The reason I leave Valina and Natsume was that I felt that two big battles were taking place.
The first had the aura of Lavinia and someone else.
Two opposing powers were colliding, fire and ice.
There was no doubt that the powerful ice aura came from Lavinia, and her Sacred Gear Absolute Demise (Eternal Ice Princess).
But it was unknown to me to whom the fire aura belonged. In terms of power, it didn't seem to be inferior to Lavinia's. This makes my deductions revolve around another Longinus, Incinerate Anthem.
And it makes all the sense in the world since I know the witches are involved. I don't know if Walburga, the user of Incinerate Anthem in the light novels, is the current user of Longinus.
This is because Incinerate Anthem is a bit of a special Longinus, as a human is not "born" with it.
Unlike other Sacred Gears, Incinerate Anthem can be transferred to another user of its own will even if the current user hasn't died yet.
I received the answer soon when I arrived at the place where Lavinia was fighting.
Next to Lavinia, there was an ice doll, about ten feet tall. The doll had a dress the same colour as ice, a crystal blue, and four arms. Her face had no nose or mouth, but she did have six eyes on the left side of her face while she had what looked like rose thorns on the right side.
In front of Lavinia was her opponent. She was an old witch, who seemed to be over sixty years old, next to a huge cross of purple flame.
As I thought, Lavinia's opponent was the user of Incinerate Anthem. The only problem I see is that I don't recognise the old witch.
To my surprise, there's another aura I haven't felt before. Perhaps it is because her aura was overlaid by the two great auras of Absolute Demise and Incinerate Anthem, but she had let the little girl in the gothic-lolita dress pass. She didn't seem to be older than Valina.
I recognized her at once.
She is the future leader of Hexennacht, Walburga.
Walburga seemed to be enjoying the battle, but was staying out of it. Probably because she knew that she was not going to contribute anything to the fight between the two Longinus users.
The fight itself was very evenly matched. So even that I could say for sure that neither of them had the slightest advantage over the other.
"Do you need help, Lavinia?"
So, just like that.
Get in the middle of a fight between two "rivals" destined to fight since their Sacred Gears are completely opposite poles. Moreover, I could feel the hostility Lavinia directed towards the witch, to the point where it could be considered hate.
"Dra-kun! You have to go upstairs and help Tobio! He's very hurt and has gone off alone to fight the leader of the Utsusemi Agency! Don't worry about me, I can handle it!"
Seeing how determined Lavinia was, I could only nod and be on my way.
Of course, others had no plans to let me go so easily.
"Walburga! Don't let that boy go on!"
"Yes, Oshi-sama! I'll gladly engage this handsome man in a fight, *kyun kyun*♪"
With a wide smile, Walburga blocks the road leading to Tobio.
"Oni-sama, are you going to fight this cute Walburga? Walburga wants to fight oni-sama. You know, you are very handsome♪"
Walburga seems like a very innocent child, but there's no way I can ignore that little bloodlust she's giving off. She's not lying when she says she wants to fight me, she really wants to kill me.
"I'm sorry, little girl, but I have things to do."
I don't want to waste time with a girl like her, so I just go ahead and ignore her.
To my surprise, Walburga smiles as she recites a few words. Magic circles appear simultaneously and magic attacks are quickly fired in my direction.
It's amazing how fast the Walburga can create magic circles. As I understand it, Lavinia is a very high-level magician who has a high speed when casting her attacks, which I have been able to verify in person.
If they are low-level magic spells, it's no exaggeration to say that Lavinia can create dozens of them in a short space of time. She can probably reach three digits with enough training. This is quite impressive considering Lavinia is only 17 years old.
Walburga, on the other hand, seems to be no more than 14-15 years old, and yet her casting speed is even faster than Lavinia's.
Although it's all low-level magic, I can't ignore the fact that in the space of a few seconds she has created more than ten magic spells. This would be problematic for anyone, but not for me.
I mean, my skin is too hard for simple low-level magic spells to hurt me.
This seems to surprise Walburga, although his reaction is a little strange. Her innocent smile just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and she keeps creating magic spells.
