DW DXD Chapter 101 Karasuba’s First Date Part 2 (Patreon)

The cool high-altitude wind rushed past as Kuromaru’s massive black wings beat steadily against the sky, gliding smoothly toward the northeast. Behind the wyvern’s sweeping horns, Issei sat holding onto the leather harness, adjusting his jacket against the chill.

Karasuba sat casually beside him, her long grey hair billowing through the air as she rested her hand on the hilt of her nodachi, her eyes lazily scanning the passing clouds.

Issei turned his head toward her, raising his voice slightly over the rush of the wind. "So, Karasuba... care to fill me in on where we're actually going? You dragged me out of the guild so fast I didn't even catch what this quest is about."

Karasuba offered an indifferent shrug, her grey hair fluttering wildly. "Beats me. Some place called Oak Town. All I know is there's a request, and a fight waiting at the end of it."

"Oak Town?" Issei repeated, blinking as a wave of familiarity hit him. He rubbed his chin, digging through his memories. 

“Master, Oak Town was where the Phantom Lord’s guild used to be? Before they were disbanded.” Sherri chimed in from the watch to remind him.

Images flashed in his mind—the massive walking fortress, the intense guild war, and the chaotic assault he and Fairy Tail had launched to put an end to Jose Porla’s reign.

"Yeah, that's the place," Issei muttered, frowning in thought. "Why would they be issuing a request now? Shouldn’t the town have plenty of mages since that was where most of them were from?"

Before Karasuba could answer, Sherri’s calm, melodic voice chimed directly into the air once again. “Following the disbandment of the Phantom Lord guild, Oak Town must have been left entirely without local strong magical protection. As most mages left to find other guilds or other forms of work. Former dark mages or rogue monsters in the surrounding area likely view the region as defenseless, as the town no longer possesses high-ranking mages to handle local crises.” Sherri explained smoothly. 

"Ah... that actually makes a lot of sense," Issei acknowledged, nodding, feeling a bit guilty since he was involved in them not having the guild anymore to protect the town. He then turned back to Karasuba, extending an open hand. "Can I see the quest flyer? I should probably know what we're walking into."

Without a word, Karasuba reached into her skirt, pulled out a folded piece of parchment, and tossed it carelessly into his lap.

Issei unfolded the paper. But the moment his brown eyes landed on the top header, his entire body froze, and his jaw practically hit Kuromaru’s scales.

Printed at the very top of the parchment, bolded in bright red ink, was a massive, unmistakable S-RANK.

"S... S-RANK?!" Issei squeaked out, his voice cracking as shock coursed through him. "Karasuba! This is an S-Class quest!"

He quickly scanned down the document, reading the details out loud. "The task: investigate and neutralize severe, unnatural earthquakes originating from the northern mountain range near Oak Town. The tremors are increasing in magnitude and threatening to collapse the entire town endangering the townsfolk living there."

Issei’s eyes widened further as he reached the bottom note written by the town's frantic mayor. "...Note: Due to the extreme hazard, an S-Rank mage was previously dispatched to handle the anomaly but has gone missing without a trace. Higher authority intervention required."

Issei stared at the paper in absolute disbelief before slowly turning his head to look at Karasuba. "An S-Rank mage went missing?! Karasuba, how in the world did you even get this flyer?! Only S-Class mages are allowed to grab these!"

Karasuba gave a smug smirk, resting her chin in her palm as she looked away nonchalantly. "Oh, please. It was just sitting up there on the board while everyone was distracted with the fight you caused. I just took it before anyone noticed."

A cold dread pooled in Issei’s stomach as the full weight of the situation hit him. He grabbed his hair, groaning loudly in sheer panic. "You snatched an S-Rank request?! Are you insane?! We are going to be in so much trouble! The Master is going to blow a fuse!"

Karasuba rolled her grey eyes, scoffing at his reaction. "Relax. What’s that old goat going to do to us? Shout a little? Give us a lecture? We’ve fought giant monsters before; we can handle a few angry words from him."

Issei looked at her, his expression deadpan as he delivered the ultimate reality check. "He's not going to punish us himself, Karasuba. He's going to tell Miya."

The moment the name Miya left his mouth, Karasuba’s smug expression instantly vanished. A sudden, visible shudder ran down her spine, and a drop of cold sweat trickled down the side of her neck. The image of Sekirei No. 1 standing over her with a wooden bokken and a terrifying, smiling Hannya mask flashed vividly in her mind.

For two full seconds, the terrifying Black Sekirei was completely silenced.

