As the barrier slowly recovered, a figure slammed into the ground, adding one more crater to the numerous ones already on the ground.
As Leo landed, the ground scorched, and the grass turned yellow and dry, as waves of smoke rose into the air before the intense heat.
"Ha...Ha... Damn, I haven't moved like this since Solomon was grilling me alive." With white smoke rising from his body, Leo panted with his hand on his hip.
{Does your body even feel tiredness, or are you finally becoming a fat dragon.}
"Me feeling tired has nothing to do with my body," Leo replied, addressing the grandpa dragon in his necklace and stretched.
Then with a wave of his hand, a compass-like device materialized in his palm, "And don't be so mad about the Longinus Smasher. Just imagine your old buddy's face when he sees it."
{Hmph!}
Ddraig's tone softened, slipping into contemplation as Leo smiled and glanced down at the compass—supposedly pointing toward himself—only to notice something was wrong.
The colors began to fade. The device turned into a crystalline replica of its own shape, then slowly crumbled into fragments.
"That son of a—… beautiful and respected woman!" Leo dusted his hands and crushed the crystal shards beneath his shoe, clicking his tongue as he stared at the now-healed distortion in space.
He soon realized the whole reason Nicholas was fighting is to prepare for his final escape, and playing dead was simply more convincing. Piecing things together after the chaos, Leo considered that maybe the only thing Nicholas didn't account for was that final attack—one that didn't just pulverize his shields and body under unbearable pressure and heat, but also tore apart a chunk of space itself, wiping clean everything in its path through the Gap.
[Annihilation Maker (Admin): Guys, I think… I think I might be retarded.]
[NEET Princess: Be more confident! Remove "might."]
[Bri-Bri: *Screenshot* *Pinned*]
"Um, excuse me."
"Huh?"
Looking behind him, Leo saw a group of people looking at him as the only woman in the group timidly approached, "C-Can you not do that again, please?"
Following her trembling finger, Leo realized she was pointing at the remains of a highly compressed mana attack, "Hm? Oh. Yeah, sure. Though that depends on whether Ddraig decides to toss his old buddy back into reincarnation."
Rubbing his chin, Leo watched Serafall's expression cycle from cloudy, to sunny, and back to cloudy in record time.
"OI!" The green orb in Leo's necklace flared brightly, making Serafall flinch—until a hand settled on her shoulder, steadying her.
"That's enough, Serafall. Greetings, the Fall." Sirzechs stepped forward in her place, nodding briefly to her. "I am Sirzechs Lucifer. On behalf of the other Satans and the devils, I—"
"I will stop you right there." Raising his hand, Leo shook his head and interrupted Sirzechs, "I know what you want to say, but what happened here was a force measure to deal with someone."
"What? Reall-HMMMMM" The orb shone again as Leo immediately clamped a hand over it.
"I have no intention of harming you or your peopl-... Anyway, just know I don't want to get involved with you at all." Leo paused mid-sentence before changing the topic.
{He hesitated?} Falbium.
{He hesitated.} Ajuka.
{HE HESITATED!?} Serafall.
"..." Listening to the bickering through their hidden magical communication, Sirzechs' perfectly calm smile twitched.
"Fear not," he said evenly. "I understand. Still, the devils wish to formally greet you and extend an invitation to our territory."
"Man, I get it. I am dangerous and you can't feel at ease with me running around. Just treat me like Ophis or the big red lizar-" Scratching his hair, Leo wondered why he was having this talk before the chat room window suddenly covered his vision.
Unlike the regular blueish windows of chat, this one was pure white... A World's Will communication window.
There was no explanation—only a short message and a map marked with several precise locations. At its center was a place he knew all too well.
Kuoh.
[######(DXD World's Wills): Quick, there is no time to waste! Go here immediately *Map & Coordinates*]
At that instant, Leo's vision folded across time and space. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"I'll fix everything later—I promise. Bye!"
With that, Leo flickered out of existence, vanishing in a violent displacement of air that ruffled Sirzechs' hair and cape.
The four Satans stared at one another in silence.
Ajuka finally sighed and shook his head. "Next time, leave the talking to Serafall."
"At least she got a positive response from him."
"…"
---
Slightly above Kuoh, the air trembled as Leo tore through the fabric of space and emerged. Wind snapped against his clothes as his gaze dropped to the city below. An angelic halo flared into existence above his head and he roared, "What the hell is going on? How did this happen—and who the hell hijacked my leyline routes?! Is this fuyuki?!"
