(Part 2 of 4) (3/10)
Part 3
After Vali, Saji and I stopped fishing, we immediately transported ourselves to a place close to the arena so that we could watch the Rating Game that was being held in the Underworld — Rias’ game. We entered via the entrance for related personnel, and then arrived at the special viewing room. The match began just as we took our seats! Rias’ team and her opponent’s team (a team led by an ultimate-class Devil as the [King]) both appeared together on a vast field that was mostly made up of the sea…one person from Rias’ team took a step forward first — it was a man who wore a familiar black coat. The colour of his hair was a mix of black and gold, and the aura surrounding his entire body was of a similar colour! …S-So it’s this guy! This guy was Rias’ [Pawn]! The scene that occurred before me left me dumbfounded, and all I could do was stare at the game. The man in the large black coat flew and charged at the opponents across the sea while he reached out with his arm. …Enveloped in an incredibly potent aura, it was compressed and compressed again until it turned into a powerful destructive shockwave! Upon seeing the man who flew in the air in front of them, the announcer called out
Un—believable! Who would have imagined that the true identity of the Rias Gremory team’s [Pawn], Mr. Black, who was hidden behind a mysterious veil until just now is actually Crom Cruach! It looks like this game will be worth watching since the legendary Evil Dragon is actually participating in this tournament as the Rias Gremory team’s [Pawn]!>>
The man — Crom Cruach extended his hand and unleashed an extraordinary attack! In an instant, the area in front of him had been overwhelmed by an explosion, and the large special barrier that had been deployed over the entire marine area was dealt a devastating blow. With the single strike that Crom Cruach released — a colossal hole had opened up in the sky and the middle of the sea where cracks in the dimension itself could be noticed. Seawater from the field flowed down into the cracks of the dimension. Throughout the tournament, only god-class attacks had been able to cause such ridiculous damage to the game field’s barrier…. Needless to say, not only did these opponents lack the strength to fight back, but five of them had already been retired in that instant. …So, Rias’ [Pawn] is…Crom Cruach…! Sitting beside me, Saji was also astounded and completely lost for words. As for Vali, it seems that he anticipated Crom Cruach’s participation, and he looked delighted to finally see him make an appearance. The announcer yelled out
T-The field has — been destroooyyyeeddd! That could be described as a godly blow! No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it something beyond that! As another of the Dragon species, it is reminiscent of Hyoudou Issei-senshu’s incredibly fierce cannon blast!>>
…Purely in terms of power, I was confident that I wouldn’t lose to him. The problem was the number of times that that attack could be used, and how long that level of firepower could last. Ddraig said
[…That guy, Crom Cruach. He destroyed the field on purpose. Your previous battle must have given him some inspiration.] Vali laughed. “Fufufu, he must’ve done that deliberately. I wonder if Crom Cruach himself decided to do that, or whether it was an order from the leader. Either way, it seems like there’s some kind of mutual understanding.”
“Is that a challenge from Crom to me?”
When he heard me say that, Vali pleasurably said
“It was for probably for me and the other strong contestants to see. This is very interesting. Indeed, this how it should be. This is the essence of this tournament.”
…Just to show off, he had erased the field. “Ddraig, answer me honestly. —Can I fight that guy as I currently am?”
In response to my question, Ddraig answered
[Of course, you’ll be able to fight with him as long as you undergo Dragon Deification. It’ll definitely be a good fight. —But.] …I knew what was next even without it having to be said. “If there was a time limit, then it’s out of the question, huh. …Seriously, Rias has actually taken in such an unexpected team member.”
Also, even if I did undergo Dragon Deification, it would be impossible for me to defeat him within the time limit. Ddraig continued
[Rias Gremory is rather conscious of you, partner, which is why she pulled Crom Cruach into her team as a [Pawn]. Of course, she probably persuaded him because of his relation to Gasper Vladi, and of course as a countermeasure in order to fight against the god-class beings and the Two Heavenly Dragons. Crom Cruach himself would gladly accept this proposal. To him, this arrangement would be like a dream.] Although the real reason why Crom Cruach joined Rias’ team was unknown, there was definitely something between the two of them where their interests aligned. Rias herself could be very persuasive, so she could have coaxed him to join her team very cleverly. She was able to bring out everyone’s full potential during the early battles of the Occult Research Club, and on top of that, there was also Gasper who had the power of Balor, which she could have used as a means of persuasion…. Having Gasper with the power of Balor and the strongest Evil Dragon Crom Cruach, this was a truly terrifying combination! —And then, someone else entered the room. “Ise-sama, I finally found you.”
After Ravel came in, she was followed by Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Rossweisse-san and Bova (mini Dragon form). “Ah, Ravel, sorry for coming here to see them without saying anything to you.”
“No, it’s fine…. The problem is—”
Ravel’s gaze turned towards the rampaging Crom Cruach on the screen. “Ah, what are we going to do about this now, I wonder.”
Looking at the screen, I could only make a bitter smile as Ravel frowned. “Rias-sama’s team not only has Crom Cruach—”
Whoa! Appearing at this time is—! The rumoured black beast! Bearing the power of the legendary Evil God Balor, Gasper-senshu has released darkness into an extremely wide area!>>
Along with the announcer’s exclamation, Gasper transformed into a monstrous black beast and released a darkness that engulfed the entire sea, causing all of the opponents’ attacks to be swallowed by the darkness. And then, several players were dragged into the darkness—. The next scene on the display showed a small island which floated on the sea. On it was — a girl who resembled Freed — Lint Selzan, who had just entered a fierce close-quarters fight with the opponent’s swordsman. After all, it was the peerage of an ultimate-class Devil, so their swordsmanship was correspondingly good. Lint Selzan’s sword of light landed a blow on her opponent, but she was immediately injured by a counterattack from her opponent. Lint Selzan then increased her distance from them by leaping backwards. The person who appeared at that position was — Valerie. In Valerie’s hand — she took out a Holy Grail, and a sparkling white liquid overflowed from the goblet.