"Kokabiel, you're thirsting for war, aren't you?"
After Rias and the others had left, Yoru finally spoke. He stepped forward slowly, his black long sword revealed in his hand.
The serene moonlight shone down, and at some point, the entire schoolyard had been cloaked in a dreamlike icy blue hue, shimmering with cold.
"That's right. I long for war. So what?" Kokabiel retorted arrogantly, arms crossed. Though alert, he did not fear Yoru.
After all, Kokabiel was a living fossil who survived the ancient wars. As a being of Demon King-class, he carried his own pride.
"You're strong, boy. That sword in your hand must be a God-Slaying Sacred Gear, right? Maybe in the future, you'll become a formidable opponent. But right now... you're no match for me. I'll show you what true power disparity feels like!"
Roaring, Kokabiel lunged forward with another punch toward Yoru.
His punch was easily caught—Yoru gripped it with one hand.
"That's not nearly strong enough."
With a calm voice, Yoru swung the black sword in his hand downward at Kokabiel.
Kokabiel's pupils contracted sharply. Though he didn't know how powerful the slash would be, he instinctively knew he couldn't block it with his body.
God-Slaying Sacred Gears are among the most powerful and mysterious artifacts in the world—there is no such thing as being too cautious when facing an unknown one.
The force traveling through Yoru's arm was even greater than Kokabiel expected. Unable to break free in time, Kokabiel pushed off the ground and leapt backward.
Frostmourne grazed past his waist, leaving behind a sting of icy pain.
Just as Kokabiel had expected—this Sacred Gear greatsword, while intimidating, suffered from one major flaw: a lack of agility. In close combat like this, it was far less effective.
Even though the cold energy annoyed him, it was still within bearable limits.
Yoru raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly noticing this, and gave a faint smile.
Does this guy think all my power comes from the sword?
To Yoru, Frostmourne was merely a sharp weapon. If it wasn't useful in this situation, he might as well put it away.
Without Frostmourne, Yoru's true specialty—hand-to-hand combat—could shine.
Before Kokabiel could capitalize on the moment, he saw Yoru put away his sword. Just as he was wondering what his opponent was planning, Yoru grabbed one of his wings.
"You… ARRGGHH!!"
Kokabiel's physical body might be tough, but no matter how hard something is, once frozen, it becomes brittle.
At the moment Yoru's hand touched his wing, terrifying cold surged into it—freezing the entire wing instantly, and then, with ease, ripping it off.
Though it didn't cause severe damage, losing a wing was a humiliating disgrace to Kokabiel.
Enraged and ashamed, Kokabiel tore himself free from Yoru's grip and gathered a bright light in his hand.
"Turn to dust and die!"
With a furious shout, the spear of light in his hand split into countless copies, showering down on Yoru like a storm of divine javelins.
Yoru, however, sneered coldly.
"How did a guy with your strength survive a battlefield where even gods perished? Did you hide in some rat hole, sobbing the whole time?"
Mocking him as he faced the wave of radiant spears, Yoru summoned Frostmourne again and stabbed it into the ground.
A massive wall of ice burst from the earth, forming a towering shield that blocked every single spear thrown by Kokabiel.
"Is this all you've got, Kokabiel? You've truly let me down."
The spears didn't even scratch the icy shield—each one shattered on impact, disintegrating into a rain of glittering light.
"Damn it! You arrogant brat!!" Kokabiel cursed, forming another spear of light. But this time, instead of throwing it, he gripped it tightly and charged forward.
"A weak barrier! I'll crush it with my own hands!"
Light exploded across the night sky. The sharp whistle of wind tore the air apart as Kokabiel dove like a hunting eagle, wings outstretched, spear in hand.
But waiting for him was—Frostmourne, now radiating a dark, ominous aura.
"Idiot."
Yoru didn't hold back. With a swing of Frostmourne, he met Kokabiel's charge head-on.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion erupted in the school courtyard. Shards of ice and light burst through the air. Even the protective barriers around the field trembled under the immense pressure.
Not far away, Rias and the others watched in disbelief.
"Yoru... how is he this strong?"
Seeing the dreamlike battle unfold—Kokabiel, furious and humiliated, and Yoru, calm and composed—Rias felt as if she was hallucinating.
This person, her servant—possessed power she never even imagined.
Until now, Rias thought Yoru was strong, but only about low- to mid-tier devil level. But now… he was fighting a Demon King alone?!
"But… come to think of it, Yoru never said he wasn't strong, did he?" Koneko tilted her head.
"That's true. The enemies Yoru-kun faced before were all so weak. He didn't even need to try." Akeno added with a soft smile.
"Wait… does that mean he was this strong all along?! And I had no idea?!"
"Ara, ara~ Rias, you're really a failure of a master."
Akeno teased shamelessly. Rias could only glare at her in response.
But deep down… she agreed.
"Such overwhelming, radiant power… It's so great, so unreachable… I can't even muster the will to chase after it…"
Staring at the distant battle that shut everyone else out, Akeno—normally a proud, iron-willed woman—could only let out a soft sigh.
Her eyes glimmered with a rare hint of loneliness and sorrow.
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