The moment it made contact, a sound even louder than before rang out—and just like that, the high-frequency Holy Demonic Sword sliced straight through the formidable barrier.
"Oh my, oh my. It was cleanly cut through... I had enhanced the 'Knight' trait to strengthen the barrier far beyond its previous level, but at this rate, it's quite embarrassing."
Even Akeno-senpai looked a bit troubled after her barrier was cleaved in two.
"But it didn't seem like it was cut cleanly without resistance. It was more like a chainsaw slicing through wood. It's a bit different from Yuuto's Nothung, which is all about sharpness."
"Right. Because this weapon relies on rapidly continuous strikes, if contact time is short, it doesn't match Nothung in terms of slicing power. But in situations like a clash of blades or breaking barriers, it might actually shine more."
Well, at least it seems to complement Yuuto's Holy Demonic Sword in terms of offensive power.
"Oh dear, maybe I should develop a new technique that makes use of my piece traits? My current finishing move, Holy Lightning, is empowered by the 'Bishop' trait, but I haven't really put the 'Knight's' speed or power to use."
"Maybe... The first thing that comes to mind is the light spear used by the Fallen Angels. If you enhance the lightning with 'Bishop', charge in with 'Knight' speed, and add the acceleration and impact of 'Chariot', you could potentially combine all piece traits into one attack. But then again..."
"Indeed, I'm naturally a long-range wizard type. While I've trained in hand-to-hand combat, I'm not so unskilled that I'd avoid close combat entirely... but giving up my strengths for that option seems... rather inefficient."
True. The 'Knight' traits are primarily designed for close-quarters combat. And trying to apply that power or speed to something like magic bullets probably wouldn't work. If it were that simple, others would've already done it. Most likely, those traits only enhance physical attributes.
Besides, even if you could add 'Knight' speed to a magic bullet, since magical power is governed by imagination, if the caster imagines a bullet moving at 300 m/s—even if the trait allows 1 km/s—it won't matter. Magic is image-based, and telling someone to imagine beyond their own image is a contradiction.
In the end, since no good ideas emerged, the topic of Akeno-senpai's all-traits-special-move fizzled out.
Elsewhere, Gasper had taken on his beast-of-darkness form and was going toe-to-toe with Issei in a spar, determined to reclaim Valerie's stolen Holy Grail.
Meanwhile, Issei was enjoying a cheerful conversation between Ddraig and Albion, who had apparently reconciled—until the past hosts of Albion interrupted the banter.
"We, the Victims of the Oppai Dragon Association, cannot condone the current Red Dragon Emperor nor the former hosts who now worship breasts under his influence!"
Now, using part of Albion's power residing within Issei's Sacred Gear as a medium, the Two Heavenly Dragons and their past hosts were deep in debate within the depths of the Gear.
Well, whatever lingering spirit remains of the Butt Dragon King, I'm sure the Panty Dragon will deal with it eventually. (Totally passing the buck.)
As our training continued, unchanged in its intensity in preparation for the looming threat, about five days after our return from Romania, we gathered at Kuoh Academy late at night.
Present were the Occult Research Club (+Kuroka), the Sitri household, Azazel-sensei, Griselda-san, Dulio-san, Tobiou Ikuse, Sairaorg-san, Seekvaira Agares, the First Generation Sun Wukong, and the Vali Team—for a total of 36 people. Even just among the core members, that's quite a crowd.
Originally, the Bael and Agares households, as well as the Slash Dog team, would've joined too.
"...So, how did the talks go?" Rias-senpai cut straight to the point, addressing Azazel-sensei once everyone was assembled.
"Well, because what Rizevim is doing is far too dangerous, even factions that were previously uncooperative have agreed to at least some level of collaboration this time. Romania lost most of its power—many soldiers and nobles were turned into Evil Dragons. The sheer horror of it silenced even the top brass who hadn't seen the initial reports. And above all, if Great Red and the revived Trihexa were to fight, the resulting shockwaves could literally destroy the world. Even the previously indifferent have realized that this time, things are truly dire."
So if those two monsters start fighting, it's practically our loss.
Come to think of it... who is stronger—Great Red or Trihexa? We know Great Red is stronger than Ophis at her peak, even though they're supposed to be equals...
"Hmm? Something bugging you, Ikki?"
Azazel-sensei caught on to the confusion on my face.
"Ah, well... maybe this isn't the place to talk about it, but I was thinking... what if Trihexa might actually be stronger than Great Red?"
"Interesting... go on."
"For example, Ddraig and Albion are rivals, right? Their powers are evenly matched. Yet, with Ophis and Great Red—both dragon gods—Great Red is said to be stronger. That never quite sat right with me. But what if this imbalance is because it was originally a three-way rivalry, including Trihexa?"
