"Bzzt..."
As endless arcs of lightning surged in and out of Kuoh Academy, the barrier enveloping the campus shuddered as if it had taken a direct hit.
The tremor traveled through every devil maintaining the barrier. The demonic power they were pouring into it rebounded violently, draining their color and nearly severing their connection altogether.
"W-What on earth is happening in there…?"
Sona and the others could only grit their teeth and endure. Even Asuna, Utaha, Ram, and Rem wore grim expressions, worry flickering in their eyes.
They hadn't entered Kuoh Academy, but the barrier's reaction alone told them how fierce the fighting inside must be.
And it wasn't just this time.
Not long ago, a massive spear of light had shot straight into the sky and slammed into the barrier above the school. The impact back then had nearly shattered it, leaving everyone present badly shaken.
If Leo hadn't left Asuna and the other three here, especially Utaha, who possessed the strongest barrier-type Sacred Gear, and Ram, whose strength rivaled an ultimate-class devil, working together with the Sitri servants to maintain the barrier, it would have collapsed the moment that spear of light rose into the sky. It certainly wouldn't have held until now.
Because of that, everyone could already imagine just how brutal the battle inside the barrier was. All they could do was pray silently, hoping Leo would save Rias and help her survive this ordeal.
What they didn't know was that while the battle inside truly was intense, it wasn't nearly as evenly matched as they imagined.
In fact, it was the complete opposite.
Facing Kokabiel, a fallen angel officer who had survived since the age of myth, Leo, a devil of the new generation, displayed overwhelming dominance. In just a single exchange, he shocked Kokabiel and everyone present.
"Ha… ha…"
As the blinding lightning faded, Kokabiel came into view, panting heavily.
The exquisite black robe he wore was now in tatters. His entire body looked scorched, smoke rising as massive burns covered him. Blood streamed from multiple wounds, staining his skin, twisting his face into a grim mask.
Seeing Kokabiel in such a miserable state, Rias and the others, finally recovering from the aftershock, lowered their hands from in front of their faces and sucked in sharp breaths.
They couldn't believe it.
Just moments ago, Kokabiel had been acting like an untouchable god, forcing everyone into despair. Now he'd been reduced to this.
And the one who'd done this was Leo Eligos, someone most of them were already familiar with.
Rias especially had witnessed his strength before.
More than a month ago, Leo had revealed his power in front of her and Sona Sitri, crushing Lafei Trix after he consumed Ouroboros. From that moment on, they knew Leo stood far above them.
But even then, Leo hadn't been this overwhelming.
Back then, he was only capable of contending with ten-wing–class beings.
Now, he was clearly superior to them.
And Kokabiel wasn't just any ten-wing–class fallen angel. He was an ancient powerhouse who had dared challenge a Maou and even fought one before.
"He's… gotten stronger."
Rias had no choice but to acknowledge it.
And not by a small margin.
The most obvious proof lay in the wings behind him: no longer eight, but ten, identical to Kokabiel's.
That alone was enough to show just how much he'd grown in the span of a single month.
Shock, disbelief, and awe spread through everyone on the ground. Their gazes trembled as they looked up at Leo hovering in the air.
Leo simply looked at the battered, bleeding, gasping Kokabiel and casually spoke.
"Well? Feeling clear-headed now?"
The playful tone made veins bulge on Kokabiel's forehead.
Rage surged up, mixed with crushing humiliation.
"Don't get cocky, you little brat!"
Ignoring his injuries, Kokabiel unleashed a torrent of light. He thrust out his hand, and immense light power condensed around him, forming countless Light Swords that blasted toward Leo.
They streaked through the air like flashes of brilliance. From the ground, it looked like endless streams of light raining down on Leo, as if to turn him into a pincushion.
But Kokabiel wasn't the only one moving fast.
Leo, who had been monitoring him with Magic Detection the entire time, reacted instantly.
As the Light Swords flew, lightning erupted from Leo's body once more. Countless lightning swords formed and surged forward to meet them.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!!!"
Light and lightning collided midair above Kuoh Academy, explosions erupting one after another as shockwaves scattered sparks and arcs of electricity.
Even as he continued firing Light Swords, Kokabiel raised both hands, condensing a massive spear of light above his head before hurling it forward, the atmosphere tearing apart from the force.
Leo mirrored him almost perfectly, forming a colossal spear of lightning and throwing it straight back.
"BOOM!!!"
The instant the two spears collided, the shockwave blasted outward. The clashing swords, along with Leo and Kokabiel themselves, were all sent flying dozens of meters away.
Light explosions, lightning detonations, roaring shockwaves. Everything shook Kuoh Academy to its core.
Then, the two figures snapped their wings open and vanished into blurs, charging straight at each other.
