Chapter 128: Chapter 100. Echoes of the Black Flash
The sky above Kuoh City was dark and brooding, thunder growling like a beast ready to strike. The streets lay deserted, save for the occasional tumble of debris caused by the battle raging below. Lightning flashed, illuminating the battlefield for a split second—just long enough to capture two figures locked in a deadly confrontation.
"As I thought..." Black Flash narrowed his eyes at his opponent, his grip tightening on his sword of darkness. "The reason they didn't give you a cheat in another world... is because you're already dangerous enough without one."
Kazuma smirked, standing a fair distance away, his fingers forming a quick spell.
"That's not all… Create a Forest Maze!"
From scraps of paper and discarded soda cans, a towering labyrinth of trees erupted around them, thick foliage obscuring everything in sight. In an instant, Black Flash found himself surrounded, the battlefield morphing into a twisted maze where his opponent could hide.
Black Flash lifted his sword once again.
"Hiding in the forest, huh? You can run, but you can't—"
"STEAL!!!"
Kazuma grinned mischievously as the sword vanished from Black Flash's hand in an instant.
"What the—?!"
From the shadows, Kazuma chuckled, twirling the stolen weapon in his hands before vanishing into the maze once more.
"Eh?" Fataois blinked in disbelief from the sidelines. "I can't believe he actually stole our weapon... That damn Hikkineet surprised me."
Black Flash's eyes darkened.
He had to admit, Kazuma's meticulous planning and adaptability were beyond what he had initially anticipated. This guy was a menace to society.
But...
"Return."
A dark glow enveloped the sword, and in a flash of light, it reappeared in Black Flash's hand.
"Wh—?"
Before Black Flash could react, the weapon burst in an explosion of wood splinters, firing like a barrage of arrows in every direction.
The attack didn't wound Black Flash—but it humiliated him.
"That little pipsqueak!"
From the depths of the maze, a small note fluttered onto Black Flash's shoulder.
[That's what you get for underestimating your enemy. Beware—another one is coming]
Kazuma remained hidden, his breathing steady as he carefully analyzed his opponent's movements. His fingers traced the edges of his next attack while the maze continued to shift.
Using his skill Lurk, he dampened both his presence and scent, turning himself into a phantom within the forest.
"Alright, you overpowered lunatic… let's see how you handle this!"
He carefully positioned his Kurogane Shot, peeking through a narrow gap between the trees. His eyes gleamed with calculation.
A precise, piercing blast erupted from the weapon, cutting through the foliage with laser-like accuracy, heading straight for Black Flash.
Black Flash barely had a moment to react.
The first cannon shot whistled through the air like a meteor. He coated his hands in Armament Haki, and with a powerful swipe, shattered the attack into fragments.
But the second shot came without warning.
Black Flash's thoughts raced.
'Damn it. I'll just take this hit and—'
BOOM.
A crushing impact sent Black Flash flying through the air, his body crashing back into Kuoh Academy's courtyard like a human meteor.
From the shadows of the forest, Kazuma grinned.
"Payback, you bastard!"
"UAGGGHHHH!!!"
With a final, exaggerated stagger, Black Flash tumbled backward, hitting the ground with a dramatic grimace of pain.
And then—lightning crackled.
Golden arcs of energy danced wildly as Kazuma reappeared, his entire form vibrating with untamed power. His smirk widened as his distorted voice echoed through the battlefield.
"You should know better, Black Flash." He raised a hand, letting the golden sparks coil around his fingers. "You'll never be fast enough... or strong enough... to defeat me!" His grin sharpened. "No… to defeat us."
"Betul-Betul-Betul! This is the power of our bond, Black Flash!"
A tiny Chibi Satria popped up beside Kazuma, hands on his hips, nodding vigorously.
"How annoying!" Black Flash scowled, clenching his fists. "I'm tired of you always getting in my way! Your so-called dream of 'world peace' is nothing but an illusion!" His voice grew sharper, colder. "The only way to create true, lasting peace... is under the rule of His Majesty! In the new era, we will crush those who oppose us!"
"Who is he even talking to now?!"
Michael sighed, rubbing his temples. This entire crisis was beyond his understanding, beyond his control.
"I have no idea." Serafall crossed her arms, watching the exchange unfold in stunned silence. But deep inside, unease crept into her heart. 'Are there really people stronger than him in this world? Thank goodness we have Kazuma-san and Shin-kun on our side...'
"Whoever this 'Majesty' is, he's dangerous."
Sirzechs shivered at the implications. "If Black Flash was terrifying on his own, what kind of monster was the one he served?"
With a sudden burst of speed, Black Flash lunged at Kazuma, his fist aimed directly at his head.
