"Ikki, here we go! I entrust you with the power of the double oppai! ――― Boosted Gear Gift!!"
[Transfer!!]
The absurdly heightened power, triggered by poking two boobs, was transferred to me. My guess was right—when my [Divinity] was boosted, the miasma stopped leaking from my body, at least temporarily.
My physical wounds were quickly healed by Asia's recovery, but the power of the dragon-based [Transfer] was rapidly fading, and with it, so was my [Divinity].
If I stayed like this, it was only a matter of time before I'd end up just like before. Better reach that state already!
I temporarily surrendered myself—no, my heart—to the malevolence of God.
If raw emotion can defy the flow of the world, then that should be more than enough.
I may have used Samael's emotions to reach that state or relied on Issei's transfer to raise my chances of becoming an alternate form… In the end, it's heavily dependent on others, but if I can reach it, who cares?
That said, using this method risks turning me into a temporary berserker, so a failsafe was necessary.
"Ittou Rasetsu! Forbidden Move: Balance Break!!"
And so, I entered forced knockout mode and passed out the moment I awakened—yep, just like that.
The only silver lining was being caught by Kuroka's soft chest cushion as I collapsed.
========
[Kuroka's POV]
Ikki had been on the verge of death from Samael's poison, but after being gifted the heightened power of the Red Dragon Emperor through the "switch," he seemed to recover... Only to immediately activate Ittou Rasetsu and collapse again, his body even more drenched in blood.
He shouted something like "Balance Break: Forbidden Form" for a moment, and it looked like his Sacred Gear changed shape—but it happened so fast I couldn't catch the details. Still, when I caught him in my arms, the negative aura of Samael that had been leaking from him was completely gone. He must've pulled it off.
Asia healed Ikki's wounds from Ittou Rasetsu, and when Shirone tried using senjutsu to restore his stamina, I stopped her.
"Hold up, Nyan. Shirone—Ikki wouldn't have used Ittou Rasetsu for no reason. His life's no longer in danger, so focus on stamina later."
"You're right... Got it. I'm just relieved Ikki-senpai is safe. For a while, I thought we'd lost him."
Yeah, I thought so too. The miasma had been oozing from within him. Even our best purifications barely kept it at bay.
For now, Ikki was once again covered in blood, so I used magic to clean his clothes, then laid him out on a long couch nearby, resting his head on my lap.
I placed my palm on his forehead, monitoring for any abnormalities.
"From a distance, it looked like Samael got absorbed into Ikki's Sacred Gear. His gear's name—Avesta—is the name of Zoroastrianism's holy text. And the right and left blades, Zarich and Tawrich, are named after evil gods within that scripture. Kuroka, has Ikki ever told you anything about that?"
Azazel asked about Ikki... Did he ever mention something?
Hmm... Now that I think about it, I remember him saying something back when we first met.
"He said his Sacred Gear was derived from 'Angra Mainyu'—but that it was a false version, hence why he called it 'Anrimayu.' He said, 'It's not the real Angra Mainyu, just a forgery.' But I don't really understand what he meant. Ikki doesn't usually talk about his powers, even with allies. And back then, he was still in elementary school. Probably slipped up without thinking."
Truth is, he'd just been flustered from meeting Kuroka and accidentally spilled the beans—but she doesn't know that.
"'Anrimayu' and 'Angra Mainyu'? They're just different pronunciations for the same entity—Zoroastrianism's ultimate evil deity. What does he mean by 'false' Angra Mainyu?"
Yeah, I didn't really press him on it back then. I didn't think it mattered much.
Then Issei (a.k.a. the Red Dragon Emperor) turned to Azazel with a question.
"Professor, does Ikki's Sacred Gear actually seal the god known as Anrimayu? And what kind of god is that anyway?"
"No, Ikki's gear isn't a 'sealed god' type. When he visited Grigori during summer break, we looked into it. Angra Mainyu is still active today—a current, living god. He's called 'All the Evil of This World,' but I doubt even the real Angra Mainyu could absorb Samael, who is basically a manifestation of the Christian God's malice."
Everyone looked deep in thought at that point. It was clear we weren't going to find an answer here, so we turned to Le Fay, the mage, who had just returned.
"I'm back. Looks like Ikki-san pulled through. Thank goodness! Wait... Where's Ophis?"
"Oh, Ophis saw Ikki recover, then said, 'I shall survey the surroundings,' and disappeared. With your barrier still up, we should be okay. Any updates from outside? Last I heard, Cao Cao was summoning grim reapers."
"Yes. Outside the barrier, the area is swarming with reapers. My scan found more than 300 already."
Ugh... All those black things crawling around. It's like seeing one of those 'G' bugs—if there's one, there's always thirty more. Gross.
"Looks like Hades has officially made his move. According to Cao Cao, capturing the weakened Ophis was part of their original plan. They must've prepared rituals specifically to suppress her."
Right then, Ophis returned.
"Ophis, how are you feeling?"
"Weakened. Now, I am only about three times stronger than the Heavenly Dragons at their peak. Also, I am no longer infinite."