Kokabiel condensed Light Swords in both hands and rushed forward, his face twisted as he slashed at Leo.
His close-combat skill was terrifying. Dozens of sword arcs flashed out in an instant, dozens of strikes in a single second, forming a dense web of blades that swallowed Leo whole, leaving no room to dodge.
Yet instead of retreating, Leo surged forward.
A raging gale wrapped around him, forming armor of wind as he charged straight into the storm of slashes.
"Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang…!"
Every strike landed on the wind armor surrounding Leo, only to be violently deflected.
The moment the assault was repelled, Leo moved.
A spiraling vortex of flame appeared in his hand, slamming forward toward Kokabiel.
"Boom!!!"
The vortex detonated in front of him, a wave of fire swallowing Kokabiel whole.
The scorching heat roared, only to be met by Kokabiel's furious shout.
"That level…!"
Through the flames, he spread his wings wide, then folded them tightly around himself, shielding his body.
The next second, the black wings snapped open, blasting the flames away.
At the same instant, the Light Sword in his hand had already transformed into a Light Spear. He hurled it forward, aiming straight for Leo's chest.
Before it could land...
Leo barely moved.
With a casual sweep of his hand, his palm, burning with surging demonic power, smashed the Light Spear apart.
Kokabiel's eye twitched violently.
"How… how is he doing this?!"
He couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand Leo's strength at all.
Yes, Leo was young, but he was a Longinus holder. None of those were normal. Once a Longinus was fully unleashed, it could completely disrupt the balance of power.
So Kokabiel wasn't surprised Leo possessed immense strength.
The Grigori themselves had two Longinus holders of similar age, both terrifyingly powerful. Stronger than almost any fallen angel officer, arguably even beyond them.
And Leo didn't just hold any Sacred Gear.
He wielded Zenith Tempest, the second-strongest Sacred Gear in the world. One of the seven highest-ranking Longinus, far surpassing the ones held by those Grigori members.
Given that, his power was acceptable.
But no matter how strong you were, there were rules.
As a devil, racial weaknesses were absolute. They could never vanish, never be overcome.
Even Super Devils like Sirzechs and Ajuka, who were said to have surpassed the devil race, still retained those weaknesses. They still feared light and holy power.
Yet those rules didn't seem to apply to Leo at all.
It made no sense.
Too bad Leo had no intention of explaining.
"Crackle..."
Lightning erupted along the arm Leo raised, countless arcs dancing wildly.
"Tch…!"
Kokabiel's expression changed as he tried to move, only to realize he couldn't.
At some point, frost had crept over his body, freezing his joints and locking his wings in place.
Only then did he realize the temperature around him had dropped below freezing. Subtle cold had spread across his body, locking him in ice.
"Boom!"
He tried to shatter the ice, only for lightning to blast forward from Leo's arm, slamming into him and sending him flying.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Bolts of lightning struck one after another, detonating across Kokabiel's body. Amid screams of agony, blood sprayed everywhere as his form was blasted into ruin.
"A fallen angel officer, huh…"
Leo smiled, lightning still crackling along his arm.
"That's all you've got."
The calm, indifferent tone delivered the greatest humiliation Kokabiel had ever known.
"Leo Eligos!!!"
Light flared across Kokabiel's body as he charged through the rain of lightning like a madman, rushing straight at Leo.
It looked like he was ready to die together with him.
Leo's expression didn't change.
He casually waved his free hand.
"Boom!"
A massive slab of rock shot up from the ground, hurtling into the sky and slamming into Kokabiel.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless enormous rocks followed from all directions, crashing into him and burying him completely.
Leo clenched his raised hand.
The rocks compressed together, fusing into a single colossal sphere more than ten meters in diameter, floating in midair.
"I guess this counts as a different kind of Chibaku Tensei."
Leo hovered calmly before the giant stone sphere, chuckling softly.
"Too bad you're not Kaguya Otsutsuki. You don't get to become the moon, Kokabiel."
There was no response.
The massive light power surrounding Kokabiel gradually faded until nothing remained.
Even Leo could only detect the faintest trace of life with Magic Detection.
Barely alive.
That was his limit.
Completely sealed by Zenith Tempest's earth attribute, it was no different from being trapped by Chibaku Tensei itself.
At the same time, Leo poured more earth-aspected power into the ground below.
A massive magic circle surfaced.
This was the destructive Magic Formula carved beneath Kuoh Town.
It had always been there, at least the core of it. Leo had sensed it the moment he entered Kuoh Academy. Now, he'd simply forced it into the open.
He raised his hand and released a bolt of lightning straight into the magic circle.
"Crack!"
Like shattered glass, the magic circle broke apart.
And with that, the crisis in Kuoh Town was finally resolved.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 213 on patreon.com/NiaXD.