Chapter 87 (End of DxD arc)

"Looks like this is the end," Arthur said, his voice helpless and tinged with despair.

"Big brother..." Le Fay's delicate face went pale, her eyes brimming with terror, as if she could already see herself being torn apart. Just the killing intent in Fenrir's eyes made her whole body tremble.

"Damn it! Just our luck!" Kuroka was full of frustration. She didn't want to die here. She still has to protect Shirone!

Thud—!

Splat—!

In that instant, two heavy sounds echoed as space seemed to collapse; two small, hybrid Fenrirs were instantly smashed into a mist of blood.

"—!" The moment they realised what had just happened, Kuroka and Le Fay's pupils shrank, cold sweat pouring down their faces. They'd truly been a split second from death.

Fortunately, that bizarre man appeared and saved them.

"That was a close call. If you'd died, it would've been troublesome for me, Kuroka." Just as Kuroka and Le Fay were about to speak, Riku turned toward them, frowning.

He'd originally been heading straight for Odin, but a powerful barrier blocked his way, so he simply smashed through it.

The moment the barrier shattered, he spotted Kuroka. In less than a millisecond, he used instant teleportation to rush over and save her.

Of course, he did have resurrection items, and after gaining the World Authority, he could even revive Kuroka if he wanted, but that would have been troublesome. He didn't want to make Koneko sad. And besides, he wanted to properly discipline this black cat. She was a real handful.

"Uh..." Kuroka was dumbfounded by Riku's words, staring at him blankly. Who are you? Do I even know you?

"Big brother with the silver hair, thank you for saving us." Le Fay, still shaken, finally regained her colour and thanked him with sparkling blue eyes.

Arthur, meanwhile, didn't say anything right away; he was staring wide-eyed at Riku, as if he'd realised something.

"Damn intruder... You killed my little Fenrirs," Loki snarled from the other side, face dark with murderous intent. "Then you can die here too!"

Fenrir also locked his gaze on Riku, his wolfish eyes full of both bloodlust and suspicion. His instincts screamed that Riku was dangerous, but his wild nature made him want to attack anyway. He couldn't decide.

"You're the God of Heaven, King of the Adia Alliance—Riku!?" Arthur finally couldn't hold back, exclaiming in shock.

"What?!" Le Fay and Kuroka both jumped in surprise.

Le Fay was a mix of curiosity and astonishment. Kuroka, meanwhile, was both shocked and complicated inside. She was a little familiar with Riku, not just because of his world-shaking deeds, but also because Riku had once saved her sister Shirone. There were even rumours that Riku liked women and had added her sister to his harem. She'd been annoyed about that for quite some time.

She never imagined she'd run into him here.

"Oh? So it's you. No wonder you could kill my little Fenrirs. I am Loki, and this is Norse territory. What is a god of heaven doing here?" Loki glared at Riku with malice.

"Loki, you're really starting to annoy me. Would you please die a hundred times for me?" Riku said blandly.

"Hmph! You want me dead? You're not qualified! Fenrir, tear him apart!" Loki snarled, filled with murderous intent.

"AWOOOO—!" With that, Fenrir threw back his head and howled, bestial rage erupting as he vanished, charging straight for Riku at blinding speed.

Even a Maou would be torn apart before they could react. In the original story, even Juggernaut Drive Vali was completely outmatched by Fenrir.

Fenrir is the natural enemy of gods, Maous, and dragons alike! Even if you're stronger, one careless graze from his claws or fangs can spell doom.

Kuroka wanted to shout a warning, but there wasn't even time to speak.

THUD—!

SPLAT—!

Just as Loki's mind was filled with cruel anticipation, certain Fenrir would rip Riku to shreds, a heavy impact echoed out. Just like before, Fenrir was sent flying, blood spraying everywhere, smashing into a Jörmungandr and tearing through the earth, leaving a giant crater and sending tremors through the forest!

