«What's going on?
Akeno glanced anxiously up at the sky, which had changed its hue from night to purple. It was as if someone had switched the lights in the entire city. It was a clear sign that a magical dome had been stretched over the city. And by all checks, it was of the highest quality. That is, numerous tools for "piercing" such structures had no effect, and all means of communication, even those specially created for such cases, did not work. They were completely cut off from the outside world. And something told her that this was a pre-planned operation, and most likely there was no help from outside. At least not in the next few hours.
Valerie didn't answer the bishop's question, only began to warm up slightly. The smell of trouble lingered in the air, and, worst of all, there was no sign of the King. There was no way to contact him, so she'd have to rely on herself. But she wasn't worried about him, she just knew he wouldn't be lost.
Sona questioned the red-haired exorcist again:
«So you're saying that your comrade betrayed you? - When she received a reluctant nod, she continued to question Irina. - And he took all the Excalibur with him?
«Yes," Zenovia only briefly confirmed as Zenovia stepped in. - Izaiah was talking about some ritual that required all the holy swords....
At the moment, Sona's entire entourage, the two exorcists, and them, Valerie, Akeno, and Ichika, were heading towards the school. After all, that was where some unknown ritual was taking place. The emanations of holy energy could be felt even on the other side of town. It was practically an invitation to action. Any attempts to retreat or wait it out were not even considered. Too much was at stake, even the most inexperienced representatives of demons realized this. Right here and now the fate of the three Biblical Factions was being decided.
Valerie suddenly stepped forward and held out her hand. Everyone obeyed the silent signal and stopped, staring into the distance.
Azazel himself was walking towards them, they realized from Emeric's information, who had just recently shown his picture. So they wouldn't just start fighting him.
«Azazel," Valerie said warily to the fallen man who had stopped. - What's going on here?
«Kokabiel," he summarized weightily. - He's finally crawled out of his hole... Right now, he's doing something on your school grounds. We need to band together and stop him...
«Where is the King? - She put in, summoning her Longinus. It was all too suspicious. - He was supposed to be with you...
«He's already there," he said with a wave of his hand, marking the spot. - Distracting the enemies...
«That's what I believed," she nodded sarcastically. Azazel shook his head as he realized his hastily devised plan was going nowhere. The others immediately picked up on the realization that this fallen man was no ally. - Oh well... - Valerie craned her neck and got into a jerk stance. - I'll make you sing, little dove!
«What?
It was clear that Valerie's last appeal had really thrown the fallen man off balance, for he had only managed to block with his hands, opening his wings. Valerie had rammed him with her own body and carried him away just in the direction of the school.
«Let's go! - Sona came to her senses and ordered, heading after the couple who had just started blowing something up.
«Yes! (Laughs)
*****
Valerie Lucifer was an incredibly power-hungry girl. She was constantly training to at least a little bit to increase her power. Never stopped in the progress of knowledge of his Longin and general capabilities, so by its small, by the standards of demons, age had the power of demons of the highest class. And not the weakest.
Excellent genetics and the right Longinus, coupled with a born fighter's spirit, made Valerie a true killing machine. She wasn't sure she could defeat Azazel, but she wouldn't back down. First, she had no choice, and second, it wasn't her style.
«Fission! - The dragon's voice was accompanied by the sudden reduction of the monstrous spear of light. It was no match for the pathetic projectiles the fallen had sent out during the battle with Ichika. A full-fledged spear of one of the oldest creatures in the world, perfectly infused with holy energy.
However, that didn't stop Valerie from easily "weakening" him and smashing him with her fist. The various masses simply scattered away from the momentum of the collision. The rest of the renegades realized that there was nothing for them to do here and concentrated on Valerie's arriving allies. And rightly so, this was a battle between her and Azazel, who had suddenly become the bad guy.
Azazel raised his eyebrows in bewilderment as he saw the burns from his spear on her arm begin to heal quickly. All his experience told him that this should never have happened! She was a demon by all accounts, but the poisoning factor was almost nonexistent! Azazel's whole exploratory nature wanted to look into the matter further, but Cockabiel, who was the helmsman, crushed that desire in its cradle. Still, the Mask of Solomon was too ambiguous an artifact because it constantly mixed the desires of the prisoner and the master. That was how Azazel was able to give a few hints to Emeric, during their conversations.