"...Tch," Karasuba finally scoffed, turning her head away to hide the lingering twitch in her eye, though her voice lacked its earlier confidence. "D-Doesn't matter. We're already halfway there anyway. Besides, you promised me a date, and hunting down whatever's causing earthquakes sounds a hell of a lot more fun than sitting around a tea shop."

Issei stared down at the crumpled quest parchment in his hands once more, letting out a long, heavy sigh of resignation. He leaned back against the high leather pommel of Kuromaru's saddle, rubbing his temples in a desperate attempt to stave off the impending headache.

"Man... we are so dead," Issei muttered quietly under his breath, though a small, fond smile couldn't help but tug at the corner of his lips as he glanced up at Karasuba’s stubborn, unflinching scowl. "Well... I guess the town obviously needs help, especially if an S-Rank mage went missing. Hopefully, once Miya-san hears we actually saved lives and handled a real crisis, she'll go a little easy on us..."

He paused mid-sentence, his own words sinking in before a violent shudder ran straight down his spine, completely obliterating any lingering optimism.

"...Who am I kidding?" Issei groaned, his shoulders slumping in sheer despair. "We're getting banned from the dinner table for a whole month! And worse, she might ban me from touching oppai for an entire week!"

The mere thought hit him like a blow to the balls. Issei immediately curled into a depressed ball on the back of Kuromaru, sniffling and sobbing in agony. He couldn't possibly go back to just looking, not after his hands had finally experienced the divine, heavenly, life-changing sensation of actually touching them!

His continuous, pathetic whining echoed over the rushing wind, rapidly grating on Karasuba’s nerves. She twitched, her sharp eyes narrowing as her patience finally snapped.

"Tch! Stop your damn sniveling already!" Karasuba barked, turning her head slightly. A heavy blush was creeping up her neck, though her expression remained fiercely defiant. "If you're really that pathetic and desperate to feel boobs right now, you can just use mine! Now shut up!"

Issei’s tears vanished in a microsecond. His head snapped up, his brown eyes sparkling with pure joy as if he had just been handed the keys to heaven. "Wait... seriously?! I really can?!"

Karasuba’s face flushed a deeper shade of red. She grunted softly, refusing to meet his direct gaze, but gave a short, silent nod.

Without wasting another second, Karasuba deftly shifted her weight, maneuvering herself backward on the wide leather saddle so she was sitting directly in front of him, her back pressed snugly against his chest. Issei happily wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands immediately finding their way upward to cup and gently massage the soft, firm curves beneath her dark outfit.

Karasuba let out a sharp, trembling breath, her fingers gripping Kuromaru's reins tightly as a quiet shudder ran through her frame.

"Hmph... sorry they're not as huge and ridiculous as Uzume’s or Tamamo's," Karasuba muttered sarcastically, her voice carrying a rare, subtle note of self-consciousness. She was fully aware that her bust size was on the considerably sleeker side compared to the absolute monsters in his household.

"Are you kidding me?!" Issei blurted out, caressing her with absolute devotion and pure reverence. "All oppai are a gift from the heavens! Yours are firm, sleek, and perfect, Karasuba! Plus, science says if I keep massaging them like this every day, they might even grow bigger!"

Karasuba bit her lower lip, a soft, involuntary moan escaping her mouth before she could stop it. "S-Shut up, you perverted brat... just hold on tight and keep your hands busy..."

And that was precisely how the two spent the remainder of their high-altitude flight to Oak Town. Issei blissfully cupping and caressing Karasuba’s chest to soothe his pre-punishment anxiety, while the Black Sekirei did her absolute best to maintain her fierce composure, hopelessly struggling to suppress the sweet, breathless sighs slipping past her lips against the biting wind.

Far below them, emerging through the thick blanket of clouds, the distant, jagged silhouette of the northern mountain ranges began to loom on the horizon, promising buried secrets, answers to a dark conspiracy, and a violent fight waiting for them at the end of their flight.

—----------------------------------

Oak Town

Leaving Kuromaru resting comfortably in a secluded clearing on the town's outer limits so as to not panic the locals with an enormous black wyvern, Issei and Karasuba made their way on foot into Oak Town.

The mountain settlement was built directly into a rugged, stone-carved basin, cradled tightly at the foot of a towering, menacing mountain range whose jagged peaks pierced the sky. Stone houses and sturdy wooden buildings lined the rising cobblestone streets, engineered to withstand harsh alpine winds and the occasional natural tremor. Smoke drifted lazily from stone chimneys into the crisp mountain air, blending with the smell of pine and damp earth.

