In truth, Sharon had kept one more secret from Yukino Yukinoshita: Demon Slayer was a failed prototype.
Otherwise, an anti-demon superweapon of this caliber—even if it couldn't be mass-produced by the Church due to its interference with the forbidden realm of the soul—wouldn't have remained unheard of until now.
At the very least, Leon, witnessing this scene, was certain that there was no mention of such a weapon in the original story.
Since it had never appeared, there had to be a reason.
The reason was simple: Demon Slayer was a failure.
The justification for labeling it a failure was that the negative emotions residing within the weapon didn't just devour the flesh and blood of demons; they also inflicted severe mental pollution upon the wielder.
Such pollution was fatal to angels and Church personnel who possessed steadfast faith and worshipped God.
It would shake the wielder's faith, undermine their will and conviction, and defile their soul to the point that they would be rejected by the Heavens even after death, unable to enter Paradise. For the faithful of the Church, this was undoubtedly a terrifying prospect.
Consequently, the weapon was ultimately defined as a failure and discarded. Even the manufacturing method was destroyed, ensuring it could never be replicated.
Originally, the weapon itself was meant to be destroyed, but its creator, feeling bitter and unwilling to see their work lost, had secretly hidden it away.
Eventually, the weapon was taken by a Church member who had clandestinely left the organization to join the mysterious group where the Old Maou Faction resided.
The day Sharon was recruited into that organization, she immediately demanded power and was presented with this weapon.
She had chosen it without a moment's hesitation.
"A person like me, who carries the demon factor within her body, is destined never to enter the Heavens after death anyway. If that's the case, why should I care about such things?"
As for her faith being shaken?
To be honest, Sharon Holygrade never possessed a particularly firm faith. Her identity as a member of the Church and her activities as a nun were merely convenient covers to facilitate exorcisms and the eradication of demons.
Therefore, Sharon didn't care about the side effects of Demon Slayer at all; as long as it could make her stronger, it was enough.
As it turned out, the weapon was a perfect match for Sharon.
If anyone else held it, they would have to find a way to wound an opponent in battle first; only after the blade tasted the flesh and blood of a demon would its true power awaken to grant its strengthening effect. Sharon, however, had no such need.
Even if it wasn't the flesh of a demon, as long as her own blood contained the demon factor, devouring it would trigger the power of Demon Slayer, making Sharon even more powerful.
And as Sharon grew stronger, it became easier and more effortless for her to wound her demonic enemies.
In time, the power of Demon Slayer would continue to grow the more flesh it consumed, and Sharon would grow stronger in tandem until she completely crushed her opponent.
"It's time to end this, Miss Yukinoshita."
Wrapped in black miasma like a vengeful spirit, Sharon lunged at Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Tch—!"
Yukino clicked her tongue sharply. The space around her distorted as the phantom of the Ice Princess manifested once more.
Though her abdomen had been pierced, the current Yukino Yukinoshita was no longer the girl who would die instantly from a single stab by a Low-Class Fallen Angel. As long as she could successfully stop the bleeding and seal the wound, the powerful vitality of a devil meant she wouldn't have to surrender and wait for death just yet.
She could still fight.
On the other side, watching Yukino Yukinoshita being pushed into a disadvantage and facing constant peril under Sharon's frenzied assault, Leon's expression darkened completely.
In contrast, Luffy's laughter echoed throughout the Master's Chamber.
"Do you see? Your servant is at death's door. Before long, she will be buried forever in this labyrinthine space, never to see the sun again."
At this point, Luffy glanced at the Ice Princess behind Yukino, and then at the purple flames that Shiina Mahiru was struggling to release while gasping for breath, his eyes glinting with a strange light.
"I didn't expect that among a few low-born creatures reincarnated from human girls, there would actually be two Longinus possessors. One of them is even one of the Three Great Relics. This truly comes as a surprise."
It wasn't just Luffy; even Rias and Sona were utterly stunned and taken aback when they saw Mahiru release the purple flames.
If they were outside, their reactions would surely have been even more dramatic.
But right now, the life-and-the-death struggle of their servants occupied their every thought, leaving them little room to focus on Mahiru's specific identity.
"This is just as well. Being able to eradicate the Holy Cross, which poses a great threat to us, can certainly be counted as an unexpected harvest from this trip." Luffy laughed heartily again. "And the possessor of the 'Eternal Ice Princess'—leaving her here forever means removing a formidable enemy who might have stood against us in the future."
"The possessor of 'Blade Brave' cannot be spared either!"
"None of those who might pose a threat to our True Maou Faction shall be left alive!"
