I Am the Awakener (Part 1) / I Am the Awakener (Part 2)

Another steady voice rang out, and Arthur raised his right foot, clad in armor and boots, and in the instant Vali reacted and turned around, swept a blow across his waist.

"Bang--"

A burst of golden light erupted, like a compressed cannonball, blasting directly from Arthur's right foot.

The intense pain caused Vali's expression to change slightly.

"Call out--"

Just as he reached out to grab Arthur, trying to touch him.

The Mana of "Boost" surged forth like a torrent, transforming Vali into a golden beam of light that plummeted at an angle towards the golden earth.

"Divide! Divide -- whoosh!"

The golden Mana covering Vali, upon hearing these two voices, instantly dimmed like the extinguished flames, while the extracted power was transferred to the pair of dark blue wings on Vali's back.

The body, which was falling at an extremely fast speed, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

After stopping, Vali's body suddenly trembled, dispersing the faint golden light covering him, which shot towards Arthur like a silver beam.

"Whoosh--"

The dazzling wings of light that unfurled behind him, shimmering with the stolen foreign Mana, transformed into Mana bullets that shot towards Arthur.

Chapter 422 - I am the Awakening One - (Part 1)

"It's not so easy to solve after all!" Arthur sighed, watching Vali following behind the barrage of Mana projectiles.

"After all, he's in a 'Balance Breaker' state, so be careful not to touch him, or it'll be very troublesome," Ddraig's voice echoed in Arthur's mind, prompting a warning.

Upon hearing this, Arthur nodded slightly. "Of course!"

As lifelong rivals, the Two Heavenly Dragons, who have forgotten why they fought to this point, have long understood each other's strength. They know that if they can eliminate their hostility, they will become as close as twins.

"The Red Dragon Emperor's royal frame was bad, and he was a rare and powerful figure. He was thirsty and his robes were full of mystery and intrigue."

The first ability of "Wings of the White Dragon Emperor" is "Halving," which reduces the opponent's strength by half every ten seconds.

Any force that strikes him, unless it immediately exceeds the limits of the "Wings of the White Dragon Emperor," will be weakened by half, and then weakened by another half after ten seconds.

The weakened half of the power will then be added to the "White Dragon Emperor" in all 18 parts.

What's even more outrageous is that not only is the attack power halved, but once touched by Vali, one's personal Mana is also halved every ten seconds.

This might not be a big deal for Arthur, who can double his power every ten seconds, but when Vali's first and second abilities are combined, it puts him at a huge disadvantage.

Unlike the "gift from the Red Dragon Emperor," the second ability of the "Wings of the White Dragon Emperor" is practically made for an individual.

He watched as Vali hid behind the barrage of comments, attempting to reach him.

The golden mist beneath Arthur's feet formed a cloud once more, which he used as a foothold, propelling him backward at incredible speed as he chanted:

" --Inazuma! Inazuma! Inazuma! I am the conqueror who can defeat a thousand with a hundred, a thousand with a thousand, a ten thousand with ten thousand. Now, grant me, who stands on the side of justice, shining brightly! Grant me divine power! It is I who will shatter man and demon—all enemies and hostility!--"

As the Word of Power of "Thunder" descended, Arthur slowly raised his hand, which was covered in a crimson, menacing gauntlet, and a blue-white light condensed in his palm.

"Boost (multiply) -- Boom!"

The blue and white light formed a ball of lightning several times larger than Arthur. With a deafening explosion, it transformed into streaks of Inazuma that poured down like a torrential rain, colliding with the barrage of projectiles shooting upwards.

"Bang bang--"

Blue and white light, along with a deep blue hue, shone brightly, finally seizing a corner of this golden world.

"Divide (reduce by half) -- Tear it up!"

At that moment, Albion's voice suddenly rang out, exceptionally clear amidst the sounds of the explosion.

The sound of tearing paper was deafening, and a silver-white figure had already rushed in front of Arthur.

The hand, clad in armor and gloves, was about to touch Arthur's body.

"I've already seen it!" Arthur stared at Vali's white dragon-headed helmet and said calmly, "You're too slow."

"The Steel Power--!"

"Whoosh-- Boom!!"

"Whoosh-- Boom!!"

Almost the instant Arthur finished speaking, Vali's hand touched his body, but he grasped at empty air, leaving only a near-physical afterimage.

Immediately afterwards, another powerful force surged from behind him, a force as heavy as a mountain, knocking him down from the sky.

Since this is pure power, Vali cannot use the power of "Wings of the White Dragon Emperor" to halve it.

"Click--"

The Authority from "My Husband - Susanoo-no-Mikoto" caused a crack to appear in Vali's armor, and a large piece of armor fell off where Arthur had stepped on it.

Vali's speed is naturally not slow, almost comparable to the power of "Phoenix".

But Arthur's Observation Haki had already shown him the future, and with the speed of his Somersault Cloud, it was simply wishful thinking for Vali to touch him.

"Boom--"

This time, Vali couldn't stop in mid-air. Instead, he transformed into a white beam of light, smashing a massive crater hundreds of meters deep into the golden earth, sending endless smoke billowing up.

"What... happened?"

The battle lasted less than five minutes, a process that seemed dizzying to outsiders.

Arthur and Vali's speed was too fast for the naked eye to perceive. The only thing Rias and the other girls could clearly see was the collision of bullets and Inazuma, creating a dazzling light screen.

Before they could recover from their daze, a deafening sound rang in their ears. Turning their gaze down from the sky, they were met with a cloud of dust.

"Vali, even you are no match for him?!" Kokabiel's face was extremely ugly as he looked at the huge crater filled with dust and mist.

After all, Vali being at a disadvantage meant that his chances of survival had decreased.

