"Thud!"
In the mid-air above Kuoh Academy, a violent impact only now erupted, transforming into a circular shockwave that swept through the surrounding area.
The fierce wind kicked up by Kokabiel's sudden movement and the sonic boom generated by the arriving figure's rapid dash finally collided in a delayed reaction, causing the ripple of air to expand outward.
"Who—?!"
Kokabiel felt a significant amount of force coming from the hand gripping his wrist, and he also sensed an aura powerful enough to trigger his vigilance. Consequently, he let out a furious roar.
Then, he heard a light chuckle.
"Don't be so nervous. You're supposed to be a figure from the age of myth who dared to actively incite a new Great War between the three factions. When facing an unexpected situation, you should show a bit more of that 'steadfast even if the heavens fall' psychological quality. That would be more fitting for a status that sounds somewhat impressive, wouldn't it?"
As the speaker talked, the hand gripping Kokabiel's wrist slowly increased its pressure, making Kokabiel's bones creak and groan.
"Bang!"
Kokabiel's expression shifted once more. Immediately after, he exerted a sudden burst of strength, breaking free from the hand holding his wrist with a muffled thud and riding the wind to put some distance between them.
Only then did Kokabiel get a clear look at the person's appearance.
The newcomer was dressed in dark-toned casual clothes. His apparent age was much younger than himself, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. However, ten wings grew from his back—the same number as Kokabiel. Yet, unlike the crow-like wings of a fallen angel, these wings were angular and distinct, resembling those of a bat.
Kokabiel was certain that this was a face he did not recognize.
However, that should have been impossible.
A ten-winged devil—an existence of the same rank as himself—was rare even throughout the entire history of the Devil race. How could he, a cadre of the fallen angels who had survived since the age of myth, not recognize such a person?
Naturally, Kokabiel felt a mixture of shock, rage, and confusion. But for the members of the Gremory peerage, it was a different story.
They knew better than anyone who that person was.
"Leon!"
Rias, lying on the ground, cried out in surprise.
"Lord Leon!"
"It's him?"
"How can this be—"
Akeno Himejima, Yuuto Kiba, and Koneko Toujou were also sprawled on the ground, covered in wounds. Looking at the ten-winged devil who had suddenly appeared in mid-air, every single one of them was filled with shock and bewilderment.
"Who is he?"
Only the blue-haired girl and the golden-haired girl, having never met Leon, did not recognize him at all.
As for Issei Hyoudou, he was buried in a pit of rubble and debris, seemingly unconscious.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, three more figures flew in from the quietly opened entrance of the barrier. Each of them had wings spread as they landed beside the Gremory peerage.
"Are you alright, Lady Rias?"
Ravel landed by Rias's side and anxiously helped her up.
"Can you stand, Akeno-senpai?"
Yukino Yukinoshita went to Akeno Himejima's side and supported her.
"Your injuries are so severe, Toujou-san."
Mahiru Shiina looked at the blood-soaked Koneko Toujou. Her fair face paled slightly as she hurried to release her magic power, pressing her palm, which glowed with a faint green light, against Koneko.
"I... I'll help too!"
Seeing this, the golden-haired girl who hadn't joined the battle ran over to Rias's side. She raised her hands, and they burst into a green light even more brilliant and dazzling than Mahiru's. Under Mahiru's surprised gaze, she began to heal Rias.
"Why are you all here?"
Rias was still shocked and confused, seemingly having never expected Leon and his companions to appear at this moment.
Unfortunately, the current setting was not the time for explanations.
Seeing that Ravel and the others had begun aiding the Gremory peerage, Leon, hovering in mid-air, breathed a small sigh of relief. He then turned his attention away from Rias's group and toward Kokabiel.
"Hello there, cadre of the fallen angels." Leon showed none of the trepidation or gravity one might expect when meeting a legendary figure from the age of myth. Instead, he spoke with the ease and casualness of meeting an old friend: "First time meeting you. I am Leon Eligos. Pleased to meet you."
