High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor

Chapter 410: Chapter 400 When the darkness cleared

When the darkness cleared, we saw a city—or something like it. It was filled with white, cubical structures of unknown material. Some were low like houses; others were as tall as skyscrapers, all arranged in a chaotic, random pattern. The sky within the hole was a visceral, blood-red, with a pale, sickly moon hanging ominously over the scene.

And at the very center stood a massive, jagged castle, radiating a dark, malevolent aura that we could feel even from here.

”Lord Azazel!”

A man in a suit—one of Azazel’s Fallen Angel subordinates—sprinted into the lounge, breathless. I assumed he was here to report the hole, but the news was far worse.

”That hole? I know, I’m looking at it—” Azazel started.

”No, sir! It’s not just here! Reports are coming in from all over the planet! This phenomenon is happening everywhere simultaneously! Norse, Greek, Sumerian, Egyptian, Celtic... even the Human World! These holes have appeared over every major territory!”

The room went cold. Total silence reigned for a split second before the panic set in.

Every territory? At once?

Suddenly, a massive magic circle manifested next to the hole in the sky, acting like a giant projection screen. On the screen appeared a young man with white hair, dressed in dark, regal robes that oozed malice. He looked into the ”camera” with a casual, confident smirk.

「Nice to meet you. Or, for those who’ve already seen me, I suppose I should say ’it’s been a while.’ My name is Asem. I am a God from a world different from yours... and I am the one who will bring your world to its knees.」

Asem!

I remembered Issei-kun mentioning that when he faced this God in the underworld, he had taken the form of a young man. This was him. He wasn’t wearing his trademark white hoodie anymore... but that dark clothing... what was it?

Regardless of his appearance, the name alone explained everything. Only he could pull off something this coordinated on a global scale. I had never fought him, but Issei-kun’s stories made one thing clear: his power was an unknown variable.

He was the one who had peered into the ’System,’ the one who had used Rizevim like a pawn, the one who had seized control of Hades’ realm single-handedly.

Asem’s smile turned icy.

「I’m sure you’re all quite surprised, so allow me to explain. The world you see before you is a realm I’ve constructed within the Dimensional Gap. Think of it as a pseudo-alternate world. It’s roughly one-third the size of Earth. And this world is now connected to every mythological domain and every corner of your globe via those ’Gates’ you see in the sky.」

Azazel-sensei’s brow furrowed. ”One-third the size of the planet... and it’s connected to everything? That’s inter-dimensional sorcery... he likely adapted the technology from the Rating Games. That tech leaked to the Khaos Brigade a long time ago. If he was using Rizevim, it makes sense he’d have his hands on it. And he mentioned the ’System’... did he use the power of the Longinus Dimension Lost to achieve this? But even so, the scale is impossible...!”

The space inside the hole did feel vaguely like a Rating Game field. It was clearly an evolution of that technology, but taken to a terrifying extreme.

”This isn’t just a field anymore,” Azazel whispered. ”This is world-building.”

”He built an entire world?” Rias-senpai asked, her voice trembling.

”On this scale, yes,” Azazel replied. ”He called it a pseudo-world, but the level of sophistication here is lightyears beyond a Rating Game. This is something else entirely.”

It was beyond our comprehension. This was the true power of Asem.

The projection of Asem continued. 「Now that the introductions are out of the way, I’ll tell you why I’m doing this. It’s simple, really. I’ve decided to stop ’playing’ and just bring your world down in one fell swoop.」

My heart sank. He dismissed everything that had happened so far as ”play”? Even with Trihexa ravaging the world, he was only now getting serious?

The hospital was in an uproar. People were shouting the word ”Alternate World” in every corner. Until now, only the top brass of the factions knew the truth about Asem and the other world. Now, the secret was out. The masses were confused, but soon they would be terrified.

「Apophis and his friends were attacking you bit by bit because of the Holy Grail’s limitations,」 Asem said. 「And you were so busy defending yourselves, weren’t you? The Gods came out, things got exciting... but it’s becoming repetitive. So, to make this war more interesting, I offered them my cooperation. Our interests aligned perfectly. Which is to say: from this moment on, Trihexa’s legions and my own forces will assault your world together.」

”They’ve joined forces?!” I gasped.

Apophis, Azi Dahaka, and Asem’s faction had always moved independently. Azazel-sensei had told us that during the Agreas operation, the Evil Dragons had explicitly stated they weren’t allies with Asem. But now, they had formed a united front.

「Doing this bit by bit is tedious for everyone, isn’t it? Let’s just move to the total war—the final conflict.」

Asem snapped his fingers.

At the top of the dark castle in the distance, a light began to glow.

In an instant, a colossal beam of pure, devouring energy was fired directly at us. It surged through the ’Gate’ and tore across the sky of the Underworld.

The light vanished into the distance, presumably striking something far away. A second later, a massive shockwave rocked the entire region. The hospital groaned under the force; patients fell from their beds, and even we had to scramble to grab pillars or railings just to stay upright.

”What a monster...!” Azazel shouted over the rumbling. ”Where did it hit?!”

He looked at his subordinate, who was frantically listening to his earpiece. The man’s face went pale, his jaw dropping in disbelief as if the information he was receiving was a sick joke.

”The report... sir... a mountain range in the Devil territory has been completely erased. It was an uninhabited area, so casualties are likely low, but...”

”Wait,” Azazel cut him off, a look of dawning horror on his face. ”You said the Devil territory... but that hole is...”

”The beam,” the subordinate whispered, ”didn’t just hit the Underworld. It was fired through every single Gate simultaneously!”

It wasn’t just here.

If those holes were open over every mythology and every city on Earth...

”That range is incredible,” Azazel growled, staring at the sky with gritted teeth. ”If those Gates can be moved at will... then the entire world is within his firing range.”

[Kiba’s Perspective: End]

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