Putting a bit of power behind his wings, Rizevim soared through their combined assault. Once clear of the attack radius, he immediately realized something—the only one who had engaged him in close quarters was the blonde brat. Not once had the black-haired devil beside him joined in.
That was curious.
It was obvious she was powerful. That much was undeniable. But she had a glaring weakness. One the brat had desperately tried to cover up.
With a few dragons tailing him through the sky, Rizevim vanished—preparing his DBEL for a precise, killing strike. His target was none other than Serafall.
Hisashi froze in horror.
It hit him all at once. Rizevim had abandoned the fight with him... for her. A cold pound of fear ran through his chest, making his body tremble. But that fear vanished just as quickly, swallowed by something else.
Resolve.
He needed to save her. No matter the cost.
As chaotic and childish as she was, Serafall had become his friend. Over the years, he'd grown to care about her—and the feeling was mutual. He had thought their relationship would remain that of accomplices. Nothing more.
He was wrong.
Serafall had it worse. Her vision blurred as the black spear of light plummeted toward her. She reacted just in time—barely managing to evade. But even she knew there was no escaping this unscathed.
Blood spurted through the air.
It sprayed across her delicate face as her eyes widened in shock.
Hisashi stood in front of her—his arm nearly severed. It hung loosely, mangled and useless.
She could only ask one thing, her voice trembling.
"Why?"
Hisashi's good hand flared with concentrated energy. He launched a blast that sent Rizevim flying from their view. Gritting his teeth, he gripped his damaged arm, pressing it back into place as it began to regenerate visibly. The wound sizzled with smoke. His complexion paled from the sheer agony, yet he still managed to smile.
"Because losing an arm is a far better deal than losing you, Serafall."
She almost embraced him right there, tempted to slap him across the face for his stupidity. But deep down, she was touched. That wasn't something she could fake—he meant it.
Meanwhile, Rizevim had his own problems.
That blast had packed serious power. If not for the DBEL barrier he'd raised at the last second, he might've died right then and there. Losing a commander today was already a blow to the pure-blooded True Satan lineage.
And to make matters worse?
They still hadn't captured the brat.
A humiliation the silver-haired Lucifer refused to accept—especially from a child.
The stunned expression on the blonde's face made Rizevim grin with pride. In his mind, he had taught the filth a lesson that would last even into the afterlife. A reminder of his place—beneath the feet of true devils like him.
But then—
"Funny, isn't it?" Hisashi smiled, blood dripping from his lips.
The bastard was smiling.
That expression alone infuriated Rizevim, but something about it felt... wrong. Ominous.
Hisashi could fill the blood flowing out of his mouth. His right lung had suffered from the blow, but that wasn't the problem. It was the feeling that followed. A suffocating dread began to choke the very air around them.
"Today, one of us will die..."
Hisashi's tone had changed. Everything about him had shifted—from a man staggering in pain to something else entirely.
Something terrifying.
The killing intent rolling off him was beyond human—or even devil.
Instincts screamed. Rizevim didn't hesitate.
He fled.
But it was already too late.
A violent wave of energy erupted from Hisashi, engulfing his body in a flame-like aura. It was pitch black with faint crimson edges, radiating an oppressive, malevolent force.
Serafall's eyes widened in disbelief.
'That... he actually has that kind of power?'
A voice called out behind her.
"What happened?!"
She turned to find Sirzechs, accompanied by Zekram, both of them staring at the rising pillar of dark energy.
The aura was immense. Hisashi had crossed into her level.
No... beyond it.
He had surpassed the threshold of an Ultimate Class being.
She had always known his Hollow nature was his greatest weapon, but this?
'This exceeds all expectations. But... he's more dangerous like this.' She clenched her fists and scowled.
"It appears Kagetsuki is going through that phase again."
Sirzechs' eyes widened. "You mean... Complete Hollowfication."
She nodded, and his shoulders tensed.
Sirzechs could fight him—but victory was not guaranteed.
In that state, Hisashi's instincts were sharpened to inhuman levels. His adaptability and regeneration could rival, even shame, a Phenex. But that wasn't the worst of it.
He had no rationality left.
No remorse. No distinction between friend or foe.
Zekram, still confused, turned to Sirzechs.
"Would you mind enlightening me, dear grandson?"
Sirzechs gritted his teeth at the title. He had deliberately withheld information about Hisashi. It was safer that way.
"Hisashi is—"
Before he could finish, a loud cry shook the battlefield.
The sound tore through the skies like the roar of a predator descending from the heavens. It was Hollow. Void of emotion. Saturated in raw, undiluted rage and bloodlust.
A soul-crushing cry.
At the center of the chaos, a figure stood in a horse stance. A gaping hole now marked his chest. A horn jutted out from his forehead.
The sky darkened into a mournful purple hue. The land, already scarred, looked more like a graveyard. Not a single leaf remained. No life stirred.
Suddenly—CRASH!
A distant mountain split apart. A web of cracks raced along its surface before it caved in entirely.
A woman flew from the impact zone, coughing blood. Her body tumbled before she managed to pull herself free of the rubble. Her eyes went wide.
A projectile—faster than any bullet—was screaming toward her.
She leapt from the collapsing mountain just in time. The blast hit the spot she'd vacated, leveling the peak. House-sized boulders rained from the sky like meteors.
A brown-haired woman landed gracefully below, staring in disbelief at the destruction.
Above her hovered another woman.
Voluptuous and elegant, her skin fair and radiant. Her hair was tied neatly into a battle bun. She wore a form-fitting breastplate and a flowing battle dress that reached her calves—a battle maiden in every sense.
There was no time to admire her.
The maiden grabbed a descending boulder and hurled it straight at Katerea.
The purple-haired woman used her battle-honed reflexes to dodge.
But the boulders kept coming.
Katerea zigzagged through them, her senses on high alert. When she dodged one particularly massive boulder, she blinked—and realized her opponent had vanished.
Her heart raced.
Where is she?!
Tap.
Too late.
The battle maiden stood directly behind her. Her red eyes were ice-cold, dripping with killing intent.
In her hand, a swirling blue vortex of energy hissed like a silent storm, held tight in a sphere the size of a basketball.
Katerea raised a shield just in time.
"Ōdama Rasengan!"
The attack collided with her spell head-on.
And the sky cracked open.
---