Chapter: Judgment and Rivalry
The battle raged across Kuoh Academy's grounds, a chaotic orchestra of power and destruction. Even as Arishem loomed above, his Hand of Wrath and Eyes of Judgment tearing through the enemy forces with merciless precision, Michael engaged his own foe—a Belial Clan Devil with a smug, arrogant demeanor.
The Devil laughed as his Worthlessness ability deflected several light-based attacks, rendering them harmless. His confidence was absolute.
"Your light is nothing to me, Archangel. I shall make a trophy of your wings."
Michael's calm expression remained unshaken. Gone was the somber, burdened leader. In his place stood the radiant, powerful warrior of Heaven he once was.
"Your bloodline's ability is impressive," Michael admitted, his eyes glowing with a fierce light. "But it only works if my attacks are merely light."
The Devil's eyes widened. "What—?"
With a sudden movement, Michael lunged forward, his legendary spear dancing through the air. The weapon itself glowed with a brilliance that seemed to pierce even the shadows of the battlefield.
The Devil tried to activate his power, but it faltered.
Michael's power wasn't just light—it was divine judgment, a force that transcended mere elemental energy.
The spear's edge tore through the Devil's defenses, cutting through his shoulder, drawing blood. The arrogant smirk turned into a panicked, pained grimace.
"What… what is this power?" he gasped.
"True light. The authority of Heaven's Judgment." Michael's voice was steady, his golden aura blazing brighter. "And you have been found wanting."
With a single, decisive motion, Michael drove his spear forward, piercing the Devil's chest. The force of the strike shattered what little resistance the Belial scion could muster.
The Devil collapsed, his body flickering before falling into unconsciousness, if not death. Michael's calm eyes swept over the battlefield, his presence now commanding, unyielding.
Meanwhile, the battle between Katerea and Arishem had reached its climax.
"Enough!" Katerea shrieked, her body contorting as the Leviathan's Abyss fully manifested, dark waters rising like fangs seeking to consume him. Her unstable power threatened to swallow everything, including herself.
"DIE, ARISHEM!"
Arishem's expression remained cold, emotionless as his Hand of Wrath glowed with an intense, silvery light. His Eyes of Judgment pierced through her, reading every fiber of her being.
"There is no salvation for you, Katerea Leviathan."
The Hand of Wrath unleashed its power.
A pillar of silver energy erupted from his palm, a devastating beam of pure annihilation. It tore through Katerea's monstrous form, unmaking her existence entirely.
The torrent of water, the chaotic power of the Leviathan's Abyss—all of it was reduced to nothingness. The air itself trembled under the weight of his attack.
When the blinding light faded, all that remained of Katerea Leviathan was a faint whisper of ash, carried away by the wind.
A grim silence fell over the battlefield.
"She was a fool," Arishem stated simply, his voice devoid of any satisfaction or regret. "Now, only the rest of you remain."
Yet as the dust settled, a different power emerged.
A deafening crash echoed through the air.
Vali Lucifer had beaten Issei Hyoudou into the ground. The Sekiryuutei's armor was cracked, blood seeping from the gaps. Despite his ferocity, Issei was no match for Vali's overwhelming mastery of the Divine Dividing.
"Well, that was disappointing." Vali's tone was filled with cold amusement, his silver-blue aura radiating supreme confidence. "I expected more from the Red Dragon Emperor."
Issei coughed, struggling to rise. "D-Damn… it…!"
Vali paid him no further attention, his gaze turning toward the real threat.
"Now then…" Vali's crimson eyes narrowed as they locked onto Arishem. "I was curious why the old man was so on edge about you. But now I understand."
The White Dragon Emperor's wings expanded, power swirling around him like a roaring tempest.
"A Seraphim who can erase existence itself. Interesting."
Arishem's eyes shifted toward Vali, his expression unreadable.
"You are the White Dragon Emperor, yes?"
Vali grinned. "That's right. And you're the Archangel who's been throwing around absurd power like it's nothing."
He lifted his hand, white energy converging around his gauntlet.
"How about you show me just how far that power goes?"
Arishem gazed at Vali with an unflinching stare. "You challenge me while this chaos unfolds around us?"
Vali shrugged. "Chaos or not, I've always been curious about the strength of an Archangel at his peak. Besides…" His eyes gleamed with manic excitement. "A fight like this doesn't come around every day."
Arishem's wings flared, his Hand of Wrath still alight with its merciless glow. "So be it."
The battlefield was now poised for a clash of legends.