As they walked through the cobblestone streets, Issei observed how the townsfolk went about their daily lives with obvious distress. Deep, anxious scowls were plastered across almost every face they passed. Conversations whispered in hushed, frantic tones revolved entirely around the relentless, terrifying seismic activity rocking the region.

"...Another huge crack opened up near the eastern bridge just an hour ago."

"My barn nearly collapsed straight into the valley this morning..."

"If these earthquakes keep coming like this, we'll lose the whole town by the end of the month..."

"The northern mines have already been completely abandoned... it's just too dangerous down there now."

Children stayed unusually close to their parents' sides, clutching their coats, while anxious merchants hurriedly reinforced their storefronts with heavy wooden beams and temporary iron braces. Several homes and stores already bore fresh, hasty repairs, while others remained completely boarded up or cordoned off after suffering heavy structural damage.

Issei’s brow furrowed with genuine concern and deep sympathy for the residents. ‘This is way worse than I expected...’ He thought grimly, taking in the frightened expressions of the local families.

Beside him, Karasuba walked with her hands folded behind her neck, completely indifferent to the surrounding misery. Her sharp, grey eyes casually scanned the jagged alpine landscape and the broken stone buildings without a shred of pity.

"If they're alive enough to complain," Karasuba said flatly, her tone completely void of warmth, "then they're alive. They should stop whining and fix their roofs."

Issei let out a tired, long sigh, shooting her a dry glance. "...Your manners could really use some serious work, Karasuba."

"Hmph," She scoffed, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "I simply don't do sympathy."

—--------------------------

Oak Town, Town Hall

It did not take long for the pair to reach the town hall, where their client was located. A sturdy, heavy stone building reinforced with thick, reinforced wooden supports specifically designed to withstand the region's constant, unsettling seismic activity.

Stepping inside the administrative building, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Stressed officials rushed back and forth carrying stacks of documents, while armed guards stood watch nervously near the stone entrance.

"Excuse me. We're here regarding this quest," Issei said politely as he walked up to the front desk. He presented the S-Rank quest parchment and proudly announced their arrival. "We're mages from Fairy Tail, sent to handle the Quest."

The moment the words "Fairy Tail" left his mouth, an instant, icy shift washed over the entire room. The frantic shuffling of papers died down, and a heavy silence fell over the lobby.

"...Fairy Tail." The receptionist, a remarkably pretty young woman wearing a tight, tailored pencil skirt and a crisp white blouse and the surrounding clerks turned to glare at them with ugly, looks of disgust and anger.

"The guild that destroyed Phantom Lord..." Someone spat from across the hall.

"If it wasn't for them..."

"They're the exact reason we're in this mess in the first place."

Bitter, venomous mutters rippled rapidly through the lobby like wildfire.

Issei blinked, taking a half-step back. "...Excuse me?"

The receptionist gripped the edge of her desk so hard her knuckles turned white, her blue eyes sharp with resentment. "If Fairy Tail hadn't gone and destroyed Phantom Lord, our town would still have one of the strongest, most prestigious guilds in the kingdom protecting us!"

"We wouldn't be forced to rely on outsiders!" A clerk added angrily.

"Our regional protectors would still be here!"

"You people came into our region and ruined everything!"

To the people of Oak Town, Fairy Tail was not a guild of selfless heroes; they were the reckless, violent instigators who had shattered their primary form of defense. Had Fairy Tail not obliterated Phantom Lord, Oak Town's former regional protector, the town wouldn't be left defenseless, forced to put out desperate, humbling pleas for outside help.

Issei scratched the back of his head awkwardly, chuckling weakly under the weight of a dozen glares. "...That's... quite the warm welcome."

Beside him, Karasuba didn't even blink. She folded her arms beneath her chest, her sharp grey eyes casually sweeping over the hostile crowd with absolute, icy indifference. "...Are you done whining?" She asked flatly. "Because we have a job to do."

The receptionist winced at Karasuba's cold tone, her teeth gritting. But despite her blatant disdain and personal hatred for their guild, she knew she had a job to do and that the town's situation was far too dire to turn mages away at the front door.

Suppressing her intense irritation with a forced, rigid breath, the receptionist stepped out from behind her desk. "Follow me," She commanded coldly, escorting Issei and Karasuba down a grand, carpeted hallway toward the mayor's private office.

—-------------------

A Few Moments Later, the receptionist offered a quick, sharp knock on the heavy oak door. "Mayor?"

"Enter!" A strained, overworked voice called out from within.