"Servants of Eligos, all of you shall die here!"
Without a doubt, Luffy was deliberately provoking Leon.
And he succeeded.
Regardless, the killing intent in Leon's heart was truly ignited.
"Did you really think you had me?"
As soon as he spoke, the killing intent in Leon's heart materialized into tangible power, triggering the Sacred Gear within his body.
Boom!
A massive aura of demonic power erupted from Leon's body like a pillar of light, soaring into the air and striking the ceiling, completely throwing the atmosphere into chaos.
Rumble!
Accompanied by a series of thunderous roars that shook the very earth, dense dark clouds appeared on the ceiling of the Master's Chamber without warning.
They swirled, collided, and rolled together, transforming into a pitch-black sky crackling with lightning and thunder.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning broke through the clouds, exploding in mid-air and illuminating the entire chamber.
The eight devil wings behind Leon unfurled to their full extent. Faced with the dark sky above and the rising fluctuations of power from his body, neither Luffy, Rias, nor Sona felt unfamiliar with what they saw.
That fluctuation was clearly—
"A Sacred Gear!"
Luffy's entire body jolted.
"The resonance of a Sacred Gear?"
"He... is actually a Sacred Gear user?"
Rias and Sona's eyes widened in disbelief.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bolts of lightning flashed from the pitch-black clouds, crashing down around Leon. As if caught by invisible giant hands, they stopped abruptly near him, transforming into dazzling, radiant spears.
"Go."
Without a word, Leon activated his Sacred Gear, sending the spears of lightning streaking out instantly. They tore through the air, hurtling directly toward Luffy.
Luffy was startled. Casting aside everything else, he exerted his magic power—which had broken into the ten-wing level—to construct a magic circle for defense, placing it in front of him.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The dazzling spears of lightning struck the defensive magic circle one after another. Like successive bolts of lightning hitting the ground, they triggered deafening roars of thunder.
Crash!
Before long, the defensive magic circle was pierced and shattered by the lightning spears, dissipating into countless fragments.
Bang!
Luffy didn't even have time to react before he was struck directly by a bolt of lightning, sent flying on the spot.
"Gah—!"
Luffy let out a hysterical howl. While his body emitted scorched smoke, he endured the agony and deployed another magic circle. He unleashed magic bullets far larger, stronger, and more violent than before, covering the sky as they swarmed toward Leon, seemingly intent on burning him to ashes.
However, facing Luffy's hysterical assault, Leon simply whipped up a whirlwind around himself, deflecting every single one of them.
Yes.
Every single one of Luffy's magic bullets was sent flying by the whirlwind surrounding Leon.
As if standing at the eye of a storm, clad in armor of hurricanes, Leon flapped his wings. He pierced through the barrage of countless magic bullets and flew straight toward Luffy.
"Stay back!"
Luffy was no ignorant low-level devil. Having lived for over a hundred years, it was impossible for him not to recognize a Longinus—especially the top four High-Tier Longinus said to be capable of destroying nations and shaking the world. If he couldn't recognize them, he would truly be a disgrace.
Therefore, seeing the startling Sacred Gear fluctuations from Leon and witnessing him dominating the sky while controlling lightning and the atmosphere, he already had a fair idea of what Sacred Gear the boy possessed.
Though he was desperately unwilling to believe it—unwilling to the point of madness—he had to admit that he was afraid.
Facing one of the legendary four High-Tier Longinus, the second strongest Sacred Gear in the world surpassed only by the True Longinus, Luffy was already paralyzed with terror by that power.
"Get away from me!"
Luffy vented his magic power frantically, releasing high-output, high-mass clumps of magic energy that bombarded everything in every direction.
The entire Master's Chamber instantly became a battlefield for his firepower. Magic clumps crashed down everywhere, creating massive explosions and triggering violent waves of fire and air. It was truly a scene of absolute devastation.
Under these circumstances, Rias and the others didn't dare stay put. They flapped their devil wings and fled desperately, staying far away from the crazed Luffy.
Only Leon continued to charge forward. Using the gale around him to knock aside all incoming magic clumps, he let them explode around him as he caught up to Luffy.
Rumble!
Countless massive boulders suddenly appeared around Luffy. As if drawn by his body, they crashed into him, burying him beneath them.
Pfft!
Leon arrived behind the boulder-entombed Luffy. He reached his hand directly into the rubble, grabbed the wings on the man's back, and with a sudden surge of strength, ripped them clean off.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!"
Luffy's scream echoed through the Master's Chamber once again.
Blood splattered as the pitch-black wings fell to the ground—a scene of bloody and brutal retribution.
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