Ren Kuroda didn't know exactly what power Vali was preparing to use—but he could feel it with absolute clarity.
Vali's aura… his magic… were surging upward at an astonishing rate.
Even earlier, when Vali had activated Balance Breaker, the pressure he exuded had already been close to that of Yasaka, the supreme commander of Kyoto's yokai.
And now—
It was obvious that Vali still had another forbidden power hidden in reserve. Driven by it, his strength was climbing rapidly, pushing toward the true threshold of a Demon King.
Watching Vali continue his incantation as his aura rose higher and higher, Ren's lips curled into a grin of pure battle hunger. With a flick of his hand, a massive gourd appeared out of thin air, resting in his grasp.
Before, Vali hadn't been enough to interest him.
But now—
If Vali fully unleashed this power, he would finally qualify as a true opponent.
"Both of you," a calm voice suddenly cut through the tension, "you do understand what would happen if you fought at full strength here, don't you?"
"And Vali… if I remember correctly, I only asked you to invite this gentleman to meet me. Not… escalate things like this."
Just as both of their auras continued to climb—and as Rias and Sona, watching from afar, grew increasingly helpless at the deteriorating situation—
A figure suddenly appeared between Ren and Vali.
"…Tch. Azazel, huh? You always show up at the worst possible moment."
The man standing between them had dark blond hair streaked with black and carried himself with an easy, confident air—a ruggedly handsome middle-aged figure.
From Vali's tone alone, his identity was obvious.
He was none other than the Governor-General of the fallen angels—one of the leaders of the three great Biblical factions. A top-tier being, a twelve-winged fallen angel.
With Azazel's arrival, Vali instantly regained his composure.
The wildly surging aura and magic power around him receded like a falling tide, and in the next moment, he even canceled the Balance Breaker of the Divine Dividing.
Seeing that, Ren understood immediately—this fight was over.
He, too, returned to his normal state without hesitation.
"…How much of your real strength," Vali suddenly asked, his tone serious, "were you actually using just now?"
Before this, Vali had always believed that as an Ultimate-class devil, combined with the power of Divine Dividing, if he went all out—even using Juggernaut Drive—he could likely rank within the top twenty in the world.
But now…
It seemed he had underestimated just how vast this world really was.
Even after nearly resorting to his final trump card just now, he had the distinct feeling that Ren was still holding something back.
And someone like Ren—someone he had never even heard of before—
How many more monsters like that existed out there?
Ren paused for a moment at the question, then glanced at Azazel beside them before answering honestly:
"About… thirty percent, maybe. Possibly even less."
In truth, even that "thirty percent" was an extremely conservative estimate.
He still had abilities like Blade Spirit Release, Evil of This World, and even the simulated Star Creation Diagram.
Strictly speaking, what he had shown so far might not even amount to ten percent of his total power.
But no one revealed all their cards in a fight.
Holding something back was only natural.
"…Only thirty percent, huh?" Vali exhaled slowly. "Even so, with your current strength, you could probably place within the world's top twenty… maybe even barely break into the top ten.
"I'll come find you again.
"And next time—we meet, I'll be stronger."
With that, Vali didn't wait for anyone's response. Without so much as a glance back, he shot into the sky, leaving behind a lone, unrestrained silhouette.
Watching his figure disappear, Azazel turned to Ren with a thoughtful expression.
"Vali's a proud one. The fact that he gave you that kind of evaluation—and that you almost pushed him into using Juggernaut Drive… it seems we all underestimated you."
In truth, when Azazel had first asked Vali to bring Ren to meet him, it hadn't been an "invitation" at all.
It had been closer to a summons.
After all, even with Ren's background tied to the Kyoto yokai faction, compared to the three great Biblical factions, it wasn't considered enough to stand on equal footing—especially with Azazel being the Governor-General of the fallen angels.
But after witnessing the battle between Ren and Vali—
That "summons" had quietly become an "invitation."
The reason was simple.
Strength commanded respect.
It might sound crude, but it was an unchanging truth—only overwhelming power could earn recognition.
"Juggernaut Drive…?" Ren repeated thoughtfully.
"Right," Azazel nodded. "That 'tyrannical power' is a special ability possessed by certain Longinus. It requires a complete soul to function. It's stronger than Balance Breaker—and far more dangerous.
"The cost is enormous. It drains a tremendous amount of life force… though magic can substitute for that to some extent. Either way, it comes with severe side effects."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Vali's Juggernaut Drive allows him to fully manifest the power of the White Dragon Emperor, Albion, at his peak.
"And the Two Heavenly Dragons, at their prime… were beings capable of slaying gods and demons. Reaching the world's top twenty with that kind of power isn't an exaggeration."
As a leading expert in Sacred Gear research, Azazel had studied the White Dragon Emperor's power countless times.
In fact, many of Vali's techniques had only been possible thanks to Azazel's guidance.
"The world's top twenty, huh…" Ren mused, then glanced at him. "Then what about you, Governor? As one of the leaders of the three great factions, where do you rank?"
Ren had never personally encountered Demon Kings or twelve-winged fallen angels before.
But Azazel's presence…
Was unexpected.
As one of the leaders of a major faction, he should have been overwhelmingly powerful.
And yet, the aura Ren sensed from him—
Was actually inferior to what Vali had displayed earlier.
"Well, you see," Azazel said with a casual shrug, "I'm more of a researcher. Fighting isn't really my specialty—"
"Someone without sufficient strength couldn't hold the position of Governor of the fallen angels," Ren cut in calmly. "If that's the case… then this must be due to an injury, right?"
Azazel blinked in surprise.
For a moment, his usual easygoing expression slipped—before he let out a faint, knowing chuckle.
"So the Kyoto yokai already know that much, huh?
"In that case… you must also know that the God of the Bible is already dead."
He dropped the revelation without a hint of emotion.
A bombshell.
Ren's expression shifted slightly—but not as much as one might expect.
In truth, ever since hearing Yasaka talk about the great war between the three Biblical factions years ago, he had found it strange.
A conflict on that scale—
The devil faction had lost all seven Demon Kings.
Even the Two Heavenly Dragons had perished.
With casualties that catastrophic…
There was no way the angel and fallen angel factions had only lost insignificant pawns.