"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...
Within Kuoh Academy, the deafening explosions continued to erupt, a clear sign that the fierce battle was still ongoing.
The traitors from the three major factions, led by the Old Satan Faction, appeared to have the upper hand. They relentlessly suppressed the faction guards, causing many to scream in agony as smoke billowed from their bodies, falling from midair, barely clinging to life.
Some devils, when struck by the light-based powers of the fallen angels or the exorcist weapons of the Church, didn't even leave behind a corpse. They were completely purified, vanishing into motes of light and dissipating into nothingness.
Under such circumstances, the attacks originally aimed at the school building began to shift targets, now focusing on the circular barrier on the ground, which was being bombarded repeatedly without pause.
"This is bad..."
Michael, seeing Gabriel alone maintaining the barrier to protect everyone, could no longer stand by. He immediately lent his power, channeling a massive amount of light energy into the barrier, strengthening it significantly.
The others, however, were still in shock from Vali's betrayal and had yet to react.
"The White Dragon Emperor actually joined the Khaos Brigade...?"
"This is terrible..."
Rias and the others wore grim expressions.
Instead, Serafall and Sirzechs seemed to have had a realization.
"No wonder you were able to appear inside the barrier so easily—it turns out someone on the inside helped you."
Kuoh Academy had been surrounded by a high-intensity barrier, including the school building where the meeting room was located, all protected by powerful defensive enchantments.
With the barrier's isolation, it should have been impossible for unauthorized individuals to teleport or transfer inside via magic circles. Only those like Kaiser, who were invited and granted access, would be pre-approved and able to teleport in.
So naturally, the terrorists from the Khaos Brigade should not have been on that list. The fact that they could teleport directly into the barrier was already suspicious.
Originally, Sirzechs and the others were puzzled as to how the enemy managed to pull this off.
Now it was clear—Vali had connected the inside of the academy and school building to an outside teleportation magic circle or portal.
"Vali! You bastard...!"
Issei Hyoudou shouted furiously at Vali, who was hovering in midair, furious at the betrayal.
Unfortunately, Vali never once looked at him. In fact, he acted as if Issei didn't exist, as if expressing disappointment toward something he once looked forward to. Instead, his gaze fell on someone within the barrier below.
Coincidentally, Shalba and the others were also looking at the same person, focusing their attention on him.
"The God-Slaying Holy Spear Wielder, the Hero Faction's rising star, Kaiser."
Shalba spoke coldly.
"Why are you here? Why are you on their side?"
This leader of the Old Satan Faction finally addressed Kaiser directly.
From the start of the attack until now, Kaiser had remained silent, his expression unchanged, as if he were merely a calm bystander, detached from the chaos.
Even when Vali suddenly turned traitor and launched an attack, Kaiser showed no reaction, as if he wasn't surprised at all. He didn't even seem concerned for his safety, likely because Gabriel had protected him first the moment she acted.
At this moment, Kaiser stood closest to Gabriel, less than half a meter away, which made the female angel visibly pleased and energized.
It was only when Shalba questioned him and Vali and the others turned their gazes upon him that Kaiser finally lifted his eyes and calmly spoke.
"First, I'm no longer part of the Hero Faction," Kaiser said flatly. "Second, why wouldn't I be here?"
"Aren't you one of us in the Khaos Brigade?" Creuserey couldn't hold back and angrily questioned him. "As a member of the Khaos Brigade, how could you mix with the Three Factions and even attend their peace conference? Are you planning to betray us?"
Creuserey's furious outburst was met only with Kaiser's calm laughter.
"Betray you?" Kaiser's laugh was steady, but the scorn within it was unmistakable. "You mean the Old Satan Faction represents the entire Khaos Brigade? Who the hell do you think you are?"
"What did you say?" Creuserey was enraged by Kaiser's insult, shouting, "A mere human dares to speak so rudely to the great heirs of the True Satans...!"
Before he could finish, Kaiser cut him off.
"Always talking about heirs and descendants—can you say anything without dragging your ancestors into it?" Kaiser said unceremoniously. "Let's be clear: so-called heirs are just second-generation scions, inheriting what their ancestors left behind instead of earning it themselves."
"To put it bluntly, your ancestors might have been great—but you? You just happen to share their blood. What's there to be proud of?"
"To the real founders and true powerhouses, you're nothing. You're just fighting over the inheritance they left behind, hiding behind their glory like cowards."
"So please, have some self-awareness, will you?"
Such a sweeping dismissal of the Old Satan Faction's bloodline descendants naturally enraged them.
"You're asking for death!"
Creuserey erupted, his entire body flaring with dark, ominous magic.
Kaiser could clearly sense the presence of Ophis' "snake" within that aura.
And it wasn't just Creuserey—both the furious Katerea and the cold Shalba were also exuding the same snakeine energy. The violent, terrifying power they released caused many nearby to pale in fear.
"Katerea and the others... have they become much stronger than before?"
Serafall exclaimed in surprise.
"Tch, looks like all these Old Satan descendants have used Ophis' 'snake'—one after another reaching Satan-class power. Especially Shalba Beelzebub—his strength is now on par with the original Beelzebub."
Azazel clicked his tongue, then glared at Vali.
"You used the 'snake' too, didn't you, Vali?!"
Vali immediately denied it.
"Of course not. The White Dragon Emperor's Divine Dividing is enough for me. I don't need any 'snake.'"
