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Chapter 347: Chapter 343 ~ Skoll And Hati

In another district of Asgard, Tobio and Reni fought back-to-back amid the chaos.

Explosions of magic lit the streets as devils clawed their way through shattered buildings, while hooded magicians rained spells from above. 

A massive, jet-black hound lunged forward with a thunderous snarl, its claws tearing into a brute devil's chest and ripping straight through corrupted flesh and bone. The devil barely had time to scream before it was shredded apart, its remains scattering across the cobblestone streets.

In a seamless motion, the hound twisted its body mid-air, a jagged, jet-black sword clenched firmly between its fangs. With a powerful swing of its head, the blade carved through the midsection of another devil, cleaving it cleanly in two before its body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Moving in perfect tandem with his familiar's rampage, Tobio surged forward. A towering, obsidian scythe manifested in his hands, its curved blade humming with dark energy. Each swing left arcs of black afterimages in the air as devils fell one after another, unable to withstand the overwhelming assault.

Then, with a sharp kick against the air itself, Tobio burst upward into the skies. In moments, he closed the distance with the magicians hovering above, his scythe flashing as it cut through defensive barriers and bodies alike, sending cloaked figures plummeting downward in lifeless spirals.

Not far away, Reni hovered gracefully atop her witch's broom, her eyes sharp and focused. With practiced precision, she raised her staff and unleashed a barrage of enormous icicles—each nearly the size of her own body. They tore through the air like frozen lances, piercing fleeing magicians before shattering into brilliant shards of ice.

Even as she attacked the skies, Reni continued casting spells below. Frost spread rapidly across the streets, crawling up the limbs of devils and locking them in place. Cries of rage and panic echoed as their movements slowed, their bodies encased in ice.

Those frozen moments were all Tobio and Canis Lyakon needed.

Together, man and beast surged forward once more, cutting down immobilized enemies with ruthless efficiency as the battlefield slowly began to tilt in their favor.

Then— the air shifted.

Both of them felt it at the same time.

A pressure, subtle yet overwhelming, descended upon the battlefield like an unseen gaze. The raging devils faltered. Spells wavered mid-cast. Even the wind seemed to still.

Tobio was the first to look up.

High above the ruined streets, suspended effortlessly against the darkening sky, floated a lone figure.

A young man.

Numerous wings—black as the void of a starless night sky—unfurled behind him, each feather perfectly defined, unmoving despite the turbulent winds. He wasn't attacking. He wasn't chanting. 

He simply hovered, motionless, as if observing the battlefield below with detached calm.

"…Who is that?" 

Tobio muttered, unease creeping into his voice.

Reni followed his gaze, her breath catching.

"He looks like a Fallen Angel… but I've never seen him before. Azazel-sama never mentioned anyone like that."

The stranger's presence felt wrong—not hostile, yet undeniably dangerous. His magic didn't flare wildly like most combatants. Instead, it pressed down evenly, like a perfectly controlled abyss.

"Could he be… an enemy?" 

Tobio asked quietly. But before Reni could answer, the figure slowly turned his head.

His gaze—though hidden—locked onto them.

Both Tobio and Reni flinched instinctively.

And then— Warmth surged through their bodies.

Their exhaustion vanished as if it had never existed. Bruises dulled. Muscles lightened. Their senses sharpened to a razor's edge, the battlefield suddenly clear and defined.

Despite the immense distance between them, a calm, resonant voice reached their ears as though the speaker stood right beside them.

"You two. Move to the shelter four blocks down this street."

The voice was composed, authoritative.

"A group of devils is charging toward it. They will arrive in 2 minutes. If you go through this street and go left at the second block, you will hit them from behind. Go. Now."

Tobio stiffened.

"A—Alright!"

He didn't know who this man was. Didn't know whether to trust him. But the certainty in that voice left no room for doubt.

And if there was even the slightest chance that civilians were in danger—

Tobio turned and sprinted in the direction indicated, abandoning the battlefield without hesitation.

Reni, however, hesitated.

Rising slightly on her mage's broom, she floated closer to the black-winged figure, her heart pounding.

"W-Wait! Who are you?" she called out. 

"What's your name? Are you affiliated with Azazel-sama?"

The figure turned fully toward her.

Now that she was closer, she could see him clearly.

He wore an immaculate dark suit, tinged faintly with purple under the light, paired with a long cape whose high collar framed his shoulders. A sleek black mask obscured his face entirely, revealing nothing—not even his eyes.

Yet despite that, she could feel his gaze.

Not just his magic—but his presence, his bearing—exuded an overwhelming authority that made her instincts scream to keep her distance.

After a brief pause, he spoke.

"My name… is Zero."

The name alone sent a chill down her spine.

"I am a friend of Yuuji."

Reni's eyes widened.

"Eh…? Yuuji-kun…?"

Before she could ask another question, Zero turned away, his wings shifting slightly as if dismissing the conversation entirely.

"Go."

That single word carried finality.

Swallowing her lingering questions, Reni nodded and turned her broom sharply, flying after Tobio toward the shelter. Curiosity burned within her, but protecting the people came first.

Behind her, high above the battlefield, Zero remained motionless, a silent sentinel watching over Asgard as the war raged below.

"Hm… it's about time they arrived."

Lelouch gazed toward the distant horizon.

Before coming to Asgard aboard the Hanging Gardens of Babylon alongside C.C., Tatsuya, Satoru, and Semiramis, they had already made their move according to the plan. 

