Chapter 432: Crushing Victory
"Penetrate."
The blood-red steel dragon claw easily pierced the invisible barrier. With the sound of shattering glass, the entire colosseum, floating in mid-air, began to disintegrate.
The slender steel dragon claws crossed and snapped, and the crumbling, falling 'island' was teleported outside the capital city.
Before Vali's astonished eyes, Haruto, with an arm around Mio Naruse, easily passed through the invisible barrier and appeared before him.
"So? Still want to fight?"
"You're God-level?"
Vali's shock subsided as the magic power throughout his body surged rapidly.
White, dragon-shaped armor, trimmed in blue and sporting a pair of Light Wings that gave it an increasingly high-tech feel, instantly enveloped him.
The White Dragon Armor, strikingly similar to the crimson dragon armor, materialized.
Looking at the two humanoid dragon armors standing in mid-air, even the dimmest person could now understand what this war was really about.
The images of the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor were too deeply ingrained in people's minds, and the current successors of the Two Heavenly Dragons were even more famous.
Not only were they both hybrids, but one had Lucifer's bloodline, the other had a special ability, and both had achieved Satan-Class strength at a young age.
But now, looking at the aura of the two, especially the Red Dragon Emperor holding a red-haired beauty, the onlookers could only feel that 'Satan-Class' seemed to be an underestimation.
This man's rate of growth had always been terrifying, but to maintain such speed even after reaching Satan-Class was no longer just terrifying, but absurd.
Others might still harbor some doubt, but Vali, who was facing Haruto at this moment, had none whatsoever.
The question that had slipped out was merely instinctual. The moment Haruto easily shattered the barrier and moved the falling colosseum, he already understood that he was no match.
Of course, although Haruto's current strength was immense, performing such a feat so casually wasn't easy, which was why he had directly used the Red Dragon Emperor's Boost and Penetrate abilities.
The Red Dragon Emperor's Penetrate ability could pierce through defenses, corresponding to the White Dragon Emperor's Reflect ability. At the same time, this ability could be combined with other powers to create new properties.
For example, using it on his eyes would grant him X-ray vision...
Ahem, Haruto had now moved beyond such low-brow interests. If he wanted to see, he could just strip them naked.
Peeping was truly a bit perverted, and it was easy to see something that would scar your eyes.
He had gone directly into Balance Breaker not just to show off, but also to end the battle quickly.
The mastermind had been drawn out, but he hadn't seen a single shadow of his intended targets.
He had clearly sensed two powerful yet unfamiliar presences earlier, but they had suddenly vanished the moment the Old Satan Faction made their move.
Haruto couldn't be sure if it was Sapphire and Liala, but no matter who it was, he couldn't just let it go.
He released Mio Naruse, who didn't dawdle and decisively joined up with Lucia and Sheila.
With the addition of Leohart, who still had some fight left in him, they finally managed to completely hold off the previously unstoppable Child of Chaos.
Vali watched Haruto with some apprehension. He knew he was no match, but his pride wouldn't allow him to turn tail and flee.
"You put on this act for so long just to lure me out?"
"Don't overthink it. I didn't know you were coming before this, and I didn't even know the Khaos Brigade was involved in this matter."
Haruto didn't really want to waste time with Vali, but at the moment, he wasn't sure how to resolve the situation.
Haruto remembered that Vali also had a few high-quality girls around him, one of whom was a deadpan loli with long, straight black hair.
But she had very little screen time in the anime, so he didn't remember her clearly.
Of course, the main thing was that he didn't dislike this guy, Vali, and he wasn't ready to face the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis, directly.
If Vali really died here, Ophis might not be able to act against Haruto due to various restrictions, but he could forget about having a peaceful life from then on.
To put it bluntly, confronting an organization like the Khaos Brigade should be the job of faction leaders like Sirzechs and Michael. For Haruto to rush to the front lines as a vanguard would be pure foolishness.
He and Vali had no mortal feud; the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor were rivals and friends, fated to fight and kill each other.
Vali didn't doubt Haruto's words; there was no need for Haruto to lie to him at this point.
"Then you are..."
As he was pondering, a spatial fluctuation rippled to the side of the battlefield.
Looking at Rias with her long, blood-red hair flowing, and behind her, the members of the Occult Research Club led by Akeno Himejima, all of Vali's doubts vanished.
Of course. If he could undertake missions for the Khaos Brigade, Haruto could naturally fight for the Gremory family's... no, it should be said, for Rias's interests.
Seeing Rias and the girls arrive, Haruto, no matter how conflicted, could only attack and quickly dispatch Vali to deal with the real business.
If an unknown person had come this time, even Bikou, he could have tried to capture them alive, but Vali was the exception.
It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but with Vali's temperament, he would probably rather self-destruct than be captured.
Even though Haruto now possessed the power of a high-tier god, he couldn't guarantee he could capture a powerhouse who was already near God-level, possessed the White Dragon Emperor's abilities, and would not be taken alive.
Killing and capturing alive were two different things. If the former was easy mode, the latter was nightmare difficulty.
