177 A Marvelous Day.

*BOOM!!*

The air snapped louder than a thunderclap, reverberating to the sky as a colossal bell rang by giants. The ever-calm Inner Sanctuary was caught in a sudden trance as the noise covered everything.

A young Kannushi dressed in the traditional attire of Shinto priests collapsed on the ground. Usually, he would make sure to not stain his outfit in such an important place, but today, this superficial thing was the least of his concerns.

The fragile sound barrier, under the low pressure, was blasted into a cloud of vapor as the solid ground cracked into bullets like debris flying high in the air.

He hugged his head in pain as his ears rang like a drum, but it was to no avail. Tears swelled in his eyes uncontrollably as his vision blurred to a mess. A faint storm brewed shortly, shoving his body away, and several others like a rag.

The disaster struck too quickly, without giving a chance to retaliate. The chaos spread like a plague and before they realized it, the secured mansion was in ruins and most of the guards were on the ground, rolling in pain.

Amid the destruction, two figures sped through the wreckage. The shouts of panic were cut short as another ear-deafening blast tossed the fear-struck priests around. However, a mutation suddenly occurred.

Trees and vines broke through the solid concert, covering the area in a domain of green. The collapsing mansion came to a halt as the vines seeped through the cracks and held it firm as the trees caught the rolling priests.

A faint aroma of flowers lingered in the air, without any flowers at the scene as the florae opened up a path, revealing a young man with glasses. His facial features behind the dust and leaves weren't clear, but his eyes covered by a pair of gold rim glasses flashed with a grim light, turning into anger by the current sight before him.

The young Kannushi trundled helplessly in pain before his body collided with a hard surface. Opening his eyes with difficulty, he saw the young man scanning the area. The look in his eyes gave the Kannushi chills but soon turned into ecstasy.

"Seiryuu-sama…"

These words awoke everyone in the scene as they all focused on the young man, Seiryuu Kushihashi, the inheritor of the Azure Dragon and the Kushihashi clan.

As if they found a backbone, the Shinto priests woke up from their stupor and took their positions. The combatants and guards outside the mansion hurried inside hearing the noises, startled by the wreckage and scene.

Before they processed what was happening, they heard Seiryuu yelling "All combatants to their posts at once! Non-combatants start the defensive measures of the Inner Sanctuary, strengthen the barrier, and lock the area!"

Taking a deep breath, Seiryuu glanced over the crowd. Their expression reflected in his eyes, noticing the uneasiness as he spoke slowly "In case of urgency, assist Suzaku in securing the elders to safety… From this very moment, the Inner Sanctuary is in a state of war. Move!"

The words dropped heavier than a hammer on the priests' hearts. Although they know the result, this has extinguished their last hope. Following the combatants of the Five Principal Clans, the Inner Sanctuary started acting at a very fast pace.

This fell into Seiryuu's eyes as he couldn't help but secretly sigh. Kushihashi, the priests responsible for the Shinto Shrines across the country, except the competent few, aren't fit for battle.

As the years passed and with the support of Gods, the strength of the Five Principal Clans grew too large. The once Youkai exercising priests are more like small mayors in their shrine area, but if it's just maintaining the barrier and support, they are more than qualified.

The Shinto Magic formulas lit up around the Inner Sanctuary as Seiryuu cast a grim stare at the distance. There was azure and golden phantom dashing through the Inner Sanctuary like two streaks of light before clashing.

The tremor spread through the Sanctuary as the invisible barrier shook violently, flashing ripples of energy in the sky. However, a new flow of mana stabilized the damage temporarily, but it didn't halt the rapid destruction dispersal through the land.

Another collision blasted off in the distance…

The world slowed down for a moment still, a wisp of the scorching air carrying the smell of burn swept his nostrils. Nakagami wasn't quite sure as the scenery was replaced by a skipping blur.

No, he didn't have the leisure to contemplate. The fading image around him was already broken by a striking azure, flickering like a torch in the dark.

The technique was sloppy at best as if an overweight hammer was reluctantly swung. Any martial artist would scoff it off as child play, but Nakagami didn't show contempt for what might look inept, perhaps is the ideal approach for the adversary.

*BOOOM!!*

Numbness…

The feeling crept through his arms like needle stings. The azure energy storm blasted on the golden aura as something akin to ripples spread through the ground. The world came to halt before the shockwave razed the area.

The air grew horribly dry as the scorching smell blasted into his face. A sizzling sound crackled through the air as the golden aura offset the waves of heat.

{Fire…}

Hot, dry, explosive… Even in its most neutral state, the violent mana retained those characteristics. Although such a feat is rare among humans, it's quite common among several supernatural beings or those favored by them.

Suzaku, the heir of the Himejima Clan, has a similar effect due to the blessing of the god of fire and the Sacred Beast Suzaku, but it's comparable to this torrent of blazing mana that maintained a shape similar to flames.

However, for him, it didn't make much difference…

The ground shook more violently as the barrier trembled again. The Ki running through the land, as if received an order, flocked like a flood to the surface.

Nakagami took a step forward as the golden aura on his body erupted like a volcano tearing apart the scorching air. The image of a golden dragon flickered through the brilliance before the azure mana was blown away.

The azure mana shook off for a moment before getting knocked away by the rising amounts of Ki.

Without any hesitation, Nakagami spread his aura through the ground like a wave of gold dust, sparkling under the sunlight. As if it's sprung to life, the originally inanimate earth suddenly cracked open as several huge edges like thorns skipped into the air.

Leo lightly stepped to the left, leaving behind a gigantic rock infused with Ki smashing several trees to debris, as an azure flare bloomed on his feet before kicking down!

The poor ground that gained motion was pressed down by the huge mana before the shockwave spread. The rocks were washed away by the blast, crushing into flying debris in the air.

The golden color sparkled in the sky and debris shone against the sun as if they were tiny stars in the middle of the day… The stars fell.

The crushed rocks shot without warning and turned into a meteor shower, as deadly as bright, locking down all Leo's escape routes, but what met them was more violence.

The mana erupted like a volcano in the sky, overcoming the sunlight with its azure color. It grew more explosive and hotter as the hail of rocks got crushed again and melted into molten lava mid-air.

Feelings like irritation were faintly conveyed through the mana as the atmosphere distorted with each wave. Nakagami felt this sudden malice locking on him, but it didn't phase him at all.

With a heavy stomp on the ground, the sea of golden aura rose like a tsunami, flooding everything in its path before pressing down the flamboyant volcano of mana!

The scene comparable to a natural disaster was instantly suppressed by the inextinguishable Ki flowing in nature, protecting the rather fragile barrier of the Inner Sanctuary.

But in the eyes of Five-Principal-Clans figures, this confrontation of pure violence and exaggerated area attacks is gradually sending the Inner Sanctuary and their poor hearts to ruins.

Each collision gave them the feeling of walking on thin ice! The barrier is barely hanging on, even with the support of hundreds of Shinto Priests. If it collapsed, they did not doubt that at least half of Japan would be sleeping with fish tonight.

Although aware of the situation, Nakagami couldn't help it at the moment. The suppressed mana was about to usher in another round of explosion. This huge squandering of energy made him feel a bit numb.

At the sign of approaching disaster, Nakagami vanished from his place.

The golden aura galloped forward as the roar of the dragon was faintly heard before slamming into the storm of mana, tearing a hole open within the devastating energy.

From within this opening, a flash of light shoots off like a 'laser' towards the figure covered in vehement energy.

Leo's glasses reflected this speeding brilliance as it twisted abruptly mid-flying and swept horizontally towards his face. This strike brought down all the surrounding mana, breaking apart all barriers without stopping!

However, the attack that easily punctured what can be called a natural disaster of mana ended up futile by an 'ordinary' palm.

*BOOM!*

The impact squeezed the air and set off a small storm ravaging the area, clearing away all the mana and golden Ki clashing in the air. The previous lush forest was left barren as debris dropped like rain.

The airflow that gained a whitish color because of moisture in the air brushed off Leo's hair slightly as the mana on his palm and Ki on the opposite fist grinded against each other.

The two energies offset one another creating a harsh sound of friction while sparks flew in the air like blazing fireflies as if two metal pieces were colliding.

Nakagami didn't show any surprise at this scene, but his heart couldn't help but feel a chill, looking at the wisps of mana flickering on Leo's body.

{Such a crude method…}

The exaggerated release of energy will forcibly tear apart the body because of the high flow of energy in an instant. The pain and self-harm inflicted are unimaginable, yet no scare or a change in expression could be seen on the opposite figure.

Seeing this suicidal battle method, Nakagami decisively abandoned any attempt to intimidate the opponent. His aura immediately sank into the ground, sending golden ripples of Ki all around, completely unfazed by the sudden approaching kick covered in dreadful energy.

The ground under Leo suddenly sank and broke into large fissures, throwing off his balance. The kick left a trail of mana in the air as Nakagami easily ducked and twisted Leo's wrist before pulling him.

Then under Leo's deadpan stare, the heavy fist stacked in Ki slammed on his chest and hurled him into the fissure that suddenly appeared. Stabilizing his position mid-air, Leo shot off to the sky, but Nakagami quickly clapped his palms together.

The golden aura covering the land gathered into the two sides of the gapping dark fissure before two giant rock arms squished Leo in the middle. The crevice slammed shut rapidly like a giant maw, raising a cloud of thick dust.

The Ki lingering on the surface sank deeply within the earth before the area experienced a strong pressure as if gravity was multiplied several folds.

