Location: The Azazel Cup Arena - Final Stage: "The Peak of Meru"
Event: The Grand Finals - Team Void vs. Team Heaven
Matchup: Raiden (The Joker) vs. Indra (The King of Gods)
The arena was no longer a stadium. It was a floating island suspended in a golden sky, surrounded by storm clouds that crackled with lightning the size of skyscrapers.
This was the domain of Indra, the Hindu God of War and Lightning.
Azazel (Commentator): "This is it, folks! The main event! On one side, the rookie team that ate their way through the bracket—Team Void! On the other, a team led by a Chief God who literally defines 'Overpowered' - Team Heaven!"
In the waiting area, Rossweisse was hyperventilating into a paper bag.
"It's Indra... It's actually Lord Indra... He has a higher divinity rating than Odin-sama! If we scratch his armor, the reparations will bankrupt a small country!"
Raiden tightened his gloves. He looked calm, but his eyes were focused.
"Stop counting coins, Valkyrie. Today, we're not paying. We're dining."
Rias Gremory stepped forward. "Raiden. Our strategy?"
"Survival," Raiden said bluntly. "Issei, Vali (guest), Kiba, Xenovia - keep his teammates busy. Leave the Big Boss to me."
The match began.
Team Heaven materialized.
Leading them was a massive man with four arms, blue skin, and golden armor. He held a short, jagged weapon that pulsed with terrifying power - the Vajra.
Indra.
He didn't take a fighting stance. He floated toward the center, arms crossed.
"Raiden," Indra's voice boomed like thunder. "You have entertained me. You ate Death. You ate Nothingness. You are a vacuum in the shape of a man."
Indra descended, hovering just out of reach.
"I have a proposition. Forfeit this match. Join my Vanguard. We are preparing for a war against the Evil Gods and the Primordials. I need a monster like you on the front lines."
Raiden looked up.
"Does this job come with dental?"
Indra scoffed. "It comes with glory. And the chance to fight beings stronger than dragons."
Raiden picked his ear.
"Pass. I don't like following orders. And I definitely don't work for guys who wear that much gold jewelry. It's tacky."
The crowd gasped. He just insulted a Chief God's fashion sense.
Indra's smile vanished. His eyes turned white with electricity.
"A pity. Then I shall beat you into submission until you beg to serve me."
"BEGIN!"
CRACK-BOOM.
There was no movement. Just the sound of the sound barrier shattering.
Indra was instantly in front of Raiden.
He didn't use the Vajra. He used his fist.
Raiden blocked.
Impact.
Raiden flew backward. He crashed through three mountain peaks before skidding to a halt.
His arms were smoking. His bones rattled.
"Fast," Raiden muttered, shaking his arms. "Faster than Vali."
Indra appeared above him.
"Lightning of the Gods."
A pillar of yellow lightning, ten kilometers wide, descended on Raiden.
It wasn't magic. It was Divine Authority. It was the concept of "Smite."
Raiden looked up.
He opened his mouth.
[Demon Lord Art: Sky Eater]
He tried to inhale the pillar.
ZZZZT.
Raiden swallowed a massive chunk of the lightning, but the sheer volume was too much. The excess energy scorched his trench coat and burned his skin.
He fell to one knee, smoke pouring from his mouth.
"Spicy!" Raiden coughed sparks. "Like drinking battery acid mixed with chili oil!"
[System Warning]
[Energy Overload. Divinity is dense. Digestion at 60%.]
Indra landed softly. "You cannot eat it all, Glutton. My lightning is infinite."
While Raiden held off Indra, the rest of Team Void was fighting for their lives against Indra's elite guards (Divine Beasts and Heroes).
Issei: "Dragon Shot!"
He blasted a massive white elephant. The beast didn't even flinch.
Kiba: "Holy Sword!"
His sword shattered against the armor of a divine warrior.
Rias: "We can't scratch them! Their defense is on a Godly level!"
Ravel (Comms): "Their equipment is Legendary-grade! Don't try to overpower them! Use hit-and-run! Survive until Raiden-sama finds an opening!"
Serafall (Cheering from the VIP box): "Raiden-chaaaan! Don't lose! If you win, I'll let you wear my crown!"
Sona: "Sister, sit down! You are embarrassing the Underworld!"
Back at the main fight.
Raiden stood up, his regeneration healing the burns.
"Okay," Raiden spat out a glob of electrified saliva. "No more tasting. Time to bite."
He charged.
Raiden didn't use speed. He used Mass.
He activated the weight of everything he had ever eaten - dragons, mountains, gravity spheres.
"Gluttony Heavy Strike: Planetfall."
He punched Indra.
Indra raised the Vajra to block.
CLANG.
The collision created a shockwave that cleared the storm clouds for fifty miles.
The ground beneath them disintegrated into dust.
Indra slid back a few inches. He looked surprised.
"Heavy. You hit with the weight of a star."
Indra spun the Vajra.
"Weapon Release: Indrastra."
The Vajra began to glow with a light that blinded the cameras.