Vali truly lived up to his title as the strongest White Dragon Emperor in history. He had developed the abilities of his Sacred Gear to their absolute limit.
Using his extreme speed, along with the properties of Divide and Reflect, he actually managed to block Haruto's offensive for a time.
Although Haruto wasn't even using ten percent of his strength.
A god's power was already a crushing advantage over a Satan-Class being, and with the amplification from the Red Dragon Emperor's Balance Breaker, he was afraid he might accidentally kill Vali.
After sparring for a while, Vali also noticed Haruto's absent-mindedness. While feeling frustrated and aggrieved, he was also relieved.
"I'll remember this. Next time we meet, I'll also let you..."
"Hurry up and scram. You can talk about that after you manage to beat me."
Haruto pursed his lips. Now that he had surpassed him, Vali could forget about ever making a comeback.
The face under Vali's mask darkened. If not for his remaining rationality, he might have activated Juggernaut Drive and engaged Haruto in a fateful battle to determine not only their strength but also their lives.
Ignoring the White Dragon Emperor frozen in mid-air, Haruto deactivated his Balance Breaker and took out his phone from his pocket to check the time.
Well, even without a network, it was still fine to use as a watch.
14:32, the hottest time of the day.
The arena that had opened in the late morning, now saw the sun just beginning its descent in the west.
Wave after wave of enemies and reinforcements had dragged what should have been a blitzkrieg into a conflict lasting several hours.
With the arrival of Rias and the other girls, the army of Heroic Spirits and the old demons were completely routed.
Yet the Child of Chaos continued its rampage.
The Satan-Class beings could hold it back, preventing any further advance, but that was the extent of their capability.
To besiege and kill a deity—even one as weak and pathetic as this—was beyond the power of any being below the divine realm.
Haruto pondered for a moment. Since his strength was already exposed, he might as well go all the way.
Announcing his ascension to godhood by vanquishing a long-infamous Outer God seemed... well, he didn't know how to describe it, but it felt undeniably cool.
Though the Child of Chaos was weak, its notoriety was considerable.
Partly due to the army of Heroic Spirits, and partly because its weakness had allowed it to survive past wars.
The more powerful Outer Gods had long been eradicated by the divine experts of the Three Realms. Only such weaklings were ignored and subsequently sealed away.
Come to think of it, had the Child of Chaos lost its sanity from the prolonged sealing, or had the old schemers of the Conclave tampered with it...?
An Outer God capable of commanding armies, even if not particularly intelligent, couldn't possibly be devoid of wisdom.
Haruto suspected it was likely the latter, but now, none of that mattered.
In an instant, he teleported directly in front of the Child of Chaos. Instead of activating his Balance Breaker, he revealed his combat form: twelve wings—six pairs—arranged in perfect symmetry, with halo effects radiating in full splendor.
After breaking through to the divine realm and fusing to form his Primordial Bloodline, the last traces of conflict among the various energies within him had vanished.
The auras of demon, angel, and Fallen Angel perfectly adhered to their respective wings. His already handsome and refined features now carried a hint of alluring coldness, influenced by the Nekomata and Succubus bloodlines.
Compared to the mountainous size of the Child of Chaos, Haruto floating before it seemed no larger than an ant. Yet, the moment Haruto blocked its path, the creature instinctively halted, its frenzied and chaotic assaults ceasing abruptly.
Its combat instincts screamed a warning: to advance further meant death.
Rias and the others also stopped in unison, their gazes fixed intently on Haruto.
Excluding their intimate encounters, this was the first time they were witnessing Haruto's true combat prowess after his ascension to godhood.
"President, has Haruto become even more handsome?"
"Yes, enhancing one's power is essentially a process of life evolution. The stronger one becomes, the more one aligns with the image of a perfect being."
"I knew it. I've been feeling increasingly drawn to Haruto lately, and seeing him in this form confirms it."
"Speaking of which, for abyssal monsters that defy the very essence of life, does uglier mean stronger?"
"Not necessarily ugly, but the more bizarre and abstract their appearance, the stronger they tend to be."
...
As the girls chattered among themselves, Haruto completed his power accumulation.
Close combat had its drawbacks—facing an enemy of such colossal size made it difficult to achieve a graceful and dazzling resolution.
Fortunately, the Child of Chaos was foolish enough. Its instincts had made it stop, but they hadn't taught it to flee in desperation.
A fist fused with the Power of Destruction and the Thunderclap's formidable traits, further amplified by the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet into a steel dragon claw, struck hard between the Child of Chaos's brows.
The Child of Chaos roared, this time not just in anger but with a fear unmistakable to all—the fear of death.
"Not good, this kid is too reckless..."
Observing the battle through a projection, Sapphire frowned and was about to teleport to assist when Liala tugged at her sleeve.
"Sister Sapphire, have you grown dull from hiding all these years? The opponent clearly still has strength to spare."
After their parents' death, Liala had lost all attachment to the Demon King's Castle, but Sapphire was different—this was ultimately the place that had raised her and the culmination of her family's efforts.
Their differing mindsets meant that despite both possessing god-tier strength, they perceived things differently.