The Inner Sanctuary shuddered one last time as the continuous tremor came to a stop. The rising dust began to settle as Nakagami continued to apply pressure on the earth, firmly sealing it off.

The aura of Touki flickered on his body as his perception covered everything beneath the earth, but feedback resulted in nothing. Instead, faint, yet very distinct spatial fluctuations rippled from within the deep and large sea of natural Ki.

Usually, it would have been impossible to successfully mobilize any teleportation magic because of the distortion applied by the vast amount of energy, but Nakagami didn't want to bet as he resolutely swept with his fist to the right!

"You know, I would have stayed there if you made it 6 feet deep" From nowhere, Leo appeared right next to Nakagami watching the fissure collapse.

With his fingers on his chin, he pondered while looking at the compressed soil. Using the big amount of energy as some sort of quicksand and drowning anyone inside is a novel technique that aroused his interest.

"Maybe this could be used as waterboardi---"

The seemingly sarcastic remarks spout from his mouth as if he weren't just tossed inside there.

However, his comments were cut off by a solid flare of earth-based Ki. Glancing down, the world in his vision came to a halt for a moment still. A fist infused with a lot of energy was already next to his face, but Leo's expression didn't change.

This nonchalant stare gave Nakagami a bad premonition. The moment the attack made contact his expression changed. A very familiar force rushed like a tide through his fist, catching him by surprise, and didn't give him the chance to distribute the power to the ground.

*BAAAM!!*

The Inner Sanctuary, which experienced 10 seconds of peace, welcomed another earthquake as the dust rose in the distance, startling the Five Principal Clans members.

The barrier that they finally stabilized went haywire again, making them want to cry. But as they wanted to report the situation, they found Seiryuu's figure already vanished, leaving a swirl of flower petals dancing in the wind.

Knocked into the air, Nakagami flipped his body and landed a few meters away. He didn't suffer any visible damage since the aura is protecting his body all the time.

Only the numbness spread through his arm, but it couldn't cover the bewilderment reflected on his face as the lingering energy gave him a very familiar feeling.

There is no doubt what he got hit by was his power. To be exact, it's the previous strike he delivered. Although it changed slightly, he can't possibly mistake his own earth-based ki!

{Having trouble dealing with one enemy, Ouryuu?}

From within Nakagami's chest pocket, a talisman glimmered with dim light, transmitting a voice into Nakagami's ears.

{Ridiculous quantity of mana, great strength, the quick spatial movement that I can't stop, and an unknown damage-reflection ability. There is no sign of any equation or chant… It's an ability and highly likely to be a Sacred Gear… or more. Focus on securing the elders and stabilizing the barrier, until another notice…}

The easygoing tone of the voice and deliberate joke trying to ease the atmosphere were completely ignored by Nakagami as he responded coldly without taking his eyes off the enemy, but the latter ignored him and stared at the ground in a daze again.

He also looked as if he was communicating with something in the air, which made Nakagami frown and secretly glance at his own communication talisman.

{Copy, but how about you tell me this face to face?}

Suddenly, the newly fixed piece of land experienced another devastation as florae broke from under Leo's feet and sprouted to the sky.

Looking down while blinking, Leo found himself tied to a huge tree trunk by several vines and branches, gleaming dangerously with giant thrones sharper than blades.

However, against his body coated in mana, they couldn't advance an inch, which presented this rather weird picture of trees trying to tear him apart but reduced to fragments instead.

"The elders should have been secured by Suzaku by now and the formation of spatial jamming would be ready at any moment. What we should focus on now is keeping the barrier intact and locking him inside" The petals gathered into a human shape as Seiryuu appeared next to Nakagami.

But despite his relaxed attitude, his lips twitched as a drop of sweat slid on his cheek. The wood element he was most proud of as the Azure Dragon couldn't even scratch the opposite side.

How is he supposed to play here? Maybe he should stick to support as always.

Seiryuu felt a bit helpless and tasteless, but in the next second, his expression changed greatly.

"MUDA!!"

A scream faintly echoed in the distance before the trees tying Leo experienced an invisible hail of punches, but in Nakagami's eyes, an ethereal silhouette filled with life energy stroked at high speed!

Even if the power wasn't remarkable, a golden glow started eroding the florae, spreading like spiderwebs.

The green plants instantly lost their natural colors as if they got bleached down, reduced to a ghostly white with unnatural blue lines like veins running through the trunks.

From the trunks, bloody maws opened up screeching and hissing in a hideous tone with a yellowish gas lingering between the teeth, even the ground beneath started boiling as if it got sprinkled with highly corrosive acid.

That was the earth infused by Nakagami's earth phase, even the Ki inside wasn't spared.

As the vines loosed up, Leo was caught by several branches, gently descending him down to not touch the corroded mud beneath.

The whole scene took a sudden turn into this alienist amalgamation as Seiryuu watched in horror. His connection to those plants was completely cut off, no, can you even call those things plants!?

The repulsive feeling rushed through his throat as the urge to puke made him nauseous. His deep connection to nature told him that those things are just 'weird' and shouldn't exist here, as if he's looking at a badly edited photo in real life.

"Get yourself together! Fall back and support me!"

However, he was awakened by Nakagami as the sound of something squirming through the ground rushed to his ears! The uncanny plants' maws turned in their direction as vines and rhizomes breaking through the ground rushed like a wave.

The corroded ground turned into a swamp splashing high with the rhizomes, only to collide with another frenzy of plants, pushing down the opposite with sheer force and size!

However, they were blocked by several stone walls popping up from the ground.

Seiryuu didn't keep his hand anymore as his control over the wood phase reached the maximum, but his expression wasn't happy at all. The blue veins on the trees pulsed like heartbeats before a faint bluish haze eroded Seiryuu's plants and started transforming them.

Rushing forward, Nakagami frowned at Seiryuu's predicament. The more he tries to test the opposite side, the trickier he feels, but in the next moment, his expression changes, and shouted "DON'T!!"

The high chirps of a bird pierced everyone's ears as the air grew dry with an orange hue dyeing the surroundings, although it wasn't as exaggerated as the previous clash between the azure and gold.

Leo glanced behind blankly to see a flaming bird with a length of hundreds of meters diving down straight in his direction. The plants around him gathered by instinct and covered his body, but as the two sides connected, the yellowish gas sparked…

*BOOOOOOM!!!*

…

Right outside of the Inner Sanctuary barrier, a black limo drove slowly on the road. The fogged windows made it hard to see anything inside, adding a hint of mystery to the car marching in the middle of nowhere.

"Hmm. Seems we've crossed the first mystical barrier."

Inside the vehicle, a middle-aged man stated while glancing at the window, which also happened to be fogged. His hair and eyes followed a weird scheme of blue and red, looking very weird as if he were a walking 3D glasses or a Nintendo Switch.

"As one would expect of a leader of magicians, or should I say an ancient being? You're quite composed for passing through a mystic barrier." In response to that statement, another man with a strong build smiled cynically.

His shaved head added to his aggressive facial features, making him look very intimidating, but the middle-aged man didn't show weakness or rather didn't care at all.

The so-called ancient being, Mephisto Pheles, threw a meaningful smile before saying "Well, it's the sort of mystic barrier that allows someone like me to pass--- Hm?"

Byakko Shinra, the heir of White Tiger, wanted to return this provocation, but his expression solidified. The limo wheels slid against the road, stopping without a warning and startling the few passengers inside.

"An earthquake?!"

A young man sitting inside the limo exclaimed in surprise, but then he caught a glimpse of the expression on the little girl sitting beside Byakko.

Tobio Itsuki, who was wondering about the Inner Sanctuary, didn't know what happened to the little girl called Genbu Doumon, but her face was dyed in the pale color of disbelief as her hands stuck on the limo's window.

*BAMM!!*

Without warning, Byakko smashed the car's door and jumped off. His steps smashed the solid asphalt before shooting off like an arrow towards the raising smoke cloud.

"W-wait! We should use teleportation… Huh? The Inner Sanctuary formation has started?! Just when…"

Genbu, the heir of the Black Turtle, completely lost her composure and muttered defeatedly, but as black smoke rose to the horizon, she gritted her teeth.

"Don't be in a hurry, the little lady from Doumon clan"

However, before she followed Byakko's path, Mephisto hurriedly stopped her and said "The Inner Sanctuary is unfortunately very spacious, and trying to rush on foot might take a bit too much time. As a guest, how about I offer my help? Magic happened to be one of my expertise, after all"

For the fear that the girl would get the wrong impression, Mephisto spoke quickly and kept his friendly smile, but how can Genbu believe it easily?

This Devil is clearly scheming something and didn't even bother hiding it by focusing on the turbulence of energy ahead. But the only way to cooperate against the defensive formation would involve exposing some secrets about the mystic barrier, which would threaten the safety of the Five Principal Clans!

"Of course, my service isn't as simple, or else how would I preserve my pride as a Devil? It just so happens that I have some knowledge of what is going on right now. I'm not sure whether little lady Doumon is interested."

Genbu frowned solidified as her eyes locked on Mephisto's meaningful smile. The thought of Grauzauberer and the western supernatural being behind this attack crossed her mind as a chill filled her heart.

However, she didn't know that all her thoughts were written on her face as Mephisto sighed and spread his hands. Something tells him this has become very troublesome to explain.

"Um, that… Can we know what is happening?"

The unexpected voice awoke Genbu from her terrible thoughts as several people moved out of the limo, letting Mephisto feel a bit relieved about fixing this sudden misunderstanding.

