DW DXD Remastered Chapter 11: Through Flames, She Will Be Free (Patreon)

The night sky was painted orange as flames engulfed the Matou manor.

The structure and its defenses stood no chance against the divine fire that consumed it. The old timber crackled and split under the heat, roof beams sagged and collapsed, and windows burst one after another as smoke and embers billowed out in choking waves. The air was thick with the scent of burning rot and mold, like centuries of filth being scorched away in a single night.

Tamamo-no-Mae stood in front of the inferno, her tails swaying lazily behind her as she extended a hand toward the burning estate. Her delicate fingers moved as if conducting an orchestra of destruction. Her normally cheerful expression was replaced with something cold and deeply satisfying.

“Hehe~! That takes care of this disgusting den!” She said, flicking her wrist. Another burst of flames surged along the collapsing structure, worming through the remaining framework to ensure not a single trace of the mansion would remain.

Issei, standing beside her, watched the scene with a mix of grim satisfaction and unease. The heat licked at his face, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.

“Are you sure you got everything?” He asked, arms crossed as he felt the waves of heat rolling against his skin.

“Fufufu~ Of course, darling! I made sure every room, every little crevice, is reduced to cinders. Not even a roach is escaping this purification!” Tamamo giggled, sharp golden eyes glinting as she admired her work.

Despite her playful tone, there was something disturbingly final about it. The people inside, if any had still remained, were gone. There were no screams, no desperate cries for help. Only the roar of the flames.

Issei exhaled slowly. He wasn’t about to feel bad for any Matou. Not after what he’d learned. The things they had done made them irredeemable. But then he looked around for the entrance to the basement.

The entrance wasn’t hard to find.

Beneath the collapsing husk of the burning manor, hidden under loose stone and scorched wood, they uncovered a staircase descending into pitch-black darkness. The raging fire above cast flickering, hellish shadows down the stairwell, the glow dimming with every step into the underground.

Tamamo summoned a hovering ball of red light, its glow illuminating the narrow passage. The air grew thicker and more humid the deeper they went, with it getting hotter, damp, and becoming suffocating to anyone living here.

Tamamo wrinkled her nose. “Ugh~! It reeks of decay and filth down here!”

Issei frowned. “Yeah…”

At the bottom, the stairway opened into a series of low, dimly lit corridors. The stone walls were slick with a dark, viscous film, and from somewhere ahead came the faint, nauseating sound of something… squirming.

Tamamo shivered. “Ew ew ew! I hate this already!”

Issei stepped forward cautiously and peered into the first room. His stomach twisted the more he saw his surroundings.

The floor and walls were crawling, no, infested with writhing, pulsing worms. Some were small, little more than squirming maggots, but others were grotesquely large, their swollen bodies undulating as they slithered over each other in a heaving carpet of flesh. Bits of torn clothing lay half-dissolved in the muck, and here and there, he caught glimpses of bone half-buried in the sludge, maybe human, or something that had once been.

Tamamo covered her mouth. “Oh my~! Disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe this!”

Issei clenched his fists. “So, this is where Zouken held all his worms… He let these things fester down here.”

“Keep going,” Sherri’s voice urged through the link. “Sakura is at the lowest level. Zouken is with her.”

Issei exhaled through his nose, keeping his fury in check. “I was hoping he died with the house but I guess that’s too much to ask. Let’s end this.”

Tamamo’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Yes~ Let’s make sure that wrinkled worm never slithers away again.”

The deeper Issei and Tamamo ventured, the worse the infestation became.

The walls no longer just looked coated, they pulsed faintly, as if breathing. The floor squirmed under each step, worms bursting wetly beneath their shoes. The air was thick with the sickly scent of decay and something chemical burning faintly in the back of the throat.

Then the worms reacted.

A low, grotesque chittering reverberated through the corridors, like thousands of tiny mouths grinding together. A moment later, a wave of writhing masses surged toward them from every direction—floor, walls, ceiling.

“Ugh, seriously?!” Issei grimaced, summoning the Boosted Gear with a flash of crimson light. The red gauntlet clamped onto his arm, its jewel glowing. “Of course they weren’t just gonna let us walk through.”

Tamamo narrowed her eyes, golden pupils gleaming as she lifted her hand. “Disgusting little things… Burn.”

With a flick of her wrist, blue cursed fire erupted in a swirling wave, rushing down the corridor to meet the incoming swarm. The flames washed over the worms, and the air filled with shrill, inhuman screeches as their bodies sizzled, popped, and burst, collapsing into blackened ash.

But more kept coming.

Some were the size of snakes, flattened and slick, slithering along the walls and ceiling before hurling themselves toward them. Others were massive, pulsing like grotesque larvae, their bodies bulging as if something inside them were constantly trying to claw out. The worst were the ones that hissed, excreting a poisonous green mist that corroded the stone wherever it touched, leaving smoking pits in the floor.

Issei didn’t hesitate to fight back.

(Boost!)

Power surged through his body, muscles tightening as the familiar rush filled his limbs. He stepped into the oncoming tide and drove his fist forward. The impact triggered a shockwave that tore through the corridor, blasting a section of the swarm into paste. Worms splattered against the walls, leaving nauseating streaks behind.

Tamamo leapt gracefully onto a stone protrusion along the wall, kimono swishing as she kept herself clear of the sludge. Another plume of cursed fire spiraled from her hand, clearing a path ahead.

“My my, these creepy crawlies are really persistent~!” She pouted. “It’s like they want to be exterminated!”

A particularly large worm lunged down from the ceiling, jaws splitting open to reveal rows of hooked, wriggling teeth. Issei grabbed it mid-air by the middle of its body, his enhanced grip crushing its slimy form with a wet crunch. He flung the remains aside and immediately punched another one that launched itself forward, sending its ruined body slamming against the wall.

“Sherri, what the hell are these things?!” He snapped, stomping down on a worm that tried to slither toward his foot.