I want to stop this, so I quickly get to Walburga's side and put a hand on her shoulder. At that moment, I let her feel my whole dragon aura, leaving her in a momentary shock.
Leaving her on the ground, I continued on my way to where Tobio and Hanezu Himejima were.
...…
(3rd POV)
When Drako left the room, Augusta, the witch who was fighting Lavinia, realized that her pupil was there and worried about her.
She could be categorized as an evil witch and a million other negative adjectives, but she loved her disciple. As such, she was very worried when she saw her on the floor.
"Walburga! Are you all right?" Augusta shouted.
She wanted to run to her disciple, but the fight with Lavinia prevented her from making any movement. As much as she hated it, the girl who possessed Absolute Demise was a powerful witch.
A few moments later, Walburga moved again. The first thing the girl did was to take her hand to her lower belly, all the way into her panties, and then she took her hand out and smelled it.
"Oshi-sama! Oshi-sama! I cummed! That handsome man made me cum! I think that I'm in love with him!"
Walburga's words full of happiness left both Augusta and Lavinia in shock. So they both stopped fighting for a few moments.
Augusta recovered before Lavinia from the shock, she grabbed her disciple and disappeared from the scene.
"Until next time, disciple of Glenda." Those were Augusta's last words before she left.
"What do you know about my teacher?!" Lavinia screamed, but it was too late. Augusta had already left the place next to Walburga.
...…
(Drako's POV)
By the time I got to Tobio, the kid was already pretty beat up. Both he and his Sacred Gear, Jin, were lying on the ground. Jin looked like he couldn't move for a long time.
On the other side were Hanezu Himejima and what appeared to be Sae Toujou, turned into Utsusemi, next to a huge lion, the one that should be the monster of Sae Toujou.
It is not uncommon for Tobio to be defeated by the pair of these two, as Hanezu Himejima is a "powerful" man and the Sae Utsusemi is on a completely different level than the rest of Utsusemi.
"Thank you…sorry, so sorry…I…because I'm so weak…I got you involved in this…I'm so sorry."
Tobio held Jin in an embrace, speaking his absolute thanks and apology.
Himejima Hanezu spoke while shaking his head.
"You said that I was crazy. That was deserved. Since taking my place here, a normal mind hasn't existed for me. But, Ikuse Tobio. You haven't changed your ominous blade here, even omitting this state of affairs it's not as bright as before. Since the time you were born inheriting the blood of the Himejima, you couldn't be able to live life the same as a normal human being."
In contrast with Himejima Hanezu's sighing, Tobio complained while letting out sobs.
"...I...merely wanted normalcy. And, merely for recovering that life.... Just to keep living with Sae and everyone, the students of that high school...!! Why would you people ruin that...? For what...myself, Sae, and even Jin here...!!"
Indeed, Ikuse Tobio merely sought to reclaim that life he had lost. To spend time with Sae, with his fellow classmates at that high school, to simply live his life like that. The desire to be an ordinary high school student, it was simply an ordinarily commonplace desire.
Someone stroked Tobio's cheek, wiping all the tears from his face. It was a surprise for everyone, including me, to see who it was that had done it.
"Coming to this place, all to take me back?"
Sae, as tears poured down her cheeks, was standing before Tobio. Sae stroked Jin's head as Tobio held him in his arms. From that head, a blade was still sprouting.
She, while wearing a pleasant expression announced to Tobio.
"...I'm truly...sorry. Was it...harsh?"
Sae embraced Jin. The blade growing from his head, it pierced Sae's chest. Obvious to everyone who saw it, the action left a fatal wound. Still embracing Jin, Sae lost all strength and laid down on the spot. Tobio embraced the collapsed Sae. While smiling, Sae gently brushed the cheek of the dumbfounded Tobio.
"...Don't cry...Tobio..."
Tobio took her hand and tried to call out her name, but at that moment, his voice wouldn't come out.
"...I...was happy...to meet you again..."
Still smiling, her hand slipped from Tobio's hand.
