Chapter 275 Chocolate and Banana?

[Kiba POV]

The second wave of the Agreas surprise assault unit, our Gremory Peerage, Lady Kuroka, Lady Ravel, Tobio-san, and Azazel-sensei was transported into the enemy stronghold by Ajuka Beelzebub’s teleportation magic.

And what awaited us there… was hell.

Well, this was the Underworld, so technically it was already Hell. But I don’t mean it in that literal sense. It was a metaphorical hell.

All around us, massive black shapes were piled up everywhere.

They looked like lizards with wings… though there was no point describing it so roundaboutly. They were mass-produced Evil Dragons, lying motionless on the ground with their eyes rolled back.

“Whoa… that’s brutal. Aren’t all the mass-produced Evil Dragons basically wiped out already?”

Issei-kun looked visibly disturbed. Honestly, everyone did.

Even though they were “mass-produced,” they were still Evil Dragons. Their durability shouldn’t be underestimated… and yet, if left like this, they looked like they’d stay unconscious for at least three days. Or worse, some of them might already be dead.

They were hit with something on the level of a Maou’s opening strike… so I guess this is what happens.

…Wait. Isn’t Issei-kun technically one of the people responsible for this mess?

“Alright, I’ll be moving to support as planned.”

Tobio-san said that calmly before leaving with his familiar, a black dog-like Sacred Gear manifestation.

Even though I was watching him, he vanished into the shadows so naturally it looked like he melted into them. That wasn’t just skill… he was genuinely on another level as a human.

“I’ll head toward the core of Agreas. I might be able to shut down the power system. If the opening strike succeeded, the Brave Saints and Sitri Peerage will also switch to support roles like Slash Dog. You lot proceed straight toward Rizevim.”

With Azazel-sensei also taking the rear support role, our job became simple: eliminate the target.

Blocking Agreas from teleporting, clearing hidden enemies, setting up beacon points for tracking in case of escape—there was no end to possible tasks. And with Rizevim’s Sacred Gear Canceller, even artificial Sacred Gears used by the Sitri Peerage would likely be useless.

Still… it was reassuring to have this level of support.

Watching the teacher leave, we moved out as well.

“Shirone, Kuroka. Can you locate Rizevim’s position with your senjutsu?”

Rias asked the sisters.

Both of them twitched their ears in concentration, scanning the surroundings. Then, simultaneously, they pointed in the same direction.

“Yes. That large skyscraper over there. There are a particularly large number of mass-produced Evil Dragon signatures concentrated around it. That’s likely the place.”

“Mmm… it’s messy, but there’s also a strong Evil Dragon presence. I agree with Shirone. That’s probably it, nyan.”

So that building was the center of operations.

Even among the chaos of Evil Dragons, they couldn’t pinpoint Rizevim exactly, but it was still a strong lead.

“That matches our prediction. That skyscraper is the administrative headquarters of Agreas. It has the highest surveillance capacity in the entire fortress. Everyone, move out!”

“Roger!”

The time had come to defeat the greatest evil awaiting us.

Rizevim Livan Lucifer—the son of the former Satan Lucifer.

When we arrived in front of the headquarters, a dragon stood there.

A stench so foul it felt like it could twist the nose. Its aura alone was on Dragon King level.

Black scales, yellowish underside, about twenty meters long. It had both wings and limbs, like a mix between Western and Eastern dragons.

“Ugh… it stinks, nyan.”

“It’s terrible…”

Even I, as a human, could barely stand it. For Shirone and Kuroka, whose senses were sharper, it must have been unbearable. Their eyes were already tearing up.

Rossweisse-san frowned in disgust.

“That is Niðhöggr, the ‘Abyss Rage Dragon’ from Norse mythology. It is infamous for its persistence. Even if defeated, it has resurrected multiple times in history. Whether this one revived on its own or through the Holy Grail is unknown but it has likely been enhanced.”

Niðhöggr…

I’d heard of it. The evil dragon that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, always hungry.

Even from here, we could see it devouring the mass-produced Evil Dragons piled around the area like snacks.

It’s eating its own kind… that’s grotesque.

Its drool hit the ground and hissed, releasing toxic smoke.

Yeah. No doubt about it—it was poisonous.

Just as we were about to discuss a plan, Niðhöggr lifted its head.

“Whazzat? Smell a bunch of unfamiliar fresh meat. Are you already here? Don’t hide, come out! I know you’re thereeee!”

Our presence had been masked by Kuroka, but it seemed the smell gave us away. Unlike us, Niðhöggr’s sense of smell wasn’t affected by the stench.

Rias raised her hand, signaling us to reveal ourselves.

But before we could move—

Three figures landed in front of us.

“Hey, hey. Looks like we made it just in time.”

The casual voice belonged to Dulio, leader of the D×D team. Issei-kun and Irina were with him.

As planned, they had joined us after the first phase succeeded. Having senjutsu users on both sides made coordination easier.

“Well now… that’s our dragon opponent, huh? Then I guess I should say it like this—”

He stepped forward, lightning, fire, water, and wind swirling around him.

“Leave this to me and go on ahead!”

He’s going to take it alone?!

“Isn’t it better to just overwhelm it with numbers?” Rias suggested.

“I don’t think that’s the right call!”

Dulio answered by firing a barrage of elemental attacks and even a spear of angelic light.

BOOM!

An explosion of flame filled the air.

From the smoke emerged Niðhöggr—badly damaged… but still standing.

“Gaaaahhh!! That hurt like hell!! You little bastard, attacking outta nowhere! You tiny pigeon freak!! But—heh… I’m back!!”

Its injuries regenerated almost instantly.

“Fake Phoenix Tears! How dare they insult the Phenex family like this!”

Ravel’s voice rose in fury.

At Niðhöggr’s feet rolled a small vial, clearly a counterfeit Phoenix Tear.

Those things required cloned Phenex lineage to produce… meaning living beings were being exploited as “tear sources” inside bio-pods.

No wonder Ravel was furious.

Niðhöggr shrugged it off.

“Too many resurrection items make this messy,” Rias concluded. “A full assault would be inefficient.”

“Exactly. And I can’t use my Sacred Gear effectively against Rizevim up there either. Better for me to stay here.”

Right. With Rizevim’s Sacred Gear Canceller, most of our abilities would be suppressed. We needed different counters depending on the member.

As we debated—

Niðhöggr suddenly swallowed another pile of mass-produced dragons like snacks.

“…He’s eating them again,” I muttered.

Dulio then unleashed a massive storm, blasting Niðhöggr sideways.

WHOOSH—BOOOOM!!

“Now’s your chance! You guys are the main act here!”

Yeah… we always end up in the center of everything, don’t we.

We exchanged a glance and ran into the building.

“We can sense it now. Rizevim and the Emperor are on the rooftop.”

Shirone confirmed.

“Then let’s go!”

We sprinted up the stairs.

Strangely… no dragons attacked us.

Occasionally, we passed collapsed mass-produced dragons in the hallway.

The reason was obvious.

Someone already cleared the way.