He activated his spell, Stairway to Heaven. The world peeled back as Leo assumed his angel form. On the surface, Kuoh looked untouched, but beneath it, the city was a boiling stew of powers, alien in origin to Leo, but clear in intent in his eyes.
Blood drain. Life siphoning. Spirit burning and extraction. Souls torn apart. Necromantic rites designed not to kill, but to torture. Dozens of rituals stacked atop one another, each more sadistic than the last. Every single one blanketed the city—and every single one converged on Kuoh Academy.
Worst of all, they were riding his leylines. Routes he had built with painstaking effort to make his life easier!
[######(DXD World's Wills): I messed up—I MESSED UP, ALRIGHT?! Shut up and get in there! Kill everyone! LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE! Hurry!!]
"YOU USELESS—"
Before the words finished, Leo's wings unfolded, flowing like liquid before collapsing inward, condensing into a massive black sphere before Annihilation Maker activated. The sphere shrank—then burst.
Needle-thin streaks rained down across the city. The black rain passed through buildings, streets, flesh, untouched, before plunging deep underground. Leylines severed. Rituals choked off mid-cast. The entire structure screamed to a halt without a warning.
Leo was already gone.
Inside the Occult Research Club, a young woman in robes sat cross-legged amid the unconscious devils scattered across the floor. As she began to form a triangle with her hands, she suddenly frowned.
Her hands flew apart.
"Selfish bastard," she muttered. "Fine. Have it your way."
Her head separated, igniting as it fell, yet even then she spared the Gremory devils a final, regretful glance.
Lowering his spear, Leo watched the body burn away under Ddraig's flames, fueled by the Evil of the World. It was a decoy, the caster is long gone.
He clicked his tongue—and vanished again.
The entire city began to shake as explosions fired off throughout it—then they spread outward, racing across the rest of Japan as people screamed in terror.
---
"As of this moment, there has been no explanation for the sudden outbursts of tree-root–like structures appearing in various locations across the globe. Experts remain baffled as to how a plant of this kind could grow beneath some of the world's largest cities. Even more puzzling are the strange, human-like shapes found embedded within them—"
"Hmmmm. This is an interesting gadget you have here. I'm curious," a woman with long black hair said as she fiddled with a strange orb that pulsed with light at irregular intervals. "Are you an alchemist? And yet… Why are your creations so odd?"
The TV droned on inside the spacious, luxurious room. A woman sat astride a young man lying face-down on the bed. His eyes were unfocused, glassy, while she looked utterly bored, listless.
"What a waste of time," she muttered. "How did you even manage to enter this city if you have no way to leave?"
Annoyed, the fallen angel Raynare grabbed Kazuma by the hair and yanked his head up.
She had thought coming to this city would be a simple walk in the park. Instead, over the past two days, an eerie feeling had settled in her gut—as if someone were constantly watching her. Worse still, she soon discovered she couldn't leave. Whether she tried physically or attempted to teleport, she always reappeared within the city. The same was true for her subordinates.
Kuoh had become a prison.
She had even sacrificed two of her own subordinates to lure weaker devils into following her, only to discover they, too, were trapped. No one could leave.
Then, while wandering the city, she noticed someone new—a human magician.
If he managed to get in, she thought, then he might know a way out.
The result—
"YES!" Kazuma replied dreamily, a silly grin plastered across his face as if he were lost in a pleasant fantasy.
"Pathetic," Raynare said coldly. "A creature ruled entirely by its urges. Shall I free you from them?"
She raised her hand, a spear of light forming instantly.
At that moment, the credit card Leo had given Kazuma flashed. A sliver of clarity returned to his eyes. He blinked, stared at the glowing spear aimed at his abdomen, and felt his instincts scream.
"Huh?! You're trying to kill me? Aren't we in love?!"
"Hehehe—AHAHAHAHA!" Raynare burst out laughing. "Is waking up really that hard for you? Sluggish, even for an alchemist. Figures—humans really are trash."
She failed to notice Kazuma lowering his head.
The odd gadget in her hand suddenly expanded.
"What is this?!"
The orb burst apart into clumps of mud and sludge that shot forward, binding Raynare's arms and legs like living ropes. Every attempt to summon light was instantly nullified—the energy absorbed, converted, and used to create even more sludge, pinning her firmly to the bed.
Kazuma staggered to his feet, still unsteady, his eyes half-clear. He smiled strangely.
"A philosopher once said that to reach an agreement, we must think from each other's perspective," he said. "So how about we both think with our lower bodies now? Hehehehehe—"
"What are you doing?! Stop! You filthy human!" Raynare screamed, her face paling as she struggled. The anti-magic golem only tightened its grip.
