DxD: Scion of Lucifuge

"If you don't want to get bossed around or mocked by the people around you… you just need to become stronger."

— Garō, One Punch Man

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~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]

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A fiery blast erupted from Nidhogg's maw, incinerating the ground and creating a towering inferno.

Roy, however, casually summoned a thin ice wall that effortlessly blocked the attack.

Through the translucent ice, he could see Leonora's silhouette.

"I'll handle Leonora. Claire, you and the others deal with the other three," Roy instructed.

"Got it!" Claire and the others nodded.

They charged towards the remaining members of the Dragon Knights.

There were only four members on their team this time.

Besides Leonora, there was a Wyvern Elementalist, a Salamander Elementalist, and a Drake Elementalist.

"I'm surprised that the honorable Dragon Knights would resort to a night attack," Claire commented with a smirk.

"Our mission takes priority over knightly honor," a girl with short hair replied, wielding a halberd-shaped Elemental Waffe. "We're simply employing the most efficient tactics to bring victory and glory to our nation."

"To show you some respect, I'll introduce myself. I am Yuri El Cid, vice-captain of the Dragon Knights."

"I'm Claire Rouge, leader of Team Scarlet."

Claire summoned her Flame Whip, and the two girls clashed.

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Meanwhile, Roy faced Leonora.

The ground was littered with craters, and flames licked at the sky, threatening to consume the night.

Nidhogg, the ferocious dragon spirit, roared, its anger shaking the air.

It was furious that its flames couldn't penetrate Roy's ice wall.

Leonora, bathed in the pale moonlight, approached Roy.

With a gesture, she transformed Nidhogg into a dark, shadowy form.

The materialized darkness coiled around her hand, taking the shape of a massive sword.

"This is my Dragon Slayer sword, the Elemental Waffe of my dragon spirit, Nidhogg. Roy, become my sacrifice!" Leonora declared, raising the sword high.

"A Dragon Slayer sword, huh? Not bad. But it's nothing compared to my Est," Roy retorted with a smirk.

He summoned Est, the Demon Slaying Sword.

"Is that your sword spirit? An impressive blade. This is the battle I've been waiting for," Leonora said, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she charged towards Roy.

She closed the distance between them in an instant and swung her sword with a powerful downward strike.

Roy effortlessly blocked the attack.

CLANG!!!

"Blocked?" Leonora's red eyes widened in surprise.

"Impressive! As expected of my chosen opponent. Then take this!"

She unleashed another ferocious attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed repeatedly.

"Not enough, not enough, not enough! Come on, make my blood boil, Roy!" Leonora roared, her attacks growing more and more frenzied.

But no matter how she attacked, Roy effortlessly parried every strike.

Leonora's aura surged with power.

Seeing that her attacks were ineffective, she unleashed her trump card.

"O Dragon, heed my blood's call and tear everything asunder! Dragon King's Roar!"

This was one of the Dracunia sword techniques. Leonora channeled a massive amount of divine power into her sword, raising it high before bringing it down with devastating force.

It was an attack that couldn't be deflected. Even if blocked, the sheer force of the impact would crush the opponent.

Compared to elegant and refined sword techniques, this one was brutal and straightforward.

But its power was undeniable.

BOOM!

The ground shook, and a cloud of dust erupted.

A gust of wind cleared the dust.

The ground where Roy stood was cracked and riddled with craters.

He had channeled the force of Leonora's attack into the earth.

"W-What?! He blocked it?" Leonora gasped, her breath ragged as she stared at Roy in disbelief.

He had effortlessly blocked her strongest attack.

Roy appeared before her in a flash.

He gazed into her beautiful face, his expression unreadable.

"The games are over, Leonora."

He gently placed his hand on her head.

"Your little tricks are useless against my overwhelming power..."

Leonora's aura surged, but then it subsided just as quickly.

Roy's magic had calmed her raging Dragon Blood.

"...Ugh?!" Her crimson eyes returned to their normal black color.

Her Dragon Blood had been suppressed.

She swayed and would have fallen if not for Roy catching her.

"Leonora, are you alright?" Roy asked gently.

"I-I'm sorry. It was my Dragon Blood... I acted impulsively," Leonora apologized, her face flushing as she was held in Roy's arms. She closed her eyes, embarrassed.

"It's okay," Roy chuckled.

"Why aren't you taking my Magic Stone?" Leonora asked, opening her eyes and looking at him curiously.

"Eliminating one of the strongest teams right here wouldn't be very fun, would it?" Roy replied with a shrug.

"Hmph! I won't lose to you next time... Roy," Leonora declared with a smile, then vanished in a burst of flames.

...

Meanwhile, Claire and the others were battling the remaining members of the Dragon Knights.

Suddenly, Yuri, the vice-captain, leaped back, dodging an attack.

"Abort the mission! Everyone, retreat!" she ordered.

"Yuri-sama?!"

"Lady Leonora has been defeated."

"What?!"

The Dragon Knights were shocked, but they were a disciplined team.

They quickly retreated under Yuri's command.

"Don't run! O fangs of ice, pierce my enemy! Ice Shot!" Rinslet fired an arrow.

But it missed, hitting a tree instead.

The girls looked towards Roy, but Leonora was gone.

"Roy, are you alright?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Where's Leonora?"

"Did you defeat her, Roy?"

...

The girls bombarded him with questions.

"Yes, I defeated Leonora," Roy confirmed.