This statement seemed to further offend Shalba and the others, who angrily turned their gazes toward Vali.
But Vali's target had always been clear.
It was Kaiser.
"God-Slaying Holy Spear Wielder... I can't believe it's only been a few months, and you've already made such a name for yourself."
Vali looked at Kaiser with a different expression—his gaze was intense and direct.
"You've fought with gods from other mythologies, haven't you? I'm so envious!" Vali said sincerely. "I really want to know—am I stronger, or are the gods?"
The implications were obvious.
"I want to challenge you again, Kaiser!"
Vali had clearly been waiting for this moment for a long time—his voice burned with excitement.
"Vali!" Shalba shouted. "Don't forget, our target is the false Satans—the leaders of the Three Factions!"
"That's right!" Katerea added with a chilling smile. "We're here to kill these false Satans, reclaim the Satan title, destroy the leaders of the angels and fallen angels, and reshape the world—create a new world ruled by us with Ophis' power!"
"Exactly!" Creuserey glared at Kaiser and echoed, "Angels and fallen angels should all be wiped out! Humans should be our slaves! We are the true heirs of the Satans—the rulers of the new world!"
That was why they joined the Khaos Brigade.
As hateful as the Holy Spear Wielder was, he was still one of them—a member of the Khaos Brigade. Despite differing ideals and inner conflict, they shouldn't fight now.
They needed to focus on their primary goal—taking out the leaders of the Three Factions. Once that was done, they'd deal with the human later.
That was what Shalba, Katerea, and Creuserey thought.
However...
"That has nothing to do with me," Vali said bluntly. "I'm not interested in your plans. I only care about strong opponents and fighting."
"Try to stop me, and I won't go easy on you."
With those words, Vali shot off like a meteor, trailing a long beam of light as he charged at Kaiser.
"Vali!"
"That damn White Dragon Emperor!"
"He's acting on his own again...!"
Shalba and the others were furious.
"Let's fight again, Kaiser!"
Vali had completely forgotten the others and dove straight at Kaiser, throwing a punch.
"Boom!"
With a muffled explosion, Kaiser crossed his arms to block the blow, gathering his aura into his limbs and stopping the attack.
The immense force blasted Kaiser backward.
Vali pursued immediately.
"Kaiser-san!"
"Kaiser!"
Asia and Rias cried out in unison.
"Damn it!"
The two holy sword users from the Church drew their swords, seemingly ready to assist Kaiser.
"Don't go." Gabriel stopped them, maintaining the barrier while shaking her head. "Those two are among the top fighters of all the factions. Their battle isn't one that even Satan-class beings can casually interfere with. If you rush in, you'll be vaporized before you can even land a hit."
"Gabriel is right," Michael, also maintaining the barrier, agreed. "That's not a battle you can join. Your enemies are the traitors around us who are suppressing our forces. That's the battlefield you should be on."
Only then did everyone notice their side was being pushed back by the traitors from the Old Satan Faction and the other forces.
"Rias, Sona," Sirzechs ordered. "Take care of the enemies around us—go support our people."
"Yes, Brother!"
"Yes, Lord Lucifer!"
Rias and the high-ranking devil named Sona responded immediately. Pushing aside their emotions, they led their retainers into the surrounding battlefield.
The two holy sword users also charged out, swiftly engaging the devils of the Old Satan Faction.
For holy sword wielders like them, devils were the most ideal opponents.
As the saying goes, use a sharp blade where it counts. With such an advantage, they naturally wouldn't waste it—targeting devils was the best option.
"Issei." Azazel turned to Issei Hyoudou. "You go too."
"Me?" Issei looked stunned, pointing at himself, clearly overwhelmed by the ever-changing situation.
"You've trained, haven't you?" Azazel encouraged. "Though you haven't reached Balance Breaker yet, you've mastered both powers of the Boosted Gear. You're more than qualified to handle the small fry."
"And I gave you a bracelet—if you're in danger, use it to activate Balance Breaker. It has a time limit, but it'll be enough."
"Go. If you perform well, I'll have Raynare visit you when we get back."
That last line instantly filled Issei with motivation.
"Yes, Azazel-sensei! Issei Hyoudou, heading into battle now!"
Issei activated his Boosted Gear and charged into the fray, shouting.
Behind him, Baraqiel silently followed, gravitating toward Akeno Himejima. His body crackled with lightning, his aura rivaling that of a Satan-class being—far exceeding Akeno, who also wielded thunder.
The remaining faction leaders stopped watching and took to the skies.
"Descendant of Asmodeus, is it?" Azazel held a golden short spear and smiled. "Let's see how you measure up to the original Satan."
"Katerea!" Serafall shouted at the opposing woman. "Please stop this! Let's talk it out!"
"Shut up, Serafall!" Katerea glared at her with hatred. "You stole the name of Leviathan. I will never forgive you!"
"Daring to challenge the name of the true Satans?" Creuserey sneered at Azazel. "I'll show you that fallen angels are nothing compared to a real Satan."
As for Sirzechs, he floated before Shalba.
"It's not too late to stop."
The strongest Satan issued his final warning.
"You'll die here, despicable usurper."
Shalba only returned a cold declaration.
Massive auras erupted one after another, soaring into the sky, making the atmosphere and earth tremble, unable to calm for a long time.