Tobio had a bad premonition in his heart, but he found everyone staring at him oddly before the back of his head got smacked by a tall young man.

"Ouch!"

"How slow can you be?" Kouki Samejima ignored Tobio's grievance and pointed at the path ahead.

A wild smile crept on his lips and under the piercing gaze of the glaring Genbu, he spoke loudly and openly "The Five Clans' own home is under attack and it doesn't look very good. Tsk, tsk, how unexpected from the great and strong noble families of Japan"

Genbu bit her lips as the small black turtle hiding in her hood began to release a rather dangerous pressure.

"..." Mephisto had a deadpan expression as Genbu's expression grew worse. Scratching anything about these kids has been helpful, he should drop them in the nearest battle zone as soon as possible.

…

A deafening explosion soared sky-high inside the Inner Sanctuary, almost reaching the upper limit of the barrier, but for the priests, this was quite… acceptable.

A big bomb going off in a specific area is much easier to work with than earthquakes that hit the entire Sanctuary. Does that mean that Ouryuu is causing more damage than the intruder?

The priests removed the dangerous and sad thoughts from their heads because the mana deficiency is already putting a toll on their health.

The soot scattered in the air, flying side by side with the ashes. The previously magnificent flame bird died down to candles flickering within a smoke screen impenetrable by sights.

Amid the blistering stones, a dome made of stone cracked open to reveal the slightly embarrassed Nakagami and Seiryuu. Even if they took defense, they couldn't completely escape the smoke.

The breeze was made into a howling wind under Seiryuu's command, which carried all the ash and soot away. Nonetheless, his lips twitched as he threw a piercing and accusatory stare at a figure in the distance.

{Was there a reason why you didn't notify us before you took action?}

There was a lovely woman dressed in traditional Miko garb. The flames carried her about like wings, her long hair braided into a ponytail.

Suzaku stood in the opposite direction of her two teammates, facing the charred dome of trees ahead, opening up like a flower to reveal the unharmed figure inside, as her expression didn't fluctuate at all.

Seiryuu's irate statements were delivered through her communication talisman, but she didn't mind and spoke calmly.

{The enemy's capability is yet unknown, but it has an obvious restraint towards you and Ouryuu, especially since those creatures may drain Seiryuu's power. I apologize if my action was hasty, but I needed to act quickly against something that would become stronger by weakening us.}

Seiryuu snorted helplessly as the calm words brought back memories of his plants becoming infected and altered. But there was no point in continuing this way without notifying him...

{And, if I'm not mistaken, our communication channel isn't safe…}

Suzaku's words rang in his head as Seiryuu's expression froze and immediately cast a glance at Nakagami, who wasn't surprised at all.

"The enemy seems to be in contact with someone. I couldn't detect the method of communication, but seeing how he stopped since we started discussing… He is letting us talk calmly."

Nakagami took a deep breath to calm his unstable mood. The enemy's action of treating them like air is nothing short of an insult to him, especially since they are standing a few meters away, but Nakagami knew that he should keep a clear head.

Anger would only lead him to reveal more flaws and this would be fatal since without a doubt… This enemy is strong.

Nakagami's words and chilling gaze were the best answer as Seiryuu smiled bitterly.

{Then… How certain are we that he can't utilize that ability on his own?}

{…}

{…}

As always, silence is the best answer. Seiryuu shrugged and steeled himself, but as these three were conversing, a person in the distance stared blankly at them.

"They are actually arguing. In front of me, a very 'dangerous' enemy… That can attack at any moment… Seriously? Look, why don't I just…"

[DXD World's Will: Should I remind you of what you said a few hours ago?]

"… That and this are different. I could have done this and gone on my way. At this point, you're simply asking for more unnecessary damage."

Leo slowly closed his eyes and appeared to be dead on the inside. A dark mist slowly escaped his lips as his flamboyant mana followed suit, lowering to the brink of transparency, and flashed with a melancholy cadence.

He never knew it was possible to get deader on the inside, but here we are.

[DXD World's Will: Stop being so theatrical, who are you deceiving? Yourself as always? You won't be able to deal with them as fast unless you plan to sink Japan in the process, so just play with them for a bit till I'm done. It shouldn't be tough, right? If you do it, I will tell you some information that I am sure you would love.]

DXD World's Will scoffed him off, although 'she' finds it amusing how this guy mana reacts to his mood.

"As much as it pains me…"

Sinking Japan is an understatement since if Leo took action, the entire Asian continent would most likely be pulled along with it. However, Leo would prefer to avoid both options, especially because his family and loved ones are in Japan, and some are in Europe as well.

Knowing he is probably stuck here; Leo couldn't help but sigh as a dark mist slowly escaped his lips. The bad and scorching aftertaste assaulted his taste buds, bringing a frown to his face.

All of the World's Evil began to react aggressively after being exposed to a substantial quantity of polluted natural energy, turning into a sponge and exhibiting indications of overflowing since he started fighting the Yellow Snek fellow.

Is that a bad thing? Usually, it won't matter as the pilling curses should be fed back to the Ten Crowns, nourishing the monstrosity behind it, but now, it began to overwhelm this vessel…

{I should hurry up, which I would say if I wasn't stuck here…}

As Leo squeezed his hand a couple of times, the sourness of his body progressively receded as he sent more energy into the Annihilation Maker to sustain his vessel.

Meanwhile, the trio reached an agreement. The Ki crept through the earth as well as root with various talismans rooted in the soil beneath him.

Suzaku and Seiryuu hurriedly fell back as flames and lighting began to glimmer in the dusty air, forming several magic circles and energy bullets.

With two supporters behind his back, Nakagami didn't have to worry about the manor behind and charged forward with strong momentum and confidence.

Their movements clearly proved their confidence in bringing down Leo, yet even in this offensive, they gave the impression of holding back, especially Nakagami.

For what? Maybe to preserve the barrier and receive reinforcements, or perhaps to seal off his 'escape' route.

Sensing the actions of the team of Japanese clans' heirs that host the Chinese sacred beasts, Leo didn't bother to guess much because he was already tired.

Contrary to popular belief, energy, be it Ki or mana, does have an alignment in this world, but not as rigid like elements as someone might think. With external simulation or innate talent, the energy could pick up traits and lean more into the 'nature' of its user.

According to race, talent, and aptitude, this nature differs. In turn, this makes it simple for the wielder to direct their energy toward the desired phenomenon or result. Devil clans or some users of the sacred gears may provide some excellent examples.

Because of Ddraig and the Dragon Factor, for instance, Leo has a scorching, fire-based Ki with a bunch of anger issues, which are mirrored into his mana as well. Totally at odds with his kind temperament and friendliness.

Followed by the effect of All of the World's Evil, which gave his mana the element of depression, but because of Ddraig's anger issues, instead of being depressed, it gives people depression! The Youkai near Kuoh can confirm while crying.

"…???" Ddraig scratched his head and rolled in his sleep, completely unaware of being blamed again. However, his nose twitched as if he smelled something unpleasant in the air.

Either way, this wouldn't have caused a lot of issues, but the problem actually lies in the person charging Leo with a glowing fist of aura.

Earth-based Ki, not much to say about it. A very down-to-the-earth element, but the support of the Dragon Veins' energy makes it a pain.

No matter which world, it will always have something unique about it. The Yellow Dragon lives up to its name as the center of the universe in a different way in DXD by being a natural point where the Dragon Veins gather.

This caused All of the World's Evil, which is included in the Greater Holy Grail, to absorb the excessive filth and manifest it, making Leo feel a bit sick and uncomfortable. Although DXD World's malice can never reach Type-Moon's level, the annoying thoughts weren't less at all!

In any case, such support makes Nakagami a hard shell to crack, even Leo will suffer with him if no countermeasures are used.

Of course, this is still the case since he doesn't want to obliterate him, or else, just toss him to the Dimensional Gap and let's see if he'll find nature there.

But alas, there is a World's Will buzzing in his ear now…

Rubbing his sore shoulder from all the mana discharge, Leo's eyes opened as his sight happened to phase through the void.

Hidden behind layers of space, several pink-colored spatial channels crossed the land like roots, mixed with a huge emerald green flow of natural energy.

A white dragon-like creature shone in a dazzling gleam in the middle of this formation. The lustrous orb on its shoulders resonated with the channels, tying down everything by strong spatial force.

Palkia was holding together the complex artificial network of Dragon Veins as the weight made their body tremble.

Even if the World's Will support made the process easier, the strain of holding down such a convoluted network and chaotic energy inside was a big strain on Palkia, yet they showed no sign of weakness.

With each breath, the spatial fluctuations spread from the orbs on their shoulders as the entire formation pulsed like a heart, growing stronger with each second. However, more natural energy flooded inside and increased the difficulty.

Their firm look was printed in Leo's eyes as he became silent for a moment still before more dark mist was released from his mouth.

Although he offered them help multiple times, Palkia became too stubborn, insisting on doing it on their own. They were even furious at Leo's help offer.

For what reason? He doesn't know, and neither is willing to investigate. The resolute, yet somehow joyful, look of Palkia when they received this task left Leo speechless for a good amount of time.

The more he thought about it, the more All of World's Evil rolled within his core and his soul stung from pain.

His mood grew irritable again…

Clapping his cheeks, Leo took a light step to the right, avoiding Nakagami's punch. Like a mirage, his body faded away, appearing a few meters away as several strikes destroyed his previous position.

The aura on Nakagami's legs thrust downward chasing after Leo, but he suddenly found himself stuck in place.

