Boom.
The ground, already torn to shreds, shuddered as Vali crashed into it. A dull impact echoed out, and a pillar of dust surged skyward.
Only then did the constant thunder rolling through the skies finally fade. The explosions hanging in midair died down as well, and the world slowly returned to silence.
Leo descended from the sky at an unhurried pace. Just before touching down, he pulled in the five pairs of devil wings on his back and landed steadily on the ground.
"Cough!"
From within the dust cloud came the sound of coughing. A mouthful of blood spilled out with it, splattering across the earth.
"Damn… you're incredible…"
Vali's laughter followed.
He staggered to his feet inside the crater as the dust thinned. Smoke still rose from his body. The once pristine white, dragon-shaped armor was reduced to scattered fragments embedded across him, and even the Light Wings behind his back had dimmed.
"You actually shattered my Balance Breaker head-on. So this is the power of the world's second-strongest Sacred Gear, huh?"
Vali wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. There was no anger in his eyes as he looked at Leo. Only delight.
Leo's display of strength had clearly satisfied the battle junkie.
"Are you satisfied, White Dragon Emperor?" Leo asked calmly, as if the fierce battle just now had never happened. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "If not, I could go grab the Red Dragon Emperor and have him play with you too."
"That guy?" Vali snorted, recalling what he had seen upon arriving at Kuoh Academy. "I'm not interested in him right now."
By the time Vali arrived, Hyoudou Issei had already been knocked unconscious by Kokabiel.
So even though he knew Issei was his destined rival, Vali couldn't help but feel disappointed. Not a shred of fighting spirit rose within him.
In his eyes, someone who couldn't even defeat a fallen angel like Kokabiel wasn't qualified to be called his rival.
Right now, he had zero interest in Hyoudou Issei.
Leo, on the other hand, was becoming more fascinating by the second.
"I'm only interested in the strong," Vali said plainly. "And you qualify."
Leo had only one thought in response.
Chosen by the Heavenly Dragon, huh. That love for battle really is draconic to the core.
It was obvious Leo didn't want to continue the fight.
"I'm not uninterested in you," he said, glancing at the surroundings, now little more than scorched ruins. "But let's call it here for today. If we keep going, the fallout will be too big."
Even though they were fighting outside the city, the commotion had been massive. Leo was confident that every major faction had already noticed and was rushing over.
He had no intention of putting on a show for a bunch of lurking spectators.
That was why he was ready to stop.
In the first place, he had only come to meet Vali. See what the strongest White Dragon Emperor in history was really like, and how capable he was.
Now that he had a good grasp of Vali's strength, there was no reason to keep going.
But Leo wanting to stop didn't mean Vali agreed.
"I haven't even seen your Balance Breaker yet. How could this possibly end here?"
The fire in Vali's eyes didn't fade. It burned even hotter, more intense than before.
Knowing his opponent still had greater power in reserve, walking away now was unthinkable.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be Vali Lucifer.
"Still want to fight?" Leo raised an eyebrow, sounding bored. "I mean, I could, but what's the point?"
Thanks to his armor, Vali had avoided taking a direct, fatal blow. But with his Balance Breaker shattered, his condition was far from good. Even if he could keep fighting, he wouldn't be anywhere near his peak.
And if even peak Vali ended up like this, what meaning was there in continuing?
Leo, meanwhile, was completely unscathed. At most, he'd spent some demonic power, and far less than Vali had.
Don't be fooled by the apocalyptic scale of Leo's attacks. His reserves were still abundant. Even now, standing still and talking, his demonic power was rapidly recovering.
That was one of the perks of becoming a perfect devil. Whether stamina or demonic power, recovery was absurdly fast. Even injuries healed quickly, no slower than being treated by a second- or third-rate healer.
Leo was already a ten-winged special-class devil, a rank higher than Vali's eight wings. That alone meant his demonic power far surpassed Vali's.
In this state, Leo could freely unleash Zenith Tempest without suffering serious drain, at least before activating Balance Breaker.
Vali, on the other hand, had gone straight into Balance Breaker from the start and then poured out massive amounts of power using the abilities of Divine Dividing. His consumption was unquestionably far greater.
One side uninjured, stamina and power still plentiful. The other wounded, power depleted, stamina strained.
There was no reason to keep fighting.
Vali knew that too.
But still…
"I have a stronger power I haven't used yet."
Those words made Leo's heart lurch.
Others might not understand what Vali meant, but Leo, who knew the original story, understood perfectly.
Normally, the ultimate state of a Sacred Gear was Balance Breaker. Beyond that, there was nothing.
However, an extremely small number of Sacred Gears could release power beyond even that.
These were Gears like the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing, forged by sealing the power or soul of a powerful being within them.
Because their cores were the souls of those beings, removing the seals allowed that power to be drawn out without limit, reproducing the creature's full strength through the wielder.
This ability, to forcibly and temporarily release the sealed power, was unique to such Sacred Gears.
