As the Devil Mask Branch army arrived, they were greeted by Piers's forces. From a distance, the Heaven Hall Branch was observing the scene. Their Matriarch smirked. We will let them duke it out, and when they are too weak, we kill both of them—two birds in one stone, she thought.
However, Piers already knew of her presence thanks to the Dendrogram.
The Devil Mask Branch Patriarch stepped forward. "Piers, by attacking the Devil Hell Branch and this Devil Branch, you have been found guilty of attacking all of us and are hereby punished to be executed!"
Piers dismissed him. "Stop bickering. Garth, Xander, go ahead."
"Yes, Master Piers," Garth replied. Suddenly, the entire Devil Mask army was enveloped in a forceful ritual field.
The Heaven Hall Matriarch was surprised. What is happening there? What is that force field? Then, she and her disciple were covered by the same field.
Piers decided, "Your rituals are quite useful Garth and Xander you will be rewarded later First we should kill them." Garth said "you honor us master" Xander said "we are pleased to help you"
The Devil Mask Patriarch pleaded, "Wait, please! I can be quite useful for you! I will serve under you!" However, Piers had already consulted the Dendrogram and knew the Patriarch was a likely betrayer. Piers used his Hellsfire and killed him instantly.
Piers continued, incinerating all disciples who would betray him, burning one-third of the Devil Mask forces. He then addressed the survivors. "As for you disciples, I want to give you all a chance. If you join me, I will not kill you."
"Yes, I will join you!" "I will join you!" they all cried.
Piers then turned his attention to the Heaven Hall forces. "So, you are the one who was planning to take advantage of me."
The Matriarch raged, "I am going to kill you!"
"Yeah, yeah, you can go ahead and tell that, but it will be nothing more than empty threats." Piers drew his Holy Sword. The Matriarch's eyes widened. "That is our Holy Sword! I thought it was stolen!"
"My master gave it to me," Piers stated.
The Matriarch was furious. "Then your master is a thief! Give the Holy Sword and the Devil Branches to us, and we will leave you without punishing you!"
"Oh? Give the Holy Sword to you? Then, does it recognize you like me?" Piers challenged. The Holy Sword shone brightly, a sign that its true holder had been recognized. The Matriarch's eyes widened further. "It can't be! How can it be possible? You are nothing!"
"The answer is simple," Piers said, as the Devil and Guardian Holders stood united behind him. "It's because I unify everyone—not just Devil Holders, but also Guardian Holders!"
(The actual reason the Holy Sword recognized Piers was due to the angelic energy of an angel residing within him, resonating with the blade.)
Piers unleashed a beam of angelic power from the Holy Sword, killing the Matriarch. "Be glad you are killed with the Holy Sword. And as for everyone of you, will you support me for your cause?" The disciples remembered the legend that the person recognized by the Holy Sword would lead them to a bright future.
"We will serve you!" they shouted. Piers smiled. "Then get ready."
Over the following months, Piers's campaign of conquest was relentless. He destroyed 5 Devil Branches and 7 Guardian Branches.
He killed the beast of the Guardian Branches.
Severin killed the Guardian of the White Lands, gaining the title Devil of the Black Lands.
Kade bested the 100 Techniques Guardian in a battle of techniques.
Astarte killed the Devil Holder of the 9 Circles of Hell.
Vera and Sirius killed the beasts of the Guardian and Devil Holders, respectively.
Titus bested the Storm Devil, becoming the first Holder to break its storm.
Garth and Xander became the most trusted Ritual Generals in Piers's army.
Piers himself became a force of nature. He mastered new Devil and Holy powers:
White Arts: Judgement Ray, Seraph's Wrath, and Solar Baptism.
Black Arts: Glimmer Bane, Silens Cordis.
Piers's army was feared. Wherever they went, only debris and destruction remained. Kaiser and his team were terrified. Piers's revolution was no longer about a few oppressed students; it was about conquering and dominating the world. Piers was rapidly showing he was capable of achieving this. His army's dedication, born from his power and charisma, was absolute. Many students in other branches actively wished for Piers's army to attack so they could join, knowing he accepted all who surrendered.
Tenko, utterly frustrated by Piers's success, barked at Ben, clearly issuing an order.
"Yeah, I too think we would require that," Ben agreed.
"Are you sure? You know it might leave us vulnerable," Luc cautioned.
"We can make another headquarters, but we can't revive the dead," Emilia reminded him.
"What are you all talking about?" Selene asked.
Ben took a scroll, affixed it to a messenger bird's leg, and sent it off. "Extreme Revolution: The Assembling of the Eight Founders."
"You mean?" Lyla gasped.
"Yes. Ben, Me, Luc, Levi, Arizona, Alya, and Tenko, to bring Rei back," Emilia confirmed.
"If that's so, then I should bring my friends as well," Bret offered.
"Me too," Lyla added. They also sent messenger birds.
"Get ready, things are about to get rough," Ben warned.
In Astria, Eugene sat on the grass, cross-legged, his mind completely blank. Daina called his name, but he didn't respond. She waved her hand in front of his eyes, then shouted in his ear, but still nothing. Daina saw he was breathing but was confused. Suddenly, Eugene began to float.
"I see, I can use it," Eugene said, floating up. He conjured projections of several weapons, then smashed a nearby rock with a projected mace. Eugene slowly descended. "I see, my powers are more deeper than I imagined."
Daina was completely surprised. "J-j-just... wha-what... h-h-happened?"
Eugene looked at her. "Oh, me flying? It's simple, like this." He conjured a barrier box and floated it above Daina. "I made a barrier on myself and floated myself up. I can only use it for 30 seconds before using one-fourth of my mana."
Daina, seeing the offensive possibilities, smiled. "Well, it can come handy if our supportive member will be able to attack."
"I don't really know about this," Eugene admitted, making a golden projection of a sword. "I am not really a master swordsman, as you can see, or even of anything."
"But you would be after I train you! So get ready for your training," Daina declared.
"Then I will do my best," Eugene accepted.