— — — — — —
A dazzling torrent of light swallowed Ophis whole.
It was as if a second sun had risen above Yasaka Shrine. The blinding brilliance illuminated everything, sweeping away the damp gloom of early morning.
"What is that…?" Azazel looked up, squinting into the sky.
At that very moment, Satanael surged forward, fallen wings beating rapidly as he thrust a photon spear straight ahead.
"Focus, Azazel."
He laughed and drove the spear through Azazel's abdomen.
Black wings flashed, and Azazel reappeared to the side, completely unharmed.
He didn't counterattack. Instead, he simply hovered there, his expression oddly complicated as he watched Satanael.
"What's with that face?" Satanael smirked. "Not going to save your new governor anymore?"
"Feel that power up there? That's the Infinite Dragon God. Strength beyond gods, the strongest in the world."
"Hey, Azazel… if the new fallen angels' governor dies two days after taking office, that'd be pretty humiliating, wouldn't it?"
Azazel's expression turned even stranger.
"I think… you'd better look at the sky first."
Satanael paused, eyeing him suspiciously. He clearly didn't believe him.
Azazel added, tone playful, "Relax, I won't ambush you. Honestly, letting you see what's happening up there will be much more… beneficial."
"Ridiculous." Still wary, Satanael tilted his head up.
The next second, his eyes widened, mouth falling open.
"Th-this… how is that possible?"
High in the sky, two figures faced each other from several dozen meters apart.
One was Ryo, dressed in a spotless suit.
The other was a loli girl in black Gothic attire, expression blank.
But compared to Ryo, Ophis's left arm, shoulder, and part of her clothing were simply… gone.
In the instant they clashed, the Dragon God who governed infinity had lost her arm.
The exchange had clearly gone against her.
"The Infinite Dragon God actually—"
Before Satanael finished, a sharp pain struck his chest.
He looked down at the photon arrow embedded there. His expression twisted as he glared up at Azazel.
"You bastard!!"
"That was a perfectly fair attack," Azazel grinned. Golden armor began forming over his body as his voice echoed through it. "Sorry, Satanael. Since our governor has the upper hand, I can't exactly slack off anymore."
"Prepare yourself."
"Artificial Sacred Gear… Balance Breaker? You've pushed it this far? Damn it!" Satanael cursed and immediately turned to run.
Their leader had just lost an arm in the opening exchange. Nothing about that looked good. Satanael wasn't stupid, and he didn't have any particular loyalty to Ophis. He bolted.
"Don't even think about it!" Azazel spread his wings and gave chase.
...
..
High above the sky.
Ryo loosened his tie, stuffed it into his pocket, and looked up at Ophis, who was clutching her severed shoulder.
"You couldn't even handle a probing attack… Seems you're weaker than I expected. Can't grow properly?"
Ophis, pale from the loss of her arm, raised her head calmly.
"Not you…"
"Oh?" Ryo lifted a brow. "Who are you looking for?"
"Dragon."
Her tone was flat.
"I see. You're looking for this?"
Ryo raised his right hand and curled his fingers. Wisps of faint white vapor rose like cooking smoke.
It was a fragment of dragon power he had added while modifying Kyoto's barrier. The bait he used to lure Ophis here.
For the first time, emotion flickered in Ophis's eyes.
"It was you?"
"Yeah~ Looks like my trap worked pretty well," Ryo said with a satisfied smile.
"A trap…" Ophis didn't seem to care about her predicament at all.
She looked up. Her unfocused eyes quietly reflected Ryo's face.
"Join forces with me."
"What… is going on?"
Michael held Augusta, whose limbs had been frozen and pierced through, and stared upward in disbelief.
"The Dragon God lost an arm in a single exchange?"
So Ryo was this strong?
He said he'd only just barely reached four-digit rank. Barely? He claimed Ophis was also four-digit, yet he'd just overwhelmed someone at the same level. Since when did "barely" mean dominating your equal?
"So it was a trap targeting Ophis…" Augusta's face showed shock.
She couldn't imagine anyone setting a trap for Ophis, much less succeeding.
And more importantly, there was actually someone in the three factions strong enough to defeat her.
Was that man… the revived Creator God?
Just then, they heard Ophis's voice. "Join forces with me."
Michael's expression collapsed.
The Infinite Dragon God, who wandered the world alone, was inviting Ryo to cooperate?
She… wanted an alliance?
What kind of enemy would require these two to join forces?
What exactly was happening to this world?
"Join forces?" Ryo looked at Ophis strangely. "You're asking me to deal with Great Red?"
Great Red, known as the Apocalypse Dragon. The Dragon of Dragons (DxD). Also known as the God of Dreams.
Great Red resided in the Dimensional Gap, a gap that exists between the three worlds (Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld), and is considered a void world.
To defend this world from invaders from beyond, it had driven Ophis out of the Dimensional Gap, claimed it as its domain, and wandered there endlessly, resisting external forces.
In a sense, Great Red protected the world.
But to Ophis, who had been expelled from her birthplace without explanation, Great Red was her mortal enemy.
Her reason for ruling the Khaos Brigade had always been to find someone strong enough to help her kill Great Red.
Ryo knew that from the original story. He'd been a little skeptical before, but now it seemed confirmed.
Ophis really did intend to kill Great Red.
If you thought of the Dimensional Gap as a house, then Ophis was the child born inside it, the natural owner. Great Red was the hero who commandeered the house and turned it into a fortress to defend the world.
Their conflict was obvious. Still… it was hard not to complain.
Was this really a blood feud over a house?
Ophis, taking his words as confirmation, extended her remaining right hand.
"Help me."
Ryo paused, took a breath, "I refuse."
.
.
.