Just a single sentence was nearly enough to make Riser collapse.
Because the one who said it was Ryuya Kurobane—a guy whose level was still only that of a low-class devil.
Meanwhile, he himself was a noble high-class devil, and on top of that, a pure-blooded devil with overwhelming innate advantages!
If he lost to someone like this despite such advantages, he would truly become a laughingstock!
"What kind of joke is this—someone like you thinks you're qualified to say checkmate to me?!"
Riser's demonic power was on the verge of going berserk.
"Brother, don't be reckless!" Ravel frowned. She could tell—Riser was about to go all out.
Although Riser usually acted arrogant and looked down on everyone, he cared deeply about the honor of his family.
He could accept losing to Rias, because she was also a pure-blooded devil.
But he absolutely could not accept losing because of Ryuya alone.
That's right—everything that happened today was caused by Ryuya alone.
His defeat had nothing to do with Rias at all.
And that was something he simply could not accept.
Wasn't this saying that a pure-blooded devil was inferior to a reincarnated devil like Ryuya?
If he had to bear such a result, Riser could never forgive himself!
Boom!!
His demonic power erupted violently. Brilliant crimson-gold magic surged forth like flames of pure molten gold.
Riser had gone all in, launching a ferocious assault toward Ryuya!
Even Rias couldn't help but frown slightly. Riser in this state was putting real pressure on her—and she couldn't help but start worrying about Ryuya.
Facing Riser's savage onslaught, Ryuya lowered his gaze slightly.
He could more or less feel Riser's resolve—and he understood his unwillingness to accept defeat.
But still…
Someone who needed to be beaten up, was going to be beaten up.
Ryuya spread his hands slightly. The Shield of Kings and the Sword of Kings floated before him, both radiating dazzling light as they began to slowly revolve around his body.
Dong!!
A bell tolled.
With the spread of the bell's sound waves, it was as if the entire subspace had been frozen in that instant!
All sound vanished.
Ripples suddenly spread through the void.
A voice seemed to echo from the distant, ancient end of time itself—
"Duuuu—wooo… duuuu—wooo…"
It was the deep, resounding call of a war horn.
Immediately afterward came the thunderous beat of war drums, shaking eardrums.
Anyone who heard this sound felt their heartbeat and blood surge uncontrollably…
And finally, countless long roars merged together—
The unified charge of innumerable men, like the furious howl of a raging storm, carrying with it an overwhelming pressure of bloodshed and slaughter!
"What… is this…?"
Watching from the sidelines, the Student Council Vice President, Tsubaki Shinra, clutched her chest. It felt as if her heart were about to burst—the terrifying aura alone made even an outsider like her tremble in fear!
Student Council President Sona Sitri pushed up her glasses, her expression grave.
"It looks like… a Balance Breaker."
"What?! He actually… reached that stage?!" Tsubaki cried out in shock.
Ryuya had directly activated a Balance Breaker?!
A Balance Breaker—where a Sacred Gear feeds on its wielder's will and spirit, gradually evolving and growing stronger.
But beyond that…
There was still another realm.
That is when the wielder's will undergoes a transformation powerful enough to overturn the flow of the world itself—only then will a Sacred Gear reach that realm.
That realm is known as Balance Breaker.
But… Ryuya didn't seem to have experienced any obvious change in mindset, did he?
Only Rias wore a slightly complicated expression.
She recalled the Ryuya of the past—aloof yet self-aware, maintaining a distant-but-not-cold attitude toward everyone. Back then, she had worried about him for quite some time.
But later, Ryuya gradually changed.
Perhaps she and Akeno had played a part in that change.
Perhaps his various contract partners had as well.
In any case, Ryuya's state of mind had already transformed long ago.
Could this be the reason he was able to activate a Balance Breaker?
So he had unknowingly fulfilled the prerequisite for Balance Breaker a long time ago…
At that moment, golden light surged within Ryuya's eyes.
His originally dark, glossy pupils rapidly transformed into brilliant golden irises. He lifted his head, gazing at the rippling void above—
"—Descend."
The Endless Twilight Citadel.
A quiet murmur echoed in his heart.
Dong!!
Another long, resonant bell toll rang out.
In the next instant, a colossal black city—so vast that its boundaries could not be seen—suddenly manifested, blotting out the sky and enveloping everyone present within its shadow.
All the observing factions widened their eyes in shock.
They realized that the entire subspace had been completely filled by this black city—and yet… they could still only see one corner of it!
They couldn't even imagine how unimaginably massive the city would be if it were to fully manifest.
"W-What level of Balance Breaker is this…?"
Someone muttered in stunned disbelief.
Sirzechs Lucifer narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"How interesting… it already possesses power on the level of a top-class devil…"
Ryuya could feel the demonic power within his body draining at a frenzied pace. After a brief estimation, he realized he could maintain this state for at most ten minutes.
This was the first time he had truly activated the Endless Twilight Citadel in a real sense.
Only by relying on combat power sharing with his clone, combined with dual Promotion, was he able to hold on for ten minutes. Under normal circumstances, the duration would undoubtedly be much shorter…
The consumption was terrifying.
But Ryuya's gains were just as tremendous.
Because he discovered that this ultimate move was far stronger than he had ever imagined.
Not only did the Shield grant him the Stasis effect—
The Sword of Kings also bestowed an Amplification trait!
While this ultimate was active, all of his attributes would be enhanced to a certain degree, the exact magnitude depending on how much his body could withstand.
As his physique grew stronger, the amplification would also increase. With Ryuya's current physical condition, the maximum enhancement he could endure was—
Ten times combat power.
Ryuya had originally believed that the Stasis provided by the Shield of Kings permanently locked all of his states at a single moment—making it the ultimate defense, but also freezing his combat power.
Only now did he realize that this effect did not include the Sword of Kings.
Thinking about it carefully, it made perfect sense.
After all, the Sword of Kings and the Shield of Kings were a single set—otherwise, why would their true name be the Benevolent King Sword and Shield?
Even Ryuya himself felt that combining Stasis with Amplification was practically shameless-level cheating…
Meanwhile, Riser was also shaken by the appearance of the Endless Twilight Citadel.
Balance Breaker…
With his level of insight, there was no way he could fail to recognize it.
Who could have imagined that Ryuya would reach this stage right in front of him?
"Damn it…"
For the first time, Riser's heart truly trembled.
But Ryuya didn't bother paying him any attention.
Seizing the moment as his strength skyrocketed once again, Ryuya flashed forward—almost like teleportation—and appeared directly in front of Riser.
Then, with no hesitation at all, he slammed a brutal punch straight into Riser's face!
---
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