Well, this whole thing just went to hell.
Sae Toujou... killed herself?
Tobio was at a loss for words. He kept shaking his head from side to side, unable to accept this reality.
Tobio had come to rescue her.
This girl named Toujou Sae.
For him who had lost his entire family, she was the only person important to him. The one he most wished to save. While embracing her who was lying there, Tobio overcame his muteness.
"...Aa...A, UAaaaaa...aaaaa...!!!"
A totally normal reaction from someone who has just lost the most loved person in his life. The only person close to him who was still alive
I... I'm still in shock.
What if it wasn't Tobio, and it was me in that position?
What if the person on the verge of death isn't Sae, but Kuroka or Shirone, or even Mordred or Tiamat?
I... Could I bear it?
Could my mind withstand such a mental attack?
Or maybe I would break?
Like Tobio is breaking right now.
"AaaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaa...aaAAAAAA!!!"
Everything he had wished for having been severed, Tobio, tormented by despair, wailed.
Meanwhile, something began to glow in Hanezu Himejima's jacket pocket.
It was a wooden box which the man opened. Inside it was a small glass that was glowing.
Suddenly a voice was emitted from the crystal.
'The fact that this seal has been undone is unfortunate, but it is apparent that someone is abusing Tobio's power, or else it seems that supernatural malicious intent has been inflicted upon that child.'
This voice... if I'm not mistaken, must belong to Tobio's grandmother.
"...The crystal is a recording of Ikuse Tobio's grandmother, Ageha-dono's voice?"
This was what Himejima Hanezu determined.
The voice of his grandmother continued to be emitted from the crystal.
'Speaking to those who came into contact with Tobio while possessing evil intent. I who have great compassion for that child have raised him to be a gentle child. At any rate, that child...from the time of his birth, he has possessed the 'merely-an-imitation-god's' forbidden technique.'
Wait, she's saying...
She's saying Tobio was born with his Balance Breaker active!
This is...
This is crazy.
The words of his grandmother's voice from the crystal were truly terrifying.
'I am informing those who have approached that child possessing malicious intent. Having done this, since you have inflicted that child with malicious intentions, it might be nice if you were to thoroughly taste the god-slaying blade with your own body. ——Even your souls will be completely hewn apart.'
The voice of the crystal continued speaking even more. This time it made a simple appeal to Tobio.
'—Tobio, I'm sorry. It must be harsh. It must be frightening. I ask that you please forgive me for not previously conveying the truth to you.'
'Nevertheless, Tobio. By now, it's okay, right? By now, there's no need to be afraid anymore. There's no need to cry anymore. ——Sing. Even if you had forgotten, by now, you should have recalled it. Therefore, sing. ——The forbidden song of the god {blade dog}'
At last, Tobio began to speak——.
<<Behowlest the slaying of one thousand mortals>>
Tobio and Jin were each enveloped by a black haze. This gradually spread, filling up the outlook room.
<<Besingest the slaying of ten thousand goblins>>
<<Mine name, which tis immersed in deepest darkness, tis the Imitation God traversing the Polar Night>>
Tobio immediately stood up. Jin who had been completely exhausted——a black shadow spread from his feet, no, he was submerged within the darkness.
<<O ye, perishest by mine own black blade>>
Tobio's whole body was covered by the black haze, which was clinging to his body, and was being absorbed. His form transforming little by little, no longer the form of a human, he had become something that differed from a human being.
More and more darkness was expelled outwards from Tobio in massive quantities, forming his new appearance. Having forelegs, hindlegs, and possessing a tail, it opened its mouth that had become massive.
As for what appeared alongside that, there was also something like an enormous dog that possessed jet black fur——no, it was a <<Hound>>.
<<Fools ye art, deformed Creator Gods>>
As Tobio spoke this final stanza, the jet black <<Hound>> let loose a penetrating howl.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON....
There was an enormous <<Hound>> breathing out darkness.
"Amazing."
Those are the only words that come out of my mouth as I watch what Tobio has become.
