"Enjoy your life today. Yesterday is gone, and the tomorrow might never come.""
— Takeshi Yamamoto, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
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"Whether God lives or dies doesn't matter to me," Kokabiel continued, his voice rising in a frenzy. "What I can't accept is that they think the war should end just because God and the Satans are dead!"
"I won't tolerate it! I won't!"
Kokabiel's voice became a desperate cry. "If the war had continued, we would have been victorious!"
Everyone finally understood.
Kokabiel believed that the Fallen Angels were the true victors of the Great War.
He couldn't accept that the three factions had agreed to a ceasefire at the last moment.
To him, it was like handing over the fruits of victory to their enemies.
That's why he was so desperate to reignite the war.
To achieve his twisted goal of continuing the conflict.
Roy had heard enough of his story.
He glanced at Esdeath.
Understanding his intent, Esdeath drew her rapier, ready to deliver the final blow to Kokabiel.
But just then...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the air as a large hole was torn in the spatial barrier.
'Here we go,' Roy thought.
A white figure emerged from the rift in the barrier and flew towards Esdeath with incredible speed.
Roy intercepted him.
Clang!
A deafening clash resounded as Roy's ice rose sword met the newcomer's attack.
"Who are you?" Esdeath demanded, her eyes narrowed.
"I am Albion," the newcomer replied. "Azazel has asked me to bring Kokabiel back. Would you mind handing him over?"
Albion was the name of the White Dragon Emperor's Sacred Gear.
The newcomer's true identity was Vali Lucifer, Leader of Vali Team of the Khaos Brigade.
"Kokabiel has been causing trouble on my territory. You think I'll just hand him over? Do you think you have that much pull?" Roy scoffed.
Although Kokabiel hadn't caused any significant damage to Kuoh Town yet, handing him over wouldn't be a problem.
After all, Roy didn't dislike Vali.
But more importantly, Roy wanted to fight Vali and test his own strength.
He hadn't had a chance to go all out yet.
Even he wasn't sure of the full extent of his power.
"However, I will let you take Kokabiel, if you can defeat me," Roy declared, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Vali understood his intentions.
"Very well. Roy Lucifuge, I shall defeat you here and now," Vali declared, pointing at Roy with unwavering confidence.
Roy smirked and flew towards Vali, their eyes meeting in a silent challenge.
"Roy..." Asia clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with worry.
"Don't worry, Asia. Roy will win," Saeko reassured her.
"Why not just hand over Kokabiel?" Tsubaki Shinra wondered, glancing at the Fallen Angel, who lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
It seemed to her that handing him over would avoid a conflict with this new enemy, who appeared far stronger than Kokabiel.
"There's no stopping a true warrior's thirst for battle," Esdeath commented with a chuckle. She understood this desire all too well.
Her words enlightened the others.
❁❁❁❁❁
In the sky, the tension between Roy and Vali crackled.
Roy made the first move.
"Secret Art: Ice Princess Rose!"
Two translucent ice roses materialized in his hands, one in each, and shot towards Vali with incredible speed.
If they touched Vali, he would be instantly frozen.
However, Vali was incredibly fast. The two ice roses, despite their speed, couldn't catch him. Vali closed the distance between them.
'I can't let him touch me,' Roy thought.
One of the abilities of the White Dragon Emperor's armor was [Divide], which halved the opponent's power upon contact.
And it activated every ten seconds.
If hit by this ability, one's power would be quickly depleted.
In the original story, Kokabiel had fallen victim to this ability, leading to his swift defeat at Vali's hands.
Moreover, the halved power was absorbed by Vali, further increasing his strength.
Without a countermeasure, facing Vali was a sure path to defeat.
Roy couldn't let Vali touch him.
"Secret Art: Ice 9-Dragons!"
9 Ice Dragons materialized and charged towards Vali.
But Vali simply flew straight into the ice dragons.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Ice shards scattered through the air.
Vali had shattered the Ice Dragons.
However, after destroying the second and third dragons, his momentum faltered, and he was engulfed by the remaining ones.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of freezing echoed as Vali's body was encased in ice. He plummeted towards the ground.
"Is it over?" the girls below wondered, seeing Vali frozen solid.
They knew how powerful this technique was.
No one had ever broken free from it before.
Esdeath stared at the ice with a fervent gaze.
Roy had been teaching her this technique, but she hadn't mastered it yet. Her control over ice was still too crude.
Roy, however, shook his head, hearing their comments.
He didn't believe Vali was defeated so easily.
As if to confirm his suspicions, a brilliant light emanated from within the ice.
Then, Vali's voice boomed through the air, filled with power and authority.
[Juggernaut Drive!!!!!!!!!!]
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As Vali finished his chant, cracks appeared on the Ice Mountain.
Boom!
The ice shattered, and Vali emerged, his Form Transformed.
He had activated his [Juggernaut Drive].
However, it couldn't be maintained for long, as it consumed his life force.
Vali, having broken free, didn't hesitate.
He charged towards Roy with even greater speed.
"Secret Art: Ice Archery!"
Roy conjured an ice bow and nocked an arrow.
He loosed the arrow, which split into a barrage of icy projectiles.
Vali, however, didn't dodge. He relied on his armor and flew straight through the rain of arrows.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He broke through the barrage and continued his assault.
He reached Roy in an instant and threw a punch.
The rapid series of events left the girls below speechless.
They gasped as Vali's fist was about to connect.
But Roy remained calm.
He summoned his ice rose sword and parried the attack.
The two clashed, their movements a blur.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their battle was incredibly intense, exchanging countless blows in a matter of seconds.
