The Grim Reaper was also good at this kind of high-speed battle, and was gradually able to cope with Tobio’s offense. In spite of this, the Grim Reaper had to face both Tobio and the black dog as enemies at the same time. Jin held a short blade in its mouth, and it matched its attacks with Tobio to engage in an aggressive combined assault. If Tobio’s attack missed, Jin’s strike would immediately compensate. The two of them didn’t clash at all, and even their breathing was in sync — no, the two of them acted as if they were a single entity, and their combined attacks became a unified assault. The Grim Reaper was finally able to land a blow on Tobio, but the part that should have been cut melted into the shadows. Was it a clone? Or was he the shadow itself—. The Grim Reaper was unable to make an immediate judgment. <<This is no longer something that a human should be capable of. So you’re already that deep into the Sacred Gear?>>
The Grim Reaper decided. The Grim Reaper swung his scythe out at the approaching Jin, but Jin evaded it with lightning speed, and then swung a sharp blade at him. The Grim Reaper immediately retreated backwards — but he was unable to completely dodge, and his cloak was cut open. Tobio decided that there was no point in dragging things out any further, and so he recited the chant in order to decide the outcome in an instant—. —Indeed, the hunt of darkness was about to begin. Shadows, black fog, and darkness assembled all around Ikuse Tobio. Various kinds of darkness gathered around him, and sharp blades protruded out from his surroundings. Quietly and deeply, curse-like words were woven together into a chant. <<—I sing for the slaying of a thousand humans>>
Tobio and Jin became shrouded in darkness. The jet-black haze spread, and then covered everything in the surrounding area. <<—I celebrate the slaying of ten thousand goblins>>
His limbs gradually dissolved into the darkness, and turned into something with an irregular shape. <<—The name submerged in total darkness, that of the imitation god who drifts through the polar night>>
Tobio’s body assimilated with the darkness, and then he said—. <<—Thou will perish by mine own black blade>>
This was a ritual that turned something with a human shape into a thing that differed from a human. <<—To be something absurd, the creator of the deformed>>
After Ikuse Tobio recited the final verse, the black dog Jin let out a clear howl—. Aoooooooohhh…. What appeared in front of the Grim Reaper was a God of the Blade in a humanoid shape wearing a cloak of darkness—. A hunter who was tailed by a large <<Dog>> of darkness appeared—. —Balance Breaker, Night Celestial Slash Dogs. The Grim Reaper couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. <<I see…it’s no wonder that you’re considered to be one of the abnormal people among the Longinus possessors.>>
[No, I believe that the majority of the Longinus possessors of this generation are abnormal.] After saying so, Tobio’s figure disappeared. The Grim Reaper sensed a presence, and so he swung his scythe behind him — but all that was left was the residual darkness. [Too slow.] Slash Dog was equipped with a scythe in each hand — Tobio slashed down with them to form the shape of a cross. Although the Grim Reaper had managed to evade that attack, it was still far from enough.Zah! —With that sound, the Grim Reaper felt the very soul in his body being cut. The aura that was released by Slash Dog’s scythes could penetrate even the inside of a Grim Reaper’s body. At the same time, Jin chased from behind and swung a sharp blade, tearing through the Grim Reaper’s body. The blade that Jin held had cursed words engraved onto it, and that curse spread within the Grim Reapers body like fire, destroying the Grim Reaper from within. Facing the immobile Grim Reaper, Tobio took the two scythes and transformed them into a single massive scythe, and swiftly swung it down. <<……! A god of death…being killed…!>>
[This is a blade that is said to be capable of cutting even a god, so that’s only natural. —No matter who my opponent is, I will definitely be able to cut them.] Tobio slashed his scythe down vertically, while Jin flicked its blade horizontally. The Grim Reaper was torn asunder in the shape of a cross—. <<You dog…!>>
[That’s right, a dog. But, instead of fangs, everything is cut apart by—]
As the Grim Reaper disappeared, Tobio, the Slash Dog, and his clone Jin stood side by side. [This <<blade>>.] This was the moment in which a Grim Reaper’s soul was cut and harvested—. After Tobio killed Thanatos’ executive-class Grim Reaper, he felt a mighty aura in the sky above the venue. It was probably the arrival of Thanatos himself. —But, this was a calculation that had already been accounted for in the combat plan. Ravel Phoenix had devised a strategy to deal with the attack of a god. Moreover, the reference for it came from the battle against the Evil God Loki—. What happened when Loki appeared in front of the Two Heavenly Dragons again? The answer had been deployed there. As he looked up into the distance, he saw Thanatos appear in the sky above the stadium whilst emitting a tremendous aura. However, in the next instant, a large transportation magic circle appeared in the sky above the venue. And then, Thanatos was caught within it—. [Now then, I’m leaving the rest up to you. Sekiryuutei.] The opponent who was an ultimate-class Grim Reaper had been entrusted to the youth who had the protection of a Dragon God—. A group of Grim Reapers with an unsettling aura appeared nearby Tobio again. Their numbers could easily exceed a hundred. The battle between Slash Dog and the Grim Reapers would have to continue—. Part 1
I — Hyoudou Issei, waited for the arrival of that person within the barrier that Rossweisse-san and Bina-shi had created. Our location was a wilderness area that was a far distance away from [Fafnir Stadium]. After listening to Ravel’s strategy plan, I came here. The plan was extremely simple. If we continued to defeat the Grim Reapers serving below him, Thanatos would eventually make his own entrance in person as the leader. By aiming for the instant that he appeared, we could use the transportation magic circle technique that was capable of sending even Loki away. It would have caused a lot of trouble if a legendary Grim Reaper ran amok near the venue, so we decided on a wilderness area where it wouldn’t matter no matter how much destruction was caused. Rossweisse-san who specialised in sealing techniques was accompanied by Bina-shi, but they would not be stepping forward unless I was defeated. This was the combat strategy that Ravel had come up with to protect the audience members who were watching the game, and also to protect her best friend Koneko-chan. As for the final stage of this strategy, after confirming the attack of the Grim Reapers, we would send out assistance teams to Sairaorg-san and Dulio.