Opening the door, the receptionist stepped aside to let the mages through. Behind a massive desk buried in mountain-high stacks of paperwork sat the Mayor of Oak Town as he rubbed his weary eyes, asking without looking up, "What is it now?"

"Mayor, these are the mages who accepted the S-Rank quest," The secretary announced.

The Mayor’s face instantly lit up. He sat up straight, a surge of profound relief washing over him. "Finally! A response so quickly! Thank goodness!" He beamed at them, standing up from his chair. "Tell me, which guild do you hail from? Blue Pegasus? Lamia Scale?"

"We're from Fairy Tail!" Issei offered a friendly smile.

The Mayor’s cheerful expression instantly curdled into fury. His face flushed bright red as he slammed both fists onto his desk, rattling his inkwells and stacks of paper. "GET OUT!" He roared at the top of his lungs, pointing a shaking finger at the door. "GET OUT OF MY TOWN AND NEVER COME BACK!"

Issei blinked in surprise, taking a cautious step forward while holding his hands up placatingly. "Whoa, wait a second! Please, sir, just hear us out! It looks like your town is in serious trouble, and we're here to help—"

"We don't want or need help from your kind!" the Mayor yelled stubbornly, his chest heaving. "I'd rather watch this building crumble to the ground than accept a single shred of aid from Fairy Tail!"

Issei’s brows knit together in confusion and frustration. "What is your guy’s problem with us?! We just want to do the quest!"

"What is our problem?!" The Mayor snapped, his voice cracking with bitter rage. "It is your guild's fault that this entire town is in this godforsaken state in the first place! For years, Oak Town thrived under the direct protection of the Phantom Lord Guild! They kept the dark guilds away, maintained peace, and guaranteed our safety! But then Fairy Tail had to destroy them! You crushed our protectors, ruined our regional stability, and left us exposed and helpless! And now you have the nerve to strut into my office pretending to be saviors?!"

Before Issei could attempt to defend his guild's actions, a sudden, violent rumble shook the very bedrock beneath Oak Town.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMM—!!

The entire town hall groaned under a high-intensity earthquake. Massive, jagged cracks burst across the office walls and ceiling, showering the room in plaster dust. Books flew from shelves, and framed pictures crashed to the floor. The floor violently pitched side to side. The Mayor shrieked, losing his balance and tumbling over his desk, while the other clerks in the hallway cried out in panic.

Karasuba and Issei, however, remained completely still as Karasuba adjusted her weight effortlessly, standing grounded amidst the chaos.

Issei, meanwhile, acting purely on instinct, reached out and caught the pencil-skirt receptionist as she stumbled off her feet. He pulled her securely against his chest, cradling her waist to keep her from crashing into the splintering furniture.

After a few agonizing seconds of heavy shaking, the earthquake finally subsided, leaving behind a thick cloud of settling dust and echoing alarms across the town.

Realizing the shaking had stopped, the young woman found herself pressed entirely against Issei, her hands clutching his chest. Her face flushed a deep, burning crimson as she realized how close they were. Stepping back, she adjusted her skirt frantically, completely avoiding his eyes while stammering, "T-Thank you... for saving me..."

"No problem," Issei offered a warm, reassuring smile before turning his attention back to the Mayor, who was groaning as he pulled himself up from the floorboards.

Karasuba stepped forward, resting a gloved hand on her hip, her sharp grey eyes locking onto the terrified official. "Listen to me, old man," Karasuba said, her tone cold, flat, and commanding. "You don't have the luxury of pride right now. Your town is literally splitting at the seams, and your people are terrified. You really don't have a choice in the matter. Just swallow your pride and accept our help."

The Mayor stared at the newly cracked walls of his office, his shoulders slumping in utter defeat. He dragged a hand down his tired, aged face and let out a long, shuddering sigh. "...Fine," The Mayor muttered quietly. "Fine. It's not like we have any other options left..."

He walked heavily back to his desk, resting his hands on the wood as he began his debriefing. "This nightmare started roughly three weeks ago. Out of nowhere, a massive, unannounced earthquake struck the region. At first, we assumed it was something natural... but then it continued and the frequency kept accelerating. Every few days, a stronger tremor hits, slowly tearing our infrastructure apart."

The Mayor gestured toward the cracked glass window. "Desperate for answers, we consulted a localized divination witch. She confirmed our fears: the earthquakes were man-made, generated artificially from deep inside the caverns of the highest peak. We immediately dispatched our local guards and scouts to investigate the mountain... but not a single one returned."

Issei’s expression grew serious. "They just vanished?"

