wearing a hideous, triumphant grin.
『You shitty little dragons can take a nap for eternity right here!』
His wings coiled, preparing to drive through both of us. My body wouldn't move. I was paralyzed.
But as the wings descended, someone stepped in front of us.
The Champion stood between us and the monster, taking the full force of the blow. The wings impaled him through the chest and stomach.
"Guh...!"
He staggered, coughing up blood. Rizevim looked at him with utter disdain.
『You don't even have the spine to stay evil, boy. What do you think you're doing?』
"...I cannot... let these children carry any more of our burdens," Diehauser gasped.
『Hah! After everything you've done, you want to play hero? Fine. All you've done is buy them a few more seconds of life.』
Rizevim ripped his wings out of the Champion's body.
As I looked up at the creature above us, I wondered if "Devil" was even the right word anymore. He was a god of malice.
Suddenly, Rizevim tapped his chin as if remembering something.
『Oh, right, right. I forgot one little detail.』
He snapped his fingers.
The sky above Agreas began to distort, warping into a massive, shimmering screen that stretched across the horizon. It was a live broadcast.
It was a town.
I saw streetlights, parks, and houses. Then, my heart stopped. I saw the familiar shape of a school building. A building I walked into every single morning.
"No... it can't be...!"
Rizevim's grin widened. 『Oh, yes! It's Kuoh Town! Your home sweet home!』
His voice was being projected through magic to the entire city of Agreas—a message to every member of the D×D team.
"You bastard... what are you doing with footage of our town?!"
『The headquarters of Team D×D, a vital node for the Three Great Powers! Important, isn't it? Your parents live there, your friends... so precious. So, Uncle Rizevim decided to send a little welcoming committee of Evil Dragons to pay them a visit! ☆』
"What?!"
My blood ran cold. He was sending the dragons to our town?
"The town is protected by a barrier! You can't just—"
『Oh, please. Think about it. Where was Ophis attacked? That underground space, right? To get there, we already had to bypass the Kuoh barrier. Your little shield is like paper to us! And so...』
He snapped his fingers again.
Seconds later, the screen showed black swarms descending from the clouds. Hundreds... no, thousands of mass-produced Evil Dragons.
『Uhyahya! It's basic strategy to hit the base while the heroes are away! Try and save them if you can—before the dragons tear your precious little town to pieces!』
I didn't hesitate. I opened a communication circle immediately.
"Asia! Xenovia! Irina! Reyna! Ravel! Get back to the town! Protect everyone!"
『Understood!』
『W-we're on it!』
Asia could heal the wounded, and Xenovia and Irina were the best shield she could have. Reyna and Ravel could coordinate reinforcements from the Fallen Angels and Devils.
『Issei! I'm going too!』
『Me too!』
Leisha and Dulio's voices came through. With them there, the dragons would be wiped out in no time.
"Leisha! Aren't you fighting Ladon?!"
『There's enough distance! I can teleport before he catches up. If we don't hurry, your mother and father will be in danger!』
"...Please! Save them!"
On the screen, I saw streaks of light began to rip through the dragon swarms. Leisha was sniping them from the sky; Dulio was manipulating the weather to incinerate dozens at once.
But I knew this was a trap. The townspeople would see this. The secret world was being dragged into the light in the most violent way possible.
And Rizevim wasn't done.
High above Agreas, red lights began to blink into existence. One, then ten, then a hundred—until the sky was choked with them.
『And here comes the Red Dragon Emperor Corps! Team D×D is split in two, and now you have to face copies of Issei Hyoudou, each with the power of a Satan! Let's see if you can survive!』
He was treating our lives like a goddamn game show.
The copies began to rain down on the floating city, targeting Rias and the others. My friends were being overwhelmed by numbers on two fronts.
Through the comms, the voices of my family started to bleed together in a chorus of desperation.
—Akeno, look out!
—Rias?! Damn it... we're being pinned down!
—Gasper, we need a barrier over here! There are too many!
Rias, Akeno, Gasper, Kiba, Rossweisse...
—Hurry, or the parents will...!
—Tch! What a pain in the ass!
Alice, Miwa, the old man...
—Asia! Over here!
—We won't let them take our town!
—Issei-sama trusted us! We will protect this place!
Xenovia, Asia, Irina, Reyna, Ravel, Leisha... even Sona, Saji, and Dulio.
I could hear them all. They were fighting with everything they had. They were dying for me.
My mom and dad were there. My friends—Matsuda, Motohama, Kiryuu. Our families.
I promised them. I promised I'd come back. I promised we'd all go home together.
Rizevim... you piece of shit. You don't get to do this. You don't get to touch them!
I won't... I WON'T LET YOU!
"LIKE I'D LET YOU DO THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!"
My soul screamed, and the world went white.
『———————AGIOS BURST!!!!!!!!!』
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