Kiyoshi's POV
After parting ways with Euclid, who went to get rid of the Old Masters faction loyal to Rizevim, I went to meet Lucifer's son myself. He was in the central room, where he was finishing preparing the magic circle intended to remove the seal from Trihexa. Various catalysts were installed in separate parts of the spell, and in the center was the fruit from the tree of knowledge — the key part of the ritual. It was for this "apple" that the devil invaded Heaven and sowed chaos there.
Speaking of which, I hope the pigeons like my gift. And since they haven't appeared in the underworld yet, they appreciated the opportunity to meet their already rare fallen brothers. Although they now have a slightly different appearance, what can't you do for the sake of reuniting the old family.
As I approached, Rizevim only glanced at me briefly, lingering for a few seconds on the fiery construct that replaced my lost arm, and returned to work. Damn bastard! Do you think I didn't notice your smirk and the gleam in your eyes? Arrogant asshole, he thinks he could do better. Ridiculous! He's not fit to hold a candle to Sirzechs, and he thinks he's the strongest. But it's okay, you'll get yours soon. You just have to wait a little bit longer.
— It's done. Now nothing can stop the awakening of the beast of the end, — Rizevim declared, activating the magic circle. — Let's enjoy the spectacle from the front rows.
Holding back a grin, I simply nodded, following him. Hovering half a kilometer in the air from the island, we watched the results of the ritual. A strong vibration of space began to be felt around, while the flying island itself began to shake due to the "tearing chains" of the biblical seal.
— Here it is, the moment of truth! — the demon could not stand it when the final part arrived. — With this, I can begin my campaign of conquest.
A recording circle was already circling next to me, which I used to demonstrate my "murder" by the Christian Union. All further actions and reactions to this of Rizevim will be carefully recorded at the request of one small evil person.
The disturbance in space was already visible to the naked eye. At the moment of culmination, when there were only a few seconds left for the release of 666, a huge magic circle with an easily recognizable coat of arms appeared in the sky — two intertwined snakes biting each other's tails to form a symbol of infinity. One moment and the flying island of Agares disappeared in a flash of teleportation.
— What!? — It took Rizevim a moment to comprehend what had happened right in front of him. The victorious grin was replaced by a disbelieving expression on his face. — How?! Why?!
— Apparently, a certain dragon god of infinity used his power, — the devil stared at me with his incinerating gaze, but I was not going to stop. — Ophis decided to completely ruin all your plans. Now she is dealing with Trihexa, which you freed, and then she will deal with you.
— Ouroboros!!! — demonic power burst out from this loser, demonstrating his status as one of the super-devils. The last living of the three strongest representatives of the devil race. — And you! You are involved in this. You are in cahoots with this creature.
— And you are smart. Well done, — I did not stop mocking him, but I was wary of the descendant of Lucifer. The lesson from the previous battle was learned. I became too arrogant, because of my superiority of power over demons and made a mistake. At least only my hand and pride suffered. — As a reward, I will tell you Ophis's plan. Are you interested?
— Speak, — grimacing and clenching his teeth, Rizevim blurted out angrily, but did not attack.
— In short, Ophis is a vindictive girl. I don't know how exactly you offended her, whether you treated her badly, insulted her with something or even plotted against her — it doesn't matter, the main thing is that she decided to completely crush you and all your plans and dreams.
— More details.
— Of course, — a friendly understanding smile appeared on my face, infuriating the interlocutor even more. — Your plan to invade another dimension completely failed. And in general, an inter-world war is an idiotic undertaking. You got bored, and decided to attack a world in which, perhaps, creatures stronger than Red and Ophis live. If you want to heroically commit suicide against a superior enemy, why not fight one of the higher gods? For example, Odin, Izanami, Hades — they are clearly stronger than you. And I'm not even talking about Indra and Shiva — the strongest after the dragon gods.
— Boy! — literally growled the enraged demon. — What can you understand?!
— Well, apparently, nothing. It's hard for me to understand the thoughts of idiots and madmen, especially when the one in front of me combines both of these components. Ha!
Rizevim's patience finally ran out, and he attacked. I easily dodged, calling Gram. Enveloping him in my sacred flame, I make a vertical swing, sending a fiery slash towards the enemy.
