Volume 7 – Chapter 4 – Part 3 – The Lion King’s Fists of Destruction and the Spear of The Universe*

Alternative Title: Proof of a True Hero

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Third Person Point of View

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Sairaorg's fist and the tip of Cao Cao's spear collided and a powerful shockwave reverberated through the entire game field, and the rest of the players on each team were struck and all of them were slammed against the game field's barrier.

Normally, after each punch that Sairaorg threw, he could choose to create a powerful shockwave or not. During his fight with Heracles he used it sparingly to not accidentally hit his teammates, but since he was facing his fellow [King], he could not afford not to.

However, because of Cao Cao's new spear and improved skills, he nullified or redirected each shockwave to a different part of the game field. This means, if Sairaorg kept using his shockwaves, Cao Cao would just redirect it towards his teammates.

Sairaorg frowned upon seeing this and stopped using his shockwaves. He continued his assault with consecutive normal punches to which Cao Cao dodged gracefully while also countering with his spear. This forced Sairaorg to block them with his other hand. But the muscular man noticed that his armor was being chipped away when he blocked the attacks causing him concern.

'Aaron called this spear the [Spear of the Universe], but he didn't elaborate on what he meant by that? Did he mean it had the power of an entire universe? If so, which one? Our one?' thought Sairaorg while dodging Cao Cao's strikes.

Cao Cao sent a flurry of jabs with his spear at Sairaorg who also dodged them with no effort. However, to his surprise, one of the strikes at the end hit him, blowing him backwards. After he steadied himself, he looked at the spot that was hit—his shoulder. There was no blood, but it had turned red quickly and that part of his armor slowly regenerated instead of it being instantaneous.

Cao Cao slammed his foot into the ground and Sairaorg jumped away from the spot he was at, and numerous spears had appeared at where he once stood. They also gave a threatening aura which made his body shiver.

'The abilities of [Canis Lykaon]? Can that spear recreate that?' he thought and landed on the ground again, but he quickly jumped away again as more spears appeared from the ground. When he looked back up Cao Cao was missing, and he sensed him behind him, so he threw a bunch behind him and to his surprise the young man vaulted over it's arm.

"As expected, your fighting sense is quite reliable," said Cao Cao.

He then swung his spear down at Sairaorg who increased his touki to act like a barrier while also using his other free hand to block it. But Sairaorg was still slammed into the ground by its force, however, he didn't get time to rest as Cao Cao immediately followed up by slamming his foot into him, but missing by mere inches as the Lion King pushed himself out of the way.

Sairaorg jumped back towards Cao Cao and continued his assault, and Cao Cao himself blocked and deflected the attacks with his spear. To everyone but themselves, they seemed to be evenly matched. However, the man with the spear was slowly destroying Sairaorg's armor while also severely limiting the regeneration rate of said armor.

[What an incredible fight! It seems that both [Kings] are eventually matched!] shouted Naud.

[…No, even if it's not that obvious, Cao Cao has the slightest advantage right now. Every counter he does, he's slowly destroying Sairaorg Bael's armor. Unless the future heir of the Bael clan does something to change the tides, he'll lose,] explained Shiva.

[A-as expected from the God of Destruction, I didn't even notice that! …Yes, looking closer, parts of Player Sairaorg-san's armor is indeed damaged and have several cracks around them!]

[Haha, it takes a trained eye to see such details in an intense bout. No need to praise me like that,] replied Shiva. [Also, it seems like they're about to get a bit more serious.]

[Eh?]

"Are we done testing each other?" Cao Cao asked as he placed his spear on his shoulder.

Sairaorg didn't respond as he disappeared, leaving a medium-sized crater where he once stood. Cao Cao grinned and preemptively thrust the spear behind him causing Sairaorg to dodge it, leaving his body awkwardly hanging in the air.

"Training is one thing, Sairaorg Bael, but being subjected to months upon months of constant fighting in another universe along with fighting things that are on par or stronger than you can give you sense beyond your current self. I certainly achieved it, and so did my team to a certain degree," said Cao Cao as he appeared above Sairaorg and sent a kick to his head.

Sairaorg managed to turn around in time and throw a punch at the young man's foot. This caused another powerful shockwave to blow across the entire field, disrupting several more fights around them.

"But, I'm not trying to say training is useless, it's quite the opposite in fact," said another voice, surprising Sairaorg. He glanced to his side and saw another Cao Cao who covered his fist with touki and punched him in the face.

Sairaorg was blown away and slammed against the barrier on the game field. He quickly stood up and stared at the two Cao Cao's in confusion.

"Clones? Avatars? It's not illusions since I was hit…" he mumbled while squinting his eyes at both.

Both Cao Cao's smiled at Sairaorg, but the one of the left merged with the other and they became one. "It's my spear's abilities. It has a lot, which is convenient. Did you know? Jin told me that the abilities this spear gains is entirely dependent on me? How I decided to evolve it was entirely on me…so I experimented over 'there' and I received a lot."

[Oh my goodness! That spear is as powerful as the [True Longinus] he previously wielded! I wonder what other abilities it has! First those spears on the ground, then avatars or clones!]

"But have you mastered all those abilities you acquired? Having many techniques isn't impressive if you don't master them," said Sairaorg as he appeared in front of Cao Cao and again threw a punch at him.

Cao Cao smiled and ducked, avoiding the punch. However, to his surprise, Sairaorg had used his leg to kick him which was unlike what he had previously known. So he quickly blocked it with his spear, but was still blown away by the man.

He quickly recovered mid-air but noticed that Sairaorg had appeared above him and sent a powerful shockwave punch towards him. Cao Cao spun his spear in front of him in turn stopping the shockwave. The man above him flew down towards him and punched him again, but he blocked it with his spear. Cao Cao redirected the other shockwave produced to their right, towards a group of four who were fighting.

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"Move!" Momono screamed and grabbed Zhuge Liang and jumped away. Both Misteeta and Gandoma also jumped away from their spot as a powerful shockwave tore through the area, completely obliterating the area.

"Couldn't Leader-sama warn us before hand? Jeez, what in the world is this?" asked Momono as he landed on the ground.

"As expected of Sairaorg-sama, the shockwave of his punches are still monstrous," said Gandoma while looking at the devastation.

"Focus back, we've been at a stand-still since a few minutes ago," said Misteeta.

"Right…"

"Fufu, how long until that ability of yours run out, boy~?" asked Zhuge Liang.

'…So she was waiting for my stamina to run out, huh?' Misteeta thought while squinting his eyes at Zhuge Liang. "Change of plans, let's be aggressive and knock them out."

Misteeta enhanced their strength and speed using enhancement magic. "Take the man with the youkais out first then we'll defeat the little girl. I can counter the little girl's magic but his youkais are quite annoying."

"Roger that!" shouted Gandoma as he charged back at Momono who had prepared himself.

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"To think you would use your legs to attack now, did you not rely on just your fists anymore?" asked Cao Cao as he stood away from Sairaorg.

"I did not only train my fists while in 'that' dimension. I also trained my whole body while learning some martial arts…karate and taekwondo. Jin was the one who showed me these after all," explained Sairaorg.

"Hoho? Now this will certainly become more interesting. Show me then!" shouted Cao Cao.

Sairaorg changed into a different stance. He brought his right arm back and gathered his touki around his fist. He also brought his left arm up in front of him and clenched it. Cao Cao stood still, ready to take on the attack.

The Lion King disappeared and appeared in front of Cao Cao who began to move his spear in a way to block the incoming attack. Sairaorg threw his right arm forward and slammed it against Cao Cao's spear.

The entire area became silent, and it seemed nothing had changed. To Cao Cao, it seemed like he successfully blocked the attack. However, moments later, he felt a fist land in the middle of his stomach and he was launched away and was slammed against the game field's barrier.

Sairaorg let out a hot breath through his mouth and muttered, "1st Stage: Fist of the Black Turtle."

[He landed a perfect hiiiiiiit!! Player Sairaorg-san has finally landed a direct hit on Player Cao Cao!!] screamed Naud.

[Haha, I've seen that before. Jin used it in his fight with Indra, and I believe the Jade Emperor of the Chinese Pantheon uses a similar move too. Interesting, so the Great King without [Destruction] has learned martial arts along with his already brutish physique?] said Shiva.

Cao Cao stood up and grinned. He had learned how to use touki during his time in Aaron's dimension, so he used that in the last second to defend himself and weaken the power of Sairaorg's punch, but it still did significant damage to him.

He coughed up blood and wiped some from his mouth. He pointed his spear at his chest and the excruciating pain that he felt began to fade away. Sairaorg looked at him in interest as he saw the indentation of his fist on Cao Cao's chest disappear.

"You can heal yourself?" asked Sairaorg.

"It only has a limited amount of uses, but yes, it's essentially [Twilight Healing]'s ability," replied Cao Cao.

Sairaorg stared at the man for a few seconds and thought about the spear in front of him. Aaron called it the [Spear of the Universe], but Sairaorg always wondered…which universe? The one they lived in? The Evie Etoulde's? The Phantasma's? Another completely different one? But when he saw the different abilities of Cao Cao's [Arredoval], he came to one conclusion.