“Modified familiars,” Sherri replied. “Zouken has been breeding them for years. They’re resistant to conventional attacks, but Tamamo’s flames should be enough to burn through them.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Issei muttered, twisting aside as another worm spat a stream of acidic green fluid that hissed as it ate into the floor.

He glanced back at Tamamo. “Think you can clear the rest of this hallway?”

Tamamo smirked, holding out her hand. “Fufufu~! Leave it to me, darling!”

With a single sweeping gesture, a massive torrent of curse fire erupted from her palm, expanding into a roaring wave that surged down the entire passageway. The worms shrieked in a chorus of dying noise as the flames devoured them, their bodies blackening, shrinking, and finally crumbling into ash.

When the flames receded, only smoldering sludge and scorched stone remained. No movement or chittering. Just the crackle of lingering embers.

Tamamo clapped her hands together lightly. “All done~!”

Issei exhaled, letting some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “Damn… These things aren’t playing around.”

Clap… clap… clap…

Then a slow, mocking clap echoed from further down the corridor. 

A deep, raspy chuckle followed. From the shadows of the ruined passageway, a hunched figure stepped forward, his outline wreathed in the murky glow of Tamamo’s lingering flames.

The duo met the center of the noise and were face to face with the creator of the abominations.

Zouken Matou, the old magus, looked almost amused. His withered face stretched into something resembling a smile, skin so thin it clung to his skull. Sunken eyes gleamed with a mixture of irritation and morbid curiosity.

“My, my… what a mess you’ve made,” He said, voice dripping with condescension. His gaze drifted lazily toward Tamamo. “And here I thought my worms were resilient. I suppose fire from a Servant has a certain finality to it.”

Tamamo scowled, all three tails bristling. “Ugh~! You’re even more revolting in person. I was expecting some terrifying monster, but you just look like a dried-up old raisin.”

Zouken merely chuckled. “And you must be the Caster Servant… A most troublesome one at that.” His eyes shifted to Issei, studying him as though he were some amusing insect. “And you… a boy in way over his head.”

Issei cracked his knuckles. “We’re here for Sakura.”

Zouken’s expression didn’t shift much, but there was a flicker of interest behind those dead eyes. “Oh?” He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “So that’s what this is about. You’re not here for me—you’re here for the girl.” He tilted his head slightly. “I see… Kariya must have told you.”

Issei’s eyes narrowed. “You got that right.”

For the first time, Zouken’s thin smile faded, just a bit. “Hmph. I had hoped Kariya would remain a useful pawn, but it seems he’s grown… defiant in his last days.” He sighed, as if the betrayal was merely an inconvenient paperwork. “No matter. I can always make another plan.”

Issei’s grip tightened, anger flaring hot in his chest. “Not this time. We’re taking Sakura, and we’re ending this.”

Zouken’s lips curled into a slow, sinister smile. “Ah… but you see, boy—”

The air in the chamber shifted. Something crawled along the unseen edges of the room. The walls seemed to breathe, that same slow, nauseating pulsing they’d felt earlier now pressing in around them.

Zouken’s raspy chuckle echoed again, his hunched frame barely moving as he regarded Issei with cold amusement.

“Saving Sakura?” He sneered. “You’re a fool, boy. Do you truly believe you can just take her?”

Issei’s fists clenched harder, the Boosted Gear glowing faintly as power surged in response to his anger. “That’s the plan.”

Zouken shook his head, feigning disappointment. “How naïve. You have no idea what you’re interfering with.” He stepped forward, his bare feet making almost no sound against the damp floor. “Sakura is mine. Her body, her mind, her soul… they belong to me, to be used as I see fit.”

Tamamo scoffed, lip curling. “Ugh~! You sound like a slimy old pervert claiming ownership over a girl. Creepy and disgusting!” She twirled a lock of pink hair between her fingers, golden eyes flashing. “Besides, your so-called family is already a pile of ash! What’s left for her here?”

Zouken’s expression did not change, but his tone dropped several degrees colder. “I can always rebuild the Matou. The current generation were nothing but failures. Sakura will learn her place soon enough.” His smile widened into something ugly. “And Kariya? That pathetic boy will suffer for his betrayal. His punishment will be… enlightening.”

Issei’s blood boiled. He already hated this guy. But hearing him talk about “punishing” Kariya and claiming Sakura like property? That was it. He forced himself to breathe, to keep his voice even. “You talk too much.”

Zouken chuckled. “And you don’t think enough. You act like a hero, but you don’t understand how this world works. Power isn’t something given freely, it is taken. Those too weak to claim it, like Kariya and that girl, exist only to be used by their betters.”

Issei took a step forward. “That’s funny. You think power means you get to control people?” He lifted his gauntlet, the green gem flaring brighter. “Nah. It means I get to punch creeps like you in the face.”

Zouken sighed dramatically. “Hmph. I suppose I’ll have to remind you of your place.”

The ground shifted again and the walls pulsed.

Dozens, no, hundreds of worms slithered out from every crack and crevice, piling together in thick, writhing clumps. They merged into grotesque masses that rose from the floor, forming a swirling barrier of churning, fleshy familiars.

Zouken’s voice echoed from within the mass. “Let’s see how long you last.”

Issei didn’t wait. He surged forward, power flooding his limbs. In an instant, he closed the distance and drove his fist into the center of the writhing mass that wore Zouken’s face.

The impact detonated like a bomb.

A shockwave rippled through the chamber, crushing dozens of worms into sludge, splattering their fluids across the stone.

The malformed body reeled, but refused to fall apart completely, sections of worms sloughed off and reformed, fresh bulges swelling as it regenerated and thickened.

Tamamo raised her mirror with an annoyed huff. “Tsk tsk~! That won’t do, darling. Let me help!”

With a flick of her wrist, another surge of cursed fire roared forth, engulfing the mass in blue flames. The worms shrieked, writhing frantically as the fire clung to them, eating through their flesh.

