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"Wrong... That is only the fate of failures and idiots."
Anos commented calmly.
That was the result one deserved when trying to use a Sacred Gear, as a human, to rapidly reach a realm that gods, devils, and monsters of every faction had spent centuries or even millennia struggling toward.
Whether Juggernaut Drive was chosen passively or actively, the end was still the same. One could not control it, so one walked toward ruin.
Later facts had already proven that Juggernaut Drive was not impossible to overcome, nor was it impossible to undo.
It was simply a matter of ability.
"The fate of failures, huh? Perhaps."
Vali grinned.
It seemed the other party was also a proud person, and that made him quite happy.
The only thing that bothered Vali slightly was why the other party's Juggernaut Drive looked a little different from his own.
He had almost become a half-dragon, and the appearance of his armor had become extremely savage.
The other party, however, seemed to have merely put on a more gorgeous and imposing set of armor. He had not transformed into something dragonlike the way Vali had.
Boom!
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
In an instant, the two collided countless times in the sky.
"Albion, can you sense anything unusual about him?"
Vali asked Albion.
In any case, he himself had clearly felt it.
[Yes, there is indeed something strange. Ddraig, have you already lifted the curse?]
Albion called out to Ddraig on the opposite side.
[That is correct. For my current partner, something like that is so simple it could not be simpler.]
Ddraig gave a direct answer.
He could sense Albion's current strength.
If his partner were not Anos Kanzaki, then this battle between Red and White would have been a certain defeat for him.
"You actually lifted the curse of the Two Heavenly Dragons? Then you truly are my destined opponent."
As Vali spoke, his demonic power erupted again.
If the other party had lifted the curse, then he would forcibly suppress it.
Although the time he could suppress it was somewhat short, and one could even say that he was suppressing it by burning his own life.
Even so, he could also use Juggernaut Drive with almost no side effects.
But Vali did not know something.
To Anos, Juggernaut Drive was only a slightly more amusing toy.
Unfortunately, Anos had never cared much about things like destiny.
"Vali, are you afraid of someone?"
While clashing with Vali and spreading an overwhelmingly powerful dragon aura into the surroundings, Anos asked the question.
"Hah? Me, afraid of someone? I am."
"Rizevim Livan Lucifer."
Vali's words stopped.
Because Anos had spoken a name that Vali thought should never have come from his mouth.
"How do you know that?"
Vali's voice trembled.
Where had this person learned that name?
Rizevim Livan Lucifer.
The son of Lilith, mother of devils, and the original Lucifer.
One of the devil faction's transcendents.
Only, he was also a devil transcendent standing in opposition to the current generation of Satans.
At the same time, he was Vali's grandfather.
He was the son of the true Satan Lucifer, who had once perished together with the Biblical God, and an absolute figure of legend recorded in scripture under the name Lilin.
This was no longer merely a matter of conflict between the Old Satan Faction and the reformists. Sirzechs knew very well that Rizevim was far more insane than that.
Rizevim was a world-class terrorist who had been plotting all kinds of things from the shadows.
That was why Sirzechs, to deal with Rizevim's Sacred Gear, [Sacred Gear Canceller], had even recruited a group of powerful servants who did not possess Sacred Gears.
Rizevim's Sacred Gear was [Sacred Gear Canceller].
Because of that, even though Vali's Sacred Gear was a Longinus, it had no effect against Rizevim.
Now that Anos had brought up that name, even Vali felt an ominous chill.
Because he had lived under Rizevim's shadow since childhood. He even knew that his father had been killed by Rizevim because of issues with talent and ability.
If he had not escaped later and received care from his adoptive elder sister Lavinia, as well as that lazy, good-for-nothing fallen angel Governor-General, he had no idea what kind of person he would have become.
The reason Vali asked was simple.
He should never have exposed his identity.
He had never told Anos that he was a descendant of the true Satan.
...
Perhaps Vali still did not know that Sirzechs and the others had already traced things to him.
Sirzechs did not have any particular thoughts about Vali being a descendant of a Satan. He simply wanted to obtain information about Rizevim from him.