"That spear's abilities…they're all come from our universe, don't they? You said that Jin said it depends on you on how what kind of abilities that spear receives. Since it's also called the [Spear of the Universe], I will assume that it means our universe—DxD. So…"

Cao Cao grinned at Sairaorg who had racked his brain to come to this conclusion since he had found out the name of that spear. The Spear of the Universe (DxD).

"…The Avatar's of [Excalibur], The spears that resembled the distorted blades of [Canis Lykaon], the redirection of attacks, almost like [Divine Dividing]'s [Reflect], and now the healing powers of [Twilight Healing]…"

As Sairaorg listed all the abilities of Cao Cao's new spear, everyone slowly came to the same realization—the spear that Cao Cao held right now was—

"Heh," chuckled Cao Cao. "You're 90% correct Sairaorg Bael. It can replicate the abilities of every Sacred Gear that exists, but you haven't figured out the rest…it also has the potential to replicate the powers of other beings, not just Sacred Gear. I do not have the full mastery of this spear yet, but…"

A small ball appeared at the tip of the spear. That ball resembled—

"The [Power of Detection] of the Bael clan…I see, so it can even copy such things? What a terrifying spear," said Sairaorg.

[Arredoval], the [Spear of the Universe]—the [Spear of the Draconic Deus (DxD)]. That was the spear that Aaron gave Cao Cao.

Cao Cao smiled. "I also have access to the [True Longinus]'s previous Balance Breaker that I created. You could say, I currently wield all of the Sacred Gears in the world with this spear!" declared Cao Cao.

[W-w-w-w-w-whaaaaaaaaaaat?! What kind of spear is that?! It's a cheat! It's too powerful!] shouted Naud.

Even the crowd in the stadium began to talk to themselves. The topic of his spear was a hot discussion now. This includes the ones watching through their TVs. Such a thing being declared on TV for everyone to hear…Cao Cao already planned on it, and silently declared to everyone to try and steal it from him, even if it was impossible.

"Unfortunately, I do not have access to [Truth Idea], but I'm fine with that. With this spear I can protect them and repent for my actions," he said and then changed into a stance while pointing the spear at Sairaorg. "Come, heir of the Bael house of devils, did you build up enough stamina with that [Breakdown the Beast] of yours?"

An even larger grin spread across Sairaorg Bael's face as he punched both his fists together. "Interesting! Allow me to face your full might then! I will use mine too!"

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Both [Knights] of both teams panted as they had been fighting to an almost stalemate now. Perseus and Beluga stared at one another. Beluga was still on his horse, Altobrau, but it was also obvious that the horse itself was also becoming exhausted.

"Stay with me until the end, my friend," said Beluga. In response to his masters' words, Altobrau neighed loudly and the two charged towards Perseus.

Perseus grinned and shook his head. "Hey, I wanna look cool too you know?"

As Beluga charged towards Perseus, he spread his arms out with both his spears on them. Copies of Beluga started appearing all around him. The man had just used replication magic. These replicas of Beluga and Altobrau also had physical forms and could attack Perseus.

"Seriously? Alright, let's not delay it any longer! Come out!" Perseus shouted. Perseus then tossed aside his shield and a powerful aura formed around his now empty left hand. It slowly took the shape of a head, a woman's head with snakes for its hair.

"[Aegis Mineralization], this is my Sacred Gear!" he shouted again. The eyes on its face opened and shot a beam of light towards Beruka who barely managed to dodge it, but one of his replicas was hit and turned into stone.

'I have to avoid those things,' thought Beluga as he continued to avoid the beams being shot by Perseus' shield.

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"…Isn't that Medusa? Or at least what humans depict her as?" asked Valerie. Everyone turned to the real Medusa who also came with them to watch the match.

"…Seeing that makes me very uncomfortable. While I can turn most things into stone with my eyes, seeing me look so…grotesque is just, odd. I also don't shoot beams when using that ability," said the woman. "I also have purple hair. Why is it green?"

"Maybe a stylistic choice by the God of the Bible? He may have just based it on your abilities and went with that design choice. Perhaps he saw you that way?" theorized Tsubaki.

Inaie said with a snicker, "Maybe he just thought of making you ugly?"

Medusa turned her attention to her and appeared beside her before pinching her ear and pulling it.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry!" screamed Inaie. Medusa through her mask glared at Inaie and the younger woman whimpered before running to Aaron and sulking.

"…You technically brought this upon yourself," he said and Inaie looked at him in shock.

"Inaie is shocked! Isn't my husband supposed to defend me?!" she asked in slight annoyance.

"…We're not even dating though?" he asked back confused.

"Everyone…is against me!" Inaie said again and pretended to faint. She was caught by Róisín Toole and was embraced.

"Hehe, Inaie, I'll be your ally~ I'll convince my son to date you too~" said Róisín lovingly.

"M-mother-in-law!" Inaie cried and hugged her back.

'What in God's name are those two doing…?' Aaron thought and watched the strange gag the two performed.

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As Beluga arrived in front of Perseus, he thrust his spear towards the man and Perseus used his sword to counter it. Perseus grinned and fired a point-blank beam at Beluga. However, the horse Altobrau threw his master off from his back. Altobrau himself turned into stone, causing the other replicas to disappear around them.

"Altobrau!" Beluga screamed as he watched his friend become stone. "Dammit!" he shouted and ran towards Perseus with both lances by his side.

"You're a lot slower without your horse, huh? But still fast enough by other people's standards!" said Perseus as he deflected the attacks that were thrown at him from Beluga.

"He's not just a horse, he's a friend of mine that has stayed with me through many trials!" shouted Beluga.

Beluga used his replication magic again and created replicas of himself and they all charged towards Perseus. The man stayed calm and analyzed all the replicas and found the real Beluga. Perseus used enhancement magic on himself and dashed towards Beluga who was surprised that he was found out, but he ordered his replicas to attack Perseus at the same time.

Again, Perseus covered his body in touki, further increasing his fighting power. He dodged, deflected and slashed at the replicas of Beluga while also using his [Aegis Mineralization] to petrify other replicas. At the same time, he also defended himself against the attacks of the original Beluga.

Beluga enhanced himself too with the same magic and began to furiously slash and thrust towards Perseus using his lances. Beluga cared a lot about his one and only horse, Altobrau. Because of his mistreatment at the hands of low and high-class devils since he was born, he didn't have a friend. Yet, he found one in his horse, Altobrau.

The pale horse that Beluga rode was known to be extremely difficult to tame. However, when he was young, he managed to tame him and the two have been inseparable since. When he was made fun of and bullied, he had Altobrau to go to, and then when he was accepted by Sairaorg Bael, Altobrau came with him. To Beluga, Altobrau was more than just a horse, he was his one and true family. That was until he became part of Sairaorg's peerage and that expanded even more once he became part of Team [DxD].

Perseus whistled. "Getting stronger because I turned your horse into stone? You're an interesting one," he said and kept defending at the attacks Beluga threw at him.

Beluga's attack speed kept on increasing, much to the surprise of Perseus, and he started to receive some slashes that tore his clothing. He grinned at the thought of facing a man who kept on getting faster and stronger the longer he attacked. However, he also saw that Beluga's stamina was nowhere near reaching its limit.

'Crap, I need to end this otherwise this guy will just start attacking me at the speed of damn light,' he thought and jumped upwards but was followed by Beluga. While aiming his lance at Perseus he shot a bullet demonic energy at him.

Perseus deflected it using his sword, but Beluga appeared in front of him and thrust his lance at him. Perseus blocked it with his shield, and at the same time, the beam fired from Medusa's eyes. Petrifying the lance that he held, as well as his arm.

Beluga kicked Perseus in the stomach and the young man crashed into the ground. The [Knight] of Sairaorg backed away as he looked at his arm. However, Perseus didn't stop there as he dashed back at Beluga who thrust his other lance towards him. Perseus dodged it by ducking and petrifying it again with his shield.

Beluga lost the use of his arms which were essential to a swordsman. He bit his lip and charged at Perseus not wanting to give up here. Perseus also charged at the man.

"I admire your tenacity, [Knight] of Sairaorg Bael. Let's fight again!" shouted Perseus as he increased his speed and appeared behind Beluga. Countless slashes appeared on Beluga's chest before he was covered in the retirement light.

[1 [Knight] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!!]

Perseus slicked his hair back and sighed in relief. "That's one win for our team. Let's go help the rest of 'em." Perseus, the one who carries the spirit of the Hero of Greece Perseus had won his battle.

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"Yo! Need help?" Perseus asked as he arrived by Jeanne and Marsilio.

"We do…" replied Marsilio. The pink barrier that covered Ladora Buné, Coriana Andrealphus, and Liban Crocell shattered as they escaped their illusionary worlds.

"Thanks for the splendid dream, Marsilio-san," said Ladora.

"Yeah, I enjoyed mine," added Coriana. "But let's finish our battle."

"…I was forced to face my past. For that, I thank you, but I also hated that experience!" shouted Liban. He immediately activated his Balance Breaker again, [Satans Gravity], forcing Jeanne, Marsilio and Perseus' gravity to increase, slowing their movements.