It was called Juggernaut Drive.
If the sealed being was a magical beast, it was Beast of Supremacy.
If it was a dragon, then it was Juggernaut Drive also known as the Dragon of Supremacy.
The former depended on how powerful the sealed beast had been in life.
The latter was usually far stronger, especially in the case of the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing. Since they sealed the souls of Heavenly Dragons capable of rivaling gods, using Juggernaut Drive granted power on par with a deity, if only temporarily.
Of course, such power came at an enormous cost.
The stronger the released power, the greater the risk. It placed a crushing burden on the user, drastically shortened their lifespan, and could cause complete loss of reason, resulting in catastrophic rampage until everything, including the user themselves, was pushed to the brink of destruction.
When Hyoudou Issei was said to potentially access deeper power upon losing control, that was exactly what it referred to.
Juggernaut Drive.
As the host of the Divine Dividing, Vali could naturally use it as well.
And unlike Issei, he could burn through his immense innate demonic power to use it for several minutes without losing control.
"There's a risk of losing my lifespan," Vali said, madness creeping into his eyes. "But you're worth paying that price."
Behind him, the dim Light Wings suddenly blazed to life. The blue gems embedded within them erupted with blinding brilliance.
Leo felt it instinctively. A chill crawling up his spine without warning.
Something dangerous was about to emerge.
"Vali!"
A voice rang out from within the Divine Dividing.
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"That voice… the White Dragon Emperor?"
Not Vali, but the Heavenly Dragon sealed within the Sacred Gear itself.
The dragon soul that had once rampaged across the battlefield of the ancient war, forcing the three factions to unite and destroy it, before the God of the Bible captured its soul and forged it into a Sacred Gear.
"Stop this! In your current state, you can't control Juggernaut Drive!"
The warning snapped Leo to attention.
Normally, Vali could suppress Juggernaut Drive for several minutes with his vast demonic power. But now he was injured, his reserves heavily drained.
Entering that state now would almost certainly lead to complete loss of control.
"I can handle it, Albion."
Vali's gaze never left Leo as he replied.
"The strongest enemy I seek is right in front of me, and he hasn't even gone all out. If I hold back now, I'm not worthy of the title White Dragon Emperor… or the name Lucifer!"
Ignoring Albion's protest, Vali raised one hand high.
"I, who am about to awaken..."
He began to chant.
An ominous incantation.
A curse meant to break the seal.
(Burn to nothing…)
(Burn to nothing!)
It was as if something filled with hatred was answering the chant, its resentful whispers flooding the air. The dread in Leo's chest grew heavier by the second.
"So you're serious…"
Leo clicked his tongue, his expression turning grave.
Even he couldn't stay calm now.
Once Vali unleashed Juggernaut Drive, he would temporarily gain power rivaling a god. That was a certainty.
Power on the level of a god.
Only Super Devils like Sirzechs or Ajuka could compare, and even Super Maou-Class beings like Serafall and Grayfia, or the strongest Dragon King, Tiamat, fell far short.
Even if temporary. Even if unstable. Even if cursed.
It was power Leo absolutely could not face head-on in his current state.
If he didn't take this seriously, the outcome would be disastrous.
"No choice…"
Leo drew in a deep breath and released all of his demonic power.
Boom!
Pure white aura exploded from his body, whipping up a storm.
It was different from Vali's white aura.
If Vali's was like a brilliant star, Leo's was like the blazing sun.
The former was holy and immaculate.
The latter was vast and natural.
As this terrifying aura, far more fearsome than Vali's Balance Breaker, erupted, the sixth pair of devil wings slowly manifested behind Leo.
Vali's pupils shrank.
Then he laughed, even more delighted than before.
"Balance Breaker..."
Leo spoke the words.
"Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God…"
Vali continued his own ominous chant.
The power surging from both of them made the earth tremble.
Bzzt...
Space suddenly warped around them.
"Wait! Leo!"
A figure appeared beside him and grabbed his shoulder.
"Sirzechs-sama?"
Leo froze mid-release, staring in shock.
The newcomer was Sirzechs.
"Stop it! Vali!"
Another figure appeared beside Vali, seizing his arm.
A man who didn't look particularly upright, or young. His features were exotic, foreign-looking. He wore an ornate robe no less splendid than Sirzechs's, his handsome face carrying a carefree, roguish charm.
He radiated the same playboy vibe as Riser, but without the sleazy delinquent edge. Instead, there was a dangerous, bad-boy allure.
"Azazel?"
Vali stopped, surprised.
Leo immediately turned to look at the man, eyes gleaming.
Azazel, the Governor-General of the fallen angels. A twelve-winged fallen angel. The leader of one of the three great factions.
The man most obsessed with Sacred Gears. The one who understood them best. The greatest researcher.
The sharpest mind in the original story.
At last, he had appeared.
Right in front of Leo.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 218 on patreon.com/NiaXD.