Two dark vortexes suddenly spun space, distorted the air, and swallowed everything around them. Nakagami felt the strong attraction force pulling his body as the aura in his hand turned into a long claw and tore through one of them.

He raised his head, however, to see a swarm of raging flames and lightning being attracted by the remaining vortex and heading straight for him.

Suzaku and Seiryuu were astonished when their attacks grew out of control, despite their desperate attempts to regulate them, but the spatial distortion sealed the region and Nakagami in place.

However, Nakagami chose to disregard them as his aura plunged into the vortex and forcefully tore the force holding it together as flames and lightning landed on his body.

The flames and lightning that would have easily injured a Great Youkai weren't even able to cause a ripple in his golden aura, yet it was more than enough to halt his charge as he turned to face the enemy and was startled.

The mana on Leo's body ignited once more, blistering the ground. The amount was so astonishing that the area was literally dyed in an azure color as Nakagami protected his face in horror.

{How can a single being hold so much energy in their body?!}

The ever-escaping power caused the atmosphere to distort, and even the natural Ki in the air was squeezed away. This couldn't help but remind Nakagami of a scene he saw yesterday night, the beam of light that pierced Japan's sky.

The amount of mana that didn't lose to any big Dragon Vein was released recklessly into the air, but Leo didn't care about his gradually breaking vessel.

The more he thinks, the more his emotions are fluctuating. It's too annoying and suffocating... Therefore, he doesn't want to think! Let it all ignite here. Screw it all!

"Your smartness isn't making much sense, buddy. Why do you need me to check, huh? Aren't you the will of the world? Perhaps you are doing something shady behind others' backs and these are your lab rats…"

[DXD World's Will: *The clip of Leo's agreeing to the deal.mp4* Keep going and don't worry, we have a long time together to discuss. By the way, stop getting out of control, you'll make the place messy *shake my head.gif*]

"... Yeah, shut up."

Closing his mouth, Leo's eyes became a bit empty and more violent, matching the raging storm around him.

His previous 'smart' decisions aren't looking as bright. Well, it was never to begin with, but it's such a shame it haunted him so soon. This is why he shouldn't try to act smart!

But it's alright. The World's Will cannot be temporarily messed with, but these folks aren't included. Leo eyed the Five Principal Clans' heirs with nothing short of a malicious gaze.

But then, he noticed another annoying buzz in his ears. The vibrations passed through the air particles as the information resulted in a bothersome noise… No, it was someone's voice talking to him probably.

"This strength! Who are you?! It's impossible that the Five Principal Clans' intel does not know someone like you. Why are you attacking us?! If there is any hatred between you and clans, maybe we could reach an agreement…"

Hearing someone talking to him, Leo slowly turned to look behind to see Suzaku. Her calm demeanor was completely blown away by now, reduced to anxiety and panic.

Suzaku's lips trembled while gazing at the rising flare of mana. They made a grave mistake and the enemy's strength has far exceeded their expectations.

The level of energy and pressure gave her the feeling that it faintly surpassed their gods, which means this has become a crisis of the highest caliber and threatening the survival of the Five Principal Clans.

Forget about protecting the barrier or reducing the aftermath, it's doubtful if they could walk in one piece from here!

Except for Nakagami, the strongest Ouryuu, she and Seiryuu won't do much in such a battle. So, Suzaku tried her best to compromise and try to solve this sudden deadly crisis peacefully.

However, as if the world is mocking her, Leo felt the air grow quite heavy and thick, a bit inconvenient to move too. Faint magic circles of Shinto origins flashed in the sky above his head, further suppressing him down.

It was as if he was back underwater, no, the ocean wasn't as infuriating as this.

The Inner Sanctuary formation has been deployed… Seiryuu smiled bitterly at Nakagami before wiping his sweat away, trying to sheer himself. The battle is inevitable.

Suzaku gulped down what she was about to say, and the scene fell silent as her eyes met Leo's.

A chill crept through her back as those eyes devoid of light stared at her soul.

Suzaku couldn't help but stumble a bit, her face drained from blood, even if she didn't understand why. Those eyes carried no malice or anger towards her, but for some reason, they looked empty and terrifying with a trace of pity within.

"The world wants you dead…"

[DXD World's Will: Hey! I didn't order any life losses! Don't twist my words!]

Ignoring the clamoring World's Will and the astonished trio, Leo stretched his hand as the bright blue brilliance gathered into a normal-looking Katana. His move forced the trio to back away and take guard against anything unexpected.

"The world wants us dead? HUH?! Did you pull that off a fortune cookie and come to attack us?!"

Seiryuu rubbed his ears as he couldn't believe what he heard. His previous fear and worry were suddenly swept by a wave of anger as Seiryuu was completely furious.

For such a reason, their Five Clans is under a fatal attack. Is he supposed to believe this? Not to mention him, even Nakagami and Suzaku frowned and took a fighting stance.

{My Lord, I have finished analyzing the various formations installed within this barrier. It should be a mixture of spatial-restraining magic and several other auxiliary defensive magics. The weak nodes in these points can be stuck to break the collation between rituals…}

Nodding gently at Venom's reminder, Leo didn't bother with the trio's reaction or their little thoughts.

It doesn't matter anymore…

He firmly held Yamato by the scabbard, flipping the blade direction up, and lowering his center of gravity.

The mana rising in the air rotated as a buzz resonated in the air while the orb inlaid inside Leo's necklace spun without a warning. His feet moved apart slightly as his hand softly slid along the white hilt.

A basic blade drawing stance, however, was enough to startle Nakagami and put him on maximum guard. Both Seiryuu and Suzaku felt strange about his action, but they didn't ask too much and became careful.

They assumed Nakagami knew the weapon and that it was deadly, but in fact, he is cautious about this strange transformation.

Regardless of who they are, if someone practiced martial arts, certain indicators will appear on their body, even if they try to disguise it.

It's almost like an instinct.

After a few exchanges and even if the opponent just swung his fists carelessly, he saw mixed traces of Karate, Judo, and boxing, but now… The sharp glint of the blade was enough to give him goosebumps.

{This doesn't make any sense…} Nakagami shook his head and calmed himself.

What kind of ability is this? He didn't know, and neither did he have time to understand. Maybe he shouldn't have tied this person to common sense, to begin with… By now, he confirmed that yesterday's scene had a certain relationship with this being.

Exhaling a long breath, the golden aura grew stronger on his body and charged forward. All the speculation doesn't matter now. The battle is ahead and for the safety of the Five Clans, he'll admit defeat!

"Hmmm, this isn't exactly how I envisioned things to go…" From the deepest layer in the world, the Will of the World felt a bit troubled by the flamboyant atmosphere in a certain penultimate layer.

If anything bad happens and the harm spreads to the upper layers, 'her' predecessor's efforts might be for naught! Some results have already been shown, and she would never let someone ruin it!

"Hmph, but that fool is keeping his word so far. That fragile barrier is surprisingly intact… Huh?" DXD World's Will 'nodded', but then she saw something weird.

Nakagami charged expecting a sword slash from the dangerous katana, but instead, Leo's free arm turned into a huge metallic red dragon head, caught Ouryuu by surprise, and bit his upper body.

He resisted by forcibly opening the dragon head's jaws, but then, a blazing mass of energy gathered at the end of the dragon's throat.

"Tell me, Ouryuu. In the Five Principal Clans of Shintoism, is it true that they altered Huánglóng's name to match a slightly similar Japanese dragon's, all so that they could label you the strongest Ouryuu in history?"

"…What?"

*BOOST!*

*BOOOOM!!*

"..." DXD World's Will watched in silence as the genuinely bewildered Nakagami was blasted to the face by an energy bomb. Something tells 'her' this battle would be destructive in a slightly different way.

…

Meanwhile, a magical circle arose in the air in the center of the Inner Sanctuary and flashed with a dazzling red hue before several figures emerged from it.

Genbu stared at the scene for a moment of daze before reacting "How can this be… What happened here?!"

The previously tall mansion was reduced to rubbles supported by several trees and veins as the priests and guards moved quickly through the area in hurry, some maintaining the formations and others offering all the support they could.

After calming down Genbu and clearing the misunderstanding, the group finally could agree on something and worked to crack the formation. The teleportation magic was successfully launched, bringing them into the heart of the Inner Sanctuary.

However, the current scene was beyond their expectations. The solemn atmosphere of war loomed in the air as Tobio and his team felt heavy.

Whatever happens, the Five Principal Clans are a massive presence in the supernatural world, but seeing one of their most vital headquarters reduced to such a state is beyond their imagination.

Except for Mephisto, who was surprised for some reason, everyone advanced in a heavy mood.

"Genbu-sama?! You are finally here! Did you return with Byakko-sama? Thank the gods…"

An elderly priest hurried to Genbu as the others made a way for him. He sighed in relief after confirming her identity and spoke in a hurry.

"Grandpa Itsuki, what happened? Is my papa okay?!"

"Calm down, your father is currently helping with the barrier. He is very worried about you, but we can't afford any slacking now! The Inner Sanctuary is under the attack of an unknown individual and they are currently blocked by Ouryuu, Seiryuu, and Suzaku!"

"This barrier is the only thing keeping this vicious battle from the outside world, or I am afraid Japan… would suffer a lot. Genbu-sama, where is Byakko-sama? With the help of the two of you, we would surely be able to contain that low-life."

The elderly spoke as fast with an unmasked hatred and anger in his voice. The main force of the Five Principal Clans has been rendered helpless against one enemy!