Ladora transformed into his dragon form and began attacking all three of them. The holy sword dragons that Jeanne had summoned earlier as well as wyverns began attack Ladora too. They all swarmed him and began to overwhelm him. Marsilio attacked Coriana who countered with her own attacks.

Jeanne and Perseus dashed towards Liban who further increased their gravities slowing them down even further. Perseus used his Sacred Gear and fired beams at Liban who countered with his own demonic attacks, but they were petrified mid-air.

"He needs his eyes open to use that Sacred Gear. Let's go with that combo we used on that big guy in the Phantasma!" shouted Perseus.

Jeanne nodded and she kept running towards Liban while Perseus stopped and created a magic circle in front of him. Jeanne swung her holy sword horizontally which created countless holy swords on the ground that targeted Liban.

Liban aimed his sword at the attack Jeanne sent and fired a blast of compressed gravity which destroyed the holy swords that were heading towards him. It also hit Jeanne who was blasted backwards, but stopped herself by slamming her sword into the ground slowing her momentum.

She continued her pursuit as Liban began firing a mix of demonic energy balls and compressed gravity at her. Jeanne focused touki into her blade and increased the density of the holy attribute in her sword and swung her weapon at the attacks aimed at her. To Liban's surprise, she sliced through his attacks.

'Is that even possible?! To be able to cut 'gravity' in half like that…! No, it should be. Aaron-san even allows his allies to create miracles—doesn't that mean the same thing to me?!' thought Liban.

Liban stopped and the gravity around him began to pull Jeanne towards him and everything around him, including the sand and destroyed pillars in the field.

"W-what the heck is this?!" Jeanne shouted as she dug her legs into the ground along with her sword to stop herself from being sucked into Liban's gravitational pull.

However, before either could react, Perseus flew in front of Jeanne and towards Liban. He had his shield in front of him and was already firing several beams from Medusa's head! As Liban began to attempt that Jeanne had done—slice the attack in two, Perseus grinned as he summoned a ball of light from his magic circle.

It quickly darted in front of Liban and increased in luminosity instantly, blinding him.

"Argh?!" Liban shouted in pain as he closed his eyes and covered his eyes from the light. Jeanne and Perseus took this chance to attack.

First, Perseus petrified Liban to the spot, and then both [Knights] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] dashed towards him and sliced him apart. Seconds later, Liban was covered in the light of retirement.

[1 [Knight] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!!]

[Great teamwork from both [Knights] of Player Cao Cao's team, they were able to overwhelm Player Liban even though it looked like he had the advantage between them,] said Naud.

[Yes. It also seemed that Liban Crocell had a revelation just then. If they didn't defeat him at that moment, he would have turned the tables around and defeated them instead. Their teamwork is top-notch,] praised Shiva.

"Do you hear that? We got praised by—gyaa!" Perseus jumped away and so did Jeanne as a powerful ball of demonic energy nearly hit them.

Marsilio and Coriana's attacks were evenly matched as they kept exploding once colliding or deflecting from one another and destroying the area around them. In the distance, Ladora was also starting to break free from Jeanne's creations' attacks as she saw that two of her [Stake Victim Dragons] had already been defeated, while only one of her wyverns was left.

"I'll go fight Ladora-san. Go help Marsilio," said Jeanne as she dashed away. Perseus also jumped towards Coriana while firing blasts of petrifying beams at her.

"…This isn't looking favorable for us," muttered Coriana as she prepared herself to face both [Bishop] and [Knight].

— ○ ● ○ —

"Hmm!" Gandoma pushed back Momono with his superior strength. Earlier, he and Misteeta had taken out both the dog youkai and monkey youkai of Momono leaving him with only the raven youkai, greatly reducing his fighting power.

Momono had learned how to use touki, his youkai also learned how to use it, but before they could utilize it, they were defeated by the [Rook] and [Bishop] pair. Zhuge Liang was also preoccupied by Misteeta as she relentlessly bombarded her with demonic attacks and didn't let her catch a single break.

'Momono-san, can you do the merge ability with your youkai?' asked Zhuge Liang telepathically.

'Eh? Yes, I can, but it would be more effective if I had all three of them,' replied Momono.

'Even still, please use it, and we'll aim to defeat the devil who uses brute strength first!' ordered Zhuge Liang. Momono nodded and jumped up and away from Gandoma. He ordered his raven youkai to join him and they quickly merged through a special technique.

Jet-black raven wings sprouted from Momono's back and he aimed his arm towards Gandoma and fired several blades of wind. Gandoma using his brute force and touki destroyed the attacks with a single punch and jumped towards Momono who quickly avoided the man.

Gandoma landed on the ground and aimed his closed right hand at Momono confusing him. He pulled one of his fingers back with his thumb and then released it. A small concentrated shockwave almost invisible to the eye hit Momono in the chest. Gandoma repeated this as Momono dodged it in the air, but he was then struck by an ice spell, freezing his wings.

'They led me here?! Shi—' Gandoma appeared above Momono with both his arms raised and his hands together before he slammed them down on his head. Momono crashed violently into the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

Gandoma landed on the ground and as he was about to pick up Momono, he was hit by a barrage of magic attacks. However, he shrugged them off. Zhuge Liang, the one who attacked him just now was also busy avoiding the constant bombardment from Misteeta.

'Not good…! My Sacred Gear is still sealed, and I was not one for prolonged combat since I mostly defended the Resistance base with my traps and went on black-ops missions…' Zhuge Liang frowned at her predicament.

Gandoma slammed Momono into the ground and he faded away with the retirement light.

[1 [Rook] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

"Now only one is left, let's end this Gandoma," said Misteeta. He then pointed his staff at Zhuge Liang and the gravity around her increased.

"Gravity magic? How did you…?!" asked Zhuge Liang. She could still move, but her speed had slowed significantly.

"It's not as strong as Liban-sans, but for this match-up, it will do just fine. Aaron-san was the one who gave me the ability since he knew I had some interest in Liban-san's gravity-based Sacred Gear," explained Misteeta.

Zhuge Liang sighed. She knew she couldn't win. However, she thought if she could at least injure one or both of them before she was retired from the game, it would be beneficial for her team. She shakily and defiantly stood up to the men in front of her.

She always felt inferior because of her small body. Before being trained in Aaron's dimension she relied on her strategies and her Sacred Gear. The power of her magic wasn't that potent so she only used it as a last resort or if she needed to incorporate it into her plans.

However, after she trained with her new group, she got stronger both physically and through her magic. She also used that time to read up on strategies from various other people around the world. As the descendant of the general Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms it was her duty to uphold that title and name.

Raising her hand, millions of magic circles appeared all around Zhuge Liang. Her tiny body was also shrouded in pink touki. "This is my last stand, come at me!" she shouted and fired her attacks at them.

Misteeta matched the number of attacks as they exploded above them. Since she had no access to her Sacred Gear, Zhuge Liang would rely on her martial arts and the hand-to-hand combat she had learned. Arriving in front of Gandoma she sent an upwards palm strike to his chin. The man expected no power from it, but was surprised when he felt enormous strength from such a tiny body. Gandoma was sent upward and was hit by several magic attacks that were still ongoing.

"Gandoma-san!" Misteeta screamed as he watched his fellow team member be obliterated by the amount of attacks. However, he didn't have time to focus on him as Zhuge Liang arrived in front of him wielding a spear made of light.

"Tch…!" Misteeta fired a point-blank demonic ball of energy, but Zhuge Liang avoided it and appeared behind him. He turned around and fired more attacks at her using demonic circles, but using her agility and tiny body, Zhuge Liang dodged them all again.

'She's nimble! Even though she said that she didn't excel at physical combat…! Or did she lie about it?!' Misteeta kept on firing his attacks at him until Gandoma fell back to the ground. He was injured but was still fine to continue.

'I let my guard down just because of her physique,' thought Gandoma as he charged at Zhuge Liang and began throwing powerful punches at her. However, she avoided them with her superior speed.

Misteeta becoming annoyed, increased the gravity around her body again, slowing her speed considerably, and forcing her to deflect and parry Gandoma's attacks instead. She also kept up her magic circles and cancelled Misteeta's magic and demonic attacks.

[Incredible! Such a small girl can keep up with two combatants at once!]

[She's using her body frame and technique, even though she's being slowed down considerably by the gravity magic, she's doing quite well for herself. I do wonder how this would be if she had access to her Sacred Gear,] said Shiva.

'I'd win, obviously!' thought Zhuge Liang.

[Misteeta-kun, go ahead with that plan! But avoid using it on Cao Cao since Sairaorg-sama wishes to fight him!] shouted Silveteela through their transceiver.

[Roger,] replied Misteeta. He aimed his staff at the sky and a large ring of purple flames surrounded him and quickly expanded; it began to cover the entire game field.

"Balance Break!" he shouted. Purple stars formed all around the ring, and they instantly flew towards the Players of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] and attached themselves to them except Cao Cao.

"What did you do?!" Zhuge Liang asked as she dodged Gandoma's attacks.

"I used my Balance Breaker. However, it isn't anything special. It simply seals the abilities I wish from anyone within that purple circle, since it covers the entire field, all your allies Sacred Gear or other abilities have been sealed.

