"I can't afford to complain," I replied. "I'll keep fighting as long as I have to."
Irina touched down beside us, her wings shimmering. "Wrong, Kiba-kun! We fight until we win!"
Following her, the rest of the Occult Research Club, along with Sona-san and the Sitri members, gathered around us. Everyone's clothes were in tatters, their breathing ragged, but their eyes remained sharp.
"Irina is right, Yuto!" President Rias declared. "No matter what happens, we are going home alive! That is an absolute order!"
"That's right! I'll heal you all! I'll protect you! I won't give up!"
Asia-san's eyes burned with resolve as she manifested a massive golden aura. The light took the shape of Fafnir, and as it washed over us, our wounds closed and a fraction of our mana and stamina surged back. More than that, the aura soothed our frayed nerves, washing away the mental exhaustion of the slaughter.
This was Asia-san's Balance Breaker: Twilight Saint Affection—The Garden of Compassion Embraced by the Holy Dragon Lady.
It was the ultimate healing, a sanctuary that guarded those within against outside intrusion. Her spirit was the literal foundation keeping our morale from collapsing.
With her healing, the light of battle returned to everyone's eyes. We took our stances, ready for the next wave.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!!"
A roar shook the very foundations of the world. It was so loud it felt like an electric shock to the nervous system; for a moment, I thought my eardrums had ruptured.
Then, a sea of incinerating fire swept over our heads. The sky itself was replaced by the flames of a living hell.
I knew this sight. This was an attack from Trihexa itself.
The Beast's advance had accelerated. It was now flanked by several Demon Gods created by Bell, and more Evil Dragons than we had killed in the entire war were swarming around it like locusts.
Trihexa opened its colossal maws. The Demon Gods and Evil Dragons followed suit. Hovering directly above the Beast were fifty clones of the Red Dragon Emperor, their wings spread wide, all of them deploying their Eclipse cannons.
"An all-out bombardment...!" someone gasped.
The only reason we had survived Issei-kun's clones earlier was that they were fighting as individuals. But this...
A synchronized volley of Demon King-class attacks?
Every time we stood back up, the enemy found a new way to plunge us back into despair.
What do we do? How can we possibly survive this? Even the gods would struggle to block an onslaught of this magnitude!
Trihexa and its legion prepared to fire the light of extinction, ready to turn everything to ash.
And then—
A colossal torrent of crimson light erupted from behind us.
The beam screamed through the air, slamming directly into Trihexa. The force of the impact actually forced the Great Beast backward, shattering the formation of the clones and disrupting their synchronized fire. The Evil Dragons and Red Dragon clones caught in the periphery were simply erased. The Demon Gods were sent tumbling, their physical forms shredded by the pressure.
That attack. That aura. That color.
"He's here!"
"Took your sweet time!"
"We've been waiting, Master!"
In the sky, the Red-Eyed Sniper—controlling twenty-eight bits—began picking off dragons with renewed fervor. The Sword Saint carved through the enemy with twin black blades. The White Lightning Princess, wreathed in divine power, danced across the battlefield. The members of the Hero's Party from Ast-Arde let out a triumphant cheer.
There was no mistake. He had finally arrived.
A brilliant crimson spark ignited in the distance, screaming toward our position at terminal velocity.
I—no, all of us—couldn't help but smile. The despair that had been choking us moments ago evaporated like mist in the sun. We knew exactly why we felt this way.
Our hope had arrived.
We've been waiting for you, Issei-kun.
Now... our real battle begins!
[Kiba's Perspective: End]
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