Chapter 275: Battle's End
Haruto looked at Vali, who had returned to normal form, then at the shattered blue orb lying nearby. It seemed his guess had been correct.
"You shouldn't be able to use that troublesome ability now, should you?"
Bang! Then the armor shattered, and Vali seized the opportunity to break free from Haruto's suppression.
He knelt on one knee, coughing up another mouthful of fresh blood.
Before Vali could speak, Albion's voice came first.
"It won't end until the owner is completely defeated. That is our battle."
At that moment, azure light wings reappeared behind Vali, and his entire body was enveloped in the phantom of the White Dragon Armor, no different from when Haruto had used his Balance Breaker earlier.
With just one last "BXB," he would enter Balance Breaker mode again.
"How is this possible?"
The watching girls, including Rias, stared in astonishment at the reforming White Dragon Armor.
They had never imagined that having his Sacred Gear knocked away would not affect Vali's ability to use Balance Breaker again.
Unlike inexperienced users, Vali's Balance Breaker mode required no activation conditions and had no time limit.
In the original worldline, Issei Hyoudou needed to stimulate his emotions by touching breasts to use Balance Breaker, and its duration depended on how long he could maintain those emotions.
Because he was too weak, he could only rely on this method. Sometimes, he couldn't even deactivate Balance Breaker voluntarily—when his magic power was exhausted, it would consume his life force, requiring assistance from others.
This was also the origin of Rias's nickname "Switch Princess."
Haruto's situation was similar. Because he relied on infusing powerful magic and soul energy, his Balance Breaker also had a time limit. However, it wouldn't spiral out of control or drain him dry uncontrollably.
Moreover, to use Balance Breaker again, he would need to infuse energy once more.
This was the fundamental difference between a mere tool and a soul-bound partnership.
The White Dragon Emperor Albion provided his own power for Vali to use Balance Breaker, equivalent to having a god-level powerhouse as a backup energy source.
Of course, there were drawbacks alongside the benefits. No matter how much Albion appreciated Vali, there were rules even he couldn't change.
Frequent use could lead to erosion by the power, turning the user into a mindless 'dragon'—this was just one risk. More importantly, the mental connection meant their souls would influence each other.
This was precisely why Haruto was unwilling to form a soul bond with Ddraig.
Besides, Balance Breaker was only Satan-Class. Once he leveled up again, he could use Balance Breaker freely.
At that point, although his strength wouldn't undergo another qualitative leap, he would be able to freely use all the Red Dragon Emperor's various abilities and the stylish Red Dragon Armor.
Even though he had activated Balance Breaker again, Vali was still no match for Haruto.
The White Dragon Emperor Albion's voice rang out once more. After fighting for so long and with the two Sacred Gears in zero-distance contact, He had roughly understood the relationship between the Red Dragon Emperor and Haruto.
"Vali, stop. You are no match for him."
"Moreover, he is not the true Red Dragon Emperor. Your fated opponent is not him."
Vali's mind was shaken violently, his eyes fixed intently on Haruto.
Albion's voice didn't actively spread, so only Vali could hear it, but his abrupt halt was too conspicuous.
Everyone present instinctively turned to look at him, only to hear Vali suddenly ask, "How did you obtain the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet?"
Haruto was somewhat surprised, unsure why Vali would ask such a question.
But seeing the continuously flickering azure orb, he quickly understood.
As expected of the Two Heavenly Dragons who both loved and fought each other - the White Dragon Emperor had already discovered the truth in such a short time.
"Of course, I gained the Red Dragon Emperor's recognition."
Haruto smiled, "I'm not as lucky as you, being born with a Sacred Gear already dwelling within me. But who told me I'm exceptional enough?"
The origin of how the Red Dragon Emperor obtained his gauntlet wasn't any secret either - everyone in the Occult Research Club knew about it.
It's just that no one had ever considered the matter of seizing a Sacred Gear. While killing the host was simple, forcibly using the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet was fundamentally impossible.
Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, wasn't someone who could be manipulated at will.
Neither Haruto, Rias, nor the others would voluntarily disclose this information. But since Vali had brought it up, Haruto didn't mind revealing the truth.
Although there was no soul binding, he had gained the Red Dragon Emperor's recognition and was currently the only successor who could use the Sacred Gear known as the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.
"Impossible. You don't carry Ddraig's aura."
Albion's voice emerged, stating firmly, "You're merely stealing Ddraig's power."
Gossip truly was the nature of intelligent beings. Satan-Class powerhouses like Sirzechs now showed even more interest than when they were watching the red and white battle earlier.
