"Hah… hah… There's no way I'm dying in a place like this!"
From the ruins of the collapsed church, a white-haired man painfully crawled out.
Both of his legs had been crushed into a bloody mess. His body was covered in injuries, yet he still clung desperately to life.
Even Qin Xiao had to admit—this guy's vitality was astonishing.
In the original story, this man was one of the early antagonists.
He had once cooperated with Raynare. Later he participated in the Holy Sword Incident instigated by Kokabiel.
During that event he was defeated by Yuuto Kiba wielding the Holy-Demonic Sword and Xenovia Quarta using the holy sword Durandal.
Later he underwent body modification by the terrorist organization Khaos Brigade, turning into a monster—only to be instantly killed by the much stronger Kiba.
His name was Freed Sellzen.
At thirteen years old he had already become a genius exorcist.
He had accomplished numerous feats, killing demons and monsters one after another.
But he even slaughtered his own comrades.
He never possessed genuine faith.
What he had was only hatred toward monsters… and an abnormal obsession with battle.
In the end, his life was tragic.
Though for a madman like him, perhaps that fate suited him well.
"You smell like those filthy demon bastards!"
Freed glared at Qin Xiao with madness in his eyes.
"I'll kill you! I must kill you!"
Seeing Qin Xiao, his reaction wasn't fear.
It was pure murderous insanity.
This man was completely insane.
His mind was fundamentally broken.
Qin Xiao sighed.
"What a pitiful man."
"Let me release you from this suffering."
Lightning crackled.
A bolt of azure thunder struck Freed.
In an instant, his life force disappeared.
System Notification
+1% Template Inheritance
As expected.
Another low-level opponent.
Despite his strong vitality, Freed's current strength wasn't particularly high.
Suddenly—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Applause echoed from the distance.
Qin Xiao immediately looked over and instinctively sensed the newcomer's power.
The moment he did—
His expression turned serious.
The magical power he felt could only be described as terrifying.
Soon the man walked out into the open.
He wore a gray-brown kimono.
A tuft of blond hair stuck out from his forehead.
He looked like some kind of lazy middle-aged eccentric.
But Qin Xiao recognized him instantly.
Or more accurately—he recognized that overwhelming magical power.
Compared to this man, Qin Xiao felt like a tiny insect.
The gap between them was simply enormous.
The man spoke casually.
"Hey there, kid."
"You just killed quite a few fallen angels."
"Do you have some kind of grudge against them?"
"No."
Qin Xiao replied calmly.
"No grudge."
"Then your actions are a little difficult to explain."
"There's no need to explain."
The man scratched his head helplessly.
"You're really making things troublesome."
But Qin Xiao noticed something.
A fleeting trace of killing intent.
Regardless of the reason—
The fallen angels Qin Xiao killed were still his subordinates.
Especially Raynare, who had even admired him.
Even if he personally didn't care.
Killing fallen angels right in front of their leader was practically asking for death.
This man was none other than:
Azazel
The Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
The sole leader of the fallen-angel organization Grigori.
His status was equal to the Demon Kings among devils and the Seraphim among angels.
For a long time, Qin Xiao had wondered—
How big was the gap between his current power and the level of a Demon King?
Now he understood.
The difference was unimaginable.
Even though the rank between them was technically just "Ultimate-class", the gap felt like a bottomless abyss.
A true dividing line.
Azazel suddenly spoke again.
"You're pretty cautious."
"You already figured out who I am, didn't you?"
"Not really."
"I just have decent perception abilities."
"That's what makes you impressive."
Boom.
A terrifying pressure descended.
Qin Xiao was instantly suppressed.
The power gap was simply too great.
In the anime, Azazel appeared as a laid-back but reliable teacher figure who cared about the students he trained.
But that was later—after the peace treaty between the three factions.
Right now, Qin Xiao was just a human.
A human who had just killed three fallen angels in front of him.
Azazel had survived the Great War between the Three Factions.
He was a genuine veteran monster.
BOOST!
The red gauntlet appeared on Qin Xiao's arm.
The amplification reduced the pressure slightly.
Azazel raised an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
"That's the Boosted Gear?"
If earlier he had harbored killing intent—
Now that intent disappeared.
Because the current White Dragon Emperor was his adopted son.
Even if that son had turned out a bit… troublesome.
Azazel still cared deeply about him.
And he knew just how obsessed that boy was with his destined rival.
If he killed the Red Dragon Emperor's host here—
His adopted son would definitely make his life difficult.
BOOST!
Qin Xiao's power doubled again.
He spoke to the dragon within the gauntlet.
"Ddraig."
"With my current strength, I should be able to enter Balance Breaker, right?"
Ddraig answered.
"That's correct."
"But you've never used it before."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Qin Xiao looked at Azazel.
"We're facing the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels."
"A veteran Demon-King-level powerhouse."
"If I don't fight with everything I have… I'll die."
Ddraig laughed.
"Then go ahead."
"Use my power to your heart's content."
Qin Xiao declared:
"Let's begin, Ddraig."
"Balance Breaker!"
Ddraig's voice roared.
Magic power surged violently.
A crimson armor began forming around Qin Xiao's body.
It enveloped him completely.
Dragon wings unfolded from his back.
He now looked like a crimson dragon knight.
The sacred armor appeared.
Boosted Gear Scale Mail.
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