"Haaah!!"
Yumi's Holy-Devilic Sword sliced through the enemy sorcerer, shredding his defensive barrier as if it were paper.
She'd already cut down a fair number of them, yet the enemy forces didn't seem to be thinning out at all.
All around her, Koneko's fists, Xenovia's Durandal, and Akeno's lightning had been dropping magic users like flies. But despite the carnage, the waves kept coming.
The reason was clear, multiple magic circles planted behind enemy lines were still spewing out magicians one after another.
"...This is never-ending."
Behind the frontline, the fallen escorts of the Three Great Factions were receiving healing from Asia. Even with Issei on guard duty, it wouldn't take much for the enemies to break through at this rate.
The White Dragon Empress had jumped ahead of them, carving a path through enemies and disappearing behind the school building.
Vali's strength surpassed theirs by far, so Kazuki didn't think for a second she'd go down easily, but unless someone dealt with those magic circles, they were going to be bled dry, one by one.
Just as frustration began to mount—
CRAAASSH!!
The sound of shattering glass ripped through the air.
Something burst out of the conference room window, wings spread wide as it adjusted its position in midair.
"Gahh! Damn you, filthy reincarnated Devil...!"
The dark-skinned female devil spat out blood and muttered in disgust before Kazuki followed suit and jumped out the window.
"Guyverrrrrrr!!"
His body exploded in a surge of crimson light, transforming into a crimson devil of destruction—Guyver.
Hovering midair, clad in the crimson bio-booster armor, Kazuki Fuwa smirked.
"Bring it the fuck on, Katerea Leviathan."
He motioned her forward with a hand, clearly provoking her.
Katerea's face contorted with fury, her power erupting so violently it was visible from the ground below. Without hesitation, she lunged toward Kazuki.
"HAAAAH!!"
"ORRAAAAA!!"
Above them, the sky trembled from their clash. Thunder cracked. Light flared. Every blow sent shockwaves across the battlefield, shaking the ground.
As a descendant of the old Leviathan, Katerea's aura was off the charts—easily rivaling a high-class, no, Ultimate-Class Devil. But Kazuki wasn't backing down. Not even close. He fought her head-on, exchanging blow for blow without flinching.
Her magic blasts, swallowed whole by his summoned Black Hole.
His Pressure Cannons, blocked by her thick, multi-layered mana barrier.
However, Kazuki wasn't done—he fired a barrage of Pressure Cannons, forcing her to go fully defensive. And just when she slipped for a split second—
—GRAVITY KICK!!—
Like a meteor from hell, Kazuki's foot shattered her barrier in a single devastating strike.
This was his domain.
A master of the Fuwa Enmei-ryu style, Kazuki excelled in close-quarters combat. Katerea couldn't keep up; his punches crushed her guard, her body doubling like a hinge under the impact.
Then came the follow-up: a dual spinning kick—Double Dragon Kick—that launched her backward through the air.
"Gghaaah!! You fucking reincarnated devil piece of trash, how dare you lay hands on a true Devil Lord like me!!"
Staggering midair, she righted herself, her face twisted in rage and humiliation. From her cleavage, she pulled a small vial.
"If that's how it is... then fine. I'll make you feel the true power I possess."
As Katerea said this, she swallowed the long, black thing that came flying out of the vial — —a snake.
And then—
BOOOOOM.
A pulse of unimaginable power exploded outward, shaking the battlefield like an earthquake. Enemy and ally alike were thrown aside like ragdolls.
Yumi thrust her Holy-Devilic Sword into the ground and barely managed to hold her ground, eyes shooting skyward—
And what she saw made her heart lurch.
Katerea's body was engulfed in raging magic, like black flames licking through the air, forming a nightmarish aura.
It was monstrous. That aura... it was on par with the Devil Lord—no, with Sirzechs himself.
'T-This... this is the power of a Devil Lord's bloodline!?'
Kazuki launched another Pressure Cannon, but it disintegrated on contact with her seething aura, completely nullified.
"Fufufu... You dared humiliate me, you damn devil filth. Don't think I'll let you die easily!!"
Now evolved into a Devil Lord-class, Katerea Leviathan lunged again, more feral than ever, aiming to rip Kazuki Fuwa apart.