"Wow, that's fast! Even the full power of 'Balance Breaker' can't keep up. Could it be another speed-type Sacred Gear?"

Amidst the dust and smoke, Vali rolled over and lay at the bottom of the giant crater. His eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, gazed at Arthur through the thick layer of dust, and he sighed, "He's impossible to catch, Albion!"

"Vali, you're in a very bad situation right now." Albion's voice echoed in Vali's mind, and he said in a deep voice, "The 'Red Dragon Emperor' on the other side has only used the 'Multiplied' power so far, and hasn't even used the 'Balance Breaker' yet! Although I don't know if he has mastered the 'Balance Breaker,' Ddraig is so smug, I think he probably has."

"That's troublesome. Without touching him, my abilities are restricted," Vali said slowly as he stood up, looking somewhat troubled.

The difference between touching and not touching was enormous for Vali.

In other words, the battle just now was merely a clash between ordinary Demon King Lords.

If the "Red Dragon Emperor" and the "White Dragon Emperor" were to get serious and use all their strength, it would be a scene of world-destroying destruction.

The "Red Dragon Emperor's" "doubling" and the "White Dragon Emperor's" "halving" mean that their moves will become stronger and stronger until one side reaches its physical limit and is caught out, at which point the fight will end.

"Albion, I intend to use that!"

Vali unfurled his eerie blue wings once more, gazing at Arthur high in the sky through the dust and mist, and suddenly spoke...

Chapter 423 - I am the Awakening One - (Part 2)

"Vali, have you made up your mind?"

Upon hearing Vali's words, Albion instantly understood and couldn't help but ask a reminder.

"Ah... without using that, we're no match at all! The difference in our trump cards is just too great!" Vali exclaimed.

Only then did he realize how beneficial it was to have an extra, equally powerful trump card.

Arthur demonstrated that every single one of his abilities could be used as a trump card.

Even in his "Balance Breaker" state, Vali couldn't successfully touch him with his brief burst of power.

With only the "Wings of the White Dragon Emperor," Vali would naturally have to resort to even stronger methods to win.

"... That's the only way, but you must restrain yourself!" Albion remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.

In the past, he definitely wouldn't have advised Vali to use that power.

But the host that Ddraig has been in this time is indeed more powerful than imagined.

It had never seen anyone so blessed by the heavens, possessing not only the "Red Dragon Emperor's Imperial Decree," but also other Divine Artifacts no less powerful than the "Longinus Gear," and incredible strength.

That power was utterly mysterious!

If Arthur hadn't possessed "Attribute Concealment)," both Albion and Ddraig would have discovered that it was a power exclusive to gods, called "Authority."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Vali did not lose his fighting spirit despite repeated setbacks. He was still full of fighting spirit. After receiving Albion's permission, a smile appeared on his handsome face under his helmet.

His smile vanished, and an extremely terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Vali's body.

Yes, the breath!

It lacks the dazzling, visually impressive power of Mana.

Instead, it was an invisible aura, like the oppressive feeling before a volcanic eruption, spreading and permeating.

The vastness of the tomb, with its intricate details, sent chills down the spines of Rias and the other girls.

Sona Sitri, the weaker members of Sona's retinue trembled uncontrollably as if they had been frightened, and some even collapsed to the ground.

Their faces were filled with fear and confusion, as if they themselves couldn't understand why they were making such a shameful appearance.

"This aura..." Even Sona Sitri lost her composure, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on her smooth forehead.

Demon King!

No, an even more powerful sense of awe than that of the Demon King!

"--I am the Awakening one--"

"--These are the Two Heavenly Dragons who have been stripped of everything by the principle of tyranny--"

"--Endless jealousy, dreamlike longing--"

"--I shall embody the ultimate dominance of the White Dragon--"

"--Inviting you to enter the limit of purity--"

A deep, metallic chant resounded throughout the golden world, and the suppressed aura finally erupted.

This aura is called Fury!

The dragon's wrath once again!

Its name is -- "Juggernaut Drive".

"This is..." Arthur's expression showed slight surprise upon sensing this aura.

"Buddy, you need to be careful."

"Buddy, you need to be careful."

At this moment, Ddraig's reminder echoed in Arthur's mind, and he couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect the white guy to have such an outstanding host this time. No wonder it calls him the strongest 'White Dragon Emperor' in history. I didn't expect him to even master the 'Juggernaut Drive'."

"Partner, do you want to enter the 'Balance Breaker'?"

Hearing Ddraig's words, Arthur smiled faintly and declined, "Never mind, I'm not used to fighting with my fists and feet."

"Given your talent for mastering the 'Balance Breaker' on your first try, without further research," the Red Dragon Emperor said, "My abilities are indeed too useless for you compared to those two swords." As he said this, Ddraig felt a rare pang of regret.

It was probably regrettable that it had found the strongest host, but the host's excellence was so high that it no longer needed to rely on it.

Then, Ddraig asked again, "Partner, which of those two swords do you intend to use? Or the Vanguard Spear?"

Having never seen "Ea", Ddraig thought that Arthur only possessed three Longinus Ea ": " Holy Sword Excalibur ", " Sword of Wisdom of Victory " which severed his godhood, and " Rhongomyniad "Divine Artifact.

"How about this one? Don't you want to see... its brilliance?" Arthur said with a smile, raising his hand to conjure a golden light shield.

Just as Ddraig regrets!

"The Red Dragon Emperor's power is not great; the only things he finds appealing are 'Doubling,' 'The Red Dragon Emperor's Gift,' 'Penetration,' and 'Difficult to Develop.'"

These four abilities are what Arthur needs.

As for "Balance Breaker" and "Juggernaut Drive," although they could amplify these four abilities, Arthur didn't like the shape of those full-body armor.

Furthermore, I dislike hand-to-hand combat even more!