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Having learned the truth, Issei's anger subsided. He had no one to blame.
Could he blame the Church? They had protected humanity by expelling Asia. Her presence was a threat to Heaven's system. And they hadn't harmed her, only banished her. It was an act of mercy.
Could he blame Asia? Or her Sacred Gear? Sacred Gears chose their wielders randomly. It wasn't her fault.
Could he blame the God of the Bible? He had been a benevolent God, his Sacred Gears created to protect humanity. And now, he was dead.
It was his death that had caused the system to malfunction, allowing Twilight Healing to heal Devils, a feat once impossible...
Could he resent a dead God?? one who had strived to protect his world??
Issei couldn't. He was lost in thought, confused.
———
Mika, seeing his distress, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"There's no one to blame, Issei. All you want is for Asia to be happy, isn't it? And she is, isn't she?"
Issei turned to look at Asia.
She was praying, a peaceful smile on her face. "I didn't do anything wrong…"
She had been worried, afraid that her expulsion had been her fault. And Michael's apology had finally given her closure, a chance to move on and embrace a brighter future.
With Issei's concerns addressed, the four Satans resumed their discussion, their conversation shifting between casual banter and serious deliberations about the terms of the upcoming peace treaty.
Suddenly, time stopped.
"It's starting," Mika said, opening his eyes. He had been expecting this.
He knew the Khaos Brigade's plan: to use Gasper's Forbidden Balor View to freeze time, preventing the Three Factions' armies from intervening.
While the Khaos Brigade had some powerful members, they weren't foolish enough to challenge the combined might of the Three Factions directly. A bit of trickery was necessary.
Though Mika knew their plan and could have easily prevented it, he hadn't intervened. While Gasper would be controlled, his life wasn't in danger. The Khaos Brigade needed him to maintain the time stop. And this experience would be a valuable lesson for Gasper.
He had immense potential, but he lacked the catalyst to unlock it. A true crisis was often the most effective way to force growth. Therefore, Mika had chosen to let events unfold naturally, though he had placed a subtle protective enchantment on Gasper to ensure his safety.
As Mika opened his eyes, he noticed that several others remained unaffected: Sirzechs, Serafall, Grayfia, Michael, Azazel, and Vali—seven in total, all possessing Satan-class power.
"A terrorist attack, huh? It seems that no matter the era, whenever factions attempt to make peace, there will always be those who oppose it," Azazel remarked, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Now, it's our turn."
The others reacted to his words with varying degrees of surprise and amusement.
Mika, however, noticed Xenovia: A dimensional rift had opened beside her, with Durandal, her Holy Sword, emerging.
"Durandal… She's quick on the draw." Azazel, also noticing her reaction, was impressed.
Sirzechs, too, smiled approvingly. Xenovia was, after all, a member of Rias's peerage. Her competence reflected well on Rias.
As Durandal fully materialized, the time stop around Xenovia dissipated.
"What happened?" She looked around warily, her sword held ready. While she didn't fully understand the situation, she had instinctively drawn her sword upon sensing the time stop; she was prepared to fight.
"Calm yourself, Xenovia. You weren't the only one who noticed," Sirzechs reassured her, pleased by her immediate reaction and her protective stance before Rias.
"As for what happened…"
"Gasper's been captured," Mika explained. "They're using his Sacred Gear."
With a wave of his hand, a golden light enveloped Rias and her peerage, their bodies momentarily shimmering before they, too, broke free from the time stop.
"What's going on?" Rias asked, her voice filled with confusion.
"I'll explain," Grayfia said, stepping forward.
Meanwhile, Mika was being questioned by the others.
"You can dispel the time stop, Mika?"
"Only for Rias and her peerage," he replied calmly, meeting their gazes. "I placed a…safeguard on them. It wouldn't be effective on anyone else."
"I see…" Azazel nodded, the others murmuring in agreement. It was a plausible explanation.
However, it was a lie. Mika could easily dispel Gasper's time stop. He had, after all, studied it in depth. But he hadn't revealed this, deliberately using a different method to free Rias and her peerage. He didn't want to tip his hand just yet. Their true enemy hadn't appeared.
He didn't want to scare them off.