Kazuki stood firm, Guyver armor glistening in the red light, eyes locked on her with burning focus.
'So that's it... That's Ophis' 'Snake'...'
After consuming the Snake, Katerea's attacks came faster, harder, sharper than before.
But Kazuki—he saw right through her. Her strikes, no matter how amped up, couldn't touch him. He moved with precise elegance, his body weaving effortlessly through the storm of her rage.
Truth was, Kazuki had let her drink the thing on purpose. He needed to see firsthand how much the power-up from the Khaos Brigade's trump card actually offered.
Letting an enemy power up in the middle of a fight? Normally suicidal. But Kazuki wasn't normal, and he sure as hell wasn't scared.
'Let's see… at a glance, she's running at five to ten times her base power. Spikes even higher in bursts… but she's got no control. She's drowning in it.'
Sure, Katerea's magic output had skyrocketed. That wasn't the issue. The problem was, she couldn't handle it. Her swings were wild, her mana leaked uncontrollably.
Instead of focusing and releasing refined spells, she was basically pissing out her power like a broken hose.
In the end, Ophis' so-called "Snake" was nothing more than a tool. And like all tools, its worth depended on who wielded it.
"Tch… impossible! There's no fucking way!! My attacks—enhanced by Ophis' Snake—should be tearing you apart!! This can't be happening!!!"
Katerea's desperation oozed from her voice as she launched herself at Kazuki again, howling in disbelief. But he'd already dissected everything she had.
Truth was, Kazuki had faced stronger. The night he clashed with Sirzechs still haunted his body. That man was on a different level entirely—raw destruction dressed in elegance.
And that was the level Kazuki Fuwa needed to reach.
He couldn't afford to lose to some overconfident witch flailing with borrowed power. Not when the lives of his women, his comrades—his Harem—were on the line.
"EAT THIS!!!"
Katerea screamed, unleashing a barrage—dozens, maybe a hundred—of glowing orbs. The magic spheres streaked through the air and detonated around him, a saturation attack meant to crush through any defense by sheer volume.
'Clever move. Too bad it was pointless.'
"...Did I get him!?"
Her eyes gleamed with twisted hope as smoke engulfed the battlefield.
But that line? That line was the death flag of idiots.
"It's over, Katerea Leviathan!"
Kazuki emerged from the smoke like a crimson devil of vengeance, right in front of her face, hands moving like lightning.
He clapped his palms against her skull.
"Wha—?!"
Before she could even process what happened, Kazuki's hands glowed softly—then he let go.
—Fuwa Enmei-ryu Secret Technique… Bodhisattva Palm—
Katerea hovered for a moment, stunned. Then blood began to spill—from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Her body shuddered. Her pride, her rage, her corrupted power—all shattered from the inside out.
"I-It… it can't be…"
Her broken whisper was the last thing she gave this world.
Her body plummeted from the sky like a discarded puppet—limp, bloody, and lifeless.
She never moved again.
Kazuki Fuwa had won.
From the side of the room, Rias—her chest tight with anxiety—finally let out a soft, relieved breath.
"Thank goodness, Kazuki..."
Her voice trembled with emotion, quiet but unmistakably full of love and pride.
Just as her words faded, another voice cut in with a more amused tone.
"Well damn. He took down that jacked-up Katerea in one hit? That's insane... the guy's a monster."
It was Azazel, grinning with a hint of disbelief. But before any banter could unfold, the floor suddenly lit up beneath them, a complex magic circle crackling into life. A figure emerged from the light—Vali, clad in gleaming white armor.
'Wait a second... that pattern on the magic circle—no way~!'
"Vali. Report. What's the situation?" Azazel's voice was calm but expectant.
Vali raised the mask on her helmet, revealing that annoyingly beautiful face of hers, sharp and elegant as ever.
"All weaklings. No challenge," she said, her tone icy and bored.
And then, she dropped the bomb.
"That's why I'm switching sides, Azazel."
BOOM.
The sound wasn't just emotional. It was physical.
Vali's hand drove straight through Azazel's body.
"Vali… you..."
The traitorous blow punched through Azazel like paper. Blood exploded from his mouth as he collapsed, coughing and choking on it while his body hit the floor, staining the tiles beneath him in a pool of red.
