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In the aftermath of that devastating pillar of magical energy, the landscape within a thousand meters of where Vali had crashed was completely reshaped. Hundreds of towering peaks were leveled instantly, transformed from majestic mountains into nothing but rubble and dust.
However, these peaks weren't vaporized by Vali's magic. Instead, they'd simply been blasted away by the sheer force of wind pressure generated by the unleashed power—perhaps "blown apart" would be a more accurate description.
A thousand-meter-tall mountain stood proudly on the horizon one moment—and was flying horizontally through the air the next.
Bokue casually punched outward, and the surging torrent of spiritual energy erupted, instantly drilling through the entire airborne mountain, disintegrating it into countless stone fragments.
In a heartbeat, innumerable shards rained down from the sky, forcing Kuroka, on the ground below, to hastily flick out a protective barrier to avoid getting pelted by the debris.
And this—was merely the appetizer.
"ROOOAAARRRR—!"
A dragon's earth-shattering roar thundered across the skies, shaking the very mountains themselves. A giant figure, fully clad in silver-white armor, erupted through the stone and shot directly upwards, tearing straight into the Sky.
"Well…" Bokue observed him calmly, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Without a doubt, this was Vali Lucifer.
But compared to his earlier Balance Breaker state, his current form had abandoned any semblance of humanity.
He now possessed not only the size and brute strength equal to a true dragon but also the armored scales of the White Dragon Emperor, harder than any dragon's hide. In terms of speed alone, the most advanced modern fighter jet would appear like a helpless chick before this Juggernaut Drive form.
"Hold on now—is this your phase two?" Bokue couldn't resist a sarcastic remark. "I get it—boss battles nowadays always have a phase two or even a phase three. But honestly, with your fragile body, forcefully going this far… you sure you're not gonna just explod—?"
He couldn't even finish his sentence before the enemy attack reached him, moving at speed impossible to react to.
Vali's massive form didn't limit his mobility in the slightest; rather, his speed had seen a massive leap in this form. His dragon-like body vanished from sight just like a Dragon Ball Z fight, and when he appeared again, he was face-to-face with Bokue. The gleaming horn atop his head stabbed ruthlessly forward, aiming directly at Bokue's abdomen.
"Ah crap, got careless, forgot to dodge…"
Bokue didn't have the luxury of uttering this classic anime line aloud. His body instantly shot backward like a uranium rod propelled by a railgun. He smashed straight through dozens of stone peaks in succession, embedding deeply into the distant earth.
"Bokue!!" Within her protective barrier, Rias couldn't help but cry out in concern at the scene.
She shuddered at the thought of how she'd fare if she had taken such a blow. No matter how strong Bokue might be, he was still flesh and blood—how could he withstand a direct attack of that magnitude?
"Don't panic…" Akeno also seemed like she wanted to say something to calm everyone's nerves.
But Kuroka interrupted them firmly.
"Relax. Bokue isn't weak enough to be troubled by an attack of that level."
"How can you be so sure?!" Irina tried to argue back, clearly worried, but Kuroka swiftly turned and fixed her with a fierce glare.
"Because I just know! No matter how strong his opponent might seem, Bokue will always win in the end. I've been by his side longer than any of you—I know him best!"
"I…" Irina instantly deflated.
She couldn't deny it. She and Bokue might've been childhood friends, but that simply meant they'd known each other earlier. In terms of actual companionship, she ranked far below Kuroka—even below a certain gaming-obsessed girl.
All these years, Kuroka had constantly accompanied Bokue, stood by him through countless trials on their Journey West. If it came down to defining who truly knew him best, Irina was barely on the scoreboard, relying purely on childhood nostalgia.
Feeling defeated, Irina looked away. But as her eyes fell inadvertently upon Kuroka's hand, she paused slightly.
The catgirl, who'd just confidently declared there was no reason to worry, was secretly clenching her fists so tightly under the sleeves of her kimono that her knuckles turned white, her arms trembling almost imperceptibly.
She wasn't entirely calm herself either…
"Hm?" At this moment, Venelana suddenly noticed something unusual, letting out a quiet sound of surprise.
The dust hanging in the air abruptly trembled.
High above, a figure enveloped in blazing golden flames had appeared without warning. Crimson, dragon-claw-shaped markings glowed fiercely on his forehead. Standing with his back to the blazing midday sun, he cast no shadow upon the earth below.
His golden flames burned brighter and hotter than the sun itself, as if a second sun had arisen in the sky.
"!?"
In his Juggernaut Drive form, Vali seemed to sense imminent danger and raised his massive dragon head defensively, ready to strike back.
But there was no chance.
[God-Slaying Overlord Fist]!!
With absolutely no mercy, no restraint whatsoever, Bokue threw his full strength behind this ultimate blow.
"Divi—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Vali didn't even finish activating "Divide." The overwhelming fist crashed down, the unstoppable impact snapping his dragon head violently sideways. His massive form spun a full 180 degrees before hurtling downward, buried deep into the earth with another thunderous quake and cloud of dust.
"Whew…" Having pushed back his enemy with that devastating punch, Bokue relaxed slightly, checking his own injuries carefully.
The sneak attack from Vali earlier hadn't been entirely ineffective. He'd taken some actual damage from it.
Two deep wounds on his torso, just below his ribs, revealing glimpses of bone, served as stark proof.
He touched them gently. Though he could easily heal these wounds instantly with his [Cellular Reconstruction], Bokue chose not to. Instead, he glanced downward, meeting the worried gazes of the girls below—especially Kuroka's intense stare—and simply gave a confident thumbs-up.
Then, he plunged downward once more.
Half a second later—
With another earth-shaking collision, the enormous dragon body shot straight upward from underground, launched by Bokue's powerful kick. Shirtless and battle-ready, he firmly grabbed hold of the dragon's horn with one hand. His other fist hammered down again and again onto Vali's dragon head with relentless, heavy strikes of [God-Slaying Overlord Fist].
His ruthless barrage evoked images of Kratos brutally delivering execution strikes onto the face of a massive troll, leaving the girls on the ground wondering if they'd been overly concerned earlier.
At that same instant, a magic circle flashed brightly on the mountaintop, and three figures appeared in a brief flicker.
Rias immediately recognized familiar magical signatures. Turning in surprise, she exclaimed:
"Brother? Lady Leviathan? And… the Fallen Angel Governor-General? Why are you all here?"
Without doubt, it was Sirzechs, Serafall, and the sudden visitor Azazel, who had just been discussing the northern territories.
"Ah, well, it's a bit complicated—I'll explain later." Azazel scratched his head carelessly, shrugging casually.
"More importantly, has Vali finished his battle y—EH!?"
His voice cracked in shock, his usual laid-back demeanor completely shattered as he stared wide-eyed at the two figures violently clashing in midair.
"Seriously, what the hell did you guys do to him?! He's even gone Juggernaut Drive?! He can't control that form yet!!"
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