What the—?!
No way. That's the legendary Stellar Holy Sword! How in hell did it suddenly appear—and why is it in the hands of a pure-blooded Devil?
Riser could only stare, trembling so hard he nearly bit through his own tongue. He sucked in a ragged breath, eyes wide with terror.
"A Holy Sword?! How can you—a Devil—possibly wield a Holy Sword?!"
He was too stunned to recognize it as the Stellar Holy Sword, but the blade's sheer power was unmistakable. Every Devil knew the lore: holy water, holy light, sacred weapons—each anathema to Devilkind. But Holy Swords? They were the ultimate executioners. Even a scratch could leave a Devil gravely wounded, nearly impossible to heal. A direct hit? Unless you were monstrously strong, you were done for.
Yet here was Rias, a Devil, wielding a Holy Sword as if it belonged in her hand. Unless Heaven itself had blessed her, this was flat-out impossible.
But if Riser was confused, the angels and seraphim watching from Heaven were downright dumbfounded. Rias was their sworn enemy—how could the heavens possibly favor her?
What made it even stranger was that the Stellar Holy Sword—the one forged from the faith of humanity and gestated in the planet's core—had chosen a Devil as its wielder. It defied every law of the cosmos.
Of course, there were those who understood more than most. Sirzechs, for one, saw the truth instantly. The Stellar Holy Sword was nothing like the swords forged in Heaven. Its rules, its will, were different.
"Rias can't be the sword's true master. A Holy Sword would never choose a Devil. Which means…" Sirzechs's eyes flashed with excitement. "It's Nangong Shuo—that human boy. He's the real wielder. Who would've thought? Rias's human boyfriend is the Stellar Holy Sword's chosen one!"
He wasn't alone in his deduction. Cao Cao of the Hero Faction, Vali of the Khaos Brigade, even the Red Dragon Emperor—they were all putting the pieces together.
But for everyone else, confusion reigned. The Devils in the stands were left reeling, their worldviews in shambles.
We're all Devils here—how come Rias gets to swing around a Holy Sword while we're still terrified just looking at it? Did she secretly evolve without telling us?
On the battlefield, Riser's whole body was shaking uncontrollably, his form flickering as he instinctively shifted into his phoenix-flame state. But even that couldn't warm the chill crawling up his spine.
Death itself was screaming in his mind—every instinct howling at him to run, but his legs wouldn't obey.
The Holy Sword in Rias's hand blazed with radiant power, the air around her humming with lethal energy. She leveled the blade, and the light gathered, ready to unleash a beam that could erase anything in its path.
Riser saw his own death reflected in that light. Panic finally broke through his paralysis, and he screamed at the top of his lungs:
"STOP! I SURRENDER! I GIVE UP!!!"
The instant the words left his mouth, referee Evelyn sprang into action, throwing herself between Rias and Riser, frantically signaling for a halt.
Rias, adrenaline still surging, jerked the sword aside at the last possible moment.
A blinding flash erupted from the blade, a beam of pure destruction tearing across the horizon. A distant city—thankfully empty—was swallowed whole, reduced to ash and silence by the sword's terrible power.
Riser collapsed, staring at the devastation with wide, unblinking eyes. He'd come within a hair's breadth of true death.
But fate wasn't finished with them yet.
Suddenly, Kiyome Abe's urgent voice rang out: "President Rias, run! Rayquaza's attack is already coming—there's no way to stop it!"
Everyone's heads snapped toward the sky—and there it was. Rayquaza, still coiled above, had been waiting, building power, and now there was no stopping what came next.
Rayquaza, for its part, was thoroughly fed up. I've been floating here forever, waiting for my cue. Now it's my turn. Try and dodge this, mortals!
Evelyn, eyes wide with horror, poured every ounce of her magic into a shield, desperately trying to protect Rias and Riser.
Rayquaza let out a roar that shook the heavens.
A torrent of blue energy exploded from its jaws—
—Dragon Rage!
The blast was the size of a meteor, and for a split second, everyone just gawked in disbelief.
BOOM!
The Dragon Rage slammed into Evelyn's barrier, unleashing a blinding flash. A shockwave ripped skyward,
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