"Completely," the Mayor said somberly. "Left with no alternative, we posted an official request for mages to investigate and put an end to the tremors. Luckily, our cry for help was answered a few days ago by a former renowned S-Class Mage who used to call this region home. The second strongest mage of the late Phantom Lord, the former leader of the Element 4: Aria of the Air."

Issei tilted his head, scratching his cheek in genuine confusion. ‘Aria...? Who the heck is that?’

As the name caused confusion to the young man, Sherri quickly spoke up in his mind to remind him.

‘Master... do you seriously not remember?’ Sherri chuckled softly within his consciousness. ‘He was part of Phantom Lord and the one who attacked you the second you activated your Balance Breaker during the guild war.’

Ddraig quickly snorted in amusement. (Ah, yes. The tall, loud weakling who attacked you with wind magic while weeping tears of sorrow.)

‘Ohhh!’ Issei thought back, a realization lightbulb flashing over his head. ‘The guy who went on a huge, dramatic speech before I instantly shut him up with a single punch to the gut!’

(The very same,) Ddraig confirmed with a quiet dragon snort. (A minor nuisance at best.)

Unaware of the silent internal exchange, the Mayor continued his sorrowful explanation, his head hung low. "Aria departed for the mountains three days ago to eliminate the threat. But... he never returned, nor has he sent a single form of communication back. His sudden disappearance forced us to elevate the request to an S-Rank assignment, as whatever is lurking in those mountains was capable of defeating a mage of his caliber." The Mayor then looked up, staring intently at Issei and Karasuba. "That is every piece of information we possess."

Issei nodded firmly, his brown eyes burning with resolve as he placed a hand over his chest. "We understand the situation, Mayor. I promise you, we will head into those mountains immediately, put a stop to whatever is causing these earthquakes, and find out what happened to Aria."

The Mayor stared at the young dragon slayer for a long moment, sensing the absolute sincerity and quiet strength in his voice. He then let out a weary, resigned sigh. "Very well... you are our only hope right now. If you truly manage to put an end to this crisis and save our town... we will officially drop our grudge against Fairy Tail and pay you handsomely for your troubles."

"Deal," Issei smiled.

With their objective clearly defined, Issei and Karasuba turned and exited the town hall, heading straight back toward the outskirts to retrieve Kuromaru and fly into the looming, dark mountains of the northern range.

—---------------------------------

Northern Mountain Range

Kuromaru’s massive, leathery wings cut smoothly through the biting mountain air, casting a sweeping shadow over the peaks of the northern mountains. High above the jagged terrain, the giant wyvern slowly circled, his amber eyes scanning the rocky expanse below.

Leaning forward over Kuromaru’s leather saddle, Issei narrowed his eyes, squinting against the harsh wind as he searched for anything out of the ordinary. Beside him, Karasuba sat with her usual posture, arms casually crossed over her chest, her grey gaze lazily sweeping over the endless brown cliffs.

"See anything yet?" Issei called out over the rush of the wind, rubbing his temples.

"Just a bunch of overgrown rocks," Karasuba replied flatly, a slight scowl twitching at the corner of her lips.

No matter how hard they strained their eyes, the mountain range looked completely normal. There were no visible caves, no collapsed ravines, and not a single trace of an entryway.

Issei let out a long, heavy sigh of frustration, running a hand through his brown hair. "Man... what are we even supposed to be looking for? From up here, everything just looks like regular old rocks."

Karasuba then scoffed, her hand drifting down to rest lazily on the hilt of her nodachi. "You're overthinking it. Why waste time playing detective? We can just blow a few peaks sky-high or slice them down to ground level. Whatever's hiding inside will come running out soon enough."

"Whoa, whoa! Absolutely not!" Issei interjected immediately, waving his hands defensively. "We don't even know which mountain is causing the problem! If we start randomly blasting peaks apart, we'll just end up triggering a massive landslide or making the earthquakes ten times worse for Oak Town!"

"Tch. Always taking the tedious route," Karasuba muttered, though her smirk betrayed her subtle amusement at his panicky reaction.

It is then that Kuromaru dipped lower, gliding just above the craggy ridges to give them a closer look. As they coasted into a wide basin encircled by towering rock formations, Issei suddenly stiffened.

Focusing his senses, his Dragon Slayer enhanced hearing picked up something strange amidst the howling wind, a rhythmic, heavy thudding sound.

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...

It sounded like colossal footsteps booming from deep within the core of one specific mountain in the center of the basin.

Before Issei could speak, Kuromaru let out a low, vibrating growl from deep in his chest. The wyvern’s head snapped toward the central peak, his sensitive instincts catching the exact same disturbance. With a sharp tilt of his wings, Kuromaru banked hard to the right and descended toward a flat, rocky ledge nestled along the side of the central mountain.

