High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor

Chapter 181: Chapter 176: Awakening of Darkness

[Kiba Side]

”Ugh...”

After defeating Jeanne, I released my Second Layer Forbidden Hand, and a crushing wave of fatigue hit me.

When Issei-kun first used his Second Layer in front of us, he was exhausted too... Now I get it.

My limbs felt like lead, and even slight movements sent muscle-ache-like pain coursing through my body.

...The price of using it twice in such a short time, untrained.

”Kiba... you...”

A voice called out. I turned to see Xenovia and Irina standing behind me.

Were they worried about me, looking like I might collapse?

”I’m fine,” I said with a smile. ”Just really tired. I’ll recover with some rest.”

But...

”No, that’s not it,” Xenovia said. ”I feel like I didn’t get a chance to shine...”

”Yeah,” Irina nodded. ”We went through all the trouble to get the reborn Ex-Durandal and mass-produced holy-demonic swords, and now...”

My assumption was way off...

By taking down Jeanne, I’d stolen their chance to show off as sword-wielders.

”Haha... uh, sorry about that,” I said with a wry smile. It was all I could manage.

With me defeating Jeanne and Sairaorg Bael taking down Hercules, only Georg remained.

Of course, there’s still Cao Cao, who could pop up anywhere...

But with Sairaorg on our side, we have serious firepower. Even if Georg uses that ”Demonification” drug, we’ve got a solid shot at victory.

Georg glanced at the fallen Hercules and Jeanne, smirking. ”Impressive. This is the strength of the new generation of devils. Sairaorg Bael and Rias Gremory’s familia—especially Kiba Yuuto, who’s stepped into the same realm as the Red Dragon Emperor. No wonder Jeanne couldn’t win, even with ’Demonification.’ But to think you’ve grown this much since we last met days ago... At this rate, I’ll need to watch out for the lightning shrine maiden, the holy sword user, the nekomata, and the vampire too.”

His gaze shifted to Akeno-san, Xenovia, Koneko-chan, and Gasper.

Akeno-san didn’t show it in the pseudo-space, but with Azazel-sensei and her father’s help, she’s enhanced her fallen angel powers, awakening her dormant strength to amplify her lightning.

I saw it once—it was like an upper-class fallen angel’s aura.

Xenovia had her Durandal reforged in Heaven, now enhanced with the ”Holy Sword of Control” from Lufey-san. The upgraded Ex-Durandal surpasses the true Excalibur, combining Durandal and all seven fragments into a high-spec holy sword.

It might even rival Cao Cao’s Forbidden Hand in power.

Knowing Xenovia, though, she’ll probably lean hard into raw power... Issei-kun can coach her on finesse later.

Koneko-chan hasn’t had notable upgrades since the last battle, but she’s set to learn senjutsu and youjutsu from her sister Kuroka. She’s already trained in ki manipulation with Issei-kun, so with Kuroka’s guidance, her potential is boundless.

Her resolve must be ironclad, learning from her estranged sister.

As for Gasper, who went to Grigori’s research facility, I’m not sure—

I noticed Gasper, under Georg’s gaze, his face paling.

”Gasper, what’s wrong?” Buchou asked, concerned.

Gasper’s expression crumbled, tears streaming down his face.

Everyone in the familia stared, stunned. What was going on?

”...I’m sorry, everyone...” Gasper sobbed. ”I... I went to Grigori’s research facility to get stronger... but I couldn’t! They said I can’t get any stronger like this! I’m... a disgrace to the Gremory familia’s guys...!”

—!

His confession shocked us all.

Gasper collapsed to the ground.

But his words struck me as odd.

I recalled our Rating Game against Sairaorg Bael.

Gasper, battered by their Rook, kept standing, holding the line until Xenovia could recover.

I distinctly remember a strange power leaking from him then.

If that was Gasper’s latent potential, there’s no way he can’t grow stronger.

...Wait, he said ”like this.”

Could it mean something else is missing?

Georg sighed, looking bored at Gasper’s state. ”The late Red Dragon Emperor wouldn’t rest easy seeing his junior like this.”

Gasper lifted his head, stunned. ”...Late... Red Dragon Emperor?”

He looked around.

Right—Gasper was the only one unaware of why Issei-kun wasn’t here.

”...Isn’t Issei-senpai fighting that giant monster? That’s why he’s not here, right?”

”Gasper, Issei is—” Buchou started.

Sairaorg glanced at her, shaking his head. Buchou closed her mouth mid-sentence.

What are Sairaorg and Buchou planning...?

As I puzzled over their exchange, Georg smirked and spoke to Gasper. ”You didn’t know? The Red Dragon Emperor is missing. For days, no one’s sensed his presence or seen him. Word is, Shalba of the Old Demon Faction had Samael’s blood. You can guess what that means, right? He was cursed by Samael and died. That’s the logical conclusion.”

Georg repeated what Siegfried told me.

The Hero Faction seems convinced Issei-kun is dead.

Buchou, I, and the others are certain he’s alive. Shalba couldn’t kill him, even with Samael’s blood.

There’s no proof, but his promise to return gives us hope.

Issei-kun is that kind of guy.

But to keep this from Gasper...

Unless—could Sairaorg be trying to—?

”There’s no shame in it,” Georg continued, chuckling. ”Even Ophis and the White Dragon Emperor Vali fell to Samael. No matter how great the Red Dragon Emperor is, he can’t beat that curse.”

Gasper’s face twisted in despair.

Seeing my junior like this was unbearable.

”...Issei-senpai... died...?” A tear rolled down his cheek.

