Walking out of the school building and onto the grounds, we saw a massive magic circle radiating a potent holy aura.
"What is that light?" Issei demanded, staring at the ominous sigil etched on our school grounds. From his vantage point, the answer emerged: Kokabiel, seated atop a colossal floating throne above us.
"He's merging four Excaliburs into one," Kokabiel explained. "It's his lifelong ambition. The immense magical energy released will be used to obliterate this town."
"So, Rias Gremory's replacements?" he taunted. "Will Sirzechs come? Or maybe Serafall?"
Before Rias could answer, Kokabiel casually hurled a spear of light at the gymnasium, obliterating it in a flash.
"Boring," he sneered. "But it makes a fine show. Kill you and Serafall's little sister, and the rest will rush here soon enough." His words sent a chill through us, light-based attacks are especially dangerous to devils.
"Since you've RSVP'd to my little summit… I'll start with my pet!" Kokabiel declared.
Below his throne, a fiery vortex erupted, bringing forth a terrifying three-headed hellhound, Cerberus, guardian of the underworld's gates.
"Cerberus?! This is the one from the Underworld Entrance! He's bringing it into the human realm!" we gasped.
Oddly enough, the imposing beast sparked a strange fondness in me, like a schoolyard dare mascot.
"Rias, can I tame that thing?" Issei asked enthusiastically.
"Are you insane? Look at its face! It clearly means 'I will shred your intestines with my fangs!' Calm down, Issei!" I shouted.
Dropping the idea, Issei nodded dejectedly. Then, Koneko tugged at my sleeve.
"I already have a cat and a fox familiar… I don't need a dog," she said softly.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of dogs?" I teased.
"Not afraid… I just don't want to lose," she replied with surprising confidence.
Rias charged us to focus, but I knew we didn't have time to waste on Cerberus.
"I'll handle this one," I volunteered.
"What? Ikki! There are five of them!" Rias protested. "We need to stall until Issei's gift charges, "
There was no time to argue. Ignoring her concern, I sprinted at the nearest Cerberus. With my weapon manifesting, I struck in a single slash, decapitating all three heads at once.
"Wow!"
"Unbelievable speed!" exclaimed Rias and Issei, astonished, as I moved on to the second beast. This one, too, fell easily. The rest followed in quick succession.
"That's the last one," I declared, stepping back in formation with my allies.
Silence followed… until Kokabiel burst into laughter.
"Kukukukuku… Impressive. I thought Rias brought a Maou, but the real trump card was the human. You've won a point," he conceded.
"I am not impressed, kid…" Issei started, half-mimicking.
"Cerberus didn't put up much of a fight," Kokabiel added, amusement evident in his tone.
I may have accidentally stolen some of Rias's lines there, my apologies.
"Kukukukukuku! Let me tell you about Cerberus. You see, he's the offspring of Typhon and the monstrous Echidna, Titans by any measure. Yet the ones guarding the gates are weak replicas mass-produced by Hades. Now, let me introduce the real one!" He snapped his fingers, and another fiery vortex erupted.
This Cerberus was massive, double the size, and its heads were staggering.
"How many heads does it have?! Fifty?!" Issei nearly screamed for all of us.
"Ashia recalls the legends," Rias affirmed. "The original Cerberus had fifty heads, just as the oldest epic describes."
Its size alone was unnerving.
"I can't believe he summoned this beast," I murmured. "How did Kokabiel plan to take on even myths like us or the Devil Lord? Was this supposed to be his ace in the hole?"
No way was I to be blamed for this. I wasn't the one who brought fifty-headed hellfires onto the school grounds.
I glanced around, calculating my move.
"Everyone, fall back! I'm going in to test it!"
Focusing my ki, I launched forward and slashed at the leftmost neck, dodging a burst of flame with sheer speed. I nearly severed it, only to see it begin to regenerate.
"Damn!" I cursed.
"I'll finish this!" I roared, slicing clean through the rest of the neck. One head fell; the others prepared to incinerate me.
My bones creaked from the strain, but I stayed on my feet. With 49 to go, I honestly couldn't sustain this onslaught.
Then, the severed stump began dripping molten styx...
"Zuboooo!!!" The neck regrew in an instant, faster than I could comprehend.
"Kukukukuku! Don't underestimate its regeneration. Cerberus is kin to Hydra, if one head remains, the rest are reborn immediately. He was made to guard Hades's realm, resilient to the last," Kokabiel mocked. "So, what's your next move? Or are you all out of plans?"
A fifty-headed regenerating monster, deadly.
"Ikki! Fall back now! You can't win by strength alone!" Rias ordered.
I nodded, understanding that even an "Ittou Shura" wouldn't be enough. That would at best grant me a 50% chance... and failure means total regeneration.
I returned to the group; the Cerberus stared at me with a cruel grin, enjoying the fight.
"Are you okay?" Issei asked.
"No physical wounds," I lied. "But I triggered an extreme state, my body's strained."
"Ashia, heal him," Rias called out.
Ashia rushed in and, in mere seconds, erased all the structural damage from my body.
"Thanks… I'm good now."
Her speed never ceases to amaze me.
"Then, Ikki, can you defeat that thing?"
"I… I could, but I can't guarantee it. I'd need to deal with all fifty heads within the limit of my Ittou Shura. And I'd be out of commission afterward, useless for the battle with Kokabiel."
Rias nodded. "Then we'll take care of him. But first, we must deal with this monster. If it's related to Hydra, it'll share the weakness."
"Director, Hermes," Issei asked Rias, "Hydra's weakness?"
"Remember how Hercules burned each neck-stump after decapitation, so it couldn't regrow?" Rias said. "We'll need to do that. Issei, how's your Red-Dragon energy?"
"Almost at max duplication!" he replied confidently.
"Alright, we'll begin the operation once the power buildup is complete. Issei, transfer your power to everyone except Asia and then fall back with her. Rias, Akeno, and I will seal the severed necks using fire-based magic. Koneko, you use your Kasha to do the same!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Understood, President."
"Got it."
So, against a creature from legend, we're countering with legendary lore of our own. Makes sense.
[Boost!!]
"It's ready! Let's go, The Red Dragon Emperor's gift: Boosted Gear Gift!"
[Transfer!!]
Issei touches each of us, transferring his immense power.
Whoa! As expected of a dragon's aura, what a powerful surge of energy!
"Then here I go! Ittou Shura!"
I activate my ability, and an aura even stronger than Cerberus's bursts out of me… Come to think of it, my Ittou Shura is basically a budget version of the Boosted Gear. Issei can stack dozens, maybe even hundreds, of boosts with ease, and on top of that, he's got other crazy features like Gift. Yep. It's busted. Totally overpowered.
Even as those thoughts flicker through my head, I charge at Cerberus.
"We're right behind you!"
"Yes, President!"
"Right."
=============
32+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Add to Library to support