Zouken’s voice hissed from somewhere within, the amused tone gone. “Annoying pests—!”

Issei cut him off.

(Boost!)

The second Boost erupted through his body. He jumped in, driving another punch straight into the burning mass, aiming deeper this time—where a core might be.

The impact shattered the construct, sending chunks of blackening worms splattering across the chamber. Tamamo’s flames pursued them, hissing as they burned every squirming scrap into ash.

For a heartbeat, silence.

Tamamo set one hand on her hip. “Well~! That was disappointing. I was expecting more of a fight.”

Issei exhaled, the glow of the Boosted Gear dimming back down. “Yeah… that was easier than I thought.”

Then something twitched.

Tamamo’s ears pricked. “Wait a minute…”

Issei tensed. “…Guess that was too easy.”

A slow, mocking clap echoed once more from the darkness ahead.

From the far end of the chamber, Zouken emerged again—completely unscathed. Same withered body. Same empty eyes. Same smug smile.

“My, my… such enthusiasm,” he smirked. “But I suppose I should have warned you. That was merely a shell.”

Issei’s eyes widened. “Tch—!”

Tamamo sighed dramatically. “Of course. The raisin sent a puppet.”

Zouken tilted his head. “You managed to destroy my copy faster than I expected.” He gestured lazily toward the smoldering remains of the false body. “But I am not so careless as to confront you in person. No, no… I prefer to let my creations handle such messy affairs.”

Issei clenched his fists again. “Then where the hell are you?”

Zouken smiled, completely unconcerned. “Far enough. But don’t worry—I’ll be watching.” His body crumbled, no, collapsed as the worms that composed him went limp and dropped to the floor like severed strings. This time, they didn’t move.

Only lifeless husks remained.

A heavy silence settled over the chamber.

Tamamo huffed, crossing her arms. “Well, that was extremely annoying. So what now, darling?”

Issei exhaled, forcing himself to ignore the urge to punch the ground. “We keep going. Zouken’s just stalling, trying to buy time.” He turned toward the dark passage ahead, jaw set. “Sakura’s still here. And we’re not leaving without her.”

Tamamo’s lips curled into a smirk. “That’s my darling~! Let’s go save the girl.”

With renewed determination, they pressed deeper into the underground lair—ready for whatever horrors were left.

—-------------------------

The descent grew darker. The air thickened into something oppressive, a putrid stench clinging to the back of their throats. The stone walls around them were no longer just slimy; they were coated in an unnatural mucus-like sheen that glistened dully in Tamamo’s light.

Somewhere ahead, the faint sound of writhing grew louder.

Issei’s Boosted Gear hummed softly, the green jewel pulsing like a heartbeat. He kept his guard up, eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. “This place just keeps getting worse.”

Tamamo wrinkled her nose, waving a hand in front of her face. “Eugh! It smells so vile! Like rotten meat mixed with an old man’s breath. Just awful~!” She pouted. “I’m burning this entire place down the moment we leave.”

“Fine by me,” Issei muttered.

They continued forward, ahead, the passage widened into a massive underground chamber. The ceiling stretched high above them, veined with grotesque, pulsating growths embedded in the rock, like the inside of some colossal, diseased organ. The air was thick and humid, every breath heavy with the stench of mold, rot, and something faintly metallic.

At the center of the cavern a huge pit was seen. A pit alive with movement.

Worms, thousands upon thousands of them, churned in a slow, nauseating spiral. The mass writhed and folded over itself, slick bodies glistening in the dim red light of Tamamo’s flames. Their movement was sluggish and unnatural, like a nest that had been disturbed but never fully awakened.

And at the very center of that pit was the little girl.

“Sakura!” Issei’s voice cracked as he yelled her name.

Sakura Matou was barely visible beneath the writhing mass. Pale skin, slick with whatever vile fluids the worms excreted, peered through gaps in the swarm. Her violet hair was matted, tangled, and plastered to her face and shoulders. Only her face and one arm remained above the surface, the rest of her body swallowed by the living sludge.

Her eyes were open as they stared upward with a dull, unfocused gaze, clouded with pain and exhaustion. A faint, rasping breath slipped past her lips, more a reflex than a sign of true awareness.

Tamamo’s ears flattened against her head. “Oh, that poor girl…” Her voice lost all teasing warmth, golden eyes narrowing with cold fury. “We need to get her out of there.”

Issei didn’t hesitate as he moved forward, his boots splashing through the thin layer of slime near the pit’s edge, ready to dive straight into the swarm if he had to. His fist clenched, Boosted Gear humming as he prepared to tear through anything between him and the girl.

But then— BOOM!

The entire chamber shook.

Stone dust rained from above as something massive crashed down from the ceiling, smashing into the ground between them and the worm pit. The impact carved a crater into the stone, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward as shockwaves rippled through the lair.

Issei skidded back, throwing up his arms to shield himself from the blast of debris. “What the hell—?!”

As the dust settled, a monstrous black knight rose from the crater. His entire body was encased in jagged, pitch-black armor that seemed to swallow the light around it. Corrupted energy pulsed along the plates like veins, radiating malice. His helmet had no eye slits, no visible features, only a red glow where his gaze should’ve been.

Clutched in both hands was a massive, ragged-edged blade, its surface dripping with a dark aura that made the pit behind him feel almost tame in comparison.

Tamamo groaned. “Ugh~! And just who invited this guy?!”

The knight raised his head, and a deep, inhuman roar tore out of his armor, echoing through the chamber like a beast unchained.

“Berserker,” Issei breathed. His eyes widened as the sheer rage radiating from the Servant slammed into him like a tidal wave. There was no thought, no restraint, only pure murderous intent.

And all of it was aimed at them.

The massive blade came screaming toward him before he could even fully reset his stance.

Issei barely dodged the first swing, his instincts yanking him to the side as the corrupted weapon slammed into the ground where he’d been standing a heartbeat before. The impact shattered the stone, hurling chunks of rock in every direction and sending another tremor through the chamber.

