— Balance Breaker: Holy Legion Inferno.
As soon as Zankok said these words, all the demons felt goosebumps on their skin. Instinct, intuition, or something else, but thanks to this, they felt the fear and danger emanating from the silver-haired youth.
Kiyoshi's purple wings were spread wide. Purple sparks separated from them and hovered in the air. About a hundred small flames instantly ignited into a furious bonfire, increasing their size. A few seconds later, a faceless army appeared before everyone. Humanoid figures woven from holy flames were completely covered in a semblance of armor. In their hands were various weapons, ranging from swords and shields to spears and halberds. Behind the soldiers' backs were angelic wings, and only a small part had bat wings.
— Ha-ha! Now the fun begins, — Kiyoshi pointed his hand towards the minions of the "Chaos Brigade". His face became bloodthirsty. — Exterminate every single one of them!
Having heard the order of their master, the legion went to carry it out. The silent soldiers rushed towards the frozen demons. The distance between them was rapidly decreasing, and then movement began in the ranks of the terrorists. Those who came to their senses began to form magic circles, attacking new enemies. Following their example, the rest of the supporters of the old Lords began to attack.
— Now you have the opportunity to practice in a real fight, Akeno.
The girl watched in fascination as the fiery warriors fearlessly moved towards their target, avoiding magical projectiles. Even when the attack hit them, the "angels" did not stop, continuing their flight.
— Huh? Now! Of course, — the voice of her beloved brought Himejima out of her trance. She charged her lightning with light and sent it towards the ranks of the distracted demons. — Say, Kiyoshi, is this your Balance Breaker?
They both watched as the legion finally reached the ranks of the demons. Although twelve soldiers were scattered along the way, Kiyoshi did not react to the losses in any way. He watched with pleasure as the demons suffered from wounds inflicted by holy energy.
Once again, sparks separated from the blond's wings, creating twelve legionnaires. The new warriors rushed towards their brothers, fulfilling the order.
— Yes, but this is not all of his capabilities. Look, — Zankoku pointed at the demon who had just been finished off. The fiery sword protruding from the man's chest ignited, burning his entire body. But having completed its task, the fire did not disappear, leaving a familiar spark from which a new soldier appeared. — A magnificent ability, isn't it?
— Horrifying, — the girl answered with a wide smile. Seeing all the horror filling the demons from this sight, her cheeks turned red. — They are in complete despair. To fight with unkillable dolls, and after death to join their number. Ufufufu! How cruel.
— I wouldn't call them unkillable. It's just that among these scum there are no ones who can do it.
They continued to watch the battle, which was coming to an end. More than half of the terrorists had already lost their lives. Looking at the figure of the fiery warrior, standing out from the rest with his form and strength, Akeno could not contain her curiosity.
— Is this the one I'm thinking of? — the girl pointed at a specific legionnaire.
— That's right.
— Then there won't be any problems if the others see him? You know, — the half-fallen one hesitated slightly, — this could provoke that pervert.
— Don't worry, — Kiyoshi stroked the brunette's head gently. — You don't have to worry about it, — the boy finished mentally. — ...because that's what I want.
— Reinforcements have arrived, — Zankoku said sarcastically as two Demon Lords and the Grigori leader emerged from the magic circle.
The eyes of those who arrived were glued to the carnage that was happening. Seeing it directly, and not through a magical projection, gave a completely different feeling. They approached the half-demon. Each of their faces were focused as they addressed the Shinto delegate.
— Why the hell is Vali among your puppets?! — Azazel had barely contained his feelings since the armored figure appeared on the battlefield.
— We would like to know that too, Zankoku-san, — the crimson-haired Demon Lord said.
— Should I tell you my secrets? — the blond asked with a smile.
— Stop grimacing and speak! — the fallen was losing the last drops of patience, which was not hidden from those around him.
— Okay, — the half-demon agreed. — As you can understand, my Sacred Gear is somewhat different from the usual one — it is a subtype of the Incinerating Hymn.
