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The battle erupted in an instant.
The three male fallen angels took the lead, launching a fierce assault on Rias and Akeno.
Holy light flared brilliantly, divine power surging like a tidal wave. Two high-tier angels charged head-on, while another circled nearby. As for Stephanie, who had flown off alone, she cleverly melted into the darkness of the night.
She was creating pressure, forcing Rias and the others to stay on guard against her. That way, the three male fallen angels could press their advantage more easily… and she could slip in at the perfect moment to snatch Asia.
Flames roared.
Rias unleashed a powerful spell, crimson fire surging out like a raging dragon, tearing through the air toward the three fallen angels.
Akeno hovered in the night sky, summoning golden lightning that crashed down again and again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fire and thunder intertwined, detonating in a massive explosion. The three fallen angels gripped their light spears, splitting through the storm of flame and lightning with divine force, their bodies blazing with golden radiance.
"Angel Wings!"
"Sacred Spear!"
"Light Wing Charge!"
They shouted in unison and attacked together.
A flood of divine light filled the air, tearing through Rias and Akeno's magic.
Neither of them backed down. They met it head-on.
Dark-red magic circles bloomed behind Rias, spreading so densely they covered the space at her back. From them, endless flames surged forth, colliding violently with the incoming angels.
Akeno raised her hand again, calling down another bolt of lightning. This time it struck one of the fallen angels directly.
Crack!
His body jerked, and he was blasted backward, smashing into the ground.
"My, my… sorry about that," Akeno said with a gentle smile. "If you're still alive, how about trying this one?"
Still smiling sweetly, she raised both hands. Above her, countless bolts of lightning gathered into a terrifying sphere, which she hurled downward.
"Don't underestimate me!"
The super-class angel roared in fury. Rings of light formed behind him, shaping into dozens of sacred spears that shot forward to meet the thunder sphere.
Rumble—
A violent explosion tore through the sky, golden lightning raging wildly. From the aftermath, Rias and Akeno burst forward. Though lightly injured, neither showed the slightest intent to retreat as they held their opponents in place.
Meanwhile, Koneko was having a much harder time.
She was facing two fallen angels alone. Since she couldn't fly, she had no choice but to stay by Asia's side and defend.
Fighting two opponents at once, she had already taken a few hits.
Thankfully, Asia kept activating her healing ability, Twilight Healing, constantly restoring their injuries.
"Yaaah~!"
Beside her, the familiar Azure Thunder Dragon spat bolts of lightning into the sky at the two fallen angels. Unfortunately, its attacks were too weak to matter and were easily ignored.
Rias and the others also had to keep watch for Stephanie. She kept slipping in and out of the shadows, launching sudden sneak attacks that forced them to divide their attention. Because of that, all three of them had suffered minor injuries.
"Heh… pointless struggle."
Stephanie reappeared with a cold laugh.
This time, she had finally found an opening.
The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and the Lightning Priestess were both tied up, and the cat-girl had just been driven back by her companions' combined assault—
Leaving Asia exposed.
At this moment, Asia had no means of defending herself.
Seizing the chance, Stephanie turned into a streak of light and shot straight toward her!
"Watch out!"
Koneko shouted a warning, but Asia's reaction speed was far too slow.
All they could do was watch as Stephanie closed in.
"Asia!!" Rias's heart tightened. She abandoned her opponent and tried to rush over, but she was firmly held in place.
They could only watch as Stephanie reached Asia—
Just as the fallen angel stretched out her hand to grab the girl, a silver shield suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of her.
It wasn't large, barely covering half her upper body. But the moment it appeared, a powerful force field spread out.
Bang!!
With a dull impact, Stephanie slammed into it like she'd hit a solid wall of steel—and was instantly sent flying backward.
"What the—?"
The two fallen angels fighting Koneko were stunned, staring at the mysterious shield in disbelief.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A streak of silver light shot across the night sky, like a falling star, and slammed into the ground between them and Koneko.
Only then did a figure arrive—leaping across rooftops, sprinting at full speed, before launching himself from a building dozens of meters tall.
He crashed down.
Crack!
Jack landed in classic superhero fashion. The stone pavement beneath his feet shattered instantly, forming a crater nearly five meters wide, spiderwebbed with cracks.
"Jack!"
All four girls cried out at once, relief flashing across their faces.
Jack glanced at them. They all looked a little battered.
"Sorry. I'm late."
He spoke softly, raising his hand. The King's Sword embedded in the ground flew back into his grasp, while the Divine Shield hovered protectively around him.
Rias smiled faintly.
"Not too late. Protect Asia. We'll deal with these guys first."
"Got it."
Jack didn't show any particular aura—he looked almost ordinary. But his gaze swept over Koneko, noticing the blood on her shoulder.
"Koneko, fall back and let Asia heal you. I'll handle these three."
His tone was calm, but his words stunned everyone.
"That's dangerous…" Koneko frowned, clearly uneasy.
Meanwhile, Stephanie and the others burst into laughter, half furious, half mocking.
"What arrogance. You think you can take on all three of us alone? You?"
Stephanie looked him up and down, disdain practically spilling out of her eyes.
"A low-class devil?"
No wonder they looked down on him. His rank alone made him seem insignificant.
Jack didn't bother responding. He simply gave Koneko a small nod, his expression softening.
"Go get healed. Don't worry. I've got this."
Seeing how firm he was, Koneko said nothing more.
After all this time, she knew he wasn't reckless.
If anything… she found herself feeling a flicker of anticipation.
Jack tightened his grip on the King's Sword. Calmly, he raised it, holding it steady with the tip pointed at the three fallen angels.
The blade didn't tremble in the slightest.
Then—
He lifted the tip ever so slightly.
A simple motion.
But unmistakably…
A provocation.
"…"
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