"Human beings are strong because we have the ability to change ourselves."
— Saitama, One Punch Man
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Roy casually dodged Katerea's attacks, then reached out with his right hand.
"Secret Art: Ice Archery."
An ice bow materialized in his hand, and he drew back the string, nocking an icy arrow.
The arrow shot forward, piercing through Katerea's magic circle in the blink of an eye.
It then split into countless arrows, raining down on Katerea.
Katerea's expression changed as she hastily erected a defensive magic circle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The barrage of ice arrows struck her defenses, but they didn't cause much damage.
"Damn it!" Katerea roared, summoning even more Magic Circles.
Countless magic tendrils lashed out at Roy.
"Secret Art: Ice Mountain!"
Roy extended his hand towards the tendrils.
An ice mountain materialized, instantly freezing the tendrils solid.
He then turned his attention to Katerea.
"Secret Art: 9-Ice Dragons!"
Nine ice dragons emerged, coiling around Katerea.
Caught off guard by this unfamiliar attack, Katerea was instantly frozen.
But Roy didn't relax.
He knew Katerea still had the power she had received from Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon.
As expected, black magic surged from within the ice, shattering the nine dragons.
"Hahahaha!" Katerea laughed triumphantly.
Her body was now enveloped in snake-like tendrils of magic, her power significantly amplified.
However, Ophis's power wasn't easily controlled. She couldn't fully utilize it.
"Prepare yourself, Roy Lucifuge!" Katerea sneered, pointing her staff at him.
She then fired another massive magic blast.
"You haven't learned your lesson, have you?" Roy taunted.
He conjured another ice mirror.
Katerea's attack struck the mirror and was reflected back at her.
"What?! How is that possible?!" Katerea dodged frantically, shocked.
She had thought her increased power would allow her to overwhelm Roy, but reality proved her wrong.
Her magic blast was once again reflected.
Katerea quickly changed tactics.
She summoned more magic circles, and thicker, more powerful tendrils lashed out at Roy.
It seemed she had learned her lesson and wouldn't use magic blasts anymore.
These magic tendrils were far stronger than before, and Roy didn't dare let them touch him.
"Secret Art: Ice Thousand Armed Kannon!"
Roy had no choice but to resort to this technique.
The Kannon's countless fists struck the tendrils.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magic tendrils and the Kannon clashed, each regenerating instantly whenever they were destroyed.
It became a battle of attrition.
But Katerea, with Ophis's power supporting her, wasn't afraid of a drawn-out fight.
Roy smirked. "It seems I have to use that technique."
"Mahapadma!"
The entire area around the new school building was frozen in time and space.
Even Sirzechs and the other Maou-Class, who hadn't been affected by Gasper's time stop, were frozen solid.
Roy chuckled.
He didn't waste any time.
He conjured his ice rose sword and appeared before Katerea, decapitating her with a single strike.
Then, time resumed.
Sirzechs and the others sensed that something had happened.
They saw that Roy had already killed Katerea.
"Were we... frozen in time?" Michael asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"It didn't feel like time manipulation," Azazel commented, unable to recall any Sacred Gear with such an ability.
"Roy-kun must have done it," Serafall said, looking at Roy in surprise.
Sirzechs remained silent, but he was shocked.
He was a Super Devil, surpassing even Maou-Class.
Yet, he had been frozen in time without even realizing it.
His brother-in-law's power was unfathomable.
While the leaders were reeling from their shock, Vali's eyes lit up.
He had been waiting for this opportunity, the moment Roy used his time-stop ability.
Without that technique, Vali was confident he could defeat Roy.
And such a powerful ability must have limitations.
He wasn't worried about Roy using it again so soon.
Vali burst through the window and flew into the sky, confronting Roy.
"Vali?" Azazel frowned, watching Vali's actions.
"It seems the traitor among us is him," Michael said, his eyes narrowed.
"Sorry, Azazel, but this seems more interesting," Vali replied, glancing at them.
Azazel sighed.
"Vali, there's something I need to ask you," Azazel said.
"Hmm?" Vali looked at him questioningly.
"Shemhazai, my Vice-Governor, discovered a group gathering dangerous individuals from the three factions. I heard it's called the Khaos Brigade, led by Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon," Azazel revealed.
Even Sirzechs and the others were surprised.
"Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon?"
"One of The Strongest Dragons, feared even by God?"
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"It's true that I'm working with Ophis..." Vali admitted. "But I'm not interested in ruling the world. I just want to fight strong opponents."
He looked at Roy with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"I thought you might have joined forces with Katerea. After all, both of you had your positions stolen. You must have a lot in common," Azazel commented.
Seeing that Vali wasn't allied with Katerea, Azazel was relieved.
He had raised Vali since childhood and considered him like a son.
He didn't want Vali to stray down the wrong path.
His words surprised Serafall and the others.
Vali ignored Azazel.
"White Dragon Emperor! Balance Breaker!" he roared, activating his [Balance Breaker].
"Vali, feeling confident again, are we?" Roy chuckled, his arms crossed.
"Hmph! This time, I will defeat you!" Vali declared, charging towards Roy without further ado.
"Vali, do you really think I'm helpless now that I've used that technique?" Roy asked with a playful grin. "Let me show you something interesting."