"WAIT, WAIT—NOT IN THE FACE!!!"
Kazuma's screams rang out as he flailed his arms in pure terror.
But just before impact—
Satria's marionette skill kicked in.
Kazuma's wild, panicked movements shifted into something eerily precise, like a seasoned warrior evading attacks with absolute mastery. The crowd gasped in amazement.
It looked like he was dodging on purpose.
Even Kazuma blinked in surprise. 'Wait… Am I actually winning?!'
Just as Black Flash prepared to strike again, another figure descended from above.
A flash of silver.
A confident smirk.
Valiana, the White Dragon Emperor, had arrived.
"Hm?" Black Flash tilted his head, unimpressed. "So this is the so-called White Dragon Emperor?" His voice dripped with cold disappointment. "Pathetic. Is this the best you can do against a mere child?"
His eyes darkened as he sneered.
"To think you still can't defeat hatchlings like them… your title is wasted on a failure like you." His voice was venomous. "If you were my subordinate, I would've punished you for this disgrace. I'd make you beg—like a pathetic little bitch."
Silence.
For a moment, no one moved.
And then—
Deep within the mighty White Dragon Emperor, something sparked to life.
She lowered her head, a slow, dangerous smile curling onto her lips as her cheeks flushed.
"Hehehe~ Go ahead and punish me, Dad—"
Valiana froze.
The battlefield went silent again.
Azazel eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Kazuma choked on his own breath.
Sirzechs slowly turned to look at Serafall, who had already covered her face with both hands.
Chibi Satria holding his laughter in Kazuma shoulder.
"Damn it! That was close! IT WASN'T THE RIGHT TIME!!!" Valiana shrieked, slapping her own face. "I MEAN—SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME?!"
Albion sighed. "You really are a pervert, aren't you?"
"I'M NOT!!!"
"Onii-chan! Are you okay?"
Rias rushed toward Sirzechs, worry clear in her voice.
Sirzechs wiped the sweat from his brow, offering his sister a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Rias. Thanks to Kazuma-san and Shin-kun, we had time to rest and gather our strength."
Nearby, Issei blinked in confusion at a tiny, chibi-sized Satria, who was floating beside Kazuma. "Wait, wait, wait! Is that you, Shin-san?! How did you get so small?!"
Satria crossed his arms, trying to look serious despite his adorable, pocket-sized form.
Koneko, however, had a very different reaction. Her golden eyes gleamed with mischief as she licked her lips. 'Senpai is so cute~ I want to cuddle him in that form.'
Satria ignored the predatory gaze and instead gave a smug nod. "This is part of my power and my contract with Lord Kazuma." He raised a tiny hand dramatically. "It's called ALL FOR ONE. That means Kazuma can access the unique abilities of any Shadow Garden member who has a contract with him."
A blatant lie.
But it sounded impressive.
Serafall gasped in admiration. "Wow! What kind of magic is that? It's even more advanced than our Evil Pieces!"
Kazuma coughed awkwardly. 'Damn it, Satria, don't just make things up like that!'
A powerful presence returned to the battlefield.
"Kazuma-san!"
Kazuma flinched. "Y-Yes?"
Azazel stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "Let us handle this."
Sirzechs nodded, standing beside him. "Our pride as leaders of the Biblical Faction won't allow us to leave everything to you."
Serafall stretched, cracking her knuckles with a grin. "Yup~ Where would we put our faces if we couldn't handle this ourselves?"
Michael, ever the composed warrior, exhaled slowly. "Who would've thought we'd be fighting side by side?" His lips curled into a small, amused smile. 'I wonder what Father would say if he saw this scene...'
Kazuma raised his hands defensively. "O-Okay?"
A low, ominous chuckle rumbled through the battlefield.
"You again?"
The ground trembled.
Black Flash spread his arms wide, his laughter growing darker, wilder. "Hahaha! Fine! Come to me, so I can show you the depths of TRUE DARKNESS!"
"Prepare yourselves. This time... I will erase you all!"
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Serafall unleashed freezing gales, turning the earth beneath them to ice. Shards of frozen energy shot forward like deadly spears, hurtling toward Black Flash.
Sirzechs followed, releasing a tidal wave of demonic power, each strike warping space itself as he tore through the battlefield.
Azazel, wielding Fafnir's sacred power, unleashed a black wave that devoured the very air, consuming everything in its path.
And Michael... led the charge.
With his divine blade, he carved through the darkness itself, each swing glowing with pure, holy radiance.
Their combined assault struck like a storm.
For a moment—just a moment—Black Flash staggered. His form flickered as their attacks crashed into him.
Then—he laughed.
It wasn't a laugh of pain.
It was a laugh of triumph.
A sound so cold, so unnerving, that it sent a chill down their spines.
