One simple sentence, and Riser nearly lost it.
Draconis—still officially a low-class devil—had just declared checkmate.
Riser was a pure-blood, high-class devil, born with every advantage.
To lose to someone like Draconis? He'd become the punchline of every joke in the Underworld.
"You've got to be kidding me. You think you're qualified to say 'checkmate' to me?"
Riser's magic flared, teetering on the edge of a rampage.
"Brother, don't be reckless!"
Ravel's voice cut through, her brows furrowed. She could see it—Riser was ready to stake everything.
For all his arrogance, Riser clung fiercely to family honor.
Losing to Rias, another pure-blood, he could stomach.
But losing because of Draconis alone? Unthinkable.
Today, all the blame fell on Draconis. Riser's defeat was his doing—Rias was just collateral.
It was a slap in the face to pure-blood devils everywhere.
If he let this stand, Riser would never forgive himself.
Boom!
His magic erupted—crimson-gold flames roaring like molten gold. Riser went all in, hurling himself at Draconis with savage force.
Even Rias frowned, feeling the pressure. For the first time, she was genuinely worried for Draconis.
Riser's fury was unmistakable.
Draconis lowered his gaze, sensing the iron in Riser's resolve—the refusal to accept defeat.
But a beating was still a beating.
Draconis spread his hands.
The Divine Lament Shield and Regalia Blade hovered before him, both blazing with light, swirling in orbit.
Dong!
A bell tolled—deep, resonant.
Sound waves rippled out, freezing the entire battlefield in a moment of absolute silence.
Stillness.
Ripples shimmered through the void.
A voice echoed, distant and ancient, as if carried from the edge of eternity:
"Hoooo~~~ Hoooo~~~"
The war horn's call, followed by the thunder of battle drums, rattled every heart.
Anyone who heard it felt their pulse surge, blood pounding with primal excitement.
Then came the roar—a thousand voices joined in a single, endless battle cry.
A storm of warriors charging, wind howling, the air thick with the weight of slaughter.
"What… what is this?"
Tsubaki Shinra, the student council vice president, clutched her chest, heart hammering. The pressure was suffocating, even for a bystander.
Sona Sitri adjusted her glasses, eyes grave.
"It looks like… a Balance Breaker."
"What? He actually… reached that stage?"
Tsubaki stared, stunned. Draconis had achieved Balance Breaker—right before their eyes.
Balance Breaker—a Sacred Gear's ultimate evolution, fed by its wielder's will.
When your resolve could reshape the world itself, the Gear responded in kind.
But Draconis hadn't seemed to undergo a dramatic transformation… had he?
Only Rias wore a conflicted expression.
She remembered the old Draconis—aloof, self-aware, always keeping people at arm's length.
But over time, he'd changed. Maybe thanks to her, to Akeno, to his contracts.
Whatever the reason, Draconis's heart had already shifted.
Was that what let him trigger Balance Breaker?
Unbeknownst to him, the prerequisite had long since been met.
Gold light surged in Draconis's eyes.
His dark pupils blazed into brilliant gold as he looked up at the rippling void.
"Descend."
Citadel of Endless Dusk.
He whispered the words.
Dong!
Another bell rang.
A vast, black fortress materialized—so massive its edges vanished beyond sight, blotting out the sun, swallowing the battlefield whole.
Every spectator stared in shock.
The entire alternate dimension was crammed with the black citadel—yet only a corner was visible.
No one could fathom its true size.
"What… what level of Balance Breaker is this?"
Someone whispered, awestruck.
Sirzechs Lucifer narrowed his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Interesting. He's already reached ultimate-class devil power…"
Draconis felt his magic draining at a terrifying rate.
Ten minutes, tops—he could hold this form no longer.
It was his first true activation of the Citadel of Endless Dusk.
Only with his double's power-sharing and dual Promotion could he sustain it this long.
Normally, it would be much shorter.
The cost was brutal.
But the payoff was immense.
He discovered the move was even more powerful than he'd imagined.
The Divine Lament Shield granted stasis—locking his state at its peak.
But the Regalia Blade layered on an amplification effect.
While the citadel held, every attribute was boosted, limited only by his body's endurance.
As his physique improved, so did the amplification.
Right now, he could handle a tenfold increase.
He'd thought the shield's stasis would freeze everything—ultimate defense, but also a cap on his power.
But the Regalia Blade was exempt.
Thinking about it, it made sense—the sword and shield were a set.
Otherwise, why call it the Aegis of the Virtuous Monarch?
Even Draconis had to admit—stasis plus amplification was almost criminally overpowered.
Riser was floored by the Citadel's appearance.
Balance Breaker…
He recognized it instantly.
Who could have imagined Draconis would reach this level right in front of him?
"Damn…"
For the first time, Riser's confidence wavered.
Draconis didn't care.
His power spiked—he flashed forward, nearly teleporting to Riser's side, and drove a fist straight into his face.
—
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