"AZAZEL!!"
Rias' brother shouted with urgency, quickly snapping into action.
"Rias, summon Asia, NOW!"
"R-Right!!"
Without hesitation, Rias activated the summoning magic circle—one that only a King could use—and immediately called forth a specific servant.
In a sudden flash of light beneath their feet, Asia and Issei, who'd been standing beside her a moment before, were both instantly teleported into the room.
They arrived in chaos. Right in front of them, Azazel was lying in a puddle of blood, his abdomen shredded open.
'What the hell…?'
"Asia! Heal Azazel!!"
"Y-Yes!!"
Asia was still in shock from the unexpected summoning, but Rias' sharp command snapped her into focus. She rushed forward and activated her sacred gear, [Twilight Healing], the glow from her hands enveloping Azazel's broken body with a soft, holy light.
Slowly, the bleeding began to stop. His wounds closed inch by inch—but the tension in the room only grew thicker.
The room was tense as fuck. All eyes were glued to Vali—the silver-haired beauty clad in blinding white armor.
'What is going on?! Somebody please explain before I lose my mind!' Asia thought.
"…Sorry, Saint Girl. Looks like someone from my side's gone rogue… Fuck, guess I really am getting old."
Azazel muttered the words with a bitter grin while Asia continued her healing.
"When did this start? When the hell did you decide to switch sides?"
"On the way back after we picked up Kokabiel. Got invited. Sorry, Azazel—this side just seemed way more fun."
Vali and Azazel carried on with their conversation, leaving the rest dumbfounded, as if the chaos swirling around them was just background noise.
"Vali… You're the White Dragon Empress. And you're siding with Ophis?"
"No, not siding. Just cooperating. I mean, come on—'Don't you want to fight against the gods of other mythologies?'… Now tell me that doesn't sound fucking irresistible."
"Vali, even for you, going up against gods won't leave you unscathed."
"I don't give a damn. I just want strong opponents. That's all I live for."
Michael's voice of reason didn't even faze her. Vali replied like it were the most natural thing in the world.
'Was she suicidal or something? What a shame. Such a beautiful woman.'
"I've got a question too. That magic circle you used—what is it really? Sirzechs asked with a calm intensity.
Vali gave a faint smirk, then said it…
"That's right. My real name is Vali. Vali Lucifer."
She said it quietly, but with unmistakable confidence.
'Vali… Lucifer?!'
"So you're a devil too?!"
"Technically, I'm a half-blood. My father was the son of the previous Lucifer who died in the war, and my mother's human. My Sacred Gear, Divine Dividing, manifested because I'm half-human. Pure luck, really."
She chuckled, almost like she pitied herself.
"No way… you're kidding, right?!" Rias was stunned by the revelation.
"It's the truth. She's probably going to become the strongest White Dragon Emperor of all time—past, present, and future. Fucking ridiculous. So what now? You planning to take my head as a gift for the Khaos Brigade?"
Azazel said sarcastically. Vali touched her chin and tilted her head slightly as if seriously considering it.
'Fuck—she even looked cute doing that.'
"Hmm. Originally, Katerea was supposed to kill Serafall Leviathan to make our presence known… but for some reason, she went toe-to-toe with Kazuki Fuwa and got her ass kicked."
"Honestly, I'm not dumb enough to take on this whole group head-on. So for today… I'm gonna peace out." She added.
'What?! You cause this much chaos and just walk away like it's nothing?! What kind of bullshit is that?!'
Issei glared in outrage. Noticing it, Vali flashed a devilish grin.
"Hmm… Honestly, I didn't expect much from you. Wasn't sure if I'd even bother. But with eyes like that… hard to ignore, isn't it? Tell me, Hyoudou Issei… don't you think fate's a bitch?"
She suddenly turned the conversation to him.
"On one hand, you've got someone like me—part Devil King, part Legendary Dragon. And on the other hand, some regular-ass human ends up with a dragon of legend sealed inside him. Don't you think that's just cruel? I mean, sure, the Welsh Dragon and the Vanishing Dragon were destined to be rivals… but the difference between us—between the wielders—is just too fucking huge."
'Goddammit… She's right. I've got nothing to say back.' Issei clenched his fists in frustration. He couldn't argue. Not with that.