The chaotic noise outside reached everyone's ears.
Pain coursed through every part of Daniel's body—ironically dulling the stab of the blade lodged in his shoulder.
Zure twisted his sword, trying to injure the young man just enough to stop him from resisting.
Daniel hesitated only for a moment before showing a cold, determined look. The Golem's massive arm came crashing down toward them, ready to crush them both.
For the first time, the monstrous knight faltered; he hadn't thought the boy capable of committing suicide along with him. But he couldn't take that risk—the boy had to stay alive. With his other hand he grabbed Daniel by the neck, preparing to retreat when suddenly gray runes lit up on the Golem's arm.
Everything seemed to freeze.
Zure and Daniel felt their bodies nearly break under the abnormal surge of gravity around them.
"That's new…" the young man thought as he kept issuing the command for the attack.
Before the mechanical hand struck, a water dragon slammed into Zure, sending him flying several meters back and forcing him to release Daniel.
Daniel hurried to stop the Golem's attack while Asia rushed to his side, activating her Sacred Gear to heal him. Sona adjusted her glasses and stood beside him, preparing another magic spell.
Zure slowly stood up and sighed, exhausted. Capturing the node was going to be more complicated than expected. "If I weren't injured…" he thought, remembering the maid. Still, he wouldn't stop. His king had given an order, and as a knight, he had to obey.
On the other side, Daniel endured the pain. Although Asia had closed the wound on his shoulder, keeping the Ancient Gear Golem active continued to torture him, and he felt less and less capable of sustaining it. Worried, he noticed another sword materializing in Zure's hands before looking at Sona.
"Kaichou… how strong are you compared to Rias-sempai?" he asked, uncertain.
Sona observed him for a few seconds before answering:
"In terms of raw devil power, we're similar. As heirs of our houses, we're both high-class devils," she explained, raising an eyebrow when she saw his extended hand.
"That's enough. Give me your hand for a moment."
The young woman hesitated but ultimately obeyed. She already trusted him after he proposed the division of roles for the alliance.
Daniel grabbed Sona's delicate hand, absorbing her devil power voraciously. She was startled by how quickly it drained, but her thoughts were interrupted when the enormous machine finally cracked out of the rift.
The colossal body of the Golem had no room in that narrow hallway. Its immense weight surpassed the strength of the second-floor beams, which gave way, causing part of the building to collapse.
Daniel hadn't expected that… or perhaps he had, but in the rush he hadn't calculated properly. The floor vanished beneath them, sending them plummeting toward the first floor. He tried to use his wings, but it was useless—a piece was missing. Asia hugged him and extended her own wings, but she barely managed to slow the fall for a few seconds; she clearly had no practice.
They soon stopped midair. Sona, still holding his hand, had deployed her wings as well.
The bespectacled young woman stared at the giant being with a mixture of awe and concern.
"I hope Tsubaki evacuated the students as I ordered," she murmured while scanning the destruction caused by the Golem.
The catastrophe drew everyone's attention: insects, monsters, and the groups of Rias and Riser. Zure sighed. He wanted to take the node quietly, without attracting attention. He didn't know if another being on the maid's level existed, so his plan had been to avoid detection. Should he stall until the rift stabilized and Lord Grapha crossed? Or retreat?
Hesitant, he ordered his forces to regroup as he stepped back. Beiige, Broww, and part of the insects gathered beside him. Surprisingly, many others did not obey and continued attacking or wandering aimlessly.
Zure clicked his tongue. Slaves weren't reliable, especially since the maid had eliminated the insect queen. Controlling them grew increasingly tedious.
On the other side, Rias's group joined Daniel, Asia, and Sona, who had just landed safely. Koneko noticed Daniel's bloodstained clothes and ran toward him; even her expressionless face couldn't hide her worry.
Riser and his entourage stayed farther back. Their attitude made it clear they didn't want to get involved, but between the alliance and their survival instincts, they had no choice.
Both sides observed each other for a few seconds. Then Daniel sent the Golem forward, shattering the tension. He wasn't about to wait for speeches or declarations of war. The Golem was draining Sona's devil power every second—there was no time to waste.
Heavy footsteps echoed as thousands of insects surged from the other side, trying to overwhelm the Golem with sheer numbers. Seeing such a massive horde united made everyone shiver. When they had fought earlier, the insects were scattered; together they were terrifying—even Riser prepared his flames.
But the swarm never reached them. The runes on the Golem's body glowed, and an immense pressure crushed them into a multicolored bloody paste. Broww, Beiige, and Zure resisted, though not without damage.
"Gravity?" Sona asked the young man still holding her hand.
Daniel shook his head. He had no idea. That effect didn't exist in the cards—it was something new.
