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Chapter 348: Chapter 344 ~ Turning Tides

With a casual flick of her dainty hand, Aika unleashed a massive crimson fireball.

But it wasn't ordinary flame. The fire was tinged with a darker shade of blood-red at its core, while wisps of ephemeral pink danced along its edges like ghostly petals. The moment it tore through the air, the space around it warped from the sheer density of magic compressed within.

The fireball slammed into Skoll.

BOOOOOOM—!

A colossal explosion engulfed the legendary wolf.

ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR—!

A deafening roar of agony reverberated throughout the Asgard and Trifaction meeting grounds. The sound stunned nearly everyone present.

Sirzechs, Michael, Azazel, and Odin all froze for a split second, instinctively turning their gazes toward the distant explosion. 

Even Shalba and Loki, locked in their own battles, stiffened as well—before both sides forced their attention back to the fight. 

But Sona's peerage wasn't so fortunate.

Sona, Tsubaki, and the rest of her team stood rooted in place, eyes wide as they stared toward the blast. Even Hati—the other legendary offspring of Fenrir—halted mid-rampage, its feral gaze snapping toward the explosion that had struck its sibling.

The smoke slowly began to dissipate, and soon, the figure of the wolf appeared. 

Its once-majestic dark mane, previously gleaming with magical sheen, was now charred and burned away in patches. The faint crimson blood that seeped from its wounds had been incinerated entirely, leaving behind brittle, blackened crusts clinging to its exposed flesh.

Its fur—each strand once saturated with magic potent enough to be forged into legendary weapons or armor—had been reduced to nothingness.

With a thunderous crash, Skoll's massive body collapsed onto the marble floor. The impact carved a spiderweb of fractures outward beneath it as crimson blood spilled from its maw.

Then—

Hrk—!

Skoll convulsed violently and coughed again.

This time, not red—but jet-black liquid splattered across the ground, sizzling faintly as it pooled.

Jet-black thorny vines and blooming obsidian roses continued to grow around its body, tightening, pulsing ominously as they crawled higher with every labored breath it took.

"Hello, Sona-chan-senpai~!" Aika chimed brightly. 

"This little puppy really was quite the handful, huh~?"

"Kiryuu…"

Sona's gaze snapped from Aika, to the fallen mythical wolf, then back to the smiling girl—her expression growing more incredulous with each glance.

Tsubaki fared even worse. Her breath hitched as she stared at the devastation before her.

An enemy she and her King couldn't even imagine defeating… Subdued in a single attack.

Even with Mirror Alice, her Sacred Gear capable of reflecting magic far beyond her own limits, Tsubaki knew with absolute certainty—

That spell could not be reflected. If it had been aimed at her instead…

She swallowed.

"What…" Tsubaki whispered. 

"What just happened…?"

"Hm?" Aika tilted her head innocently. 

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's just the effect of my first spell~"

She waved her hand dismissively.

"It's basically cursed right now. If you attack it, things will only get worse for it. So go ahead and finish it off! I'll take care of the other wolf~"

The Seventh-Tier Spell, [Rose of Agony], was an exclusive ability of Aika's Empress of Evil Job Class.

At its base, the spell merely cursed its target, reducing movement speed and evasion for twenty seconds.

But that was only the beginning. Every subsequent hit caused the curse to escalate.

With the second strike, the briar vines would slither up to the target's waist, dealing true damage equal to five percent of the caster's magical attack over ten seconds.

A third hit would force the roses higher—wrapping around the chest and neck—continuing the true damage, while also inflicting additional punishment: every attempt to cast a spell or activate a skill would deal damage equal to ten percent of the caster's magic attack.

The fourth hit bound the arms, crippling attack speed and accuracy.

And the final hit—

The vines would coil around the target's head, dealing massive damage and inflicting Blindness for ten more seconds.

Skoll had already been struck by Aika's fireball.

Combined with the lingering effects of [Rose of Agony] and Sona and Tsubaki's continued assault, its defeat was now inevitable.

Satisfied, Aika turned away, waving lightly as she headed toward Hati—still locked in a fierce battle against the rest of Sona's peerage.

"This…"

Sona watched her go, shock and awe still flooding her chest. After a moment, she exhaled slowly, forcing herself to refocus.

"Tsubaki," she said firmly. 

"Let's finish it. Quickly."

"Y-Yes, President."

Snapping out of her daze, Tsubaki nodded. Together, she and Sona began casting spells, their magic crashing down upon the helpless Skoll as its pained roar resounded weakly.

Neither of them had ever expected to fight a legendary wolf during this gathering.

And neither could have imagined—

That the battle would end like this.

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

On the other side of the battlefield—

Rias and her peerage were locked in a desperate struggle against the legendary, god-slaying wolf Fenrir.

The colossal beast moved like a living catastrophe. Each swipe of its claws shattered stone, each roar shook the air itself. A single moment of hesitation, one mistimed step, could mean catastrophic injury… or death.

"Kiba, Koneko—keep suppressing it!" 