But after all, Fenrir was on par with the Two Heavenly Dragons. His fur was tougher than divine iron, so he wasn't killed instantly by Riku's casual punch. He climbed back out of the crater, bloodied but glaring at Riku with ferocious eyes. Yet amidst that ferocity, there was now a trace of fear.

The god-slaying wolf, a legendary monster, now hesitated after facing Riku's power.

"Looks like you're truly scared now. Not a bad expression. As a reward, let my Fenrir tear your bodies apart, rip the flesh from your bones." Loki grinned wickedly.

"AWOOOO—!" In the next instant, two smaller Fenrirs let out bone-chilling howls, turning into grey blurs as they vanished from atop the Jörmungandr, charging straight at Kuroka.

They were so fast that Kuroka couldn't even react.

CRACK—! Just as Fenrir's claws were about to rip through Kuroka's body and his fangs were about to crush Le Fay's delicate throat, the barrier surrounding the area was violently shattered.

The moment the barrier broke, a shadowy figure appeared like a ghost in front of Kuroka and Le Fay, throwing out two punches. "My Fenrirs were blown away… how?!" Loki stared in disbelief, his face dark.

"—!" Kuroka, Arthur, and Le Fay all stared, completely stunned.

They hadn't even registered what happened before everything changed. They knew Riku had the power to kill Juggernaut Drive Vali, but this was on a whole different level...

Just then, several sounds of something slicing through the air came from the distance. Three petite figures arrived by Riku's side. It was Ophis, Koneko, and Kunou.

"Shirone…!?" The moment Koneko appeared, Kuroka snapped out of her daze, staring in shock.

"Sis..." Koneko murmured, her expression complicated by her eyes full of resentment, joy, relief, and just a bit of anger.

"Shirone, why are you here?" Kuroka exclaimed with delight.

"I came out to train with Riku-sensei," Koneko replied, locking eyes with her sister.

"...," Upon hearing this, Kuroka couldn't help but look over at the man standing ahead.

"Wait, why is Ophis here too..." Kuroka, Arthur, and Le Fay all suddenly noticed the ever-calm Ophis and stared in shock.

"Heh, so even Ophis has shown up now, that's a surprise. But to think the God of Heaven and the Infinite Dragon God would be together, it's honestly laughable," Loki said, finally noticing Ophis, his expression shifting as he sneered mockingly.

"Fenrir, don't screw it up this time. Tear him apart, rip out his throat," Loki commanded viciously.

"AWOOOO—!" Receiving the command, Fenrir hesitated for a moment, but his reason was quickly drowned out by bloodlust. With a chilling howl, he vanished, cutting through the air as he lunged at Riku.

"Annoying fly. Just disappear," Riku said flatly, his face unchanged. As he spoke, he threw a punch that obliterated everything in front of him.

Fenrir had launched the attack, but it was Riku's fist that landed first, smashing straight through Fenrir's abdomen and leaving a massive bloody hole. Blood sprayed across the sky.

With that, Riku erased Fenrir's life and tossed the body into his system's storage space. The wolf's claws, possessing god-slaying attributes, might even make for a Sacred Gear.

"My Fenrir… was one-shotted?!" Only after the dust had settled did Loki realise what had happened, staring at Riku in disbelief.

He'd thought Fenrir being blown away earlier was a fluke. Now it was clear: Riku truly had the power to kill Fenrir in an instant. But Fenrir was the anti-god weapon; he'd bitten through countless deities. How could anyone possibly overpower him?

For the first time, Loki found himself unable to believe what he was seeing, but what little reason he had left screamed that he needed to run.

And yet, he was dreaming. At some point, the entire area had been sealed off by another barrier, one even stronger than the one he'd placed before. The idea of escaping was a joke.

"Damn it!" Loki glared at Riku, overflowing with murderous intent but powerless. With his trump card, Fenrir taken out in one blow, there was nothing he could do.