The frustration in his heart couldn't be described, but he quickly noticed someone missing from the group.

"Um… Byakko didn't wait and decided to run on foot to… here" Genbo's voice grew smaller and smaller because she saw the expression on the elder grow darker as if he ate something nasty.

"Wait, are you saying all of this is caused by one person?"

"Sister Suzaku is in there?!"

Kouki's eyes widened, and so did Tobio and Natsumi when they saw the devastated Inner Sanctuary, but it didn't stop there.

The sky rained torrents of flames and lightning, howling as winds swirled into a storm. The earth trembled like it was the end of the world before it cracked open!

A huge precipice rose to the sky, blocking the sunlight before ramming forward with astonishing force, but against the wrath of nature, a blue streak of light simply passed through.

The scene gave the impression of being divided in two, some sort of an optical illusion. Soon, it recovered, but everything around it crumbled into two pieces, collapsing on its own, and causing another earthquake.

"*Gulp*… You have to be kidding me" Kouki didn't know when he subconsciously swallowed.

"…" Tobio clenched his fist as his expression grew colder and the shadow beneath him began to spread.

This scene gave them too much impact. The level of destruction wasn't completely astonishing because the force was gathered into a small area, but the leftover energy spilling from each collision was enough to make their bodies shiver.

The two forces clashing in the middle gave the illusion of being endless as the fluctuations of energy didn't drop once, but showed a constant raising.

However, this would intimate them if they were normal fighters.

Tobio calmed down his breath before he glanced at his team. The meaning in his eyes was clear as everyone began to summon their Sacred Gears.

"Our fighters tried to provide support, but they were immediately knocked away by the aftermath, even remote suppression didn't work out. This battle isn't a one where we can interfere…" The elder spoke slowly as helplessness filled his voice when he saw Slash Dog's team movements.

Although they need every support possible, the old man couldn't allow himself to send a bunch of kids to a battle of that caliber. Even Nakiri Clan's Nakagami, the strongest Ouryuu host in history, is struggling there.

"Can't we release the formation and bring Byakko?"

Although by his own speed, Byakko should take a few minutes to reach here, Genbu knew that the current predicament doesn't allow any delay.

"I am afraid we cannot…"

"Why?!"

"The last order of Ouryuu-same was to keep the barrier stable and the restricting formation at top priority. The enemy seems to be possessing some sort of spatial ability that even the mystic barrier can't stop…"

The elder was as patient as he could be. He anticipated Genbu's response, but he is also powerless. They originally intended to ask for reinforcements sooner, but they can't risk breaking up the formation.

To be honest, this is one of the arrogance of the Five-Principal-Clans. They placed too much faith in the mystic barrier and their might. If someone dares to intrude, this configuration is meant to suffocate any effort at escape.

"This surely is one of surprises… This place is still intact" Mephisto muttered to himself as his eyes swept everyone at the scene, landing on a black hound near Tobio's legs before looking at the battlefield again.

His weird behavior didn't go unnoticed as a woman wearing a witch dress kept an eye on him all of the time.

"What exactly do you know about this attack, Mephisto? Since we appeared here you kept giving weird vibes of curiosity and… fear" Lavinia spoke coldly as eyes seemed to be piercing through Mephisto.

"Hahaha, Lavinia, I can't hide it from you. I am quite terrified about what would come next---" Mephisto laughed cheerfully, completely the opposite of his previous words.

However, Mephisto stopped suddenly because an azure beam of light tore through the Inner Sanctuary without a warning. The time froze for a moment still before a deafening explosion rang at a distance.

The aftermath was so large that the shockwave reached the center, destroying what was left of the mansion completely as several priests launched their magic to block the blast.

"Watch out, Shingune… Eh? Are you alright?" Natsume Minagawa helped her friend, who tripped and almost fell because of the blast, but then she panicked because Shingune was pale as paper.

"I am alright. It's just Poh… It became very restless since we entered the barrier" Shingune Nanadaru said weakly as a four-horned small beast appeared next to her, hissing towards the rising smoke agitatedly.

"Waiting will only make things worse. Everyone… Let's go!" Covering his face with his arms, Tobio blocked the dusty winds before shouting decisively.

His shadow grew larger before a huge black hound jumped next to him. It wielded a dark red blade in its mouth and howled to the sky as a dark aura began to spread, covering both it and Tobio.

This is Tobio's Longinus, Canis Lykaon, an independent avatar type Sacred Gear named Jin.

Unlike normal sacred gears, independent avatars could exist on their own, possessing an instinct and intelligence to help the host.

Jin is no different, but now, the dark aura shuttled between it and Tobio, responding to his emotions. Just being exposed to this darkness made others feel numb as if they fell into a pool of ice.

However, the true source of chillness was the giant ice doll with four arms that appeared behind Lavinia, one of the thirteen Longinus, Absolute Demise.

A white cat appeared on Kouki's shoulder flashing with electric arcs while the wind blew around Natsume before manifesting into a large hawk.

In addition to Shigune's Poh, they are Sacred Gears bearing the spirit of the Four Fiends.

Such a grouping of rare Sacred Gears and Longinus would look dazzling no matter what place, but even so, this didn't bring them much confidence against the rising amount of energy in the distance.

"Toby, don't be impulsive. Let's figure out what we are dealing with…" Lavinia stopped Tobio's actions with a frown before glancing at Mephisto, who returned a smile.

The dark aura surrounding the young man appeared to be out of control, yet this was the process of releasing the Balance Breaker. It was just Canis Lykaon's terrible and malevolent atmosphere that produced this false impression.

"But we can't waste any more time… I will be going first to support them, keep up after you figure it out." Tobio grimaced and didn't care about arguing.

He is completely aware of the danger ahead, but this Tobio's confidence in himself as someone who almost fully mastered his Longinus!

However, his meaning was clearly misunderstood as the anger rushed to Kouki's in an instant and lashed out at Tobio "Don't decide things on your own, you bastard! Who said we aren't coming?!"

"Kouki, calm down! Tobio didn't mean that!" Natsume hurriedly stopped Kouki and screamed at his face.

"Huh?! Are you playing deaf or did your stupidity multiply?"

"You!!"

"Both of you calm down!"

But as the Slash Dog team started arguing, someone they forgot suddenly intervened.

"I am afraid your idea isn't feasible, Tobio-kun. The 'friendly' visitor this time isn't simple, no, should I say extraordinary? Very unusual"

Mephisto turned to look at the group with a reminiscent smile. His words were like cold water splashing on their heads, but Lavinia reacted quickly and asked "Mephisto Pheles, speak what do you know"

"Ah, I guess I exposed myself, but there is no helping it." Chuckling a little as if he got caught, Mephisto didn't care about everyone's eyes and said "How could I not know? My council has recently been visited too, and an old acquaintance of mine was 'lightly' punched... through multiple walls. The same visitor should be here at the moment"

"The council… Impossible" Lavinia muttered quietly before reacting violently. The colors of shock were vividly displayed on her face as everyone who knew her couldn't help but be startled too.

"Mr. Mephisto Pheles, on behalf of the Five-Principal-Clan, we hope you'll cooperate with us in this time of need. We will not forget this favor" Genbu bit her lips before saying firmly.

The old priest widened his eyes, but in the end, he helplessly chose silence. Despite several priests and Miko praying to gods for help, there has been no response and they are now requesting help from a Devil.

"Don't be, Lady Doumon. It's an honor to offer assistance to the great pillars of Japan, but I am afraid I can't provide many, after all, the visitor is beyond my league."

"Why are you speaking as if this 'visitor' is coming for a friendly exchange?"

"Hm? How should I address them then? An intruder? Possible. An enemy? With all respect, if they decided to attack, I believe we wouldn't be talking here…"

Mephisto shook his finger at Kouki and answered patiently, but his deed only got a sneer from the latter "You are talking as if you know them very well. Isn't that interesting?"

"Me? I don't dare. But I wonder, have you ever heard of the Top 10 Strongest Beings?"

Mephisto quickly shook his head as if he didn't want any relationship with this topic.

But his statement dropped like a bomb as the silence became deafening. Everyone's expression changed and the priests walking around dropped their jaws, except Tobio and his team felt ignorant.

"Top ten strongest beings?" Tobio muttered this name carefully before feeling a bit speechless.

First of all, someone really rated the world's strongest being on a list, but more significantly, they named it like any shady rating video you could find on the internet.

How is he supposed to take this seriously now?

"Oh? Have you heard of it, Tobio-kun?" Mephisto didn't care about the weird expression on Tobio and continued "It's a list made up just for fun, comprising the names of the world's most powerful beings. So far, so simple, right? However, there have recently been a few disagreements over the top three positions. A new contender has joined the board, but their achievements are limited and illusory, and some do not believe in them... *Sigh* I, too, was reluctant to admit it at first."

"TOP THREE?! You don't mean…" Genbu raised her voice before freezing in place like a block of ice, drained from blood.

"Indeed, ever since their first appearance, the Joker, also known as the Fall, has always been such a shocking... existence."

"The Fall? What are you even talking about?" Tobio noticed the wrong atmosphere and sluggishness of his team, especially Lavinia, who lowered her hat and took deep breaths with trembling lips.

"Of course, this is just speculation, my speculation, but the signs are too matching. However, I am quite surprised. Shouldn't Grigori be more informed about this? If I remember correctly, they were given that name by your Governor General"

"Azazel?" Tobio wondered what brought Azazel's name into this mess, but then he heard a cold voice "The Fall… is supposedly a two-winged fallen angel"

Silence… Dead silence.

