In an instant, Ryuya's aura surged, shaking all three Fallen Angels backward.
This brat actually broke through his magic bottleneck?
And he did it in the middle of battle!? Who does that!?
(T/N: Totally not Goku-style for sure!)
Shocked as they were, the three Fallen Angels still didn't feel concerned.
So what if he's now a Mid-Class Devil?
They had two Cadre-class Fallen Angels and one High-Class Fallen Angel striking together.
A Mid-Class Devil, breakthrough or not, was still going to get one-shot all the same.
Sacred, oppressive light burst out as the trio unleashed their power — a holy radiance that was ironically divine considering it was being used by Fallen Angels. No wonder Heaven hated them so intensely… throwing around holy power like this was practically defiling the angels' reputation.
Seeing their attacks closing in, Ryuya reacted instantly.
He raised the Shield of Kings in front of himself and Asia Argento.
His golden eyes shone brilliantly.
A mysterious force stirred within him — he could feel it, grasp it… invoke it.
And the next moment, something changed.
His magic was being ripped out of him, devoured at a terrifying speed.
At the same time, the aura of the silver shield transformed.
What stood before them no longer felt like a shield.
It was like an ancient, colossal, eternal fortress — a citadel that had stood since time immemorial.
A presence as steady as a mountain… as enduring as the passing of ages.
A fortress that would neither crumble nor yield, no matter how many centuries washed over it.
Then the Fallen Angels' combined attack slammed into the shield—
And their jaws hit the floor.
The moment their holy power touched the shield, it melted like snow.
It was as if an abyss opened its maw and consumed everything — their power froze, then dissolved entirely, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"W–What…?"
The three Fallen Angels stared as though they had seen a ghost.
A Mid-Class Devil… had just casually erased their combined strike?
Ryuya suddenly understood.
He'd unlocked a new ability of the Shield of Kings.
Until now he'd only used the shield's basic defensive barrier — like using a divine weapon as a blunt tool. The shield must've been silently weeping in frustration all this time.
But this—
This immovable, mountain-like power…
This was the shield's true nature.
A force capable of effortlessly nullifying the combined might of three Fallen Angels.
Of course, such power came with a price:
Ryuya's magic was almost entirely drained.
The shield's brilliance faded, the connection to the black citadel in his mind severed.
And then, information suddenly surged into his thoughts.
When his magic reached a high enough threshold…
He would be able to summon that black citadel into the real world.
That citadel had a name —
"The Endless Twilight Citadel."
The ultimate technique of the Shield of Kings.
Within the citadel's domain, all of Ryuya's personal "states" would be locked in stasis.
As long as he didn't cancel the technique, every condition, every status, every wound, every effect on him would remain frozen in time — eternally.
Unfortunately, he couldn't fully manifest it yet.
All he could do was channel a tiny fragment of its power into the shield itself.
But even that tiny fragment was enough for him to block three Fallen Angels' full-powered strike head-on.
This turn of events even caught Ryuya Kurobane himself off guard—he actually felt like he still had strength left to go on the offensive!
Using the shield as cover, he didn't hesitate.
He swung his sword, a sharp arc of light cleaving toward Freed.
The priest had already been struck by Ryuya's Sealing Mark, his divine power sealed away. After taking direct hits from both Rias and Akeno's spells, he was barely clinging to life.
Ryuya's slash met zero resistance.
Freed's head flew off cleanly.
Ryuya immediately grabbed Asia and retreated, putting distance between them and the three Fallen Angels.
Of course, the trio weren't willing to let him go and rushed in pursuit—
Only to be blasted by a barrage of power from Rias and Akeno.
The Fallen Angels cursed under their breath, forced onto the defensive again, helplessly watching Ryuya and Asia slip back to Rias's side.
"Not bad at all," Rias said, her crimson eyes curving with delight. She hadn't expected him to perform this well.
"Ara ara~ looks like we can finally cut loose without holding back~"
Akeno licked her lips, her gaze toward the Fallen Angels as sweet and cruel as a queen examining her next treat.
The sadistic aura pouring off her was enough to make anyone tremble.
Ryuya silently offered the three Fallen Angels half a second of mourning.
"Akeno, don't let a single one escape."
Rias's expression remained elegant, but the killing intent in her voice froze the air.
What happened today had clearly infuriated the crimson-haired Princess of Destruction. She was done playing around. None of these Fallen Angels were leaving alive.
And so Ryuya watched as Rias and Akeno unleashed their full power, holding nothing back.
Without needing to protect anyone, the two were downright terrifying. Their overwhelming demonic power, their destructive spells—it all made Ryuya's scalp tingle.
Rias, a pure-blood devil, was already nearing the upper echelon of High-Class Devils despite her age.
And as her Queen piece, Akeno possessed the traits of every devil piece—her power rivaled her master's without question.
It didn't take long for the High-Class Fallen Angel among the trio to fall first.
His actual combat level was barely that of a Mid-Class Devil. If not for constantly relying on the two Cadre-class Fallen Angels to cover him, he wouldn't have lasted even a single exchange.
With one eliminated and no one left to share the firepower, the remaining two were doomed.
Two screams echoed almost simultaneously.
Black feathers rained from the sky as lightning and flame reduced both enemies to ashes.
Only then did Ryuya finally relax.
His legs gave out and he practically collapsed onto Asia.
"R–Ryuya! Are you okay?" Asia's voice shook with panic.
"Just… drained."
He forced a reply. His wounds had healed significantly under Asia's treatment, but he'd lost too much blood—his body was still weak.
More importantly, his magic was completely exhausted, leaving his body strained.
"Let's head back first. Asia, come with me. You focus on healing him, and I'll replenish his magic. He'll recover soon."
Rias approached, gently cupping the boy's face.
"You really worked hard today."
Ryuya shook his head and smiled faintly.
"Rias… I successfully advanced."
The girl froze for a brief moment, realizing he had been fighting to meet her expectations.
Her eyes softened.
"You idiot… don't push yourself this hard ever again," she murmured.
---
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