"I thought you'd go berserk. You're surprisingly calm. Oh well, wasting time talking to you is pointless," Riku shrugged. "So let's hurry up and get rid of you so I can handle what's next."

"Koneko, Kunou, this idiotic evil god and those four fake dragons are yours to practice on," Riku said, turning to Koneko and Kunou behind him.

"Understood," Koneko and Kunou immediately snapped out of it, charging at Loki without hesitation.

"You bastards, how dare you look down on me!" Loki's body trembled with rage.

"Wait!" Seeing Riku let Koneko handle a being on Loki's level, Kuroka panicked, trying to stop them.

But what happened next left Kuroka, Arthur, and Le Fay wide-eyed and speechless. Koneko and Kunou's displayed power was actually above theirs. Although Loki's special magical barrier made him hard to hurt, the four Jörmungandr were completely overwhelmed and slammed into the ground, beaten senseless.

"...," Kuroka was stunned. Her little sister, who once needed her protection, was now so strong...

And it was all because of him.

Once again, Kuroka looked at Riku, her feelings complicated. She could only imagine how much time and effort it had taken to make Shirone this powerful.

Using senjutsu to sense Shirone's body, she even realised her sister was still pure, so things weren't as she'd once suspected.

Still, for a god to treat a devil this kindly… it had to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. This guy really was something else.

A moment later, Koneko and Kunou finished off the four Jörmungandr, but Loki's defences remained unbroken.

Though Loki himself was only Maou-class, he sure knew a lot of tricks. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so many dangerous aces up his sleeve.

"Koneko, Kunou, come back," Riku called out. "You still can't break through his shell yet."

"Ugh..." Out of breath from exerting so much power, Koneko and Kunou reluctantly returned to Riku's side.

"Heh, finally giving up? How about we each take a step back? You let me go and I'll pretend today never happened," Loki said, relieved as the pressure eased. Any more resistance and he'd really be finished.

"Heh, good joke with this head pat, I summon Ophis the Infinite Dragon God," Riku said, completely ignoring Loki's words as he patted Ophis's head.

Loki's face stiffened.

Kuroka, Arthur, and Le Fay all twitched in disbelief. To actually give Ophis orders, how insane was that?

"You could handle this yourself, so why make me do it?" Ophis frowned, dissatisfied.

"I'm allowed to be lazy sometimes. Besides, I just can't get interested in this guy. If you do it, I'll buy you two more ice creams."

"Alright," Ophis replied, her expression softening at the mention of ice cream.

"Uh..." Kuroka, Arthur, and Le Fay were left speechless. The Infinite Dragon God Ophis, their former boss, was being bribed with two ice creams... How was this fair?

Koneko and Kunou, though, weren't surprised at all. They'd already gotten used to it over the past few days. Ophis might be terrifying in legend, but living together, she turned out to be quite easy to get along with.

"Wait… You're a Dragon God, how can you take orders from someone else?!" Loki protested, his voice shaking. To the gods, Ophis was an overwhelming threat. He knew there was no way he could stand up to her attack.

Ophis paid him no mind at all. Instead, she simply raised her hand and began gathering a terrifying sphere of black energy, preparing to wipe Loki out.

Suddenly, Ophis pointed her finger and unleashed a black energy orb infused with her draconic power. The sphere tore through the air, crushing space as it shot straight toward the evil god Loki.

Loki was filled with terror; there was no way to dodge. He could only fight for his life and pour everything into his defences.

A violent explosion ripped through the area. Space itself shattered, and Loki was utterly obliterated. If it weren't for the special barrier Riku had put up, the entire planet would have likely been blown to pieces.

"You promised, Riku," Ophis said, eyes locked on him.

"Don't worry, I'll take you out for more treats soon, not just ice cream, either." Riku grinned, his tone gentle.

Kuroka could only shake her head in disbelief. To think he could tease the Infinite Dragon God like this, he really was one of a kind. Meanwhile, Le Fay was looking at Riku with open admiration.

