I remembered Azazel telling me once that the Longinus were Sacred Gears with incredible scalability. When a user reached Balance Breaker, the jump in power compared to normal Sacred Gears was on a different level. He said the Longinus were vessels capable of realizing any depth of talent or imagination the user possessed.
According to Azazel, there were three main paths of evolution for a Balance Breaker:
Crest Side: A strengthened or evolved version of the standard Balance Breaker.
Abyss Side: A form achieved by pursuing the "truth" of one's Sacred Gear to the point of madness, merging the user with the Gear itself.
Ex Side: A mutation that defies classification.
Azazel believed that while Issei and Kiba had evolved their Balance Breakers into second and third tiers, they might ultimately be categorized as Abyss Side users.
Azazel's voice echoed in my mind. 『In this era, we're seeing a revolution of Sacred Gears unlike anything in history. It's all nonsense, but it's damn interesting. Don't you think so, Vali?』
Yes, Azazel. I do.
I have a rival who evolves in ways I can't even predict. That's why I can keep aiming higher. I'm going to finish what we started… no, I'm going to have a fight even more intense and more fun than the last.
Issei Hyoudou, I want to fight you again. And because of that…
"Go on, Va-kun," Lavinia urged. "This place is about to become a world of ice and blades."
With their support at my back, I took flight. Within moments, the entire region was encased in ice and pierced by a forest of shadow-blades. I spread my wings and soared toward Azi Dahaka.
I found him after a short flight. He was standing with his arms crossed, as if he had been waiting for me. As I landed, the three-headed Evil Dragon, Azi Dahaka, welcomed me.
『Yo, you finally made it, Whitey.』
『Yahoo! ☆』
『What took you so long?!』
"Were you waiting for me?" I asked.
The dragon nodded. 『It'd be a lie if we said we didn't want to finish this. If you'd taken much longer, I was going to come find you myself.』
『Yep, yep!』
『Waiting is boring!』
So, we both felt the same way.
Azi Dahaka's gaze shifted from me to the surrounding battlefield, where the D×D alliance and the gods were locked in combat. Magical screens hovered around him, displaying the carnage across the pseudo-world. One screen showed the life-and-death struggle between Issei in his red haori and Asem in his Demon King robes. It was a battle where a single mistake meant death.
『Tell me, Vali Lucifer. Does your heart dance for this? What do you think of this situation that crazy god from the other world created?』
『What do you think?』
『Seriously, how do you feel?』
Each head spoke in turn.
What did I think? I'd be lying if I said a battle involving the strongest beings in existence didn't excite me. More than anything, I love to fight. Especially when the opponent is unimaginably powerful.
Azi Dahaka continued. 『I'm having the time of my life. This all-out confrontation is exactly what we wanted. Both sides at their peak, putting everything on the line until we burn out. Just standing across from you now makes my blood boil. But…』
The dragon looked far off into the distance, beyond the blood-red sky, as if dreaming of somewhere else entirely.
『There has to be something higher. Other worlds, unknown existences… things that far exceed even my imagination. That's what I'm looking at.』
He turned his heads back to me. 『The god told me there are five different worlds, including this one. One is the world where the Red Dragon Emperor was a Hero, but there are three other unknown worlds. Doesn't just thinking about it make you excited?』
Seeing the legendary Evil Dragon grinning like a child, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hmph. You're more of a dreamer than I thought. To think a legendary Evil Dragon would talk about unknown worlds like that."
『Everyone else just dresses it up too much. I'm simple. I just want to fight strong guys and see rare things. If people want to call that "evil," fine. Being an Evil Dragon is enough for me.』
It was a strange feeling. I found him more charismatic than any "villain" I had met before. The Old Maou Faction, Cao Cao before Issei defeated him, Rizevim… they all talked of beliefs and ambitions, but they always seemed to be acting beyond their true nature.
But the dragon before me understood exactly who he was.
『Heh, you think I'm being childish? Fine by me. I get that a lot.』
"No," I replied. "It's so simple that it's actually refreshing. I might even say I like you."
『Gugugu! Vali Lucifer! Let's do it again, then! A real, blood-soaked, all-out brawl!』
"Fine. That's exactly why I'm here."
Silence fell between us. Azi Dahaka dispelled the magical screens and let his battle aura erupt.
Seconds later, we both vanished from sight and collided. To settle it once and for all.
[Vali Perspective End]
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