Haruto spread his hands, "Lord Satan, my Balance Breaker time is running short. Are you sure you want to continue playing around?"
Sirzechs remained silent. Haruto's performance was even more perfect than he had imagined.
Since Haruto defeated Riser, he thought he had already raised his evaluation of Haruto, but it seemed he had still been conservative.
After reaffirming in his heart that Haruto was the perfect husband candidate for Rias, the red-haired Satan set aside his curiosity and prepared to end this battle.
However, Serafall, the black-haired twin-tailed busty woman who liked to act young, expressed strong interest in learning more.
"Fine then, let Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, speak with you himself."
With Haruto's energy infusion and the White Dragon Emperor's aura provoking it, the slumbering Red Dragon Emperor had long shown signs of awakening.
Given this situation, Haruto decided to play along and let Ddraig and Albion properly catch up with each other.
As for the time limit of Balance Breaker...
Now that the Red Dragon Emperor was awake, was Haruto worried he wouldn't contribute?
Not to mention their original agreement, just the presence of the White Dragon Emperor alone meant the Red Dragon Emperor couldn't possibly suppress his battle lust.
"Albion, long time no see."
The emerald orb began to flicker as Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor's deep voice resonated, "This is indeed someone I have recognized."
When he was about to awaken due to the White Dragon Emperor's aura, he could already perceive the surrounding situation, saving Haruto the trouble of explanations.
"Ddraig, is this person really worth you doing this?"
"It hasn't even been a year since I made the agreement with Haruto. At that time, he was just a Middle-Class Devil who had newly reached A-rank."
Although the Red Dragon Emperor had been in slumber, with his god-class soul foundation, he could easily sense how much time had passed.
Haruto cooperated with the Red Dragon Emperor and also explained the matter of extracting the Sacred Gear from Issei Hyoudou.
The others were relatively fine with it, but the looks Shemhazai and Kokabiel gave Yuuma and the other two were somewhat unsettling.
Truth be told, this matter could only be blamed on Azazel. With the person dead, the accounts were settled - no matter how angry they were, there was nothing they could do.
However, even if Azazel were still alive, they might not truly have the courage to go confront him.
"So you plan to have him help you resurrect? Aren't you afraid he'll go back on his word?"
"Even if he can't do it or breaks his promise, I won't lose anything."
While the Two Heavenly Dragons were still chatting, Haruto finally understood what the Red Dragon Emperor had originally wanted from him—no wonder he said strength beyond the Two Heavenly Dragons was necessary.
Resurrecting a god-class powerhouse would likely be impossible even at the Quasi-Dragon God Class, requiring at least Dragon God Class strength.
In reality, once reaching god-class, the Red Dragon Emperor's assistance to Haruto would become minimal.
After all, when alive, he only possessed top-tier god-class strength—possibly reaching Quasi-Dragon God Class, but the probability was low.
Now that he's dead, how much strength could one expect from him?
As for whether resurrection was possible, Haruto gave no guarantees, only promising to try his best once his strength reached the required level.
Meanwhile, the Two Heavenly Dragons also discussed how Sacred Gears could evolve based on the wielder's will, with the White Dragon Emperor stating Vali was a more suitable host than Haruto.
The Red Dragon Emperor didn't refute this point—it was also why he previously thought Issei Hyoudou would make a good partner.
A single-minded hot-blooded idiot always possessed unusual talent in matters of will.
As for Haruto... since they weren't bound, no matter how strong his will, he couldn't make the Sacred Gear evolve.
Gossip time always passes quickly—five minutes vanished in the blink of an eye. Seizing the remaining Balance Breaker time, Haruto initiated an attack.
But this time, he wasn't targeting Vali—he was going for Katerea.
His score with Vali was mostly settled, but the black beauty who tried to kidnap and defile him remained unaccounted for.
Whether because his battle lust had faded or because he learned Haruto wasn't his fated rival, Vali made no move to interfere.
One move affects the whole situation. As Haruto slammed the black beauty to the ground, pinning her beneath him while pummeling her, the other Satan-Class powerhouses also resumed fighting.
"Miss Katerea, I must say, your current appearance rather suits my aesthetics."
After successive battles, the black beauty's previously exquisite styling had become disheveled. Without the frame glasses that sealed her beauty, her hairstyle now flowed into elegant long hair, finally aligning more closely with Haruto's aesthetics.
Coupled with her proud, slender figure, surging ample breasts, and a pair of powerful long legs—