Tobio couldn't believe his ears and whimpers from Jin faded away in his mind. A two-winged fallen angel? You say what?

*BOOOOM!!!*

He shakenly pointed at explosive war going behind while looking at Lavinia, who held her head down and didn't want to talk.

Everyone had a 'wonderful' reaction to this information and Mephisto spread his hands and sighed. "Maybe, it would be better if I showed you…"

"No, we are still going… Top Ten or whatever. These empty titles aren't going to stop us." Tobio shook his head at Mephisto and jumped on top of Jin.

"Hmph, that's what I like to hear. Let me test this so-called Top Ten Strongest…" Kouki smiled widely as electric arcs spread along his body. The tail of the white cat on his shoulder warped around his arm before transforming it into a spear.

The two of them glanced at each other before smiling and jumping forward.

"HEY! Wait, don't… rush. *Sigh*" Natsume screamed, but Tobio and Kouki had already left and approached the battlefield at high speed.

She could only helplessly sigh with her hands on her hips before smiling bitterly at Lavinia. The hawk wings flapped before the wind swirled around her and Shigune, carrying them to fly away.

Lavinia smiled as she shook her head at Mephisto, who was staring at them like a bunch of idiots before she and the Ice doll vanished into the icy mist.

Mephisto blinked before he laughed and followed "Forget it, it isn't like this is the first time I threw myself to death. When did I become too timid? Faust was right, too much paperwork in the human world does make one soft… Maybe I will meet him again today"

Genbu stood in a daze watching everyone leaving for the battlefield before she looked at the old priest, who had the same strange expression.

So, are they supposed to just ignore the previous shocking information and rush? Genbu felt tired, but then she sensed a presence approaching quickly from the back as her expression twisted again…

…

The air was rattled by an ear-splitting roar that rumbled like thunder. A golden comet sped forward like a beam blowing away the dust.

In his Dragon Man form, Nakagami has transformed into a golden humanoid dragon. Every stride shook the earth, and each of his moves triggered an explosion.

At this time, his power has reached the highest as the control over the earth and Touki completely broke through limits, surpassing most of the gods. But he didn't dare to be distracted as a blue light gradually approached him with a speed not inferior to his!

The blue and gold comets flashed through the area as the distance between them shrank for a moment. As they were about to clash, the aura of ki gathered on Nakagami's hands forming two orbs of highly concentrated energy.

He swung his fist with great momentum that detonated the air like a bomb, however, his strike had no effect…

The blue figure faded away the moment of the attack before appearing a few steps away and raising the katana in his hands. Nakagami saw this and was ready to launch aura bullets, but then, a glassy blue light flashed in his eyes.

The katana was drawn out too quickly that its aura left a mirage in the air, slashing the ground, and leaving a deep wound.

Nakagami frowned at this seemingly empty attack, but then his body sank. The blue mirage faded like snow in the summer and so did the aura on his body.

Feeling the connection between the Dragon Veins and this piece of the land has been completely severed, the Ki supporting his aura fading away as Nakagami was shocked to the core, then he was shocked to the jaw…

Leo appeared again in front of him as a fist landed firmly on his jaw, distorting Nakagami's facial expression.

*BOOST!*

Ddraig's voice vibrated in the air as the azure mana gathered like a vortex before expanding into a large blue halo…

*BOOOM!!!*

The energy reached its limits before detonating in one swoop. The area was swallowed by the azure blast and a golden figure was shot far away at high-speed.

Several trees and vines sprouted from the ground in an attempt to serve as a buffer, but they were crushed at the point of impact until Nakagami hit a mountain, raising a far-off cloud of dust…

The spot where Nakagami's body struck was entirely buried by falling rocks as a portion of the mountain started to collapse.

Leo waved his hand as he felt his fingers were broken for a second. At the moment of impact, Nakagami transferred all his remaining aura to his jaw to counter the strike.

Suddenly, a pillar of flames rose from beneath Leo's feet, trapping him inside the scorching heat that soon formed a firestorm.

The scarlet wings flapped as sparks flew in the hot wind like fireflies, igniting all the green trees in their path before the flames exploded in Leo's position.

Suzaku, protected by the Vermillion Bird, waved her arm and threw several talismans. The Shinto rituals burned in the flames from several magic circles flashed from within, adding several seals to the storm.

The sun was blocked from view by thick clouds that were accompanied by lightning flashes. Under Seiryuu's control, the wind howled and the thunder boomed as the clouds built more energy.

However, the blazing firestorm started twisting irregularly before all the flames were pulled by something, turning into a huge lump of burning gas.

A buzzing sound reverberated as the mass of flames began to rotate and bulged like an oversized balloon. Under Suzaku's stern gaze, her seals were bizarrely stretched to the limit as if they were made off the rubber before a blue light flashed.

The Azure Dragon that was coiling around Seiryuu's body roared and slammed his claws to the ground. As though they had been given instructions, all the clouds glimmered before a huge lightning bolt dropped, flashing the entire area.

As the world lost colors, the flames storm was blasted from the top by a flying figure sounded by a spectral blue ring, skyrocketing towards the thunderbolt.

The rotating Mirage Blades resonated as the buzz fended off the thunder.

The spectral blue light raced before a Mirage Blade skipped into Leo's grasp and twisted into a long spear. The lightning bolt slunk like a snake and engulfed his body in one bite, but the hot plasma was soon swirled into a vortex.

"Not again… What hatred do you have with my powers!?" Seiryuu helplessly saw the sight play out again as his lightning collapsed into a twister, enlarging the long spear by a length of several meters.

The spear spun too fast as the air was pulled to snap under the lightning heat. Unbothered by the blinding flickers, Leo arched his back and immediately hurled the spear!

Lightning Reversal———! Capture lightning and deflect it, a technique Leo copied straight from a video game!

The spear faded into a dazzling light, throwing the sound barrier far behind and zipping towards Seiryuu. The Mirage Blades' humming around Leo resonated once more before several were shot at Suzaku.

Without hesitation, Seiryuu warped himself with rhizomes before jumping into a deep hole opened by the plants. The Azure Dragon coiled its body and roared with wind and lightning at the incoming spear.

The violent current scorched all of Seiryuu's vegetation as the horrible rotation screwed through all the barriers before reaching the head of the Azure Dragon in a blink of an eye.

The spectral blue light spots enlarged in sight as Suzaku ignited on fire. The flames didn't hurt her in the slightest as the wings of the Vermillion Bird warped around her body forming a shield bathing in flames.

*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*

The Mirage Blades flying in the air suddenly vanished and appeared a few centimeters away from Suzaku. No sound or warning, the blades have slammed on vermillion wings from multiple directions.

One of the blades almost pierced her eye before melting under the fiery flames of Vermillion Bird. However, before Suzaku was relieved, the melted Mirage Blade collapsed into a spinning dark distortion…

Suzaku's pupil shrank till it resembled the tip of a needle as numerous Mirage Blades stabbed at her body directly from across the vortex and surrounding her!

How could any spot the enemy touches warp into singularities?

The flames of the Vermillion Bird couldn't block the blades from this distance as Suzaku couldn't blink as the blades reached her body, but then, she heard a familiar voice as her shadow experienced an anomaly and flickered.

"STOP!!"

The singularity was ripped off as if it were made of paper as the intangible shadow leaped from the ground and twisted into numerous dark red swords, slicing through the Mirage Blades!

A person jumped from burning trees as the spear at Seiryuu's side went through Azure Dragon's body and headed for rhizome's defense. His arm was encircled by a spinning lightning spear that jabbed at the side of the Mirage Blade spear.

The horrible sound of friction and sparks flew in the air. The collision changed Mirage Blade's spear trajectory and sent it flying away before exploding into a lightning storm in the distance.

The person wasn't in a better shape as the impact sent his body crashing to the ground before he hurriedly stood up and dusted his clothes.

"Tch… This wasn't as easy as it looked" Kouki rubbed his numb shoulder before looking at the injured Azure Dragon.

The Sacred Beast in control of lightning and wind has two scorched holes in its slender body, which made Kouki frown and look at his trembling white cat on his shoulder before the network of rhizomes opened up to reveal Seiryuu.

"Oi, you don't look in great shape, four… eyed" Kouki grinned at Seiryuu before his expression changed.

With a grave wound almost splitting his shoulder, Seiryuu scowled at Kouki and said "You talk too much… Kouki Samejima. I assume Genbu and Byakko have arrived… *sigh*"

A black red hound howled and jumped into the battlefield with a young man on its body.

Tobio threw a glare at the figure standing at a distance, but then, he saw Leo cross his arms and leaned his body on a boulder.

"What? Didn't you tell me to stop? People are too demanding these days" Leo lifted his eyebrow before shaking his head before he noticed Jin, the big hound with a sword in its mouth.

"… Eh?" Tobio blinked his eyes and froze in place. Excuse me? That actually worked? This isn't according to the script at all!

Shouldn't they begin to fight now and throw all kinds of attacks after the enemy insults him for being naive or something? Tobio felt betrayed by his own experience.

"Don't be distracted in the battle, Tobio" Hearing this voice, Tobio was instantly sober and turned quickly "Sister Suzaku… Huh?"

Tobio's eyes widened and his fist was subconsciously clenched. Suzaku was breathing heavily as sweat slipped off her pale face. Her back was soaked in blood as three nasty wounds could be seen there, matching in length the size of the previous blades.

