Minutes into our opening exchange, she finally drew a weapon—a greatsword.
Azure scales, dark as the deep ocean, lined the massive blade. The weapon alone radiated an overwhelming presence; just facing it was enough to make the air feel heavy with pressure.
"Well then, I’m coming at you with everything!" she chirped.
With that single declaration, she closed the distance to Dia in a heartbeat, swinging the greatsword with nothing but raw, brute force.
Dia didn’t flinch. He caught the blow perfectly with the several [Magic Swords] hovering at his back. Without missing a beat, he summoned dozens more, launching a continuous barrage of blades at his opponent.
"Aha! That’s some incredible murderous intent. If I were anyone else, I’d be dead by now, wouldn't I?"
In an instant, a vortex of mana erupted.
The energy coalesced into the shape of a [Serpent], swallowing every incoming [Magic Sword]. The beast blackened as it gorged itself on the blades, then lunged at Dia. It tore through the earth as it surged forward, slamming directly into him.
"You didn’t think something of this caliber would be enough to finish me, did you?"
The demon stood there, completely unscathed.
He wore a fearless, twisted smirk as he summoned a black [Magic Sword] that felt even more malevolent than the last.
Diabel Satan. His [Scripture] identified him as the [Satan of Wrath]—the king of demons and one of the [Seven Deadly Sins].
"Tsk. I really, really hate that thing," Levi remarked.
"I should hope so. It was custom-made specifically for you."
In the myths, he was depicted as the Great Adversary of God. His true power lay in his ability to gain absolute, specialized effectiveness against whatever entity he faced. It was a relentless, lethal advantage that persisted until his target was dead. The longer the confrontation lasted, the more vicious the effect became, dragging the opponent into deeper cycles of agony.
"Could you maybe... put it away?"
"Then die quietly."
Dia spread six bat-like wings and took flight.
He manipulated a swarm of weapons in the air while simultaneously closing in to trade blows with Levi. She tried to parry with her greatsword, but the moment her weapon touched his, it began to crumble. Perhaps because they were entities of a similar nature, his [Magic Sword] was able to erode and destroy her gear upon contact.
"Honestly, I was underestimating this," Levi admitted, her voice losing its playful edge. "I don’t think I have the luxury of calling this a 'trial' anymore."
"Then release a bit more of your power," Dia countered. "This is boring."
"Oh? Don't tell me... is [Lucife]-kun mixed in there too?"
"As if."
I watched them from the sidelines, analyzing the flow of mana.
She’s too weak, I thought. For an entity like [Leviathan], she’s being pushed too easily. It feels like we could win just by having me support Dia from the rear... but I know better. There’s something she’s holding back.
"I actually liked these clothes," she muttered. "But if I keep this up, they’re going to get ruined."
Just as Satan had done earlier, she triggered a magical change in her outfit.
No—it was different. The waters of [Enoshima] surged toward her, swirling around her body to form a spear and a suit of armor. Clad in that fluid, shimmering raiment, she took on an appearance like a [Valkyrie] out of [Norse] legend.
"I'm going to show you a slightly more serious version of Levi-san... Can your restricted little [Satan]-kun handle this?"
"Dia! Defend yourself!" I shouted.
I felt the spike in mana instantly. I tried to throw up a defensive spell of my own, but I knew I wouldn't make it in time.
A beam of pressurized water erupted from the tip of her spear. There was no tell, no wind-up. I only realized she had attacked after the beam had already fired. Dia had attempted to block, but the strike was so fast it gouged a hole right through his shoulder.
"Dia!"
"...Worry not," he grunted. "Focus on your part."
"I was aiming for a clean heart-shot," Levi mused. "You dodged that well."
That technique had zero charge time. There’s no way she can be allowed to spam that, I realized.
But judging by her casual posture, that wasn't even a finishing move—just a standard attack. If I wanted to deal with this, I needed to change the stage.
"—I'm borrowing your mana."
"Understood. Use it without hesitation."
I needed two minutes to charge.
Two minutes was an eternity against an opponent like her, but I had to use this magic to ensure Dia’s victory. Using this much mana right after summoning him was a complete gamble, but I didn't have a choice.
"Just endure it, Dia."
"...Hmph. Leave it to me, Contractor."
Dia—Satan—shifted into a more monstrous, primordial form.
It was the closest he could get to his true demonic nature without an [Original Text Release]. His silhouette became jagged and thorn-like, and the number of swords floating behind him doubled. Every single one was now imbued with a lethal special attack specifically tuned to kill her.
The two of them clashed in the sky at dizzying speeds.
They traded blows, scraping and gouging at one another. Even as his body was torn into, Dia refused to stop his assault. However, because Levi was constantly replenishing her armor with seawater, his attacks couldn't reach her actual body. At the same time, she was struggling to find an opening; Dia was parrying everything she threw at him unless she used those water beams.
I finally finished my focus.
The magic [Shiki] was assembled. All I had to do now was weave the words.
"Manifest, incarnation of hell. A garden of heat, overflowing with the blazing sun."
The first two verses were complete. Flames erupted from [Laevateinn], staining the entire world in a hellish crimson.
"[The End] has arrived. Come, oh Titans, and paint the world in red."
In a pocket dimension that seemed to roar with cheers, giants began to rise.
"—[Scorching Hell: Muspelheim]—[Titan Parade]!"
With the magic complete, Levi was ripped away from the sea of [Enoshima] and dragged into my invitation to [Muspelheim].
"Ahaha! So this is Reima-san's magic? Are you sure you're just a [Summoner]?"
"I just called forth a little [Scorching Hell]," I said, my voice rasping. "This is where we take you down."
I was doing everything I could just to maintain the spell. As one of the highest-ranking barrier spells in existence, it would only last five minutes at most. I didn't know if the combination of the fire giants and Dia would be enough to defeat her, but I had played my best hand.
Every breath scorched my lungs. My sweat evaporated the second it touched the air. Deprived of the ocean, her water armor hissed and vanished.
"Yeah... I definitely made the right choice picking you," she laughed, even as the swarm of giants closed in on her. "I don't get many chances to see magic this beautiful. And because it's so beautiful... I can finally expose my true self."
She smiled.
"The strongest [Serpent]. The one who defies God, born on the fifth day of creation. The primordial dragon that washes the world away—[Terminus Summon]."
In an instant, her body dissolved like mist.
In a world of heat where water should not exist, she simply melted away. Then, an impossible sea began to overflow within the scorched realm.
"[Levi Leviathan]."
In that heartbeat, something so massive it threatened to sweep away the entirety of the scorched world was unleashed.