In truth, Anos was the same.
Back when he was still weak, he basically never considered matters related to Rizevim.
Because that was not something within the scope of what he should be thinking about.
But now...
At the very least, Anos felt that Rizevim had to die.
Either he would do it himself, or Sirzechs and the others would do it.
In any case, Rizevim had to be eliminated first.
Otherwise, if that man eventually sacrificed himself to summon the Beast Emperor, a large portion of the high-level combat power in the DxD world would be forced into an eternal war against it.
If that portion of combat strength were not lost, they would not be so passive and troubled when facing the invasion of the ExE world.
The ExE world was another world that would invade the DxD world thirty years later.
Even the Breast God who had once blessed Issei Hyoudou was a high-ranking righteous deity from that world.
The villainous forces of the ExE world were undoubtedly stronger than those of the DxD world.
If the top experts of the DxD world had not been removed from play, perhaps resisting them would not have been a problem. But those people were simply too unreliable.
The Beast Emperor 666 was an enemy, and it consumed a massive amount of their side's combat power.
The Biblical God 777 had once sealed the Beast Emperor, but died because of it.
The Infinite Dragon God 888 was devoured by Samael the Dragon Eater and then split into Ophis and Lilith, greatly reducing her strength.
Because of that, Great Red 999 was placed in an awful position. Thirty years later, when the other world invaded, he was the first to go out and fight.
Then...
Then...
Then Ophis's dream was fulfilled.
Ahem.
Great Red was beheaded.
There was no helping it. The enemy, Regalzeva, was a mechanical life-form deity from the ExE world, bearing the title [Superior Evil God]. His own power was above that of True Red.
On top of that, his subordinates, Lugatim, the Heavenly King of [Ketu Heavenly Sea], and Durmado, the Sea King, both possessed power on True Red's level. It would have been strange if the Red Dragon God Emperor had not fallen.
It was not that Anos had never tried to deduce Lilin's location. He simply could not yet instantly kill him while ensuring that he could not escape, so he chose to watch for the time being.
According to his judgment, Lilin should not make a move in the short term.
"Rizevim is not someone you can touch in the current. As long as you are still using a Sacred Gear, you can never be his opponent."
Anos narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
That was indeed the truth.
Even if Vali used [Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive], the Juggernaut Drive form capable of instantly killing a top-ranking Grim Reaper at the peak of Satan-class strength, it would still be useless against Lilin.
"You really do know quite a lot."
Vali did not know what Anos meant by saying these things.
"I do know quite a lot. You could call it a half-finished ability to foresee the future."
Anos spoke as if he were joking.
"Then do you know whether I will become the White Dragon God Emperor in the future?"
Vali released an even greater surge of demonic power, forcing Anos away from him.
"No. You do not."
Anos smiled.
Perhaps in the original timeline, Vali had the possibility of becoming the White Dragon God Emperor.
But with Anos here, that future would never happen.
Because...
If the White Dragon Emperor was no longer in his body, how could he become the White Dragon God Emperor?
"Why? Do I burn myself out in battle?"
Even after hearing Anos say that his ending might be tragic, Vali's mind did not waver much.
At the very least, he had long been prepared to die in battle.
"No. It is simply because you lose the White Dragon Emperor, and therefore lose the possibility of becoming the White Dragon God Emperor."
Anos said with a smile.
He had always intended to help Ddraig bring his dear friend over.
And without question, in Anos's hands, the White Dragon Emperor would display far greater power than it could in Vali's hands.
"Lose the White Dragon Emperor? Has someone set their sights on my Sacred Gear? There really is a transcendent-level being who would make a move against me?"
Vali sighed.
"No. The one making a move against you is me."
Anos corrected him.
"Hm?"
Vali froze.
A few seconds later, he laughed even more freely.
"Hahahahahaha! So you are interested in me? Perfect. I am very interested in you too."
"As long as you can defeat me, then do as you like."
Vali truly did not care much about that kind of thing.
Born for battle, and resting only in death.
He had always regarded that as his destiny.
With that kind of belief and way of life, dying in battle was only natural.