— Get to the point.
— Yes, yes. That's exactly what I'm getting at, — Kiyoshi looked into Azazel's eyes. — Thanks to the torture from our black-winged governor's brothers, my emotional and psychological states were slightly... — the young man was looking for a suitable word, gesturing with his hand, — stimulated. And as everyone knows, emotions and will serve as a catalyst for development, — the half-demon's smile became slightly insane. — The Hymn of Incineration responded to my desire for revenge and to burn my offenders to dust. Now, everyone who burns in my sacred flame will lose not only their lives. Their souls will end up in the space created by my Mechanism. They will be subjected to endless torture, unable to resist, until I die or free them. Does this remind you of anything?
— Purgatory... — Akeno muttered in shock, but everyone could hear her.
— Absolutely right! The Purgatory of Sinners is the name of a subtype of my sacred equipment. These souls will serve as my legionaries until they atone for their sins. Vali threatened to kill my daughter and got what he deserved. Not only was his death painful, — Kiyoshi spread his arms out wide and looked like a madman. — Every moment since then, his soul has suffered endless agony. It's a pity that his mechanism disappeared after his death and this is just an imitation of the Hakuryoku armor.
— Are you saying that all these creatures are the souls of those you killed? — Serafall asked with some trepidation.
— Most of them look like fallen angels, but there are also devils, — Sirzechs said sullenly, and suddenly his eyes widened. He turned his gaze to the sky, where the flame soldiers were finishing off the last survivors. — You were stalling for time with your talk! Now all the attackers have joined the ranks of your dolls.
— Ha-ha! What's with your expression, Sirzechs-san? — All those I killed were terrorists, — the blond said, chuckling. — Civilians were not harmed, and the world became a little cleaner. So there can be no complaints against me, you said it yourself recently. Ha-ha!
The red-haired man clenched his fists in anger. He was fooled, and he can't say anything in response. When Satan was trying to find the right answer in his head, a roar came from the temple. Following it, the roof of the building collapsed, falling down in parts.
— Rias! — Sirzechs shouted, attracting the attention of his sister and her retinue, who flew out of the temple. — What happened? And where are the rest of your servants?
Hearing her brother's question, the girl bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her tears. Gasper and Xenovia also looked sad.
— Asia, she... She was sent to the interworld by Shalba Beelzebub, — Rias squeezed out. — Brother! We have to help Issei, — the girl pleaded. — After Shalba told about Asia's fate, Issei's mechanism took on a dragon-like form. He lost control of himself, attacking everyone indiscriminately. Brother, please save him. I don't want to lose my servants anymore.
— This is bad! — Azazel became nervous after hearing Rias's story. — Hyoudou activated the Juggernaut Drive. He was consumed by the negative emotions of the previous hosts. If we don't calm him down, the boy may die.
— What do we need for that?
— Don't worry. I've already planned for that, — the fallen one said with a sly grin. — To do that, we need to play a song that will calm Issei down. I'll quickly go get it. It's in my lab.
The half-demon followed the conversation with skepticism. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The whole situation seemed absurd to him.
— Are you seriously going to play him a song?
— What else can we do?! We need to save Issei! — Gremory blurted out, flustered.
— How about just knocking him out? — No one answered his question. — Really? No one thought of that? Then I'll help you with that.
Zankoku snapped his fingers and dozens of light spears rained down from the sky. When the magic projectiles hit the temple through the broken roof, an explosion occurred. The already damaged building couldn't withstand it and, completely losing its support, the temple collapsed, burying the raging Sekiryutei inside.
— Quite an easy task, — the blond chuckled, canceling his balance breaker.
— They can use magic? — Leviathan asked in shock, watching the legionnaires disperse.
— Only if the host was able to use the holy element before. — There's no problem with fallen angels, but demons are only capable of close combat, — Kiyoshi replied with a sigh. He seemed upset by this fact.
