Issei lay defeated on the ground, his crimson armor shattered beyond recognition. Pieces of draconic plate were scattered around him, the once-mighty Balance Breaker reduced to fragments of fading red light.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to breathe, his body unable to move from the devastating blow that had ended their battle. The gap in power had been too vast—even with all of Leon's training, even with the Welsh Dragon's might, he'd been crushed.
Loki stood over him, completely unharmed despite the fierce battle. Not even his clothes were wrinkled. The god brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve with theatrical indifference.
"How disappointing," Loki said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "The legendary Red Dragon Emperor, reduced to this pathetic state. And here I thought Leon's training might have actually made you formidable."
He crouched down beside Issei's broken form, yellow eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction.
"Tell me, little dragon," Loki continued, "was this really worth it? All that struggle, all that rage, all that determination—and for what? You couldn't even scratch me."
Issei tried to speak, to summon even a spark of defiance, but only managed a weak cough that brought up more blood.
"The Red Dragon Emperor," Loki mused, standing back up. "What a joke."
He turned his attention to the others—Kiba supporting an unconscious Akeno, Rias struggling to maintain her Power of Destruction despite her exhaustion, Kuroka and Koneko still bound by his restraints.
"Now then," Loki said cheerfully, "shall we collect the rest of my prizes and head back to Helheim? I'm sure Leon will be so grateful to see his precious friends again."
Before Loki could continue, he suddenly stopped. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing as he felt something—a presence approaching with tremendous speed and power.
His gaze shifted upward, scanning the darkening sky above.
The others, confused by Loki's sudden change in behavior, followed his line of sight. Even Issei managed to crane his neck despite the pain, wondering what could make a god pause like that.
A streak of silver light cut across the sky, moving faster than the eye could follow. The air itself seemed to part before the approaching figure, creating a sonic boom that shattered windows in the nearby houses.
The streak of light suddenly stopped, hovering high above the battlefield.
Vali Lucifer descended slowly, his silver armor gleaming in the moonlight. The Divine Dividing's wings spread wide behind him, each feather radiating power that made the very air tremble. His Balance Breaker form was fully activated, white light pulsing from every plate of his divine armor.
"Well, well," Vali said, his voice carrying clearly despite the distance. "What do we have here?"
His silver eyes took in the scene below—Issei's broken form, the battered Gremory peerage, the bound Nekoshou sisters. When his gaze finally settled on Loki, the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"A Norse god beating up children," Vali continued. "How... disappointing."
Loki's expression shifted from confusion to interest. "The White Dragon Emperor. How unexpected. And here I thought this evening couldn't get any more entertaining."
"Oh, I'm not here to entertain you," Vali replied, his aura beginning to pulse with increasing intensity.
The wings of Divine Dividing flared wider, casting shadows across the entire yard.
"I'm here because you took my friend."
Loki laughed, the sound echoing across the battlefield. "Really, Vali? You? Did you become sentimental? How unlike the White Dragon Emperor I've heard so much about."
Vali didn't reply, then without warning, Vali moved.
The air exploded as he launched himself downward with incredible speed. His armored fist connected with Loki's face before the god could even react, the impact creating a shockwave that shattered every remaining window in Leon's house.
Loki flew backward, crashing through three trees before finally coming to a stop embedded in the garden wall. For the first time since arriving, genuine surprise flickered across his features.
"What—" he started, wiping golden ichor from his lip.
Vali was already there, his follow-up strike catching Loki in the ribs. The god doubled over, actually gasping from the impact.
"DIVIDE!"
The power of Divine Dividing activated, and half of Loki's divine energy was suddenly drained away. The god's eyes widened in shock as he felt his strength diminish.
"Impossible," Loki breathed, staggering backward. "You're just a—"
"DIVIDE!"
Another half of his remaining power vanished. Loki's confident smirk finally cracked as he realized he was facing something far beyond what he'd expected.
Vali moved like silver lightning, each strike driving Loki further back. Unlike Issei's desperate assault, this was clinical precision—the White Dragon Emperor systematically dismantling a god with calculated brutality.
"You made a mistake," Vali said coldly
Vali's relentless assault continued, each strike of Divine Dividing systematically stripping away Loki's power. The god who had effortlessly defeated Issei and the Gremory peerage now found himself battered and bleeding, his divine energy reduced to a fraction of its original strength.
"DIVIDE! DIVIDE!"
With each activation, Loki grew weaker while Vali's armor blazed brighter, absorbing the stolen power. The Norse god stumbled backward, golden ichor streaming from multiple wounds.
"Enough!" Loki gasped, raising his hands in apparent surrender.
Vali hovered above him, wings spread wide, ready to strike again. "Release Leon. Now."
Loki's battered face twisted into a manic grin. "Never." His laughter echoed across the ruined yard, growing more unhinged by the second. "Leon will be with me for the rest of his pathetic mortal life. Every day, every hour, every minute—he's mine to do with as I please."
The others watched in horror as Loki's laughter became increasingly maniacal.
"You think defeating me here matters?" Loki continued, his yellow eyes gleaming with madness. "I can escape easily enough. Teleport back to Helheim. And then..." His smile widened grotesquely. "Then I'll take out every frustration you've caused me on dear Leon. Every broken bone of mine will become ten of his. Every drop of my blood will cost him a week of agony."
Rias felt her blood run cold. Kiba's face went pale. Even Vali flinched as the implications hit him.
"You're all so naive," Loki sneered. "So concerned with your precious friend's wellbeing. That's exactly why you've already lost. No matter what you do to me here, Leon pays the price."
"You bastard!"
His laughter grew more deranged.
"Even if you kill me, even if you torture me, Leon will suffer a thousand times worse for every second of pain you inflict. He's chained in the deepest part of Helheim, powerless, broken, completely at my mercy."
Then a magical circle appeared beneath Loki's feet.
A teleportation spell.
"Say goodbye to your precious Leon," Loki sneered. "Because after tonight, what's left of him won't even remember your names—"
"Always the coward you are, Loki."
The familiar voice cut through Loki's maniacal tirade like a blade. The god's laughter died instantly, his face going pale as he spun toward the source.
Standing at the edge of the yard were Leon and Rossweisse.
Loki's eyes widened in absolute terror. "No. No, no, no." His voice cracked. "Why are you here? How did you get out? You're supposed to be chained!"
The teleportation circle beneath him flickered and died as shock overwhelmed his concentration.
"This isn't possible," he whispered. "The bindings and the oaths were absolute. You can't be here."
Leon smiled, and it was a terrifying thing to behold.
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