"[Dimension Lost], [Blade Blacksmith], [Annihilation Maker], [Dreamlike Curse], and [Aegis Mineralization] have all been sealed,] said Misteeta with a smile and some blood coming out of his eyes. "I still need practice with it though, but I can still help fight you with Gandoma!"

'This…is really bad…!' Zhuge Liang frowned as she became worried about her teammates.

— ○ ● ○ —

"W-what the heck is this?! I can't use my Sacred Gear!" shouted Perseus.

"I have also lost the use of mine…" mumbled Marsilio.

A smile appeared on Coriana's face. "Ara? It seems Misteeta used his Balance Breaker. I guess our counter attack starts now~" she said and appeared in front of the two men.

With her left hand, she summoned demonic ice and with her right hand, she summoned lightning. She slammed both attacks directly into both their chests blowing them away as a result. Both men were injured by the attacks as they reacted slowly. Perseus' body had some ice still on it while Marsilio's body felt numb. Both men stood back up and stared at Coriana.

"Did she hold back earlier?" asked Perseus as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"It doesn't matter. You have hand-to-hand and magic, and I still have my magic, we can still defeat her…as for Jeanne, let's hope her sword skills are enough to defeat the dragon man," said Marsilio.

"Well…like any woman who's interested in Aaron-san, let's just use that to fuel the fire in her when the time is right," chuckled Perseus.

"…And they say I'm the villain," replied Marsilio.

Perseus planned on messing with Jeanne's feelings, angering her and hopefully—to him, it would result in some strange power-up that would help defeat Ladora Buné in his dragon form. Jeanne had a sword given to her before she went to the Phantasma. However, she mostly relied on her holy swords that were created by her Sacred Gear and only used the other sword in do-or-die situations.

This was one of them.

— ○ ● ○ —

Jeanne dodged Ladora's massive body while jumping around the location they were at. Each time the massive dragon tried to hit her, he would throw sand everywhere briefly obscuring Jeanne's vision. He would use this to attack her using his fire breaths. But Jeanne relied on her instincts and touki to dodge them, putting both of them at a standstill.

Jeanne summoned the sword that Aaron gifted her. The [Cathfrois]. This sword was modeled after the one that Joan of Arc used during her lifetime. It looked like a regular sword made from the medieval times, but had five crosses etched into it. It also had a blue gem in the middle of its handle and had a golden sharp tip.

Like other holy swords, [Cathfrois] exuded holy energy and could also utilize light powers as well as flames that can purifying anything.

"Look after me today, my adorable baby-chan," muttered Jeanne. She dashed towards Ladora and appeared above him. Using her momentum, she charged towards Ladora and swung her sword downwards.

Ladora tried to defend himself and covered his body with a powerful coating of demonic energy and touki, but his large dragon arm was cut off! Ladora let out a pained cry as blood spurted out of his arm. He bit his tongue and began breathing fire towards Jeanne who deflected it using her sword. Jeanne was the one this time to point her sword at Ladora and fire a large and powerful stream of ashen colored flames.

Ladora also fired his flames at Jeanne's attack while also trying to stop the bleeding from his arm. The two attacks collided creating a pillar of red and ashen colored flames that could be seen all over the game field.

However, as the pillar of flames erupted, Jeanne jumped through it and with a single motion with her sword, tore through the rest of Ladora, forcing him to retire. As he faded away, Ladora had a look of regret on his face—he wanted to do more for his team, but this was his limit for now.

[1 [Rook] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!]

[1 [Bishop] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

Jeanne looked over at where Perseus and Marsilio were and saw that Marsilio was forced out of the game after being defeated only leaving a tired and injured Perseus to face Coriana who only had light scratches around her body. She quickly ran over to help him and the two [Knights] of Cao Cao's team faced her.

"There are seven of us left while your team has six. I wonder who'll win this game," said Coriana as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "You don't have access to your Sacred Gears any more after all."

"We'll just beat the one using this Sacred Gear and restore it!" shouted Perseus. "With that said, go and help Zhu—"

[1 Bishop] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

[1 [Rook] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!]

Before Perseus could finish his sentence two more retirements occurred. Both Zhuge Liang and Gandoma were knocked out of the game.

"That small strategist really took down an opponent with her before retiring! Haha…that's quite something!" said Perseus.

Misteeta, the other [Bishop] of Sairaorg's team teleported beside Coriana as now both [Knights] of Cao Cao's team faced off against both [Bishops] of Sairaorg's team.

"[Bishops] or [Knights], who'll win?" asked Perseus as he forced the remaining power and energy out of his already tired body. "I'm raring to go!"

"That little girl was quite an opponent till the end. She managed to repel me enough for her to take down Gandoma-san even with the difference in their size and physique," said Misteeta. "But we'll win! Coriana-san I'll support you."

"Roger that!" shouted Coriana as her body was covered in darkness.

"Wha—w-what is that?!" shouted Jeanne. She fired a light beam at Coriana but to her surprise, the darkness wasn't repelled but it deflected her light attack instead. As she transformed, a certain memory played in Coriana's mind.

— ○ ● ○ —

During the 100 years in Aaron's [Pocket Dimension] Gasper and Coriana approached Aaron about a combination technique between Gasper and herself. Gasper had done the same thing with Rias and it was successful, so they wanted to do something like it but also different.

"A combination technique, huh? Well…if you plan on using during a Rating Game and neither of you are in the same team, it would be a problem. Let's also go without a chant since that takes time…" said Aaron as he started thinking of something for them.

"Right, it took us a while to go into that form without the need for a chant. Although Rias-nee-chan did want to chant since it sounded cool to her," said Gasper as he blushed and scratched his cheek.

"Make sure you don't call her that before the day of our graduation Gya-suke, otherwise it'll ruin the surprise," said Aaron.

"Ah, right, my bad." Gasper looked at Coriana who was also in deep thought.

"How about you keep it simple then?" suggested Aaron. "If Rias' combination form is a full body one, why not keep the one between you two partial, but also defends Coriana's entire body—almost like an invisible armor of darkness. Of course, retaining the abilities of Balor, and also amplifying her own power along with it."

Aaron pointed to his own necklace. "Instead of a third eye on her forehead, how about a necklace or something to stop time? Or on the back of her hands? These are just random suggestions though, so in the end it's up to you two. I'll help with the rest when you decide on the final design."

"That's fine, Aaron-sama, but what about the issue of being near one another?" asked Coriana.

"You know spirit pacts, right? Use Natsume and Sylph as an example, they've explained to me that it doesn't matter if the two are separated, be it different realms, dimensions or countries, as long as their bond is strong, Natsume has access to Sylph's wind manipulation. I also changed that for them, so they can still use it even across universes."

"Are you saying you'll make it like that for us? A pact or something?" asked Gasper.

Aaron nodded his head. "Right." He pointed at Gasper and then Coriana. "The details are up to you two, but as long as that bond and love between you two is strong, and as long as the pact is never severed, you can use it anywhere."

— ○ ● ○ —

Coriana's arms were covered in darkness, as were her legs, back and parts of her face. It resembled a mask. A necklace made of darkness formed around her neck, as well as glowing red eyes appeared on the backs of her hands. On the necklace created out of darkness a small gem-like eye appeared that started looking around itself. On her back emerged two jet-black wings of darkness as she floated in the air. The mask made of darkness that covered her eyes also glowed, and a cold chill ran through both [Knights] bodies.

[Player Coriana has just transformed!! What is that new form?!]

[I sense some of Balor's power from it, perhaps a new power from Gasper Vladi? Although I'm perplexed about how she acquired it,] said Shiva.

"<<I like it,>>" said Coriana in a distorted voice. "<<Are you two ready~?>>"

"I was born ready!" shouted Perseus as he coughed up blood. "…Kind of!" As he was about to jump towards Coriana, he was suddenly flung to the ceiling of the game field and slammed back down at an incredible speed, one that Jeanne couldn't fully follow with her eyes.

[1 [Knight] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

In the blink of an eye, Perseus was eliminated from the game. Coriana floated behind Jeanne and smiled at her.

"<<Shall we continue this, Jeanne-san?">> asked Coriana.

"…Interesting, I'll take you on!" shouted Jeanne in response.

Misteeta down below watched the fight rage on, unable to help his fellow [Bishop]. He decided to stand there until things looked rocky for Coriana and would help her then, but until then, he'd keep himself alive to keep his Balance Breaker's ability activated. But since quite some time had already passed since he activated it, he started to sweat as the effects started to take a toll on him.

His team needed to win soon, otherwise…

— ○ ● ○ —

"I didn't get to trigger her, dammit!" Perseus shouted as he shot out of his bed. "How's she going to win now?!"

"Calm down you fool, just be quiet and watch the rest of the match," replied Marsilio. Both of them were in their team's infirmary room as they watched the game continue.

The clock was slowly ticking down.

— ○ ● ○ —

Jeanne instantly appeared in front of Coriana, but as she swung her sword sideways the woman in front of her disappeared. Jeanne tried to turn around but her body refused. Above her was Coriana. When Jeanne moved her head towards her, she saw that the necklace around her neck was glowing and staring directly at her.

"<<I have more ways than one to freeze someone's time, Jeanne-san,>>" said Coriana.