The moment Kuromaru set his massive talons down, Issei unbuckled his strap and stepped off the saddle onto the stone ground. The instant his boots made contact with the surface, a faint tremor vibrated through the soles of his shoes, synchronized perfectly with the heavy, muffled footsteps echoing from within the rock face.

Issei’s eyes lit up. "This is it! It's coming from right under this mountain!"

"Good enough for me," Karasuba declared.

Without giving Issei a split second to react, the Black Sekirei drew her nodachi in a fluid, blinding arc. A crescent wave of compressed sharp energy cleaved directly through the side of the cliff, carving a clean, razor-sharp fissure into the solid rock.

"Hey! Didn't I just say—!" Issei yelled, clutching his hair in horror.

"Look, idiot," Karasuba cut in, pointing her blade at the newly formed crack.

Issei paused, squinting at the gap. To his surprise, the mountain didn't crumble, nor did stone debris fill the fissure. Instead, a hollow echo drifted out from the darkness inside. The rock wall was merely a thin outer shell—the entire interior of the mountain had been carved out.

"Oh... it's hollow!" Issei realized, a grin instantly replacing his panic.

Wasting no more time, Issei reined back his right arm, channeling a surge of ki and magic into his fist. With a confident shout, he slammed his fist directly into the cracked rock face.

BOOM!

The outer layer shattered violently under the force, caving inward to reveal a massive cavernous entrance spacious enough for Kuromaru to comfortably step inside.

As the dust settled, the trio stepped through the breach. Rather than a pitch-black natural cave, they found themselves standing at the mouth of a smooth, artificially constructed tunnel. Spanning down the long corridor were glowing magical lanterns mounted along the stone walls, bathing the path ahead in an eerie, pale light.

Issei scratched the back of his neck, eyeing the structured hallway suspiciously. "An artificial tunnel... lit up and hidden inside a mountain? Should we be worried about an ambush?"

Karasuba simply scoffed, sheathing her nodachi with a crisp clack and walking forward without a hint of hesitation. "Worry? Please. Whatever's down here should be worried about us."

Issei let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he stepped into line beside her, while Kuromaru rumbled approvingly behind them. With their path laid bare, the group ventured deep into the subterranean passage, ready to confront whatever dark secret lay waiting in the depths.

—------------------------------

Deep within the subterranean expanse of the hollowed-out mountain, the evacuation was operating in absolute order.

The glowing purple teleportation circle hummed violently across the cavern floor, casting long, eerie shadows against the damp stone walls. Massive crates sealed with magical wax, delicate equipment, and encrypted research papers were being systematically hauled through the swirling teleportator. The senior researchers and head scientists had already vanished to the secure secondary facility on the other side, leaving behind only a skeleton crew, several hundred dark mages, caged monster experiments, and the centerpiece of their operations—the gargantuan Earth Titan.

Standing atop a metal oversight gantry, Commander Valt monitored the organized movement below. Behind the fixed, mocking grin of his bone mask, his sharp gaze swept across the cavern, ensuring Phase Seven proceeded without a single hiccup. The Earth Titan’s sheer mass required an immense amount of power to relocate; anchoring its colossal frame to the transport circle would take hours to execute fully.

Suddenly, the entire cavern shuddered.

A deafening BOOM echoed from the western reaches of the artificial tunnels, sending a cascading shower of dust and shattered stalactites down from the ceiling. The shockwave rattled the support beams and caused the glowing teleportation circles to flicker violently.

"What was that?!" Valt’s sharp voice whipped through the air, slicing over the hum of the machinery. "Report! Immediately!"

Before his guards could even respond, a panicked dark mage burst through the western corridor doors, practically skidding across the stone floor as he scrambled up the gantry stairs.

"Commander! Intruders in the western quadrant!" The grunt wheezed, his voice laced with terror. "They smashed right through the reinforced outer wall! They're tearing through our vanguard, our defensive barriers aren't even slowing them down!"

Valt’s hands clenched into tight fists, his aura flaring darkly. "Who dares intrude upon a Titan Fall facility?! Speak!"

Desperate to answer, the grunt frantically tapped a wrist-bound magical comm-unit. A flickering, semi-transparent holographic projection erupted into the air between them, displaying live feed from the western tunnel's surveillance Lacrima.

Through the smoke and flying debris, two distinct figures were carving an effortless path through a sea of beasts and dark mages.