Just as Kazuma reached toward her—
BANG!
The door burst open.
"Stop right there!" an old woman in white and red robes shouted as she stormed inside.
"Please, help me!" Raynare cried instantly, tears welling up as she shrank back. "He's trying to hurt me!"
"Huh? Who's interrupting me?" Kazuma slurred. "I don't mind kicking an old woman today, wanna go, basta—"
Tap.
An old hand flicked his forehead.
The fog in his mind shattered. Kazuma blinked, suddenly sober, looking around in confusion.
"Shut up, you foul creature of this cursed world," the old woman snarled. "How dare you try to claim another innocent soul. To hell with you!"
She punched forward. A compressed blast of air slammed into Raynare's face, sending her flying into the wall.
"…?"
Kazuma stared as Raynare slumped down, unconscious and missing several teeth. He then looked at the old woman, who patted his shoulder gently, her gaze filled with pity.
"No need to thank me," she said. "After what I've been through, I can't let others make the same mistake. Whatever mission brought you to this world—give it up. Go through penance instead. Trust me, it's far easier than what this world will do to you… or what those lunatics here will do in revenge."
"I didn't come here for a— I don't even know what you're talking about," Kazuma said quickly, sweat pouring down his face. "That woman hypnotized me and tried to kill me. Thank you for saving me!"
He bowed deeply.
The old woman chuckled, eyes sweeping over him before narrowing slightly.
"No need to be afraid. We come from the same place. If your Contractee—the one who gave you your 'cheats'—put restrictions on you, you don't need to say it outright." She smiled faintly. "I'm curious. Is it a system, or just an ability?"
"Uh… um—"
A chat window flickered into existence in the corner of Kazuma's vision.
"Ah," she said immediately. "A system. Brings back memories. Back when I was on probation, thinking I was king of the world just because I had one."
She frowned. "Still, it's strange. Did the idiot behind you really send you here just to die?"
She shook her head. "Someone is already going around killing everyone. You should evacuate. Fast."
"Someone is killing everyone?" Kazuma said, his face draining of color.
---
"STOP HIM—UGHH!"
A red spear punched through a middle-aged man's mouth and tore his head apart. As the body collapsed, it began to swell—then detonated into a green cloud that corroded everything it touched.
Leo twisted mid-air as his wings fanned the cloud to other targets, then he spun the spear as he teleported behind the man's partner.
The middle-aged man's partner clicked his tongue, ripped open his shirt, and screamed, "GO TO HELL!"
Crimson tattoos flared across his body before an explosion ripped skyward.
---
The room trembled, like a mild earthquake. The old woman glanced out the window.
"Confirmed reports," she said calmly. "Five high-ranked Contractors have already fallen. The rest are retreating. Middle-class casualties have likely reached double digits—and it's only been minutes."
She patted Kazuma's shoulder once more. "Take care, young man. And absolutely avoid women in this world. Trust me—you don't want to know what happens otherwise."
She turned to leave. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for my 'wife'."
Wife?
Kazuma froze, then hurried after her. "Wait! What's going on? What do you mean something bad will happen? And why should I give up my mission?"
"Hmmm?" she replied. "Like I said—give it up, or take responsibility for your actions, youngster."
"Please," Kazuma pleaded, head almost reaching his knees. "Just tell me why."
She rubbed her chin. "And what do I get in return?"
Caught off guard, Kazuma thought quickly. "Anything—as long as it doesn't cost me too much. And… I still owe you for saving me."
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Guys, wish me luck. I'm about to do something.]
[Bri-Bri: Wait—don't tell me you're doing something immoral?!]
[Big Sister Lion: Hope you trip and fall. Good luck.]
The old woman studied Kazuma's hopeful, poorly concealed scheming expression and sighed.
"You're terrible at this," she said. "Never look too eager. And calm your heartbeat." She shook her head. "You really remind me of myself."
She glanced around. "Well… I suppose this isn't a bad place to hide."
"As long as we don't kill her, the lunatic slaughtering everyone probably won't target us," she added, eyeing the unconscious Raynare with undisguised disgust.
The hatred in that stare sent a chill down Kazuma's spine.
Finally, she exhaled and spoke. Her eyes seemed to be tracing a long forgotten memory.
"My name is Harrison," she said calmly. "And I am a man."
Ignore Kazuma's expression, her gentle expression vanished, replaced by something hollow and disturbing.
"And this foul, disgusting world…"
Her voice dropped lower, teeth grinding together with a metallic scrape.
"This world—" she said slowly, deliberately, "—should not be allowed to exist."