The attacks Kokabiel unleashed couldn't even break through his opponent's defense. Every exchange of pure power ended with him battered and bloodied. Kokabiel was on the verge of madness.
"What kind of joke is this?! I'm a fallen angel who survived the Great War where even gods died! How could I lose to a brat like you?!"
Kokabiel roared, spreading his ten black wings and ascending into the sky.
"What... what did you just say?!"
The sudden words left the entire field in dead silence. Xenovia stared in disbelief and demanded an answer.
"What's going on?"Rias asked in a stunned tone.
Kokabiel burst into laughter, as if mocking the ignorance of those around him.
"Hahaha... hahahahahaha! That's right, that's right! Like hell I'd tell the truth to low-level beings like you! But you know what? Sure, I'll tell you now. In the previous Great War—
not only were the Four Great Satans killed, but even God is dead!"
W-What…? What did he just say…?
Everyone present looked utterly stunned and unable to believe it.
"Of course you didn't know. How could anyone say something like that out loud? Humans rely on the balance and functions of God's system to survive. We, the Fallen Angels and Devils, also kept it a secret from our lower ranks. All three major factions agreed not to let this truth be known. Only the upper echelons of each faction know that God is dead."
God is gone? Something like that...
Is it true? How can this be? Impossible...
Then what were we even fighting for in that research facility...?
Yuuto Kiba collapsed to his knees, stunned.
"After the Great War, what remained were: Angels without a God; Devils who lost all the Satans and most of their High-Class ranks; and Fallen Angels with barely any leaders left. All three factions were exhausted. We fell into a state where we couldn't survive without the help of humanity. Especially Angels and Fallen Angels—interbreeding with humans doesn't even produce offspring. Fallen Angels can still increase their numbers by corrupting angels, but pure angels can no longer be born without God. And pure-blood Devils have become rare, right?"
Kokabiel went on, sighing mockingly.
"Lies… lies…"
Nearby, Xenovia, drained of her strength, collapsed to her knees.
Her face was filled with despair. Though she kept denying it aloud, the moment Rias confirmed the truth, her mental state collapsed.
"This can't be… It's impossible. How could the Almighty Lord die?"
Irina was in a similar state, unable to withstand the impact.
After all, the two of them were active wielders of Holy Swords—servants of God. Their entire existence was built around serving Him, living for Him...
Now, if God's existence had been denied, then even the purpose of their lives had crumbled. Their collapse was inevitable.
"To be honest, even if someone wanted to start another Great War, it wouldn't happen. Every faction lost too much. Both God and the Satans died in that war. There was no meaning in continuing to fight. Azazel even lost most of his subordinates and declared, 'There won't be a second war!' What nonsense! He just wanted to retract the fist we had already thrown out!"
Kokabiel shouted furiously.
"It's infuriating! If things had continued, victory might've been within our grasp! But that guy! Living peacefully alongside humans who possess Sacred Gears—what value does a Fallen Angel like that even have?!"
Burning with frustration and rage, Kokabiel believed that the Fallen Angels had been just one step away from victory in that war. That belief was what drove him to spark conflict again.
The truth of these events shook everyone present more deeply than they could've imagined.
Asia instinctively covered her mouth, her wide eyes trembling with disbelief.
Even though she was now a devil, her faith had not died.
"God is no longer here? God... has already died? Then what about the love He gave us…"
Kokabiel sneered and answered her coldly.
"Exactly. Without God's protection, love fades as a matter of course. God is gone. Michael's done a good job maintaining the system in His place. As long as God's 'system' still works, prayers, blessings, even exorcisms can function to some degree. But the number of believers the system can support is far lower than before. The reason that brat with the Holy-Demonic Sword could even create it was because the balance between holy and demonic powers collapsed. Originally, holy and demonic energies could never coexist. But with both God and the Satans dead, strange phenomena began to appear."
Kokabiel ranted, revealing secrets that would shake the world to its core.
"This… this can't be… God is gone… God…"
Asia trembled, her tears welling up.
"Hahahaha, what a joke! You're already a devil, and yet you cry over God's death… Absolutely ridiculous!"
Kokabiel burst into wild laughter—but it was abruptly cut off, as if a giant invisible hand had choked the sound out of the air.
"You... are you done talking?"
A cold voice echoed, emotionless yet sending chills through everyone. They were finally snapped out of their daze by its piercing presence.
"Asia!"
The voice wasn't loud, but it was firm. The words made Asia, still on the verge of collapse, look up slowly and shakily.
"What is God to you?"
"God… God is…"
Asia was rendered speechless by Yoru's question.
Yes… What was God to her? The being she had prayed to, the one she had devoted her entire soul to—what was He, really?
"Is this 'God' more important to you than me? More important than Rias? Than everyone here? You're that crushed, that ready to collapse, all because of some vague, untouchable being's death? Don't you think you're being selfish, Asia?"
"I…"
"This has nothing to do with being a devil. I'm asking whether you truly considered us your companions… your family. Is this so-called God more important than all of us? More important than me—someone who's literally risking his life to hold back Kokabiel for your sake?"
His words were harsh, even cruel. But as Asia heard them, she suddenly flinched and looked up.
"No… it's not like that. I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I never meant it like that… I…"
Seeing Asia cry so hard, Yoru awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose, realizing that he might have gone a little too far.
But perhaps it was for the best.
If the girl could truly awaken to reality—if she could understand that cherishing those beside her was far more meaningful than weeping for a God who no longer existed—then it was worth it.
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