I stared at Xali then turned away. "Let's fight away from people. Too many people have been used for your devilish schemes. Since it's just us two, there should be no reason for us to have our battle in a place where we can both go all out."
Xali stared at me then closed his eyes. "That's fine by me."
Xali snapped his fingers and warped us to an open area. He opened his eyes and crossed his arms. I looked around and nodded. We were finally away from all other civilization.
"What is this place..?" Ryan asked.
"The battlefield where Nexus fought against Azazel. Royal Greens was a very historical place. With me being an Azazel Clan member, and Claudio being the incarnation of Nexus basically...It is only right we battle at the source." Xali said.
Lotus rested his scythe against his shoulder and looked around. "Heh...I'm surprised you even followed through with his request."
Rapunzel watched the two of us then looked at Jabril, Yuki, and Daisy. She was just as nervous as they were. Daisy was the most worried about me, but she had the most faith in me.
Addis crossed his arms and looked at Eve. "Does he have a chance at winning?"
"It's hard to tell taken Azazel Clan members are amongst the strongest of Fallen Angels, but this new Trinity Form that Claudio has...it is nearing Godly Levels of power, however there is no data upon this new form." Eve said.
"No Data..?" Addis asked.
"No one has achieved such a form, but I can say that this form is exactly like Nexus's God Form, it's just incomplete. I'm hoping to collect some data on this form." Eve said.
Aria stared at me and looked a bit nervous. "Claudio..."
Xali lowered his arms and his eyes shined. "Allow me to share a little secret with you, Claudio."
I stared at Xali and lowered my guard as he lowered his. "What?"
"The Fallen Angels and Royals of Hell respect you more than you realize. Over the years...the Fabled Savior has never been heard of. We all thought Leo was The Savior taken he was the only one who could rival Suxen...but then you came along. The Fallen Angels and Archdemons have been watching you closely. You're connected to Lilith, the mother of all devils and Nexus, creator of the Seraphs. No one has been able to achieve that." Xali said.
"I appreciate your praises, but what does that have to do with me?" I asked.
Xali smirked and closed his eyes. "It means that you're technically the strongest human to ever walk the Earth, but even you know your power was handed to you...which isn't a bad thing however, seeing how you've been moving...you are actually more skilled than I realized. You killed Vance didn't you?"
Ryan grunted and looked at me. "What..? How? Was he boosted by Alice's power?"
Xali nodded and stared at me. "That only means your power is relative to that of your own mother, which shouldn't be surprising. You are the son of Luke Rose after all, the first of many perfect creations."
I scoffed then crossed my arms. "I already know what I am...so instead of praising me like your instincts are telling you to, how about we get this show on the road."
"I, Xali Azazel, Descendant of Azazel, Embodiment of War...shall defeat you and not only defeat you..." Xali said then got into his stance. "I will kill you...Claudio Angels!"
I got into my stance then smirked. "I'd love to see you try!"
Xali and I dashed toward each other then clashed. I pushed him back and went for a few punches, but Xali dodged them and went for multiple counter attacks. I evaded the counter attacks then struck his stomach with a powerful blow then followed it with a series of strikes, finishing with an uppercut to knock him upwards.
I flew after him then struck him with my knee, causing him to groan. I rushed him with a powerful flurry of strikes then knocked him to the ground. Xali flew back up toward me, going for the attack. I blocked his strike then began to evade his flurry of attacks.
Addis watched us and crossed his arms. "They are evenly matched...Xali's power only keeps growing."
"Xali is the Embodiment of War basically. Azazel was the previous War Incarnate so it only makes sense...however." Eve said.
I blocked Xali's next attack then grabbed his arm, spinning him around then threw him to the ground. Xali landed on his feet and looked up. He rose an eyebrow and watched me.
I snapped my fingers then formed a Calamity Discharge in my hand then threw it at him. Xali conjured a ball of deep red energy then hurled it at my attack. The two orbs of energy collided then exploded. I watched the smoke cloud then sensed Xali had appeared behind me, but was too slow to react. Xali struck me with a powerful blow with demonic aura surrounding his fist.
I groaned as I was knocked to the ground then slowly sat up. 'What the hell..? He grew exponentially stronger in just five minutes..?'
Xali chuckled and looked down at me. "Come on, Claudio! That isn't all you've got right?!"
'Addis fought Xali back when we saved Xenia and Esther...He had trouble against him. Xali has no weakness and I'm not growing any stronger than him because Xali is an Omega Angel. I need to think of something quick...' I thought to myself as I stood up.
I crossed my arms then chuckled. "Now it's time to get serious. Dearie, let's do it."
"Yeah!" Dearie said.
Xali watched me then rose an eyebrow. "Hm..?"
I propelled myself toward Xali then vanished. A barrage of energy blades flew toward Xali and he deflected each one then looked back to see a shower of Light Blasts headed his way. He used his wings to block the barrage of Light Blasts then groaned as I came down with a powerful kick to his stomach. I bellowed and used my aura to propel us to the ground then we crashed on the ground.
"Claudio isn't growing any stronger..." Addis said.