"Sis, fight me," Koneko suddenly declared.

"Shirone..." Kuroka was momentarily taken aback.

"This time, I didn't just come out with Riku-sensei to train; I also wanted to find you and drag you back home." Koneko's expression was serious. "I know you left to protect me, but that's that. I'm not letting you throw your life away anymore."

"I can't accept you leaving me without a word, joining the Khaos Brigade, and risking your life like this," Koneko said firmly.

"Getting scolded by my little sister... How did it come to this?" Kuroka said with a helpless smile.

"Then let your big sister see how much you've grown." Kuroka's gaze sharpened, a fighting spirit in her eyes.

Without another word, Koneko took to the sky. Kuroka followed, and the two sisters clashed fiercely.

Koneko was stronger, but Kuroka had mastered senjutsu. While not the most destructive, senjutsu was incredibly tricky; it could bypass defences and attack the body's interior, even the life force itself.

It might not be as effective against massive dragons, but in a duel like this, it was extremely useful.

Koneko knew senjutsu, too, but she wasn't nearly as skilled. So, victory wasn't guaranteed.

Arthur, Le Fay, and Kunou all watched nervously, afraid the sisters might really hurt each other.

But Riku stayed perfectly calm. He knew neither would go too far, and even if they did, he could easily stop them.

The battle lasted a while, but in the end, Koneko emerged victorious, knocking Kuroka unconscious.

Koneko's expression was complicated as she cradled her sister.

"Koneko, Kunou, you've both mastered your power well. Your training is over now," Riku said gently. "And you found your sister, so you should head back."

"Okay..." Koneko nodded, glancing at Riku. "Thank you, Riku-sensei."

She understood Riku was giving her some alone time with her sister.

"It's nothing." Riku patted her head, making Koneko squint in contentment.

Kunou, on the other hand, looked reluctant. She wanted to keep playing, but she wasn't the disobedient type, so she just nodded, looking a bit down.

"As for you two..." Riku turned to Le Fay and Arthur. "You're coming with me as prisoners to see Azazel. He'll put you to work."

"Fine," Arthur said, resigned. He wasn't surprised, given the Khaos Brigade's status as Riku's enemy, but it was still a bit depressing. Life really was full of twists.

Le Fay didn't seem to care; she just kept staring at Riku, eyes full of curiosity and admiration.

With that, Riku used [Heavenly Shift] to teleport Koneko, Kuroka, Kunou, Arthur, and Le Fay to Kuoh Town.

He was about to take Ophis and head for the divine realm atop the World Tree when a blue magic circle inscribed with runes suddenly appeared, making Riku raise an eyebrow.

From within the circle emerged an old god with a white beard and a monocle over his left eye.

"I sensed something was off with Fenrir and Loki, so I came to check it out. I didn't expect to meet two big names at once," the old man said with a sly grin. "Ophis, Riku, since when did you two get so close? Don't tell me the Khaos Brigade and the Three Factions have formed an alliance?"

"Odin," Ophis said quietly. "No, we haven't joined forces. My Khaos Brigade was wiped out by Riku."

The old man froze in surprise. "Odin? That explains the incredible aura," Riku said, nodding as he looked Odin up and down. "Actually, I was planning to visit you. I was debating whether to just barge in, but now that you're here, it saves me the trouble."

Odin stared at Riku, exasperated.

"Just like the rumours say, always reckless," Odin muttered, massaging his forehead.

"So, what's your reason for coming to my domain?" Odin asked, looking serious.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight. Think of it as sightseeing in the realm of the gods," Riku said with a lazy wave. "It's not time for a great war yet."

"That's a dangerous thing to say," Odin said, his expression chilling.

"You're welcome to join my Adia Alliance. If you take my orders, I'll leave the Norse pantheon alone," Riku said lightly.

"Such ambition... what a headache," Odin sighed.

