Kokabiel really had been rattled out of his wits.
Up until now, he had been arrogant beyond measure, convinced that no one here could stand against him and that everything was fully under his control.
Then Ryuya appeared and slapped him across the face with reality.
Who could have seen this coming?
After all, no matter how anyone looked at it before, Ryuya had been nothing more than a weak little Mid-Class Devil, someone Kokabiel could have crushed with a single finger.
Who would have imagined that this guy had such a trump card, one that could raise his combat power to such a horrifying level?
This boy was a monster.
For the first time, Kokabiel truly panicked. His holy technique had been interrupted because he had cast it at the wrong moment, and the resulting disorder in his divine power left him feeling so awful he nearly coughed up blood.
Meanwhile, Ryuya kept pressing forward step by step. He was still unbelievably steady, maintaining absolute control over the flow of battle. Even with time running short, he remained calm, slowly but surely wearing down the fallen angel's strength bit by bit.
He was simply waiting for the right moment.
And when that moment came, he would kill in a single strike.
At the same time, far away in the high sky, a white-haired young man was speaking indifferently with another man.
"Asazel, it seems I won't need to step in after all."
The white-haired youth spoke calmly, standing in midair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Beside him was none other than the supreme leader of all Fallen Angels, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel.
Azazel looked up at the ancient giant city hanging in the sky, his face full of intense curiosity.
"Hey now, don't be in such a hurry, Vali. Let's watch a bit longer. That boy really is full of surprises. I'm honestly curious whether he can defeat that idiot."
"He cast a holy technique at the wrong time. The outcome is already obvious," Vali said coolly. "That boy's Sacred Gear is extremely powerful. It is no weaker than my Divine Dividing, and it definitely belongs to the class of Longinus."
"Heh, of course I can tell that!"
Azazel smiled faintly. "That's exactly why I'm curious. Honestly, this Sacred Gear is absurd. To think it can grant invincibility for so long. And that giant city in the sky, what exactly does it do? I've been waiting this whole time to find out…"
"Give it up. With that boy's current strength, he probably still can't bring out the true effect of that city."
Vali lifted his head to look at the enormous city in the sky, and deep within his eyes, a trace of battle intent flashed.
It was easy to imagine that once this boy fully matured, his strength would become utterly terrifying.
The thought alone made Vali's blood stir.
If possible, he really wanted to fight that guy someday.
Azazel found Vali's reasoning convincing and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
"What a shame. If only that kid were a bit stronger, maybe he could force out the ancient city's true power. Instead, he's just dangling my curiosity in front of me and leaving me hanging. It's driving me crazy…"
"The battle is about to be decided," Vali suddenly declared. "That boy is gathering power."
Within the barrier, Kokabiel was already starting to lose his nerve.
"Y-you damned brat! Fine, I admit it, you're stronger than me right now!"
Suppressing his fury while desperately fending off Ryuya's relentless attacks, Kokabiel hurriedly shouted,
"A strong man like you shouldn't stay unknown forever, wagging your tail as someone else's dog! Why not join me and raise the banner of rebellion? Together, we could crush all those fools beneath our feet! At that point, anything you want could be yours!"
"Is that so?"
Ryuya answered flatly, "And what exactly can you give me?"
"With your power and mine, if we join forces, then as long as you desire it, what is there you couldn't obtain? Why live beneath someone else forever?!"
Seeing what looked like a slight opening in Ryuya's attitude, Kokabiel hurried to persuade him.
Hearing this, Rias and the others grew anxious instead.
"Don't listen to him! That bastard is crafty as hell!"
Ryuya found that inwardly amusing. As if he were stupid enough to fall for something so obvious.
"Are you joking right now? Trying to tempt a devil? Manipulating people's hearts is a trick our kind got tired of ages ago."
He spoke calmly, then seemed to think of something and smiled faintly.
"Besides, why do you think I'm beneath someone else? I'm clearly on top of Rias every single night, all right? Honestly, being Rias's servant has been pretty enjoyable."
Kokabiel: "…??"
Rias: "…??"
"Uh…??"
For a moment, everyone froze like statues.
And when Rias finally realized what he meant, her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
But in that brief instant when Kokabiel was left dumbfounded, the demonic power Ryuya had been gathering suddenly erupted!
Bzzzt!!
The demonic power inside his body surged like a vast ocean, spilling outward and affecting the space around him itself. The air twisted and warped as his power burst forth to a truly terrifying degree!
Not good!!
Kokabiel's expression changed drastically as he sensed a fatal threat!
The King's Sword in Ryuya's hand exploded with horrifying demonic light, purple-black power shooting straight into the heavens!
Back when Ryuya had first obtained his Sacred Gear, he had already been able to kill Fallen Angels with the King's Sword alone.
Now, however, he was no longer the same as before.
A full-powered strike from him was terrifying beyond imagination!
Even Rias and the others, merely watching from the sidelines, felt immense pressure from the current Ryuya, so heavy it was almost suffocating!
As for Kokabiel, there was no need to mention it.
He felt as if a powerful force had locked onto him. That pressure pinned him in place, making it difficult even to move!
What kind of power is this?!
Ryuya's golden eyes radiated overwhelming majesty, and at that moment, fragmented streams of information suddenly unlocked within his mind.
This seemed to be…
A sword technique naturally carried by the Excalibur itself?
His heart stirred, and understanding came to him in an instant.
A vast and dignified aura poured out from the King's Sword, as though an ancient king were once again passing judgment upon his enemies and suppressing all sinners beneath his rule.
This move was called:
Judgment of the King!
Ryuya unleashed all the demonic power he had accumulated in one overwhelming burst!
The Judgment of the King descended, rushing straight toward Kokabiel, who had nowhere left to run!
Am I really going to die here?
That unbelievable thought flashed through Kokabiel's mind, and in desperation, he roared and poured every ounce of his divine power into a final defense!
The Judgment of the King fell.
Direct hit!
Light exploded outward, and everyone saw nothing but a world of white before them. They could only vaguely make out that within the sea of light, the surrounding buildings were being erased inch by inch beneath the might of that single slash…
Crack!!
Even the surrounding barrier shattered. Sona Sitri and the others all coughed up blood, having been injured by the overflowing demonic power!
The raging torrent of power continued to wreak havoc for a full ten seconds.
When the light finally faded, everyone swallowed hard.
They discovered that not only had more than half of Kuoh Academy been reduced to flat ground, but even outside the school, over a dozen mountain peaks had vanished without a trace…
If that strike had been aimed toward the town instead, then Kokabiel would not have needed to do anything at all.
The entire city would have been destroyed by Ryuya's single sword strike.
…Well, this was a little awkward.
Even Ryuya himself had not expected the power of that slash to be so absurdly terrifying…
"Puh…"
A weak sound suddenly rang out.
It was Kokabiel.
He was still alive.
But after collapsing to the ground and coughing up a mouthful of blood, he immediately lost consciousness.
...
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