This is the Balance Breaker of one of the 13 Longinus, a power that can kill a God.
Canis Lycaon: Night Celestial Slash Dogs
But before Tobio could do anything, another presence entered the room.
Natsume Minagawa.
Don't forget to support me on P@treon if you want to read more and more chapters!!
What's Natsume doing here?
Well, no matter what the reason, she's in danger now. Tobio is currently a beast in Berserker mode, and he's going to attack both allies and enemies indiscriminately.
"Drako-kun?" Natsume asks when she sees me standing in front of her.
"Oh, you must be the man Kazuhisa told me about, the boy with the bow. And you... Minagawa Natsume, aren't you? Fufufu, how nice of you to come. Nice to meet you, I'm Hanezu Himejima. I presume you've heard this name before, right?
Floating in the surroundings were several ritual implements, tokko, which were facing towards the black beasts. These ritual implements possessing supernatural power, they moved freely through the air as they attacked the black beasts.
<<Kill kill kill kill KILL kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL kill killlllllllllllllLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!>> (AN: He's saying "kiru=kill" over and over using different kanji, hiragana, and katakana)
From the mouth of the humanoid black beast, something like a curse was being spat out. Hearing it made one's mind feel odd, such was the power possessed by the resentment in this voice.
The tokko Himejima Hanezu has fired, they all failed to score a direct hit. From the ceiling, floor, and walls the numerous blades extended, resulting in all of the tokko being chopped apart.
At this result, Himejima Hanezu was anything but astonished, he was in ecstasy.
"...Already my tokko have been seen through huh. Observe."
He pointed in the direction of a windowed wall. In all likelihood, this was an outlook room, which had been made for the purpose of observing the scenery outside. That scenery——had been repainted in black. The entire visible scenery had become a world of mountains engulfed by blackness. Even the scenery of the sky had been dyed black, wrapping the entire region in jet blackness.
Tobio's power had caused all the sunlight to hide, creating a world of eternal darkness.
As I watched, from here and there throughout the mountain forests, gigantic distorted blades were springing up successively. The entirety of the surrounding was being buried by the force of these bizarre blade-like objects.
After releasing a brave roar, the black lion sank into the shadows that had extended beneath its feet. Once the lion was within its shadow, the shadow scattered and began shooting around the room. As each of them crawled along seemingly with an independent will, Tobio merely watched patiently. Thereupon, raising both arms up high, he immediately swung them down. Instantly, within the room, countless huge blades sprung from the floor, piercing through to the ceiling! Some of the blades had captured the black shadow, and the captured shadow was once again forming the form of a lion.
The lion had been skewered by the blades, but by violently shaking its huge body it forcibly destroyed the blades. With the lion having been released, it raced across the floor at high speed, closing the distance to Tobio, but Tobio also vanished in an instant, and without a sound, the battle commenced.
This battle... is not a battle in which I can interfere in human form. Not for the lion, who barely had a power that put him at the top of a High-Class Devil, but for Tobio himself.
Tobio's power today, while not being well utilized because he was acting in a frenzy, was very similar to the power I have in my Dragon form. Of course, this is not counting the use of [Senjutsu] in my true form.
As the two black beasts were battling, there was also a black <<Hound>> left behind, Jin, who was steadily walking around the room, his red eyes shining mysteriously.
With a *ZUN!* a single large thick blade appeared from behind Jin. The black lion was pierced by this. Jin, having sensed the lion's movements, had followed up for Tobio. Tobio revealed his form as he approached the lion head-on.
While in that pierced condition, the lion breathed out flames at the approaching Tobio but... Without any hesitation at all, and without evading, facing straight forward, stabbed into the blaze with both of his sharp hands! He kept stabbing with both hands until they reached the source of the flames it was breathing out of its mouth!
<<Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill killlllllLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!>>
Releasing a shriek of deeply held resentment, Tobio slipped his hands into its mouth and in one forcibly spread them apart!
The lion, its body ripped right in half, tumbled to the floor. With the apparent death to its body, the lion melted away into the darkness——.