Hearing his admired senior was dead must’ve plunged his mind into despair.

He might be recalling Issei-kun’s death at Asto Ade.

Even we nearly succumbed to despair remembering that scene. We fight on because of his promise.

Gasper staggered to his feet, his face rising.

His expression was lifeless, devoid of emotion.

A chill ran down my spine.

He opened his mouth and muttered a single word, low and cursed, otherworldly—

”—Die.”

In that instant—everything turned black.

No, not black.

A darkness beyond, a void that devoured all.

Dark, cold, annihilating even light.

This darkness engulfed the entire area.

From Gasper’s body, an inky blackness seeped, staining the surroundings—

”What... is this!?” Georg exclaimed, scanning the area. ”A rampage... a Forbidden Hand...? No, something else! Vampire powers, then? But this is too immense...!”

Not just Georg—everyone was stunned.

I’d never seen anything like this!

I thought it might be a Forbidden Hand, but the aura felt different.

What was this all-consuming darkness...?

At the center of this darkened realm, a humanoid figure, shrouded in deeper darkness, moved unnaturally toward Georg.

Its neck twisted at odd angles, shoulders spasming, feet dragging as it closed the distance.

Its eyes glowed an eerie red—

”I’ll kill you...! I’ll kill all of you...!”

The voice wasn’t Gasper’s anymore. It was laced with curses, resentment, every negative emotion—a dangerous, powerful force.

Even Sairaorg seemed shocked. ”I thought something might snap inside Gasper Vlad... but Rias, what kind of monster did you make your familiar?”

”The Vlad family shunned Gasper not for his human blood or Sacred Gear... but because they feared this?” Buchou’s voice trembled. ”They cast him out to their castle out of terror...?”

Before us, Gasper, now a black incarnation, extended a hand—or something like one.

Georg reacted, deploying a magic array—but it was devoured by the darkness before activating.

”—!? Not magic or a Gear! What is this power!? How did it negate my magic!?” Georg shouted, retreating and unleashing countless attack arrays, a barrage of every elemental magic aimed at Gasper!

He meant to obliterate everything!

But—

”What...!?”

The attacks never reached Gasper.

Countless red eyes appeared in the dark realm, glowing ominously, freezing every spell in place.

He’d manifested his Time-Stopping Evil Eyes across the entire area...!

The frozen spells were swallowed by the darkness, vanishing.

Georg summoned mist to dispel Gasper, but even that was consumed—

”I ate it... I ate your mist, your magic... everything...!”

His words were no longer Gasper’s. He was something else entirely...

Even a high-tier God-Killing Gear’s mist couldn’t resist this darkness.

Was this the latent power Gasper held within...!?

If so, his potential might surpass anyone in our familia.

This wasn’t just abnormal—it was beyond reason.

Georg attacked with mist and magic, but everything was stopped and devoured.

He tried forming a barrier with mist arrays, but they too were consumed, failing to take shape.

Then—

A change stirred around Georg.

The darkness writhed, forming beast-like shapes—wolves, giant birds, dragons—but distorted, with single eyes or dozens of legs, none normal.

The dark beasts surrounded Georg.

”Damn it! I have to retreat!” Georg, unable to gauge Gasper’s power, summoned a teleportation array at his feet.

He was escaping!

As light enveloped Georg’s body—

Black flames erupted around him!

The flames clung to him, preventing escape!

”You’re not getting away,” a voice growled. ”After all this, you think you’re walking free!?”

Saji.

Saji had bound Georg with Vritra’s black flames.

The Dragon King’s flames, draining life and clinging until they burned out.

”Vritra’s... curse...!” Georg gasped.

The black flames he thought he’d dispelled hadn’t vanished.

And then—

The dark beasts devoured the immobilized Georg.

When the darkness lifted, the scenery returned to normal. Gasper lay collapsed on the pavement.

Georg was gone.

...Completely consumed by those dark beasts?

Buchou approached Gasper, gently lifting him. He was breathing softly, asleep.

Had he passed out from using that power? He looked like the usual Gasper again.

Buchou stroked his hair. ”...We need to ask the vampires about this child. They despise devils, so they might not answer, but...”

Vampires value lineage and hierarchy even more than devils. Unlike the current devil government, they’d never give reincarnated devils like us a chance.

”When I returned to Valhalla, I heard an intriguing story,” Rossweisse said. ”Apparently, a vampire noble house gained a God-Killing Gear holder, sparking a conflict among vampires.”

Vampires are a closed-off society, barely negotiating with devils or other factions.

They obtained a God-Killing Gear...?

”That’s concerning, but we need to focus on the situation at hand,” Sona-kaichou said, now awake.

Despite the unexpected events, we’d defeated three Hero Faction leaders.

The remaining issues were Cao Cao, likely lurking somewhere, and the ”Super Beastfiend” still invading Lilith.

The ”Super Beastfiend” was being held back by Grayfia-sama’s Lucifer familia, likely joined by Miu’s team by now.

But could even they stop that colossal magbeast...?

Until it’s defeated, the Underworld’s crisis isn’t over.

”Oppai Dragon!” a child, escorted by the Sona familia, shouted.

Oppai Dragon...?

Could it be—Issei-kun’s back!?

I felt his aura!

I was so caught up in Gasper’s transformation I hadn’t noticed, but it’s unmistakable!

He’s returned!

But how did that kid...?

”Pretty!”

”The sky’s all red!”

The other kids were looking up.

We followed their gaze—

The sky was dyed a vivid crimson.

No trace of fear.

—A gentle, warm aura enveloped the Underworld.

[Kiba Side Out]

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