Outside Kuoh Town, in a desolate and uninhabited area.
Kaiser and Azazel appeared here, standing across from each other at a distance.
The kimono on Azazel's body had vanished, replaced by a sleek, intricately adorned black robe. Behind him, six pairs of jet-black wings spread open. Though his body wasn't particularly large, the oppressive presence he exuded felt as if it could blot out the sky and sun—his presence was overwhelmingly powerful.
Standing before him, Kaiser faced the wind, gripping the True Longinus in his hand. The sacred aura emitted by the spear was so intense it could dispel the approaching darkness, illuminating the entire world in brilliance. His momentum was in no way inferior to Azazel's.
"The True Longinus…"
Azazel's gaze immediately fell upon the holy spear in Kaiser's hand. After staring at it for a moment, he muttered to himself.
"It's been a long time since I last saw that spear."
As one of the original Fallen Angels, born in an era so ancient it's hard to fathom, and having survived for thousands of years in the human world, Azazel had naturally seen the True Longinus before.
Since its creation, the Sacred Gear had circulated among humans for many years. As someone from the ancient era, Azazel had witnessed many generations of Longinus wielders.
The True Longinus—this primordial and strongest of all Longinus—was something Azazel had seen wielded by several of its previous users.
Now, seeing this spear once more, so closely tied to the divine, Azazel could only feel one thing.
"It seems to have grown stronger."
Azazel shifted his gaze to Kaiser.
"Has it evolved along with its host?"
Sacred Gears have the trait of evolving by feeding on the user's thoughts and desires.
In Azazel's view, if the True Longinus had become stronger, then it could only mean its wielder had undergone significant growth, thereby causing the Sacred Gear to evolve as well and gain even greater power.
"If possible, I'd love to invite you to the Grigori and ask you to let me thoroughly study that spear."
Azazel said this with a smile, sounding very much like a mad scientist, making it hard not to associate him with the archetype of a villainous scientific maniac.
Fortunately, Kuroka and Asia weren't here. Kaiser had arranged for them to be stationed far away, away from the heart of the battlefield. Otherwise, upon hearing Azazel's words, they would surely suspect he was secretly plotting something shady.
"I've long heard that the Governor of the Fallen Angels, along with most of the high-ranking members, are extremely interested in Sacred Gears and have been researching them extensively." Kaiser lifted his eyes to look at Azazel and said calmly, "It seems the rumors were true. At the very least, your passion for Sacred Gears isn't fake."
"Because they're fascinating," Azazel said with a burning gaze. "Although most Sacred Gears are neither particularly useful nor completely worthless, they can evolve continuously, changing in response to the user's will. They practically possess limitless potential."
"You never know if an ordinary-looking Sacred Gear will end up a joke in the supernatural world—or suddenly soar into the heavens, unleashing power that even gods and devils would fear."
"Especially the phenomenon of Balance Breaker—it completely destroys the balance. Once someone reaches that point, no matter how ordinary the Sacred Gear was, it can display unfathomable abilities."
"That's how the thirteen Longinus came to be. It's hard not to be interested in them."
Longinus—Sacred Gears capable of rivaling gods and Maou—didn't exist as a concept from the beginning.
The gods merely created Sacred Gears. Longinus is a name humans later gave to the subset of Sacred Gears that possessed terrifying power, to distinguish them from the rest.
At first, there was only one Longinus—the True Longinus.
Later, more powerful Sacred Gears were born, some with abilities so overwhelming they were thought to break the rules. These were gradually identified and separated from ordinary Sacred Gears, becoming what are now known as Longinus.
Some Longinus appeared suddenly in certain eras, born with immense power. Others were ordinary Sacred Gears that evolved through repeated transformations.
In other words, there weren't always thirteen Longinus. It's only in recent times that their number reached thirteen—and in the future, there may be more.
These things, capable of constant evolution, possessing endless possibilities, and always on the verge of unpredictable change, naturally attracted the attention of many.
Azazel was simply the most fanatical among them.
"Why did God create Sacred Gears at all? Why grant humans power?"
"Why would something like Longinus, capable of threatening even gods, be allowed to exist? Could it be that God wanted to create humans capable of slaying gods? Or intended to strike at other mythological factions?"
"These are questions many have pondered."
Azazel pointed toward the holy spear in Kaiser's hand.
"The spear in your hand is the most iconic Longinus—a true Sacred Gear that even God's Will can reside within."
"It's said to rival gods and Maou, even capable of slaying them. If any Sacred Gear can truly accomplish that, without a doubt, it would be this spear."