She then summoned balls of demonic energy around her hands which were stronger because Balor was amplifying her powers even further. Coriana threw them towards Jeanne who focused her energy into [Cathfrois] as well as mixing light, holy, and fire into it. She jumped toward the attacks and sliced through them before containing onwards to Coriana.

"<<That should be expected for a sword made by Jin-san,>>" said Coriana. She then summoned a blade made of darkness and demonic flames before clashing with Jeanne.

— ○ ● ○ —

"This…has become a bit difficult, but not unwinnable. Unfortunately for you, Leonardo's Anti-Monsters will stay even after being sealed. Courtesy of Jin-sans upgrades," said Georg as he dodged several more attacks from angry women.

"Subjecting us to that wasn't even funny!" shouted Kuisha as she threw back the magic attacks Georg had aimed at her using her [Hole] ability. Georg fixed his glasses and created anti-magic circles, nullifying and destroying the magic attacks that were redirected back at him.

"I acknowledge that we are comrades while in Team [DxD] and while fighting our opponents, but since this is a tournament, we must fight each other using the best of our abilities—using such tactics isn't banned nor disallowed," replied Georg.

Being more annoyed, Kuisha charged at him and began throwing punches at him while Georg swiftly avoided all her attacks. Everyone in [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] were taught close quarters combat prior to going to the Phantasma's universe. Aaron wanted them to be ready for all types of situations.

In a way, Aaron turned them all into 'all-rounders'. Although their mastery, skill level and power in each category varied, they moved as a team. This was so they could still back each other up and cover for their weaknesses in those areas.

"Screw your logic!" screamed Kuisha.

She was still quite angry with the illusion that Georg and Leonardo had subjected her and Silveteela to. But she couldn't get too far as the Anti-Monster [Boosted Gear], [Regulus Nemea], and Hirokazu's armors appeared beside Georg. The other three were helping Leonardo fight Silveteela.

"Dammit!" shouted Kuisha as she fired multiple demonic elemental attacks at Georg. However, the Anti-Monster armors stopped them much to her frustration. 'Sairaorg-sama, please defeat their [King] soon!'

— ○ ● ○ —

"Will you not use your previous Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker?" asked Sairaorg.

"No. I will defeat you without the need of it, because I plan on mastering several other abilities this spear has during our fight," replied Cao Cao.

Sairaorg didn't see it as an insult—he assumed that his previous Balance Breaker had other issues he needed to correct before being able to use it properly, hence why he only saw Cao Cao use very simple abilities of various other Sacred Gear.

"Very well, if that is your decision," said Sairaorg as he closed his eyes. "Regulus! Release!" he shouted.

"Understood, sir!" replied the young boy.

With that shout, a golden and purple aura seeped out of Sairaorg's body, then both of them began to chant.

"This body, this soul, even if it falls into an endless ravine!"

[My Lord and I, we will exhaust this body and this soul to rise up the endless royal road!]

His armor began to change. The purple aura began to seep into his golden armor.

"Raze, triumph, play, and shine!"

[This is the body of a Demonic Beast!]

"Lodged on top of my fist, is the glorious imperial authority!"

The area around them was destroyed by all the aura and pressure they created, while the ground Sairaorg was standing on also turned into a crater. The earth shattered, the air vibrated and even space was distorted. The impact wave was so powerful that it shook the entire field.

[Dance!]

"Dance!"

"[Bloom]!!!"

"[Breakdown The Beast, Climb Over]!!"

A huge explosion of aura followed, then Sairaorg was covered in his purple and golden armor, surrounded by an overwhelming aura of touki. Every time Sairaorg took a step forward, the earth beneath him shattered and interference formed on the monitors.

"Here I come," he declared before disappearing from his spot without making any noise. Sairaorg appeared in front of Cao Cao as he sent an uppercut towards the man. In less than a second, Cao Cao avoided the attack with instincts alone as he pulled his body back.

The shockwave that was created by the attack tore through space and created a tear above them. It was quickly fixed by Aaron who was watching. Cao Cao understood that if a single hit landed on him, it would be over—or at least knock him out enough for Sairaorg to finish it seconds later.

Normally, using [Breakdown the Beast] would endanger his life, but thanks to Aaron changing it, it would only drain his stamina even more than in 'Canon'. To combat this, Sairaorg spent large chunks of time in his [Breakdown the Beast] form during the 100 years they spent in Aaron's dimension, in order to reduce the burden and master the form. Apart from that, he also trained to increase his stamina reserves so he could keep it up even more.

Sairaorg continued his assault with fast and precise punches and kicks, each one sending powerful shockwaves after it. Cao Cao on the other hand used a variation of [Reflect] from [Divine Dividing] to redirect the shockwaves that were sent at him after those powerful punches and kicks. The ones that he couldn't dodge, he redirected after using a [Boost] on himself to increase his own power and speed. This was so he could react on time.

Each one of Sairaorg's punches in this form was enough to destroy this galaxy multiple times over. However, he concentrated his punches and the shockwaves of his kicks to not affect anything else than what he was aiming at—that's how much control Sairaorg had, otherwise, the other players on the field would be affected by them.

However…

[Those powerful punches aren't landiiiiiiing!! Such explosive power! Every time Player Sairaorg attacks the entire field shakes. The stadium can even feel them too!]

[It doesn't matter if an attack or multiple attacks are a sure-fire way to defeat someone. They need to land on that target if they want to win that battle or fight, otherwise it's just useless power,] said Shiva.

Sairaorg began to mix his attacks with faints and afterimages, but the genius that is Cao Cao kept avoiding, deflecting and parrying his attacks! However, Cao Cao had to concentrate intensely otherwise if he let his guard down or let his concentration slip—it would mean the end for him. It didn't take a trained eye to see the nervous sweat on Cao Cao's face.

— ○ ● ○ —

"Woah! Seeing this in person is intense! Who's going to win?!" Aoife shouted excitedly. She had read about it, but seeing it in person for her was a different experience—the same with Róisín Toole, she was also at the edge of her seat.

"A single hit from Sairaorg-sama is a near instant victory for him. If his opponent was Aaron-sama, the fight would most likely turn into a fistfight match where they would readily accept a beating to their body. However, since his opponent is a human, even if his body was enchanted by Aaron-sama…it's still human, so he is forced to dodge them," explained Ravel.

"…Using our [Appraisal] ability from our ring, it's clear that both of them are [Universal] in rank. However, Sairaorg Bael is at EX whereas Cao Cao is at SSS. Since their rank won't increase further from that since it's their current potential, the deciding factor is—skill and technique," said Grayfia.

"Cao Cao boosted himself a few times since their fight started, so he's definitely in the EX-range, so he's fighting on par with Sairaorg in terms of raw power. But they're being mindful of their teammates and their own fights," added Aaron.

This was the talent of a natural born genius. As a person who once wielded the Holy Spear [True Longinus], facing various opponents over his years of being alive—Cao Cao accumulated a lot of experience, including his own monster-like senses. He could keep up with many powerful beings even before his resurrection.

Compared to Sairaorg who trained his body to the utmost limit, he had to accumulate those kinds of things too through hard work, he had no natural talent after all—but to others, unless they knew his history, they would only see it as Sairaorg having genius talent, or to the ignorant—using illegal means.

However, as Sairaorg kept up his assault…a change occurred during the fight.

— ○ ● ○ —

"…!"

Sairaorg saw it, the audience saw it, the commentators saw it—Cao Cao grinned! And at the same time, he started sending his own attacks towards Sairaorg who also deflected and parried them, but the man—the human was now starting to attack him back.

It only started out as a single jab or quick thrust between dodges. However, now he slowly increased his attacks and began to clash with Sairaorg's fists with his spear. Suddenly a booster-like propulsion and an even faster thrust from Cao Cao's spear connected with Sairaorg's shoulder, piercing it!

"Kuh!" groaned Sairaorg. His armor was destroyed and blood poured out of it. In the midst of their fight—

[2 [Bishops] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!]

[1 [Knight] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

Misteeta Sabnock, Coriana Andrealphus and Jeanne all retired as they concluded their own match. Jeanne didn't see a way of winning her fight when Misteeta joined in, so she decided to take all three of them out in one final move. While the cameras were focused on the two [Kings], the large pillar of a flag and darkness shaped in a four-legged beast clashed against each other which created a powerful explosion.

This retired all three of them, Misteeta tried to get out of the explosion, but he was too physically and mentally exhausted because of his Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker. Moreover, if his regular ability drained his stamina considerably and affected his mental ability, it would only intensify it even further with his Balance Breaker.

Cao Cao was now who was actively attacking Sairaorg as the Lion King's speed decreased significantly, so he was forced into a defensive position. However, Cao Cao began to predict where Sairaorg would move to, and he would preemptively attack that spot, hitting Sairaorg again.

Sairaorg Bael's armor began to break down into pieces, exposing more and more of his body and flesh—he bled more. It seemed that Cao Cao was the one winning, but…

— ○ ● ○ —

As Genshirou Saji watched on at the monitor in front of him, his face twisted into anguish as he watched his mentor and master be beaten by the talented human. His body began to shake and he finally said, "…How is this even possible…?! All that effort, all that training…and he couldn't even land a hit? But now he's the one being hit…!"

