"A terrible premonition can bring about a terrible reality."
— Shiki Ryougi, Garden of Sinners
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Roy nodded. His guess was right. The Dark Elemental Lord's true strength was her raw power.
He suspected that since the highest-ranking Elemental Spirits were on par with peak High-Class, an Elemental Lord would be Ultimate-class.
The Dark Elemental Lord herself was likely at the pinnacle of Ultimate-class, maybe even stronger.
It made sense. How else could she have taken on five Elemental Lords at once and won? Her subordinates, thankfully, seemed easier to handle.
High-ranking Elemental Spirits were rare and powerful. The highest-ranking were even rarer. Usually, there was only one for each element. Knowing this, Roy had a plan.
"Once we teleport in," he told the girls, "Esdeath and the others will hold off the Dark Elemental Lord's subordinates. No killing."
"I'll subdue the Dark Elemental Lord myself. Got it?"
"Got it!" Esdeath grinned confidently.
"Roy, be careful!" Rias looked at him, worried.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine! Everyone ready?" Roy asked.
"Ready!"
"Roy, go get her! We'll hold them off."
"Good luck, Roy-onii-chan!"
Roy wasn't too worried about the girls. Esdeath was a Ultimate-class. She could handle a few high-ranking spirits and a small army.
Roy activated the teleportation circle. They vanished.
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They reappeared in a huge temple. On the throne above sat a girl with black hair, golden eyes, and delicate features. Massive black wings spread from her back. Power radiated from her.
It was the Dark Elemental Lord, Ren Ashdoll.
Beside her stood a beautiful girl with long blue hair and red eyes. Her skin was whiter than pearls, her limbs slender and doll-like.
This was the Dragon King, Bahamut, Ren Ashdoll's right hand and the highest-ranking Dragon spirit.
"Who are you?" Ren Ashdoll's voice was cold.
"Ren Ashdoll," Roy said, his expression sincere. "We're here to save you." He hoped she'd trust him.
But Ren Ashdoll, tainted by the Otherworld Darkness, wasn't buying it. She stood, eyes icy. With a flick of her wrist, she attacked.
"Dark Thousand Blades!"
Feathers from her wings became razor-sharp blades, flying towards them.
Roy sighed. She wouldn't listen. At least she wasn't fully consumed by the Otherworld Darkness yet.
"Secret Art: Southern Cross Shield!" Roy conjured a thick ice shield, blocking the attack. "This place is too small. Go outside and hold off the other spirits," he told the girls.
"Okay, Roy. Be careful!" Rias said, leading the others out.
Saeko stayed. She locked eyes with Bahamut, a fierce light in her eyes. Bahamut, seeing Saeko's Dragon Slayer sword, looked intrigued.
They both left the temple, seeking open ground.
❁❁❁❁
Outside, Esdeath faced the other spirits. She wasn't fazed. Esdeath drew her rapier, smirked, and slashed. A wave of ice spread for kilometers, freezing the spirits solid.
"Esdeath-neesan, that was amazing!"
"So strong! I want that power!"
"Incredible! That's her true strength?"
"My, my, Roy's peerage is impressive!" The girls were stunned.
...
Inside, Roy's fight began. Ren Ashdoll summoned a black sword—the Demon Slayer Sword that Pierces Truth. Roy summoned his Ice Rose Sword.
Their swords clashed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Roy was confident in his swordsmanship. He was surprised by Ren Ashdoll's skill, though. He could overpower her easily, but he held back.
"Ren Ashdoll," he said, "you realize the Otherworld Darkness is corrupting you, right? If you don't stop it, it'll consume you."
She didn't respond, attacking fiercely. She knew her situation. That's why she'd created Restia Ashdoll, a Dark Elemental in her image, with the Otherworld Darkness at its core.
Restia could absorb the darkness. Ren Ashdoll planned to use her to cleanse herself. But her mind was clouded. She wouldn't listen.
Roy frowned. This wasn't working. The Otherworld Darkness gave her endless energy. He couldn't drag this out.
"Mahāpadma!"
Ice-blue light filled the temple, freezing everything. Ren Ashdoll was frozen mid-swing.
"Secret Art: Ice Thousand-Armed Kannon!"
Roy summoned the giant ice statue. Fists rained down on Ren Ashdoll, smashing her into the ground. Even after Mahapadma ended, the Kannon kept punching.
