Tomorrow would be the fight against Riser in front of a huge audience, yet Jeanne Alter felt not an ounce of nervousness—in fact, she felt a tinge of excitement.
Today in the Occult Research Club, nearly everyone around her already knew her strength, so even if she had slaughtered Riser five or six times on the spot, she wouldn't hear any shocked gasps, and that'd be boring.
More importantly… she'd struck a deal with a certain siscon Devil Lord to temporarily keep the Phenex family off Rias's back.
In return, he would provide information about that mysterious organization coveting Ophis's power.
Khaos Brigade…was it?
Freshly stepping out of the bath, water still dripping from her wet hair, Jeanne Alter muttered softly while toweling herself dry.
It really sucks not knowing the plot; I have to dig up all this information myself…
So troublesome.
Pausing mid-motion, Jeanne Alter glanced sideways at her long, flowing hair with a slight frown.
Long-haired Jeanne Alter is definitely stunning…but it's annoying to manage. Maybe I should switch back to short hair? The original Jeanne Alter had short hair at first, anyway…
Unlike Jeanne d'Arc, whose short hair was just a dull braided bun mistaken for short locks, Jeanne Alter genuinely wore shoulder-length short hair until her third Ascension, where she opted for long hair. She had the Spiritron Dress version unlocked as well, but Jeanne Alter had always found her original armor cooler, so she had stuck with the third-stage long-haired look upon manifestation.
"Speaking of which…this ahoge is bizarre, isn't it?"
Jeanne Alter fiddled curiously with the tuft of stubborn hair atop her head. Even fresh from the bath, this stubborn strand refused to lie flat. Could this actually be Jeanne Alter's true form?
She'd heard some weird theories before—that if you plucked Saber's ahoge and stuck it onto Jeanne's head, you'd magically get a Saber Alter and Jeanne Alter combo. That made her curious…would pulling out this ahoge right now turn her into regular Jeanne?
Currently, Jeanne Alter wore a loose-fitting black nightshirt bearing the Japanese characters for "Saint Maiden." The shirt was oversized, its right shoulder casually slipped down to expose smooth, jade-white skin. Her hair was still damp and somewhat disheveled.
She was at home, after all. Who cared about appearances?
Just then, Koneko and Asia suddenly appeared in front of Jeanne Alter, blocking her path.
Upon closer inspection, both girls were wearing aprons.
Jeanne Alter was slightly taken aback; she'd never seen them dressed like this before.
"You two…this is?"
Asia and Koneko exchanged determined glances, nodded firmly at each other, then each grabbed one of Jeanne Alter's hands.
"Jeanne-senpai!"
"Jeanne-san! Please come over here!"
Saying this, Asia and Koneko dragged Jeanne Alter over to the small round table in the living room and sat her down.
Then, Jeanne Alter finally noticed.
The entire table was already filled with dishes.
Jeanne Alter stared blankly at the neatly arranged plates of food, then glanced uncertainly at the two girls and asked hesitantly:
"Did you two…order takeout today?"
"Koneko-chan and I made all of this!" Asia blushed lightly, shyly declaring.
Koneko gave Jeanne Alter a strange, unreadable look, before quickly relaxing her expression and softly explaining, "Jeanne-senpai, you'll face Phenex tomorrow. We wanted to support you this way. Please give that turkey a good beating tomorrow, and free Buchou from her engagement."
"Oh…so this was all for Rias."
Jeanne Alter tilted her head slightly. "Here I thought you two suddenly became diligent and thoughtful, but turns out it wasn't for me at all."
"N-no! That's not true!" Asia immediately shook her head frantically. "If…if Jeanne-san wants, I can cook every day! I might not be able to make food as delicious as Jeanne-san's cooking…but I'll definitely try my best!"
Compared to Asia's enthusiasm, Koneko's reply was more restrained: "I'll…consider it."
Jeanne Alter wasn't really disappointed, anyway—she was just teasing. Neither response was surprising to her.
However, her gaze fell again upon the dishes on the table…
"Wait, why are half the dishes fish?" Jeanne Alter looked up toward Koneko. Simultaneously, Koneko quietly turned her head away—staring blankly at a wall.