"Dearie can't amplify his potential because he's already reached the highest he can go. Any more would most likely kill him, but he's still strong enough to deal with Xali." Eve said.
"Come on Xali! Stop toying with this bastard and kill him already!" Lotus bellowed.
Daisy watched nervously and held her hands together then closed her eyes. 'Claudio...please win for us..!'
Xali and I collided then grappled each other's hands. He smirked and chuckled as he tried to overpower me. I smirked as well then chuckled softly.
"Compared to Addis...you're not doing half bad for a human imitating a True Angel!" Xali said.
"Up until now, you're the strongest opponent I've faced! However, I can't let you win!" I said then headbutt Xali.
He groaned then stumbled backwards. I kicked him away then flew after him. Dearie created multiple Live Decoys around Xali and they rushed him with attacks then one knocked him toward me. I bellowed and pressed a Light Blast against his body then blew him away.
Xali crashed into a massive rock pillar then groaned softly. He looked up and grunted as a large Holy Lance flew toward him then he got out of the way and his eyes widened as he heard the explosion that followed behind the lance.
"Xali grows stronger by the second! We need to defeat him now!" Dearie warned.
I nodded as I flew toward Xali at high speeds then stopped time. I formed four Light Blasts around Xali then resumed time. The Light Blasts struck Xali then a massive explosion happened. The smoke cleared and revealed Xali had taken no damage.
"What..?!" I said in disbelief.
Xali laughed then his dark aura surged powerfully around his body. "Now it's my turn..."
Xali swiftly struck my body with a powerful gut punch then landed a powerful kick, knocking me away. I groaned as I flew backwards then recovered in the air, only to see Xali above me. He landed a powerful double axe handle on me, knocking me to the ground. He laughed as he formed a massive sphere of dark energy above himself.
"Die! Hell Storm!" Xali bellowed then his sphere of dark energy began to release a barrage of lasers at me.
Dearie formed Live Decoys of herself and began spamming her Laser Blasts to collide with Xali's Hell Storm. Slowly the number of decoys began to diminish until she was the only one left.
"This is it! You're finished!" Xali laughed then warped in front of me with his orb of energy. "Omega Flash!"
Xali fired a beam of dark energy at me from point blank range then a massive explosion happened. Everyone saw the explosion and watched with anticipation.
"Claudio!" Jabril yelled then grunted. She tried to rush toward me, but Rapunzel stopped her. "What are you doing?!"
"If you go out there, you will die! This isn't something we can get in between. Not anymore..." Rapunzel said.
Jabril watched the giant smoke cloud then heard Addis grunting. She looked over toward Addis then felt a burst of aura. She looked back over and and noticed a pillar of silver aura shooting to the sky.
Xali guarded his face and chuckled. "Even from a point blank Omega Flash, you're still standing! Your willpower is truly amazing! You, Claudio Angels, are a force to be reckoned with!"
I panted softly then my mask fell off my face then I fell onto one knee.
"I'm sorry Claudio, but your body is becoming strained to use the Trinity Form any longer." Nexus said.
I chuckled softly and stood up then my wings slowly dispersed. "I'm not down just yet...I can still go on!"
I dashed toward Xali and bellowed. Xali laughed then struck my stomach, blowing me away then flew after me. I recovered and ran across the forest then Dearie struck me with her Digital Pulse and began to augment my condition. I threw a Light Blast toward Xali and he watched as it curved upwards.
"Look! It's Claudio, but he's back in his base form!" Eve said.
"No..." Daisy said as she watched.
I turned around and formed two True Light Blasts in my hands then bellowed. I merged them together. "This is it! Taste my True Holy Beacon!"
Xali grunted then watched as I fired my beam of energy at him then fired a large orb of dark energy at my attack. The two moves collided and began to generate high winds and shockwaves. I closed my eyes tightly then felt a hand touch my back and opened my eyes.
"Keep pushing, My Angel." Mihr's spirit said.
"Everyone! Give me your prayers! Right now!" I bellowed.
Jabril knew what I was asking for then began praying. A silver light surrounded her hands then I began to collect the energy Jabril was giving off. Everyone else followed suit and began to boost my power via Prayer.
Xali felt that I was growing stronger by the second and grunted. "How is he growing stronger..?!"
I bellowed and my beam began to push Xali's attack away then he flew out of the way of my attack and flew toward me. I smirked and dodged Xali then clapped my hands together. "Checkmate..."
Xali noticed a large shadow form on the ground then looked up and his eyes widened. "What the hell is that..?!"
"Everyone take cover!" Addis yelled then ran from the area.
"What the heck is that?!" Jabril asked as she flew away from the radius of the large orb of energy that was crashing down.
"Sunlight Bomb..." I said then watched as Xali tried to stop it.
Xali groaned as the pressure of the attack was too great for him to handle then a massive explosion happened, causing a bright light to shine. Everyone watched from a distance and looked surprised. The trees that were once there was reduced to nothing but dust. The ground of the area was broken and geysers had formed.
The smoke cleared and they noticed I was still standing. I looked at the sky and closed my eyes then fell back, passing out due to exhaustion.