Tobio and Jin had destroyed the lion. As for the next objective, it appeared to be Himejima Hanezu.
However, there was a third party that appeared at that moment. It was a silver-haired youth, Valina. Upon seeing this scenery, Valina's whole body began trembling as she smiled with ecstasy.
"Despite visually confirming Minagawa Natsume he's hasn't returned to normal. Azazel!! Isn't this different than what you said!! What was that about a 'cute dog comparable to a heavenly dragon'!! This is…that monster is!!"
Putting aside the youth's trembling voice, another familiar voice was heard reverberating throughout the room.
'Repainting the surrounding landscape on top of changing into a black beast, huh. Geez, that I would happen to meet a Longinus with such a shady history.'
The plush dragon on Vali's shoulder, its mouth was moving on its own, and the voice of the 'Governor-General' was coming from it.
The 'Governor-General' addressed Himejima Hanezu.
'Yo, chief engineer-dono.'
"Grigori huh."
Himejima Hanezu immediately guessed as to the identity of the voice he was hearing.
'How about it? His power is quite irregular?'
The tone of the 'Governor General's' voice was cynical.
"This is that 'Dog', isn't it? The one incarnation that overthrows gods… it must be the dog of the black blade."
'Ahh, that's it. That's the correct understanding. His black blade is the one said to cut even god. However, in any case, I hear that boy was born naturally being able to express the Sacred Gear.'
"Isn't that something particularly rare? The case of one being naturally born with that…"
The 'Governor-General' continued Himejima Hanezu's words.
'Ahh, that's right. Ikuse Tobio was one who was naturally born that way.'
"That such a thing was possible…"
Contrary to Himejima Hanezu, who was smiling fearlessly, Valina narrowed her eyes, saying, "It's not such an irregular thing."
The 'Governor-General' continued.
'Ikuse Tobio's grandmother placed a seal on her grandchild, who was naturally born, possessing the power to break the balance of the world. You guys came casually into contact with that in such a reckless and rude manner. You wanted to see it didn't you? Abandoning everything for the sake of seeing this form, right? That comes at a price. It's nice to have a chance to enjoy being able to freely watch you getting sliced apart.'
Hearing that, Himejima Hanezu sneered.
"...Kukuku, it's fine whether it's the case of the 'lightning' or if it's this case, the bloodline of the Himejima is being cursed, Oji-ue (uncle)!!"
That sneer, it was a level of ugliness that he hadn't shown until now. However, he put on a satisfied smile.
Himejima Hanezu took one step forward. His expression was one of satisfaction.
"It should be possible for you with one of those ominous blades."
He took one step towards Tobio, then one more. Again he launched the tokko, and again they were completely shut down. He also attacked with the shakujou in his hands, but a blade was produced from the shadow beneath Jin's feet, cutting off both of his arms. Despite losing his arms, Himejima Hanezu again drew closer.
Tobio calmly swiped horizontally with his arm.
Approaching until he was right before his eyes, Himejima Hanezu spoke.
"The Five Principal Clans, the Himejima, destroy them."
Announcing that, Himejima Hanezu's head went flying in an arc after being severed from his body by a blade protruding from the floor.
The black lion, Himejima Hanezu, both had been defeated by Tobio and Jin.
Natsume, Valina and I had been watching this happen....
"Well, how about it? Has it been boring for you having yet to encounter the 'Red One', Valina?"
While saying that, the figure of a man was revealed at that point, a beard growing from his chin. The suit he was wearing was very disorderly, giving him a very tough impression.
"It's just your imagination, 'Governor-General'. No, Azazel. I mean, for you to have come here expressly, particularly since you can simply transmit your voice through this dragon."
Grinning, the man called 'Governor-General' gently brushed Valina's head.
"Nice to meet you, Minagawa Natsume. I am Azazel, the 'Governor-General'. And it's good always to see you, Drako."
"Azazel…"
"I am just a little bit late, Natsume, Dra-kun."
"Lavinia!"
The two of them, Lavinia and Natsume, having exchanged a brief reunion greeting, Lavinia spoke to Azazel.