Vali was exactly that kind of reckless fool.
"Defeat you? Perhaps."
Anos smiled.
In any case, according to his deduction, the dragon fluctuations produced by the clash of two Juggernaut Drives were basically enough.
Since it was enough, there was no need to do anything unnecessary.
"However, defeating you has never been what I wanted to accomplish. It is only something I will handle along the way while achieving my true goal."
The Jewel in the chest of Anos's Juggernaut Drive armor released a silver radiance.
[World Dragon's Jewel.]
A powerful Sacred Gear capable of suppressing all dragons.
[Vali. This is my warning. No matter how much you want to fight, stay away from the Red Dragon Emperor's host.]
Albion immediately warned his host.
He felt an unprecedented pressure.
It was an overwhelming sense of oppression that neither the Infinite Dragon God nor the Red Dragon God Emperor had ever given him.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
It felt as if even his soul was about to be suppressed.
Whoosh!
Vali also sensed the warning from the Sacred Gear itself and immediately pulled away from Anos.
Albion's soul had actually produced a trace of fear.
He could clearly feel that.
"Do you know what is going on?"
[I do not. I have never encountered this situation before. Could it be some unknown Longinus?]
Albion spoke with a trace of trembling in his voice.
He found it difficult to imagine why he would feel this way, but he truly did feel a tremendous pressure coming from deep within his soul.
"Albion, why don't you come over and keep Ddraig company? Ddraig is rather lonely with me now. When he has nothing to do, he just fights Vritra."
"The one he most wants to fight is you."
As Anos spoke, the Jewel released an even more brilliant light.
Under that silver radiance, Vali felt as though all the strength in his body had drained away.
"Although it seems you are using a Sacred Gear or some kind of item that restrains dragon attributes, I, Vali Lucifer, will never submit so easily."
He could clearly feel Albion weakening inside him.
But that only made his battle-crazed heart even more excited.
Since Albion was being suppressed, this was the perfect chance to try a method of developing his Sacred Gear that he had once considered.
In the past, Albion had been too powerful. Vali's own power could not fully bear and conquer him.
But now...
If Albion was being suppressed, then he had to try it.
"Hold on a little longer. After all, facing such a powerful opponent must excite you too."
"According to him, we may be separated, but at least before that happens, I will do everything I can to defeat him."
"After all, if the White Dragon Emperor cannot overturn fate, how can he be called the White Dragon God Emperor?"
[Yes, Vali. I will do everything I can to support you.]
Albion spoke in a deep voice.
This was also the first time he had experienced something like this.
He had not expected there to be a Sacred Gear capable of suppressing even him so easily.
He had to admit that the Biblical God had truly been a genius. Of course, he would not submit to such a fate.
At present, not all Sacred Gears created by the Biblical God have surfaced.
After all, Sacred Gears resided in living beings with human blood, and in most cases, if they never encountered special circumstances, Sacred Gears would never awaken.
From ancient times until now, many Sacred Gears have certainly awakened, including powerful ones such as the thirteen Longinus.
But in reality, countless Sacred Gears still remained unknown to the world.
In Albion's mind, what Anos was using was probably one of those.
[Become the dragon of ultimate domination. Resist fate, Vali.]
Within the White Dragon Emperor's wings of light, Albion's dragon soul roared.
"Rooooar!"
Vali responded to him.
[I...]
[Am I the awakened one, the White Dragon Emperor who casts the absolute law into darkness?]
[I shall reach the ultimate realm of the Heavenly Dragon.]
[I shall walk the tyrannical path of the White Dragon.]
"Oh?"
Anos raised a brow.
He had not expected Vali to still have this move hidden.
"If you want to release your final radiance, then go ahead. Otherwise, I would seem a little too heartless."
The Silver Ultimate Dragon.
Anos could tell at a glance that this was definitely not the complete form of the Silver Ultimate Dragon.
Even so, being able to forcibly use a technique that Vali would only develop in the middle to later stages of his growth was proof that Vali truly had a unique talent in the use of Sacred Gears.
[We shall overcome the infinite and devour the dream.]
