"What kind of Sacred Gear is this?"
Vali held his ground. Confused by the sudden transformation, all he could do was lock eyes with the violet-armored figure.
But then, a chill ran down his spine.
The visor's artificial eyes were cold, filled with killing intent. Vali's instincts told him that Rhode was now far too dangerous; the only way to resolve this was to break him.
If I want to win, I have to take him out before he makes a move.
With that thought, Vali focused, his eyes burning with battle spirit. When it came to mastery over Sacred Gears, Vali was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.
"I don't care what power you have, I refuse to lose!"
Vali beat his wings, and compressed magical pulses shot out from the azure membranes of light. In an instant, the atmosphere screamed with deafening sonic booms as a fierce storm of energy poured toward Rhode's position.
Vali wasn't just standing still, either.
Flapping his wings, he soared into the sky, unleashing a continuous barrage onto the ground. The intersecting axes of the magic beams pulverized the earth of Kuoh Academy. Had the school not been covered by a powerful barrier, the shockwaves would have reached the entire town.
In Vali's eyes, the flames from the explosions expanded rapidly, and Rhode vanished into the inferno before he could even move.
More explosions followed in rapid succession. Fireballs and shockwaves gouged deep into the earth, and the air around Rhode was instantly incinerated into a vacuum.
Interspersed within these magical bombardments were several "Divide" beams intended to sap the opponent's strength.
However, just as Vali felt certain he had scored a direct hit, two glowing golden eyes appeared within the flames.
"Wh—?!"
Before he could dodge, the purple figure burst through the fire, lunging forward with an explosive burst of holy radiance.
The hundred-meter gap was closed in a heartbeat.
Relying on his years of combat experience, Vali threw a punch. But just as he was about to hit Rhode, Rhode reached out and caught Vali's right wrist. Vali reflexively raised his left hand, only to have that wrist pinned down as well.
They were locked in a stalemate.
The magical aura around Vali erupted, his azure wings of light trailing fire like a falling star. The sleek armor groaned with the sound of grinding steel, and the light particles spewing from his wings caused the air to ripple like water.
Vali was shocked to find he couldn't move forward an inch. He was using his full strength in his Balance Breaker state, yet he was being pushed back.
Not only that, the "Divide" beams emitted from his hands were being neutralized by a layer of purple, flaming barrier on the surface of Rhode's body.
"Divide" was not an invincible ability. It could be countered by equal or superior force. Otherwise, Vali would have been the undisputed ruler of the world based on that skill alone.
But Vali wasn't the strongest in the world. Even the White Dragon Emperor at his peak had been killed and dismantled to create a Sacred Gear, proving the halving effect had its limits.
Rhode just happened to be one of the few who could resist it.
Snarling, Vali threw his head back and delivered a brutal headbutt. Despite the distance being less than a meter, the movement created a visible pressure wave.
Rhode didn't flinch. He tilted his own head back and slammed it forward into Vali's.
BOOM!
A massive crack echoed. Rhode's head rang for a second, but he recovered instantly.
Vali, however, was left reeling, his vision spinning. How the hell is his head this hard?!
Capitalizing on the opening, Rhode let go of Vali's wrist and grabbed the gemstone at the center of his chest. With a sudden twist and a burst of core strength, he hurled Vali toward the ground.
The move was so fast that Vali couldn't react. Even though Albion screamed a warning, his body simply couldn't keep up.
THUD!
With a dull roar, Vali slammed into the dirt spread-eagled. His back hit the ground with enough force to create a crater, sending spider-web cracks racing through the earth.
Carrying the massive momentum, Vali skidded across the ground, his armor grinding against the dirt in a shower of sparks and electricity until he finally hit the edge of the barrier and stopped.
After activating the Balance Breaker of the Purple Flame Overlord's Crucifix, Rhode's stats had skyrocketed. Even though Vali had trained since he was a child, he couldn't hold a candle to this.
After all, how could years of "hard work" and "blood, sweat, and tears" possibly compare to Rhode's "effort"?
Others might not see Rhode's "one-click power-up" system; they only saw the results of his supposed hard work.
Having landed a solid blow, Rhode knew Vali wouldn't give up so easily. A battle junkie like him wouldn't stop until he was thoroughly beaten; even if he was covered in blood, he'd stand up and say, "I can do this all day."
Rhode knew the importance of finishing the job.
A silver glint flashed as he summoned the Holy Dragon Slayer Sword, Ascalon.
Giving Vali no time to catch his breath, Rhode charged before the boy could even stand up.
Immediately, the onlookers' vision was filled with a dense weave of black and white sword light. A ten-meter radius around Vali was swallowed by the barrage. The atmosphere was shredded into white vapor, and even space itself seemed to tremble under the assault.
Clang! Crash!
Pieces of Vali's armor shattered one after another. Although Vali tried to form a defensive barrier with his magic, Rhode's raw power tore right through it. Simultaneously, Ascalon—imbued with the power of dragon-slaying—sliced through Vali's armor as if it were soft tofu.
Flesh was sliced, and blood quickly soaked Vali's clothes and skin. The stinging pain of a thousand cuts scorched his nerves.
Rhode could have ended this with an Ultra Slash. But a single Ultra Slash usually resulted in dismemberment—there was a reason Ultraman Ace was known as the "Dismemberment King."
Every Ultraman could use the move, but no one used it as ruthlessly as he did.
Since Vali was Lavinia's old friend, Rhode couldn't be too heavy-handed. Returning a man missing several limbs would be a bit embarrassing.
"Are you ready to surrender now?"
Ascalon's power was pure poison to anything with dragon blood. Armor that Rhode's fists hadn't shattered was being peeled away like paper by the sword's edge.
Hearing this, Vali forced himself to his feet once more. "Surrender...? Dream... dream on!"
Behind his visor, Rhode looked pained. "Why make this difficult?"
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (320 Chapters – Ongoing)
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