Hikaru rode his motorcycle back to the villa.
As soon as he walked in, Asia hurried over, looking worried. "Hikaru-san, what happened out there? I heard people shouting and explosions going off!"
"It's handled. Everything's fine now."
He patted her head, then ruffled Est's hair as well. "Don't worry. I never go into anything unless I'm sure I can handle it."
"Master, next time you have to fight, please take me with you! My sword will cut down anyone who stands against you!" Est said earnestly.
"Of course. If it's a dangerous fight, I'll gladly use your power. But this time, fighting Kokabiel was enough with just Ddraig," Hikaru replied with a slight smile.
At those words, Ddraig immediately piped up. "Hey, partner, isn't that a bit harsh? I'm the mighty Red Dragon Emperor, y'know!"
"If you think you're stronger than Est, then sure, I'll give you that," Hikaru shot back.
That one line shut Ddraig right up. Had he been the original Red Dragon Emperor, he would have bragged about being better than Est and demanded a showdown.
But after being turned into a Sacred Gear by the Biblical God, his mind had matured and become more level-headed. Besides, even back at his peak, he wasn't exactly a match for Est's true form.
And strictly speaking, as a weapon alone, Ddraig's attributes just didn't measure up to the holy demon-slaying sword that Est was.
"Anyway, let's talk about the 'Tyrant' form," Ddraig said quickly, switching the subject.
"The Tyrant's ready for a test run anytime you want," Hikaru answered. "Now go get some rest."
With that, Hikaru tossed the Sacred Gear containing Ddraig back into the spirit space.
He had actually gained a few other things tonight, but that could wait. Sleep took priority.
Kuoh City was bound to be restless until dawn, but with Rias, Sona, and Serafall's devil soldiers taking over the scene, any public fallout would vanish completely.
As for Serafall, after giving out a few orders, she hurried back to Lilith, the capital of the Underworld.
Inside the Demon King's castle, she found Sirzechs and Grayfia at work.
"You two are here? Where are Falbium and Ajuka?"
"They went to the border. Things are fine there," Sirzechs said, looking up. "How about Rias?"
"Oh, your sister and mine are both safe—no injuries at all. Even those two female Holy Sword wielders from the Church survived, just wounded. Rias took them in to recover," Serafall replied, recounting what she'd learned in the human world.
Just then, Grayfia raised an eyebrow. "What about Kokabiel? Did you kill him?"
"Not me—Hikaru did. By the time I got my troops over there, it was already a done deal," Serafall said with a shake of her head. She was aware that Kokabiel had chased her sister around like a cat playing with a mouse, driving her all the way from the neighboring Hachioji City to Kuoh City. She was a bit disappointed she hadn't taken him down herself.
"Hikaru? So it was him?"
Both Sirzechs and Grayfia exchanged a look at the familiar name.
"He's strong enough to beat Kokabiel now?" Sirzechs said. "The first time I saw him was at Rias's Rating Game—he'd only had that Sacred Gear a few days, yet he not only activated its Balance Breaker but also managed to bring down an old hand like Kokabiel. It's kind of insane."
So even back then, he wasn't going all out? But this kind of power growth is unreal, Sirzechs thought.
"Grayfia, any ideas about this?" Sirzechs asked.
"…There are always geniuses in every era, but Hikaru is on a different level from the rest. From a more reasonable perspective, I suspect something might've gone haywire in the system after the Biblical God died," Grayfia answered.
"It's the only explanation for how he can wield both Holy Light and devil magic, and even go from zero to Balance Breaker with a God-destroying Sacred Gear in just a matter of days—let alone knock out a high-ranking Fallen Angel."
"I'm starting to wonder if he might be the Biblical God's reincarnation," Sirzechs said with a wry chuckle.
At those words, the room fell eerily silent.
Serafall and Grayfia both stared straight at him.
"What?" Sirzechs asked.
"Please don't crack jokes like that," Serafall protested. "The Biblical God reincarnated? That's terrifying, okay?"
Just hearing that name was enough to give all three of these top-tier devils goosebumps. To devils, stories about the Biblical God were basically ghost stories for humans—pure nightmare fuel.
None of them pushed the topic any further.
"I've contacted the Grigori. Fallen Angel Governor Azazel says Kokabiel acted on his own, that he had no idea beforehand. He did send someone to stop him, but they were a bit too late," Grayfia said.
"They also proposed that the leaders of the three factions hold a summit," she added.
"We don't have much choice but to accept that excuse for now. We can iron out the details at the three-way conference," Sirzechs said, nodding. After this mess, it was definitely time they sat down and talked.
The three of them got back to work. Once Grayfia left the office, her expression changed. The name "Hikaru" felt more and more familiar, though she couldn't quite place why.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the human world:
A middle-aged man, sporting a mature look and a small patch of blond hair hanging over his forehead, lounged on a sofa in loose-fitting black robes.
He casually sipped from a small sake flask. Then the door creaked, and a flicker of white light flashed—when it disappeared, a young, silver-haired man stood there.
"Welcome back, Vali," said Azazel, glancing over. He'd looked lazy at first, but after noticing Vali was alone, he immediately sat up, his expression turning serious. He had a hunch.
"That bastard Kokabiel—what happened to him?"
"He's dead," the White Dragon Emperor said calmly.
~~~
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