He reached out with his hand, summoning a magic circle.
He then pulled a sword from the magic circle.
It was Ascalon, the [Dragon Slayer] sword.
Vali's eyes widened in surprise.
"It's a Dragon Slayer sword. You'll be injured if you're struck by it," Albion warned him.
"Then I just have to avoid getting hit, right?" Vali replied confidently.
He charged towards Roy.
Roy met his attack with his sword.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They clashed, exchanging countless blows.
With the Dragon Slayer sword in hand, Roy felt no restrictions.
His powerful swordsmanship overwhelmed Vali, who couldn't risk a direct clash with the Holy Sword.
The situation was completely reversed from their previous encounter.
Vali was now the one on the defensive, desperately dodging Roy's attacks.
Unable to endure this any longer, Vali activated his [Juggernaut Drive] once again.
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[Juggernaut Drive!!!]
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With his Juggernaut Drive active, Vali's speed increased dramatically. He appeared before Roy in an instant.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tide seemed to have turned.
Vali moved with incredible speed, relentlessly attacking Roy.
Roy could only defend himself, unable to counterattack.
But a prolonged defense was bound to fail.
If Vali managed to land a single hit, the balance of power would shift completely.
Roy understood this, so he closed his eyes, calming his mind.
His actions confused Sirzechs and the others.
"Is Roy giving up?" Azazel wondered with a chuckle.
He would be happy if Vali won, after all.
"Is he no match for the White Dragon Emperor without his time-stop ability?" Michael mused.
"I believe the White Dragon Emperor has already lost," Sirzechs declared confidently.
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When Roy opened his eyes, his expression was calm and serene, as if he could see through everything.
Vali's movements, though still incredibly fast, seemed to slow down in his eyes.
Roy could see through every attack.
He had activated the Transparent World.
This was a state achieved by Yoriichi Tsugikuni in the Demon Slayer world.
It was the "Transparent World" reached only after pushing oneself to the absolute limit and enduring immense pain.
And now, Roy had mastered it.
He effortlessly dodged Vali's next attack and casually struck him with the Dragon Slayer sword.
"No way!!" Vali gasped, feeling the wound on his chest.
"Damn it..." He didn't dwell on how he had been hit. His Juggernaut Drive wouldn't last much longer.
He charged at Roy again.
But Roy's sword seemed to anticipate his every move. As Vali threw another punch, the Dragon Slayer sword effortlessly sliced through his armor, creating another wound.
"Vali, your Juggernaut Drive is reaching its limit. If you continue, you'll damage your life force," Albion warned.
But Vali ignored him and attacked again.
Thwack!
The same result. Another wound appeared on Vali's body.
This time, Roy added a kick for good measure.
Vali was sent flying, crashing to the ground.
Roy landed beside him.
"Well, Vali, do you yield?" he asked with a smirk.
Vali was in a worse state than before, his chest covered in deep wounds.
His Juggernaut Drive had deactivated.
"Why?" he asked, his expression blank.
"There's no need for 'why.' I am simply stronger than you.," Roy replied with a shrug.
"And by the way, I can use that technique more than once."
Vali's eyes widened in shock.
He had assumed Roy couldn't use his time-stop ability consecutively, so he had tried to take advantage of that.
But Roy had just told him he could use it repeatedly.
This was a devastating blow to his confidence.
Just then, the sky shattered like a mirror.
A figure descended.
"Bikou, what are you doing here?" Vali asked, looking at the newcomer.
"I came to retrieve you for the battle against the Norse Gods in the north. It seems I arrived just in time," Bikou replied, surprised to see Vali's injuries.
"Is it time already?" Vali asked flatly.
"Who did you fight?" Bikou couldn't help but ask, curious.
"Isn't he right there?" Vali glanced at Roy.
Bikou followed his gaze.
"Oh? He doesn't look that strong," Bikou commented skeptically.
"Let's go. We have to leave now."
"Alright."
Bikou helped Vali to his feet and prepared to leave.
Roy didn't stop them.
"I'll defeat you next time," Vali declared, looking at Roy with determination.
"I'll be waiting," Roy replied with a smile.
Bikou and Vali then teleported away.
Roy looked up and saw that the barrier had vanished.
It seemed Esdeath and the others had succeeded.
He returned to the conference room.
"That was Bikou, wasn't it? I didn't expect him to join the Khaos Brigade," Azazel commented.
"Yes," Roy confirmed.
"Now that there are no more interruptions, we can sign the peace treaty."
Sirzechs and the others agreed.
The three factions successfully signed the peace treaty.
Just then, the door opened.
Esdeath and the other girls entered.
"Roy, we've taken care of all the Magicians outside," Esdeath reported.
"Good work," Roy said with a nod.
"Are these Roy servants? They're quite impressive," Azazel commented, observing the girls.
Sirzechs also nodded in approval.
"Roy, what exactly happened earlier?" Rias asked, her curiosity overflowing.
She had been too focused on the peace treaty to ask when they were released from the time stop.
"We'll talk about it later. Just know that the three factions have successfully signed a peace treaty," Roy replied with a smile.
"Ah, that's right." Rias decided not to press further.
The three factions had reached a peace agreement, but maintaining that peace would require the continued efforts of those present.
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