[Kiba Side]

A black ray sliced through the sky.

Thud.

Lossward's grip loosened, and Issei plummeted to the earth, dust swirling around him. Blood gushed from the gaping hole in his chest, dyeing the ground a vivid crimson.

"No… NOOO!" Miu's scream tore through the air as she sprinted to his side. We followed, clustering around Issei's motionless form.

His eyes stared blankly, not a single twitch from his fingers.

Issei… dead?

The Issei we knew…?

No. It couldn't be.

My mind reeled, unable to accept the sight before me. My thoughts froze, locked on his lifeless body.

He'd always overcome every crisis. Deep down, I'd clung to the naive hope that Issei would pull through. Seeing him fight, how could I not?

But this scene shattered that illusion.

It's a lie. A lie. A lie.

If this was a nightmare, I begged to wake. I couldn't endure this any longer.

"Issei-san!" Asia's healing aura glowed, but the hole in his chest remained unyielding. Her Twilight Healing couldn't restore what was gone. Even Phoenix Tears would fail.

Miu cast desperate recovery spells, but the wound stayed open.

Issei…!

"Wake up… please, Issei…" Rias clung to his body, tears streaming. "I haven't even…"

Akeno, Asia, and the others wept, calling his name over and over.

No response. No movement.

Miu collapsed beside him, shaking his body weakly. "Hey… big brother… you can't sleep here. You won't get to say 'I'm home' to Mom and Dad… Please, call my name…"

"You promised you wouldn't die…!" Alice's spear clattered to the ground. "I told you breaking promises would hurt! So wake up, Issei!"

[Kiba Side Out]

Darkness. An endless, pitch-black void.

I sank, as if dragged to the ocean's depths. My body grew colder, sensation slipping away.

No sight. No sound. No feeling.

Am I… dead?

Memories flickered—using the forbidden Juggernaut Drive, pushing past my limits to shield Audilia from Lossward's attack. That's where it ended.

Did I save them?

That thought gnawed at me.

But even it began to fade, swallowed by the darkness.

I closed my eyes, surrendering. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Wake up, big brother!"

"You promised you wouldn't die!"

Faint voices pierced my fading consciousness, defying the silence.

"Issei!"

"Issei-kun!"

"Issei-san!"

"Issei-senpai!"

They were calling me.

Crying?

Haha… such crybabies…

No—damn it! How could I be so calm when they're hurting?

Give up because I'm dead? Hell no!

If I'm dead, I'll claw my way back! I'll wipe their tears myself!

It's crazy, I know. But I promised—to protect them, to never die.

I can't rest here.

Stand, damn it! Move!

My heart… my soul… they're still alive!

"That's the spirit."

A voice rang clear. The black void turned white, warmth flooding back into my body.

I rose slowly, scanning my surroundings. A black mist coalesced nearby, and from it emerged—

"You—"

"Been a while, hero from another world. Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou."

A man in a black robe, long black hair framing a face of stoic dignity—Sirius.

Shock rooted me in place.

He was dead. The man who fought to end the war between humans and demons, felled by my hand.

"Why are you here? You—"

"Dead? Relax. I'm a thought-form now," Sirius cut in. "Before our last battle, I sealed half my power into Ignis. This world? It's inside Ignis. I'm a thought-form with power."

"What!?"

His words stunned me. We were inside Ignis? And he'd sealed half his power here? Why?

"Why do that? Did you… plan to die?"

If so, I couldn't forgive him.

He held back in our battle for the future?

And Miu—she mourned him as her father!

"Miu cried for you! And you—!"

I seized his collar, shouting. I knew I had no right, but the anger surged.

"Calm down," Sirius said, prying my hands free. "It was necessary, or this world would've perished."

"What do you mean?"

"Lossward. I was told of him—his nature, his power. If the war continued, he'd have destroyed everything. To end it and let humans and demons coexist, the 'Demon Lord' had to die. I chose to be the last."

He continued, "I didn't die for nothing. I needed someone worthy to defeat me, someone who could protect this world, someone I could entrust Miu to. I fought you with everything. I regret her pain, but seeing her happy with you proves I was right. Thank you."

