Albion chuckled as he carried the unconscious Kokabiel and flew high into the sky.
"Strange... the Red one hasn't awakened yet, and yet, I can sense his presence from you." While sweeping his gaze across the ground from the air, the jewels on Albion's armor began to emit a white glow, and a slightly puzzled voice echoed.
"Oh… so the Red one is here too?" Albion scanned the area again, trying to spot the destined rival.
"No, I can't feel his aura at all. He shouldn't be awake yet, and yet… it's a strange feeling. I can clearly sense his presence here."
The soul of the White Dragon Emperor, residing within the Sacred Gear, spoke with uncertainty. The "Red one" he referred to, of course, was his eternal rival — the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig.
But just as he said, Ddraig hadn't awakened, yet Albion still felt his presence.
"The Red Dragon Emperor, huh... Logically, if you've awakened, he should too. The fact that there's been no sign of him is already strange in itself."
Albion muttered to himself, then turned his gaze toward Yoru.
"In any case, even though my destined rival hasn't appeared, I've found someone else interesting at least."
"Indeed... A young man who could fight Kokabiel head-on — even suppress him."
Just as the White Dragon Emperor's soul finished speaking, a shard of ice zipped past his host's face.
"You took my prey. That's a bit troubling, you know."
Yoru spoke from the ground. The sudden interruption in the middle of battle had naturally left him displeased.
"Apologies. Kokabiel can't die just yet. If we were to recklessly eliminate a top general of the Fallen Angels, we might very well trigger a war."
The wielder of the White Dragon Emperor spoke with a smile, surprisingly using a rather diplomatic tone with Yoru. By now, everyone present had realized that "Albion" wasn't the name of the young man in armor — it was the name of the White Dragon Emperor himself.
And based on his words… Yoru had the power to kill Kokabiel?!
Everyone present was left speechless. Just seeing Yoru go toe-to-toe with Kokabiel had already been shocking enough. But now, someone who had easily taken down Kokabiel claimed that Yoru would've killed him in the end!
"My name is Vali. In this boring world where the Red Dragon Emperor hasn't awakened, I hope you'll be the one to bring me some excitement. Of course, you're not there yet. Your current strength isn't enough. Get stronger — strong enough to face everything head-on."
The young man named Vali spoke passionately, clearly placing great expectations on Yoru. Then, his entire figure turned into a streak of white light and vanished into the distance.
No one knew what to say about the unexpected conclusion of the battle.
The destructive magic circle Kokabiel had drawn also vanished.
—It was over.
Despite the unexpected twists, the town had been protected.
Kiba Yuuto glanced inadvertently at Vilver Galilei's corpse. Perhaps… this wasn't truly over. After all, the Vatican headquarters still had others continuing his research.
Just like he said, even if that research no longer arbitrarily took lives, the act of forcibly seizing someone's essence was still something unforgivable.
"Yoru, you were amazing! I can't believe you're this strong!"
As Yoru returned, Rias immediately embraced him, her eyes sparkling as she praised him.
"No… I'm still not strong enough. I don't have the confidence to defeat the White Dragon Emperor."
Yoru scratched the tip of his nose with a bitter smile. His brief confrontation with Albion had put immense pressure on him.
It was a sensation he couldn't quite describe — unlike the Fallen Angels, whose fighting styles were similar aside from raw strength, the White Dragon Emperor had brought forth something he had never experienced before.
Yoru couldn't help but recall what Nesha had once said — that he needed to obtain the power of the world's origin. And this... this felt like it. Sacred Gears, especially Longinus-class ones like this, seemed to be powers born under the acknowledgment of the world's very laws.
To halve an opponent's strength unconditionally and absorb it as your own — such an outrageous ability had just been displayed right before Yoru's eyes.
All powers have their limits and are bound by common rules. But Albion's ability had clearly surpassed such boundaries. It was a power that transcended laws.
As for the Underworld's reinforcements, Sairaorg arrived only half an hour later. By that point, Yoru, still feeling unsatisfied from the interrupted battle, was already in bed with Sona, venting all his pent-up energy onto the poor heiress.
Rias proudly reported the incident to Grayfia. Though she was worried about her brother's safety, as a Maou, casually crossing between worlds carried significant consequences. So Sirzechs only sent Grayfia and a powerful team as backup.
Upon hearing that Yoru had enough strength to kill Kokabiel — a Ten-Winged Fallen Angel — Grayfia was so stunned she couldn't even speak. Her expression turned incredibly complex. Rias, still exhilarated, didn't seem to notice at all.
Time passed quickly. Three days had gone by since the Kokabiel incident. As agreed, Yoru's time with Sona had ended, and he resumed alternating between his days as her servant and as Rias's.
However, the incident had indeed caused major consequences. The sisters of two Maou had been attacked. Just as Kokabiel had hoped, it nearly led to war. According to Sona, her sister Serafall had almost rushed over herself in rage when she found out.
Knowing what a doting sister-lover the Maou Serafall was, Yoru could only offer a helpless smile.
But it wasn't just news about Kokabiel. At the Occult Research Club, Yoru also encountered two girls who shouldn't have been here.
"Yo, Ice Queen — been a while." The first to speak was a girl with long hair and a green-dyed lock hanging over her forehead — Xenovia.
"Why are you two here? And those clothes…?"
Yoru asked in surprise. Weren't they supposed to have returned to the Vatican after the battle? And yet here they were, wearing Kuoh Academy uniforms.
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