Boom—!
With a deafening explosion, a series of sonic booms echoed through the air, and powerful gales burst outward in every direction.
Under the force of that overwhelming power, Kokabiel's entire body arched like a bow, his face contorted in a fierce grimace. A mouthful of bright red blood burst uncontrollably from his lips, and he crashed violently to the ground, completely unable to resist.
Dust filled the air, with flying wood chips and dirt obscuring everyone's vision.
In an instant, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence.
Even the few fallen angels who had followed their boss stood there dumbfounded. Their boss, who had been putting on airs just moments ago, was suddenly taken out?
Just a few moments later, when everyone looked again, Kuroka was already clinging tightly to the young man whose lips curled with a smile.
Xenovia and Irina were completely stunned.
Wasn't this the man who mocked them that day, saying he'd keep them alive?
At the time, they thought he was just bluffing… but it turned out he had been telling the truth.
Damn it, he turned his head this way.
That thought arose in the minds of Xenovia and Irina simultaneously. They resisted the strong urge to cover their faces and flee, and instead awkwardly made eye contact with Vitan.
"Well? Didn't I just save your lives?"
A mocking smile curled on the man's lips.
"..."
But they couldn't deny it—this time, Vitan truly had saved them. The earlier threats, perhaps they could've barely dealt with using their trump cards.
But when faced directly with Kokabiel's assault, they both knew very clearly: their trump cards stood no chance. Trying to defeat Kokabiel with what they had would have been a foolish dream.
Trump cards are useful when facing opponents of equal strength—they're the key to turning the tables.
But if the gap in power is too vast, not even a trump card can bridge it.
And the one they couldn't even scratch with their strongest cards—Vitan had taken down with a casual kick, leaving him battered and broken.
Even though that mocking face irritated the two Church girls...
They couldn't help but feel a twinge of gratitude in their hearts.
Who wouldn't prefer survival over a meaningless death?
"All right, go team up with Rias and take care of the rest of the fallen angels."
Turning his head to the gradually clearing fog, Vitan lightly patted the black cat's little head.
Of course, he hadn't come alone.
Rias and Sona had arrived with their respective peerages—after all, they were the actual overseers of Kuoh Town.
Since there was no real danger anymore, Vitan was happy to let the two girls gain some merit from this incident.
"Got it, nya~ but Master, you'd better reward me properly later~. It's been several days since Master watered me, after all~"
Kuroka coquettishly rubbed against Vitan's neck, then with a flash, transformed into a beautiful girl in a skin-tight outfit and vanished into the fog.
"Well then, cadre of the fallen angels, didn't you really want this war to continue? A pathetic failure taken down by a single hit—where did all your confidence come from?"
Bang—!
"Taken down? What nonsense are you spouting, you brat!"
Following Vitan's taunting words, a pale light suddenly flared from within the fog, dispelling all the smoke and dust.
Revealed from the mist was a figure in a sorry state, covered in dirt from head to toe.
Kokabiel's face was twisted in fury, black feathers like those of a raven scattered at his feet.
"Mmm, just as I expected. Since Kokabiel managed to survive that brutal war, it's clear his survival instincts are top-notch."
Vitan's voice once again rang out with calm mockery, piercing straight into Kokabiel's ears.
This taunt hit deeper than the last and ignited Kokabiel's rage to a whole new level.
What was Kokabiel most proud of in his life?
Of course, it was his participation in that meat-grinder of a three-way war and the glorious feats he achieved during it.
Otherwise, why would he be so obsessed with war?
Because he wanted to relive that thrill!
But with just a single sentence, Vitan had completely dismissed it.
He had reduced Kokabiel from a fearsome war angel to a cowardly bug clinging to life.
Veins bulged on his forehead—Vitan had never seen so many veins burst across someone's face before.
It looked as if countless worms were crawling through his blood vessels. Disgusting beyond belief.
"You brat, what's your name?"
Kokabiel ground his teeth, fists clenched so tightly the muscles in his arms twitched erratically.
To Kokabiel, that foul devil stench on Vitan couldn't be hidden no matter what.
At the same time, the youthfulness in Vitan's aura and his unfamiliar appearance made it clear—this boy was not from the same era as him.
"Asmodeus. Vitan Asmodeus. I wonder if that name rings a bell, Kokabiel."
As he spoke, Vitan gracefully removed Radix from around his neck and held it in both hands.
With a blinding white light, the chains sealing Radix shattered.
When Vitan stepped out of the light again, his entire outfit had completely changed.
The black trench coat with an open collar down to the chest was precisely Vitan's Grimoire form.
"So that's it—you're a descendant of that old Asmodeus."
"Hahaha—!"
Kokabiel spread his five pairs of wings wide, scattering black feathers as he soared back into the sky.
"Isn't this just too convenient? Two Satans' sisters… and a descendant of the old Satan Asmodeus. If I kill all of you right now, the Underworld will fall into chaos, and war will undoubtedly erupt once more."
As he laughed maniacally, a spear of light materialized in his hand. With the immense light energy flooding from within his body into his palm, the spear rapidly swelled in size until it became a massive javelin nearly thirty meters long.
"Brat, I admit your strength is impressive, but don't think your sneak attack just now represents your true power."
The berserk spear of light was gripped tightly in Kokabiel's hand. The horrifying energy radiating from it made it clear to anyone—if this thing hit the ground, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Die, brat!"