Kind of like rock-paper-scissors, or the classic triangle of snake, slug, and frog—or maybe like Pokémon's fire, water, and grass starters.
I've always felt it was strange that Ophis, embodiment of infinity, was definitively weaker than Great Red. But if you factor in Trihexa as a third equal force, the balance feels a lot more natural.
"...I see. That's an interesting theory. If that's the case, it makes stopping Rizevim and the Khaos Brigade from reviving Trihexa even more critical. Which brings me to the next point. We've decided to form a special team to combat Khaos Brigade. You probably guessed it already—most of the people here are young, but that also means you're fast to adapt and react. Every mythology has its powerhouse gods, but we can't just send them out frontlines. If they fall, the ripple effect on the human world would be catastrophic."
Yeah, we don't hold much weight in terms of status.
"I agree. Now's exactly the time we should be working together."
"Same here. Otherwise, what's the point of the alliance?"
"I have no objections. I will fight with you."
"Me too. Though with this group, I'll probably end up as support."
The four young rookies—The Rookies Four—all agreed, and other representatives nodded their approval to join the counter-terrorism team. Joker, however, looked puzzled.
"What's wrong, Joker? Got a problem?"
"No, no! Nothing like that. I was just thinking—we should probably decide on a team name, right?"
At that moment, Shirone quietly muttered, "D×D."
With Devils, Dragons, Downfall Angels (Fallen Angels), and many other "D"s coming together, it made sense. No one objected, and the team was officially named:
Team D×D
"Good! With the name settled, we now need a leader... Joker, you're up."
"H-HUH!? W-Wait, why me!? I'm not really cut out for that!"
"The reason's simple—you're an angel. There'll be people who resent how strong this team is. We want to project a clean image externally. Devils, fallen angels, and Youkai tend to give off a negative vibe. Ikki's too infamous. Tobiou, while human, works mostly behind the scenes. So, that leaves you. As a heavenly being, you're the most presentable. Be grateful."
Azazel brushed off his complaints with a "just do it," and with Griselda's firm nod of approval, Dulio, though reluctant, accepted the position.
"For sub-leader, can I ask the First Gen?"
"No problem. A geezer like me stepping in too much only stifles the younger generation."
With the First Sun Wukong's agreement, that left only the Vali team.
"In light of this unprecedented crisis, I propose bringing in Vali and the White Dragon Emperor team. To clear their image—since they were part of Khaos Brigade—Odin is prepared to adopt Vali as his foster son."
Azazel turned to Vali.
"What do you say? It won't erase your past, but as Odin foster son, few would dare oppose you. It'll make it easier to act."
"I'll cooperate when it benefits me. But I won't be bound."
"Odin understands. As long as you don't go rogue again, he has no issue. So, let's consider the adoption settled."
Vali said nothing, but his silence was as good as consent.
"Red Dragon Emperor, may I have a moment?"
Arthur addressed Issei after Vali's silent approval.
"Y-Yes, what is it?"
"I understand you haven't formed a contract with a magician yet. Would you consider choosing Le Fay? As her brother, I can attest to her skill, and she's also your fan. If she can return home with a contract with the Red Dragon Emperor, it would mean the world."
Arthur bowed his head respectfully. Issei, while not giving an immediate yes, responded positively and agreed to speak with her privately afterward.
"...Thank you."
Arthur's gallant smile felt like something out of a hero manga. With the major topics settled, the First Sun Wukong stepped forward and looked around at us.
"Now then. Do any of you youngsters want to become even stronger?"
"...What exactly do you mean by that?"
Rias asked, and the First Gen took a puff of his pipe.
"Simple. If you want it, I'll train you from scratch. Even mass-produced Evil Dragons require at least High-Class Devil level power to be worth anything. Everyone here needs to reach that at minimum—eventually aiming for Ultimate-class or even Maou-class. Otherwise, forming this team would be meaningless."
Azazel nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. This team isn't just for Khaos Brigade. There's no guarantee other terrorist groups won't rise, or that beings from other worlds—like Rizevim is after—will be friendly. Even in the Loki fight, Issei contacted the spirit of a Breast Goddess, and she said they were fighting evil gods. There's no time for optimism—we have to be prepared."
"Right. Especially you Heavenly Dragons—you've got Longinus, but you're wasting too much power and your bodies can't handle prolonged battles. As you are now, you'd never survive multiple fights. I'll whip you into shape. And you too, with your Ittou Shura. I'll be assigning you some training."
Sure, Ittou Shura may seem inefficient, but it's designed that way...
"Excuse me, Son Goku-sama, but my Ittou Shura can't extend the one-minute time limit—"
"That's not what I'm talking about. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
Mmm… now I'm really curious. But if someone like The Victorious Fighting Buddha says that, there's no way I can brush it off.
And so, Team D×D was officially formed—and our meeting disbanded.