Hearing this, Kokabiel, who was rubbing his wrist, froze.
"Leon Eligos—"
His face darkened, and his gaze toward Leon was filled with a cold light.
"I know of you. The descendant of the extinct Eligos house of the Seventy-Two Pillars. Because you possess half-human blood, you have the qualifications to be a Sacred Gear user. You are the current possessor of 'Zenith Tempest'."
Kokabiel finally understood why he didn't recognize the other's face.
It was because the person before him was not one of the ancient powerhouses he knew, but a devil of the new generation.
"Should I feel honored that a cadre of the fallen angels remembers my name, and in such detail?"
Leon endured the other's oppressive gaze, smiling without a change in expression.
Based on this performance alone, Kokabiel knew that the ten wings on the boy's back were absolutely not fakes. Although he was a devil of the new generation, the youth before him was indeed an existence of the same rank as himself.
That much was certain.
"Don't misunderstand. I personally don't have that much interest in you. If it weren't for the fact that Azazel has been constantly mentioning you lately, I wouldn't have known your name at all."
The corners of Kokabiel's mouth curled into a grin, though the smile looked somewhat hideous.
"Of course, that was only until today."
Now, naturally, things were different.
"It seems my friends have received quite a bit of 'care' from you." Leon acted as if he didn't sense the battle intent in Kokabiel's words. He glanced at the Gremory peerage on the ground and said slowly: "We also received quite a bit of care from you. It must have been difficult for you to bring so many Cerberus out of the Underworld—you even brought out the Cerberus King."
"Oh? You've already encountered those pets?" Kokabiel raised an eyebrow and sneered: "It seems my pets have been dealt with by you. They were originally meant to intercept any trash the Underworld might send. I didn't expect them to be unable to stop even a group of new-generation devils. Truly useless."
Kokabiel's targets were the Maous, not some random cats or dogs from the roadside. Therefore, he had placed the Cerberus pack in Kuoh Town to intercept anyone overestimating themselves.
"Fine. Since even the Cerberus King couldn't stop you, it seems the world's second strongest Longinus does indeed have some skill." Kokabiel regained his composure and spread his arms, laughing: "If it's you, perhaps you can help me dispel some of this boredom?"
"I see. You're very bored." Leon nodded in understanding, then smiled: "Then you can rest easy. After today, you probably won't have the chance to feel bored again."
He didn't say he wouldn't be bored in the future, but that he wouldn't have the chance to feel bored.
How could Kokabiel fail to hear the underlying meaning?
"Just with you?" Kokabiel let out a burst of loud laughter, which then abruptly stopped. He growled: "You certainly talk big. Do you think you are a Maou?!"
Along with Kokabiel's roar, a massive surge of light power erupted from his body.
The light power, which felt like the twilight, burst forth and instantly condensed under Kokabiel's control into an incredibly massive spear of light. Kokabiel held it aloft and hurled it at Leon with all his might.
"Such a huge spear of light—!"
Supporting Akeno Himejima, Yukino Yukinoshita's pupils couldn't help but shrink.
The only fallen angel she had ever seen was Vadeen, who had killed her. He had also condensed a spear of light to kill her, but compared to the one Kokabiel had just created, Vadeen's spear was like a mere toothpick.
That was only natural. Vadeen was merely a two-winged lower-class fallen angel. Comparing him to Kokabiel, a ten-winged cadre, was like comparing a firefly to the moon.
The spear of light Kokabiel created was as massive as a heavenly pillar. It was at least ten meters long and three or four meters wide; even several adults together would have difficulty wrapping their arms around it.
Consequently, when that giant spear was hurled at Leon, the atmosphere shrieked. Ripples of air pulsed out one after another from the front of the spearhead with terrifying momentum.
No one doubted that if hit by that spear, never mind a person, even a mountain would be turned into ash in an instant.
If Kokabiel had thrown this spear at the Gremory peerage just now, they would never have been able to block it. They, along with Kuoh Academy, would have been utterly destroyed.