It wasn't just lightning anymore. It was a laser of pure annihilation.
"Take this, Joker!"
Indra thrust the weapon. A beam of destruction aimed at Raiden's heart.
Raiden didn't dodge.
He realized he couldn't eat this beam. It was too sharp. It would cut his stomach.
So he switched gears.
[System Switch: Bael Lineage]
[Mode: Erasure]
Raiden's hand turned the color of dried blood.
He caught the beam.
"Destruction."
The Power of Destruction clashed with the Divine Lightning.
Black-red energy fought against Gold.
Sparks flew like fireworks.
"You possess the Bael power too?" Indra's eyes narrowed. "But you are human! How many bloodlines have you stolen?!"
"I don't steal," Raiden gritted his teeth, his feet sliding back. "I recycle."
Raiden was losing the clash. The Vajra was an Ultimate Weapon. His borrowed destruction magic wasn't enough.
"I need more," Raiden thought. "I need to break the weapon."
He looked at the Vajra.
It was made of the bones of the sage Dadhichi. It was the hardest substance in Hindu mythology.
Raiden grinned.
"Hard food is good for the jaw."
Raiden dropped his defense.
The beam hit his chest, burning through his flesh.
"RAIDEN!" Rias screamed.
But Raiden ignored the pain. He lunged forward, impaling himself further on the energy blade to get closer to Indra.
He got within hugging distance.
Indra was shocked. "Suicide?!"
"No," Raiden whispered, blood leaking from his mouth. "Dinner."
Raiden grabbed the physical Vajra with both hands.
He opened his mouth wide.
His jaw unhinged. His teeth turned into void-black fangs.
[God-Eater Technique: Weapon Crunch]
CRUNCH.
Raiden bit the Vajra.
He didn't bite the handle. He bit the head of the divine weapon.
Sparks flew. Divine energy screamed.
Indra pulled back. "You madman! You'll break your teeth!"
CRACK.
Raiden's jaw clamped shut with the force of a black hole.
A piece of the Vajra - the indestructible weapon of the King of Gods - snapped off.
Indra stared at his weapon. The tip was missing.
He looked at Raiden.
Raiden was chewing.
Crunch. Crunch. Gulp.
Raiden swallowed the divine metal.
His eyes turned gold. Lightning began to arc off his skin - not yellow lightning, but Black Lightning.
[System Alert]
[Consumed: Fragment of Vajra]
[Authority Acquired: False God of Lightning]
[Stats: Strength +50%, Speed +50%]
Raiden burped. A thunderclap shook the arena.
"Tastes like... pennies. And ozone."
Indra looked at his broken weapon. He looked at Raiden, who was now glowing with stolen divine aura.
For the first time, the God of War felt a chill.
"You ate... the Vajra?"
Raiden pulled the energy blade out of his chest. The wound healed instantly, fueled by the new divine energy.
"I told you," Raiden's voice now carried a metallic echo. "I don't work for you. I eat you."
Raiden raised his hand.
Black lightning formed in his palm.
"My turn, Sparky."
He pointed at Indra.
"Raiden's Arrow."
BOOM.
A bolt of black lightning blasted Indra point-blank.
The God of War was thrown across the arena, crashing into his own palace on Mount Meru.
The crowd went absolutely silent.
Then, Azazel screamed into the microphone:
"HE ATE THE VAJRA! THE JOKER JUST ATE A CHIEF GOD'S WEAPON AND SHOT HIM WITH IT!"
Rossweisse fainted again. "The reparations... we can never pay for the Vajra..."
Indra climbed out of the rubble. His armor was cracked. He was bleeding from the forehead.
He looked at his broken weapon.
Then, he started to laugh.
"HAHAHAHA! Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"
Indra floated back to the center. He didn't look angry. He looked delighted.
"I haven't met a mortal this crazy since the Mahabharata!"
He sheathed the broken Vajra.
"I concede."
"What?" Raiden blinked, the black lightning fading.
"I yield," Indra raised his hands. "You broke my toy. And you proved your point. You are too wild to be a soldier. You are a King."
Announcer: "TEAM HEAVEN SURRENDERS! THE WINNER OF THE AZAZEL CUP IS TEAM VOID!"
Confetti exploded. Rias and Issei tackled Raiden.
"WE WON!" Issei cried. "WE'RE THE CHAMPIONS!"
Raiden stood there, surrounded by his cheering team.
He felt the fragment of the Vajra settling in his stomach.
Indra walked past him, leaning in to whisper.
"Keep the power, boy. You'll need it. Shiva is waking up soon. And he hits much harder than I do."
Raiden smirked.
"Let him come. I'm still hungry."
Runeas walked up and kissed Raiden deeply on the lips, right in front of the cameras.
"My Champion," she purred. "Tonight... I will give you a reward sweeter than any god's weapon."
Serafall: "NO! ME FIRST!"
Yasaka: "I HAVE THE BEEF!"
Ravel: "Please fill out the victory forms first!"
Raiden laughed.
It was good to be the King.