"Are you really going to start a world war just for the sake of conquering? What is it you're after?" Odin demanded, eyes sharp.

"I need something, and this is the only way to get it," Riku said with a shrug, unconcerned.

"Insane," Odin muttered, twitching.

"That's all for later. Right now, I just want to visit your realm, how about it?" Riku said, as if his earlier words hadn't been shocking at all.

Odin's expression changed several times. He had no idea what Riku really wanted in the realm of the gods. Letting Riku and Ophis in was dangerous. But so far, Riku hadn't shown any real hostility. If he refused, Riku might force his way in anyway, which would be even more troublesome.

"I understand." In the end, Odin had no choice but to compromise. With Riku and Ophis together, even the Bifrost Bridge could probably be forced open. If these two joined forces, there really weren't many powers in the world that could face them alone. Better to cooperate than to provoke them.

"One last question, what about Loki?" Odin couldn't help but ask.

"They're all dead," Riku replied flatly.

"I see." Odin didn't seem surprised, just sighed with resignation. Loki was always a dangerous element in the Norse pantheon, but if Riku truly started a war, Loki would have been a great asset. It was a shame to lose him, but there was nothing to be done. What could Odin do to complain to Riku and Ophis? He'd probably meet his own end right here.

Without another word, Odin led Riku and Ophis into the divine realm of the Norse gods.

When Odin brought Riku and Ophis back, all the Norse gods were stunned, faces tense and full of hostility. Riku and Ophis ignored them. Riku even asked Odin to take him straight to the top of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

Odin couldn't help but wonder about Riku's true motives, but there was nothing for it; every visitor wanted to see the World Tree. Still, Odin couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Riku's intentions were impossible to guess, even for a wise god.

Riku went directly to the very top of Yggdrasil. Most people were content to admire it from below, but Riku just flew straight to the summit. At least he didn't do anything dangerous, which was some relief to Odin.

Standing atop the World Tree, Riku placed his hand on a nearby diamond chest.

In an instant, the chest burst with radiant light and opened, revealing a glowing sphere.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've opened a Diamond Chest and obtained: Brahmastra. ]

Brahmastra: The divine spear of Brahma, the highest deity of the Hindu pantheon. A causality weapon 'to pierce is to triumph!'

"Brahmastra, huh... What a lucky pull." Riku's eyes sparkled with excitement. With the Brahmastra, plus the Sagittarius Authority's guaranteed hit, it was an absolute nightmare for any enemy.

Riku quickly descended from the top of the World Tree.

"Ophis, let's go. It's time to leave," Riku said.

"Mhm." Ophis nodded softly.

"...," Odin was left dumbfounded.

Did they really come just to see Yggdrasil? No other agenda? How... idle.

"Odin, you'd best think carefully about what I said. Otherwise, the consequences won't be something you can handle," Riku said lightly, almost as if stating a fact rather than making a threat.

Without waiting for Odin's answer, Riku took Ophis and left.

"Think carefully, huh..." Odin muttered, frowning. "What a domineering guy."

After leaving the Norse realm, Riku began to travel across the world's various factions.

On Mount Sumeru, the Thirty-Three Heavens, Shakra (Indra) mocked Riku and barred the gates of heaven. Riku smashed the gates, barged in, and killed Shakra with a single slap before opening another chest and leaving as casually as he came. This time, the diamond chest gave him the Phoenix Bloodline, which he fused into his own, raising his lineage several levels.

When the three great Hindu gods Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma confronted Riku, he crushed them all with overwhelming force.

It's worth noting that the Brahma of this world also had a Brahmastra, but compared to the one from the chest, its causal abilities were worlds apart, a difference of heaven and earth.

The ability Riku drew from the next diamond chest was the Third Perpetual Motion Engine, granting him limitless energy and erasing his final weakness. Whether it was transformations or using divine artefacts, he always needed power, but now he possessed infinite energy.

