Crack... Crack...
This was the sound of the barrier covering the entirety of Kuoh Academy beginning to fracture.
When the pure white aura erupted like a volcanic explosion, soaring straight into the sky and dispersing the dark clouds, the dome of the barrier was also broken through by this terrifying aura, causing it to crack and become unstable.
The fierce waves of dragon aura ravaged the area, not only shaking the atmosphere and causing storms, but also fracturing the ground, leaving buildings within the academy either collapsing or splitting apart.
"This isn't good..."
Azazel's expression became more serious than ever before. While unfolding multiple layers of magic circles with his hands, he urgently requested assistance from Sirzechs and Michael.
"Hurry up and help me!"
Upon hearing this, both Sirzechs and Michael did not hesitate, quickly summoning several magic circles of their own. Even the silver-haired maid beside Sirzechs did the same, channeling enormous power into the barrier surrounding Kuoh Academy, stabilizing the wavering barrier.
"Brother!"
Rias and her peerage barely managed to sustain the protective barrier around themselves. Like a small boat isolated in a raging storm, they appeared exceptionally fragile amidst the violent, fierce aura.
"What is that, Brother!?"
Rias shouted loudly, only to receive an extremely serious look from Sirzechs.
"That is the power known as 'Juggernaut Drive,' a forbidden force possessed only by certain Sacred Gears sealing monsters, dragons, and similar beings," Sirzechs explained in a heavy tone. "By forcibly lifting the seal placed on the Sacred Gear, the sealed being's power is unleashed to its utmost limit. That is 'Juggernaut Drive.'"
"Among them, the Juggernaut Drive of Sacred Gears sealing monsters is called 'Juggernaut Beast,' while the Juggernaut Drive of Sacred Gears sealing dragons is called 'Juggernaut Dragon.'"
"Vali Lucifer is currently using this dangerous power—the Juggernaut Dragon."
As soon as Sirzechs finished speaking, Michael's voice rang out right afterward.
"The Sacred Gears of the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor both possess Juggernaut Dragon. Furthermore, because the dragons sealed within them are the highest-ranked Heavenly Dragons, their Juggernaut Dragon forms are exceptionally powerful," Michael explained with his eyes closed. "Once Juggernaut Drive is activated, whether it be the Red Dragon Emperor or the White Dragon Emperor, the user gains power comparable to that of a god."
Upon hearing this, Rias and the others were immediately stunned.
Power comparable to a god.
That was a strength surpassing even the Maou.
Since ancient times, the Underworld has always had four Great Satans, but Heaven has only ever had one God.
Heaven and the Underworld had fought each other for thousands of years, and God and the Satans had similarly fought battles for ages. Even with the combined power of the four Satans, the Devils had never managed to defeat God, clearly demonstrating that God's individual power surpassed that of any single Satan.
Although there were some non-combat-oriented deities who did not excel in battle, any deity who knew how to fight, even the weakest among them, could surpass a Satan-class being.
To be able to rival God meant the White Dragon Emperor's power had already far surpassed the level of a Maou.
"H-How can this be...?"
Asia overheard this conversation, her heart immediately tightening in fear.
Even Kuroka knitted her brows tightly, causing Koneko Toujou—who had been secretly observing her from the side—to freeze in place.
At this time, Azazel's voice also spoke up again.
"Juggernaut Drive is indeed an extremely powerful ability, but it comes with a huge risk," Azazel said somewhat irritably. "Once activated, the Sacred Gear's user basically loses control, continuing until everything around them is destroyed. Furthermore, it severely shortens their lifespan and drains a significant amount of their life force."
"It's essentially a suicidal technique—not only fierce but also dangerous. Using the Sacred Gear in that way is equivalent to abandoning one's own future."
"That isn't the proper way to use a Sacred Gear. Only those obsessed with power would fight using that cursed method."
"That bastard Vali... I explicitly warned him not to use Juggernaut Drive so carelessly, yet he still did..."
It was clear from Azazel's tone that he felt regret—regret for not stopping Vali from challenging Kaiser.
If he had known that Vali would go to such lengths to defeat Kaiser, he wouldn't have cared so much and would have definitely stopped him.
Even Sirzechs and Michael wore expressions full of worry.
"I didn't expect the White Dragon Emperor of this generation to already be able to activate Juggernaut Drive…"
"It's unbelievable… The Red Dragon Emperor hasn't even appeared yet, but the White Dragon Emperor has already reached this stage…"
The Red Dragon and White Dragon had always been mortal enemies. Even though both dragons had been sealed within Sacred Gears, the hosts chosen by these two Sacred Gears would still be drawn together repeatedly by their powers, battling each other to the death again and again until one side perished completely.
Throughout history, there had always been one consistent rule in the rivalry between the Red and White Dragons: whoever first mastered Juggernaut Drive would be the victor.