«Not bad," Cockabiel summarized and waved his hand. Behind his back, incredibly dense spears began to form, which were about to explode more violently after the collision. One had to admit that the combined power of Cockabiel and Azazel inspired terror in everyone around them.
But not Valerie.
Like a battering ram, she fearlessly charged straight at the cloud of holy spears. Her excitement and fighting instincts allowed her to maneuver between the spears with ease. Valerie flew between them, sometimes within millimeters, but quite successfully. Often she would even push off of a flying spear, creating an explosion that would give her even more acceleration.
This kind of maneuvering right inside the cloud of spears of light made even the fallen fallen man come to his senses. He had expected a lot from the new owner of the Divine Separation, but not a master class like this. And a completely tower-less one at that. Indeed, the queen was as good as the king.
In a matter of dozens of seconds, Valerie drew closer to the fallen man and finally touched his hand...
«Fission!
«Kha... - Valerie nearly spit out her lungs from the exertion. This wasn't what she had expected when she'd gotten close enough to use 'division' on her opponent.
It should be noted that everything has a limit, meaning Valerie could share almost anything, but it all depended on her "energy capacity". If she took in more than she could chew, the excess would have to go out through her wings, but not in this situation....
Azazel was much, much stronger than her. How was she to know that she was now fighting with 'twenty-two' wings? Even she, who had been given a "monster" reserve from birth, was getting sick. The excess couldn't go through her wings at once, so some of it went "back" to Azazel, and some of it went into her insides.
That was Cockabiel's original plan. Azazel's memory contained absolutely all the knowledge of the Longines that Grigori had been able to obtain. And he took advantage of it.
He created an even more concentrated spear, but in his hand, and aimed it with all his might at the belly of the expectorating Valerie. She managed, purely on instinct, to set her wings. They could not withstand such pressure and broke, but they fulfilled their task, that is, they did not let the spear to pierce Valerie's body, but this trick was not given to her without losses.
Valerie flew straight down into a pile of renegades. The collision created an explosion that left nothing of Azazel's allies behind and gave Queen Emeric a good bashing.
Valerie wiped the blood from her mouth with her sleeve. The first "aiming" clash had shown the strength of this fallen angel. Putting her hand on her heart, she had to admit that she hadn't expected such a fierce onslaught. Her mistake, she should have started with her trump cards right away.....
"Albion..."
"Got it, partner!"
Ichika once asked her if she had awakened her Balance Crusher.
Of course! Who does she think she is?!
«Balance Crusher!
Immediately, her body was covered in monumental white armor. Thick sheets of armor that flowed seamlessly from smooth parts to heavier ones. The wings, which had similarly increased in size, were now part of a full set of the same style. A beautiful helmet covered her scarred head. Overall this armor gave the right impression. That is, the power but elegance of its mistress.
Valerie suppressed the moan of pleasure she felt as she felt the full power of this mode. The strength and "energy capacity" had increased many times over. Even minor injuries stopped whining and reminding her of her carelessness. Strength, speed, and maneuverability, from experience, also kept up. Most importantly, the time limit for 'divisions' no longer played any role. The Balance Crusher was raising her power level by an order of magnitude.
Valerie's wings lifted her into the air in an instant, putting her on the same level as Azazel, who couldn't hide his interest as he looked at her armor.
«Now we're gonna dance, asshole! Fucking claymation!
«Whoa! What about the claymores?!
Another portion of bewilderment had to be swallowed in his throat as his opponent's dramatically increased strength drew closer to strike.
This time, the lunge of the spear that sent Valerie to the ground last time was met with equal resistance. That is, Valerie's fully armored fist stopped it.
«Fission! Division! Division!
The dragon's many exclamations of a successful operation made it immediately clear that the past "trick" was now useless. Valerie's blue wings began to spew some abnormal sweat of holy power from her back, which left the trenches below. Even in her Balance Crusher form, Valerie couldn't fully "share" Azazel's power, but that doesn't include his weapons. That is, the dense energy spears that disappeared right before her eyes.
As the spear in the fallen man's hand disappeared, the armored figure drew even closer to deliver a full-fledged blow to his face.
A rush of disappointment formed in Valerie's mind when she saw that Azazel didn't repeat her gesture with his fall to the ground. Yes, he flew off, but he regained control immediately, only shaking his head slightly.
A tough opponent.
Correction.
A very tough opponent!
But Valerie was not discouraged, for she had gotten exactly what she wanted!
A battle to the death!
---
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