Sirzechs and Azazel confirmed the time and place of the talks on the spot, then parted ways.
One was a Maou, the other the Governor-General of the fallen angels. They were representatives of the devil faction and the fallen angel faction respectively. Once the two of them had agreed, all that remained was to notify the others.
As for the angels, Azazel would handle contacting them. He was confident they would agree to attend.
For one thing, Kokabiel had dragged the Church into this mess from the start, so Azazel owed both the Church and the Heavenly side an explanation. For another, now that the devils and fallen angels were already preparing to sit down and talk, there was no way the angels would stay put once they learned of it.
So the angels were guaranteed to be present at this meeting.
While Sirzechs and Azazel discussed the talks, Leo and Vali remained silent the entire time. They simply looked at each other, eyes flickering, neither saying a word. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking.
The two who should have been the center of attention had completely become side characters.
But neither of them brought it up again. Even the fighting spirit that had burned in Vali's eyes gradually faded.
They both knew that with Sirzechs and Azazel present, this fight was never going to continue.
Since that was the case, whatever was between the two of them no longer mattered. There was no need to say anything more.
Just like that, with both Leo and Vali choosing silence, they parted without a word.
Vali followed behind Azazel quietly, still saying nothing, which left Azazel feeling a little helpless.
"Are you dissatisfied with me, Vali?"
Azazel spoke bluntly, voicing what was on Vali's mind.
He had always treated Vali this way.
Vali had joined Grigori when he was young. In many ways, Azazel had personally raised and trained him.
When his grandfather did nothing but abuse him and his father was utterly useless, it was Azazel who rescued Vali and brought him into Grigori, nurturing him step by step to where he was now.
In a sense, Azazel was more of a father to him than anyone else.
Because of that, Azazel understood this son-like existence better than anyone.
"You think I shouldn't have stopped you? That I should've let you keep fighting?"
Azazel said it without even turning his head, causing Vali to fall silent for a long while.
After a moment, Vali spoke calmly.
"I know what you're thinking. You think that in my current condition, activating Juggernaut Drive would be nothing but suicide, so you rushed out to stop me without hesitation. Right?"
Just as Azazel understood Vali, Vali understood Azazel.
But clearly, not well enough.
"I know you rarely find an opponent strong enough to interest you, and that you'd stake everything to decide a winner. But in your current state, do you really think activating Juggernaut Drive would let you defeat Leo Eligos?"
Azazel's voice was quiet.
"At your peak, you could only rely on sheer demonic power to maintain Juggernaut Drive for a few minutes. In your current condition, how long do you think you could use that power once you activate it?"
That made Vali slow his steps.
"In your present state, you probably couldn't even maintain Juggernaut Drive for thirty seconds," Azazel said mercilessly. "Even if we ignore the risks of losing control or shortening your lifespan, do you really think thirty seconds would be enough to defeat him?"
His meaning was obvious. Risking everything to chase victory was already questionable, but risking everything and still failing to win was an even bigger problem.
"The reason I stopped you is simple. If you'd pay such a heavy price and still fail to secure victory, then isn't it better not to fight at all?"
Azazel's earnest words made Vali frown deeply.
"So you think I would lose?"
Vali looked straight at him.
Azazel stopped, turned around, and met Vali's gaze.
"If I said yes, would you think I was underestimating you?"
He answered with a question, but it was as good as an answer.
Of course, Vali didn't think Azazel was belittling him.
No one understood his strength better than the man standing before him. After all, Azazel had personally trained him.
Whether it was how to use his Sacred Gear, how to reach Balance Breaker, or how to temporarily maintain Juggernaut Drive for several minutes through massive demonic power, it was all researched by this man and taught to him.
Because of that, even if Vali didn't like what he was hearing, he had to take it seriously.
"...Is Leo Eligos really that strong?"
That was Vali's only question.
Even he, who could wield power rivaling the gods, might lose. Did Leo truly possess that kind of ability?
"In terms of raw power level, he's definitely inferior to you," Azazel said decisively.
He hadn't fully grasped Leo's true depth yet, but based on the performance of Zenith Tempest, the world's second-strongest Sacred Gear, the foremost researcher on Sacred Gears could still make some analysis and educated guesses.
In Azazel's view, Leo hadn't reached god-tier power yet.
But then again, neither had Vali.
"Your Juggernaut Drive still has many flaws. Leaving aside its dangers and cost, with your current capabilities, it's actually very difficult for you to perfectly control god-tier power."
"Even if you possess god-tier strength, your imperfect control during battle causes massive waste. Your output never truly reaches that level. On top of that, there's a time limit, and your condition itself isn't ideal."
"In my opinion, even if you activated Juggernaut Drive, there would still be many ways to deal with you in that state."
"You don't need god-tier power. As long as you exceed Maou-Class, there's a chance to defeat you, so long as you don't fight head-on."
Azazel's calm analysis left Vali speechless.
"I have to say, Leo Eligos's growth rate is astonishing. Just a few months ago, he was nothing more than an utterly ordinary High-Class Devil, barely even qualifying as one. But the moment he awakened Zenith Tempest, this Longinus, it was like he'd been completely reborn."
Azazel stroked his chin, clearly intrigued.
"According to intelligence reports, there's a reason his growth is so fast. It involves some kind of secret. Unfortunately, the upper echelons of the devil world have jointly sealed that information, making it much harder to investigate, and progress has been slow."
