Elias lowered his hand.
He didn't use the "Divide" power again.
He could have easily drained Vali completely dry and ended the fight right there.
But Elias was curious. He wanted to see what else this glowing white armor could do.
He wanted his body to adapt to a brand-new fighting style.
"Come on,"
Elias said calmly, spinning his Naginata.
"Show me what else you have."
Vali slowly stood up. His pride was burning. Inside his mind, the ancient dragon Albion was panicking.
"Vali, listen to me!"
Albion yelled in his head.
"This boy is too dangerous! Tell him the truth! Tell him Azazel sent us to arrest Kokabiel!"
"No!"
Vali argued back in his mind. He was incredibly stubborn.
"I am the White Dragon Emperor! I haven't even used my full strength yet. If I get serious, I can beat him!"
Vali roared and charged forward. He unleashed a storm of attacks.
He flew around the courtyard, throwing heavy punches, fast kicks, and massive blasts of silver magic.
But it quickly turned into a game of cat and mouse. And Vali was the mouse.
Elias didn't even attack. He just dodged and blocked.
At first, Vali thought he was pushing Elias back.
But the more Vali fought, the more his confidence shattered.
He started to realize something absolutely terrifying.
Elias wasn't just blocking. He was learning.
Every time Vali swung his fist, Elias moved a little bit faster. Every time Vali kicked, Elias countered it perfectly.
Elias was learning his fighting style, but it was worse than that.
Elias was learning his *habits*.
Elias noticed that Vali always dropped his left shoulder slightly before throwing a heavy punch.
Elias noticed that Vali always flew to the right when dodging.
Before Vali could even finish an attack, Elias was already standing exactly where Vali was going to be, waiting for him with a calm, bored expression.
Vali gasped for air, stepping back. Cold sweat dripped down his face inside his helmet.
'He is a monster,'
Vali thought, his hands shaking.
Elias was getting stronger every single second.
He was a perfect mirror that hit back ten times harder.
Vali realized that if he kept fighting, Elias would learn every single secret, trick, and technique he had.
Vali would be completely exposed.
He couldn't win. It was impossible.
Vali threw his hands up in the air, sliding backward across the dirt.
"Wait! Stop!"
Vali yelled, finally swallowing his massive pride.
"I surrender! I am not your enemy! Azazel sent me! I work for the Fallen Angels to clean up Kokabiel's mess!"
Elias stopped spinning his Naginata. He looked at Vali with cold, distrustful eyes.
"Azazel didn't mention you,"
Elias said flatly.
"And you attacked me the second you got here to protect a villain. You are lying. Bad guys always lie when they start losing."
Elias raised his polearm, ready to strike him down.
*Shit...*
That was the only word that went through Vali's mind.
He had played too hard, and now this overpowered monster was actually going to kill him.
Vali closed his eyes, bracing for the end.
CRASH!
Suddenly, a massive bolt of yellow holy lightning struck the ground right between them.
The blast pushed Elias back a few steps.
From the smoke of the lightning, a tall, serious man stepped out.
It was Baraqiel.
He looked incredibly tired, rubbing the bridge of his nose like he had a massive headache.
He looked at Kokabiel's broken body, then at Vali, and finally at Elias.
"Elias, please put the weapon down,"
Baraqiel sighed heavily.
"He is telling the truth. The idiot in the white armor actually works for us."
Elias lowered his Naginata, the glowing blade fading away into the air.
He crossed his arms and looked at the silver-haired boy.
"If he works for you, Baraqiel-tou san,"
Elias said flatly,
"Then why did he do something so stupid? Why attack me and pretend to be the bad guy?"
Vali looked away.
He kept his arms crossed and refused to answer.
His pride was too bruised to admit that he just wanted a good fight and had lost so completely.
Suddenly, the blue jewels on Vali's white armor flashed.
The deep, ancient voice of Albion, the White Dragon, spoke up for him.
"Please forgive my foolish partner,"
Albion said politely.
"Vali is obsessed with battling strong opponents. When he saw your incredible power, he let his excitement control him. He just wanted to test your strength."
Elias just shook his head. He looked at Vali like he was looking at a reckless, foolish child.
"That was a good way to get yourself killed,"
Elias sighed. He then let Baraqiel bring them back.
With a massive flash of bright holy lightning, Baraqiel, Vali, the broken Kokabiel, and the remaining Fallen Angels vanished from the ruined courtyard.
Now that the enemies were finally gone, Elias turned around.
He walked over to Rias and Akeno.
Rias gave him a tired but incredibly happy smile.
Akeno let out a soft sigh of relief.
They were exhausted from holding the heavy magic barrier, but they were unhurt.
Then, Elias looked down. Standing a few steps behind them was Koneko.
The small, white-haired girl was staring at the ground.
Her tiny shoulders were still shaking.
The terrifying, heavy aura of the ancient Cadre had completely overwhelmed her.
Looking at her, Elias felt a deep wave of pity.
Sona had been right about one thing: Kokabiel was a thousands-of-years-old monster of war.
Koneko was just a young girl. She shouldn't have to face nightmares like that.
Elias stepped closer to her. He raised his hand and gently placed it on top of her soft white hair.
He gave her a slow, comforting pat.
Koneko flinched in surprise for a second, looking up at him with wide golden eyes.
"Take a deep breath,"
Elias said, his voice incredibly warm and gentle.
"The bad guys are gone. Everything is alright now. You are safe."
Hearing his calm, steady voice, the heavy fear inside Koneko's heart completely melted away.
She stopped shaking. Her tense muscles finally relaxed.
She looked at his kind smile and nodded slowly.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head slightly into his hand, quietly accepting the warm, comforting head pat.
For the first time that night, Koneko truly felt at peace.
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