"Uh… yeah…"

His earnest gaze silenced my objections. His gratitude threw me off.

Wait.

How did he know about Miu's life in my world?

Sweat poured down.

No… he couldn't have…

He'd been watching us from Ignis! The baths with Miu, her lap pillows, sleeping naked, touching her—!

I dropped to my knees, bowing. "I'm so sorry!"

I'm dead. Her dad's gonna kill me!

"Calm down. Miu chose those things. I don't blame you…?" His tone wavered.

You sure about that!?

"Pfft, you two are close. True comrades," a woman's voice teased.

Red light gathered, forming a stunning woman, slightly older than me, clad in a fiery red dress, her long hair matching its hue.

"Who…?" I asked warily.

"Unlike Sirius, you're slow. He knew me instantly," she teased.

I blinked, then gasped, "Ignis!?"

"Bingo♪ It's a temporary name, though."

Her playful tone caught me off guard.

"Temporary?"

"There's a reason, but first, this sword—I created it."

"What!?"

"Surprised? Granseiz told you a forgotten god made it. That's me."

"Why forgotten?"

"I secluded myself in the divine realm's depths after igniting life's flame here. Over time, my name was lost," she said, chuckling.

Sirius added, "She is the True Flame, a god who shaped Ast Aade, the Mother of Life."

"Stop with the 'mother' thing. I'm single," Ignis quipped, poking Sirius's cheek.

Single? That's her concern? She seemed more like a lively older sister than a god.

"Anyway, I made this sword and dwell within it to stop Lossward. I forged myself into it, sealing my power to avoid disrupting the realms. I entrusted it to mortals."

"But it nearly burned my arm off…"

"Uncontrolled power is dangerous. It can destroy its wielder. I ensured only the worthy could use it."

She was right. Juggernaut Drive had destroyed past Red Dragon Emperors who couldn't control it.

"You've been forcing it," Ignis sighed.

Haha… saving my friends was worth an arm.

"My temporary name suppresses my power. Clear?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Hard to believe she's suppressing anything. Her full power must be terrifying.

"Wait, why am I here? I dove into Ignis before but couldn't reach you."

"You died. Your soul detached, and the shock brought you to the sword's depths. Ddraig couldn't because his soul's been separated too long."

"And you, Sirius? Did you die before our fight?"

He shook his head. "I spent over a year diving into Ignis."

A week wouldn't have sufficed.

"To learn my true name, master Ignis's power. Then I'll tell you♪," Ignis said.

"Got it…"

That could take lifetimes.

"Now, my request, Issei. Stop Lossward. Fulfill his wish."

His wish…

Fighting him, I understood.

"He wants to end himself."

Ignis nodded. "Cursed by evil gods, he can't act freely, doomed to endless destruction. The curse can't be broken. To save him, you must end him."

A tragic fate.

"I'll try."

"I knew you would," Ignis smiled.

"But how? He was unstoppable. And I'm dead."

Ignis wagged her finger. "No worries. Sirius is here for that."

"Huh?" I turned to Sirius.

"I sealed my power here for this," he said. "I'll strengthen your bond with Ignis, letting you wield its power."

"But that means—"

"I'll vanish. It's planned."

"No! You're asking me to kill you again? Even if I win, you'll…"

"Kill? I'm protecting what I love—my daughter, this world. If I vanish, I'm content. I regret not watching Miu grow, but you're there. One last request."

"What?"

"Take care of Miu."

His gaze, unwavering, echoed the moment he entrusted her to me two years ago.

Tears streamed down my face. I wiped them and bumped fists with him. "You got it."

Clap.

Ignis clapped. "Let's do it. They're waiting, and Miu's crying. Time to ease their hearts."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "Wipe her tears."

I nodded. We joined hands in a circle.

Their power—and their will—flowed into me.

Let's do this.

This incantation, my first and last.

One chance.

"I awaken as the Red Dragon Emperor, clad in demon and true flame—"

To be continued…

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