High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor

Chapter 450: Chapter 440: The Fractured Front

[Third-Person POV]

”Finally, a decent number of them have funneled in.”

Asem let out a thin, mocking smile as he studied the images projected onto the Round Table. His gaze was fixed on the warriors emerging from the ”Gates” scattered across the landscape, stepping into the world he had meticulously constructed. They were the desperate, the brave—those who had stood up to protect their own world from total erasure.

Among the various screens, the members of D×D—Miu and her comrades—were clearly visible.

”I don’t see the Hero anywhere, though...” Asem mused, tapping his chin. ”Has he still not opened his eyes?”

Vals nodded stoically. ”It would appear so. I’ve monitored the other Gates; there is no sign of him.”

”What? He’s not here?” Razul scoffed, leaning back in boredom. ”How dull.”

”Razul, his opponent is meant to be Father anyway. Whether it’s ’dull’ or not is irrelevant,” Vals countered. ”Besides, in his current evolved state, I doubt you’d even stand a chance against him.”

”Winning or losing isn’t the point!” Razul snapped. ”I just want to enjoy the fight. You’re the same way, aren’t you? Anyway, their target is the Holy Grail, right? What’s the plan?”

Asem nodded at Razul’s question.

”Whether they intend to take me down or the Trihexa, they’ll have to stop the Grail eventually. But I won’t make it easy. I need them to overcome even greater ’absurdities.’ It’s necessary if they’re going to survive what comes next.”

Asem’s gaze shifted to Belle. Standing beside her was the Duplicate of the Red Dragon Emperor.

”We still have plenty of ’Surprise Events’ in store. I’m looking forward to seeing how they handle them.”

Then, his serious demeanor shattered as he shifted gears.

”Oh, speaking of surprises—did you see that earlier? That cat-eared macho man! How ’cheat-mode’ can one guy get? Ahahaha!”

Vals let out a rare, muffled snort. ”Indeed! I was astonished that such a warrior existed in this world. Pfft.”

”That guy was legit!” Razul grinned, his eyes gleaming. ”I’d love to trade blows with him. Man, that was hilarious! Funniest thing I’ve seen in years!”

The three of them momentarily forgot the war, their spirits lifted by the memory of Miltan’s ”valiant” (and absurd) figure they had witnessed on the monitors.

As the energy in the room peaked, another figure entered. It was Vika, the ”Armory.”

”Father, I’ve returned Rocky: The Final to TSUTAYA,” she announced flatly. ”Also, I brought pudding as a souvenir.”

”Yay! Thanks, Vika!” Asem cheered.

[Third-Person POV – End]

[Kiba POV]

Despite the dizzying series of events we could barely process, the members of D×D managed to make it through the Gate.

The passage felt like staring into a kaleidoscope—a cross-section of the Dimensional Gap itself. Beyond it lay the pseudo-iseworld constructed by Asem. After nearly two minutes of flight, we emerged on the other side.

What greeted us was a nightmare: a sky the color of clotted blood and a landscape stained black, like a scorched wasteland. It was a toxic, nauseating vista that looked like the aftermath of the apocalypse.

In the distance stood a colossal structure where Asem likely waited. Surrounding it were clusters of objects that looked like stacks of white blocks. From this distance, it looked like the final dungeon of some dark RPG.

Rias Gremory, my former President, was the first to speak.

”To create a world this vast... it would be easier to believe this was all a dream.”

”Rias, this is no time for wonder,” Sona Sitri corrected her firmly. ”We have a duty to perform.”

”I know, Sona. But... if we had been held up on the other side any longer, we would have been in real trouble.”

Rias’s gaze was fixed on a gargantuan shadow: one of the Trihexa’s split bodies. It was advancing slowly across the plains. Flanking it were Evil Dragons, Duplicates, massive magic beasts, and even the ”Demon Gods” birthed by Belle.

And then, there was him.

”Apopis... looks like we hit the jackpot,” Rayne muttered.

She was looking at the figure perched atop the Trihexa’s head. He was a young man with tanned skin dressed in priestly vestments—Apopis’s human form. In his hand, the Holy Grail hovered, shimmering with an ominous light. Our intuition had been correct.

The Allied Forces’ vanguard had already engaged the enemy in this sector. The air thundered with the sound of God-class beings clashing with the Trihexa’s spawn.

Ravel Phenex checked her earpiece, relaying intel.

”The Vali Team and the Slash Dog Team have successfully entered this world. Numerous gods from various mythologies are engaging the enemy. For now, the battle lines are holding, but it’s a stalemate.”

A stalemate even with the gods involved? That wasn’t good news.

”I’ve located all seven of the Trihexa’s split bodies,” Rossweisse announced, her hands weaving hundreds of magic circles simultaneously. ”I will initiate the sealing ritual as soon as preparations are complete.”

Since Rossweisse would be immobile during the ritual, our job was clear: defend the lynchpin of our strategy at all costs.

”This is the turning point,” I said, gripping my sword. ”Everyone, pace yourselves.”

”The enemy’s big boss won’t show his face until our General arrives anyway,” Maurice added, stepping forward. ”In the meantime—”

A metallic ring echoed. In a heartbeat, the space in front of us was severed, and the enemies within it were sliced to ribbons. Maurice had made his move. A split second later, Lisha’s sniping followed, her bullets dropping Evil Dragons from the sky like flies.

”Let’s thin the herd as much as we can,” Maurice muttered.

Zenovia, wreathed in blue flames, and Irina, bathed in golden light, tore through the ranks of the Evil Dragons. Their performance since the start of this campaign had been nothing short of legendary. I didn’t intend to let them outshine me, so I summoned my crimson armored knights to intercept a group of Duplicates.

”I’ll burn whatever the seniors miss!” Koneko cried.

Any dragon that slipped past our front line was met by Koneko in her Shirone mode. She unleashed a barrage of Kasha—wheels of foxfire—that incinerated the beasts instantly.

”Oh? Fire is my specialty, you know!” Ravel chimed in.

Spreading her wings of flame, Ravel unleashed an intense inferno. The coordination between the two rivals-turned-friends was flawless. Koneko gathered foxfire in her right hand, Ravel gathered phoenix flames in her left, and they slammed their palms together.

””HA!””

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