Even if Jin's blades were fast, they weren't able to eliminate all the Mirage Blades at such close range. But this is actually the price of her negligence. Those blades and that sword… distance is meaningless against them.

No matter how much they think they are safe at a distance, Yamato would cross space in an instant. You would think the attack is aiming at Nakagami in front, but in fact, the sword is already at your neck.

Seiryuu experienced this thoroughly and the grave wound on his shoulder was the result. If he didn't react quickly that time…

Suzaku swayed weakly and felt a bit lightheaded, but held herself firmly and looked sternly at Tobio "Tobio… Be careful, the enemy isn't simple. They are the Red Dragon Emperor"

{The Red Dragon Emperor? Is he like Vali?} Tobio was startled by this information before looking more solemn. To think the person Vali calls rival is one of the strongest beings in the world.

I know… Mephisto-san told us that we are dealing with one of the top 3 strongest beings in the world. But even so… We will not run away" Tobio took a deep breath and replied calmly, but the dark aura rising around him betrayed his calm act.

Yet, he didn't run away or lose control over his Sacred Gear and emotions.

Suzaku froze for a moment before a gratified smile appeared on her face, but then her smile froze "T-top 3?"

"Hey, Ouryuu. In the Five Principal Clans of Shintoism, is it true that the high rate of earthquakes in Japan is caused by young Ouryuus rolling in their sleep?"

Suzaku turned to see Leo yelling at the mountain far ahead before the ground quaked and a golden light shook to the sky. Nakagami emerged from under the rubble, shaking his head from the terrible ringing.

His jaw was almost dislocated and his head was hurting like crazy, but the pain didn't cover the damn question as if it was right next to his ears. However, he noticed several figures approaching the battlefield and regained focus.

Blinking his eyes, Leo stared in disbelief before his eyes literally sparkled with light and said to the empty air "Is that Sif reference? Did you want to show me this?"

[DXD World's Will: Huh? Sif who? Are you losing your min—Ah, yes, you figured it out, huh? It's indeed Sif that I wanted to show you. Keep going and you'll see more interesting things to your liking…]

Looking at the light particles around Leo's eyes, DXD World's Will words took a sharp turn.

"At least try to pretend better. So, for how long are you going to use me as a testing machine? Also, that boy is uncannily looking like a protagonist. I didn't you know you had others in addition to Boobs Ki"

[DXD World's Will: Eh? How could you tell?]

"Are you seriously asking?" Leo pointed at Tobio, who was shining with a halo called morality and kindness, and then to Suzaku and a bunch of other girls rushing over with worried expressions on their faces.

As a filthy anime only, Leo has no idea about what occurs in DXD past the half of the third season. To be honest, asking him about a lot of anime and manga-related things would yield no results since, while he liked them, he wasn't obsessed with them.

It would be a better use of his time to go to the atelier.

However, for spotting cliches as simple as these, he doesn't need to think too much.

"I bet there is only one male supporting character in his team… Forget it, how things are going on your side? Are you satisfied with terrorizing innocents and causing several billions worth of property damage?" Leo rolled his eyes before deciding to close his mind again.

He is only here to beat people up and thinking too much about it would twist his emotions.

[DXD World's Will: Very good actually, I am quite satisfied. My predecessor was right, Nakagami Nakiri is much better than his dumb little brother and still has much potential. I am intending to keep him as the Ouryuu…]

By holding his grounds under the slaughter of the little psychopath (Leo) and his blade that tears fabric space, DXD World's Will looked at Nakagami in a more positive light.

"This guy won't be the Yellow Snek in the future…?" Leo's mind was triggered again and the thoughts ran in circles.

[DXD World's Will: Indeed, it's the best outcome and quite stable too. But I am a little troubled by delaying the Slash Dog team until now. Although this was very troublesome and the White Dragon Emperor had to leave, if this impacted the upper layers positively and increased their power, it was worth it!]

{Hm? What did you get yourself into, partner? I smell the white guy (Albion's) aura nearby and it is coming from that dog and woman behind…}

Ddraig was awakened by all the noise before focusing on Tobio and Lavinia. He would never mistake his old buddy aura, so these two must have something to do with Albion's new host.

However, he didn't know that his words were the last straw.

Nakagami's brother will ultimately become Ouryuu. Ddraig's buddy was supposed to be here? This scene somehow delayed? This… isn't what this World's Will is doing essentially changing its own storyline?

So why did he get harassed for his explosions for weeks? Leo experienced a tiny mental breakdown…

"You hypocrite…"

As the atmosphere solidified, the mana surrounding Leo changed hue from azure to a darker hue. The awful breath polluted the ki in the air as the brightness faded and a dreadful pressure began to leak.

[DXD World's Will: Calm down, you idiot. Do you think what you did is the same as mine?]

"No… But I bet it wasn't worth all that harassment, won't you agree?" Leo felt anger rushing to his head despite trying to stay calm.

All of the World's Evil is leaking and contaminating the surroundings.

Jin's fur rose up as if he had transformed into a cat before he shielded Nakagami with a cloak of darkness, yet the disintegration of the malice was unabated.

However, a bright red flame ignited around him dispelling the chill. The purification flames resisted the malice, but Suzaku showed a difficult expression in trying to maintain this barrier.

"What is that?"

"I don't know… I have never felt so much malice before. It's as if the world is targeting us." Suzaku struggled to speak as she watched the rest of the Slash Dog team arrive.

Their response wasn't any better as the malice nearly caused them to lose control of their Sacred Gears, especially Shigune since Poh wanted to consume the malice in the air.

[DXD World's Will: Huh?! Think a bit before you start throwing assumptions. Do you have any idea how the world works or do you at least know where you are now? Don't think I don't know that you want an excuse to leave!]

"Then do you know how many times you said 'I need to fix my world'? Why don't you add one to the list?! And of course, I want an excuse to leave this shitty place!"

[DXD World's Will: Tsk, tsk, you aren't cute at all. When did I deceive you, huh? What I am doing isn't considered destruction like your shenanigans. It's more of a… modification? Yeah, something like that.]

"I couldn't care less if you're lying to me or not, you harlot! What I care about is how you have been bothering me about this for weeks while literally doing the same thing!"

[DXD World's Will: Not the same, but fine, fine, I get it. Listen, everything has a reasonable explanation. However, your state doesn't allow me to explain or even show you. Isn't this what you were trying to avoid? So, calm yourself down because your evil thingy is spilling all over the place.]

Exhaling another black cloud, Leo closed his eyes and began chanting in gibberish as the dark fog surrounding him dissipated, restoring the mana's pristine azure color.

[DXD World's Will: Better?]

"I am always in a good state. Just tell me what to do, so I can leave already…"

[DXD World's Will: Now, that's one big lie, but you see that boy with the big dog?]

"Yeah…"

[DXD World's Will: Push him to the limits.]

"..." Leo glanced at the Chat Window, a little puzzled, before gently shaking his head.

"U-um, what just happened?" Natsumi muttered quietly as her body trembled without control. She wasn't the only one as Shigune almost fell down because of the previous pressure.

"We almost greeted hell's doors for a split second there… But in any case, the Fall doesn't seem to be too aggressive… just yet." Mephisto's smile twitched as things continued to go beyond his expectations.

The Fall seems to be a bit more out of control than he anticipated, flipping his mood as fast as a book page. Mephisto isn't scared of strong beings, but he surely doesn't want to mess with a powerful entity with mental issues.

However, when he cleared his throat and prepared to go for negotiations, someone was a step further.

"The Fall! You are the Red Dragon Emperor, why are you doing this!" Tobio stepped forward followed by Jin baring its fangs.

"Hm?" Tilting his head, Leo glanced at Ddraig inside the Longinus, who showed the same puzzled look. What does being the Red Dragon Emperor have to do with this?

"Vali, the White Dragon Emperor, is a worthy opponent who strives to seek challenges beyond his limits in order to progress! I can't help but feel sorry for him when I see you. To think that the opponent he was looking forward to is an out-of-control madman who endangers the lives of innocent people for no reason!"

Tobio's momentum increased with each sentence before he roared at Leo. His shadow merged with Jin before the dark aura cladded his body like a coat.

"Tobio… don't act recklessly" Suzaku reached to grab Tobio's arm but stopped when she saw his firm look.

Affected by Tobio's momentum, the Slash Dog team followed right behind him with their Sacred Gears.

Mephisto felt painful just watching and he wasn't alone. Nakagami, who had leaped all the way back, frowned at this deceleration before his gaze was drawn to the perplexed Leo ahead.

"Innocent… people?" Leo blinked his eyes confusedly and wasn't quite sure as he muttered, but his weird gaze simulated Tobio's further.

"Don't pretend to be innocent. I don't care about the ten strongest or whatnot" The dark ominous aura cladded Tobio's body like a coat before the shadows under his feet twisted.

"For hurting Sister Suzaku, I will make you pay… You'll never get away with this!!"

Without warning, the shadow behind Leo twisted and several dark red blades stabbed into his body at high speed. However, he simply used Yamato to block the first edges and leaned his body, avoiding the blades, and spun in place.

His foot left an azure trail of mana and kicked the extending shadow.

The twisting shade under Tobio's feet swelled before it thrust into his stomach like a speeding ball.

"Uugh…" Even with the aura of darkness, Tobio held his stomach rolling and took several steps back. His painful expression was quickly replaced with shock and couldn't understand how could someone kick him through his own shadow.

This situation startled Slash Dog team members, who wanted to support Tobio. However, successful or not, the previous attack has already declared the beginning of the battle, but someone wasn't having it.