——
"A terrorist attack…?" Issei, in the lounge, having been freed from the time stop and heard Grayfia's explanation, looked out the window.
The school grounds and the sky above were filled with cloaked figures, like something out of a fantasy novel, unleashing blasts of magical energy towards the new school building.
The building trembled slightly, but it wasn't truly in danger. It was protected by barriers created by Sirzechs, Azazel, and Michael. It wouldn't be easily destroyed.
"Those are Magicians," Azazel explained, joining Issei at the window. "Magic, in this world, is derived from Devil magic, reinterpreted and restructured by the legendary Magician, Merlin Ambrosius. Judging by their power, they're all at least Mid-Class Devil level."
"Mid-Class? All of them? But that means they're stronger than me?!"
"Don't underestimate yourself, Issei. You haven't received your promotion yet, but your strength is already at the High-Class Devil level," Mika said, joining them and placing a hand on Issei's shoulder.
In the Underworld, a Devil's rank reflected both their power and their status.
Issei, having only recently been reincarnated, was still officially a Low-Class Devil. However, thanks to Mika's training, his base power had already reached High-Class level. He had fully integrated the power of the eight Pawn pieces, unlocked his bloodline potential, and was now learning to channel the Dragon power within his Boosted Gear.
Issei was no longer the same helpless youth he had been. At his full power, with his Balance Breaker, he could even rival an Ultimate-Class Devil, like Kokabiel. His progress had been remarkable.
And he wasn't the only one. All the members of Rias's peerage had grown stronger thanks to Mika's bloodline awakening technique.
Rias and Akeno, with Mika's guidance, had even reached Ultimate-Class level, a realm just below Satan-class—a threshold most Devils never crossed in their entire lives.
"Remember, you're my junior. If you embarrass yourself, you embarrass me," Mika said, his voice filled with a playful menace.
"Yes! I understand, Mika!" Issei, emboldened by Mika's words, straightened up, a surge of confidence coursing through him.
"But if it's Gasper's time stop, how are they using it?" He looked at the Magicians outside, still puzzled.
"They're likely using a Sacred Gear or a magic spell to transfer his power, temporarily forcing his Sacred Gear into Balance Breaker. Even though it's a temporary state, its effects extend to everyone within the building. It seems that half-vampire kid has some serious potential,"
Azazel explained, glancing at Rias. 'She's truly gathered quite the impressive collection of Sacred Gear users: Issei, Kiba, Gasper…and Mika, whose Sacred Gear is clearly unique. They're all so interesting…' He was envious.
Mika, standing beside him, noticed his envious gaze and his subtle yearning. He instantly understood Azazel's thoughts.
"Don't even think about it. They're not yours," He said, placing a hand on Azazel's shoulder.
"Cough, cough." Azazel, startled by Mika's words, emerged from his reverie and coughed awkwardly, trying to mask his embarrassment.
"Are there other Sacred Gears that can share power like the Boosted Gear?" Issei asked, still thinking about the Magicians' ability to use Gasper's time stop.
"Of course. Remember, your own Sacred Gear was initially mistaken for the Twice Critical? It has the power of multiplication," Mika replied.
Sacred Gears with the ability to transfer power aren't exactly uncommon.
"I see—" Issei nodded, finally understanding.
Azazel, eager to showcase his knowledge of Sacred Gears, added, "Longinus Sacred Gears often possess two distinct abilities—usually ones that shouldn't be combined. We believe they're essentially…glitches in God's system, errors in his programming."
"Glitches and errors, huh…?" Mika, thoughtfully tapping his chin, considered Azazel's words. Indeed, the Longinus Sacred Gears possessed incredibly powerful—and often unusual—combinations of abilities.
The Boosted Gear's power of multiplication and transfer, for instance, given enough time, could theoretically enhance an entire army to the wielder's maximum level.
Especially in Balance Breaker, where the usual ten-second interval was removed. The ability to continuously transfer power was truly game-breaking.
And then there was the White Dragon Emperor's Divine Dividing—its ability to halve and absorb its opponent's power—a scary combination.
In the original story, Kokabiel had been effortlessly defeated by Vali, his power continuously halved until he was weaker than even a Mid-Class Devil, while Vali absorbed that stolen power, growing stronger with each attack.
It was a power that could break even a God.
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