“Damn, he’s as fast as ever!”

Berserker didn’t pause. With unnatural agility that belied his heavy armor, the hulking knight whipped his sword up and lunged again, the jagged edge carving through the air in a wild arc.

Issei retreated, shoes grinding across the slick stone as he jumped back, landing beside Tamamo. She had already summoned several floating orbs of cursed fire that shot forward, slamming into Berserker’s armor and exploding in bursts of blue flame but no matter how many attacks he took no visible damage was seen.

Her golden eyes narrowed as she noticed. “Tsk! He’s relentless!”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Issei muttered, keeping his stance low, eyes flicking between Berserker and the pit behind him.

Something felt… wrong.

Berserker’s aggression made sense, he’d always been like a rabid hound once unleashed but this wasn’t wild, misdirected rage. This was focused. Controlled. And he wasn’t so much as glancing at the pit.

‘Why us? Wasn’t he supposed to be Kariya’s Servant?’ Then he felt it.

A presence behind them. Familiar and wrong. Issei turned his head, and his breath was caught in his throat. 

Standing near the entrance of the chamber was Kariya Matou. His body was hunched, posture twisted in a way that looked more puppet-like than human. His white hair, previously wild and unkempt, now hung limp and lifeless over his face. His skin, already pale, had taken on a translucent, waxy hue, stretched thin over his bones. His breathing was shallow. Too controlled. Too even. But it was his eyes that sent a chill down Issei’s spine.

Kariya’s dull, half-lidded gaze was empty. There was no desperate fire, no guilt, no stubborn resolve left. He stood there like a marionette whose strings were being pulled from somewhere else.

And then he spoke.

“Oh my… What a delightful reunion.” The voice that emerged was not Kariya’s. It was Zouken Matou’s.

Issei’s blood turned to ice. “No way—”

Tamamo stiffened beside him. “Eugh! Disgusting!” Her ears twitched in alarm. “That’s not his voice!”

Kariya’s lips curved into something that resembled a smile, but it was all wrong, too stiff, too forced, like a corpse trying to mimic human expression.

“Ah… It feels good to have a young body.” The words dripped from Kariya’s mouth, but every syllable felt like Zouken’s fingers scraping the inside of his throat. He slowly lifted one hand, clenching and unclenching it as if testing a new tool. “And all thanks to you… my dear guests.”

Issei’s fists clenched so hard his knuckles ached. “What the hell did you do to him?!”

Zouken, wearing Kariya’s body like clothing, tilted his head in mock confusion. “What did I do? Oh, no, no…” A slow, mocking chuckle rattled out of Kariya’s chest. “The real question, boy, is what you did.” His eyes glinted cruelly. “You healed this broken, pathetic fool. Strengthened him. You undid the damage I allowed to fester.” His stolen lips twisted into a grotesque smirk. “And just as I promised, I have rewarded him accordingly.” Then the smirk widened. “By making his suffering permanent.”

Issei felt his stomach lurch.

Zouken had taken over Kariya’s body. The man who had wanted nothing more than to save Sakura, who had endured years of hell and the worms just for a chance to free her had been stripped of even his own flesh. Reduced to nothing more than a vessel for the monster he hated most.

“You sick freak…” Issei growled, the Boosted Gear sparking to life, green jewel flaring with his rising rage.

Tamamo’s tails bristled, every strand of fur standing on end. “You’re the worst kind of parasite! You ruin everything you touch!” Her eyes burned with murderous light. “I’m going to burn you out of that body and turn your soul into kindling!”

Zouken merely laughed using Kariya’s throat. “Oh? You wish to burn me?” He raised his stolen hand and snapped his fingers. “Then by all means…”

Berserker let out a deafening roar.

The sound shook the chamber, causing loose stones to crumble from the ceiling. The ground shattered beneath his feet as he surged forward, corrupted blade howling with dark energy that warped the air around it.

“Kill them,” Zouken ordered, Command Seals glowing ominously on Kariya’s defiled arm. His tone was utterly indifferent, like he was discussing trash collection. “Go all out and break them.”

Issei’s eyes widened. “Wait—!”

Berserker didn’t as he moved and swung his sword.

Issei barely managed to get his arm up in time and jumped back, crossing the Boosted Gear in front of him. The jagged blade crashed down, luckily the impact was only a scratch but that scratch sent a brutal shockwave through his bones and nearly knocked him off his feet.

“Ghh—! Damn! He’s even stronger than before!”

Tamamo leapt back, Kimono fluttering as she narrowly dodged a second strike that carved a deep gouge in the stone, sending chunks of floor tumbling into the worm pit. “Tch—! This bastard isn’t even trying to control him!”

Zouken watched them with cold satisfaction. “Oh, don’t hold back, Berserker.” His hollow smirk stretched, almost splitting the face it wore. “After all… this body is just a disposable toy now.”

Issei’s stomach twisted.

Kariya had sacrificed everything to save Sakura.

He had endured so much pain and horror so she wouldn’t have to.

And now his own body had been stolen and puppeted by the very monster he’d tried to defy—while Berserker, the last proof of his will, was being used like a rabid dog to tear apart the only people trying to help.

Issei’s rage flared hotter than ever and he refused to let this end here. “You’re gonna pay for this!” The jewel on the Boosted Gear flared to life, green light pulsing in sync with his heartbeat, responding to the killing intent boiling in his chest.

Across from him, Berserker answered in kind.

A deep, guttural roar erupted from the black knight as his corrupted armor pulsed with a sickly, dark light. His whole body trembled with unstable energy before he lifted his weapon high, as if drawing power and then the blade changed.

Dark energy coiled around it like a living shadow, swallowing its rough, jagged form. Metal groaned and reshaped, the crude slab of steel smoothing into a sleek yet wickedly sharp sword that practically hummed with destructive intent. A suffocating aura poured off it in waves, making the air itself feel heavier, harder to breathe.