One driven by curiosity and a lust for battle.
The other by divine authority and unyielding judgment.
And the world itself seemed to tremble in anticipation.
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The air was thick with tension as Vali Lucifer hovered in the sky, his silvery aura blazing with untamed power. His wings, gleaming with a metallic white sheen, spread wide as he stared down the Seraphim before him.
Arishem remained aloft, his twelve silver wings shimmering with an ethereal radiance. His gaze was calm, his expression a mask of cold indifference. The Hand of Wrath still glowed faintly, as if awaiting the command to annihilate.
"Come, White Dragon Emperor," Arishem said, his voice carrying across the battlefield like a divine decree. "Show me what you are so eager to prove."
Vali grinned, excitement dancing in his eyes. "I've been looking forward to this. Let's see if your power lives up to the legends."
Without warning, Vali shot forward, his speed breathtaking, a comet of silvery light blazing toward Arishem. His fist crashed into the Archangel's open palm, the force generating a shockwave that tore apart the air.
Arishem's eyes narrowed slightly. Vali was fast. Unnaturally fast.
"Is that all?" Arishem said with a hint of disdain.
Vali smirked, twisting his body midair. "Not even close."
A sudden blast of Divine Dividing's power slammed into Arishem, attempting to halve his strength. But the Archangel's Eyes of Judgment glowed, the oppressive force simply sliding off him like water off glass.
"Your power holds little authority over me, child," Arishem intoned.
Vali laughed, exhilaration clear in his voice. "Then I just need to hit harder!"
He unleashed a barrage of attacks, his fists and legs moving faster than most beings could comprehend. Each strike carried the force of an avalanche, yet Arishem met him with precision and calmness, the Hand of Wrath effortlessly blocking and parrying.
The ground below shattered under the sheer pressure of their clash.
"Your movements are refined, White Dragon Emperor. But skill without purpose is hollow." Arishem's Hand of Wrath shot forward, releasing a beam of silver light that Vali barely managed to dodge.
The attack sliced through the air, disintegrating a distant tree into nothingness.
Vali's eyes gleamed. "I knew it. You can do more than just erase things. You're holding back."
"Observation is a valuable skill," Arishem acknowledged. "Yet you fail to grasp the reality of your situation. You are challenging that which you cannot hope to overcome."
"Oh? We'll see about that." Vali's aura flared, and with it, the Divine Dividing's scales expanded, doubling the power and speed granted by his Balance Breaker.
He zipped around Arishem, his attacks coming from every direction. Blasts of concentrated energy, augmented strikes, and claw-like slashes rained down upon the Archangel.
But Arishem did not falter.
The Hand of Wrath lashed out like a judge's gavel, cleaving through the air and forcing Vali to dodge wildly. When Vali managed to land a blow, the Archangel's body seemed almost immovable, the force of his attacks failing to leave more than minor scratches.
"Your strength is commendable. But it will not be enough," Arishem stated coldly, his gaze never leaving Vali.
"Then I'll just have to surpass my limits," Vali shot back, his tone filled with pure, unadulterated excitement.
Vali thrust out his hand, releasing a concentrated blast of Divine Dividing's power, intending to crush Arishem's defenses with pure force.
The air trembled, yet Arishem raised his hand calmly. The Hand of Wrath shone brilliantly, releasing a wave of power that tore through Vali's attack and forced the White Dragon Emperor backward.
Vali's eyes widened as he fought to keep himself steady. "Damn. You really are something else."
"You have talent, boy," Arishem said, his voice echoing with authority. "But your arrogance blinds you to the truth. You are simply not ready."
Vali's expression twisted into one of pure determination. His aura flared, the white energy surrounding him becoming almost blinding.
"If that's what you think…"
He closed his eyes, his voice dropping into a low, focused chant.
"I, who am about to awaken,
The atmosphere trembled, a suffocating pressure building around Vali as his chant continued. The power he was gathering was monstrous, a culmination of rage, ambition, and twisted joy.
Arishem's silver eyes narrowed. This was not the mere Balance Breaker anymore. This was something far more dangerous.
The other leaders, locked in combat with the Old Satan Faction's forces, could only cast anxious glances toward the gathering storm that was Vali Lucifer.
And Arishem… merely observed.
"JUGGERNAUT DRIVE"
The world seemed to freeze in that single, terrifying moment. Vali's aura twisted and coiled around him, a blinding, silver-white blaze that howled with the malice of the past White Dragon Emperors. His form grew monstrous, dragon-like armor spreading over his body until he resembled a mythic beast clad in an unearthly, metallic sheen.