"…Genshirou. Sairaorg wasn't the only one that was desperately training for this day. Even Cao Cao had to do the same training. He was tasked with traveling to a different universe after all," said Aaron.

As the fight progressed on, Sairaorg's punches and kicks became less sharp and precise, to the point where Cao Cao could dodge them easily now. Cao Cao also looked more healthier than Sairaorg as he had healed his previous injuries that he sustained.

"Power, defense, speed—Sairaorg is leagues above Cao Cao before the match, but as he used his spear more, he caught up to him. The only thing that Sairaorg stand above Cao Cao right now is—stamina, and also…" muttered Aaron as he stared at the screen.

Sairaorg ran, ran, and ran every day, slowly building up his stamina, even if he was berated in the Capital of Lilith—even at his own territory at times, he built up his strength and stamina with no complaints.

Even when he lost and fell many times, he got up and kept going.

He always had a positive outlook and mindset, he would always look forward to the next best thing—he looked forward desperately, waiting for the day he would win his next fight—his next match.

…So he could reach something—somewhere with those fists of his.

Genshirou Saji suddenly stood up, with his heart beating loudly and tears streaming down his face. He screamed, "Win…wiiiiin….! Masteeeeeeer!!! You have to wiiiiiiiiin!!!"

And then…another change occurred as if Sairaorg heard Saji's voice. His body glowed a dark purple and even more power erupted from him.

"Haha…so he's using it, huh? A slightly dumbed down—[Ultra Ego]," said Aaron while grinning.

— ○ ● ○ —

[What's this sudden surge in—] Before Naud could finish his commentary, Sairaorg's aura surged and the entire game field trembled fiercely.

Cao Cao himself was surprised by this and prepared himself, but Sairaorg disappeared and he felt a punch connect in the middle of his stomach. Pain surged through Cao Cao's body as he felt Sairaorg continue his assault. He felt his shoulder be crushed, his leg snap and other various body parts become beaten and bruised.

Sairaorg Bael's power exploded because of his [Ultra Ego], a power Aaron had given him during their 100 years. At first, he was against it, he didn't want handouts, but after Aaron explained the abilities' mechanics, he became interested.

To Sairaorg, he found it very complimentary to his fighting style. The more he got beaten up, the more power he would accumulate and in turn he could keep on fighting. But he also heard the drawbacks of such an ability and Sairaorg trained over the years to slowly master it, but 100 years is not enough time to master it—just like [Ultra Instinct].

Bits of Sairaorg's hair had turned a dark purple, as did his eyes. Sairaorg continued his assault on Cao Cao until he finished it with one final punch that slammed the spear-wielder against the barrier again!

[Dooooooooooooooooooooown!!! Player Cao Cao is down after the vicious assault by Player Sairaorg Bael!!!!] Naud screamed.

[Wooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!] the crowd screamed in unison. The stadium they were in became even more hyped about the scene that they had just seen.

Sairaorg stood in the distance panting heavily as he stared at the downed Cao Cao. Cao Cao himself also looked back at Sairaorg, his eyes heavy and his body threatened to completely pass out.

[Is this the end of Player Cao Cao?! Is this the end of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor]?!]

As Cao Cao's body trembled, countless memories played in his mind—they were of his time in the Phantasma.

— ○ ● ○ —

'This is Isatha. She's a bit aloof and cold to everyone, but she's also powerful and is a pro at her job, so try to get along,' said Savina.

'I'm Cao Cao, and this is my team. We were sent by the—'

'Just don't get in my way. We're here to do a job, and that's it. We don't need to become friends,' snapped Isatha.

It was their first meeting.

— ○ ● ○ —

Time passed and they started collaborating more and more with each other and completed various mission with each other—they slowly liberated the countless planets in the Phantasma, giving hope to various species and people there.

'You guys aren't half bad. Those Sacred Gear things are pretty powerful,' said Isatha.

'You too, woman,' replied Cao Cao.

— ○ ● ○ —

'Old man, play with us!' the children shouted as they bothered Heracles.

'Aaaagh! Why do they all call me an old man?! I'm only in my mid-thirties!' cried Heracles.

Savina and Isatha approached Cao Cao as he sat a distance away cleaning his new spear.

'I haven't seen these children smile in many months. To think the toys you brought back would have this kind of effect,' said Savina. 'You also made this grumpy girl more open. Care to share your secrets?'

Isatha's face turned red. 'I-I just needed to work through some things, and J-Jeanne was the one who helped me!'

'Fufu, she's blushing. So many new things from her, isn't it adorable?' asked Savina.

Cao Cao stopped cleaning his spear and looked at the two women. He then turned his attention to the children playing with Jeanne and Heracles. 'I was a villain in my world,' he abruptly told them, surprising them.

He then explained his previous philosophy, his goals, and who he was affiliated with. 'But then that man showed up, defied all logic and killed me. But…he also resurrected me, which confused me for quite some time. However, after some time reflecting, I started to question many things about myself—in the end, he gave me another chance.'

Cao Cao finished cleaning his spear and dismissed it while standing up. As he continued watching the children in front of him a strange feeling bubbled up inside of him.

'I have a 'heroes' blood in me, Cao Cao was his name, that is not my original name. However, I will use it with pride. But…coming to this universe and seeing everything being done to them—it made me think 'Is this what the future had in store if we succeeded?' Because all I can see is suffering.'

The young man squinted his eyes. 'I—we thought that it would bring its own peace, we thought people would revere us, but it looks like we were wrong. We saw it first-hand here, the suffering and the destruction, so…' the looked at both women, 'until Jin comes here, we'll do our best in liberating as many planets as we can, and we'll improve this planet as much as we can, you have my word.'

'Fufu, those are very big words Mr. Cao Cao. Can you live up to them?' asked Savina.

'I have this spear and my team—we can only try our best,' he told her.

'…Then you'll have our full support, let's do our best,' said Savina as she stretched out her hand. Cao Cao shook it and agreed.

— ○ ● ○ —

Quite a bit of time had passed since Cao Cao and his team had come to this universe. Cao Cao and Isatha sat together on top of large rocks at the Resistance's base. The night sky illuminated the planet's surface.

'I'd like to travel to your world. It sounds interesting. A vast blue sky—that's one thing I'd like to see,' said Isatha.

'It should be possible. Jin accepts most genuine requests,' replied Cao Cao. He then felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked at Isatha.

'…Can I tell you about my past? I told Jeanne about it since I opened up to her first but…'

'If you're fine with it.'

Isatha nodded and told Cao Cao about her past, why she had that kind of personality. She also told Cao Cao how she ended up part of the Resistance and her hopes for the future. The young man sat there silently listening to her story. Never in his life he thought he would have someone confide such a sensitive and personal secret to him.

After he heard such things, after he experienced many things in this universe, Cao Cao made a decision—the type of decision he would never have made before he was killed. It was one that was selfless.

— ○ ● ○ —

Cao Cao's body stopped trembling and became still. Seconds later, a powerful and large silver-yellow light emanated from his body as he stood back up.

[He's uuuuuuup! Player Cao Cao stood up!!]

'That spear's growth is dependent on you. How you choose to evolve it is dependent on your own will, desire, and feelings. How will you evolve this spear, Cao Cao?'

Aaron's words rang through his head as he stood there. He changed into a stance as he gritted his teeth and healed himself.

'I'm not just doing this for myself anymore…I'm not just doing it to get recognized, or just to get stronger…I'm doing it for all of them! For all the people that suffered in that universe! For her! I want to make their universe a better place to live in!' Cao Cao bellowed in his mind.

For the first time in his life, Cao Cao felt the burden of protecting someone. He wasn't trying to protect a singular person, nor just his team or faction. He made a promise to them—to her that he'd make their universe a better place. Right here, right now, Cao Cao was carrying the burden of an entirely different universe of people's dreams and hopes. If he loses here, he can't keep that promise to them.

Not a single word was said further, both [Kings] disappeared from their spot—their first clash created such a powerful shockwave that—

[1 [Pawn] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] retire!]

[1 [Queen] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!]

[Oh my goodness! Such a powerful clash retired two more players! Only the [Queen] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] and [Pawn] of [Team Imperial Purpure] and both [Kings] remain!]

Cao Cao and Sairaorg's fight continued, as both dodged, parried, deflected and countered each other's attack. All the while both men continued to sustain injuries as they fought! However, it wasn't clear who had the advantage.

Sairaorg's power continued to increase the more damage he took. However, Cao Cao simply healed any injuries he received, and at the same time, he would boost his strength using the [Boost] of the [Boosted Gear].

Cao Cao used [Gravity Jail] on Sairaorg—Liban Crocall's Sacred Gear. Sairaorg felt his gravity increase and his overall speed decrease. However, he didn't let that stop him as he continued his assault on Cao Cao. Sairaorg's punches and kicks just became even sharper and precise.

Sairaorg sent a punch towards his chest, but Cao Cao vaulted over him using his spear, he then did an axe kick down to Sairaorg who blocked it—the clash created another powerful shockwave that shook the entire field.