The destruction of the "army" didn't anger Zure. He knew they were weak creatures sent only to wear the enemy down. But the opponent far outmatched them. Staying would be stupid. With a grunt, gray energy covered his body, boosting his strength and allowing him to withstand the Golem's gravity. Then he grabbed Broww and Beiige and fled into the forest.
Daniel hesitated whether to pursue him. He wasn't sure if it was a trap or if Sona's devil power could sustain the Golem for much longer.
"Could I also use Rias's devil power…?" he thought before shaking his head and focusing on eliminating the remaining insects.
Riser stared in shock at the display of power. Then he grew furious.
Rias had deceived him! She had pretended to be weak! He felt humiliated, believing the Rating Game challenge had been a joke.
"If we get out of here, I'll file a complaint with my family," he growled through clenched teeth.
Rias, meanwhile, looked toward the forest, clearly worried.
"Grayfia…" she murmured.
Almost an hour had passed since her departure. Although Rias trusted the maid's strength, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
---
A loud crack echoed as the Golem passed through the rift again. The "cleanup" was relatively simple: the insect swarms stood no chance against the colossus.
Daniel sighed as he released Sona's hand and thanked her for her help. The young woman merely nodded before reuniting with Tsubaki and the rest of her group to discuss possible future plans.
Asia watched him with concern, but he reassured her, and she went to treat the injured. Daniel scratched his head, feeling somewhat guilty: several students had been hurt by debris when part of the school collapsed.
His expression darkened as he remembered they were still trapped. Even though they had repelled another attack, how much longer could they endure? What would happen next?
He turned to the girl beside him. Koneko said nothing, but he understood why she remained close: she was worried, afraid. He hesitated before deciding. He thought about being honest with her, just as he had been with Asia, and began to move closer.
Unexpectedly, the system—silent until then—reacted.
[Restoring connection… Containment of &$#^# breach achieved… Repairing… Error… Insufficient energy…]
Daniel froze for a few seconds. More messages followed. Apparently, the system had indeed trapped them, but not out of betrayal—it was trying to prevent the monsters from escaping into the city.
According to it, the appearance of the dark world creatures, insects, and zombies had been an "error." Daniel didn't buy that; they were too organized for it to be accidental.
The only good news was the message saying it could fix everything in about six hours due to low energy. Daniel checked his phone: an hour had already passed. If the system was telling the truth, they only needed to endure five more.
They just had to hold on.
But then a tremor shook the area, followed by a roar that made everyone stagger.
A colossal figure became increasingly visible among the forest trees.
"Grapha?" Daniel murmured, unsure. "Where's Rias?"
He didn't hesitate. He needed devil power to summon the Golem. Luckily, he could summon it again if it hadn't been destroyed; otherwise they were finished.
But when he took a step, he froze. It wasn't Grapha. It was his fusion.
The presence was so overwhelming that everyone trembled. Rias and Sona reacted first; they had experience with beings on the level of the Maou. There was no doubt: that creature was on a similar level.
Riser felt lost. Where were these monsters coming from? How could anyone survive something like that?
Daniel clenched his teeth. The Golem wouldn't stand a chance. Should he attempt a fusion summon? He dismissed the idea immediately—they didn't have enough energy, and he didn't have a Polymerization. Was this the end?
Then he remembered the system. It said it lacked energy. Could they recharge it?
"Rias-sempai… no, everyone. Give me devil power or we're dead," he exclaimed urgently.
There was a moment of hesitation, but the first to step forward were his own group: Rias, Koneko, Akeno, and Kiba. Issei was still protecting the students with Sona's group, and Asia had gone to heal them, so they weren't nearby.
Ravel didn't hesitate and approached. Riser, on the other hand, refused to lower himself… until he saw Grapha take his first step. Then he rushed toward Daniel.
The gray-haired young man felt his body tighten under the enormous amount of devil power, but he pressed on. The countdown, which had shown five hours, began dropping rapidly.
Grapha, stepping through the rift, noticed and accelerated toward them. Grayfia clenched her teeth as she saw him advancing. She struggled once more to break free and, surprisingly, succeeded: the chains disintegrated into gray mist, just like the insects still present.
Zure, near the rift, watched in horror as his hands began to dissolve.
Grapha grew enraged and prepared a magic attack, but his body also began to break apart. All bodies disintegrated into gray mist, which was violently sucked into the rift.
Grayfia leapt several meters back, stunned. Then she raised her hand: her fingers were starting to turn into mist.
Daniel, enduring the overload of devil power, saw a new system message with alarm.
[Error… rebound detected…]
The duel disk on his arm vibrated, heated up, and then burst into gray mist, which engulfed the entire school.
Soon, all the mist was devoured by the rift, which began closing rapidly, leaving behind only a half-destroyed, silent school.