— But it's still incredible, — the magical girl muttered, assessing the combat capabilities of the Shinto delegate.
While everyone was shocked by what had happened or distracted by the conversation, a ball of destructive energy flew at Zankoku's back. At the last moment, the half-demon was able to move out of the way of the attack, covering himself with his wing.
— Kiyoshi! — Akeno's cry was the loudest of the cries of those around him.
— What does this mean, Sirzechs Lucifer? — Zankoku asked in a cold tone.
The left half of the torso was destroyed by the power of destruction. Purple fire burned in place of flesh, hiding the wounds but not repairing the damage. The innate powers of the Bael family were too powerful for the half-demon to regenerate.
— Your existence is extremely dangerous to the underworld, — Sirzechs held new spheres of destruction in his hands, —so you must be destroyed.
— I see. So all these words about an alliance are just a trap to kill me, — a smile appeared on the youth's face instead of anger. — It wasn't enough for you to destroy the youkai village and experiment on them. The demons decided to start a full-fledged war with Shinto. Haha! Indeed. It was foolish to believe the Christian factions' speeches about peace. Demons, angels, and fallen ones have always waged wars with other mythologies to assert their power.
— You're wrong, Kiyoshi-kun. We will form an alliance with Shinto, — the red-haired lord said, attacking the blond. — You will become the hero who saved the Pillars' descendants during the Khaos Brigade terrorist attack. By sacrificing yourself for others, you will be a bridge for peace between our factions.
— Ha-ha-ha! — Zankoku only laughed at the demon's words. — For that, you first need to kill me. Can you do it before I escape? Ugh... — a spear of light flew from behind, tearing apart Kiyoshi's leg.
— Don't worry about it. I will help him, — Azazel created a new spear. — Now die, creature!
The blonde created a wall of fire in front of him, blocking attacks and hiding from the enemy's sight. As soon as the barrier disappeared, the figure of the half-demon appeared before everyone, completely covered in fire. This was the form he used during the battle with Kokabiel.
In response, the leader of the Grigori summoned his artificial mechanism, donning armor. Despite their previous agreement, Serafall didn't want to attack, but she was forced to participate in all of this. She called upon her ice magic, lowering the surrounding temperature, concentrating the cold around the fiery figure.
The battle didn't last long. Kiyoshi wasn't weak, but even he couldn't withstand the coordinated work of three beings of such power. Leviathan's ice blocked most of his abilities, while Sirzechs' power of destruction dealt powerful and irreparable damage, simply erasing his opponent, and Azazel held the half-demon at close range using his centuries of experience.
Zankoku fell to the ground. His lower body was missing, as was one of his arms. The spear of the fallen was stuck in his fiery torso. Sezechs and Azazel approached the wounded figure, while the magical girl stood to the side, looking away from the defeated half-demon.
— Goodbye, — the Demon Lord pointed his hand towards Kiyoshi, intending to end his life, but he was attacked.
— NO!!! — Akeno couldn't take it anymore. Breaking free from Rias and Xenovia's grip, the girl sent her most powerful lightning at the red-haired demon.
Unfortunately, the only thing Himejima achieved was a burn on Sirzechs' hand. The frowning Demon Lord released his demonic power, the density of which made the brunette suffocate.
— Stay out of the way, — Lucifer launched his attack at her, but the light spear knocked the sphere down.
— Don't even think about it, Sirzechs, — the fallen one said angrily. — She is Barakiel's daughter. If you don't want a war with the fallen, don't dare harm her.
— It doesn't matter, — the demon stopped glaring at each other and turned his attention to the previous target. — Later, she will receive her punishment for attacking the Demon Lord, but now it is time to finish what she started.
The power of destruction appeared in Lucifer's hands once again. Sparing no energy, the demon enlarged the sphere to a huge size. A ball of destructive power no less than two meters in diameter descended on Zankoku. The half-demon's figure was completely hidden in Sirzechs' attack.