Issei immediately felt the danger and wrongness of that sword.

(Partner! Beware that sword!) Ddraig’s voice boomed inside his mind, more urgent than ever. (That is a blade forged for slaying dragons! You must not let it touch you!)

Issei’s breath hitched. ‘A dragon-slaying sword?!’

Sherri’s voice chimed in, sharp and precise. “That sword is Arondight! Then that means, Berserker is Lancelot! The Lancelot of the Knights of the Round Table!”

Tamamo’s ears perked up, then flattened. “The Lancelot?” She grimaced. “Ugh, so it’s one of Saber’s messed-up knights?!”

Issei swallowed hard. “A knight of the Round Table… and he’s got a sword meant to kill dragons.” A cold bead of sweat slid down his temple.

Berserker’s red light flared beneath his helmet, like enraged embers in a furnace. With a distorted, inhuman growl, he gripped Arondight with both hands and vanished.

Issei barely had time to register the movement before the sound hit him.

CRACK—CLANG!

A violent shockwave exploded as Arondight slammed into the Boosted Gear. Even braced, even with his enhanced strength, the sheer force behind the blow sent Issei flying like a ragdoll. His back smashed into the stone wall hard enough to spiderweb it with fractures.

“GAH!”

The air fled his lungs in a painful rush. He hit the ground and only just managed to push himself up when a killing intent washed over him again as Berserker was already there.

The corrupted sword howled through the air. Issei threw himself aside on pure instinct, feeling the wind of the blade pass inches from his face. Arondight bit into the stone where his head had been, spraying shards as it tore a deep gouge into the floor.

“Shit, he’s too fast!” Even with his Boosts stacked, even with adrenaline spiking through his veins he couldn’t keep up.

(You cannot block him, Issei!) Ddraig roared. (That blade will cut through Boosted Gear like paper!)

Issei gritted his teeth, forced to abandon the idea of trading blows entirely. He jumped back again as Berserker brought Arondight down in a brutal overhead slash. The strike cleaved the ground open, a jagged fissure ripping across the stone and sending fragments flying as Issei rolled clear.

Tamamo wasn’t faring much better.

Despite the flood of power emanating from her, her flames and curses only staggered the corrupted knight at best. Every time she summoned a curse, Berserker simply crashed through it, Arondight and his warped armor shredding the spellwork like thin paper.

Her tails bristled in frustration, the fur standing on end. “Tsk! What is this guy made of?! Why won’t my curses stick?!”

Zouken, still wearing Kariya’s body like a skin-suit, watched with sick amusement from a safe distance. “Oh dear, is something wrong?” he cooed. “Surely a mighty hero and a grand sorceress can handle a mere knight, yes?”

Issei clenched his fists, mind racing. ‘I can’t let that blade hit me. Not once. Just one clean hit might be enough to end me.’

Tamamo clicked her tongue irritably as she narrowly slipped past another slash of Arondight, the blade cutting a glowing line through the air. The corrupted knight’s relentless pressure kept both of them pinned on the defensive.

Her golden eyes flicked toward the back of the chamber, to the pit, where Sakura still lay half-submerged and barely conscious.

Time was running out.

With a sharp breath, Tamamo made up her mind. “Issei!” she shouted, twisting away from another blow. “Go to the girl!”

Issei, mid-step, almost tripped at her words. “What?! Are you crazy?! This guy will cut you down if I—”

“Just do it, you dummy!” Tamamo snarled, baring her fangs. “You’re the only one who can pull her out in time! Leave this knight to me!”

Before he could argue, the air around her changed. Magic surged from Tamamo like a breaking dam. Her fox ears twitched, eyes glowing with a fierce, predatory light. Behind her, the three golden tails rippled then split into four. Five. Each tail shimmered, flowing with raw magical energy so thick it distorted the air. The sheer pressure of it made the chamber vibrate, dust sifting from the ceiling.

Zouken narrowed Kariya’s empty eyes, interest piqued. “Oh? This is new. What a fascinating creature you are…”

Tamamo didn’t even look at him. Her focus was entirely on Berserker.

The black knight tilted his head, as though acknowledging the threat before him.

Then they collided.

Tamamo’s cursed flames and barrier charms met Berserker’s brute strength head-on. A shockwave of magical force and raw physical might exploded outward as they clashed. Cracks raced across the walls and floor, and the underground lair groaned like it might collapse at any moment.

Issei shielded his face from the blast, jaw clenched.

Tamamo had him covered.

He had to move and turned his gaze back toward Sakura, toward the seething pit between them.

“Hang on,” He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Between him and the girl was a writhing carpet of grotesque worms.

Some were the size of his arm, thick and veined, others barely larger than his fingers, but all of them twisted and snapped in his direction as if sensing fresh prey. Their fanged maws opened and closed hungrily. The stench of rot and poison rolled off them in waves.

A shudder crawled up his spine.

(Boost!)

The next surge hit his muscles like fire. His lungs burned, his body already screaming from the strain of repeated Boosts but he couldn’t stop. Not now.

Issei sprinted toward the pit. Each step squelched as the slime-covered stone gave under his boots. The sickening, wet sound of worm bodies squirming over each other filled his ears, like he was running toward the open mouth of a beast as he aimed for the center where Sakura was lying almost fully submerged. 

“Hold on, Sakura!” The moment he reached the edge, the swarm reacted.

Like a living tidal wave, the worms surged upward, lunging as one mass. Thousands of them twisted toward him, bodies bulging and wriggling, acidic saliva dripping from gnashing mouths as they tried to drag the intruder into their depths.

But Issei didn’t slow. He took one last step and dove.

The world narrowed to the cold, disgusting impact of the pit.

Slime and writhing flesh slammed into him from all sides as he plunged into the mass. His arms shot forward, reaching through the wriggling horror until he felt something small, fragile, and human.

The instant his hands closed around Sakura’s limp form, the worms went wild.