This was the Juggernaut Drive. The forbidden state that allowed him to draw upon the deepest well of the Divine Dividing's power at the cost of his sanity and life.
Above Kuoh Academy, the sky churned under the titanic aura radiating from Vali. Lightning crackled as if the heavens themselves trembled before the monstrous power now unleashed.
"Finally!" Vali's voice was deeper, distorted by the countless wills trapped within the Sacred Gear. His eyes glowed with savage delight, his draconic wings thrashing the air with unnatural force. "Let's see you stand against me now, Seraphim!"
"Very well." Arishem's silver eyes glowed with cold intensity. His twelve silver wings expanded to their full width, their radiance a stark contrast to Vali's overwhelming aura. The Hand of Wrath hummed with power as he raised it.
Vali attacked first.
His figure blurred, vanishing from sight only to reappear above Arishem. His clawed fist crashed down with the force of a meteor.
Arishem raised his Hand of Wrath, meeting the strike head-on. The impact unleashed a blast wave that tore through the air, splitting the clouds above and flattening the earth below. Trees bent and shattered, the earth itself groaning under the pressure of their collision.
"Is that it?" Arishem taunted, his expression impassive.
A laugh, dark and crazed, escaped Vali's throat. "You think you can keep up?!"
He released a hail of destructive blasts, the beams slashing through the air with surgical precision. Each blast had the power to level entire city blocks. But Arishem's Hand of Mercy rose in response, an invisible barrier forming that absorbed and nullified the attacks.
"Persistent."
Vali's next attack came instantly. His body was already in motion, fists and legs moving like a whirlwind, each strike possessing the strength to crush mountains.
Arishem weaved through the onslaught, his Eyes of Judgment analyzing every move, predicting each attack with a precision beyond mortal comprehension. Yet the Hand of Wrath didn't remain idle. It lashed out, releasing beams of light that carved through Vali's attacks and even tore off fragments of his armor.
"You haven't earned the right to challenge me." Arishem's voice was thunderous, his power spilling over. With a gesture, the Hand of Wrath released a concentrated blast of energy.
Vali retaliated with his attack, a brilliant Dragon Breath infused with the destructive energy of his Juggernaut Drive. The two forces collided mid-air, the resulting explosion a blinding, deafening roar that shook the very fabric of reality.
The skies trembled. The ground below splintered. The ocean miles away felt the tremors.
Vali emerged from the smoke, laughing madly. His body was brimming with power, the thrill of battle pushing him further. "Yes! This is it! Show me more, Seraphim!"
Arishem narrowed his gaze. "If you wish to be destroyed, then so be it."
He spread his arms wide. The Hand of Wrath and the Hand of Mercy pulsed with divine radiance. Twin beams of power shot forth, coiling around each other before converging on Vali. The blast tore through the air, its force like a judgment rendered from on high.
Vali met the attack head-on, his draconic aura surging forward. The collision split the air with an ear-splitting scream, the pressure forcing the very clouds to part.
They clashed again. And again. And again. Each exchange sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
But Arishem was far from done. His Eyes of Judgment gleamed, analyzing every facet of Vali's power. With a slight motion of his finger, the Hand of Wrath released another blast, this one shaped like a jagged spear of light.
Vali twisted his body just in time, the attack grazing his side and vaporizing part of his armor. He roared in response, his aura growing even more turbulent.
"I am not done yet!" Vali bellowed. His voice was laced with madness, the Juggernaut Drive's influence tearing away at his sanity.
He unleashed a flurry of blows that shattered the air. His speed, his power — all amplified beyond reason. And Arishem met him with equal ferocity.
Their clash became a battle of pure destruction and precision. Each blow that landed threatened to erase the surrounding landscape, the sky itself quaking from the sheer intensity of their fight.
But Arishem was not yet using his full strength. And Vali seemed to realize this.
"Why are you holding back?!" Vali roared, his claws burning with destructive light. "Show me your true power!"
Arishem's eyes glinted. "You wish to see my true strength?"
He extended his hand. The Hand of Wrath expanded, a blinding sphere of light forming above his palm, its size and intensity making the air itself shudder. The power emanating from it was like a supernova waiting to be unleashed.
But before he could release it, Vali's aura flared even brighter. His voice, filled with both desperation and exhilaration, echoed throughout the battlefield.
"I will surpass everything! Even the Heavens themselves!"