Ah, yes… what a wall-like wall. Was that what Koneko was thinking?
Jeanne Alter didn't particularly dislike fish, but she did have a slight psychological trauma—once, she'd gotten a fishbone painfully stuck in her throat. She thought eating more or drinking water would help, but that damned bone ended up lingering for an entire month…
"Since it's rare, guess I'll dig in."
With a gentle smile, Jeanne Alter reached out to grab the chopsticks.
However, a small hand swiftly snatched up the chopsticks from the table before her.
Jeanne Alter barely had time to react before Ophis had quietly seated herself on Jeanne's lap. But unlike previous occasions, Ophis was expressionless as always, yet now earnestly picked up a tiny morsel of fish and brought it carefully to Jeanne's mouth.
"Ah~"
Jeanne Alter paused in surprise.
After a brief internal struggle, she obediently opened her mouth.
"Ah~"
Ophis fed her the piece of fish. In that moment, a tiny sparkle lit up within Ophis's dark, abyssal eyes—like a child receiving their first Christmas gift, her heart began to flutter.
Unlike being fed by Jeanne Alter herself, this wasn't the calm, peaceful feeling Ophis was used to. Instead, it was warm, fuzzy, joyful—an entirely new sensation.
She wanted to do it again.
"Ah~"
Ophis picked up another morsel, her expression subtly shifting as she watched Jeanne Alter closely.
After being fed another bite, Jeanne Alter seized the gap between feedings to ask gently, "Ophis, what exactly are you doing?"
Ophis hesitated, tilting her head slightly. "Asia and Koneko said they wanted to do something for Jeanne. I wanted to as well, but Jeanne…won't let me into the kitchen."
"Then I remembered…when Jeanne feeds me, it feels nice. I wanted Jeanne to feel what I feel, so I decided to feed Jeanne."
Suddenly, Ophis frowned slightly as if discovering a problem.
"But…it's strange. Feeding Jeanne also feels nice, but…it's different from when Jeanne feeds me. I don't understand…"
"That's normal. It's fine even if you don't understand." Jeanne Alter's face softened with gentle affection, and she lightly patted Ophis's head.
"Jeanne…do you feel the same?"
Jeanne Alter nodded slightly, prompting Ophis's lips to curl into a faint, beautiful smile.
"I see…"
Yet, that breathtaking smile vanished instantly, returning her face to its usual emotionless mask. Jeanne Alter felt a twinge of regret seeing it disappear so quickly.
Watching from the side, Asia bit her lip softly, letting out a quiet, wistful sound.
"Uuu… Ophis is so unfair! I also want to sit on Jeanne-san's lap and feed her too… Koneko-chan, don't you feel the same way?"
"I refuse."
"Eh?"
Koneko's immediate, unhesitating response shocked Asia, but she could only stare at the back of Koneko's head.
Thus, Asia completely missed seeing Koneko's lightly puffed cheeks, tinged with a rosy blush that reached all the way to her ears.
...
In an atmosphere completely devoid of tension, the night passed quickly.
The next day, beneath a gloomy, cloudy sky and refreshing morning breeze, Jeanne Alter arrived at the Occult Research Club alongside Asia and Koneko.
At this moment, only Rias, Grayfia, and Akeno were present. As soon as Jeanne Alter opened the door, all three turned their eyes simultaneously toward her.
Because Jeanne Alter was the star of today's event.
The battle wouldn't take place in the human world nor the Underworld; the Devils had specially created a pocket dimension—a perfect one-to-one replica of Kuoh Academy—to contain any destruction without consequence.
As everyone's trusting gazes rested upon her, Jeanne Alter stepped onto the club's teleportation magic circle. In an instant, she was inside the alternate dimension.
Before her lay familiar school buildings, behind her the school gate—everything appeared identical to the real Kuoh Academy. Jeanne Alter knew very well this was merely an artificial world.
"What impressive magic…maybe this world has a genius in spatial manipulation?"
Having lived as Serie for centuries in Frieren, Jeanne Alter's magical insight was now terrifyingly high. Even so, she felt genuinely impressed seeing this dimensional craftsmanship.
Every blade of grass, every brick matched reality flawlessly. Only the unnatural rainbow-colored boundary beyond the gate betrayed the illusion.