Leading the charge was a brown-haired teenager whose left arm was encased in a gleaming red gauntlet, its emerald jewel flashing with terrifying power. At his side moved a long grey-haired swordswoman in a black combat outfit, her long nodachi flashing in lethal, silver arcs that sliced through stone, armor, and magic alike. Behind them, a gargantuan black wyvern roared, its massive claws crushing armored beasts beneath its weight.

Valt stared at the projection, the fixed grin of his bone mask suddenly feeling like a bitter mockery of his exploding rage. He recognized those two instantly.

"Hyoudou Issei..." Valt spat, his voice dropping into a dangerous, venomous snarl as pure fury radiated off his frame. "How did they find this place?!"

—---------------------------------

Titan Fall’s Hidden Mountain Laboratory

The subterranean facility had degenerated into a complete warzone. Thick stone walls shuddered and cracked under the force of relentless explosions, filling the subterranean caverns with blinding smoke, pulverized dust, and jagged shrapnel. Blaring magical alarms echoed through the stone corridors alongside the frantic, panicked screams of dark mages.

With a sharp, resounding crash, Issei slammed a towering, shadowy wolf face-first into the stone floor, shattering the cavern bedrock beneath its snout. Before he could pull his arm back, a dark mage clad in a familiar crimson-trimmed cloak ambushed him from his blind side, rapidly tracing glowing runes in the air. "You'll regret—"

SMACK!!

Issei casually backhanded him away without even looking. Then without breaking his momentum, he pivoted smoothly on his heel and delivered a brutal, bone-shattering elbow strike to another dark mage lunging at him from the left.

The two hooded figures were sent hurtling into the stone wall. As their dark robes caught the harsh light of the cavern's torches, black metal bracelets gleamed on their wrists alongside a prominent, embroidered crest on their chests, a demonic, clawed hand clutching a burning world.

Issei’s brow furrowed tightly as his eyes caught the insignia. ‘Where the heck are all these guys coming from?’ He wondered, a troubling sense of eerie familiarity creeping into the back of his mind.

Before he could dwell on it, two massive, scale-armored serpents hissed violently, lunging at him with their large fangs. Issei stepped smoothly between their striking paths, delivering a synchronized, lightning-fast double punch straight to their snouts. 

As the giant reptiles collapsed, Issei whipped his head toward a platoon of heavily armored guards clad in pitch-black plate, all bearing the exact same demonic hand crest.

"Fire Dragon’s Roar!!" Taking a deep breath, Issei unleashed a roaring, concentrated torrent of crimson dragon-slaying fire directly from his mouth. The fiery vortex swept across the cavern floor, melting through forged steel and sending the armored guards scrambling backward in utter panic.

More mutated beasts charged out from the shadowed side tunnels, but Issei planted his hands on the ground, leaped into the air, and released a fiery propulsion blast from the soles of his boots. He launched himself into a devastating aerial spinning kick that incinerated the horde in a flash of bright red flames.

While Issei fought with strategic precision, Karasuba operated on pure, unadulterated savagery.

The Black Sekirei glided through the battleground like an unstoppable phantom of death. She sliced through everything in her path with ruthless efficiency, be it beast, dark mage, or heavy infantry. Man, woman, or monster, it made no difference to her dancing blade. A wide, euphoric smirk of absolute bliss and bloodlust was plastered across her sharp features, her grey eyes gleaming with dark delight.

Three massive, gorilla-like beasts surged toward her, beating their thick chests and raising boulder-sized fists to crush her into red paste. But before their arms could even begin their downward swing, three silver flashes cut through the dim light. Their massive heads smoothly slid off their shoulders, hitting the stone floor before their bodies even realized they were dead.

A dark mage stepped out from behind a stone pillar, frantically raising his wooden staff to chant an incantation. Mid-spell, his arm was cleanly severed at the elbow. Before he could even open his mouth to scream, Karasuba’s booted foot connected violently with his jaw, sending his limp body flying through the air until he crashed hard into a charging, flame-engulfed boar. The sheer impact crushed the beast's skull, smothering the flames under the mage's weight and taking both out of the fight instantly.

Outside the main entryway, Kuromaru's slit pupils narrowed as dozens of enemies poured out from the central chamber toward him. The familiar released a low, chest-vibrating growl that rattled the stalactites above.

"Don't stop!"

"It's only one monster!"

"Kill it!"

Several armored guards charged first, lowering enchanted heavy spears as they rushed toward the enormous creature. They were met instantly by Kuromaru's heavy, muscular tail whipping around like a siege hammer.

WHAM!!

