Vali Lucifer was excited.
Overwhelmingly excited.
For so long, the idea of meeting his rival had been something he had eagerly been waiting for, but it turned out to be nothing but a cosmic joke to him. His destiny, as the host of the Heavenly Dragon, Albion, demanded an equal, a destined counterpart.
When he learned this supposed equal was Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor, the feeling was not disappointment, it was an insult to him in every way.
A pervert, a bumbling buffoon who could barely form a coherent sentence around a woman that didn't include boobs, and a boy whose only ambition was to fondle breasts.
The very idea that this creature was destined to stand at his side as a Heavenly Dragon was insulting on every level, a mockery of the legend, and a curse upon him as the White Dragon emperor. He was unworthy to be considered his equal.
Vali dismissed him entirely. He wrote the boy off as unworthy there and then, refusing to acknowledge that such a pathetic creature was supposed to be his destined counterpart. He had been so incredibly disappointed, feeling the gnawing emptiness of a dragon without a worthy contest.
But then… the Khaos Brigade attacked, he had been waiting for this to have some fun.
And Vali saw him.
Kenji Takahashi.
This was the second time Vali had see him, the first was when azazel sent him to get kokabiel but was late and watched as kokabiel was taken apart like it was nothing.
Vali watched the entire battle, and everything he saw only intensified his anticipation. A human who cut through yokai and magicians like they were made of paper, a force of nature that wielded power like a sculptor's tool.
Fast, strong, fearless, and skilled. He possessed an unknown power. This man, this man was just the type of person Vali loved to battle, to test himself against, a true challenge that promised what he craved. The true rival he had been waiting for all his life.
Vali practically vibrated with anticipation. This was the thrill he wanted. So when everything had mostly been dealt with, He didn't even think, he just attacked, slamming a blast of white light into the human the moment the tension of the summit began to cool, eager to taste the power of this person whom he had now started to consider his new rival.
Kenji stared at the boy charging at him with glowing wings of light, silver armor, and overwhelming enthusiasm. His face was blank, registering only annoyance.
'Did this kid actually want to die tonight? Is it a requirement for every powerful teenager to possess this level of suicidal mania?' he thought, exasperated. Was that really it, give teens power, and they think they can take on the world.
Azazel called out, yelling for the boy to stop.
"Vali, NO—"
But Vali was already on him, his magic exploding outward. The moment he got close, Kenji sidestepped with lazy precision and slammed his sword sheath onto the back of Vali's head.
CRACK.
Vali shot into the ground like a meteor, the impact shaking the already ruined foundations of the hotel.
He burst out instantly, roaring, firing a blast of magic. The explosion engulfed Kenji for half a second. A gravity wave ripped the smoke apart, clearing the view with surgical force.
Vali seemed to have disappeared from his view, using the dust and speed to mask his movement as he repositioned himself to continue his attack, but alas, it won't work on Kenji.
Kenji's spatial awareness was active, he could 'see' everything that was going on around him. The kid won't be able to hide even if Kenji closed his eyes and let him attack.
Kenji spun, sword still sheathed, and brought it down behind him, right where Vali had appeared, catching the boy completely off guard, not expecting that. Vali had intended to strike from a blind spot, only to meet the heavy, bone-jarring force of the sheath, rattling his brain from the hit to the head.
WHAM.
Vali's cracked helmet slammed him into the dirt again, the sound sickeningly dull.
A loud roar tore out of the young Lucifer as he blasted from the crater a second time, armor sparking and dented. The shock of being manhandled by a mere human was already starting to replace the thrill.
"ENOUGH!"
His power spiked. He surged into the sky, and Kenji followed him effortlessly as he let go of gravity, moving with ease as if completely relaxed, as the fight continued in the skies.
To the observers, they vanished, two blurs of light and force colliding across the battlefield, sonic booms that were shaking even the ruined hotel.
The fight looked like a hard and even battle, for those who were weaker, it may seem so, but....
But the truth was obvious, Kenji was dominating him.
Every time Vali got close, an invisible wall of gravity repelled him, an overwhelming repulsive force that negated his momentum and denied him the final few inches he needed to just lay a hand on the man.
Every attempt to strike ended with him being swatted from the air like a fly, slammed into stone, or ricocheted off the ground. He was a silver pinball in a game Kenji wasn't even trying to win.
And worst of all, Vali still hadn't touched him.
His Sacred Gear, the Divine Dividing, required direct physical contact with his opponent before he could halve their strength, yet he hadn't been able to use it. The frustration was a physical pain, adding to the bruises blooming under his armor. Vali hadn't been able to touch him, not even a grazed fingertip.
Even the leaders noticed. Vali was getting very intimate with the ground. Every time his hand got close to Kenji, he was either hit with an invisible wall of force or Kenji simply smacked him down with his sheathed sword, a symbol of utter disrespect. It was clear Kenji was not taking the kid seriously, the sheathed sword spoke volumes.
Kenji sighed and decided he wasn't in the mood anymore. He had thought that it would be more interesting, that's why he even entertained the fight in the beginning, and now he was bored.
This night was getting too drawn out. He dropped down to the ground and just turned and started leaving, dismissing the battle like a minor distraction.
"Send me the contract for the deal," he told the leaders, his tone bored. "I'm going home," he was leaving? Just like that? That seemed to take even them by surprise.
Vali stared in disbelief, floating above the ground in a haze of pain and shattered pride.