Although Leo concedes that in high-end wars, the aftermath might imperil innocent lives, this is not the case here. He understands the limitations of this mystic barrier better than the priests who keep it up now, and it's a stretch to call anyone innocent here.

A bunch of Shinto fanatics, the heirs of those fanatics' clans, a killer with an ice doll, and an old Devil. Everyone here had blood on their hands, be it from self-defense or simple assault and murder, including Tobio himself.

Of course, the definition of 'innocent' can be distorted by people's logic and morality, which Leo would rather avoid delving into. In the end, he couldn't help but turn to the Chat Window…

[DXD World's Will: Don't look at me. You already knew he is the protagonist, just play along for now.]

Leo rolled his eyes at the Chat Window before shrugging and saying "Hey, Slash Puppy, was it? Good argument. Unfortunately…"

Sweeping the blade, Leo flipped Yamato's hilt before resheathing it. The sword went smoothly through the scabbard, a spectral blue and murky red light danced around the edge, but slowed down at the end as a sudden sense of crisis loomed on everyone's hearts.

*Click!*

"My spin has already turned this space into spaghetti…"

*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*

As Yamato returned to its sheath, the sound of glass breaking reverberated, and the scenery was severed like a torn picture starting from around Seiryuu, Suzaku, and Nakagami.

Tobio stared in disbelief as Suzaku's figure was frozen in space. He wanted to tear down the spatial distortion, but he was quickly thrown down by Jin before everything flashed back!

Space fragments came crashing down like glass, blood flew high in the sky, and the torn space shrieked like nails grinding on a chalkboard.

The ground and sky collapsed into blocks as several blade marks crossed the Inner Sanctuary. The defensive formation was violently ripped apart as the Five Clans priests experienced a strong backlash and fainted.

Seiryuu blankly stared at the falling 'sky' before his body slammed down. Torn open by several blade wounds, the blood gushed from his body like a fountain as Kouki hurriedly held him, but he was already unconscious.

Tobio's mind was blank when he witnessed Suzaku collapse and Vermillion Bird fade to sparks. His blood-stained face froze as he saw the severely injured body dropping into a pool of blood...

Without any resistance, two of the Sacred Beasts of Japan fell down, not knowing if they were alive. It happened too fast and without any warning, even Mephisto didn't feel anything.

{Spatial skill? But I didn't sense any fluctuations… How can all of those attacks suddenly appear out of nowhere?!} Mephisto's thoughts worked quickly before Leo's previous words sounded in his ears as his hair stood on ends.

If that's the case, the whole Inner Sanctuary is already... Mephisto's expression sunk to the bottom as he realized the gravity of the situation.

Suddenly, a pillar of golden aura rose before the almost uninjured Nakagami charged forward.

The golden scales on his body lost their luster as a deep scare ran through them, but no obvious injury could be seen and they recovered quickly under the nourishment of the Dragon Veins.

Behind him, several huge stone pillars shot from the ground like missiles and quickly filled Leo's sight.

"This world power creep level seriously needs help…" Leo lifted his eyebrow before pulling Yamato, but the vibration of the sword clearly conveyed its irritable mood.

Yamato was fuming from anger and almost jumping out of the scabbard. Its slashes can rip apart the fabric of space and tear gods weren't able to cut Nakagami's body.

This doesn't make sense! Yamato couldn't understand how a bunch of scales could be harder than the tiring force of space! But it wasn't created to understand, so it just wants to cut it down!

Under the threat of the falling pillars, Leo simply held Yamato and… gently tossed it forward.

*Pfff!!*

The charging Nakagami flinched and slowed down until he stopped in place.

His aura grew weaker and fainter into dim wisps fading with the dust. The golden luster full of life energy diminished as an unwilling roar could be faintly heard from within.

Looking down, a katana was penetrating his chest and emerging from the other side. As a hand carefully clutched the hilt, blood flowed on the blade edge, tinting it with a hint of red.

The stone pillars lost their Ki support and carpet-bombed the area, creating a dust screen.

Leo grasped Yamato's hilt and said "You actually aren't half-bad, but having too many deadweights is quite worrying"

"…"

Nakagami didn't respond as his eyes were focused on Yamato.

This ordinary-looking but strange weapon appeared to have a special ability that cut off his connection to the Sacred Beast partly. This scary ability appears to be more than capable of negating nearly all Sacred Gear users.

This earned a weak chuckle from him. After so many years, he felt so vulnerable without the Yellow Dragon protecting his fragile human body.

The horrible malice crawled through the sword and dyed the Ki in an ominous shade, but under the close threat of death, his eyes didn't waver nor did his heartbeat accelerate.

His eyes locked on Leo's; a deep gaze packed with numerous emotions ranging from regret to wrath ended with a sigh.

"For the Five Principal Clans, I am willing to give my life…"

"Well, do that next time…"

Malice rushed over his body like a tsunami, crashing into his spirit like a truck. As his awareness sank to black, the reluctant roar of the Yellow Dragon vanished in his mind.

"I wonder how far he'd go if he didn't have those deadweights behind…" Leo pulled Yamato out as the blood splashed on the ground before the Ouryuu fell down.

[DXD World's Will: I know right?]

However, Leo couldn't help but glance at him for a while, not quite sure what to think about this situation.

"But for how long do you think he knew?"

The truth is, this guy didn't give a damn about protecting this mystic barrier. It took Leo a moment to realize, after all, that in addition to the Slash Puppy, only one person didn't show bloodlust towards him and it was honestly surprising.

Did he perceive that Leo has no intention of murdering and that the gap is too great, deeming the conflict unnecessary? Only Nakagami can likely respond, given he is the one who chose to surrender at the final moment.

Such a useless exchange for blows would have only resulted in casualties, but giving up like this isn't an option. After all, who would miss this chance to ignite the spirits of those behind him…

Glancing around, everyone's eyes were locked on him. Emotions varied, but Leo could assure that wrath and hatred were the majority. So, he has been turned into a whetstone, huh?

"*Sigh*… People are getting too brave with pushing their luck. Do you think you both are worth it?"

[DXD World's Will: They are, so stop showing off your edges and get to work!]

Sighing gently, Leo turned to stare straight at the bloodshot eyes of Tobio. Several dark blades extended from the shadows and pierced his body from all directions.

As Leo came out with several holes in his body, a spectral blue light flashed before the blades were crushed to fragments. There was no blood or flesh on the inside, only a squirming black mass and an illusory fog twisting around it.

"Is that…?! But what about that red necklace?"

Lavinia stared at this scene as a chilling coldness filled her body. The shape, usage, and feelings are completely different than she recalls, but there is no doubt it's that Longinus.

The aching pain stung his brain. His body was screaming and the wounds were barely recovering within the fog. The dark blades left a bad some sort of bad taste, a scorching feeling that bites into the bones.

Although it didn't burn as much as the Human Order Correction Ritual, it still packed a punch.

"That blade can technically kill me, huh? No wonder it stung badly, it's a god-killing artifact"

[DXD World's Will: It's Ame-no-Ohabari. How deeply did it hurt you? I bet it wasn't anything important. However, this is a good result. Continue.]

"THE FALL!!"

The blades protruded from the shadows like a swarm of needles, obscuring the scene ahead in the darkness. However, the obscurity was broken by several blue glimmers flashing through space and time.

The clash didn't raise any waves as the blades and swords annihilated each other. However, the black side was soon pushed by as the space began to twist into a large distortion, pulling everything inside.

"Behowlest the slaying of one thousand mortals!"

"Besingest the slaying of ten thousand gobl——"

The darkness gushed from Tobio's body, flooding and dyeing the ground black. The sunlight dimmed down as the howls of Jin echoed high in the sky.

Tobio murmured as something within him began to emerge in response to his wrath... However, during the second verse, a strong ache struck his right cheek.

An ice wall stood before him, but it didn't last for a second as he was thrown back. His entire face felt like it was breaking apart and being crushed.

Kouki caught him easily as Tobio's head was dizzy from pain and felt his teeth almost break. Several walls of ice bloomed like a lotus and covered them inside as Lavinia used Absolute Demise to reduce the area to an ice field.

Snow and hail began to fall without warning inside the mystic barrier as the temperature dropped down rapidly.

"Did you just say goblins? By the way, who told you to chant like a retard?" Leo looked at the sky before quickly raising Yamato.

*BOOOM!!*

A figure crashed into his position like an artillery strike, the smell of metal lingered in the air before the horrible sharpening sound was heard.

The giant humanoid white tiger slammed with intense strength as the ground cracked into cobwebs. However, his massive build was stopped by a thin blade grinding against his claws.

"So, Byakko, I assume? In the Five Principal Clans of Shintoism, is it true that you are totally okay with using Chinese beliefs to worship the Shinto gods?"

"Shut up, you bastard. I will rip apart that running mouth of yours and break every single bone in your body!" Byakko didn't react, or rather, he probably didn't listen at all.

His eyes were spitting flames from anger as his massive build enlarged even further before hurling down a fist.

*BOOST!*

However, his fist never reached the goal as his body was sent flying by a kick.

Byakko's thoughts were blank for a moment. His possession form of the White Tiger was knocked down by a single kick as his ribs were squeaking from pain.

"Byakko, wait for me! Eh?!" Genbu came rushing with her Sacred Beast, catching the flying Byakko before freezing at the sight of the tragedy.

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WebNovel's word limit didn't let me post the full chapter, continue in the next one.