Boom————————————
Above an abandoned factory, a massive blast shook the air.
There were no flashy tricks—just a punch infused with radiant energy, smashing directly toward Vali.
Feeling the force of the punch, Vali's face changed and he raised his hand.
"Divide—"
The jewel on his armor emitted a deep voice, causing the light around Lucemon's fist to instantly dim.
Even so, the thunderous explosion echoed across the sky.
Vali's body flew like a meteor, crashing toward the ground.
Watching the battered White Dragon Emperor fall, Serafall clicked her tongue. She glanced at her current task with a miserable expression.
At the moment, she was helping Sona and Tsubaki tie up a group of unconscious fallen angels.
At first, Serafall had been wary of Vali's sudden appearance. After all, someone like him showing up was never casual.
Throughout history, whenever the Red and White Dragon Emperors met, they always fought. That was true even before Ddraig and Albion became Sacred Gears.
Even during the Great War between devils, angels, and fallen angels, these two maniacs would fight, ignoring even the God of the Bible himself.
Serafall had also heard rumors that Vali was affiliated with the fallen angels.
So his appearance in Kuoh Town was highly suspicious. Was it related to that terrifying presence sensed earlier?
Or was Azazel planning something amidst the current chaos?
Given Azazel's reputation, it wasn't strange for Serafall to think this way.
But Vali simply said he came to deal with some rogue fallen angels and take them back.
Before Serafall could respond, Lucemon spoke first.
"These guys and that armor of yours—those are gifts I'm preparing for my master! Don't even think about taking them!"
Gifts?! At that moment, Serafall and the others were speechless.
So your "gifts" are living people and Sacred Gears?
Before Vali could react, Lucemon had already charged.
To avoid causing a scene, Lucemon suppressed her power as much as possible.
She knew full well that a single light orb from her Grand Cross attack could accidentally destroy Ren's shop in Kuoh Town. If that happened, she'd be dead.
So while shouting, "Tie up all those fallen angels tightly," she beat Vali to a pulp.
"Oh, right! Since they're gifts, make sure you tie them up like presents!"
Serafall: "…"
You're really making this hard for Leviathan-chan!
Sona: "…"
Tsubaki: "…"
What could they even say? Nobodies like them had no say. All they could do was work quietly.
"Who is this angel… she's so strong…"
Feeling the pain all over, Vali's face darkened.
He could tell that her attacks had no technique—just raw, casual punches.
But even so, there was no way to defend against them.
Even reduced by Divide, the holy light still carried terrifying force.
"This kind of light… it's just like the God of the Bible,"
Albion muttered inside Vali's mind.
"What did you say? The God of the Bible?!"
Vali was surprised, not with fear, but with excitement.
Albion understood his partner well and said quietly:
"Yes. If I didn't know the God of the Bible was already dead, I'd think this being was him… such power, such pure divinity… though the personality doesn't match."
Of course it didn't. If this one were God, he'd probably have fallen already.
Though who knows if "falling" even applies to this world's god.
Vali didn't care whether the opponent was really God or not. If Albion, who once rampaged in the Great War, said so, then this entity was on par with a god.
With that thought, Vali gritted his teeth and began moving his battered body.
"Vali, are you thinking of using that?"
As someone who knew Vali deeply, Albion instantly picked up on his plan.
Vali didn't answer, but his actions said everything.
Wings of light burst from his back as he raised a hand high.
"Vali, this isn't a good idea in your current state. Also, being controlled by my power isn't what you want!"
"Albion, don't you get it? That angel won't stop until she rips your power from me. We can't escape. So we may as well fight!"
Albion went silent.
He was right. That angel clearly wanted to reclaim the power of the White Dragon Emperor.
If Vali didn't go all-out now, it would be taken with no resistance.
In an instant, holy flames erupted from Vali's body, and jewels all over his armor began to glow in rainbow colors.
Lucemon crossed her arms and watched quietly.
She could feel the rising power within him.
And—
"A form that trades life force? Though in his case, he might be substituting it with magic."
In that moment, Vali began to chant.
"I am the awakened—"
Boom——————————
A blinding blast of light appeared before him.
Vali's eyes widened as it swallowed him completely.
"You—"
The divine flame vanished, and his armor shattered into pieces.
The ground exploded into a massive crater.
Lucemon casually lifted the unconscious Vali and muttered in boredom:
"You started chanting right in front of me—did you think I'd just wait? If I can knock you out in one hit, why wait for your cast time to finish? I'm not an idiot. Next time, learn to use rapid chant mode, kid."
Serafall: "…"
Did I just hear Vali's partner muttering that you're a cheater?