The silver-haired boy groaned, pushing himself to his feet despite the massive damage his body had taken. Cracks spread across his armor, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was ragged, but his silver eyes burned with an intensity that caught my attention.

Vali:My name is Vali

he said through clenched teeth.

Vali:this generation's White Dragon Emperor. You're currently the strongest opponent I've ever faced.

I tilted my head, wiping a fleck of his blood from my knuckles. "I know," I said with a grin. "I'm that awesome."

There was a flicker of something in his eyes. Respect. Maybe something close to friendship. If things were different, I thought, I wouldn't have minded calling him a friend. But the circumstances were what they were, and here we were. He wanted to fight. I was happy to oblige.

He straightened up, summoning every ounce of strength left in his battered body. His aura pulsed violently, rising like a growing storm. And then he began his chant, his voice echoing through the broken sky like a war drum.

"I, who am about to awaken, Am the Heavenly Dragon who has taken the principles of supremacy from God I envy the "infinite" and I pursue the "dream" I shall become the White Dragon of Supremacy And I shall take you to the limits of white paradise

His body was engulfed in a blinding white light, energy spiraling around him in massive torrents. The light thickened, condensing into jagged plates of white armor that crackled with the energy of a true dragon. His wings extended, each membrane now looking like crystallized starlight. Horns jutted from his helm, his claws elongated, and his very presence shifted from formidable to something truly monstrous. His aura became a tidal wave of pure draconic might. Juggernaut Drive.

I smiled wider, silver-blue energy roaring around me in answer. The ground beneath my feet splintered into dust as my power surged, my aura twisting into a maelstrom of chaotic brilliance. This would be fun.

We launched toward each other at the same time. Our fists collided with a thunderclap that shattered the air and sent ripples through space itself. Craters bloomed beneath us, mountain ranges off in the distance crumbled under the sheer shockwave. He moved faster than he had any right to in that bulky armor, claws slashing toward my throat. I ducked under them, driving my elbow into his ribs. His armor cracked but held. He countered, his tail whipping around and smashing into my side. I slid back through the air, my feet tearing trenches into the ground before I stopped.

He was already on me again. A flurry of punches faster than mortal sight rained down, each blow a cannon strike of force. I parried them lazily, matching his speed, weaving between his attacks like a phantom. Then he snarled and shouted.

Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide.

The words poured out of him like a mantra, the activation of his Sacred Gear relentless. A thousand Divides in the span of seconds, maybe more. The light wrapped around me again and again, trying to strip away my power, my strength, my energy. But it was pointless. My energy was endless, infinite. For every fragment he tried to take, I replaced it a hundred times over.

I lunged forward through the light, closing the gap between us. My palm crashed into his faceplate, sending him hurtling backward. He flipped midair, landing on his feet with his claws gouging long, molten scars into the earth. He roared, wings blasting him forward in a blur of speed. He drove his fist into my gut, energy exploding from the point of contact. The land beneath us cracked open, lava spewing up as the world struggled to survive our battle.

I smiled, grabbing his wrist before he could pull away.

Eternal Sun of Undying Souls.

The words were a whisper on my lips, but they reverberated through the fabric of reality. My aura exploded outward, silver-blue flames igniting around me. These were not normal flames. They were the manifestation of my soul, endless and eternal, consuming everything yet never ceasing. The light of a sun that could not die, burning beyond existence.

The flames surged up his arm, eating through his armor like acid, but instead of destroying, they transmuted. His draconic armor twisted, warping into something smoother, sharper, almost celestial. I had changed the very nature of his power with my own. But Vali fought back, teeth clenched, his power flaring violently.

He tore himself free, wings slamming into my chest with enough force to send me skidding back. He followed, raining down blows like a living storm. Claws, tails, energy blasts. Each attack was a masterwork of precision and power, designed to kill. I answered every move with my own. Blocks turned to counters. Dodges turned to devastating strikes. The battlefield became a blur of motion and destruction, the sky above us a swirling maelstrom of dark clouds and silver-blue light.

Vali shouted, his voice raw with effort. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Over and over, desperately trying to wear me down. But it wasn't working. It couldn't work.

I laughed, grabbing his arm as he tried to drive a claw through my throat. I twisted, dislocating it at the shoulder, then drove my knee into his gut, folding him in half. Before he could recover, I spun and hurled him into the sky. He caught himself, wings spread, energy gathering in a brilliant sphere between his hands.

He roared, unleashing a massive blast of draconic power, pure white destruction aimed at my chest. I raised my hand, catching it with my palm. The energy washed over me, but it didn't consume me. It wrapped around my hand, spiraling like a ribbon, before vanishing into the silver-blue glow of my aura.

Vali dropped to one knee, breathing hard, but he forced himself back up. I walked toward him slowly, my presence pressing down like the weight of a dying star. He struggled to stand straight, defiant even now.

Me:You've got guts,

I said, coming to a stop a few meters from him.

Me:And you're strong. Stronger than most. I respect that.

Vali grinned despite the blood on his teeth.

Vali:I don't need your respect. I just need to beat you.

He surged forward one last time, his energy flaring to its absolute peak. I welcomed him. We met in a final clash, our fists colliding with enough force to flatten mountains, to split the oceans far beyond the horizon.

The shockwave rolled across the world.

"ALL ELEMENTAL CROSSING PHANTASIMA"

The words left my mouth like the tolling of a death knell. Reality itself seemed to shudder under their weight. The skies above, already torn by our battle, split even wider. From that gaping wound in the firmament, the raw energies of existence poured forth, gathering at my back in an impossibly vast array of colors and forces. Flames of unquenchable fire, waters that gleamed with the depth of endless seas, winds sharper than any blade, stones denser than collapsed stars, bolts of pure lightning that cracked with every color imaginable, and shadows darker than the void-all these elements danced and spiraled in my grasp. They entwined like threads of fate, weaving themselves into a single, colossal phenomenon.

Vali froze for a moment, his silver eyes widening in something that almost resembled fear, or maybe awe. His body was already ragged from our prolonged battle, his armor cracked and scorched, Juggernaut Drive barely holding him together by threads of sheer willpower. But even then, he stood tall. He had the heart of a dragon. He wouldn't back down. I respected that. Which is why I didn't hold back.

The elements converged at my palm as I raised it toward him. What formed there wasn't a sphere, nor a beam, but something ancient and chaotic. A sigil burned itself into the air, complex beyond understanding, a symbol of totality. The spell matrix of All Elemental Crossing Phantasima. The sheer magnitude of power condensed into a single point, reality quaking around it as if space itself wanted to collapse and rebuild anew.

I stepped forward.

"This is the end, Vali."

He roared, summoning every last ounce of his remaining power, the wings of his Juggernaut Drive flaring open with wild, uncontrolled energy. His claws glowed white-hot as he surged forward with a final desperate charge. The very ground he tore through turned to molten glass beneath his feet.

But it was too late.

I unleashed it.

The sigil erupted, and from it, a torrent of all elements surged forth in a pillar so massive it scraped the heavens. Fire that could burn gods incinerated the air around it, freezing winds followed, turning the inferno into crystalline death. Lightning lanced through the storm, each bolt screaming with the rage of thunder gods. Earth erupted from beneath, jagged spears impaling and crushing all within their path. Waves of darkness and light clashed and intertwined, devouring one another in a dance of annihilation and rebirth. Pure energy, raw and untamed, howled as it rushed out in a column of absolute destruction.

Vali didn't stop. Even as the storm of elements tore into him, he kept moving forward. His armor disintegrated piece by piece, stripped from his body in chunks. Flesh burned and froze, bones shattered and regenerated. He was pushing through the impossible, clawing his way toward me even as the full weight of my power bore down on him.

"DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE DIVIDE!"

HALF DIMENSION

He screamed the words like a war cry, his voice broken but fierce. The remnants of his Sacred Gear struggled to divide the energy of the attack, to peel away its overwhelming force, but it wasn't enough. Not this time.

The torrent surged again, doubling in intensity. It was as if a new sun had been born on the battlefield, its light eclipsing everything. The ground beneath us cracked open in jagged fissures that stretched for miles, magma spewing up in apocalyptic fountains. Winds howled like a thousand hurricanes, and the very clouds above tore apart, leaving a hole in the sky that exposed something... other. Something beyond.

Vali reached out with one hand, his fingers just barely brushing the edge of the energy. His body was nearly gone now, nothing left but spirit, will, and raw determination.

Vali:For Albion... for myself!

he shouted, his voice fading as the elemental onslaught finally engulfed him completely.

The explosion was silent. No sound, just pure white light. For a moment, it was as if existence itself had blinked out, replaced by a singularity of unmaking.

When the light finally faded, the world was still.

The battlefield was a wasteland. Craters stretched out to the horizon. Oceans far beyond had evaporated, leaving dry seabeds exposed to the open air. Forests were gone, mountains reduced to rubble. The air itself shimmered with residual energy, thick and heavy, like breathing in the atmosphere of another planet.

I stood there, breathing slowly, my silver-blue aura flickering around me like lazy flames. My hand lowered, the last motes of elemental power dispersing into the wind.

At my feet, Vali lay broken, his armor completely gone. His body was scorched, bloody, but he was alive. Barely. His chest rose and fell shallowly, his silver eyes cracked open just enough to meet mine. There was no hatred there. Just acceptance.

"You..." he whispered, voice hoarse and ragged.

Vali;You're a monster...

I crouched down next to him, resting an arm on my knee. "Maybe," I said.

Me:But I told you. I'm that awesome.

Vali gave a weak, almost amused snort, before his eyes slipped shut. His breathing slowed, settling into something steady, if fragile.

I stood, glancing around at the devastation. Azazel was nowhere to be seen. Probably smart. He knew better than to stick around after something like this.

I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders as I stretched the stiffness from my muscles. The energy around me calmed, receding back into my core. The battle was over. For now.

But I could already sense others watching. Others waiting.

And I smiled. Because I wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.

Azazel's boots echoed heavily on the metallic floor as he stormed through the corridors of the base, his breathing ragged, face drenched in sweat, and his arms burdened with the unconscious forms of Vali and Baraqiel. His wings, once pristine and strong, drooped behind him, ragged from the sheer weight of what had just happened. He didn't look back. He didn't speak. He just kept moving, his pace swift, mechanical, as if trying to outrun the thoughts that clawed at his mind.

Shemhazael was the first to meet him. The once composed and sharp commander rushed forward with a rare expression of alarm painting his features. His golden eyes widened as they locked on the broken bodies Azazel carried. Peneumue was a step behind him, her silver hair whipping as she hurried, barely able to contain her panic.

Shemhazael:What the hell happened?

Shemhazael's voice was low, dangerously quiet, but the edge in it was sharper than any weapon.

Shemhazael:Azazel. What. Happened?

Azazel didn't slow. He brushed past them both, heading straight toward the infirmary.

Azazel:Help me stabilize them. Now.

Peneumue snapped into motion, her fingers already weaving a complicated healing spell as she placed her hands on Baraqiel's chest. His breathing was shallow, his skin pale as death. Even with her advanced magic, she struggled to find something solid to hold on to.

Peneumue;His heart-his energy-it's flickering! Like it's slipping through my fingers!

Shemhazael was at Vali's side in an instant, lifting his hand to check his pulse, his brow furrowed.

Shemhazael:Juggernaut Drive backlash

he muttered.

Shemhazael:But no... it's more than that. He's completely drained. And something else... his aura has been ruptured.

Azazel stood there, breathing heavily, his head bowed. He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. He finally spoke, his voice hoarse and bitter.

Azazel:We were reckless. I was reckless.

Shemhazael's gaze snapped up. "Explain."

Azazel exhaled slowly.

Azazel:The reports were right. This Kousei... he's not some berserker running wild. He's something else. Something worse.

Peneumue looked up briefly.

Peneumue : we already knew he was dangerous.

Azazel shook his head, his expression grim.

Azazel:No. We thought we knew. We thought he was just another broken soul lashing out. We thought we could deal with him like the others. We were wrong.

Shemhazael frowned. "How wrong?"

Azazel's eyes narrowed as he forced himself to meet their gaze.

Azazel:I launched an attack out of rage. We've lost so many of our kind lately, and I-

He stopped himself, his jaw tightening.

Azazel:I led Vali and Baraqiel into a fight I thought we could control. I thought if we hit him hard enough, he'd fall. He didn't.

Peneumue grimaced. "How bad was it?"

Azazel closed his eyes. "He toyed with us."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the faint hum of the base seemed to die away under the weight of those words.

Azazel:He fought Vali in Juggernaut Drive,

Azazel continued.

Azazel:Vali went all out. Divide after divide after divide. He didn't even flinch. His energy wasn't just endless... it was overwhelming. He didn't slow down, didn't get tired, didn't even show annoyance. And then he used an ability that... it wasn't magic. It wasn't sacred gear. It wasn't anything I've ever seen.

Shemhazael:What did it do?

Shemhazael asked quietly.

Azazel's fingers twitched, remembering the impossible sight of the All Elemental Crossing Phantasima.

Azazel:It was everything. Every element. Every law of reality, crushed into a single attack. Not a beam. Not an explosion. It was like he rewrote the world and then used that rewrite to erase us. Vali barely survived because he's too stubborn to die.

Peneumue's hands trembled for a moment before she forced herself to focus again.

Peneumue:And you think he was holding back?

Azazel let out a bitter chuckle, one without humor, just raw exhaustion.

Azazel:I know he was holding back. He didn't even use half of what he could've. There was a moment... when I saw his energy fluctuate. Like he was limiting himself. Restraining. And then he sat down. He literally sat down in the middle of the fight and watched Baraqiel unleash everything he had. Just... watched.

Shemhazael's expression hardened.

Shemhazael:He's not just some rogue.

Azazel nodded.

Azazel:No. He's methodical. And worse, he's... selective.

Peneumue glanced up sharply. "Selective?"

Azazel ran a hand through his blood-matted hair.

Azazel:He didn't attack every fallen angel. He's left those who live quietly among humans alone. There are reports-eyewitnesses-that he's even protected some. Blessed them, if you can believe that.

Shemhazael frowned deeper.

Shemhazael:So why slaughter the rest?

Azazel's mouth twisted.

Azazel:Revenge. Judgment. Retribution. Call it what you want. He's only going after those he deems guilty. Problem is, his scale of justice... it's absolute. There's no middle ground with him. You're either innocent in his eyes or you're already dead.

Peneumue's voice was tight.

Peneumue:How many did he kill?

Azazel didn't answer right away. He looked at Baraqiel, whose breathing had finally stabilized, and then to Vali, whose juggernaut form had completely faded. Both were alive. Barely.

"Half," Azazel finally said.

Azazel:half of our people on Earth. Gone.

The room went still again. Peneumue's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Shemhazael clenched his fists at his sides, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to bleed.

Azazel exhaled slowly, the weariness of centuries heavy in his voice.

Azazel:thought I could lead this race to survival. I thought I could keep us moving forward. But I failed them. I failed all of you.

Shemhazael took a step forward, placing a firm hand on Azazel's shoulder.

Shemhazael;We're still here. We're not finished yet.

Peneumue nodded, her expression grave but resolute. "What do we do now?"

Azazel looked away, his gaze distant.

Azazel:First, we regroup. We protect the survivors. We stay off his radar. Until we understand his true power, we can't confront him directly again.

"And after that?" Shemhazael pressed.

Azazel's eyes burned faintly with determination.

Azazel:We find Ophis. We need to know why someone like him is roaming free. If he's tied to the Khaos Brigade or something worse... we need answers. Fast.

Peneumue's voice was barely above a whisper.

Peneumue: if there are no answers?

Azazel's expression turned cold.

Azazel:Then we pray he doesn't decide we're next."