Kokabiel, who had betrayed her and gone into hiding, had even put out a bounty on Raynare and spent a long time searching for her. At last, when he finally found her, a delighted smile spread across his face. Looking down on her with open contempt, he said, "Hey there. Long time no see, Raynare. And to think the Sacred Swords I was looking for are all gathered here too. I'm lucky."
"The barrier broke..."
When the barrier shattered, Issei—the one she had wanted—didn't come. Instead, some random guy picked up on the disturbance, making the situation even worse. Raynare grimaced. Irina and Xenovia were just as shocked by Kokabiel's sudden appearance. Standing before a high-ranking Fallen Angel, they were sweating coldly. The appearance of another Fallen Angel could only mean reinforcements for Raynare; they assumed he was their enemy.
"Tch..."
Xenovia scowled at Kokabiel's abrupt arrival.
"Hey, Xenovia. I think running away is the best option here."
"...It's frustrating, but you're right."
More than anyone, they knew full well that with their current strength, they could not defeat Kokabiel, a Fallen Angel executive. Rather than winning, the real issue was whether they could survive and get back alive. So they tried to flee before Kokabiel could make a move, but subduing them was effortless for him. The moment they began to run, he had already anticipated it. First, he blocked their escape route with spears of magical power, then aimed another spear at their legs. Against power on a completely different level, Xenovia and Irina were helpless. Before they could do anything, their Sacred Swords were snatched away, and they were utterly defeated.
"Well, that wasn't even good for killing time."
Once he was done with Xenovia and the others, Kokabiel turned his attention elsewhere.
"Kokabiel-sama..."
"It's been a long time. I've been searching for you all this time, and to think you were hiding in a place like this. Well, I suppose it makes sense that I couldn't find you."
Raynare was completely cornered. Kokabiel then looked at Asia, who was trembling in silence beside her.
"And to think you'd be allied with the target, [Twilight Healing]. You've been doing something interesting."
"Is...sei...san..."
Kokabiel seized Asia by the throat and lifted her up. Asia writhed in pain, but there was no way to escape Kokabiel's grip. Raynare barely managed to move her body and tried to flee somehow, but...
"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson."
He bound Raynare with yellow magical restraints, and she was caught without a chance to resist. A hopeless, despairing situation with not a shred of hope. Even then, Raynare desperately prayed for Issei to come, but he never did. Not even until the moment she was dragged away by Kokabiel and vanished beyond the dimensional rift...
.
.
.
.
.
"Ddraig, chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate."
Ophis had already devoured all the spare chocolate Issei had on him, and now that she had fully fallen for sweets, she kept asking for more chocolate. In the end, on the way to the Church, they had to stop by a supermarket again and keep replenishing her supply of sweets. Because of that, all of Issei's attention was fixed on Ophis, and he didn't even notice that the barrier had broken. He simply kept holding Ophis's hand and leading her along with a dazed, father-spoiling-daughter smile. To anyone watching, they looked like a young uncle walking with his little niece.
"So cute~"
"[...]"
Ddraig didn't bother objecting anymore. He had realized that this was not a state he could stop by talking. And when Issei finally arrived at the Church with that blissful expression still on his face,
"Since when..."
he stared, mouth agape, at the completed castle. He seemed genuinely astonished that something like this had been finished in such a short time.
"Asia~"
Putting his awe aside, he headed for the entrance and called out for Asia.
"!!...You guys!"
He found the three Fallen Angels collapsed in the courtyard in front of the entrance, bleeding. And beside them...
"Irina!?"
It was an impossible combination. On top of that, both sides were bleeding and lying there. Issei immediately snapped to attention and only then realized that the barrier had broken. Ophis was left behind as he ran toward the busty Fallen Angel.
"What the hell happened?"
"I-Issei-sama...? Raynare-sama and Asia-sama..."
Even while collapsed, she must have still been conscious, because she barely managed to open her mouth and explain what had happened to Issei. His playful expression vanished in an instant.
"Kokabiel..."
He had already been angry at Irina and the others for what they had done to his subordinates, but what enraged him most was Kokabiel's existence. He had been furious when Rias was forced into an engagement, but this was on another level. Asia had been cast out by the Church as a heretic and forced to endure every kind of hardship; Issei had finally intended to give her a life worth living. As for Raynare, he had once harbored a grudge against her, but he had accepted her rehabilitation and intended to receive her as Amano Yuuma, his first love. And now those two had been kidnapped by some Fallen Angel executive?
At that moment, chakra surged out of Issei with enough force to shake the earth, far surpassing even a Demon King. Until now, he had avoided revealing his true identity and power, wary of getting dragged into troublesome affairs. But now, driven by rage, he had unleashed the chakra that was truly his own.
"Ddraig... angry. Why?"
Issei was exuding chakra so dangerous that even Ophis recognized it as a threat. And the chakra he released from the Church, where the barrier had broken, naturally spread throughout the entire city. The Fallen Angels and the devils of Kuoh Academy who were in the city all began to stir at once. They had sensed an overwhelming magical power that even surpassed Uchiha Madara, who had rampaged through the Demon World.
Then Issei said,
"Ddraig, how do I get to where those Fallen Angels are?"
"Are you planning to go?"
"I can't stand it unless I kill that Kokabiel bastard."
"I'll cooperate. I'm starting to get a little angry too."
Feeling Issei's fury directly through their bond, Ddraig conveyed the method of reaching the Fallen Angels' underworld in his mind. Issei then realized that it was a place he could not reach with his own power alone. He left behind a clone to care for the Fallen Angels' injuries, then tried to move to the one being at Kuoh Academy who could provide a means of reaching the underworld.
"Issei, you want to go to the underworld? I can help."
Ophis's small hand tugged at his collar as she spoke. Seeing her, Issei's rage eased just a little.
"Ophis."
"Ddraig has light. He'll help."
"Thanks. Then I'm counting on you."
Suppressing the boiling anger inside him, Issei forced a smile for Ophis and patted her head. Ophis seemed to like the feeling of his hand on her hair, her cheeks turning red as she savored his touch. When his hand finally left, she looked a little disappointed, but silently held out her hand and created a gate.
"This is the underworld. Ddraig can go."
"Thanks. I'll be back soon."
Leaving his clones to look after Ophis and the Fallen Angels, Issei headed alone for the underworld. By then, his eyes had already changed into the eyes imbued with the power of the Six Paths.