Smirking wickedly, Jeanne Alter's golden eyes blazed fiercely.
"Since it's an isolated dimension…I can burn freely without worry, right?"
At that moment, overwhelming flames surged explosively as Riser Phenex emerged confidently from the school building, hands arrogantly in his pockets, smirking darkly.
"I should thank you," Riser sneered. "Thanks to your wager, Rias finally has no choice but to yield to me."
Fire erupted violently behind him, revealing his fifteen beautiful female peerage members.
But Jeanne Alter simply smiled coldly, her voice chillingly amused.
"Are you done talking?"
Her utterly calm words resonated through the air.
"And here I was, expecting you might say something interesting at the very end… but in the end, you're just another pathetic piece of trash."
From beneath her feet, crimson flames ignited Jeanne Alter's clothes.
Simultaneously, a terrifying surge of magical power erupted like a tsunami, like a storm, instantly flooding every corner of the pocket dimension.
"Heheh…haha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The figure stood amidst roaring flames, the inferno forming her cape and armor.
Under countless terrified gazes, the banner of the wicked dragon fluttered ominously in the wind.
"At last…no more hiding! No more holding back! Let this seething rage, this burning hatred, devour the bones of gods and reach toward the heavens! Let destruction reign till the very depths of hell itself!"
The flames surged like raging tides, an immortal fire born from hatred. As long as sin and resentment remained, this flame would forever burn, reducing the three thousand worlds to ash and ruin.
"Remember my name! Fear my shadow! Burn to meaningless ash beneath my hatred!"
"My name is Jeanne! Abandoned by that arrogant God, betrayed by my cowardly nation, I raise the banner of the wicked dragon—returning as the Avenger, the Witch of Dragons!"
Bathing in flames, Jeanne Alter felt countless gazes shift toward her—shock, fear, confusion—making her grin widen and her excitement surge.
"Phenex? An immortal bird that resurrects from flames? Interesting! Then let's see if the flames of my hatred that would overturn the world can truly kill you… Come! Let's test whose flames are superior—your fire of rebirth, or mine of annihilation!"
Her gaze pierced through the sea of fire, settling on Riser and his peerage.
From the moment Jeanne Alter unleashed her towering magical presence, Riser's mind had already shut down.
Impossible… impossible! How could this be possible?!
How could a mere human possess such terrifying magical power?!
This must be a nightmare! This can't possibly be real!!
Not only Riser, but even the noble pureblood Devils watching the match began to doubt reality itself.
Especially upon hearing her proclaimed name.
Jeanne…?
The famous French Saint—Jeanne d'Arc?!
As mortal enemies of the Church and the Angels, Devils were intimately familiar with the famed Saint Jeanne d'Arc. After all, many Devils had met their ends at her hands.
But hadn't the Saint Jeanne died already?!
And besides…this person before them, where was there any resemblance to a saint? She was undeniably a witch!
The flames roaring around her carried such malice and hatred that even Devils trembled in dread.
At that moment, inexplicable terror spread uncontrollably through every Devil's heart.
Standing amidst a fiery maelstrom, with rivers of destructive flames flowing at her side, Jeanne Alter slowly drew the ceremonial sword at her waist.
Using a Noble Phantasm on someone as insignificant as Riser was truly like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—but Jeanne Alter's goal from the start was not just Riser, but rather the awe and fear of the Devil nobility watching this battle.
"The sword is my hatred, the dragon my vengeance, and the flames my retribution.
I'll skewer them all!"
She raised the ceremonial sword high, then brought it down with a furious slash.
Responding to Jeanne Alter's call, the flames roared forth like an enraged dragon.
"[La Grondement Du Haine]!!"
Hatred, sin, loathing, fear, pain…all these forms of malice fed into the surging inferno, the fueled flames erupting with terrifying intensity, scorching everything in their path.
It was the roar of dragons, the cries of damned souls, the decree of gods—the mad howling of flames echoed deep within the souls of all watching.
Space twisted, the heavens shattered, the earth melted. Flames surged out from the cracks between sky and ground, bearing horrifying heat.