Furthermore, light was ultimately a deadly poison to devils. Such a gargantuan spear of light would likely cause even a Maou-class devil to step back.
However, facing this spear of light that could incinerate any devil below the Maou-class, Leon didn't dodge at all. Under everyone's horrified gazes, he reached out his palm toward the spear of light.
"Vrrr—!"
When the tip of the spear touched Leon's palm, an ear-piercing hum echoed.
As if hitting an indestructible barrier, the giant spear of light struggled to push forward. The tip of the spear generated intense friction against Leon's palm, causing showers of light-sparks to fly out like actual sparks.
Pop—Pop—Pop—
Muffled explosions sounded within Leon's palm, proving that the spear of light was constantly attempting to break through.
But—it did not succeed.
"Bang!!!"
With a final, incredibly loud explosion, Leon swung his arm, throwing the giant spear of light toward the sky with one hand.
The spear of light struck the barrier enveloping Kuoh Academy, created a ripple on the surface, and then slowly dissipated.
"Sss—"
Wisps of charred smoke rose from Leon's hand, which he still held in the upward throwing posture. Aside from that sound, the entire field was silent.
A deathly silence.
"Impossible!"
Kokabiel finally let out an unbelievable roar of rage.
"This... this..."
Rias and the others were dumbfounded. Even Yukino and her companions stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
A spear of light thrown with the full strength of a ten-winged fallen angel cadre was actually caught and thrown away by Leon with a single hand?
That was a spear of light capable of threatening a Maou-class devil!
"That really hurts."
Bathed in countless shocked gazes, Leon shook his smoking palm, his face contorting in pain.
"As expected of a cadre of the fallen angels. The power of this spear of light almost ruined my hand."
If he hadn't become a Perfect Devil and was no longer suppressed by light, never mind his hand—had he dared to catch Kokabiel's spear like that, half his body probably would have been evaporated.
Fortunately, his hypothesis was correct. In a state where he no longer feared light power, relying on his same-rank magic power and a physical body far surpassing his past, he was indeed capable of taking Kokabiel's attacks head-on.
Even if doing so was very dangerous.
"Impossible! How can such an absurd thing happen?!"
Kokabiel simply could not accept the sight before him. He felt it was preposterous, a complete farce.
"Do you feel like you're dreaming?"
Leon didn't care how Kokabiel felt. He lowered his smoking hand and smiled once more.
However, this time, the smile was extremely dangerous.
"Then I shall be the one to wake you up!"
Saying this, Leon held his hand high, just as Kokabiel had done before. Staggering thunderbolts erupted from his body, and countless arcs of lightning surged.
The lightning, like individual electrical arcs, climbed onto Leon's palm. Under everyone's gaze, it gradually condensed into a massive spear of thunder.
Aside from being condensed from lightning and emitting a pale blue radiance, everything else about the spear was identical to the spear of light Kokabiel had just summoned.
It was just as massive, and just as incomparably powerful.
Under Kokabiel's sharply constricted pupils, Leon threw the spear of thunder with all his might.
As soon as the thunder spear was released, it shrieked through the air just like the previous spear of light. Shockwaves pulsed from its tip with terrifying momentum.
"RRRAAAAGH—!"
Kokabiel let out a roar. Gritting his teeth, he mirrored Leon's previous action, reaching out his hand to take the hit head-on.
Unfortunately, he was not Leon.
"BOOM!!!"
The massive thunder spear struck Kokabiel and exploded instantly, setting off a world-shaking roar. Countless bolts of lightning raged in mid-air, as if a multitude of thunderclaps were bursting there, illuminating the entire night sky.
The people on the ground let out silent cries, their voices drowned out by the thunderous boom. Their vision was completely stolen by the blinding lightning, forcing them to raise their hands to shield their faces.
Beneath the dark night, Kuoh Academy was bathed in flashes of piercing thunder, as if it had been transported into the heavens themselves.