"That alone would be one thing, but what's truly fascinating is his eye for talent and his sheer luck. He's only been a King for a short time, yet he's already gathered so many outstanding servants under him, every single one brimming with potential."
"Incinerate Anthem, Absolute Demise, Blade Blacksmith, Create World... either Longinus or ultra-rare Sacred Gears just shy of Longinus. Damn it, how did he manage to find all of that in just a few months?"
Azazel looked like a researcher whose soul had burst into flames, eyes shining, itching to act, yet utterly frustrated by the fact that his research subject already belonged to someone else. Compared to his earlier calm analysis, he looked far more animated now.
To be honest, Vali wasn't uninterested in those people either.
Those wielders of Longinus and ultra-rare Sacred Gears all had immense potential. Once they matured, they would probably provide him with plenty of entertaining battles.
Unfortunately, they were still too inexperienced.
Even Yukinoshita Yukino, who had followed Leo the earliest, hadn't yet reached Balance Breaker. At their current level, they were nowhere near qualified to be his opponents.
As a result, the only one who truly interested Vali was Leo himself.
"So where do you think Leo Eligos stands right now?" Vali asked.
"Him..."
Azazel suppressed his frustration and regret, thought for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"In his normal state, as a ten-winged Ultimate-Class Devil, even without activating Balance Breaker, relying solely on Zenith Tempest, the world's second-strongest Sacred Gear, he can challenge opponents a full tier above himself, reaching power on par with Maou-Class."
That much Vali already knew.
After activating Balance Breaker, he himself reached Maou-Class. There was no way Leo, who had suppressed him, lacked comparable strength.
"What his Balance Breaker actually is, and what abilities it grants, remains unclear. But from what I saw just now, its initial manifestation was the growth of a sixth pair of wings, raising his demonic power squarely into Maou-Class."
Recalling the scene, Azazel continued.
"Based on that, I'm fairly certain his Balance Breaker is similar to yours. Both explosively release power upon activation, causing a dramatic surge in strength."
Vali's Balance Breaker allowed him to unleash Maou-Class power. Leo's did the same, possibly even elevating his devil rank itself to a twelve-winged equivalent of Maou-Class, the highest tier of devil.
And that was only in terms of raw power.
Leo had once referenced Azazel's research theories, stating that Balance Breaker manifestations generally fell into three categories: the Crest Side, which enhances and evolves existing Sacred Gear abilities; the Abyss Side, which pushes the user's bond with their Sacred Gear to madness, fusing the two into one; and the X Side, which defies classification.
In simple terms, once a Sacred Gear reaches Balance Breaker, it either strengthens its original abilities, evolves new abilities from them, or undergoes some unknown change altogether.
When Vali activated Balance Breaker, he exhibited two changes. One was the explosive release of his Sacred Gear's power, massively boosting his strength. The other was the ability to ignore the original ten-second interval restriction and activate his Sacred Gear freely.
In Azazel's view, Leo's Balance Breaker was similar: first drastically enhancing his power and status, then altering the Sacred Gear's abilities themselves.
"And no matter what that change is, whether it strengthens his original abilities or evolves new ones, it's certain to be stronger than what he can do in his normal state."
Azazel's eyes gleamed as he smiled.
"Putting it all together, I'm fairly confident that even if he hasn't surpassed Maou-Class yet, he already possesses power capable of crushing Maou-Class opponents."
Power beyond Maou-Class. That was Super Maou-Class.
Azazel didn't know if Leo had reached that realm yet. But even if he hadn't, he was certain Leo was extremely close.
After all, someone who already possessed strength rivaling Maou-Class, once activating Balance Breaker, if you said he didn't have the ability to leap another tier and challenge stronger foes, Azazel would never believe it.
All things considered...
"Compared to veteran Maou like Serafall, he might still be a bit lacking. But if you say he possesses power beyond Maou-Class, I absolutely believe it."
That was Azazel's conclusion.
And it was precisely the level of strength he believed could defeat Vali in his Juggernaut Drive state, so long as it wasn't a direct clash.
That level of power was something Leo already possessed.
Given that, how could Vali, in his current poor condition, possibly win?
Vali fell completely silent.
"Don't worry. You still have a future," Azazel said, patting his shoulder. "As long as you keep growing, I believe you won't lose to him."
"But for now, if you fought at full power, the one with worse odds would ultimately be you."
"So for the time being, it's better not to fight him."
With that, Azazel turned around and unfolded a teleportation magic circle beneath both of them.
Bathed in the light of the magic circle, Vali's eyes gradually hardened with resolve.
"You won't know unless you try."
Sorry, Azazel.
Next time, you won't be able to stop me.
Vali didn't know that while they were discussing Leo, Leo was also talking about him.
"What do you think of the White Dragon Emperor?"
On the road back to Kuoh Town, Sirzechs chose not to teleport right away, instead asking Leo this question as they walked.
"You already have your own answer, don't you, Sirzechs-sama?" Leo shook his head. "Without a doubt, Vali Lucifer is an extraordinarily gifted individual."
"He's strong."
"At the very least, at this stage, aside from the Four Maou, there's probably no one in the devil world who can be his match."
That was Leo's evaluation of Vali.
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You can read up to chapter 220 on patreon.com/NiaXD.