Roy couldn't shake Vali off and could only rely on his swordsmanship to defend himself.
Vali threw another punch.
Roy raised his sword to block, but...
Crack!
His ice rose sword shattered.
Vali's fist struck Roy.
"It's over!" Vali grinned triumphantly from within his armor.
He had touched Roy.
"Divide!" the White Dragon Emperor's armor declared.
Roy felt his power diminish, halved by Vali's ability.
Vali, on the other hand, absorbed Roy's lost power, becoming even stronger.
Roy couldn't help but smile wryly.
Despite his caution, he had been touched.
It seems I have to use that technique, he thought.
"I didn't want to resort to this, but I have no choice," Roy declared.
"Mahāpadma!"
The entire space within the barrier was engulfed in an icy blue light.
Everything froze.
Only Roy could move freely.
He had used Esdeath's technique, Mahāpadma.
And his version was even more potent than Esdeath's, as evidenced by its wider area of effect.
"Now, it's time to end this," Roy said with a smirk.
He snapped his fingers.
"Secret Art: Ice Thousand Armed Kannon!"
A thousand-meter tall Kannon statue materialized, its countless arms raining down on Vali.
Within seconds, Vali was pummeled with countless blows, driven deep into the earth, the ground cracking under the force of the assault.
When Mahāpadma's time-stop effect wore off, the girls saw that Vali had vanished from the sky, replaced by a massive crater.
Only Esdeath knew that Roy had used Mahāpadma.
Vali lay at the bottom of the crater, his body battered and bruised, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion.
He had been so close to victory, having touched Roy and activated [Divide].
But then, he had been pummeled and sent crashing into the earth.
Even his [Juggernaut Drive] had been deactivated.
"What... just happened?" he mumbled, his voice weak.
"Partner, it seems you've encountered a time-stopping Sacred Gear," Albion, the White Dragon Emperor, said.
"There's a Sacred Gear called 'Longinus' that can stop time."
"Stop time..." Vali finally understood how he had been defeated.
But he was filled with frustration. He was supposed to be the strongest White Dragon Emperor in history.
Yet, he had been defeated so easily by someone his own age, especially when he had been so close to victory.
His confidence was shaken.
"Hahahaha!" Roy burst into laughter, hearing Albion's assumption.
"I don't have such a Sacred Gear!" he declared, flying down to the bottom of the crater and looking at Vali with a smug grin.
In the original story, Gasper, when controlled by an enemy, had used his time-stopping ability on the Satans during a meeting.
However, only Koneko and a few others with weaker powers had been affected.
The Satans themselves remained unaffected, simply because Gasper was too weak.
"No way.." Vali said, refusing to believe him.
"Suit yourself. I'm not interested in revealing my abilities," Roy shrugged.
Vali fell silent.
"Don't worry, someone will come for you soon," Roy reassured him before flying out of the crater.
"Roy-onii-chan, are you alright?"
"Are you hurt?"
"Roy-sama, you were amazing!"
"Roy-sama is so strong!"
...
The girls surrounded Roy as soon as he landed, their voices filled with concern and admiration.
"Haha, don't worry, I'm fine," Roy chuckled.
"That guy is the one who's hurt. He won't be recovering for a while," he added, pointing at the crater.
The girls were relieved to see he was unharmed.
Just then...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Another hole appeared in the spatial barrier.
A dark figure flew towards them.
The girls tensed up, ready to fight.
"Don't worry, everyone," Roy said calmly.
He knew who it was.
Azazel, Governor General of the Fallen Angels.
He was a Fallen Angel who had fallen from grace to pursue his desires, but he was generally a laid-back and easygoing individual.
"Yo! Good evening, everyone!" Azazel greeted them with a casual wave.
"Azazel, Governor General of the Fallen Angels. Why are you here?" Rias asked, then, noticing the barely conscious Kokabiel, she understood.
"Well, it's just as you've guessed," Azazel admitted with a shrug. "I noticed Kokabiel's recent activities and intended to stop him, but it seems you beat me to it."
"To avoid unnecessary complications, I asked the White Dragon Emperor to bring Kokabiel back."
The girls understood.
After all, Kokabiel was a Fallen Angel cadre.
If Azazel, intervened directly, it might be seen as an act of aggression.
And if news of this incident spread, it could lead to mistrust and tension between the three factions.
A new War might even break out.
But now, Azazel had no choice but to come, as Vali, whom he had entrusted with retrieving Kokabiel, had been defeated.
"In that case, take them both," Roy said, gesturing towards Kokabiel and Vali.
"Uh..." Azazel was surprised by his easy agreement.
Hadn't Roy said he would only release Kokabiel if Azazel defeated him?
Azazel knew he was no match for Roy. He couldn't even counter that time-stop technique.
Seeing his confusion, Roy chuckled. "I just wanted to fight that guy. Kokabiel hasn't caused any real damage to Kuoh Town anyway."
"If you don't take him back for treatment soon, he might actually die."
Azazel looked at Roy thoughtfully.
"Thank you, young man," he said with a smile.
He picked up Kokabiel and then retrieved Vali from the crater.
"I'll defeat you next time," Vali declared, looking at Roy with determination.
"Haha, I'll be waiting," Roy replied with a grin.
Azazel then left with Kokabiel and Vali.
"Vali, what do you think of that young man?" Azazel asked.
"He's strong. Very strong. Until I find a way to counter that technique, I'm no match for him," Vali admitted, his eyes closed.
"Indeed, he's quite remarkable."
"Roy Lucifuge, Grayfia's younger Brother, one of the Five Young Kings" Azazel mused.
Vali etched that name into his memory.
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