Fatalis smirked. "Heh… Playtime is over."
With a slow, deliberate motion, Black Flash raised his arm, pulling a Final Vent card from his coat. He slid it into his DX-Ultimate Legend Driver, and the mechanical voice rang out, its tone ominous and final:
"CHEMY CARD: FINAL VENT!"
The battlefield darkened.
A malevolent energy surged, splitting the ground beneath them. The sky twisted as if recoiling from the sheer force being unleashed.
Then—it emerged.
Fatalis, the Black Dragon of Calamity that has evolved to become even more powerful, coiled around Black Flash, its massive skeletal form merging with the energy wings sprouting from his back.
And then—it grew.
A monstrous black dragon of pure destruction took form behind him, its presence alone warping reality.
Its body was a nightmare—jagged bones formed its twisted frame, its tattered wings rippling like shadows in the wind. Purple energy crackled across its body, like lightning from another realm.
Its glowing eyes burned with an ancient, insatiable hunger. Its jaws, lined with serrated fangs, dripped with an eerie black mist, as if ready to devour existence itself.
Above them, the sky split apart, black clouds churning into a vortex of doom. The air itself felt heavier, suffocating under the sheer pressure of its presence.
A force of destruction.
A harbinger of annihilation.
A nightmare given form.
"D-Dragon?!" Issei's voice shook, his usual bravado crumbling as he stumbled backward. His dragon senses screamed at him to run. "A giant dragon just appeared out of nowhere!"
Inside his mind, Ddraig—the Red Dragon Emperor—growled in unease.
"Impossible... I've never seen this dragon before." Her voice was laced with tension. "And yet… its power is beyond me."
Her hesitation made Issei's blood run cold. "Wait, what do you mean?! And It's twice your size!"
Ddraig remained silent for a moment, then whispered: "This... may be something beyond even my time."
The realization hit hard.
They weren't just facing an opponent.
They were staring into the abyss itself.
And the abyss was staring back.
Sirzechs clenched his fists. "Don't hesitate! Don't be intimidated by him!" His voice was sharp, slicing through their creeping fear.
Azazel smirked despite the weight of the situation. "Tch. Looks like the difficulty level just spiked." His wings flared as he summoned his weapons. "Guess we'll just have to destroy it, won't we?"
Serafall nodded, her playful demeanor replaced with fierce determination. "That's right. We stop this monster here—for the sake of the future of this world!"
Michael raised his sword, its divine light cutting through the darkness. "It's now or never."
Black Flash leapt into the air, riding atop the black dragon's head, and together they shot downward like a spear of darkness, aimed straight at his enemies below.
As they collided with the ground, the energy of the attack exploded outward in a maelstrom of black flames and the impact sent shockwaves that tore through the twisted cityscape, warping reality itself with the sheer power of Black Flash attack.
"Onii-chan!"
"Onee-sama!"
"Sirzechs-sama!"
The battlefield was silent.
A deafening, suffocating silence.
Black Flash stood alone, his gaze sweeping over the fallen bodies of the Biblical leaders who had dared to stand against him. Their once mighty auras were now nothing more than flickering embers, struggling to stay alight.
He exhaled, his expression a mix of boredom and satisfaction.
"So this is it? This is all your world has to offer?" He clicked his tongue, unimpressed. "Boring."
The wind carried the scent of battle—blood, dust, and despair. And then, his eyes landed on the Rias Peerage.
With a slow, deliberate stride, he walked toward them.
Sirzechs, barely clinging to consciousness, struggled to lift his head. His once limitless power was now reduced to a flickering flame, his body too broken to fight.
"R... Rias, Grayfia..." he whispered, each word coated in agony. "Run."
Grayfia's eyes widened, her instincts kicking in. She raised her hand, attempting a teleportation spell to get Rias to safety—
But she never got the chance.
Before she could even blink, Black Flash was already there. A blur. A shadow. A nightmare.
A single touch—and she was gone.
Not dead. Erased from this world.
"W-Where?! Where is Grayfia?!" Rias' voice cracked, a mixture of fear and rage twisting her face.
Black Flash grinned, his golden eyes flickering with amusement. "Who knows~?" He took another step toward her, his presence like a noose tightening around her throat. "And you can't run. Not now. Not after defying the Great Black Flash."
His voice turned low, ominous.
"Watch what I do, little devil."
Sirzechs gritted his teeth, blood spilling from his lips. "No… NO! Don't you dare touch my little sister!" His voice roared across the battlefield, fueled by pure desperation.
But his body betrayed him. Too weak. Too broken.
He could do nothing but watch.
In an instant—Black Flash moved.
A blur of black lightning streaked toward Rias.