This Third Perpetual Motion Engine was a paradoxical item in the Little Garden universe; it was the final trial for fallen humanity. But Riku didn't care. After all, he got it from a chest. According to the system, even if he went to the Little Garden and became humanity's final trial, he wouldn't be doomed to be surpassed. In short, becoming the final trial would only greatly increase his power, making him utterly broken.

So Riku simply merged the Third Perpetual Motion Engine into his body.

He didn't bother roaming the world any longer, instead returning to Kuoh Town. By now, Koneko and Kuroka's issues had been dealt with.

Rias, ever sensible, accepted Rossweisse as part of her peerage. Like the other girls, she was a little resentful about Riku bringing back even more girls, but she still thanked him sincerely.

When Rias and the others learned Ophis's true identity, they were all shocked and then started teasing Riku for even managing to "capture" the Infinite Dragon God.

Ophis herself was bewildered, not understanding what they meant. Schwi just shook her head and had Riku play chess with her instead.

Meanwhile, Jibril woke up and immediately went to find Riku. She looked unchanged on the outside, but her strength had risen to a level beyond even the Two Heavenly Dragons.

As she happily prepared to tell Riku, she discovered the house was full of girls and couldn't help but tease him for being such a playboy.

Naturally, she was properly disciplined in return.

Riku properly introduced Jibril to everyone, leaving Rias and the others a bit helpless. It turned out she'd been Riku's maid all along; they were the newcomers.

Three days later, Riku declared war on the whole world. At the same time, devils, angels, fallen angels, and death gods all mobilised their armies.

Most people expected a terrifying, era-defining war between gods, but to everyone's shock, Odin was the first to surrender. The Celtic pantheon, Egyptian pantheon, and other gods soon followed. Once the big factions submitted, the rest had no choice but to follow suit.

Even Riku himself was surprised. But thinking it over, it made sense. His strength was out in the open. With beings like Indra, Hades, Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu all defeated so easily, word spread fast. It was enough to scare anyone.

Fighting back was suicide, especially once Odin surrendered first, opening the floodgates. With a big name like Odin caving in, everyone else found it easier to do the same. It was a chain reaction.

Rias and the others breathed a sigh of relief, full of awe. To conquer the world with such an earth-shattering declaration without a single drop of blood spilt was truly unprecedented.

And yet Riku acted like it was nothing at all, as if he'd just finished some trivial chore.

But even though he seemed calm about conquering the world, he couldn't help feeling anticipation for what came next.

He could sense that the [Star Grail] had already absorbed most of the World Authority, but it was still missing that final sliver.

Once that was complete, he would finally have absolute control over this world.

Riku knew exactly what was still missing. After all, the one truly independent supreme being of this world hadn't yet submitted.

But there was no rush. He started by opening the rest of his diamond chests.

From the first diamond chest, he received the [World Fruit], which greatly enhanced his already formidable physique. Now, thanks to this fruit, his raw physical power alone surpassed Ophis by a wide margin. The World Fruit even gave his body the mass of a star, granting him unimaginable destructive power. Of course, that stellar mass only activated in battle and never affected him otherwise; in daily life, he was no different from any other person.

The other three chests each yielded powerful treasures, but only one [Avalon, the Ever-Distant Utopia] was particularly useful. The rest were disappointing, but he couldn't expect to hit the jackpot every time.

With the chests settled, Riku turned to his final task: travelling to the Dimensional Gap to subdue Great Red and open the prismatic chest there.

This time, he brought only Ophis with him.

After all, Ophis had a mysterious attachment to the Dimensional Gap. But after days of being tempted and doted on by Riku, Ophis no longer felt the same emptiness; she just wanted to meet Great Red again.

The Dimensional Gap was silent and bleak, its chaotic currents of space making it uninhabitable. Even a Maou-class being would be swallowed up if they lingered too long.

Within this emptiness, a colossal crimson dragon drifted. The turbulent space was powerless to affect her.