Sairaorg's eyes glowed and a flurry of near-invisible punches were sent to Cao Cao. The young man with the spear quickly summoned his spear to his hands and blocked and parried the attacks. Only a few punches hit him on the shoulder, thigh, and one grazed his cheek!

Cao Cao landed back on the ground and continued their dance, however, seconds later another solid hit rang through the field! The heir of the Bael clan continued his flurry of punches and kicks, and also mixed in faints and afterimages with them…and one of them went through! Or so he thought!

Cao Cao blocked the attack using his spear—!

[It was blocked!! That vicious assault!]

[…No, it went through,] said Shiva.

Sairaorg grinned as Cao Cao's eyes widened. The shockwave from his punch slammed into Cao Cao's stomach and blew him away again! The man with the spear crashed to the ground and rolled along for several meters before stopping.

[He's dooooooooooooooooooooown again!! Player Cao Cao is dooown!]

'Fuck, I can only use it two more times,' thought Cao Cao as he healed himself again while shakily standing up.

"It seems you're going to reach your limit soon," said Sairaorg.

"You too, Great Lion King-sama," replied Cao Cao. Both [Kings] were on their last breath as they shakily stood still. It was clear to them, and to the ones watching that their next clash would end the match.

"We're fighting for our dreams and wishes, heir of the Great King—but they're practically the same, but I can't fall here," said Cao Cao as he changed into another stance as his spear glowed. Then he glanced at the cameras, causing Sairaorg to be confused.

"Watch carefully, devils of all classes, and ancient devils alike. The one who's fighting equal with me who has a spear that can replicate various other abilities is being cornered right now. The being that you were scared of...is strength perfected from continuous training that you've been denying for the past thousands, and tens of thousands of years. Understand that there are limits that you cannot reach on just talent and genetics alone."

"Why did you make such a claim?" asked Sairaorg.

"I don't like being cornered. Whether it's by you, Aurelia or Jin himself. I know how hard you worked. I saw it, and Team [DxD] saw it. Hearing you being looked down upon annoys me to no end," explained Cao Cao.

[E-eh?! M-Magdaran-san?!] Naud suddenly shouted from his mic.

[May I?] asked a voice.

[Go ahead,] replied Shiva.

[The Heir of the Great King, Sairaorg is…fighting with his physical strength alone. That's because he has not inherited one of the most valuable powers of the Great King family, the [Power of Destruction]. Compared to the previous Great King, he will wield less political power.]

[Even incidents that happen within the land of the Bael clan, instead of sorting it out by formally sending out delegations, he goes to the incident himself. He really lacks common sense as a noble devil.]

Reacting to Magdaran's voice talking about his older brother, everyone in the arena lent him their ears as well as the ones watching from their homes.

[In addition to putting on a costume and selling our area's specialty, he does all sorts of things that nobles don't do. And for any requests from the citizens, even if they are the tantrums of a child, he will listen to them all and try his best to fulfil their wishes. He truly tries his best at everything.]

With a shaky voice—obvious that Magdaran had started to shed tears for his older brother, he continued.

[Even still, I will follow my big brother without doubting him…Sairaorg Bael is the true heir of the Great King, the true Great King Bael!!]

Once he finished, someone started to clap somewhere in the audience. That sound became louder and louder, and soon filled the entire arena. But the voices of criticism were also heard. However, there were also people who acknowledged Sairaorg. Both his allies and the enemy had acknowledged that Sairaorg was truly powerful. Just then, the commentator Shiva jeered.

[That was a cool speech. Yes, the king of the devils would have been obsessed with destruction or things like his bloodline. Well, I'm not one who can comment on the customs of devils, but I can easily define what a hero is.]

[They are the ones who are wanted by the people, and the ones whose name everyone wants and remembers. Sirzechs Lucifer and Diehauser Belial are the two that come to mind when I think of the devils. And the one that's most recent, the Middleman, Jin. Known for his and his teams' heroism across the supernatural world.]

[Not only that, but physical strength is also a genuine and proper form of destruction, especially those fists that are the result of countless hours of training. They aren't something that can be easily acquired. It's the word from me, the God of Destruction, so you can take my word for it. If someone doubts his power after seeing that, then it's simply out of jealousy.]

Some of the criticisms stopped, however, for the ones who truly hated the Great King, they continued. But they were overshadowed by the respect that Sairaorg Bael received from the others as the clapping did not cease.

Cao Cao and Sairaorg's battle continued. They disappeared and reappeared at different points on the field. However, the power they used started to decrease as both of them started to succumb to fatigue and exhaustion. Then—

[1 [Pawn] of [Team Imperial Purpure] retire!]

The retirement of Kuisha Abaddon was confirmed—in the distance, the [Queen] of [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor], Georg sat on the ground, missing an arm and blood pouring from all of his body as slowly bled on the ground. But he refused to retire. He used everything in his body to stay in the game—even using fire magic to close some wounds up.

His battle with the [Pawn] of Sairaorg's team was fierce. However, in the end, the [Anti-Monsters] of [Annihilation Maker] before they were dismissed with Leonardo's retirement helped him enough to weaken Kuisha to the point where he could fight her. The two were at a standstill, until Georg found an opening because Kuisha became distracted by the speech and the crowd cheering for her master.

It was only for a split second, but Georg took advantage of it and injured her enough to force her to retire. However, Georg also took a lot of damage from it.

As he lay on the ground, he muttered, "…Win already, Cao Cao…don't you…want to make that place better for them…?" he asked and closed his eyes.

As both [Kings] dodged, avoided, deflected and parried each other's attack, the time limit for the game was approaching. At most, they had a minute to defeat one another before the game would be over.

Both their bodies became even more sluggish as they mostly stood in one spot now. Sairaorg's [Ultra Ego] was beginning to wane as his hair began to flash back to its normal black, and Cao Cao's speed and precision of thrusts and jabs decreased in speed.

Sairaorg's punch connected with Cao Cao's face, while Cao Cao's spear pierced Sairaorg's side. Both of them coughed up blood as they continued to sluggishly fight each other. The time limit was approaching. There were only 20 seconds left on the clock.

"You're a strange man, and you've certainly changed since a year ago. I like it," said Sairaorg tiredly as he threw a straight at Cao Cao.

In response Cao Cao dodged it and slashed at Sairaorg, who in turned deflected the spear. "Likewise, Lion King, you're worthy of taking down! …But—!"

Both grinned at one another. "The one that's winning is me!" they both declared.

Using the last embers of strength from both within them, they moved forward and were about to strike each other when a loud buzz rang throughout the game field!

[Time is up! The match is over! And the victory is…!]

Both Sairaorg and Cao Cao stopped their attacks mid-path as they stared up at the sky. The scoreboard showed their total points. The one with the highest points would win if neither [King] were eliminated.

[…[Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor]!!!, Cao Cao's team wins!!]

The crowd burst into cheers as they saw who one—the critics of the Great King smirked at Sairaorg who lost and mocked him. However, a few fans also began punching them because of it. They were quickly separated.

[Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] had 32 points while [Team Imperial Purpure] had 23 points. The difference was massive. The deciding factor was both their peerages battles—but…the retirement of Sairaorg's [Queen] decided it all, and Georg holding out from being retired and winning his fight against Kuisha.

Both men who had been shakily standing finally fell to the ground and sat there.

"So I've lost again," said Sairaorg as he looked up at the sky.

"…Well, if we continued with this fight, who knows what would have happened? Although it seems inappropriate to say such things right now," said Cao Cao.

"…The results are what matters in Rating Games. I am also satisfied with my fight with you, but there will be more, right?" asked Sairaorg as he held his fist up for a fist bump.

Cao Cao smirked and bumped his fist with Sairaorg. "I'll be waiting on the main stage with my team. You better get there, Sairaorg Bael."

"I concur, Cao Cao. You better make it yourself," replied Sairaorg.

As the two [Kings] sat there chatting, they were eventually transported back to the arena and they made their way back to their waiting rooms.

— ○ ● ○ —

"He won!!!!!!" screamed Isatha. She had just seen the conclusion of the game and Laeronia dismissed the magic circle.

"Indeed, his team won, although I would have liked to see what would have happened if the match continued. I believe Cao Cao would have won," said Laeronia.

"Yes, with his spear he can beat anyone!" said Isatha. She got up and added, "I'll go and do a mission. I'm feeling good right now!"

Laeronia chuckled as he followed Isatha out of her room. He summoned a magic circle and saw the audience's reaction and sighed. "I'll go and wipe out some more of their armies then…"

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Once the game ended, we left the VIP room. Everyone thought it was quite intense, but one person came out of it with mixed feelings—Genshirou Saji. He looks up to Sairaorg quite a bit and even calls him 'Master' from time to time. However, he seemed to come to his own conclusions after watching this game.

As we arrived at the lobby of the stadium, Aurelia with Roygun was there and they came over to us, but before we could speak to her, Genshirou stepped forward.

"Seeing that amazing fight, I want to face you like that, Aurelia-sensei. Please fight me on the field for our game," he declared.

There were some news reporters and journalists in the lobby waiting for the two teams that played for today, but after they heard Genshirou say that, they all rushed over to us and started asking questions and even taking pictures.