—No! No! No! Kiyoshi! — Akeno was in hysterics while Serafall held her back. Tears poured out of her eyes while she repeated the name of her lover.
On the spot where the Shinto delegate had been, only a purple flame the size of a tennis ball remained. Even the earth was destroyed by the innate power of the Demon Lord Lucifer.
— I will take the Longinus for myself for now to study, — the leader of the fallen said, approaching the burning flame. — What! — trying to take it in his hand, Azazel felt an incredible heat that he had not felt before. In just a split second, nothing was left of the man's hand.
— Azazel, are you okay?!— Sirzechs looked warily at the longinus hovering near the ground.
— I lost my arm, do you think I'm okay?!— the fallen man quipped. He carefully examined what was left of his limb. — My wound was cauterized, so I won't die from blood loss. I'll put a prosthesis in place of my arm, I just happened to have one lying around.
— I see. But why did this happen?
— You are not worthy of owning it, — an unfamiliar voice rang out. Everyone looked in shock at the one who had managed to sneak up on them.
— Ophis, — the first to identify the intruder was Serafall. The magical girl turned pale and took a few steps back. She expected the wrath of the Infinite Dragon God, shaking in terror, but the black-haired girl only looked at everyone with indifference.
— What do you mean, Ophis-san? — Sirzechs asked, watching her every move carefully.
— The Incinerator Hymn has evolved. It has gained consciousness and is now choosing its own master. — She turned her empty gaze to Azazel. — If you don't want to end up like that old crow, it's best to leave it alone. Dark creatures can't use that flame.
— Thank you for the advice. Why are you here, Ouroboros? — the Grigori leader asked with a smile.
— To see Baka-Red. He'll be here soon.
The leaders' expressions changed. They looked at Ophis, who was staring at the sky. A crack had formed in the distance from the ruined temple. A truly gigantic creature emerged from the crack. A huge red dragon appeared in the sky, floating along it.
— Great Red, — Azazel said with awe. Right now, the two strongest beings in the world were standing in front of him. Both of them were dragon gods.
When the dragon turned its face, sensing the familiar energy, it saw Ophis. The girl also looked into its eyes. The edge of her lips lifted, and she extended her hands towards him. The surrounding people looked on in shock as Ouroboros, the Infinite Dragon God, showed his middle fingers towards Great Red. The dragon only snorted at her actions and disappeared into another spatial rift. Ophis disappeared after him.
— What just happened? — Leviathan asked.
No one could answer this question. They themselves were at a loss.
— Forget it. There are more important matters right now. — Sirzechs turned towards his sister's "Queen." The girl continued to shed tears, looking at the purple light. — Akeno Himejima will be under house arrest for now until she is punished for her misdeeds.
— It's better to hand her over to the Grigori. Let her be in the care of her father, — Azazel butted in.
The brunette glared at the two men who were controlling her life as if she were a will-less doll. Akeno didn't say anything or draw attention to herself, but the girl decided to leave this place at the first opportunity.
— Wait, — Sirzechs interrupted the conversation when a communication circle appeared near his ear. As soon as he heard the first words, the Lord frowned.
Azazel also received a magical summons. The fallen man's face copied the devil's expression.
— We're in deep shit, — the fallen man said, ending his conversation. — How did he do this?
— I don't know, but I'll have to clean this up as soon as possible.
The people around him stared at the two leaders in confusion.
— Brother, what happened? — Rias asked in confusion.
— The Shinto faction has declared war on us. We have one hour to evacuate our people from Japan. After the time has passed, any representative of Christian mythology who appears on their territory will be considered an enemy and killed.
The young demons lamented this. Now they cannot return back to Kuoh. While the older generation thought about the solution to the problems that had arisen. But they all understood that from now on, nothing would be the same. With everything that had happened, everyone forgot about the fate of Hyoudou Issei, buried under the rubble of the destroyed temple.