There's a kind of pain that hurts just to watch, and Badr's final blow to Diodora exemplified it perfectly.
The once-proud devil's eyes rolled back as his expression froze in sheer agony, his mind overwhelmed by the excruciating torment.
For several moments, Diodora was incapable of movement or thought. But his loyal female devils, his peerage, soon arrived, their shocked cries piercing the tense silence.
"Master!"
They rushed forward, only to find their once-dignified King reduced to an unrecognizable mess, battered and broken beyond recognition. If not for his attire, they wouldn't have known it was Diodora at all.
Intent on saving him, they moved to his side. But Badr, ever vigilant, wasn't about to give them the chance. With a flick of his hand, a surge of magic bound Diodora tightly, immobilizing him.
While Badr would have preferred to end the arrogant devil's life, he held back. Diodora, after all, was a relative of a Maou. Though Badr's instincts screamed to deliver the final blow, he refrained, for Rias's sake.
Meanwhile, Rias and the others were still locked in battle with the Old Maou faction devils. Seeing Badr successfully subdue Diodora, a satisfied smile spread across Rias's face.
"Well done! Now, let's finish off these pests!" she declared with renewed determination.
Badr, dragging Diodora like a discarded ragdoll, turned back to the others. "Coming," he replied with a smile.
Addressing Diodora's peerage, he spoke with chilling calm. "Your master is captured. Fight to the death or surrender, it's your choice."
With that, he returned to Rias's side, nonchalantly swinging his sword and obliterating three devils in a single strike. Their bodies disintegrated in a flash of light, leaving no trace.
"You handle him," Badr said, motioning toward the bound Diodora. "I'll take care of the rest."
Raising his [King Sword] Badr infused it with an immense surge of [Sacred Demonic] Power, its blade glowing brilliantly. Across the battlefield, the remaining devils, oblivious to the danger, charged forward.
"To think they still don't understand…" Rias murmured, shaking her head.
With a swift motion, Badr raised his sword high, then brought it down with crushing force. A terrifying wave of energy erupted, spiraling outward in a destructive arc.
The ground trembled violently as the energy ripped through everything in its path, obliterating hundreds of devils in an instant.
The battlefield fell silent, save for the whispers of dissipating energy. Badr's strike had decimated nearly the entire Old Maou faction force, leaving only a handful of survivors.
"Well, well. Looks like the job's already done. Now, who might you be to wield such power?"
An aged yet commanding voice echoed through the ruined space. Out of nowhere, a figure materialized, a grizzled old man with a wild white beard and unkempt hair. Despite his shabby appearance, his presence radiated an overwhelming Sacred power.
"Who's there?" Badr turned to face the newcomer.
The man exuded an air of wisdom and strength, yet his demeanor was oddly relaxed. Rias's eyes widened in shock as she recognized him. "Odin-sama!? Why are you here?"
"Hahaha! I'm Odin, Chief God of the Norse Pantheon," the old man replied, laughing heartily. "I was invited to help deal with these Old Maou rebels, but it seems I wasn't needed after all."
Odin's gaze lingered on Rias and Akeno, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Ah, as expected of the Gremory family, beauties, every one of them."
Badr sighed, stepping in front of Rias and Akeno. "If there are still a few stragglers left, we'll gladly let you handle them. After all, it'd be a shame for you to make the trip for nothing."
Odin chuckled. "You're a bold one, aren't you? A reincarnated devil named Badr, yes? Not much respect for your elders, I see."
"On the contrary, I respect you greatly, Odin-sama. In fact, I'm sure someone of your caliber could go toe-to-toe with a Maou," Badr quipped, his tone laced with polite flattery.
The old god's grin widened. "Hah! You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? Fine, I'll take care of these leftovers."
Odin clapped his hands, summoning a glowing spear from thin air. With a single swing, he unleashed a burst of Sacred energy, reducing dozens of devils to ash in an instant.
"Efficient as ever," Badr remarked casually, unimpressed by the display. "How's the situation outside?"
"Ah, the Khaos Brigade launched a coordinated assault on the arena," Odin replied, his tone light despite the gravity of the situation. "It's been dealt with, though. Azazel sent me to deliver these to you."
Odin handed over several magical communicators, grumbling all the while. "Imagine using an old man like me as a courier. That Azazel, I swear…"
Activating the communicator, Badr and the others heard Azazel's voice. "Testing, testing. Can you hear me? Good. Sit tight; we're almost done wrapping things up on our end."
"Quick work, as usual, Azazel. Did you have advance warning?" Badr asked, his suspicions piqued.
"Sharp as always. Yes, we had intel, so we laid a trap for them."
"…So we were bait," Rias said, her voice tinged with irritation.
"More or less," Azazel admitted with a chuckle. "The Old Maou faction has been targeting young devils lately, and we needed to draw them out. This was the perfect opportunity."
The implications were clear: the attack wasn't just random. It was part of a calculated effort to destabilize the Underworld's next generation of leaders.
"Diodora is captured, and his peerage has surrendered. Can we return now?" Rias asked, her tone firm.
"Yes, you've done enough. Come back with Odin-sama," Azazel replied.
...
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