"To grant such a weapon to a human… what was God thinking? No one knows the answer to that question!"
As his words ended, a fearsome aura erupted from Azazel's body.
Like a raging storm, his aura shook the very air.
"As the current wielder of the True Longinus—the human most likely to threaten both gods and Maou—you actually joined the Khaos Brigade, a terrorist organization. Was that also within God's foresight?"
"If God foresaw a day when the strongest Sacred Gear capable of threatening gods and Maou would stand in opposition to all mythologies, does that mean He was also dissatisfied with the current state of things and wanted to bring about change?"
"These questions… I've always wanted to answer them, but I never could."
"So let me see… if you can offer me a new perspective."
After concluding his long self-reflection, Azazel raised his hand.
"Buzz—"
With a hum, a tremendous amount of Light Power gathered in Azazel's hand.
Fallen Angels, like Raynare and the others, had once used Light Power to form spears in front of Kaiser—but Azazel's level was completely beyond these lower-ranked Fallen Angels.
A terrifying concentration of Light Power formed into a massive spear, thick as a pillar, as if it could shatter the earth itself. Azazel hurled it toward Kaiser.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the atmosphere exploded, producing a thunderous sonic boom.
The giant spear of light, like a beam of destruction, shot down from the heavens with terrifying speed, aimed directly at Kaiser. The momentum was so immense, it truly looked capable of breaking the land apart.
Compared to the enormous spear of light, Kaiser's figure seemed minuscule—like an ant.
But Kaiser showed no fear. He raised the holy spear and, without hesitation, thrust it forward. The True Longinus extended at lightning speed like a flash, meeting the incoming spear head-on.
"BOOM!!!"
The impact sounded like a nuclear blast, and the shockwave turned into a storm, sweeping out in all directions.
The True Longinus, extended at high speed, met the giant spear of light tip-to-tip. It was like needle against needlepoint, or two stars colliding—an explosion of blinding light and powerful shockwaves erupted.
The sky above this battlefield looked as if a miniature planet had exploded, releasing a burst of dazzling brilliance.
The True Longinus and the spear of light clashed and held for a moment before the balance broke.
In terms of sheer size, Azazel's light spear was undoubtedly far larger—by many times.
If the light spear was a pillar, then the True Longinus was a needle—there was no comparison.
Yet in the clash, the one that prevailed—the one that claimed victory—was the smaller True Longinus.
Its razor-sharp tip, pulsing with divine power, pierced through the light spear like it was glass, shattering it layer by layer until it was utterly destroyed.
"Hiss!"
The holy spear, having pierced the light spear, didn't stop—it continued to extend, aiming its point directly at Azazel.
"Hahaha! Incredible! My light spear is no match for the holy spear!"
Just as the spear, like a flash of light, was about to strike him, Azazel suddenly beat his twelve wings, narrowly dodging the piercing tip. The spear grazed the edge of his wings, slicing off several feathers.
"If power isn't enough, then I'll make up for it with numbers!"
Having dodged the holy spear's thrust, Azazel raised his hand again and gathered a massive amount of Light Power, forming countless spears of light that filled the entire sky.
This time, the spears were much smaller, but there were so many they couldn't be counted—dense, overwhelming, covering the heavens.
"Go!"
As Azazel swung down his raised hand, the countless spears of light rained down like a storm upon Kaiser.
"Spears, huh…"
Kaiser took 0.1 seconds to retract the holy spear, returning it to its original length. Then he opened the spear's tip, gathering divine power and unleashing it in a single flash aimed at the sky.
"RUMBLE—"
The flash vanished in an instant, yet it was as if it detonated the entire rain of spears in the sky, shattering them all.
"Even that didn't work?"
It was as if Azazel were testing something. Seeing Kaiser fend off that wave of attacks with energy to spare, he actually laughed.
"Then let's try close combat!"
With that, Azazel formed a long halberd of light in his hand. Flapping his wings, he shot toward Kaiser like a streak of black light.
"CLANG!!!"
Soon, the holy spear and halberd clashed, producing a loud metallic crash and dazzling sparks.
Both Kaiser and Azazel thrust their weapons forward—one surging with Touki, the other engulfed in Aura—their power overwhelming.
"Come now, let's have a true doomsday battle."
Azazel laughed wildly and fearlessly.
In response, Kaiser said what he always did.
"I'm always ready."
Not long after, the roar of battle echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
A vision of the apocalypse truly unfolded here.
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