But before his hand could reach her chest—
A small figure leaped in front of her.
Koneko.
The white-haired Rook stood firm, arms outstretched in a protective stance.
And then—it happened.
SLASH!
A single, clean cut.
"Gah...!" Koneko gasped.
Blood gushed.
It spilled between her trembling fingers, dripping onto the stone floor below. A crimson pool formed beneath her, reflecting the horror in Rias' eyes.
Her knees buckled.
She fell.
"KONEKO!!!"
Rias lunged forward, her hands reaching out—
But it was too late.
She collapsed, her body lifeless in the eerie silence.
Above them, Fatalis chuckled.
"How dramatic... Hahaha!" The monstrous dragon's voice rumbled with amusement. "This girl acts like she's auditioning for an Oscar Award."
Of course, it was all a trick.
The "wound" was nothing more than a perfect illusion—a mix of Ope-Ope no Mi abilities and a hidden pack of fake blood.
Koneko was never truly harmed.
Black Flash—or rather, Satria—completed his true goal.
His fingers glowed with dark energy as he reached into Koneko's chest—not to wound, but to extract.
A deep hum filled the air.
The Evil Piece began to shift, pulling free from her body.
It emerged—a dark crystal, pulsing with sinister energy.
And then—
CRACK!
With a simple clench of his fist, Black Flash shattered it.
The moment it broke, a surge of energy pulsed through the air. Koneko's contract was undone.
Her chains were broken.
She was free.
Black Flash barely had time to react before—
BAM!
A blur crashed into him with bone-shattering force, sending him skidding across the battlefield.
A powerful kick had struck him head-on, forcing him away from Koneko.
"KONEKO!!!"
A voice screamed her name—raw, desperate.
Satria clone fell to his knees, pulling the girl into his arms. His hands trembled as he cradled her, his face buried in her hair.
And then—he wept.
"No... Koneko!!! Why? Why?! Why?!!!" His cries echoed, raw and broken.
The world watched.
But they didn't know the truth.
Beneath the act… he was already achieving his goal.
Now, he was certain.
This world was no longer threat to him.
A flawless victory.
'Stupid Senpai, can you not be so dramatic? You almost make me want to laugh out loud.' Koneko thought, still playing her role as the unconscious victim.
But the others didn't know that.
"You bastard...!"
The silence shattered as Issei roared.
A surge of uncontrollable power exploded from his body, his aura turning a deep, menacing red. Miasma seeped from his skin, crackling like unstable energy.
His breathing grew ragged. His eyes—wild with rage.
"BLACK FLASH!!! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!"
A single step forward, and the ground cracked beneath him.
Valiana's eyes widened. "Oh? Is he going to use that?" Her lips curled into a knowing smirk. Juggernaut Mode.
"Stop!"
Satria clone raised a hand, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"You're no match for him, Issei. Lord Kazuma can save her, don't worry." His tone was calm but firm. "Kazuma-sama won't stay silent after seeing injustice like this, right?!"
Silence.
Every eye in the battlefield snapped to Lord Kazuma.
He felt it—the expectation, the pressure, the desperate hope weighing on his shoulders.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
'WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, DAMN IT?!' His mind screamed as he tried to keep his composure. 'Please… don't look at me with those eyes!'
Kazuma could practically hear the invisible scriptwriting itself—"And thus, the overpowered protagonist steps in to save the day!"
He wanted to scream.
"I TAKE BACK MY WORDS! BEING OVERPOWERED PROTAGONIST SUCKS!!! SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE!!!"
He opened his mouth, trying to form a response. "I… I…"
But before he could say more—
Black Flash?
He only grinned.
With a slow, mocking gesture, he spread his arms wide. "Line up! Your turn will come soon. Who wants to die first? Step right up."
Kazuma's sweat doubled.
The battlefield trembled, but it wasn't from him.
Something else.
Something... far worse.
The very fabric of reality quaked.
"What the—?" Black Flash's smirk faltered, his gaze snapping toward the source.
A disturbance. A power unlike anything they had encountered before.
Satria's eyes narrowed.
'This power… Ophis?! What is that girl doing? Why now, of all times?'
Unknown energy churned in the distance, growing stronger by the second.
He frowned. This wasn't part of the plan.
With a subtle hand signal, he told his original self to end the act.
Enough for today.
Black Flash exhaled, shaking his head. "Tch. Looks like playtime is over."
Turning his back to them, he walked away, Fatalis slithering at his side.
But before leaving, he cast one final glance over his shoulder.
"Remember… I could have killed you all. Easily.
But consider this a warning.
Especially you, Kazuma."
His eyes flashed.
"Next time? You won't be so lucky."
With a final ripple of dark energy—he was gone.
To be continued...