The massive appendage slammed into the front line with devastating force. Men screamed as they were launched dozens of meters through the air, crashing into the stone pillars with bone-crunching impact.

Before the remaining soldiers could recover, Kuromaru lunged. His razor-sharp claws flashed in the dim light; one warrior's enchanted shield was cleanly split in half, while the next swipe carved deep trenches into the rocky ground, sending three more enemies tumbling backward.

A hulking armored guard roared, swinging an oversized, enchanted warhammer directly toward Kuromaru's head. The wyvern simply opened his jaws and caught the heavy weapon mid-swing, crushing the enchanted steel until it shattered like brittle glass.

The mercenary stared blankly at the splintered handle still clutched in his hands. "...Impossible."

Kuromaru answered by headbutting him with his hardened brow. The unfortunate man flew backward and disappeared straight into a solid rock wall.

From atop the surrounding rock formations, several dark mages began chanting in unison.

"Lightning Lance!"

"Ice Spears!"

"Stone Cannon!"

A volley of elemental spells descended upon the black wyvern. But Kuromaru then flared his wings wide as crackling purple electricity surged across every scale on his body. The air ionized violently, and with a deafening roar, he unleashed a thick torrent of purple lightning from his maw.

KRAAAAAAAAAK!!

The electric blast collided head-on with the incoming magic, completely overwhelming the spells before tearing directly through the enemy formation. Weapons flew from numb fingers, plate armor sparked wildly, and dozens of enemies collapsed smoking onto the floor.

Those few left standing stared at the wyvern with undisguised horror.

"W-What kind of monster is this?!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"It'll kill us all!"

Kuromaru stomped forward proudly, hot smoke rising from his nostrils as he puffed his broad chest out.

Suddenly, a massive stone bear, one of the laboratory's experimental beasts, charged out from a side vault with a thunderous roar. Rivaling Kuromaru in sheer size, the creature swung a massive, rocky paw which Kuromaru met the beast head-on. The heavy collision echoed through the cavern. 

Instead of yielding an inch, the wyvern dug his claws deep into the stone floor, twisted his body, and used the bear's own momentum against it. Seizing the creature by its heavy shoulder, Kuromaru hurled the massive stone bear over his back.

The stone beast crashed through several natural rock formations before rolling to a heavy stop. Before it could scramble back to its feet, Kuromaru leaped through the air. His rear talons slammed squarely onto the creature's chest while his tail wrapped tightly around its throat. A blinding surge of purple electricity exploded from every inch of his body.

The mountain bear convulsed violently before slumping motionless beneath him. Kuromaru then threw his head back and let out a triumphant roar that shook the entire complex.

The remaining dark mages collectively took several frantic steps backward, dropping their staffs.

"...Run."

"I-I don't get paid enough for this!"

The absolute carnage continued for several grueling minutes. Wave after wave of dark mages, heavy armored guards, and mutated beasts poured out from the facility's inner depths, only to end up piled high in broken, lifeless heaps at the pair's feet.

Finally, the endless tide of reinforcements began to thin out, settling into a heavy, echoing silence.

"I think that's the last of them?" Issei said, shaking the thick dust from his arms as he began walking alongside Karasuba toward the massive, carved archway from which the waves of enemies had emerged. Kuromaru plodded closely behind, his slit eyes scanning their surroundings cautiously.

"But man..." Issei muttered, wiping a streak of soot from his cheek as he looked down at the fallen dark mages. "Who are these guys anyway? What are they even doing all the way out here in a hidden base? And why do those cloaks and that hand symbol feel so familiar...?"

"I've been thinking the same thing," Sherri's voice chimed in thoughtfully from the watch interface on his wrist. "The dark uniforms, the black bracelets, and that specific emblem… They all bear striking similarities to previous encounters."

Ddraig snorted in disdain from Issei’s hand. (Whoever they are, they are remarkably persistent... or remarkably foolish.)

Karasuba walked casually beside Issei, resting her blood-stained blade over her shoulder. She rolled her neck, letting out a satisfied, breathless exhale, completely unbothered by Issei's tactical questioning.

"Who cares what their little club is called or why they're hiding in a dark hole?" Karasuba chuckled darkly, a thrill-seeking glint still lingering in her grey eyes as she licked a stray drop of blood from the corner of her lip. "They put up a decent fight and gave us plenty of bodies to break. Honestly, Ashikabi-sama... I haven't had this much fun in weeks. Thank you for the wonderful date."

Issei offered a helpless, affectionate laugh. "Only you would call fighting through an entire hidden fortress a romantic outing."

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes. What do you think will happen next?