Chapter 46 – The Embarrassment of a Chuunibyou!
Under the quiet night sky, the sound of footsteps echoed clearly across the desolate air.
Akira walked forward at a slow pace, eyes locked on Vali—who now hung suspended in the air, completely bound by the golden Chains of Heaven.
He was utterly restrained. His power, his strength—everything had left him.
He had lost.
And yet, Vali's gaze was still sharp. Even if his body could no longer fight, his will and consciousness remained unwavering.
"Vali," Akira called out softly, his voice calm. "It looks like... the name that history will remember... won't be yours."
He paused, then added, "It'll be mine—Shin Akira."
Vali clenched his teeth. There was no arguing against this defeat. No excuse, no justification. He had lost to his eternal rival.
Akira had used tricks in the fight, sure. But Vali didn't care about that. In the world of battle, there's no such thing as fairness. A loss is a loss.
"Heh... you won." Vali's tone was low but firm. "Then go ahead—kill me. If I couldn't beat you, then this is as far as I go."
Death wasn't something Vali feared.
What made him hesitate wasn't fear—it was frustration. His ambition hadn't yet been fulfilled.
He hadn't reached the top of the world.
But in the end, victory crowns the king. The loser has no right to speak.
"Kill you?" Akira raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The golden chains around Vali dissolved into shimmering light particles and vanished into the night.
"I have no reason to kill you," Akira said plainly. "Besides... Azazel once let me live—for your sake. Think of this as returning the favor."
Vali's eyes widened slightly at that. "You're... sparing me? But aren't we supposed to be destined enemies? You had the perfect chance."
Akira met his gaze, expression calm. "A defeated enemy is no longer my opponent. I'm giving you time... to catch up. Until the day you no longer can."
Without waiting for a response, Akira turned around and walked away, leaving Vali in silence beneath the moonlight.
Vali stared after him, eyes fixed on Akira's retreating figure as it slowly vanished into the darkness.
The dullness in his eyes faded, replaced by a spark of heat—his fighting spirit reigniting.
An opponent like that... only made his blood boil even more.
『Vali, I have to admit... Ddraig really hit the jackpot with this host. I thought having a direct descendant of a Maou like you was already incredible. But it seems... he's even luckier than you are.』
"Heh... doesn't that just make it more fun, Albion?" Vali chuckled softly. "Facing someone that strong... makes me want to reach even greater heights."
『Perhaps the two of you truly are the strongest Red and White Dragon Emperors in history. Even in the future, surpassing you both won't be easy.』
"In that case," Vali said, eyes turning toward the sky, "let's begin the final phase of training when we return."
『You're sure about this? Vali, that training could kill you.』
"Facing an opponent like that... if I don't throw everything I have into it, I may as well be dead already."
『...Understood.』
Vali slowly closed his eyes—then reopened them, his resolve stronger than ever. "Wait for me, Shin Akira. The next time we meet... I'll be stronger. Strong enough to take you down."
As a direct descendant of a Maou, Vali's body possessed incredible regenerative power. His injuries were already beginning to heal—enough for him to stand.
A magic circle formed beneath his feet.
Bathed in its glow, Vali's figure slowly faded and disappeared from the courtyard.
— — —
Elsewhere, on a quiet city street bathed in moonlight... Akira's face was turning red. His usual composed expression was now tinged with awkwardness and secondhand shame.
If anyone had been around to witness this... it would've been the ultimate "social death" moment.
"...Why the hell did I say something like that?" he muttered to himself. "Did I just regress into my teenage years?"
『Shin Akira… you're not... developing a case of Chuunibyou, are you?』
Ddraig's voice echoed inside his mind, laced with genuine amusement—and a hint of disbelief.
Back when Akira had spoken to Vali, his tone had been so regal, so dramatic, that even Ddraig had gotten chills.
But then, the same guy had walked off in a fluster—clearly regretting every word.
Now, Akira stood there with the expression of a man who had just unearthed an old diary full of embarrassing middle school fantasies.
『Out of all the new terms I've learned in this modern era... Chuunibyou suits you the most.』
"Shut it, Ddraig. I've already grown out of that phase, okay?"
『So you did go through that phase.』
"Zip it. Go face the wall or something."
『Hey, wait—I'm not done—』
Without hesitation, Akira severed the mental link.
Ddraig's voice cut off mid-sentence.
Akira stood there in silence, his face a mix of exasperation and secondhand embarrassment.
He had no idea why those words had come out of his mouth earlier. Maybe to others, it sounded cool or dramatic.
But to him?
It was a line straight out of his own sacred chuunibyou scriptures—a past he had buried deep and vowed never to revisit.
Now, hearing himself speak like that again... made him want to dig a hole and vanish.
"I swore I was done with that phase... so why the hell did it come back now?" he grumbled.
If time travel were possible, he'd gladly choke his past self to stop that sentence from ever happening.
Even if no one else heard it, the self-inflicted shame was enough to convict him for crimes against dignity.
But after a deep breath and a moment to collect himself, Akira glanced at the status panel that floated before him. A subtle, proud smile formed at the corner of his lips.
— — —
[Name: Shin Akira]
[Status: Transfer Student of Kuoh Academy]
[Level: 6 – Ultimate-Class]
[Template: Enkidu (60.6%)]
[Noble Phantasm: Chains of Heaven]
[Talents: Consummated Shape, King of Beasts' Instinct, Body Transformation]
[Skills: Blue Lightning, Aura Detection, Wisdom of the People]
[Equipment: Boosted Gear (Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet)]
[Items: – ]
— — —
His Template Inheritance had climbed to 60.6%. Just from the fight with Vali alone, he'd gained a whopping 8% increase—an extraordinary leap.
From 52.6% to 60.6% in one go.
Despite all his hunting of stray devils, nothing accelerated his growth quite like a full-blown one-on-one duel.
Now, more than ever... he was looking forward to facing Riser.
Not just because Riser was a High-Class Devil—but because his peerage would make ideal targets.
Perfect for racking up inheritance points.
Akira was already speculating: if he could take down Riser and his entire peerage... he might just break through to the next stage.
Tonight had been exhausting.
But the rewards were more than worth it.
And with his power now higher than ever, Shin Akira looked ahead—to a future filled with even greater challenges.
And even greater victories.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
📚 Want to read more chapters or get early access?
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 60 chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ Get 2 new chapters every day exclusively on Patreon
Join now and dive deeper into the story—weeks ahead of public release!
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — —