The warehouse hummed with tension.
On one side, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Issei, Xenovia, Irina, and I stood together—battered but ready. Around us, the bodies of defeated exorcists lay scattered across the floor, their weapons broken, their holy energy fading.
But standing at the far end of the warehouse, radiating unimaginable power, was a true monster.
Kokabiel.
The Cadre-class Fallen Angel—one of the most dangerous beings we had encountered yet. He towered over us, his black wings spread wide, his eyes burning with amusement.
And beside him, adjusting his glasses with a cold smirk, was Valper Galilei.
"Well, well," Kokabiel said, his voice smooth but dripping with contempt. "I was expecting devils to show up, but I must admit, I didn't expect this much resistance."
Rias stepped forward, her aura flaring with destruction magic. "You're trespassing on Gremory territory, Kokabiel. You have no right to be here."
Kokabiel laughed—a deep, mocking sound. "No right? Do you think I care about territory, little princess? The Great War may have ended, but I have no intention of letting things remain peaceful. War is inevitable."
Xenovia gritted her teeth, stepping up beside Rias. "You're insane. You're trying to restart the war between Heaven and the devils?"
Kokabiel spread his arms. "Of course! Peace is boring."
Valper cleared his throat. "And thanks to my research, that war will begin very soon."
He snapped his fingers.
Behind him, a massive circular platform was revealed—covered in Excalibur fragments, all arranged in a ritualistic pattern. Holy energy pulsed from the structure, the air itself vibrating from the sheer divine power radiating from it.
I narrowed my eyes. So this was it—the Excalibur Fusion Experiment.
Valper smirked. "Soon, the Excaliburs will be reborn as one weapon. And with it, Kokabiel will wipe out the devils in this city."
A heavy silence followed.
Then, Issei broke it. "Yeah, uh, how about no?"
He activated Boosted Gear, the red gauntlet glowing. "[Boost!]"
Kokabiel sighed. "You're annoying."
Then he moved.
I barely had time to react before Kokabiel vanished from sight. A second later, he reappeared in the air, a massive spear of light forming in his hand.
"Let's see how long you last," he mused. Then, with a flick of his wrist—
He hurled the spear straight at Rias.
I moved instantly.
Phantom Stride.
The world blurred, and in the next instant, I was in front of Rias, my newly forged King's Wrath raised. The moment the spear of light made contact, my sword adapted, shifting to match the divine energy.
The spear shattered upon impact.
A flash of surprise flickered across Kokabiel's face.
"Oh?"
I lowered my blade. "You'll have to do better than that."
Kokabiel smirked. "Interesting."
Then, without warning, he raised both hands—and a storm of light spears rained down upon us.
"Scatter!" Rias commanded.
We all dove in different directions as spears of holy energy crashed into the warehouse floor, each one exploding on impact. The entire building shook, metal beams collapsing under the force.
Xenovia and Irina rushed forward, their swords glowing with divine energy.
"Die, Fallen Angel!" Xenovia roared, swinging Excalibur Destruction in a brutal downward slash.
Kokabiel barely moved. He caught the blade with his bare hand, the sheer force causing cracks to spread beneath him.
"Impressive," he mused. "But you'll need more than a piece of Excalibur to hurt me."
Then, with a single flick—he sent Xenovia flying, her body crashing through a stack of metal crates.
Irina gasped. "Xenovia!"
Akeno unleashed a torrent of lightning, but Kokabiel simply raised a wing, dispersing the attack like it was nothing.
Rias growled, her destruction energy flaring. "Damn it… He's too strong!"
Kokabiel yawned. "If that's all you've got, this will be boring."
I gritted my teeth. We weren't doing enough damage.
I needed to break his defenses.
I took a deep breath, feeling the power within King's Wrath—its ability to adapt to enemy attacks.
If I could get close…
I could force his power into my blade and use it against him.
I vanished again, using Phantom Stride to reposition. Reappearing above Kokabiel, I slashed downward—my blade humming as it absorbed holy energy from the surrounding battlefield.
Sovereign's Edge: Activate.
Kokabiel turned, raising his arm to block—only for his eyes to widen as my blade shifted, its edge now infused with his own light energy.
The attack cut deep, drawing the first real blood of the fight.
Kokabiel hissed, his expression darkening. "You… bastard."
Before he could retaliate, I activated Overdrive Mode.
A surge of power flooded my body, my movements becoming sharper, faster. I struck again—this time targeting his wings.
SLASH!
One of Kokabiel's black feathers was sliced clean off.
Kokabiel's eyes blazed with fury.
"You're starting to piss me off."
Then, for the first time—he got serious.
A massive aura of black light erupted from Kokabiel, sending a shockwave through the entire warehouse. The sheer force pushed everyone back, even Rias.
The Fallen Angel's smirk was gone. His golden eyes locked onto me with pure rage.
"I was going to end this slowly," he growled. "But now, you die first."
He raised his hand—and the sky above Kuoh itself split open.
A massive spear of concentrated divine energy began forming above us, its size dwarfing the entire warehouse. The sheer pressure of it made my knees feel heavy, as if the weight of Heaven itself was pressing down upon me.
Rias's eyes widened in horror. "That attack… He's going to wipe out the entire city!"
Kokabiel sneered. "Exactly."
Issei clenched his fists. "D-Ddraig, what do I do?!"
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
Ddraig's voice rang in Issei's mind, but even Boosted Gear wouldn't be enough.
I tightened my grip on King's Wrath, my mind racing.
We couldn't block an attack of this magnitude.
Which meant—
We had to destroy it before it finished forming.
I exhaled, my gaze locking onto the massive spear above us.
This was it.
A true test for my new blade.
I stepped forward.
"I'll handle it."
Everyone turned to me in shock.
Rias's eyes widened. "Yuuto—?"
I raised King's Wrath, its crimson and gold glow shining brighter than ever.
And then—
I charged with everything toward the heavens.