Carefully and methodically, they sabotaged key sections of the illusionary barriers, warding arrays, and anti-teleportation seals that Shalba Beelzebub and Loki had layered over the realm. 

Barriers meant to isolate Asgard from the outside world—designed to ensure no reinforcements could arrive by physical or magical means—were now weakened, fractured at critical points.

With that much groundwork laid, breaking through was only a matter of time. Even for the armies of the three factions. 

As if answering his expectations, the sky above Asgard fractured.

Not metaphorically, but literally.

The heavens cracked like shattered glass, the false sky peeling away in colossal shards as the true firmament beyond was revealed. The oppressive illusion collapsed, unraveling under its own compromised structure.

Through the breach surged reinforcements.

Armored devils poured in first, their demonic auras blazing as they clashed head-on with the corrupted berserkers below. Angels followed, radiant wings cutting through the air as holy light rained down upon the battlefield. Fallen angels streaked in after them, light spears thrown and magic cast as they engaged the enemy mages midair.

The tide of battle shifted in an instant.

Watching the chaos from afar, Lelouch allowed himself a small, satisfied nod. With the external forces now fully engaged, Asgard no longer needed the direct intervention of him—or the Group Chat.

"Good," he murmured. 

"Now all that remains… is the real objective."

His gaze shifted toward the heart of the city, toward the towering castle where Yuuji and the others had already entered. That was where the true battle lay. Where decisions would be made, and fates sealed.

"Well," Lelouch said calmly, turning away, "I'll leave that part to them."

Without another glance back, he departed, flying toward the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as it hovered silently in the distance.

The possibility of Yuuji and the others failing never crossed his mind—not even for a moment.

To Lelouch, their victory was already a foregone conclusion.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Rias and Sona separated. Or rather, they were forced to separate to be able to deal with the mythical wolves known for their ferociousness and fangs sharp enough to kill even gods. 

Rias's peerage had taken responsibility for Fenrir, while Sona's peerage was tasked with confronting Skoll and Hati.

It was a grim assignment.

Even Rias and her peerage, trained by Yuuji and his friends, would still find the fight against Fenrir a tremendously difficult task. Sona and her peerage would be fighting a steep uphill battle against both children of the God-killing wolf. 

The two legendary wolves fought like calamities given flesh, their mere presence warping the battlefield around them. Facing both at once would have been suicide—even for high-class devils—so the decision had been made quickly and decisively.

They would divide them.

Sona and Tsubaki engaged Skoll, drawing its attention and luring it away, while the rest of her peerage confronted Hati head-on. The plan was simple in theory: hold Skoll at bay long enough for Hati to be subdued, then regroup and overwhelm Skoll together.

With Saji's Sacred Gear, Absorption Line, capable of attaching to and absorbing the power of whoever it is wrapped to, as well as Blaze Black Flare to apply continuous fire damage to the wolf that couldn't be extinguished even by a God, they had a chance. 

In practice…

'Kuh… it's much easier said than done…'

Sona grit her teeth as she darted backward, narrowly avoiding Skoll's snapping jaws. Each step the colossal wolf took sent tremors through the earth, its claws gouging deep scars into the stone streets of Asgard.

Her eyes flicked toward the other side of the battlefield.

There, she saw her peerage struggling desperately against Hati.

They were strong—no doubt about that. As middle-ranked devils, each of them had honed their abilities through countless battles and training sessions. 

Saji, in particular, was doing his best. As the key to defeat this mythical creature supposedly beyond their capabilities, he was doing his all, latching onto Hati's limbs to drain his strength while also shooting black flames at it. While the others did their best to protect him from Hati's rampage.

Yet strength alone was not enough against a legendary beast.

Hati's movements were savage and relentless, its blackened fangs tearing through magical barriers as if they were paper. The members of her peerage fought bravely, but their inexperience showed. Every exchange pushed them closer to exhaustion, closer to making a fatal mistake.

Meanwhile, Sona and Tsubaki were hardly faring better.

"Kuh—!"

Tsubaki parried Skoll's claws with her naginata, sparks and demonic energy erupting at the point of impact. Even reinforced by magic, the blow sent her skidding backward, boots carving lines into the ground.

Skoll didn't relent.

It prowled in a wide arc, golden eyes burning with feral intelligence, constantly trying to break past them and rejoin Hati. Every second they spent kiting and distracting it was a second stolen from its rampage—but it was costing them dearly.

Their magic reserves were thinning.

Their breathing was growing ragged.

Just as Sona felt desperation begin to creep into her chest—

"Rose of Agony."

The voice was calm. Elegant. And unmistakably familiar.

In an instant, the ground beneath Skoll erupted.

Black, thorn-covered vines burst forth like living spears, wrapping around its hind legs and climbing rapidly up its massive frame. Dark roses bloomed along the vines, their petals glistening ominously as they pulsed with cursed energy.

ROAAAAR!

Skoll howled, the sound shaking the air itself as it thrashed violently, trying to tear free. But instead of snapping under its strength, the vines tightened, the thorns digging deeper as they continued their relentless ascent, coiling around its torso and pinning it in place.

Sona's breath caught.

She turned toward the source of the spell—and her eyes widened.

Standing atop a nearby ruined structure was Aika.

She waved casually, as if greeting a friend on a quiet afternoon stroll, a bright and carefree smile on her lips despite the chaos raging around her.

"Hello, Sona-chan-senpai~!" Aika called out cheerfully. 

"This little puppy seems to be quite the handful, huh~?"

For the first time since the battle began, hope surged through Sona's chest.

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