— Do you really think you can handle me with your Hymn of Incinerator? — With a confident smile, Rizevim activated his trump card — the ability to block sacred gears. — Try to handle me now!
I felt how the part of my soul that contained the holy artifact was restricted by some power, preventing me from using that power.
— Wow! I didn't expect you to be able to do that, but what next?
— What? — The demon looked at my wings, still glowing with purple flames, in shock. — How can you use the gear, when I blocked it.
— You blocked my sacred gear. Now I can't use the Grail, and I don't have any other gears. This fire is my own — after all, I am the phoenix of the holy flame.
If it weren't for Ophis's request, I wouldn't even bother talking to Rizevim. Communication during battle has only a few purposes: to irritate the enemy; to buy time for something, or to mislead the opponent. I didn't need any of that — he was already at his peak after the island disappeared, and otherwise my strength was more than enough to delay and defeat the firstborn of Lucifer.
— There is no point in resisting and prolonging your torment, Rizevim, — I release almost all of my legionnaires, ordering them to completely surround us. Due to the ritual that took place, the space around us is too destabilized to easily teleport, so such a "cage" will be enough to keep the leader of Clipnot here. — You have no more subordinates or allies. All the devils remaining loyal to you are currently being destroyed. The dragons have betrayed you. The gods are busy with their own pantheons, — he desperately sent magic at my soldiers, trying to escape from the trap. — And I almost forgot the most important thing — this news should affect the devil the most. — Your message of war never reached the other side. The ritual failed.
— Euclid!!! — Rizevim was completely consumed by hatred. He rushed at me, ignoring the heat from the holy flame emanating from me. — I will kill!
— I don't think so, — a cornered rat can bite painfully, so I won't take any risks. The True Longinus appeared in my hands. — Can you handle this spear? It is currently under the power of Ophis, so your ability cannot affect it.
Seeing the holy spear, the devil's eyes showed awareness, but it did not help him avoid my attack. With the first strike, I pierced his left shoulder. However, Rizevim's arm did not remain incapacitated for long. With the help of his own Grail, the devil got rid of the damage.
I confess, I completely forgot about his cup. So now I can act more radically without fear of losing Ophis's gift. I reduce the size of the spear so that I can use it with one hand without any problem and take Gram back into my hand. I don't stop there and call on the possessed Muramasa Kokabiel to join the fun.
Now Rizevim's times were not the best. Like a cornered beast, he rushed between our attacks, exchanging wounds that instantly disappeared on me and the legionnaire, and did not heal so quickly on our opponent. This shortcoming became decisive in defeating the devil. The Holy Grail can heal, but this is not its purpose, so soon it did not have time to patch up the damage to its bearer.
I cut off the demon's left hand, and Muramasa followed me, depriving Rizevim of his right. A thrust from the extended longinus pierces the stomach of its natural enemy. Taking advantage of the moment, the cursed sword cuts off the leathery wings, forcing our opponent to hang on the spear shaft.
The end of the battle was marked by applause behind me. Turning around, I discovered Ophis, who had appeared at an unknown time, looking with pleasure at the wounded devil on my weapon.
— And you finished quickly on your side, — I broke the silence, distracting the dragon. — I thought you said that 666 was on the same level as you and Red.
— That's true, but you forget that in the gap between dimensions there is no concept of "time". Maybe you had fun here for a few minutes, but we had to spend a week to defeat the beast of the end.
— Ha-ha, Op-his, — Rizevim forced out, clearing his throat. It seemed that the Grail had already healed the lung punctured by Muramasa. — Creature!
— It's good that you're conscious now, — a charming smile adorned her face, seeing Rizevim's face full of suffering. — I want to say that Red and I not only killed your beast, but also used its corpse as a battery to protect our world from all sorts of uninvited guests. Now it is almost impossible to penetrate the Dragon Deus from the outside. And all this is thanks to you. Thank you, Rizevim!
— Bi... — Not letting the devil answer, Ophis summoned a huge snake that swallowed him and disappeared.
— It's too early for him to die, — the girl answered my unasked question. — Let him suffer for now. I'll have some fun with him later, but for now...
— Yes. We should start preparing for the finals, — I repeated Ophis's anticipatory smile. — Soon everyone should appear on stage and then it will be our turn.