Rias commanded sharply.

"Issei, once your Boost is ready, give it to Akeno! Asia, focus on healing Koneko and Kiba!"

""Yes!""

Rias didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat as she continued firing Bullets of Destruction toward Fenrir.

She wasn't trying to damage it—she knew better. With her current reserves, anything strong enough to truly injure Fenrir would require a long charge time, time they simply didn't have.

Instead, her attacks served another purpose. Control.

Each bullet flew with surgical precision, threading past Kiba and Koneko, grazing Fenrir just enough to force it to recoil, shift its footing, or halt its momentum. Months ago, such delicate control would have been unthinkable for her.

But under Yuuji's relentless training, she had learned to wield destruction like a needle—piercing, precise, and absolute.

Kiba surged forward, his Sword of Betrayer gleaming as he danced around Fenrir's massive form. Empowered by his Knight piece, his speed allowed him to barely keep pace with the divine beast. Every strike wasn't meant to kill, it was meant to stall, to redirect, to deny Fenrir a path toward the rear.

Koneko stood firm beside him.

Though slightly slower, her presence was immovable.

Each time Fenrir attempted to force its way through, Koneko intercepted it, her fists crashing into its hide with earth-shaking force. Whenever Rias or Kiba created an opening, she struck, sending the massive wolf skidding backward and away from Akeno, Issei, and Asia.

Behind them—

Akeno stood perfectly still.

White, holy lightning crackled violently around her body, illuminating the battlefield. Behind her back, two wings manifested—one bat-like devil wing and one black-feathered fallen angel wing—symbols of her rebirth and her true origin.

With every passing second, her power climbed higher.

Her naturally immense magic, amplified by her Queen piece and refined through Yuuji's training, surged toward terrifying levels, comparable to a high-ranked devil, bordering on Ultimate-class.

Beside her, Issei focused intensely on the Boosted Gear.

"BOOST!"

The Red Dragon Emperor's voice echoed again and again.

But as the battle raged, every second stretched painfully long.

Finally—

"Pres! Akeno-san!" Issei shouted. 

"I'm ready!"

"Good! Kiba, Koneko—fall back!" 

Rias intensified her barrage, a storm of destruction bullets forcing Fenrir to halt as Kiba and Koneko retreated.

Issei raised his left arm toward Akeno.

"Akeno-san—here it goes! BOOST!"

A torrent of crimson-enhanced lightning exploded outward.

Akeno's magic surged violently, thunder roaring as scarlet power intertwined with divine electricity. Her ponytail whipped wildly as a concentrated storm formed around her.

She shot into the sky.

Hovering high above, she looked down at Fenrir, her lips curling into a sultry smile.

"Ufufufu~ With this… I might even give Yuuji-kun a little tingle~ I really should test that someday~"

A faint warmth colored her cheeks as a dangerous thought crossed her mind—this time, maybe she wouldn't lose herself so easily to her darling's intimate touches.

Above her, a massive crimson magic circle manifested.

Golden-white lightning churned violently within it, roaring like a divine tempest.

"Now then, little doggy~ Be a good boy and stay down. Raikō."

Her arms dropped.

A pillar of divine lightning slammed down.

ROAAAAAAAARRR—!

Fenrir screamed as the heavens themselves crushed into its body.

Unbeknownst to her, Baraqiel—locked in his own desperate battle—caught sight of his daughter at that moment.

"Akeno…"

The memories came flooding back.

The smiling little girl. The child who ran into his arms. The daughter he had failed.

She had grown so strong. So radiant. So beautiful.

'Shuri… our daughter has grown so well…'

Regret still tore at his heart—but pride, love, and joy overwhelmed it.

As the lightning faded, Akeno descended beside Rias. The battlefield fell eerily silent.

"Did… did we get it?" Issei asked softly.

"Issei!" Rias snapped. 

"Don't raise flags like that!"

"I-I'm sorry, President!"

The dust cleared.

Fenrir still stood.

Its body was scorched and crackling with residual lightning, its rage burning brighter than ever.

"It's not over!" Rias shouted. 

"Get ready—!"

Fenrir roared—but never moved.

"Aspect of the Devil: Weight of Sin."

The wolf was slammed into the marble floor as if crushed by an invisible mountain. Stone shattered outward as Fenrir struggled helplessly, unable to even roar.

A presence descended.

A beautiful succubus with black-feathered wings landed gracefully before them.

Though her expression was that of a benevolent ever-smiling goddess, Rias and Akeno could feel that she was seriously evaluating them. Her golden slit-pupiled eyes was observing Rias and Akeno carefully—not coldly, but seriously. 

Then… Her smile softened.

"Good work. You've done well… sisters."

Albedo said warmly.

Rias and Akeno froze. They understood instantly.

Albedo had finally… acknowledged them.

"Thank you very much, sister."

"Ufufufu~ We look forward to your guidance~"

The three women smiled.

And in their hearts, only one name echoed—

Yuuji.

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