Xali grunted softly as he slowly sat up. He panted heavily and watched me. 'This human...holds this much power?! How could he have bested me by this much?!'
Xali slowly stood up and walked toward me then looked down at me. Xali closed his eyes and gave me enough energy to at least wake up and stand. Ryan and Lotus were surprised.
"Xali?! Kill him! What are you doing?!" Lotus yelled.
I opened my eyes and looked at Xali then sat up. I slowly stood up and stared down Xali. Xali closed his eyes and walked away. I watched as he walked off.
"You won, I lost." Xali said as he walked off. "Usually I can't admit my losses, but you are different, Savior of Mankind. From this point on, you better keep getting stronger because the Fallen Angels will be watching you very closely now. Especially the Lucifer Clan."
I looked at Xali and watched him create a magic circle under himself, Lotus, and Ryan.
"And you better take good care of my sister! She didn't betray us for no reason!" Xali said then smirked.
I chuckled and rubbed under my nose with my finger. "Let's fight again, next time we meet...I'll be way stronger!"
"I'm sure you will, Savior." Xali said then warped away with Lotus and Ryan.
I closed my eyes and smiled. "He's still an angel at the end of the day, it was only natural that he'd respect me."
"I agree." Dearie said and smiled.
"Cloudy!!" Daisy yelled as she ran toward me and tackled me into a hug.
I grunted and fell to the ground. "Ow! Ow! Easy, Daisy! Easy!"
Yuki smiled as she watched us. "He saved them, he saved East Spring and West Spring..."
"I wouldn't say completely saved them, but I can say that my angel did phenomenal~" A familiar voice said.
Jabril looked up and noticed Mihr then grunted. "Mihr..!"
Addis quickly looked at Mihr and his eyes widened. "The Legendary Alpha Angel..?"
Mihr smiled at me then looked at everyone else. "Claudio has really proved he has what it truly takes to stop Suxen, the Devil Incarnate. Apparently so much, I have someone that thinks so as well..~ You can stop hiding now!~"
They watched a figure in a white cloak walk forward. The figure took off their cloak then Yuki, Rapunzel, and Jabril looked surprised to see who the person was.
I looked over and noticed a woman in white. "Who is that?"
Daisy looked over as well then grunted and her eyes widened. "Tempest?!"
Tempest looked the exact opposite of what I believed she was going to look like. She was a beautiful fair skinned woman with long bluish silver hair, silver colored eyes, and an attractive figure. She looked really shy and kind.
"That's Tempest?! The woman who tried to destroy Dearie Corps?!" I asked.
"It was for a good cause! It was Suxen who ruined my plans!" Tempest whined and looked down. "But because I am an Alice Unit, I couldn't betray him until now when Mihr saved me! Claudio, you're what my faction needs! You're the guy that we've been looking for!"
I grunted softly and closed my eyes, remembering the documents. "This is all confusing but at the same time I can understand. You wanted out, but you went about it the wrong way..."
"I know..." Tempest said and looked down.
Dearie flew over to Tempest then scanned her. Tempest watched Dearie and watched her fly back over to me.
"She's the Original Tempest." Dearie said.
"I have a lot of questions, but that can wait until later...for now, we go back to the ball and celebrate." I said.
Everyone smiled at me and agreed with me then Mihr warped us back to Neo Spring City into the ballroom.
Cecilia looked up and her eyes widened. "Claudio!"
Astar, Madris, and Detre looked up as well and their eyes showed their relief. I smiled at them and chuckled softly. Even Ashera and Kasula were surprised to see that I was still alive. Elma and Chassie smiled happily at me, relieved to see me still standing and smiling again.
"What do you all say about getting this party started?" I said and walked forward.
The light in everyone's hearts returned and we all began to enjoy the ball together.
____________________
"You're a foolish man, Xali! You should've taken the time to kill him while you had the chance!" Lotus scolded.
"I can't. He isn't at his best yet. That's what Suxen wants anyway. He wants to see Claudio at his best and I'm telling you he isn't at his full potential. Besides, if you want to kill him so badly, I guess third time's the charm." Xali said.
Suxen chuckled at Xali's casual joke then pointed at Xali, firing a beam through his chest. Everyone looked at Suxen surprised and watched Xali fall to his knees.
"Useless and you think you can crack jokes after such a performance. If anyone had the best chance at beating him, it was you, but I guess I need to find another Fallen Angel Clan. The Azazel Clan just wasn't enough..." Suxen said.
Xali grunted softly and his eyes shined brightly. Xali warped away before Suxen could finish him off.
"He wants to run huh? Lotus. Catch him...and kill him." Suxen said.
Lotus hesitated a bit then warped away to find Xali. Ryan was stuck in disbelief of what he just saw.
"Ryan. I'll let you go unpunished for now. I do have a a job for you. Apparently the Original Alice is missing. I need you to find out where she is and report back to me. You can't possibly fail this one." Suxen said.
"Y-Yes Father." Ryan said then warped away.
"With Leo gone, we can't possibly fail. Claudio, no matter how strong you get...Your real father is always going to cut you down." Suxen said then looked at the Wonder Star that was on his desk.