The temple was ruined, a huge crater in the middle. Dust and smoke filled the air. But Ren Ashdoll's aura was still strong. Damn.
She burst from the crater, black wings spread wide. She was unharmed, but her aura was wild.
"Dark Flames!"
Black flames erupted from her wings, burning everything. Even the stone floor caught fire. Like Amaterasu, they wouldn't go out.
Roy's face was grim. He couldn't be touched by those flames.
"Secret Art: 9 Ice Dragons!"
Nine ice dragons charged the flames, freezing the ground as they went. But the flames melted them instantly. "Such powerful flames!" Roy thought.
The flames weakened after consuming the dragons. Roy blocked the last of them with a Southern Cross Shield.
Furious, Ren Ashdoll raised her hands. Black lightning crackled, forming a dark energy sphere. It pulsed with destructive power.
"Dark Demon Lightning Blast!"
Roy knew that attack. Black lightning that could burn souls. The Dark Element's strongest spell, a wide-area attack.
Even mid-ranking spirits were instantly destroyed. Restia had used it in the original story. It was terrifying. Ren Ashdoll's version would wipe out even high-ranking spirits.
He couldn't let her use it. It would destroy everything for kilometers.
"Mahāpadma!"
Roy froze time again, then moved behind Ren Ashdoll. He placed his hand on her back.
"Secret Art: Absolute Zero!"
Ren Ashdoll froze solid, the black lightning ball in her hands freezing with her.
Time Shall Resume.
Roy wiped his brow, relieved. Absolute Zero was one of Satellizer L. Bridget's strongest moves. Unlike his other ice attacks, it completely erased life.
Even Ultimate-Class Devils would be turned to dust. Ren Ashdoll was only frozen, not destroyed.
This had been a tough fight. Two Mahapadmas and Absolute Zero had drained almost all his magic..
"Roy, are you okay?"
"Roy-onii-chan, are you alright?"
"Brother!"
"Are you hurt?" The girls rushed over, worried.
"I'm fine," Roy said, waving his hand. "Just used up a lot of magic."
"Is she... beaten?" Rias looked at the frozen Ren Ashdoll.
"Frozen, for now," Roy said.
"What now?"
"I need to recover some magic. Then we'll try a Devil piece."
He wasn't sure it would work. Even frozen, Ren Ashdoll was still conscious. If she resisted, it would fail. But he had to try.
Roy rested, regaining some magic.
He went to Ren Ashdoll. "Ren Ashdoll, I know you can hear me. The Otherworld Darkness is eating away at you. You'll be destroyed."
"I'm the only one who can save you." He held out a Queen piece.
"Accept my power. You can break through your limits. You'll control the Otherworld Darkness, not fear it."
The Otherworld Darkness was just a more powerful kind of dark energy.
Strong enough, and you could control it. Too weak, and it consumed you.
Ren Ashdoll hadn't been instantly corrupted. She was close to the threshold. If she broke through to Maou, she'd control it.
Roy started the ritual. An ice-blue magic circle appeared under her feet.
"By my name, Roy Lucifuge, I command thee, Ren Ashdoll, to become my servant Devil, reborn as my Queen!"
He spoke the words of the contract. The Queen piece drifted towards Ren Ashdoll and merged with her.
Roy watched, tense. It was up to her now.
After a moment, she didn't resist. Devil wings sprouted beneath her black ones. Yes! Roy jumped for joy.
A wave of power exploded from her, pulverizing the temple debris. Roy's face changed. He shielded the girls with a spatial barrier. The power was monstrous.
Ren Ashdoll had broken through to Maou.
And a powerful one at that.
Roy felt the surge of power course through him, elevating him from a low-tier Maou to an intermediate Maou.
Two Maou auras erupted, cracking the earth and shaking the land for kilometers. Then, it faded.
Ren Ashdoll rushed into Roy's arms, her eyes shining.
"Ren Ashdoll?" Roy asked, hesitant.
"Yes! You saved me!" she said.
Elemental Spirits were young, their minds pure. Even Ren Ashdoll, the Dark Elemental Lord, was like a child. Corrupted, yes, but she remembered who saved her.
"I did. I'm Roy," he said.
"Roy!" Her voice was bright.
Roy felt like his heart was melting. She was adorable. He released the barrier.
"Everyone, this is Ren Ashdoll, the Dark Elemental Lord. She's my Queen now." He grinned, introducing her.
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