Katerea hovered for a moment, stunned. Then blood began to spill from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Her body shuddered. Her pride, her rage, her corrupted power—all shattered from the inside out.
"I-It… it can't be…"
Her broken whisper was the last thing she gave this world.
Her body plummeted from the sky like a discarded puppet—limp, bloody, and lifeless.
She never moved again.
Kazuki Fuwa had won.
From the side of the room, Rias—her chest tight with anxiety—finally let out a soft, relieved breath.
"Thank goodness, Kazuki..."
Her voice trembled with emotion, quiet but unmistakably full of love and pride.
Just as her words faded, another voice cut in with a more amused tone.
"Well damn. He took down that jacked-up Katerea in one hit? That's insane... the guy's a monster."
It was Azazel, grinning with a hint of disbelief. But before any banter could unfold, the floor suddenly lit up beneath them, a complex magic circle crackling into life. A figure emerged from the light—Vali, clad in gleaming white armor.
'Wait a second... that pattern on the magic circle—no way~!'
"Vali. Report. What's the situation?" Azazel's voice was calm but expectant.
Vali raised the mask on her helmet, revealing that annoyingly beautiful face of hers, sharp and elegant as ever.
"All weaklings. No challenge," she said, her tone icy and bored.
And then, she dropped the bomb.
"That's why I'm switching sides, Azazel."
BOOM.
The sound wasn't just emotional. It was physical.
Vali's hand drove straight through Azazel's body.
"Vali… you..."
The traitorous blow punched through Azazel like paper. Blood exploded from his mouth as he collapsed, coughing and choking on it while his body hit the floor, staining the tiles beneath him in a pool of red.
"AZAZEL!!"
Rias' brother shouted with urgency, quickly snapping into action.
"Rias, summon Asia, NOW!"
"R-Right!!"
Without hesitation, Rias activated the summoning magic circle—one that only a King could use—and immediately called forth a specific servant.
In a sudden flash of light beneath their feet, Asia and Issei, who'd been standing beside her a moment before, were both instantly teleported into the room.
They arrived in chaos. Right in front of them, Azazel was lying in a puddle of blood, his abdomen shredded open.
'What the hell…?'
"Asia! Heal Azazel!!"
"Y-Yes!!"
Asia was still in shock from the unexpected summoning, but Rias' sharp command snapped her into focus. She rushed forward and activated her sacred gear, [Twilight Healing], the glow from her hands enveloping Azazel's broken body with a soft, holy light.
Slowly, the bleeding began to stop. His wounds closed inch by inch—but the tension in the room only grew thicker.
The room was tense as fuck. All eyes were glued to Vali—the silver-haired beauty clad in blinding white armor.
'What is going on?! Somebody please explain before I lose my mind!' Asia thought.
"…Sorry, Saint Girl. Looks like someone from my side's gone rogue… Fuck, guess I really am getting old."
Azazel muttered the words with a bitter grin while Asia continued her healing.
"When did this start? When the hell did you decide to switch sides?"
"On the way back after we picked up Kokabiel. Got invited. Sorry, Azazel—this side just seemed way more fun."
Vali and Azazel carried on with their conversation, leaving the rest dumbfounded, as if the chaos swirling around them was just background noise.
"Vali… You're the White Dragon Emperor. And you're siding with Ophis?"
"No, not siding. Just cooperating. I mean, come on—'Don't you want to fight against the gods of other mythologies?'… Now tell me that doesn't sound fucking irresistible."
"Vali, even for you, going up against gods won't leave you unscathed."
"I don't give a damn. I just want strong opponents. That's all I live for."
Michael's voice of reason didn't even phase her. Vali replied like it was the most natural thing in the world.
'Was she suicidal or something? What a shame. Such a beautiful woman.'
"I've got a question too. That magic circle you used—what is it really? Sirzechs asked with a calm intensity.
Vali gave a faint smirk, then said it…
"That's right. My real name is Vali. Vali Lucifer."
She said it quietly, but with unmistakable confidence.
'Vali… Lucifer?!'
"So you're a devil too?!"
"Technically, I'm a half-blood. My father was the son of the previous Lucifer who died in the war, and my mother's human. My Sacred Gear, Divine Dividing, manifested because I'm half-human. Pure luck, really."
She chuckled, almost like she pitied herself.
"No way… you're kidding, right?!" Rias was stunned by the revelation.
"It's the truth. She's probably going to become the strongest White Dragon Emperor of all time—past, present, and future. Fucking ridiculous. So what now? You planning to take my head as a gift for the Khaos Brigade?"
Azazel said sarcastically. Vali touched her chin and tilted her head slightly as if seriously considering it.
'Fuck—she even looked cute doing that.'
"Hmm. Originally, Katerea was supposed to kill Serafall Leviathan to make our presence known… but for some reason, she went toe-to-toe with Kazuki Fuwa and got her ass kicked."
"Honestly, I'm not dumb enough to take on this whole group head-on. So for today… I'm gonna peace out." She added.
'What?! You cause this much chaos and just walk away like it's nothing?! What kind of bullshit is that?!'
Issei glared in outrage. Noticing it, Vali flashed a devilish grin.
"Hmm… Honestly, I didn't expect much from you. Wasn't sure if I'd even bother. But with eyes like that… hard to ignore, isn't it? Tell me, Hyoudou Issei… don't you think fate's a bitch?"
She suddenly turned the conversation on him.
"On one hand, you've got someone like me—part Demon King, part Legendary Dragon. And on the other, some regular-ass human ends up with a dragon of legend sealed inside him. Don't you think that's just cruel? I mean, sure, the Welsh Dragon and the Vanishing Dragon were destined to be rivals… but the difference between us—between the wielders—is just too fucking huge."
'Goddammit… She's right. I've got nothing to say back.' Issei clenched his fists in frustration. He couldn't argue. Not with that.
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