Even Kokabiel hadn't expected that a few words—just a single truth—could shatter his opponents' fighting spirit so completely.
Watching Asia and Xenovia's faith crumble before his eyes filled him with elation. He laughed uncontrollably, clutching his sides.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! This is amazing! Look at your faces—why didn't I tell you sooner?!"
His laughter rang across the battlefield. Asia, trembling, could only cry silently.
"Pull yourself together, Asia," Koneko whispered, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. She understood how pure the nun's faith truly was—and how deeply this revelation pierced her.
Rias and Akeno both sighed heavily, frustration and helplessness rising with the thick tension in the air.
"Why… why did we never hear anything about this?" Rias murmured, anxiety creeping into her voice. "What else have the higher‑ups been hiding from us? Just how much of what we know is even true?"
Kokabiel laughed leisurely, folding his arms. "Heh. That would be thanks to dear Michael. Clever one, that angel. After God died, he took His place, managing Heaven and the human world alike. Since the system God left behind is still functioning, faith and prayers are still distributed just fine."
He tilted his head, grin darkening.
"But… that also means more and more believers are being abandoned. The balance between forces has completely broken down. The line between holy and demonic? Gone."
His gaze flicked toward Asia, the implication in his eyes unmistakable.
God's death was what allowed a purehearted believer like her to use her Sacred Gear even as a Devil. If the divine system still had a living will behind it, that would have been impossible.
"So… Lord Michael is the one administering Heaven now," Xenovia whispered numbly. "No wonder the system didn't collapse. I always wondered how it still functioned."
Kokabiel cared nothing for their expressions of despair. His grin widened to something feverish as he thrust a clenched fist toward the heavens.
"This war must begin again! I'll rekindle the flag of battle with your heads as my offering! Even if I'm the only one left, I'll complete the Great War—and our victory will finally be realized! I'll make Sirzechs and Michael both understand—Fallen Angels are the strongest!"
His words spilled out with the manic joy of someone already drunk on imagined triumph.
Then—
A calm voice cut through the chaos like a blade of ice.
"Don't delude yourself. Your ambitions will never come to pass."
Kokabiel's laughter faltered. His red eyes snapped toward the source—the black‑haired Devil youth standing among the rubble.
Ryuichi.
The boy's gaze was steady, his tone unhurried as he spoke.
"If dreams like yours were that easy to fulfill, the war wouldn't have dragged on for tens of thousands of years without resolution. There's always some unpredictable fool who appears at the key moment and ruins the grand plans of self‑proclaimed masterminds."
"Silence, you ignorant worm!" Kokabiel snapped, his composure cracking. "Of course war is unpredictable—that's the beauty of it! Victory seized through chaos is sweeter than anything else! Back then, we were this close! We should have won! That victory was meant for us!"
Ryuichi smiled faintly. " 'Almost winning,' huh? I imagine you've been saying that since the early days of the war. Thousands of years have passed, and not once has that 'almost' changed. Face it—it's an illusion."
Those last words hit harder than any blade.
Even though he spoke softly, they sank straight into Kokabiel's chest like a dagger.
"You… insolent little—!"
Kokabiel's face twisted with fury.
Rias and the others exchanged looks, speechless.
There it was again—Ryuichi's uncanny "never‑lose‑an‑argument" talent. He didn't even have to raise his voice; one calm remark, and the other side was already fuming.
Half out of rage and half out of humiliation, Kokabiel finally snapped. His wings flared wide, divine light surging. He thrust his arm forward and fired.
A spear of light tore through the air toward Ryuichi, but the young Devil didn't move. His eyes narrowed slightly, his breath steady.
The Divine Cry Shield, once guarding his clone, vanished from Rias's side and reappeared before his main body, floating protectively.
No hesitation.
The air itself seemed to shudder as Ryuichi raised his head. His black hair fluttered with the turbulent wind, and in that instant, golden radiance ignited within his dark eyes.
The world around him trembled. The sky rippled as a deep, ancient power stirred—older than Devils, older than Heaven itself.
Light gathered around the Shield, its surface glowing ever brighter.
Facing a foe far beyond the level of a High‑Class Devil, Ryuichi finally unleashed his ultimate technique.
"Balance Breaker—Eternal Twilight Citadel!"
Whummm!
The air vibrated violently, waves of power rippling outward.
Rias and the others stared upward, their eyes widening with hope.
He activated it…!
Ryuichi's Forbidden Hand!
At that moment, their only real chance rested entirely in his hands.
Kokabiel roared, hurling another divine spear that blazed like a comet.
Ryuichi extended his left hand. Five fingers spread.
He caught it.
A blinding explosion swallowed him whole. Blades of divine light cut through the ground, scattering gravel and flame.
But when the smoke cleared—
He was still standing.
Not a scratch.
Silver light shimmered along his sword—the Sword of Kings. Behind him, his Devil's wings unfurled, dark yet majestic. The Divine Cry Shield orbited him slowly, revolving like a guardian star.
Floating above the ground, Ryuichi looked up, the gold still burning in his eyes.
At their center glowed a vertical black crystal, sharp and unyielding. His expression was calm, his mere presence overwhelming.
Above him, the air rippled and distorted. Then, slowly, something vast began to manifest.
A city—ancient, infinite, and majestic—descended from the heavens, stretching across the sky. Massive walls and endless towers extended beyond the clouds, so immense that no one could glimpse their ends.
And even so… everyone could tell that what they saw was only a fragment. The bulk of the city still drifted unseen, hidden somewhere within the void.
Far away, the observers maintaining the barrier—Sona and her team—gasped audibly.
No matter who you were, standing beneath such a thing awakened a primal sense of awe and smallness.
"This time… it's even bigger," muttered Shiro Shirou, voice shaky. The urge to kneel—or run—gripped him. His fear of massive structures made his legs tremble uncontrollably.
"President, do you think… Ryuichi can really handle Kokabiel?" asked Tsubaki, her voice uncertain.
"…I don't know," Sona said softly, shaking her head. "That Fallen Angel's power surpasses even high‑class Devils. No one can say for sure..."
And yet, deep within, she couldn't suppress an inexplicable spark of faith.
Every time she saw Ryuichi—his calm eyes, the quiet confidence he always carried—something in her whispered that he could pull off the impossible.
That maybe, just maybe… he could create another miracle.
.
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