"That's... quite the downgrade."
"Wait, wait, wait! You're three times stronger than peak Ddraig and Albion and still consider that weak? My worldview's collapsing!"
"Well, Ophis was the strongest being across all factions. Being only a few levels above the Heavenly Dragons means she's now beatable—especially since she's no longer infinite. If she still had limitless power, she could have held her own against the entire world."
"But the power the Hero Faction stole from her... that's even stronger than the current Ophis, right? Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
"That won't be necessary. While Samael was siphoning my power, I converted it into a 'snake' and hid it in another space. I just retrieved it. So they only managed to steal a little more than half."
"! I see! So the drop in Ophis's power wasn't due to poor conversion by Samael, but because she cleverly diverted most of it! Hah! Hero Faction underestimated her!"
"Still, if this Ophis is finite, that means the fake one they're trying to create will also be finite. They might not be able to recreate the true blessing of the 'Snake.' Is it even worth it?"
"They probably don't care. Their goal is just to create a symbol of overwhelming power to unify their faction. They never planned on using the snake's blessing."
Come to think of it, that fog-wielding guy mentioned using Ophis as a 'portable shrine.' I don't like how they treat people as disposable tools.
Even if she's a former enemy, Ophis is our ally now.
Now that everyone's gathered, it's time to decide our next move.
Ophis's power is unstable, and this barrier is specifically designed to restrain her. Escape is impossible for now. So to get word out, we decided that Irina (who can contact Michael directly) and Xenovia (whose Ex-Durandal needs repairs) would teleport out with Le Fay.
Ikki had already informed the demon lords about the Hero Faction's attack, so the message would reach them via Michael soon enough.
Le Fay handed over the last uncollected Excalibur to Irina since it was no longer needed (it had been used to recruit Fenrir).
Ex-Durandal can be further enhanced, but Xenovia hasn't mastered all its features, so for now, it's not that big a deal.
To break Ophis out, we need to either defeat the caster or destroy the barrier's focal points. Le Fay and I identified three suspicious magical devices—on the roof, in the second-floor banquet hall, and in the parking lot.
The parking lot had the most grim reapers and even the fog-wielder himself, making it the likely central hub. Following the Switch Princess's suggestion, we decided to focus on healing until the barrier cracks, then hit the roof and hall with a double shot from the Oppai Dragon's cannons to wipe them all out in one go.
As for the parking lot, the device there may be protected by the divine-tier Longinus, so one-hit destruction is unlikely—we'll deal with that later.
Azazel and the White Dragon Emperor expelled Samael's lingering energy using senjutsu, and Le Fay's dispel magic helped too. Azazel recovered significantly.
The dragons took more damage, so their recovery is slower—but at least they're stable now.
Only about 30 minutes until the operation starts. Everyone is regaining their strength and preparing mentally.
Shirone is still treating Azazel and the White Dragon Emperor. Neither can use their Balance Breaker forms, and the Emperor can barely handle magic combat—but his ranged firepower is enough to deal with small fry.
Azazel, not being a dragon, should be back to full strength soon.
As for me—I'm healing Ikki's stamina.
Due to Ittou Rasetsu, his aura had been too faint to read, but it's stabilized now, so I began restoration.
Even factoring in his blood loss, once he wakes up, Ikki will be the third-strongest among us—possibly fourth if Issei in his "True Queen" form can beat him.
While running my fingers through his hair, I thought:
"...Ikki, you're looking delicious right now~"
Somehow, his [Divinity] seems to suppress Samael's curse. And when he entered Balance Breaker, his [Divinity] surged.
Azazel said it manifested as an alternate form through affinity with his divine aspect. Honestly, Ikki now radiates a level of divinity comparable to actual gods.
I once told him, "If you evolve already, your baby-making potential will improve," and wow, he delivered so well it's kinda tempting to pounce on him right now~
But the situation is... delicate. Attacking a sleeping first-timer isn't ideal, especially when he's unconscious. If he doesn't wake up mid-act, it'd be entirely one-sided.
That said, seeing him like this is making my creative energy surge. My forbidden spell might finally be ready soon.
Oops, my mouth is twitching and I can feel the drool forming. Not good.
Then, as if sensing my hot gaze, Ikki slowly opened his eyes.
"Uh... good morning?"
I couldn't help but giggle at his hazy, spaced-out reaction.
"Good morning, Nyan~ How are you feeling, Ikki?"
"…If we weren't in a sealed hotel under enemy siege, I'd say I'd love to go back to sleep. Also… this lap pillow is amazing."
Oh dear, still a bit out of it? Normally, Ikki would be too embarrassed to say something like that. Guess I'll tease him about it later~
But no time to linger.
"Okay, Ikki. Let me explain the situation and our next move."
With that, I began filling him in and signaled the others that Ikki was awake.
Also... soon, I will pounce on him, no doubt about it!
"Twitch!!"
Ikki suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong, Ikki?"
"Not sure… I just felt a sudden chill…"
"Oh, that must be your imagination, Nyan~"