[We shall pass through infinite destruction and the dawn dream, and walk the path of domination.]
Vali's chant continued.
[I shall become the pure dragon emperor.]
The shape of Vali's armor changed dramatically, and blue radiance shone as if it were trying to light up the night.
[And lead you to the silver fantasy and the ultimate path of magic.]
[Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive.]
Under extreme pressure, Vali had finally used the move that had always remained theoretical and had never yet been successfully released.
[Vali, Time is limited. End this quickly.]
Albion could feel that even in this form, he had still been weakened greatly.
There was not much time left.
They could only choose a swift battle.
"I know."
With the blue-glowing wings of light spreading behind him, Vali charged toward Anos again.
"Interesting."
That was Anos's only evaluation.
Facing Vali's final counterattack, Anos's eyes turned golden, and he slid a finger through the air.
[Simulated Holy Sword: Ascalon.]
Countless holy swords instantly formed around Anos and flew toward Vali.
The dragon-slaying holy sword Ascalon was one of the holy swords that countered Vali the most.
Its dragon-slaying attribute could destroy the armor, and its holy attribute could inflict terrifying damage on Vali as a devil.
Of course, that was under the condition that it could hit.
But in Anos's eyes, that had never been a problem.
Through the judgment of Absolute Dichotomy, he could clearly know where Vali would move after suffering a certain kind of attack.
Once he understood that...
Vali's defeat was inevitable.
"What is going on?"
First, Vali used energy waves to blast apart one group of holy swords. Then he dodged another wave.
But he discovered something terrifying.
It seemed...
All of his movements were within the other party's expectations.
"Relax. At least the one you are losing to is me."
Suddenly, such a voice sounded behind Vali.
Anos's voice.
When had he gotten behind him?
"Albion, come keep Ddraig company."
The distance between Anos and Albion had already been shortened to the limit. At such a distance, Albion had almost lost all of his power.
"Albion's dragon soul, I will be taking it."
Crack!
With the burst of dazzling silver light, the Jewel on Vali's chest shattered.
A silver dragon was forcibly pulled out from within and drawn into the silver Jewel.
Then, because he had lost the support of Albion's power, the armor covering Vali's body shattered instantly.
Crash!
Just as he was about to fall, he barely spread his devil wings and stabilized himself in the air.
"Looks like you used the same method to subdue the Red Dragon Emperor."
Vali seemed to understand something.
This person had never been the original Red Dragon Emperor.
He was someone who had used an unknown Sacred Gear to seize the Red Dragon Emperor.
"Vali, if you want to become stronger, if you want to truly face the shadow in your heart, then stop using Sacred Gears."
"This is my advice to you."
Anos did not deny Vali's words.
Because he knew Vali would not react much to something like this. On the contrary, if his destined rival had been weak, that would have made Vali far more dissatisfied.
"Stop using Sacred Gears?"
Vali smiled and shook his head.
Indeed, if Albion's dragon soul had already been taken, what need was there to continue using a Sacred Gear?
"Still, is it really all right for you not to kill me?"
Vali saw that Anos had no intention of making a move after all this time, and his words even seemed to suggest that he would let him leave. He frowned.
"Of course... I welcome your challenge at any time."
"However, I suggest you do not come looking to be beaten again until you have the strength to defeat your grandfather, Rizevim. I am not free every day."
Anos reminded him.
He did indeed intend to let Vali leave.
After all, he had a decent relationship with Kuroka and Le Fay.
And as for Vali himself...
Anos did not particularly dislike his personality.
"I understand."
Vali laughed self-mockingly.
He had not expected that there would be a day when someone would spare his life.
This was also a kind of irony.
An irony directed at his personal pride.
He had not expected there to be someone among his peers who possessed the strength to completely crush him.
Originally, he had thought that among those who could fight him, only Cao Cao could be counted.
"Although I will no longer use the power of a Sacred Gear, I will definitely take Albion back."
"This has nothing to do with anything else. It is simply because we once made a promise to become the White Dragon God Emperor together."
Although he had lost his Sacred Gear, Vali did not seem to have lost his fighting spirit.
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