Now, the Red Dragon Emperor had not yet emerged, yet the White Dragon Emperor had already learned how to use Juggernaut Drive. If the host of the Red Dragon Emperor were present here, he would surely feel despair.
"This is just a sparring match, why use such a dangerous power?"
"Azazel, did you anticipate this as well?"
Sirzechs and Michael began to blame Azazel.
"How could I possibly predict something like this?" Azazel replied with a bitter smile. "If I had anticipated this, I wouldn't have prepared only something of this level."
After all, a mere barrier—no matter how carefully prepared—could never withstand an uncontrollable rampage of god-level power.
If Azazel had foreseen this earlier, even if he couldn't stop it, he certainly would have prepared more measures to deal with the aftermath.
"This is troublesome," Sirzechs said. "If the White Dragon Emperor loses control here, not only Kuoh Academy, but the whole Kuoh Town will be reduced to ashes."
Sirzechs's eyes flickered, showing that he was already considering stepping in to intervene in this battle.
"No, the situation hasn't gotten that serious yet," Azazel shook his head. "Juggernaut Drive is indeed an extremely dangerous power, but Vali can still use it normally for several minutes by paying the price of consuming his enormous Demonic Power."
"So for these few minutes, he should be able to control himself and won't immediately lose control."
As soon as Azazel finished speaking, Vali's voice came from over there, proving this point.
"Sorry, but time is limited. Let's end this quickly."
Following these words, Vali's figure soared into the air again, flying out from the crater.
At this moment, his entire body erupted with an incredibly fierce Aura. Although his appearance was still that of a white dragon, it had grown much larger, and the armor on his entire body had developed rather sinister-looking components, making the originally pure and holy White Dragon appear vastly more ferocious.
"Boom—!"
In the next instant, the White Dragon swung its steel dragon tail, spread its wings of light, and its massive body disappeared amid an explosive sonic boom, leaving behind a powerful shockwave.
"...!"
Kaiser felt a sudden, deadly sense of crisis rise in his heart. Without thinking, he opened the tip of the True Longinus, releasing the maximum amount of Holy Power.
"Hum—"
An extremely dense Holy Power immediately formed something akin to a barrier of light, protecting Kaiser's entire body.
This method of using Holy Power and the terrifyingly proficient control displayed made Azazel and the others feel astonished once again upon witnessing it.
It was certain that among all the wielders of the True Longinus in history, no one had ever used the spear's Holy Power more skillfully than Kaiser.
Kaiser protected himself with the barrier formed from Holy Power, letting the sacred Aura block the fierce wave of dragon power.
However, when Vali's armored body, now transformed into a giant white dragon, appeared in front of him, everything became futile.
"Boom—!"
A single punch.
With merely a single punch, Vali blasted apart the Holy Power—which was unquestionably poisonous to himself—and instantly shattered the barrier protecting Kaiser.
"Roar—!"
The fierce White Dragon let out a roar, directly opening the dragon head formed by his helmet armor, and viciously biting down toward Kaiser with a mouth full of sharp fangs and teeth.
"Bam—!"
At the critical moment, Kaiser raised his spear to block in time, yet he was instantly blown away by an unbelievably powerful force, sent flying backward like a cannonball.
"Rumble…"
The ground was continuously torn apart by Kaiser, who was blasted away like a projectile. Dust exploded outward, creating clouds of sand and dirt.
"Bam—!"
Vali charged forward again at some unknown moment, diving into the ground amid the exploding dust. He smashed the earth apart while knocking Kaiser, who had crashed into it, back out again.
His fist pressed against Kaiser's raised spear, pushing him, rushing forward without pause.
"Bam—! Bam—! Bam—! Bam—!"
Instantly, Kaiser was forced by Vali straight through several collapsing buildings, continuously smashing through them one after another and causing thunderous explosions.
"It's my win."
"Kaiser—"
Vali's voice had grown notably frenzied. Behind him, his steel dragon tail lashed out, heavily striking Kaiser's body.
"Boom—"
Following the ear-splitting collision, Kaiser's Touki defense crumbled like paper, instantly breaking apart.
Kaiser himself transformed into a blurred streak of light, crashing into the barrier surrounding Kuoh Academy, causing it to shake and crack visibly.
"Cough…"
Finally, Kaiser spat out a mouthful of blood.
Facing power that surpassed Maou-class and rivaled that of a god, even he, wielding the Holy Spear, had begun to reach his limits.
"Haha…"
Yet, Kaiser laughed outright, just as Vali had earlier.
"So this is Juggernaut Drive? Truly terrifying."
Kaiser slid down along the barrier wall, landing on the ground.
"It's… my win!"
Vali roared, seemingly already losing control of himself.
In response, Kaiser had only one thing to say:
"Not necessarily."
He raised the spear in his hand.
"Since you've played your trump card, I won't hold back either."
"Let me show you now…"
"My Balance Breaker."