They swarmed him, latching onto his limbs and torso, coiling around his arms and legs. Their teeth scraped uselessly against the Boosted Gear, but where they found bare skin, a burning pain flared as Issei’s power burned them.

Issei meanwhile gritted his teeth and tightened his hold as he wasn’t letting go.

Sakura stirred weakly in his grip, a faint breath brushing against his chest, her voice a broken whisper he could barely hear.

“I’ve got you!” He shouted, more for himself than for her. But they were sinking.

The mass dragged them down, trying to swallow them whole, to pull them to the bottom and grind them into nothing. Worms filled his vision. His feet found no ground as they were dragged deeper. For every worm he tore away, three more closed in.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears. His muscles screamed. They needed to get out now.

(Then unleash it, Partner.) Ddraig’s voice echoed through his mind, deep and resolute. (Let your desires roar.)

Suddenly something clicked. A spark ignited at his core, different from the usual Boost. Hotter. Wilder. His Boosted Gear pulsed with a searing heat, the gem blazing brighter than before as a new power rose to the surface.

His instincts screamed at him to release it and so he did.

(Explosion!)

“DRAGON SHOT!!!” A brilliant burst of power detonated from his gauntlet, a concentrated blast of pure dragonic force erupting outward.

The chamber shook.

A pillar of crimson energy erupted from the pit like a volcanic eruption, engulfing the writhing mass in raw draconic fury. The worms shrieked in a thousand overlapping voices, their bodies burning away in an instant, disintegrating into ash under the sheer intensity of the attack.

The blast tore upward, blasting a chunk of the ceiling apart and filling the chamber with blinding red light.

The force hurled Issei and Sakura out of the pit.

He clung to her tightly as they rocketed upward, then slammed down onto the stone floor near the edge, skidding across the scorched ground. His back and legs flared with pain, but his arms never loosened.

He’d promised not to let go.

When the light finally faded, the pit behind them was unrecognizable.

No worms. No movement.

Just a scorched, black crater.

Issei’s breath came in ragged gasps, his body buzzing painfully from the aftermath of the Dragon Shot. Sweat clung to his skin, and his muscles trembled with exhaustion.

But Sakura was in his arms. Safe and out of that hell.

He stayed on his knees, cradling her carefully, making sure she wasn’t slipping from his hold. Her small fingers twitched, barely brushing his sleeve as they weakly curled.

Slowly, her dull, violet eyes fluttered open.

For the first time she saw him.

At first, her vision was just shapes and color, blurred and unfocused. Her body still screamed from phantom pain, her nerves raw from the worms’ torment. But through the haze, she could make out the figure holding her.

A boy, whose short brown hair was a mess, plastered to his forehead with sweat. His face was drawn tight with strain, but his arms around her were steady and unwavering. His breathing was heavy, shoulders rising and falling with each breath and his eyes were so warm. Deep brown, fierce with determination, burning with anger—but not at her. For her.

Sakura’s lips parted, a hoarse whisper escaping. “Who…?”

Issei looked down at her, still catching his breath, and managed a small, lopsided grin. “Just some idiot who hates seeing a girl suffer.”

Her breath hitched. Someone had come for her. Not to drag her back into the pit. Not to hurt her. Not to “train” her. To save her. A stranger, with no reason to care, was holding her like she mattered.

Something in her chest trembled. A warmth she’d almost forgotten flickered weakly inside, fragile but real. Her vision blurred again, not from fatigue this time, but from the tears gathering in her eyes, spilling over and trailing down her cheeks.

For the first time in a very, very long time Sakura felt like maybe she wasn’t completely alone.

But then the ground trembled as Tamamo and Berserker’s battle continued to rage. Each clash of Arondight against her barriers or curses sent ripples of force tearing through the underground chamber, making stones rain from the ceiling and widening the cracks in the walls.

Issei gritted his teeth as he glanced up, still cradling Sakura close against his chest, he could feel the pressure of their fight. He had no idea how long she could hold her own against the corrupted knight, but with the amount of power she was pushing out she had been waiting for his signal.

“Tamamo!” Issei shouted over the battle’s chaos.

Her ears twitched at the sound of his voice, catching it even through the roar of flames and metal. Her sharp blue eyes snapped toward him mid-dodge, heels skidding as she pivoted away from a slash.

He held Sakura a bit tighter and yelled. “I got her! Do it!”

Tamamo’s expression shifted in an instant as the tension gave way to a sharp, feral grin. “Oh~? Finally! About time, you slowpoke!”

She pivoted on her heel, letting Berserker’s next swing crash into the stone instead of a barrier, and slammed her foot down as if staking a claim on the entire chamber.

A surge of pure magical energy erupted around her as her fox tails fanned out, fur bristling, aura blazing like a rising sun. The air itself vibrated as she raised her arms, lips beginning a chant that made the residual curses in the lair recoil and tremble.

Issei felt the change instantly. The magical “noise” of her earlier spells vanished beneath something deeper and heavier.

She was about to unleash everything. Tamamo’s smile widened as golden light surged around her.

The temperature in the chamber spiked, the stale, rotten air now humming with divine power. Then Torii gates materialized around her in a perfect circle, red pillars forming out of pure light, each one glowing with ethereal radiance. Between them, levitating Ofuda inscribed with ancient kanji floated and rotated slowly, their surfaces pulsing with raw, sun-bright energy.

At the center of it all, Tamamo stood tall, the mirror in her hands shimmering as if it contained the sky itself. She lifted it reverently, channeling the power of the Sun Goddess.

“O sacred light of Amaterasu, bless me with your divine radiance!”

The mirror flared, a blinding beacon of divine might. Light poured over her like a waterfall. The moment the radiance enveloped her, Tamamo’s tails fanned out fully, each one trailing luminous wisps, her entire form glowing with an unmistakable, divine presence.

“Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu!”

The entire chamber shifted.

