In contrast to me who had gotten angry, Vali just gave a seemingly happy smile. It’s sickening! “…Interesting. Truly interesting.”
[Vali, I finished analysing his halving power. When compared with the control method of your power, you can handle it.] “I see. I’m not afraid of him with this.”
No way. It’s not showing any effect anymore! Even though I thought I delivered that much pain! “Albion, do you think he’s worthy enough to show the Hakuryuukou’s [Juggernaut Drive] if it’s the current Hyoudou Issei?”
[Vali, it’s not a good choice in this place. If you recklessly enter “Juggernaut Drive”, Ddraig’s curse may be removed.] “It’ll all work out, Albion. —[I, who am about to awaken, in supreme justice—]”
What? That damn Vali was chanting something—. [Don’t act rashly, Vali! Is it your desire to be at the mercy of my power!?] Albion was angry? I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll take him down before he prepares his new attack! When I tried to deliver a hit as a finishing blow to Vali—. With the moon floating within the night sky in the background, a single silhouette swooped down to our location. It swiftly came into the space between Vali and me. It was a man wearing armour that would be worn by a military commander of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. “Vali, I’ve come for you.”
It was a young man with a refreshing-looking face. He spoke to Vali cheerfully. “So it’s Bikou. What have you come for?”
Vali stood up while wiping away the blood from his mouth. “Isn’t that cruel? I made a long journey and came all the way to this island country because my partner is in a pinch, you know? The other guys were making a fuss at headquarters, you know? Because we’re joining together to fight the northern country gods, you were supposed to flee and return right away if the mission failed, right? Cattleya failed to assassinate Michael, Azazel, and Lucifer, right? In that case, your observation role is also over. Come back with me.”
“…I see, so it’s already time.”
What are they talking about as they please? “Who are you?”
I pointed at the person who had just appeared and asked that. “—He’s the descendent of the Victorious Fighting Buddha.”
The one who answered was Azazel. Huh? That isn’t familiar at all, though? “Let me say it with a name that you can grasp. He’s Son Goku. The famous damn monkey in the Journey to the West.”
…Eh? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh? “S-S-Son, Gokuuuuuuuu! ?”
I was so shocked that all my anger till now was blown away! Because, he’s the one from that famous story! “To say it correctly, he is a monkey youkai that has inherited Son Goku’s power. However, it really is the end of the world if even you have joined the [Khaos Brigade]. No, you’re the Son Goku to the [Vanishing Dragon]. You’re also well-matched.”
That guy laughed at Azazel’s words with a cackle. “I’m different from the first-generation that became a Buddha. I just live doing as I like. My name is Bikou. Nice to meet you, Sekiryuutei.”
He casually greeted me. The youkai called Bikou spun around a cane that had appeared in his hand, and then pierced it into the ground. Instantly, a black darkness spread over the ground. It seized Vali and Bikou, and made them completely sink into it. So they intend to escape! Don’t kid around! I still have to give him my breast doctrine one more time! “Wait! As if I’ll let you escape!”
I tried to catch him, but…
Kah! My Sacred Gear was released. My armour vanished, and the ring which helped my power also crumbled away. The Balance Breaker state that was reinforced by the ring has been removed! “Azazel! Don’t you have more of those rings!? I can’t let him escape!”
“It takes a tremendous amount of time to purify those things. I can’t mass-produce them. And even if I could, the possibility of attaining complete Balance Breaker fades if used too much. —To the end, it’s an emergency-use measure.”
"Right now is for emergency-use! I was made a fool of by him! As if I’ll let him get away!" …Suddenly, I was seized by intense fatigue…I couldn’t put any strength into my feet. I couldn’t grasp my fist either. “If you explosively emit that much power in an instant, your stamina will become empty. As you are now, what you are able to store is limited and long battles are impossible.”
That was Azazel’s explanation… But wasn’t Vali armoured for the whole time? —. I see, that’s the decisive gap between me and Vali, as expected. There’s no meaning if I can’t maintain that period of time where I temporarily surpass him for a long time. "I as the Hakuryuukou was occupied by the blood relative of the old Maou. The enemy isn’t just angels, fallen angels, and devils. Eventually we’ll fight again, but at that time it will be even more intense. We’ll each get stronger—." Stopping mid-sentence just there, the Hakuryuukou vanished into the darkness along with Son Goku. When we set foot on the school grounds, the armies of the three big powers had come in and carried out the processing after the battle. They carried away the corpses of the dead magicians, and looked to be cleaning up after the battle. When we advanced to the centre of the school grounds, the forms of Sirzechs-sama, Serafall Leviathan-sama, and Michael-san could be seen giving orders to people who seemed to be subordinates. When Sirzechs-sama caught sight of us, he raised his hands. “So you were safe. Thank goodness. —Azazel, what happened to that arm?”
Seeing the one-armed Azazel, Sirzechs-sama gestured his hand at Asia. Asia responded to that and applied her recovery Sacred Gear on the opening of Azazel’s wound. Pale green light healed the wound on Azazel’s arm, but the lost arm wasn’t fixed. “I was caught by Cattleya and nearly self-destructed along with her. I had no choice but to cut it off.”
“I see. Her matter was a problem on the devil’s side. About that wound—”
Sirzechs-sama tried to say words to make up for it in another form, but Azazel held him back with his hand and showed that it “wasn’t necessary”. “I also…caused trouble with Vali.”
“…So he betrayed you.”
“From the start, he was a guy that poured into only power. If you look at it from the results, it’s possible to understand and say [Ah, I see]. —However, it’s my responsibility that I didn’t stop it from happening.”
Azazel’s eyes seemed lonely somehow. Did he feel something for the time he was with Vali? Michael-san came between Sirzechs-sama and Azazel. “Now then, I’m returning to heaven at once and will work on a plan for the matter of peace and countermeasures against the [Khaos Brigade].”
“I’m sorry, I had arranged things this time. We who set up the place of this conference feel ashamed.”
“Sirzechs, please don’t feel so responsible. As for me, I’m just glad that the three great powers are walking on the path to peace together, you know? With this, useless quarrels should also decrease.”
“Well, subordinates who don’t agree with that will also leave.”
Azazel made that sarcastic remark. “That is inevitable. Because we’ve been hating each other for a long time.