Hallow Throne

After Masaki successfully thwarted Zeldius's most formidable attack, Zeldius inquired, "What is Tertium?" At that moment, a small black orb materialized on Masaki's shoulder, gradually transforming into a diminutive chibi devil. Anew voiced her curiosity, "What is that? Is it another devil? But why is it black?" Riruru clarified, "It's not a typical world devil like you; it's black because it hails from the underworld." Anew pondered, "A devil from the underworld?"

Masaki greeted Tertium, asking, "Tertium, are you ready?" Tertium replied, "Yeah, I'm ready. And who is this loser?" Masaki responded, "Our current target." Zeldius, determined not to be defeated, administered a drug to himself, declaring, "This is my last chance; I won't lose." In a stunning transformation, Zeldius turned into a steel dragon.

Masaki questioned, "What have you done?" Tertium turned to Masaki, asking for advice, "Well, Tertium, what do we do now?" Masaki reluctantly admitted, "I wanted to finish this without resorting to my holy relic or demonic form, but it seems I have no choice."

The steel dragon roared and unleashed its elemental breath, but Masaki swiftly countered with a defensive move, shouting, "Thunder Screen!" The attack was successfully blocked. Masaki then called forth his power, saying, "Summon Divine Lance, Frenir." Tertium inquired, "Are we using demonics?" Masaki replied, "No, my spirit form should suffice." Masaki commanded, "Change my armor properties to maximum resistance and attack!" Tertium acknowledged, "You got it."

With the release of Masaki's magic, he declared, "Thunder Magic Spirit Armor." Now, atop his uniform, he donned a layer of thunder armor. Masaki charged forward to confront the rampaging dragon but found himself struggling to hold his ground. Determined, Masaki unleashed his ultimate move, "Thunder Lance, Raging Thunder Surge, Full Burst!" The lance, which was positioned near the dragon, delivered a devastating blow, ultimately defeating the steel dragon. Masaki declared, "It's over; we've won."

Breathing heavily, Masaki instructed, "Iris, call HQ." Turning to his allies, he added, "Riruru, Anew, return to base." Then, with a sense of responsibility, he continued, "I will carry Astrea to the base myself. He needs medical attention, and since I'm the fastest, I'll ensure he gets there swiftly." Riruru and Anew responded in unison, "Sir, yes, sir!"

Masaki's lightning-fast Thunder Clap and Flash abilities allowed him to transport Astrea to the ExistForger base, a staggering 300 kilometers away, in just five minutes. As they arrived, Celestio greeted them by opening the base's door.

"Celestio!" exclaimed Masaki. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on patrol."

Celestio replied, "He needs urgent medical care. Quickly, get Astrea to the couch in the lobby. Be careful; he's injured."

"What happened?" Fitches inquired, concern evident in his voice. "Everyone is worried. What should we do now?"

With a sense of relief, Celestio suggested, "We can use Holy Water Magic and a Sacred Tear. Just a single drop of water can heal him."

"Thank God he's improving," Lucifer expressed. "But he's not fully healed yet."

Lucifer continued, "I can handle that," as he invoked Dark Magic with Sacred Dark and impure magic. Astrea's injuries were swiftly mended, and he was restored to full health.

With Astrea fully healed, they moved him to his room. Three days later, Astrea finally woke up.