20 Don't make fun of me

From my Sacred Gear, "Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet," the soul of Ddraig was extracted.

Despite Ddraig's soul being taken out, the Sacred Gear still functioned properly. According to Azazel-sensei, Ddraig had adjusted it to work that way... which means Ddraig had predicted that Irina would come under my command. But he didn't tell me about it. And that parting remark.

"Defeat me and become the 'Heavenly Dragon.'"

I can't comprehend the meaning behind those words. The Heavenly Dragon is supposed to be you and Albion. I'm just a reincarnated devil, a former human who happened to possess the Sacred Gear that contained your soul.

Despite this situation, I continued my training. There were times when I had to undergo interrogations about Irina and those knights, wasting unnecessary time, but I managed to become stronger. Or at least, I should have become stronger.

One day, as the main event of the Rating Game approached, a party was held in the Underworld by the higher-ranked nobles. It was officially presented as a wish for the success of the young demons, but in reality, it seemed like an excuse for the noble folks to drink together. According to the Student Council President, that is.

In the middle of that party, I saw a fellow servant, a little cat, sneaking out of the venue. Seeing that something was clearly off, I followed her. The Student Council President also joined in midway, and together we began tailing the little cat.

We arrived at a forest near the venue. The one who greeted the little cat was a woman in a kimono, who had a striking resemblance to the little cat. It was clear from her ears and tail that she was a cat-like youkai. The presence of a black cat accompanying the woman, who seemed to be her familiar, prompted the little cat to rush forward.

The true identity of the cat-like woman was Kuroka, the older sister of the little cat. She used to be a servant of a certain devil but became a stray devil after her youkai powers became too strong and she went berserk, killing her master. There were opinions about disposing of her sister, the little cat, before she went berserk as well, but Sirzechs-sama saved her. And so, the little cat became the Student Council President's servant. However, due to this experience, the little cat became extremely hesitant to use her powers as a nekomata.

To the bewildered little cat, Kuroka said,

"The Underworld is coming to an end. So, come with me, Shirone."

Shirone was the little cat's real name. "Koneko" was the name given to her by the Student Council President.

"...What do you mean by 'coming to an end,' Kuroka-neesama?"

"That's exactly what it means. Regardless of whether the Demon God Pillars win or the Lion King wins, the Underworld will end. Devils will cease to exist. Neither the members of the Old Satan Faction nor the current Satan faction have realized it. Are all devils so carefree? Not knowing who is targeting them."

There was not just mockery or surprise in her words, but also a sense of anger.

"That's why, Shirone, please come with me. You wouldn't want to die, right?"

"...Stop messing around! You're part of the Khaos Brigade, which includes the Demon God Pillars and the Lion King, right? Mythologies from around the world have gathered to confront them. I don't understand the meaning behind the end of the Underworld."

In response to the enraged Shirone, Kuroka remained surprisingly calm. She spoke as if soothing a child throwing a tantrum.

"Shirone, please listen to me. They are not opponents you should consider on the same level. They are not the kind of people who can be dealt with from that perspective."

While gently admonishing her, her face also showed a strong sense of restlessness. What's wrong? I heard that our perception of the Khaos Brigade changed slightly after Ddraig's soul was taken... Something is different. Something feels off. What is the difference between our understanding and Kuroka's understanding?

At that moment, Kuroka turned towards us. It seemed she had noticed. The Student Council President and I stepped forward to protect Shirone.

"You're the stray devil, Kuroka, of the SS-Class, huh? I'll make you regret setting foot in this place while being wanted!"

"...Ah, the rumored Princess of Gremory and the Red Dragon Emperor. Sorry, but I'm taking this child with me."

"Don't joke around! Shirone is my peerage! I won't let you take her! I will protect her!"

"Protect her? That's impossible. Even if you protect her from me, they will..."

"You shouldn't speak unnecessary things, you cat monster."

"Eh...?"

Whose voice was that? It might have been my voice or the voice of the Student Council President next to me. It might have been Kuroka's or Shirone's voice. Or perhaps it was everyone's voice.

"Manifest. Imprint. For this, let the seventy-two pillars of demons be."

As soon as I heard that familiar chant, I recognized the pillar-shaped abnormality.

"Demon God Pillar! Why are you here?"

Creepy red-black eyeballs writhed. It wasn't just one, but all the eyeballs that clung to its body fixated on a single point. It was directed towards me.

"To be straightforward, join forces with us, Red Dragon. And overthrow the Lion King."

It was a sudden solicitation. First it was Ddraig, and now it's me? This monster has no principles. Moreover, it had the audacity to belittle me before!

"Huh? T-The Lion King, isn't that the person Irina was talking about? Isn't that about you guys?"

"It's disappointing. We are in an adversarial relationship with the Lion King, a goddess."

Huh? So there are conflicts within the Khaos Brigade too? Maybe that's why we can't figure out Vali's movements.

"Of course, there are advantages for you as well. If you come with us, you can undo the tragedy of your brothers."

"Brothers? What are you talking about? I'm an only child."

"You are unaware. You had brothers who were not born."

...What?

"They ended without committing any crime or responsibility. They were denied even the right to be born. How meaningless a tragedy. How worthless a despair. We want to deny the tragedy of merely existing as entities with no meaning or value. There is a means to that."

"..."

"However, the goddess who took away the Azazel for me intends to overlook all those tragedies. She intends to continue this painful ecosystem. Can such ugliness be allowed? Join us, the bearer of the Red Dragon. The true Red Dragon. With you, you can defeat the Lion King. To reclaim what was taken away—"

"I'll kill you, you bastard!"