The oppressive darkness that had plagued the Matou underground was banished. The suffocating air, the crawling corruption in the walls, the lingering stench of decay, all of it was overwhelmed and drowned out by Tamamo’s divine power.

Issei flinched as the energy rushed through him.

The divine radiance from Tamamo’s spell enveloped him, Sakura, and even Tamamo herself. The warmth seeped into their bodies like sunlight into frozen limbs, mending wounds, rejuvenating exhausted muscles, and purging lingering curses.

The bruises on Issei’s skin faded as if wiped away. The deep ache in his arms and ribs vanished. His breathing steadied.

Sakura, who had barely been clinging to life, shuddered as the divine energy washed over her. The constant, gnawing pain that had been her reality for years slowly began to fade, smoothed over by warmth that didn’t hurt, didn’t demand just healed.

Her fingers weakly gripped Issei’s sleeve. The warmth… It felt kind.

Tamamo’s eyes flashed. With a flick of her wrist, the Ofuda shifted position around them like soldiers changing formation.

“Oh, and let’s not forget the little pests hiding inside this poor girl~!”

The Ofuda shot toward Sakura’s body, glowing brightly as they arranged themselves above and around her like a ritual circle.

Then Sakura’s body convulsed as something inside her screamed. It wasn’t vocal, more like a spiritual shriek echoing through the chamber. From deep within, the cursed worms that had been implanted into her reacted violently, writhing and thrashing as if trying to cling to their host.

But against Tamamo’s divine curses? They stood no chance.

The Ofuda pulsed in unison, sending shockwaves of exorcising force into Sakura’s body. The light sank into her skin, hunting. One by one, the writhing, disgusting creatures were cornered, dragged out of hiding, and torn from her body. Their forms came free as faint, shadowy outlines only to be seized, unraveled, and erased from reality.

Sakura’s lips parted as she gasped, her entire body trembling. For the first time in years—she felt free. She barely registered the tears running down her cheeks. The pain that had bound her, the torment that had defined her every waking and sleeping moment was gone.

Tamamo clapped her hands together, her fingers moving through an intricate series of signs as a new spell took shape.

A translucent barrier of glowing energy bloomed outward around Issei and Sakura, forming a sphere that separated them from the rest of the chamber like a bubble of pure light.

“This should keep you two safe while I deal with the leftovers~!”

The barrier shimmered, layered with complex sigils and reinforced with divine protections. It pulsed once, solidifying.

It was unbreakable as no worms or spells that could get through. Now, all that was left was the purge.

Tamamo’s expression darkened, all traces of playfulness gone. She slowly raised her mirror, and the floating Ofuda around her shifted once more—now glowing with searing golden flames. Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous, almost terrifying glint.

She spread her arms wide. “May Amaterasu’s flames cleanse this forsaken place—forever.”

With a snap of her fingers the entire chamber erupted into golden fire.

Divine flames roared out in every direction, flooding the tunnels like a tidal wave. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the branching corridors—everything was engulfed in Tamamo’s sacred blaze.

The heat was absolute, but inside the barrier, Issei and Sakura felt only a comforting warmth.

Outside, there was no mercy. The remaining worms shrieked as the flames devoured them, their bodies burning away faster than they could try to flee or burrow. The corruption in the stone, the lingering curses etched into the lair’s very structure—erased.

The foul remnants of the Matou bloodline’s darkest secrets were reduced to ash.

The mansion, no, the entire underground hell was burning.

Tamamo took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady herself. Her legs wobbled slightly, and she placed a hand on her knee to keep from collapsing, tails drooping with the strain of channeling that much power.

The underground chamber, if it could even be called that anymore was unrecognizable.

No writhing pits. No crawling shadows. No more hidden horrors. Everything was burned beyond recognition. The once foul, infested tunnels had been scrubbed clean by divine fire, leaving behind only scorched rock and cooling ash. Zouken had been completely erased.

Tamamo then smirked, despite the way her legs wobbled beneath her admiring her work. “Hahh~ That… should do it.” She let out a long, satisfied sigh, stretching her arms overhead. Her shoulders drooped, and her normally lively tails hung low, the fur flickering weakly from overuse. The glow around her slowly dimmed as Amaterasu’s blessing faded, leaving just Tamamo drained, but smug.

(Not bad, fox. But it’s nothing compared to my flames.)

Tamamo twitched. Her ears snapped upright, and she slowly turned her head toward Issei’s gauntlet, where Ddraig’s booming voice echoed through the ruined underground.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. “…Excuse me?”

(Your fire is impressive, but it lacks the sheer might of a dragon’s blaze. No flame can match the true fire of this Heavenly Dragon. Your little light show is cute, but compared to me? It’s a mere flicker.)

A vein throbbed on Tamamo’s forehead. Her exhaustion was momentarily forgotten as all three tails of her temper bristled at once.

“Oi, oversized lizard—” She growled, jabbing a finger at the Boosted Gear. “Did you just call my Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu a light show?!”

Ddraig huffed, utterly unrepentant. (I’m just stating facts.)

“Oh-ho~? You wanna go, dragon?” Tamamo snapped, baring her fangs. “I swear, if I had even one tail of magic left, I’d roast you like a holiday meal—!”

Issei, still holding Sakura securely in his arms, let out the most tired sigh of his life. “Oh, great,” he muttered. “Now they’re arguing.”

Sakura, despite the lingering weakness in her body, made a tiny sound, something trembling and fragile that almost sounded like a giggle. It felt strange, hearing herself make that noise. Stranger still that the people who saved her were bickering, she didn’t understand what is going on but she felt relieved..

Issei finally tore his attention away from the sniping pair and took in what remained of the underground.

The chamber that had once been a living nightmare was now nothing more than scorched stone. The oppressive aura was gone. The stench of decay had been burned away. The endless swarms of worms were reduced to brittle ash under the lingering glow of divine flame.

This hell was dead. But amidst the destruction, something else drew his eye. A charred body lay half-buried in the rubble, its shape barely human anymore. Kariya Matou.