Suddenly, the crimson dragon paused, her draconic eyes focusing on the two figures before her.

"Ophis, you've come back," the crimson dragon said calmly. "This lonely place isn't somewhere you belong."

"I'm not here to compete for territory. I've come as a witness," Ophis replied, shaking her head with her usual calm.

"A witness?" The crimson dragon turned to Riku, who wore a faint smile. "I thought he was your backup, but I guess not."

"Then, who are you? What's your purpose in seeking me out?" the dragon asked, gazing at Riku.

"My name's Riku. You could say I'm the only god of this world. As for my purpose, I want you to become my retainer. What do you say?" Riku shrugged, casual but sincere.

"The only god?" The crimson dragon blinked, then smirked. "Do you know what that title means?"

Being the "only god" meant standing above all others, a title that would offend every god and devil.

"Ophis, has Riku really conquered the world? Ruled over every god and demon?" she asked.

"That's right," Ophis answered quietly.

"...!" The crimson dragon's eyes narrowed, rare shock flickering across her face.

"So that's why you call yourself the only god," she said with a hint of admiration.

"So, you conquered the world, now you want to conquer me too?" The dragon's aura surged, her voice full of challenge.

"In a sense, yes," Riku replied softly. "But I'd prefer to solve this peacefully if possible."

"Interesting. But if you want me to submit, you'll have to defeat me first," the crimson dragon declared.

A surge of violent red energy gathered in her jaws.

The Dimensional Gap trembled, unable to withstand the power she unleashed.

"So we have to fight after all? Oh well," Riku said with a sigh, stepping forward.

Seeing his relaxed posture, the crimson dragon narrowed her eyes and fired a devastating breath attack. The blast tore through the Dimensional Gap, twisting everything in its path as it rushed straight for Riku.

Riku's expression didn't change. He didn't even use any power; he simply threw a punch.

Space itself shattered before him, and the dragon's fearsome breath was destroyed in an instant.

"So effortless… You really are worthy of being called the only god," the crimson dragon admitted, a bit battered as she pulled back.

She'd sensed Riku was stronger from the start, but she never imagined it would be by this much. An attack that could easily destroy the world had been shattered with a single blow.

"Do you still want to fight?" Riku asked lightly.

"No. I'll become your retainer," she replied, shaking her head.

"Huh? I expected you to resist a little harder," Riku said in surprise. After all, being made someone's retainer would usually sting anyone's pride.

"You're stronger. That's the truth. There's nothing to gain by fighting. Besides, I can tell you don't mean me any harm. And, honestly, fighting is a pain," the crimson dragon replied calmly.

Riku shook his head in amazement. "You're a strange dragon, you know that?"

"Aren't you even stranger? Suddenly appearing, conquering the world, subduing Ophis, and now wanting to recruit me. Is it just a collector's obsession?" she shot back, a little annoyed.

"Never mind, it's not worth overthinking," Riku replied, waving it off.

"Oh, what's your real name? And could you transform into a human? It's easier to talk that way," he asked.

"My real name is Yurina," the crimson dragon replied softly.

As she spoke, a rainbow-colored light wrapped around her. In the next moment, she took on the form of a young girl with waist-length crimson hair, dressed in a red dress. Her features were delicate and beautiful, her body petite, just like Ophis's. But unlike Ophis's calm, blank stare, Illusion's expression was tinged with laziness.

"Yurina, huh? That's a good name," Riku said, genuinely impressed.

Great Red had been born from dreams, the guardian of the Dimensional Gap and one of the two Dragon Gods of legend, ruling over dreams. She possessed the power to see others' dreams and even realise or alter them. The name 'Yurina' suited her perfectly.

"Of course! I'm much better than Ophis," Illusion said smugly, a trace of pride in her lazy expression.

"...," Ophis's normally expressionless face creased into a faint frown, her aura rising as she glared at Illusion, seemingly ready to fight.

