Shuo glanced at Vali and Lux, letting out a slow breath. His tone was calm, almost gentle, but the words cut like steel.
"You two get it now, don't you? There's a gulf between us you can't cross. So here's your choice—surrender, or let me beat you into submission."
Vali and Lux didn't bother arguing. Their faces twitched, pride warring with the reality pressing down on them.
Inside their souls, Ddraig and Albion urged them quietly.
"Vali, just surrender. Even together, you don't stand a chance against him."
"He's right. The gap is too wide. It's humiliating, but better that than dying here."
They'd seen the truth. Shuo wasn't just strong—he was the same human who'd killed them in ages past. Even at their peak, they hadn't stood a chance. Now, battered and drained, Vali and Lux were little more than lambs before a dragon.
Vali and Lux exchanged a look, a silent agreement passing between them. Both broke into laughter—a last, defiant act.
"Even if it kills us, we're not running away!"
The words had barely left their lips when the suffocating pressure vanished. They blinked, confused, unsure what game Shuo was playing.
Shuo smiled—a predator's grin, equal parts amusement and warning.
"Not bad. Even staring death in the face, you two don't flinch. That's the spirit of the Heavenly Dragons."
He tilted his head, voice dropping to a playful whisper.
"Since you're so brave, let me show you something special. Try not to die, alright?"
The smile on Shuo's face sent shivers down their spines. Instinctively, Vali and Lux widened the distance, pouring more power into their Juggernaut Drive, desperate to buy time.
Shuo spread his arms. The air around him shimmered, then split open as a surge of emerald light shot skyward—starlike brilliance that pierced the heavens.
A tide of green energy coalesced at his back, swirling and condensing until it formed the spectral image of an enormous Azure Dragon. Divine, majestic, and utterly overwhelming, the phantom radiated power that made the world itself tremble.
"ROOOOAAAARRRRR!"
The Azure Dragon's roar shattered the last remnants of the barrier. Shockwaves ripped through the air, leveling every building within the confines and sending a storm of energy surging outward.
Azazel reacted first, voice booming across the chaos.
"Everyone! Reinforce the barrier—NOW! Or Kuoh Town will be wiped out!"
Twelve black wings unfurled behind him as he summoned his artificial Sacred Gear, the Fallen Dragon's Light Spear, and donned his Balance Breaker armor. He poured everything into constructing a new shield.
Sirzechs, stunned by Azazel's arsenal, wasted no time. He unleashed his own Transcendent power, weaving destruction magic into the barrier.
Michael joined them, twelve golden wings ablaze as he channeled holy light to reinforce the defenses.
Serafall, burning through her reserves, added her own Satan-class magic to the mix, her face pale with exertion.
Orders rang out—every able-bodied guard was called to help. Blood trickled from the corners of the leaders' mouths; Rias and her friends watched in disbelief. These were the strongest beings of three worlds, and even they were struggling.
Sirzechs and the others grimaced, fighting to keep their magic flowing as the dragon's pressure threatened to choke them. Their souls felt the weight of true terror.
Rias and Sona quickly rallied their peerages, joining the effort to stabilize the barrier. But when they got close—when the dragon's power brushed against them—their faces went white, pupils shrinking in fear.
Above it all, the Azure Dragon hovered, radiating waves of divine emerald energy. The force was oceanic, relentless, and absolute.
Vali and Lux were swept away like leaves in a hurricane. The aftershocks sent them crashing to the ground, blood pouring from their mouths.
Before they could rise, a second wave of pressure slammed them down—face-first, bodies pinned and completely immobilized.
"Lux! Vali! Surrender—now! It's your only chance! Otherwise, you'll die here!"
Ddraig and Albion's voices were frantic. In all their long existence, they'd never felt a dragon like this. Not Great Red, not Ophis—nothing compared.
Reverence and terror mingled in their hearts. This was a dragon they could only worship, never hope to rival.
"I suspected this phantom was connected to Shuo," Albion murmured, awe in his tone. "But I never imagined it was his true power…"
Vali's face twisted in horror, a desperate, broken laugh escaping as blood trickled from his eyes and mouth.
"We want to surrender! But we can't move!"
Lux's voice was equally strained, his teeth clenched against the pain, his armor cracking and falling away. Telepathy was all he had left.
They'd thought—even if Shuo was stronger, they'd at least get a fight. But now, facing him, they realized they weren't even in the same universe.
The power pressing down on them felt like it would crush their souls. Even speaking was impossible.
The Azure Dragon's phantom erupted again, the pressure intensifying. Vali and Lux were forced out of Juggernaut Drive, their armor peeling away, their bodies broken.
Despair settled in their eyes. Limbs shattered, blood pooling, hope snuffed out.
So this was the end for the Two Heavenly Dragons—crushed beneath a power so vast, so divine, that death felt almost merciful.
And yet, as the world trembled, some small part of them felt honored to fall before such a dragon.
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