A fist of dragon’s aura and a fist coated in light crossed as both of us hit each other in the face, penetrating deeply! My helmet was shattered, and a nosebleed also sprayed out of Dulio’s nose, but neither of us retreated and we continued to fight with no hesitation! My armour was broken in various places by his kicks and punches that carried a dense power of light. But, my punches and kicks also struck Dulio’s face, abdomen and limbs! To Devils, light was a deadly poison—. Withstanding Dulio’s dense light caused unbearable pain to surge throughout my body…. But that was one thing. And this was another! That man who always seemed so casual — was currently facing me head on in a melee fight! If I didn’t respond to this, then that would be unfitting of myself! If I didn’t respond to this, then I wouldn’t be able to face my comrades or my great rivals! Dulio’s handsome face gradually became swollen…but he didn’t seem to care as he continued to throw punches at me! His eyes — were burning with fighting spirit! We butt each other with our heads several times! Blood was also streaming down both of our heads. Because we were comrades and friends, this wasn’t a death match! —This was simply a fight to the end because we were friends and comrades! Fight! It’s a fight—! Between the two [King] players, this is nothing more than a back and forth fist fight! Even though this is all it is, the entire venue is heating up and going into a frenzy here!>>
Hearing the announcer’s thrilled shouts, both Dulio and I just focused on aiming at each other’s faces with our fists! Our faces were swollen and covered with fresh blood. As the [King] of our respective sides, both of us shouted out to each other
“—It’s amazing to fight for the sake of our dream! But, Dulio!”
“Yeah, you’re right! But, Hyoudou Issei”
““The person to win will be me!””
While I took Dulio on as an opponent, the ball was passed to Xenovia! “Xenovia!”
After receiving the ball, Xenovia quickly dashed forward. “Leave it to me!”
Nero stood in her way! “—Hmph! Nero! Don’t get in my way! Right now, I am incredibly strong!”
Holding the ball with one hand, Xenovia wielded Durandal in the other hand and it released a powerful holy aura as she slashed it at Nero! “Excellent! There’ll be worth in defeating you! Come at me!”
Even after taking blows from Durandal’s holy aura, Nero didn’t fall, and seeing his incredibly durable defence, Xenovia was left speechless. Finally, Xenovia made up her mind as she tossed the ball high up into the air, and with her free hand, she drew Excalibur. Holding the two holy swords in a cross stance, Xenovia unleashed a vast aura from her body! And then she also utilised the power of the Sekiryuutei that was embedded within the armour. The jewels of the armour glowed brightly as they transferred their power into the two holy swords! The holy aura that had accumulated in Durandal and Excalibur reached insane levels. Xenovia unleashed the aura wave in a cross formation as she cut down with both holy swords at the same time! “Cross x Crisis!”
One of Xenovia’s ultimate techniques! She unleashed an extremely dense holy aura straight in front of her! Regardless of whether it was an Ace among reincarnated Angels or even an ultimate-class Devil, taking a direct hit from that would be fatal. Both Xenovia and I tried to move him aside in order to get Nero away from taking a direct hit. However—. It seemed as though Nero was insistent on tanking Xenovia’s ultimate technique! “I won’t back down!”
Nero was consumed by the aura of Cross x Crisis. The next instant, an enormous explosion occurred and the surrounding terrain was completely obliterated. After the debris that flew through the air finally dissipated a bit, what we saw was — Nero, who stood upright even though his body was covered in injuries…it was the figure of [Captain Angel]. Even if he had been strengthened by his Sacred Gear, there was still a limit to his defences! The combination technique which united the aura of the Sekiryuutei and the two holy swords was Xenovia’s most destructive move! After discharging that technique, Xenovia’s stamina was fully depleted, and so the armour was released, and the aura of the two holy swords also lessened. Xenovia was stunned by Nero’s appearance. “……! …Even at a time like this, you didn’t retreat and took it head on…!”
Nero took one step, and then another step as he hobbled forward and raised his fist up. His willpower was absurd—. “…Hehe…didn’t I say so before, Xenovia? I am [Captain Angel]…the children are watching me. So, I definitely will not falter. …I made up my mind a long time ago…! Whenever the children see me, I will never back down…!”
Nero threw a punch at Xenovia. Nero made use of this opportunity to snatch the ball. “…Gah!”
“Xenovia-san!”
“Xenovia!”
Asia and Irina both ran towards the fallen Xenovia. Asia began to treat Xenovia’s injuries. But Nero had also reached his limit after knocking Xenovia down, so after passing the ball to his comrades, he also lost consciousness and collapsed. “Incredible, right? That man is the Ace of the hot-blooded Uriel who relies on his guts.”
Dulio was proud of his own comrade. …Of course, I also understood those feelings. Just as I believed that I couldn’t back down against Dulio, that hero of the Church also held belief that he had to stand. But even so, the match was not over yet! In order to take back the ball that had fallen into the hands of Dulio’s team, we launched an assault on the Angels. The Angels cleverly passed the ball around while we desperately grasped at any openings. But they wouldn’t reveal any openings so easily! As we became more desperate, I resolutely intended on using another partial transformation with Dragon Deification. Originally, using Dragon Deification on one part of myself was already the limit, but if it’s only for an instant, then it should be possible! I widened my dragon wings and used Dragon Deification on all four of my wings, so for just an instant, I was able to attain a godlike speed! I snatched the ball just as Diethelm-san attempted to pass it to Shinra Kiyotora-san, and then I passed the ball to Rossweisse-san! Rossweisse-san used enhancement magic to heighten her own physical abilities and increase her speed as she rushed towards the goal, but Mirana-san and Griselda-san blocked the way and prevented her from throwing the ball. Rossweisse-san — passed the ball to Bina-shi who approached at high speed. Bina-shi jetted past Mirana-san and Griselda-san, and just as she attempted to shoot the ball into the nearby goal — in that very instant, the sharp sound of the buzzer which marked the conclusion rang out. At the same time, the referee announced
Time over! The match is finished! The winner is—>>
The score — was still [144 – 146]. —[Trump Card of Heaven]! Dulio Gesualdo’s team is victorious!>>
Along with that announcement, the venue erupted with cheers. ……. …After knowing that it was over, I fell down on the spot.