"A declaration of war from Sona Sitri's [Pawn], Genshirou Saji! How will you respond, Aurelia-sama?!" a reporter asked.

Aurelia smiled like usual and answered, "Hoho! Young student of mine, you wish to fight me one-on-one on the field? Very well, I accept! I want to see how far you've come after all."

"She accepted!" shouted various people. When I looked at Sona, she had her hand on her forehead and looked stressed.

I walked over to her and patted her shoulder. "What will you do? Let him, or deny him? If you do, you'll lose a powerful player during the game if he loses, but if he wins then it's an automatic win."

"Can I even refuse at this point? Everyone is expecting it now…haaa…I'll just create a plan and strategy without him and with him, depending on how it turns out, but it seems like we may lose this match," said Sona as she grabbed onto my arm for support.

"Haha, good luck then. I'll be cheering for both of you," I told her. She nodded her head once, but then she pointed in front of us.

"Jin Skyward-sama, are you in a relationship with Sona Sitri-sama too?! Will you be marrying her too like Rias-sama?!" a reporter asked while shoving a mic to my face.

"I will be—"

— ○ ● ○ —

A few hours had passed since the match and there were several news articles, as well as programs talking about the showdown between Genshirou and Aurelia in the upcoming Rating Game.

I also checked up on both teams to see their conditions, and apart from the bitterness of losing, [Team Imperial Purpure] were mostly fine, the same with [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor]. However, Kuisha did say she wanted to train more to get stronger since she was defeated by Georg. Silveteela also felt the same way since she wanted to do more, but was taken out too soon in her opinion.

As I walked towards my room, I heard the music of a piano being played and made my way to Shigune's room. When I peeked in, I saw that she indeed was playing the piano with Poh, Pooh and Pon resting at various places in her room.

As I quietly entered her room, I sat beside Pon who was on her bed and the little guy snuggled into my lap. Shigune had her eyes closed as she played and was too immersed to notice me. However, both Poh and Pooh also joined me. After a few minutes, her performance finally ended and I clapped my hands for her.

She turned around in surprise before blushing. "I didn't notice you were here, dear…" she mumbled and came over.

"Well, you were too immersed in your own performance, so I chose not to interrupt you. What was the piece?" I asked while moving Poh from my lap as Shigune sat between my legs and rested her body against mine. She then took Poh and put him on her lap and the small creature fell asleep.

"Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. You haven't heard of it?" she asked.

"I know some, but not many, so nope. By the way, [Team Slash Dogs] has a match at the same time as Sona and Aurelia's, right?" I asked.

She nodded and then looked up at me. "Mmm. We're up against, ironically enough, [Team Shinto]…so we'll be facing a God-class team."

"I'm surprised it wasn't broadcast and hyped up more. I mean, the fact that Genshirou did challenge Aurelia may have had a factor in it," I mumbled to myself. When I looked back at Shigune, she was blushing quite hard for some reason. "Shig—"

She suddenly kissed me, surprising me, but I kissed her back. Shigune aggressively grabbed my collar forcing me to kiss her harder. When I took a quick glance around us, Poh, Pooh and Pon were missing.

She finally released me from our kiss as she stared at me while blushing.

"What was that about? You're normally not this aggressive, Shigune," I told her.

"…I want a good luck charm," she told me as she began to rub her ass against my groin.

"…Shigune, can I request something?" I asked. She looked at me for a few seconds before agreeing.

— ○ ● ○ —

Lime Start

— ○ ● ○ —

With a completely red face, Shigune asked, "C-can you cum like this…?"

We moved locations and we've been in a 'jelly bath' for about thirty minutes. In a different section of the open bath was another room a more 'normal' room you could say, and Shigune and I were there.

I was lying down in the bath as she lay on top of me. My member was poking through between her thighs as she stared back at it. I've enjoyed the interesting texture that was a mix of Shigune's thighs and the jelly bath.

"Auuu…Kuroka-san and Akeno-san are corrupting your mind…you didn't have such strange fetishes like this before…a t-thigh job…?" she said in confusion.

"I've already gotten a few of these from the other girls, but never in here before," I told her. I also don't think my fetishes are that weird…they're still relatively vanilla, but I'll admit that Kuroka and Akeno were the ones that started it.

"…By the way, Shigune, your clit—" Shigune kissed me stopping me from continuing my sentence. I guess she was too embarrassed about that, huh? As we rubbed our bodies together, I felt her clitoris swelled considerably.

"Mmph…mwah…nnhm…nngh…~"

We locked our lips together and continued to grind our hips together.

I broke away from our kiss as Shigune looked at me sadly. I grabbed a hold of her ass cheeks and squeezed them making her moan. "We're only grinding against each other, but it almost feels like we're having sex."

"…I-I would like my first time to be a bit more normal…" she mumbled cutely.

We kissed again and I began to thrust my member up and down between her thighs and legs. Shigune also reciprocated as she began to move her hips and thighs, which in turn made her moan more during our kiss. I also started to fondle her ass as we kissed and grinded, occasionally giving her a soft slap making her jolt.

"Mmm~ n-nyo…don't slap my butt…" she said while breaking away from our kiss again.

"…Shigune, can you squeeze your thighs a bit more?" I asked while pulling her closer to me.

She did as I requested and squeezed her thighs a bit more. I felt even more pressure around my member as her soft and slippery skin wrapped around me.

"Thank you," I told her and kissed her again while resuming my previous movements. Shigune matched my movements as soon as I started up again.

Moving my right hand away from her ass, I began to grope her right breast making Shigune moan again. Her moans made me pump my hips faster, and she in turn began to shake her hips more too.

"Tighter…" muttered Shigune. She looked at me with clouded eyes. "Hold me closer…dear…ah, aahh…haah…aahh…nnh~"

We had been at this for thirty minutes, but we had been going at it at a moderate pace. Most of it was Shigune getting used to our positions while also worry about me. However, the sudden intensity and her looking like that, strangely moved me over the edge.

"Shigune, I'm—" She cut me off and kissed me again.

'Cum…cum while we kiss, dear…!' she told me telepathically. Without another word, I increased my speed and kept thrusting between her thighs. "Mh, mh! Nh…mmwah…nnmh."

Shigune's sweet kisses coupled with the intense pleasure in my groin, swept away by the contrast between sensations, I'm quickly driven to my first climax.

As I released my cum, it splattered all over her thighs, legs, ass and back. But with the mixture of my cum, the jelly bath and her thighs, I kept on ejaculating while also still pumping my hips, wanting to experience this sensation even more.

"Ah, ah…nhuh…it's hot…haah…ah, aahh! …It's on my back?" she asked while looking towards where we were 'connected'. "…You really felt good from that…? Auuu…I feel a bit like a pervert…"

"…Shigune."

"…Y-yes?"

"…I'm still horny. Can we keep going?" I asked. With a silent nod, she agreed even as her face turned redder.

We continued for another four rounds. I think I might get addicted to doing that with Shigune and her thighs, even if they weren't the thickest among the girls…

— ○ ● ○ —

Lime End

— ○ ● ○ —

Our little private time came to an end. Shigune and I left the bath together and we came across Natsume and Kanami. Shigune was quite obvious with what we did because as soon as they saw us, she hid behind me and placed her head against my back.

"Wow, I didn't think Shigune would have sex this early…" mumbled Kanami.

"…No, she doesn't have that 'aura' yet…she must have done something lewd though. You'll understand soon, Sis," said Natsume.

"You two are weirdly observant about these things," I replied as we arrived beside them.

"Fufu, since I've been with you for quite a long time, I'd say I know a lot of things about you now!" proclaimed Natsume as she flicked her ponytail.

"Like how you like sucking his dick?" asked Kanami. Natsume immediately tried to hit her and the two sisters fought as we made our way to my room.

"Don't mind them too much, let's go to Hawaii soon, Shigune."

She smiled, grabbed my hand and smiled. "Yes! I look forward to it!"

…Just another calm night at home. My phone suddenly vibrated as we entered my room. I checked it and saw a message from Azazel and Shiva in our 'Organizers Group Chat'.

|It's been decided! Jin! The venue and stadium for [Team Sona Sitri] vs [Team Golden Rakshasa] is in your new base in the Dimensional Gap! It's ready right?!| asked Azazel.

|If it's not we can relocate it, so no pressure!| said Shiva

[Antares.]

[Yes, Aaron-sama?]

[Is my home in the Dimensional Gap ready? The Rating Game between Sona and Aurelia is going to be held there. If it's not, we can relocate,] I told him.

[It's ready! Please come by before the start of the match!]

[I will. Thank you for your hard work. I'll meet you there soon.]

"Aaron? Is something wrong?" Natsume asked.

I nodded and grinned. "The match between Sona and Aurelia is going to be held at my base in the Dimensional Gap, so I'm heading there tomorrow to check it over before the match begins a few days later."

"Can we come?!" Kanami asked excitedly.

"I don't see why not? It's essentially our second home, whereas [Sanctuary] is our third. So I'll invite everyone who can come. Maybe we'll start with everyone in this home first," I told them.

I look forward to seeing my new home. I wonder how large that place is? I refused to look at it when looking into the future, if I could help it.

— ○ ● ○ —