"Then why didn't you take her Magic Stone?" Claire pressed.

"Well, wouldn't it be boring to eliminate them so early in the game?" Roy replied with a shrug.

The girls were speechless.

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The chirping of birds echoed through the forest, and the crisp morning air sent a chill down Roy's spine.

He felt a soft sensation against his cheek, pulling him from his slumber.

He opened his eyes to the dim light filtering through the tent.

Roy stretched lazily.

"...Hmm?"

Something felt strange.

As he tried to sit up, he realized his arm was being held by a small, cold hand.

"Est?!" His heart skipped a beat as he saw the silver-haired girl sleeping soundly beside him.

She was curled up under the blanket, her adorable face like that of a little angel.

And on his other side, clinging to his arm, was Ren Ashdoll.

Her soft black hair shimmered in the dim light, framing her delicate features.

She was so cute, it made his heart melt.

"Roy, you're awake!" Claire entered the tent, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance as she saw Est and Ren.

She had come to wake him up.

"Claire, you're up early," Roy commented, then turned to the two spirits, who had also woken up. "You can sleep a bit longer if you want."

"Okay, Roy," Est and Ren replied obediently, snuggling back into the blankets and falling asleep.

Roy gently tucked the blanket around Est, then snapped his fingers, changing into his clothes with a subtle use of magic.

He stepped out of the tent, taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air.

"Try some of the fruits I gathered," Claire said, gesturing towards a wooden table laden with various fruits.

Roy picked one up and took a bite. It was surprisingly sweet and delicious.

By the stream, Rinslet hummed a cheerful tune as she stirred a pot of soup.

"Roy, you're awake! Breakfast will be ready soon," she said, turning around with a bright smile.

She wore a cooking apron over her uniform and held a bowl and spoon in her hands.

Her attire didn't quite suit her noble lady image, but the contrast somehow made her even more adorable.

"Haha, there's no rush," Roy replied with a chuckle. "Where are Fianna and Ellis?"

"Fianna is setting up the barrier," Claire answered, taking a bite of a fruit. "And Ellis is probably practicing her swordsmanship by the river."

It seemed Fianna had already set up their base. She was quite diligent.

For an Elementalist, setting up multiple barriers was like building an impenetrable fortress.

Not only would their divine power be amplified by the earth's blessings, but the flow of the earth veins could also provide various beneficial effects, such as fatigue reduction.

Soon, Ellis and Fianna returned.

Rinslet's breakfast was also ready.

There was toasted bread, grilled fish skewers seasoned with salt, a wild herb salad, pan-fried mushrooms with butter, and a delicious chicken soup with ginger and spices, a Laurenfrost family recipe.

Everything looked delicious.

"Everyone, dig in. These are all my specialties," Rinslet declared proudly.

They enjoyed their breakfast as the sun rose, casting its warm glow over Ragna Ys.

...

After breakfast, they gathered to discuss their strategy for the Blade Dance.

They sipped the tea Rinslet had prepared while studying a map spread out on the table.

This map was based on information gathered by an Earth spirit that had scouted the surrounding area.

Claire, who seemed to have a talent for drawing, had created the map.

However, apart from the area around their protected base, most of the map was blank.

They didn't even know the full extent of the arena.

"Let's summarize the information we have," Claire said, setting down her teacup and beginning their strategy meeting.

There were a total of twenty-four teams participating in the Blade Dance.

According to their wind spirit scouts, some teams had already been eliminated on the first day.

And the stronger teams, like the Quina Empire's "Four Gods" and the Holy Kingdom of Lugia's "Holy Spirit Knights," had mostly established their bases.

...

The girls discussed the information they had gathered.

"Roy, what do you think of our plan?" Claire suddenly asked.

The four girls looked at him expectantly.

Roy, however, hadn't been paying attention to their discussion.

In his opinion, any plan was fine. They could just steamroll the competition.

"Your plan is excellent. Let's proceed as you've discussed," Roy replied with a serious nod.

"My suggestion is to take the initiative," Claire declared.

"There's a limited number of Magic Stones. If we don't actively seek them out, we won't be able to win."

Currently, Team Scarlet only had the four Magic Stones they had taken from the Baluster team.

Securing a certain number of stones early in the game would give them a significant advantage.

They could then defend their base and wait for the other teams to weaken each other before swooping in to collect the remaining stones.

But that was just a theory.

Attacking a well-defended base was like laying siege to a castle with a small force. It was foolish.

"In other words, we should take advantage of the fact that the other teams haven't fully established their bases yet and catch them off guard," Claire concluded.

Just then...

"Something has entered our barrier!" Fianna suddenly exclaimed.

The girls tensed up.

"Look, what's that?" Claire pointed towards the sky.

Roy also noticed it.

A winged rabbit was flying through the trees.

It was clearly a spirit, not an ordinary animal.

"Is that a scout from another team?"

"Hmph, I'll shoot it down!" Rinslet declared, chanting the incantation to summon her Ice Bow.

"Wait, stop!"

Bonk!

Claire whacked Rinslet on the head with a spoon.

"Ow! That hurt! What was that for?" Rinslet yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's for being so reckless," Claire retorted.

"Look closely. It's a messenger," she said.

The spirit circled above them, then dropped something from its mouth.

It was a letter.

Claire cautiously checked for traps before opening it.

"What does it say?"

"It's an invitation to form an alliance."

"An alliance?" The girls exchanged surprised glances.

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