"What?"

I don't understand complicated things. Because I'm an idiot.

But there's one thing I can understand. I recognized that what was being said was something that should never be forgiven. This creature belittled... my... family.

I don't know about the story of having brothers. But if what this guy is saying is true, he insulted my family. He ridiculed them as meaningless and worthless. He mocked their value.

Just like Vali, who killed my parents, or maybe even worse, I felt a rage like never before.

"You're the only one I won't forgive, you Pillar of Demons!"

"Welsh Dragon Over Booster!!!!"

In response to my intense anger, the "Boosted Gear" resonated. Even though Draig was gone, this function still works perfectly. It's strange.

"Hmm, according to the data, humans rejoice when they are reevaluated by someone they belittled... Is there an exception? Or is it a side effect of no longer being human?"

This guy doesn't understand human hearts at all! Was there anything to be happy about in what just happened?

"Ascalon!"

I took out the Holy Sword from the Sacred Gear and stabbed it into one of the monster's eyeballs. But it only scraped the surface of its body a little. It's much harder than I imagined! Speaking of which, that self-proclaimed Grim Reaper who belongs to the same race as this guy, was almost unharmed by club president destructive power. So it's natural to assume that this guy, who belongs to the same race, also has high defensive capabilities.

"...Weak. Incineration Zepar!"

"Hagah!"

In an instant, a shock hit me so hard that I couldn't understand what happened.

Before I knew it, I was lying on the ground. I was lying face down. Pain ran through my whole body, and even though I knew it was bad, my body wouldn't move. It felt as if it wasn't my own body. I tried to force myself to move, but it only twitched and writhed. Maybe because a large amount of blood was shed, my consciousness was fading. Ascalon was not with me. I looked around to find it, and it was near the monster's feet... no, roots? It was lying nearby.

"Issei!"

I heard club president's scream. Don't worry, club president. I'll defeat this guy properly.

"It's ridiculous. It's pitiful. It's meaningless. It's worthless. To think that a reincarnated devil like you, who is nothing more than a human who couldn't become an Apostle, would lag behind me."

"...What?"

What the hell is he talking about? I'm fighting against you! I'm trying to defeat you! Don't blame it on the higher-ups or whatever!

"Uoaaaaaah!"

'Boost!'

I reached into the wound of that ridiculously huge body with my hand and delivered a decisive blow at point-blank range!

"Hehe, the Sacred Gear of the Pillar of Demons, Goetia Gear, huh?"

As I said that, distorted patterns appeared on the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.

Amazing. The pain from earlier feels like a lie. I was able to stand up smoothly. ...If Dgraig were here, he would have taught me about this new function. I can understand it myself, but somehow, it feels lonely.

"Unexpected! What happened?!"

Surprised by Zepar's words, I stood up. I ran past and picked up Ascalon, then sliced through Zepar's body.

"Uoryaa!"

A liquid-like substance similar to blood splattered vigorously, but it didn't matter. I'm fighting against you! I wanted to unleash this overwhelming anger I had. The pain that felt like it could pierce through my life couldn't calm me down.

"Fool! Fool, fool, fool!"

Zepar screamed.

"Impossible. Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! I was reformed! I was upgraded! How could I, a mere reincarnated devil like you who abandoned the value of a human, who isn't even a Hero or a Heroic Spirit, fall behind?! What was the Board of Directors doing? Why did they overlook such potential? This is clearly a design flaw—!"

"Shut up with your nonsense!"

I'm fighting against you! I'm trying to defeat you! Don't blame it on the Board of Directors or whatever!

"Uoaaaah!"

'Boost!'

I plunged my hand directly into the wound of that useless huge body and delivered a fatal blow at point-blank range!

"Dragon Shot!"

"Guaaaaah!"

The red aura engulfed Zepar completely and blew its body away. There was nothing left. Even I have to admit that it's incredible power. But I'm so exhausted that I can't move anymore.

"Haa, haa, haa... Huh? Wh-What... What is...?"

Suddenly, a headache struck me. No, it felt like electricity ran through my entire body from my arm. It was a memory of something someone saw.

"Well, you know. It's not like... anything?"

Memories of their journey, starting with those merciless words.

***

"...Zepar, offer an explanation. The cause of this failure is due to a design flaw by the Board of Directors—"

"Shut up, Zepar!"

"This incompetent!"

"Inept at negotiations!"

"So you were the true enemy!"

"Tarnishing the image of the 72 Pillars!"

"Even though you're a Pillar of Demons!"

"You might as well become a potted plant!"

"You are no longer allowed to leave the Time Temple!"

"Board of Directors! Requesting the disposal of Zepar!"

"So, are you saying that you were unable to transfer the patient infected with the infamous disease to this hospital? And yet, you still consider yourself an emergency medical technician!"

"I don't think that's the case... By the way, why are they so furious?"

"Simply put, it's a leak of information. While being defeated in the past was within their calculations, being defeated here was beyond their expectations. Moreover, there's a possibility that their existence in the Underworld, the Bible's revisions, and our world might be exposed after being incorporated into a physical body."

"Goetia has made a decision. We will now forcibly sever Zepar's connection."

"What?! I... What is this? This is a fluke! Reporting from Zepar!"

"Oh, so these are your final words. Go ahead and say them."

"Iseei Hyoudou... affirmed the revisions of the Bible!"