Angel Power

Touma Kamijou's mind went blank. He felt himself fly backward, then slam hard into the ground. His body scraped across the rough surface, sending a burning pain through him.

A sharp ringing threatened to pierce his eardrums. The whole world spun.

"We won—"

Through the billowing dust, he heard the red-haired priest's weary, matter-of-fact declaration.

Of course. How could anyone have blocked an attack like that?

Mr. Zhang Qi—

Touma Kamijou struggled to lift his head. The impact had blurred his vision, and he blinked desperately, trying to see through the fading smoke and light.

Then he froze.

The dust cleared.

In the middle of the alley, deep cracks spread outward from a single point across the space that raw power had ravaged.

They webbed over the entire ground. Scalding white steam still rose from the center.

Yet in the heart of that devastation, the man in the casual jacket stood quietly.

The circle of ground beneath his feet, roughly two meters across, was untouched.

Before him stood an energy field of countless translucent orange hexagons, joined into an unyielding wall.

The strike Kaori Kanzaki had unleashed with the power of the Son of God had stopped where the barrier stood. It could advance no farther.

"Phew—"

"Looks like that 'Sage' you mentioned isn't all that impressive."

Touma Kamijou sighed in relief and turned to Stiyl.

Stiyl's introduction had sounded convincing enough. He had almost believed it.

Stiyl did not answer the jab.

The delinquent-looking priest stood rigid, as though turned to stone.

Shock and confusion warred on his face with sheer disbelief.

The cigarette slipped from his lips and fell to the ground. Its ember glowed faintly, then went out.

Impossible—

How could this be?

That had been Kanzaki's Yuisen!

The move unleashed a Sage's power in an instant,