"That you would show your honourable face is quite a big deal, Governor-General Azazel."
While saying this, she looked over at the completely transformed Tobio.
"I see, this is what the big deal is."
Having merely just seen it Lavinia seemed to understand what had happened.
Azazel then asked.
"Lavinia. Did those guys escape?"
Lavinia sighed.
"I feel very regretful."
"No, from the beginning, I had understood that they would be extremely troublesome."
Shrugging his shoulders, Azazel set his sights on Tobio, and then he looked at me.
"Drako… would you help us this time?"
"We have already finished our deal, Azazel. I'm no longer in debt with you."
It seemed that he was waiting for this answer, and he just took a little sigh and turned to Valina and Lavinia.
"Now then, Lavinia, Valina. Let's stop that. Lend me your power."
Azazel took one step forward, and Valina began following right behind him.
"Good grief, I'm always being asked to clean up afterwards. How long do I have to put up with this cruelty?"
Lavinia also took off her worn-out hat and began advancing towards Tobio.
"Toby, please come and return to us. Have we conversed enough?"
The three of them selected a fixed distance.
Glowing wings grew from Vali's back, a magic circle filled with powerful magic formed beneath Lavinia's feet, and simultaneously she summoned the ice princess to appear beside her.
As cold air began to circulate within the room, Azazel who was leading had 12 black wings appear from his back with a *kasakasa* sound!
Lavinia spread her arms, and the princess simultaneously did the same. The room was instantly frozen. Even the countless blades that were sprouting up had been frozen over, Lavinia's world of ice. Tobio and Jin had also been encased in ice. However, the ice engulfing them immediately began to crack.
"Ikuse's Baa-chan! You had used Buddhist magic to manage it!"
From his breast pocket, Azazel produced something similar to a sutra (religious text). While tying a token to his hand, he opened the sutra. The sutra started glowing, with multiple characters floating up into the air. These floating characters, they surrounded Tobio and Jin while lacing with power. The characters became a single, long chain that bound Tobio and Jin.
The encasement in ice, together with the characters from the sutra, were restraining Tobio and Jin.
"Valina! Steal his power now!"
Hearing Azazel's order, Valina quickly flapped her light wings and closed in on Tobio and Jin, touching each of them once.
The silver-haired youth snapped her fingers while floating in the air.
"Halve."
'Divide!!'
A powerful voice reverberated within the room, and even Natsume noticed that the power surrounding Tobio had immediately been reduced. Furthermore, when the voice said 'Divide!!', there was a light released from Vali's light wings in concert with it.
Gradually Tobio and Jin were losing power. As they watched, the darkness outside was steadily clearing, and the gigantic blades were beginning to crack. After a short while, Tobio dropped to his knees on the spot. And simultaneously with the cleansing of the dark regions, the countless blades crumbled and dissolved. The dark clothes that had been covering Tobio had come off, and his true appearance began to become visible. Jin was also losing strength, having bent down on the spot.
Due to the teamwork of Azazel, Vali, and Lavinia, Tobio was beginning to wake with the total conclusion of the supernatural phenomenon, and the room's interior was also returning to how it was originally. Visible through the glass wall was the splendid mountain forest scenery that was spread out before them.
Confirming all of this, Azazel sighed.
"Phew, with this one task has been completed, huh. The Himejima follow Shintoism, yet she was familiar with this sort of sealing technique. For that, she was banished, Ikuse's grandmother."
Leaving behind Azazel who was muttering such words, Natsume rushed towards Tobio who had returned to normal.
"Ikuse-kun!"
Natsume confirmed that the fallen Tobio was breathing. He...was still breathing.
I placed a hand on Natsume's shoulder.
"Everyone, they are all safe. Now, lets return, Natsume."
Natsume, wiping her overflowing tears away with her arm, nodded.
------------------------------------------
Author Notes!!
Finally, SlashDogs volume 1 has ended (It still have the aftermath and an extra final chapter about the Himejima's and Freed. Still, all the main stuff has already finished.)
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