Chapter 97 – Khaos Brigade's Assault!
The ground trembled. A pulse of time-manipulating energy rippled out from the heart of Kuoh Academy, spreading like an invisible wave across the campus.
And in an instant... time stopped.
Everything—every breeze, every sound, every living being not strong enough to resist—was frozen mid-motion.
The world turned gray, drained of color, motion, and life. A stagnant silence swallowed the area.
Within the meeting room, Rias Gremory, Sona Shitori, and their respective peerages stood locked in place, completely immobilized by the temporal field.
Time had stopped—and it wasn't natural.
But not everyone was affected.
Sirzechs Lucifer. Serafall Leviathan. Michael. Azazel.
Their sheer power and control over their domains allowed them to resist the anomaly without even trying. The same went for Vali Lucifer... and Shin Akira.
Their strength alone rejected the influence of temporal interference. The Heavenly Dragons would not bow to time.
"...Always at the worst possible moment," Sirzechs muttered with a weary sigh. Frustration laced his voice.
Peace between the Three Factions—within reach, one step away from ratification—and now this.
The choice of Kuoh Academy as the summit's venue had been deliberate. A small town, out of the way, and not of much interest to most supernatural beings. It was supposed to be a neutral ground.
And yet...
Sirzechs immediately sensed magic signatures appearing outside the building. One of them was all too familiar.
Without a word, a wave of devil magic surged from his body, spreading out to break the temporal seal inside the room.
Rias, Sona, and their peerages blinked as the world around them returned to motion.
"Wh-what's going on?!" Rias gasped, eyes wide with confusion.
"It's temporal manipulation," Azazel explained, his gaze hard as he looked through the window.
"It feels like a Sacred Gear... and one that's clearly in Overdrive."
"A Sacred Gear that manipulates time...? Gasper?!"
Rias's voice rang out across the room.
Everyone turned to her.
In one of the sealed rooms of the Occult Research Club building, there was a young dhampir—Gasper Vladi—a Bishop in Rias's peerage. His Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View, was a cursed Evil Eye with the power to stop time itself.
But Gasper had no control over it.
Nervous, reclusive, and socially anxious, he avoided people. He was even averse to drinking blood, despite his vampire heritage.
In moments of emotional instability, his Sacred Gear would activate on its own, freezing large swaths of the surrounding area in suspended time.
Due to the immense risk it posed—and Gasper's inability to control it—Rias and Sirzechs had decided to seal him in a special room within the old school building.
So when time stopped just now... Rias's instincts pointed directly to him.
"Gasper...?" Michael repeated softly.
"He's my Bishop," Rias explained quickly. "His Sacred Gear is Forbidden Balor View. But due to his mental state and lack of control, we had to seal him away."
"A time-stopping Sacred Gear... that's dangerously unstable," Azazel muttered, nodding slightly.
As an expert in Sacred Gears and head of the Grigori, Azazel knew how terrifying time-based abilities could be—especially in enemy hands.
And now... it seemed that exact scenario was unfolding.
"...They've arrived."
Azazel's voice grew heavier as he pointed out the window.
Dozens of robed figures had materialized in the air surrounding the academy. They stood atop floating magic circles, their positions forming a coordinated siege.
This wasn't a spontaneous attack—it was a full-scale operation.
Time had been stopped to immobilize everyone.
And now, the enemy had them surrounded.
Rias and Sona tensed in alarm.
But the others—Sirzechs, Serafall, Michael, Azazel, Vali, and Akira—remained calm.
Why panic?
This room alone contained four of the most powerful leaders in the supernatural world, two Heavenly Dragon hosts, and multiple next-generation nobles and peerage members.
This was the single worst room any enemy could pick a fight with.
This wasn't just a meeting room. It was a fortress of living legends.
Attacking here… was practically a declaration of war against the entire balance of the supernatural world.
Suddenly, an explosion shattered the air.
The building's roof and walls burst open as debris and dust were blasted inward. Shockwaves tore through the room—yet not a single person was harmed.
In perfect coordination, several layers of defense spells activated instantly.
Sirzechs extended a barrier of crimson magic around Rias and her group.
Serafall shielded Sona and her peerage with a flowing wall of ice and magic.
Michael unfurled his twelve golden wings, forming a radiant dome around Irina.
Azazel, despite his usual laziness, snapped his fingers to summon a powerful defensive field.
Akira and Vali?
They didn't even move.
They didn't need to.
Their raw power alone was enough to shrug off the attack.
"…Tch. Not a single one of you died? What a shame."
A sultry, mocking voice echoed from above.
Everyone looked up.
A woman hovered in mid-air, surrounded by her cloaked subordinates. Her skin was a rich, exotic tone. Her body—curvaceous and statuesque—radiated strength and temptation in equal measure. But it was the smile on her face that unsettled the room most.
It wasn't confidence. It was disdain.
Sirzechs narrowed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
Michael and Azazel exchanged small, knowing glances. They recognized her.
This wasn't just an outside attack. From the Underworld's perspective... this was a civil problem.
"…Katerea Leviathan," Sirzechs said flatly.
She was a direct descendant of the previous generation's Leviathan—a key member of the Old Maou Faction.
"And what exactly is your goal here, Katerea?"
"I think it's obvious," she smirked. "Most of the Old Maou Faction has aligned with the organization known as—Khaos Brigade."
Sirzechs and Michael looked at each other, frowning.
"Khaos Brigade…?" Sirzechs repeated, unfamiliar with the name.
Azazel stepped forward, arms crossed. "I'll explain."
"Khaos Brigade is a terrorist group. They've been gathering radicals from all three major factions—not just stray Devils or Fallen Angels, but also rogue elements from the Church."
He glanced at Rias and the others.
"Some of their members are confirmed Sacred Gear users... and many of them have already reached Balance Breaker."
"What?!" Rias gasped.
"And it doesn't stop there," Azazel continued grimly.
"We've confirmed that several of their members wield Longinus—the kind of Sacred Gear that can kill gods."
A sharp silence fell over the room.
Even Sirzechs and Michael were visibly shaken.
Longinus... weren't just rare.
They were legendary.
Each one held the power to shift the balance of the world. Even a single wielder could change the course of history.
And Khaos Brigade had multiple?
Azazel's expression hardened.
"And worst of all… we believe their leader is someone—or something—more dangerous than both the Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou combined."
He paused.
"…No. It's more accurate to say... they're not a dragon at all."
His eyes narrowed.
"They're a serpent."
The entire room froze.
A leader stronger than the Heavenly Dragons… and not even a dragon?
Something terrifying had just begun.
And it was only the opening move.
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