"You're just LEAVING!?" he screamed.
How dare he. How DARE he treat the White Dragon Emperor like a discarded toy. He would not accept this, he would not accept not even being able to touch his opponent even once.
He, Vali Lucifer, host of Albion, the man destined for supremacy, was being ignored like background furniture. He was being sidelined, forgotten before the fight even truly officially began(in his opinion).
Rage ignited, burning away the pain. Humiliation burned hotter than any holy flame. Vali shot into the sky, magic spiraling, pouring his absolute focus into his ability.
"HALF DIMENSION!!"
Space screamed and wavered. His power started reducing the very space around them, halving everything, compressing the air, light, and even the ground beneath them. The sheer scope of his power was terrifying, threatening in all honesty.
"DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" he yelled, now brimming with condensed power, convinced this overwhelming display would finally force the human's attention.
Kenji frowned, he felt the boy coming, the sudden, vast spatial compression registering as a significant annoyance.
'Ah, emo-ass, dollar-store Kakashi wannabe, ' he thought, irritation spiking into genuine frustration with the boy. He stopped, turned, and instantly increased the gravity of the very air around Vali, multiplying its density until it felt like a hundred atmospheres of pressure. It froze Vali mid-air like an insect caught in amber, unable to move or complete his devastating attack.
A thick, purple light coated his right arm, gravity covering his fist like a destructive gauntlet. He shifted his stance for maximum impact, and then he slammed a gravity-amplified punch into the gut of the Dragon Emperor, tearing a hole clear through his armor and body, sending him crashing into the earth and cratering the ground with cataclysmic force.
Yet.
Vali coughed blood and laughed, a manic, bubbling sound of victory.
Before Kenji could react to the bizarre defiance, the boy shot up instantly, driven by sheer will and dragon pride, and grabbed Kenji's arm that was in his stomach, his grin manic. Blood flowed freely from his mouth and his gut wound, but none of it mattered now. He had achieved the one thing he needed.
"Finally…" Vali said, eyes shining with triumph, despite the mortal injury. "Gotcha!"
His Sacred Gear roared:
"DIVIDE!"
Kenji felt his power cut in half, the vast ocean of his magical energy instantly shrinking.
Vali fired a blast of white energy, blasting Kenji backward as he stood, shaking, but ecstatic. The boy was ready to continue the fight, believing he had finally turned the tide and leveled the playing field.
If before Kenji was just annoyed, now he was bordering on genuinely pissed. The kid may have divided his power, but that meant nothing.
"Okay… that's it," he whispered to himself, the coldness in his voice absolute. "No more Mister Nice Kenji."
He flashed in front of the kid with a speed greater than his own diminished state, a speed that rendered him invisible to Vali's eyes, and punched him in the face. The sheer velocity was enough to lift him by the face with the force of the punch and slam him into the ground. A kick immediately followed, sending Vali flying through the concrete ruin of a building.
"Divide!" Vali managed to yell again, and Kenji felt his power lower once more.
Kenji suddenly decided to end this foolishness here and now, expanded the gravity bubble normally around him, creating a massive sphere that cut off all sound, sealing their confrontation away from the observers.
They watched from the outside as Kenji said something and then slammed his sword into the ground, and in the next instance, it happened.
Vali's Divine Dividing Balance Breaker armor shattered, his body dropping instantly to the ground. He looked completely shocked and confused at what had just happened.
Before he could say or do anything, Kenji appeared in front of him and nailed him with a punch that sent him flying. It hurt, no doubt, but that didn't compare to what was coming.
Inside the dome, the beating was merciless. Kenji wasted no time showing the kid why he should have minded his business.
Outside, the observers, Sirzechs, Michael, Azazel, and the Kuoh kids, saw as Kenji rag-dolled the White Dragon Emperor like a chew toy, gravity dragging Vali back into every strike, preventing him from ever escaping the radius of annihilation.
Five minutes later, the bubble fell.
Azazel rushed to catch Vali's broken body before it hit the ruined earth, his eyes wide with concern.
Kenji stood over the downed boy, his expression cold and final.
"Control him better next time," he told Azazel calmly, his voice ringing with quiet authority. "Or there won't be a next time."
He turned and strode away, the message delivered.
Issei whispered, pale, his fear of Kenji spiking tenfold,
"Son of a… titties dealer… that was brutal."
Everyone agreed.
Sirzechs exhaled softly, the political implications of what he had just witnessed settling in. A human this powerful.
"To defeat the White Dragon Emperor so easily, and with such a casual display of power… he truly isn't a normal human after all."
Azazel glared at Vali, holding the injured boy.
"You stupid child…" he said quietly, knowing the lecture could wait.
Before more could be said—
BOOM.
The barrier surrounding the estate shattered, and a figure slammed down from the sky, a long, black staff striking the ground and blowing everyone back with a wave of power.
A voluptuous black-haired woman with cat ears and tail crouched beside the newcomer.
"Bikou!? Kuroka?" Azazel snapped, immediately recognizing the Monkey King descendant. "What are you doing here—"
But the cat-eared woman, Kuroka, rushed past him to Vali.
"We don't have time for this, Bikou! We need to leave—NOW!" she said seriously, her eyes wide with urgency.
The monkey king descendant spun his staff, conjuring a swirling magic circle of escape.
The two yanked Vali inside and vanished in an instant, leaving the members of the Three Factions in stunned silence.
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