In an instant, the surging tide of hatred consumed the earth and engulfed the heavens. Even places untouched by the fire reached unbearable temperatures.
Sssssss…
Amidst sickening sounds of melting, the structures of Kuoh Academy liquified like butter beneath the flames' fury, dissolving visibly before their eyes.
Everything within the pocket dimension was utterly devastated, the crimson waves of fire rippling outward without end, the temperature soaring beyond comprehension.
The flag of the wicked dragon and Jeanne's black cloak whipped furiously in the scorching winds. Jeanne Alter strode calmly through the inferno, approaching Riser.
By now, nearly all of Riser's peerage had vanished, instantly teleported out upon being swallowed by the flames.
Within this dimension, defeat would not cause true death. Pain remained, but "death" merely triggered immediate removal from the battlefield, allowing Jeanne Alter to unleash destruction without restraint.
But Riser was different.
Riser's red suit had long since burned away, reduced to mere tatters.
Jeanne Alter's flames of hatred continuously destroyed Riser's body, but golden flames immediately ignited upon him, rapidly repairing the damage. Such was the Phenex family's innate ability—reminding Jeanne Alter somewhat of Kotori Itsuka.
Yet, though the Phenex flames could heal physical injuries, they did nothing for the pain nor the trauma of repeated death and revival. Thus—
"AAAAHHHHH—! IT HURTS!! MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE—!!"
Howling pitifully, Riser rolled around the sea of flames, his dignity gone, reduced to a pathetic wreck.
"Hah! Compared to your disgusting smirk, this pathetic state suits you much better, turkey!"
Even seeing Riser's miserable condition, Jeanne Alter's mocking smile only grew wider.
Under unimaginable agony, Riser's body twisted in torment. Writhing on the charred ground, he desperately reached a burned hand toward Jeanne Alter.
"Mercy…please…spare me…!"
"Spare you? HAHAHA! What foolishness are you babbling now?"
As though hearing a hilarious joke, Jeanne Alter sneered coldly, "You're the noble third son of House Phenex. How could a mere human like me possibly have the right to forgive you? Hahahahaha!"
Her laughter rang with madness, icy and terrifying.
The witch laughed wildly amidst flames and screams, mocking and jeering.
Witnessing her form, all should kneel in fear, lighting fires of sacrifice with blood.
The path ahead was already sealed—here lay all the world's evils.
Riser's body repeatedly shifted between destruction and rebirth, his screams becoming fuel for the flames.
The witch found great joy in this spectacle.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped desperately around Jeanne Alter's leg.
A young girl with distinctive drill-shaped twintails clung to her, golden flames similarly flickering across her scorched body.
Apart from Riser, only this girl had not immediately vanished when Jeanne unleashed her Noble Phantasm.
Unlike Riser, this girl endured the searing agony silently, begging humbly at the witch's feet.
"P-please…please spare my brother…"
Brother?
This girl was Riser's sister?
He'd even made his own sister into a peerage member?
Instantly, Jeanne Alter's eyes filled with utter disgust, as if seeing a cockroach.
She glanced briefly at the desperate, pleading girl, then again at the shameful Riser still writhing on the ground. After a long moment, Jeanne Alter raised her hand.
The next instant, blazing violet iron stakes appeared above their heads.
With a swift downward gesture, the stakes rained down like artillery shells, tearing apart the earth, scattering flames and unleashing explosive shockwaves.
However, flames and impact alike curved around Jeanne Alter and the girl at her feet, leaving them utterly untouched.
Riser vanished immediately, knocked unconscious by the devastating strike and forcibly ejected from the battlefield.
With another wave of her hand, the surrounding flames obediently receded like loyal subjects, clearing a broad circle around Jeanne Alter and the girl, leaving only charred black earth.
Amidst the ruins, Jeanne Alter fixed her fiery golden gaze upon the trembling blonde girl, uttering cold words from crimson lips:
"Friend or enemy—choose."
The blonde girl gazed up at Jeanne Alter's cold yet exquisite face, her own face flushed crimson, perhaps from the firelight.
As the girl surrendered, Jeanne Alter officially became the victor of this battle.
Exactly as Jeanne Alter had foreseen.
---
T/N: so much fire... but why am i soaking rn?