The flesh was blackened and cracked, twisted beyond recognition. What little remained of his hair was nothing but brittle ash. There was no twitching, no movement—just stillness.

Tamamo looked away, expression unreadable. Issei gently lowered Sakura to the ground, making sure she could sit up against the ground. Then he walked forward and knelt beside what was left of the man.

The sight was ugly, but Issei’s face wasn’t twisted in disgust. Just quiet, heavy respect.

He’d seen all kinds of people since this whole “Dimensional Watch” thing started from heroes, monsters, idiots, cowards. But Kariya Matou didn’t fit cleanly into any category.

He was just… a man who’d lost everything. A man who had been broken long before Issei ever met him, who’d walked voluntarily into a hell he knew would kill him, just to try and save one little girl. He’d suffered. He’d failed. And he’d still tried.

“You weren’t a hero,” Issei murmured, voice low. “But you tried.” He pressed his hands together, bowing his head. “Rest easy. I’ll take care of her. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

The words were simple. But they were a promise.

The only sound around them was the faint crackling of lingering embers and the soft, shallow breaths of the girl behind him.

Sakura watched from where she sat, legs tucked beneath her. She didn’t recognize the burnt figure. The features were too ruined, the shape too twisted. Whoever it was, whatever connection they had to her, it was lost to the flames. And maybe… that was for the best.

She just stared instead at the boy praying for a stranger’s corpse.

Issei rose slowly and returned to her side. He lifted her gently back into his arms, careful not to jostle her too much. Then he turned toward Tamamo, who was still swaying a little, but met his gaze with a small, tired nod.

“Ready to get out of here?” He asked with a smile.

“Absolutely,” Tamamo huffed, flicking a bit of imaginary dust off her sleeve. “This place was a dump anyway.”

Issei snorted softly and glanced upward.

The hole blasted through the ceilings during their battle still yawned open high above them, a jagged tunnel leading back to the surface. Cool air drifted down from it, a hint of the world above.

He tightened his grip on Sakura, crouched slightly—

“Boost.”

The power surged through his legs, and he launched himself upward, vaulting from broken ledge to broken ledge until they burst through to the surface. Tamamo followed in a smooth arc of pink, landing lightly beside them.

And when they finally emerged the warmth of the sun greeted them.

The sky above was clear, painted in gentle morning gold. Sunlight spilled over the ruined remains of the Matou estate, turning charred beams and collapsed stone into something almost peaceful.

The three of them started walking away from the estate. In the distance, faint sirens could be heard, growing closer as emergency services rushed toward the pillar of smoke that had risen in the night.

By the time anyone arrived, everyone would already be gone.

The streets around them were quiet. It was still too early for most people to be out. Closed shutters, dim streetlights, and the cool bite of morning air muffled the world into something calm and distant as they walked with Sakura between them.

Tamamo had already changed into her casual clothes, her tails and ears hidden from human eyes. Sakura walked at Issei’s side now, one small hand bunching the fabric of his sleeve. She kept fidgeting, glancing up at him and then away, eyes darting between the two people who had dragged her out of hell.

“Oni-chan…” she whispered.

“Yeah?” Issei looked down at her with a gentle smile.

“Wh-why did you save me? Who are you?”

His smile softened further, losing some of its usual goofy edge. He slowed a bit to better match her pace.

“Because you needed saving,” Issei said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And as for who am I? I’m Issei. And the beautiful onee-chan next to me is Tamamo-no-Mae. We’re just people who couldn’t stand by and do nothing while you suffered.”

Sakura looked down, fingers tightening in her sleeves. “…But I don’t even know you.”

“You don’t have to,” Tamamo said, her voice soft but firm, carrying none of her earlier teasing. “A child shouldn’t have to endure such suffering. That alone is enough reason to help.”

Sakura’s steps faltered for a moment, her shoulders trembling. “But… what happens now?”

Issei and Tamamo exchanged a look over her head, a silent conversation passing between husband and wife in an instant.

Then Issei crouched down in front of Sakura so he could meet her eyes, his hand resting gently on her head. “That’s up to you, Sakura,” he said. “We won’t force you to do anything. But if you want… you can come with us.”

Hope and fear clashed in her violet eyes. She bit her lip, her voice barely more than a breath. “…I don’t want to go back.”

Tamamo’s smile turned tender. “Then you don’t have to.” 

They kept walking through the quiet streets, and little by little, the oppressive weight around them began to lift. Sakura still fidgeted nervously, but now she stayed close to Issei’s side, almost pressing into him like a frightened kitten seeking warmth.

Tamamo walked on her other side, gaze casually sweeping their surroundings, though her instincts prickled with unease. Something was—

“Move,” Sherri’s voice snapped in Issei’s mind, sharp and urgent. “Now!”

Issei didn’t question it.

He grabbed Tamamo’s wrist with one hand and Sakura’s shoulder with the other, yanking them forward as he dove aside.

A heartbeat later—

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—!

A barrage of gleaming weapons slammed into the pavement where they’d been standing. Swords, spears, and axes embedded themselves into the asphalt, carving deep gouges and sending fragments of stone and dust into the air.

Tamamo twisted mid-fall, curling her body protectively around Sakura to shield her from the debris. Issei rolled, shoes scraping against the ground before he came up in a low stance, eyes snapping toward the source of the attack.

A familiar, hateful glow painted the morning sky gold.

A figure stepped forward from the air itself, as if reality had politely parted to let him through.

Clad in ornate golden armor, bathed in the radiance of his own treasury, he descended as if it were only natural that the world serve as his stage. Crimson eyes burned with disdain, looking down on them not as opponents but as vermin he’d finally cornered.

Gilgamesh smirked, lips curling into a mocking grin as his gaze locked onto Issei. “I finally found you, clown.”

The air grew heavy, the promise of battle settling over the quiet street like a blade at their throats.

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes.