While Leo and the others were discussing how to clean up the aftermath and what to do with Kokabiel, far above the sky some distance away from Kuoh Academy, a white streak suddenly appeared, like a meteor tearing through the night.
It looked sacred in the darkness, impossibly pure. There wasn't a trace of shadow on him, not a single blemish. The sight felt dreamlike, beautiful and unreal, as if something out of a fantasy had crossed into reality.
The white figure descended swiftly and landed atop a tall building, finally revealing his full form.
On closer inspection, it was someone clad in pure white full-body armor.
The armor resembled a dragon: its helmet shaped like a dragon's head, its hands and feet formed like claws. A chain like a steel dragon's tail hung behind him. From his back extended a pair of radiant wings, their frames pure white and their membranes glowing blue. Symmetrical blue gemstones were set all across the armor, emitting a holy brilliance. Despite its dragon-like form, it looked anything but ferocious.
"Bang!"
The white dragon armor suddenly dissolved into particles of light, exposing the person within.
It was a silver-haired, foreign-looking young man.
He looked about the same age as Leo, tall and slender, with long limbs and strikingly handsome features. Even his clear, captivating eyes were blue. He looked exactly like the kind of prince who stepped straight out of a fairy tale, more than enough to leave countless girls swooning.
Especially that faint smile at the corner of his lips. It was subtle, but impossible to ignore, drawing the eye and leaving people dazed.
The young man stood at the edge of the rooftop, night wind brushing past him as he gazed in the direction of Kuoh Academy. One hand rested in his pocket. With the other, he raised his arm and unfolded a small magic circle.
A figure was projected within it.
"Yo, Vali. Everything going smoothly?"
The next instant, a flippant voice came from the projection.
It sounded casual, almost carefree. But anyone who truly knew its owner would instantly feel an overwhelming pressure.
Because the one speaking held a status and authority beyond imagination.
"Are you busy, Azazel?" Vali asked calmly, speaking the name that made countless people blanch.
Azazel, the Governor-General of the fallen angels, the leader of Grigori, the supreme Twelve-Winged fallen angel.
Yes. The owner of that voice and the projected figure was none other than the head of the fallen angels, Azazel.
Once a close attendant of God, he had grown dissatisfied with the empty, desireless life of Heaven and chose to fall, becoming one of the earliest fallen angels.
He became the leader of those who followed the same path, offering them refuge when they had nowhere else to go. In time, the fallen angels rose to become one of the three great factions and seized half of the Underworld's rule.
He was the most despised existence to angels, and the one devils feared the most.
Grigori was founded by him. Countless Sacred Gear users within it had been personally researched, developed, and trained by him. Calling him the person who understood Sacred Gears best in this world wouldn't be an exaggeration.
And now, this fallen angel leader, seen by many as a villainous boss, was chatting with Vali in a tone so casual it sounded like a wandering drifter.
"Busy? Extremely," Azazel complained, half sighing. "I already have a ton of scheduled research, and now I have to deal with the mess Kokabiel caused. Seriously, can't I ever catch a break? That bastard."
Vali didn't respond.
"My side didn't go very smoothly," he said, still looking toward Kuoh Academy, smiling despite his words. "Sorry, Azazel. Kokabiel was defeated."
Azazel paused.
"Defeated?" He sounded intrigued. "That's… unexpected."
"Kokabiel wasn't especially strong, but he was still one of our executives. Losing in a place like Kuoh Town doesn't make sense."
"I don't believe the Gremory servants or Sitri servants have that kind of strength. Did Sirzechs and the others make it there in time?"
"Or…" Azazel's tone sharpened slightly. "Was it your rival?"
Vali shook his head.
"Not him," he said flatly. "I didn't see him, but I can tell. He's still far from being able to defeat someone on Kokabiel's level."
"Unless… he activated the power of 'Juggernaut Drive.'"
Azazel fell silent for a long moment before speaking again.
"That's the least likely scenario," he said firmly. "He's still unimaginably far from reaching 'Juggernaut Drive.' Even entering it through loss of control would require a special trigger."
"If his opponent were you, that might be possible."
"After all, the bond between the two Heavenly Dragons is enough to push him into that cursed power when he's driven into a corner."
As the person who understood Sacred Gears best, Azazel was certain of this.
Which was why he rejected the idea and pressed further.
"Then who defeated Kokabiel?"
Vali didn't keep him waiting.
Or rather, he had no intention of building suspense.
"It was the one you've been paying attention to lately," Vali said, sounding genuinely pleased. "He's gotten stronger again. Kokabiel wasn't even a match for him. He was defeated with ease."
Azazel raised an eyebrow.
"Leo Eligos?" He laughed. "I see. If it was him, that makes sense."
His voice carried a hint of genuine delight.
"Before this, it would've been difficult for him," Azazel continued. "When he fought Lafei Trix, he was only an eight-winged devil. Even with the power of Zenith Tempest, he barely managed to defeat Lafei Trix in his enhanced state."
"Back then, he already had the strength to stand on the same stage as Kokabiel, but there was no way he could've beaten him so easily."
"That's true," Vali agreed. "At the time, the only noteworthy thing about him was being the host of Zenith Tempest. But now, it's different."
"He has ten wings now. And his control over Zenith Tempest has improved by several levels."
"I didn't see him use Balance Breaker, but the way he handled his Sacred Gear... it's impossible that he hasn't reached that domain."
Azazel sounded surprised.
"Ten wings already?" he said. "I thought he defeated Kokabiel using Balance Breaker."
"So Kokabiel couldn't even force it out of him?"
"Looks like Leo Eligos's data needs an update."
At the same time, Azazel understood why Vali had contacted him.
"Kokabiel was defeated by that Eligos kid and is now in the devils' hands. That complicates things."
The moment Azazel learned of Kokabiel's plan to ignite a three-faction war, he sent Vali out to retrieve him.
He didn't want war, and he didn't want Kokabiel to fall into someone else's hands and become leverage against the fallen angels.
He believed that with Vali's strength, bringing Kokabiel back would be easy.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
"I wanted to ask if you want me to take him back by force," Vali said, still staring toward Kuoh Academy, as if he could see someone there. His posture was restless, eager. "If you hadn't warned me beforehand to avoid too much contact with the devils, I would've acted already."
Azazel knew exactly why Vali felt this way.
It was his old problem flaring up again.
"You're itching for a fight, aren't you?" Azazel said confidently. "You want to test Zenith Tempest."
"It's a Longinus ranked higher than me in both status and position," Vali replied with a smile that dodged the question. "The current him is finally worthy of me challenging him."
Honestly, if Azazel hadn't warned him in advance, Vali wouldn't have been able to restrain himself.
Leo's displayed strength had stirred something deep within him. His blood, his instincts, the dragon inside him were all screaming the same thing.
That man was a worthy opponent.
And that was exactly what he'd always been searching for.
Azazel understood this better than anyone.
No one in the world knew what kind of existence Vali was better than he did.
That was why he had warned him before sending him out, to avoid contact with the devils.
After all, the Red Dragon Emperor was there.
Vali's destined nemesis.
If he lost control and acted, things would spiral out of hand fast.
Yet ironically, it wasn't this generation's Red Dragon Emperor that triggered him, but the current host of Zenith Tempest.
That might be even worse.
"If you attacked the Red Dragon Emperor, we could at least explain it as the ancient feud between the two Heavenly Dragons," Azazel said with a headache. "But if you go after the Eligos kid, the devil side would absolutely explode."
"So please, Vali, reel in that battle lust for now. I really don't want to clean up another mess."
The smile faded from Vali's face, replaced by disappointment he couldn't quite hide.
"So it's still not allowed," he murmured. "I finally find an enemy that interests me, and I have to give it up because of 'balance between factions' and 'avoiding future wars.'"
The emotion in his voice made even Azazel fall silent for a long while.
Then, as if changing the subject, he spoke of what came next.
"Since Kokabiel is already in the devils' hands, we'll abandon retrieving him," Azazel said helplessly. "Worst case, we negotiate. It might even be a good chance to bring up that matter I've been considering and finally put it into motion."
Vali didn't respond immediately.
"So it's decided?" he asked quietly. "There really won't be any more wars in the future?"
"That's what I hope," Azazel said meaningfully. "And Sirzechs and Michael probably feel the same."
"For you… that must be disappointing, right?"
"Yeah," Vali admitted, almost to himself. "I often wonder why I was born in this era."
"Everyone's trying to avoid war, preaching peace. Even with God dead, the world didn't descend into chaos."
"There are still so many strong people in this world. Why can't I fight them freely?"
"I want to defeat them."
Azazel had heard these words countless times.
Which was why he felt that the dragon child he had personally raised might already be cornered.
Vali was reaching his limit.
Still, he spoke.
"Those who pursue battle alone… usually don't live very long."
Azazel said it slowly.
"Doesn't matter," Vali replied without hesitation. "I've never cared about longevity."
"Just like you," Azazel said wryly. "But even if you defeat every strong opponent… what then?"
"There'll be no one left worth fighting."
That was his implication.
Vali's answer came just as quickly.
"Then I'll die."
A world with no strong enemies?
That would be unbearably boring.
And he had no interest in such a world.
"Come back soon, my White Dragon Emperor."
Azazel sighed, rubbing his temple.
"I may have to make a trip myself afterward."
With that, he ended the call.
Only then did Vali finally look away from Kuoh Academy and down at the dimmed magic circle in his hand.
After a long silence, he murmured,
"Sorry, Azazel. I'm not interested in the world you're trying to create either."
So he would leave.
After all, standing alongside those who were about to become enemies of the entire world sounded far more interesting.
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You can read up to chapter 215 on patreon.com/NiaXD.