Riku rolled his eyes. The legendary two Dragon Gods so feared in myth turned out to be a pair of adorable lolis. What a surprise...

After that, Riku made his contract with Yurina.

-

In that instant, the [Star Grail] emerged from within Riku, radiating brilliant seven-colored light. The overwhelming power of the World Authority surged forth, and the world came completely under Riku's control.

With a single thought, Riku could destroy the world or create a new one. Everything now belonged to him.

"What is that…?" Yurina and Ophis both stared intently at the Star Grail, stunned.

"Star Grail," Riku answered succinctly, not explaining further. The Star Grail was his second greatest secret. The greatest, of course, was the system.

Seeing that Riku had no intention of explaining, Yurina and Ophis frowned, but chose not to press the issue.

"Next, it's time to open the final treasure," Riku said. Using the World Authority, he summoned the last prismatic chest to his side and opened it.

A divine aura appeared, then another rainbow flash as a multicoloured orb floated within.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have opened a Prismatic Chest and obtained: "Ultra Instinct" Card. You may use Ultra Instinct three times. ]

The system's notification rang out in Riku's mind, and his eyes sharpened as a smile tugged at his lips. Ultra Instinct!

Ultra Instinct, from Dragon Ball Super, is an overwhelmingly powerful state that even the Gods of Destruction cannot fully master. In this form, one's power is truly astonishing, easily evading attacks and surpassing the Gods of Destruction themselves.

Even Jiren, who was stronger than the Gods of Destruction, was ultimately defeated by Goku in Ultra Instinct.

"Only three uses, but that's the ultimate trump card," Riku mused. "Unless it's a life-or-death crisis, I can't waste it."

By Little Garden standards, Gods of Destruction who embody the cosmic principle of destruction would be considered double-digit Authority holders. Ultra Instinct, then, is far beyond an ordinary double-digit.

With this trump card, Riku could quickly establish himself even in a Little Garden filled with countless gods.

"Looks like I really don't need to worry about whichever world I end up in next," he laughed, thoroughly pleased.

Yurina and Ophis just looked at him, full of confusion at his self-satisfaction.

But Riku didn't bother explaining. It would only make things more confusing. Instead, he left the Dimensional Gap with Yurina and Ophis.

Afterwards, Riku spent a leisurely half a year in this world, "devouring" all the girls he'd wanted to.

For six months, he simply enjoyed daily life with them. Riku also adjusted the world's flow of time so that, no matter how long he was gone, only a year at most would pass before his return, avoiding any "hundreds of years have gone by" situations.

With all that settled, Riku took Schwi and Jibril back to Disboard. Less than a year had passed there, and little had changed.

As soon as Riku, Schwi, and Jibril returned, they were immediately caught by the Fia and the others.

Riku had no choice but to appease their bad moods, running all over the world with them; rest was not an option.

After disappearing for a year, all the girls vented their resentment in the bedroom, each determined to leave Riku utterly drained.

Fortunately, Riku had grown even stronger, or he really would have been exhausted by all these "battles"...

Six months later, Riku felt the urge to explore another world. So he used the [Star Grail] to travel through worlds.

This time, even Schwi and Jibril came along. Why? Because the other girls insisted that Schwi and Jibril stay close to Riku so they couldn't sneak off again, leaving Riku both helpless and amused.

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T/N: Finally, DxD arc finished. I hope we can see good old fight scenes, even the author got bored, he literally said (A/N: Writing High School DxD is giving me a headache, so I can only move the plot along this quickly… I personally think Mondaiji will be better than High School DxD. After all, with that power scale, I can let my imagination run wild… Instead of something as boring as this, which just drains my inspiration. Sometimes I feel like I'm just rambling without a clue… Even the line between filler and non-filler is getting blurry. Actually, there's another important reason: I've written High School DxD so many times that I'm really sick of it. I can't think of anything new, but I also don't want to repeat myself, so things turned out this way. Sigh…)