DxD: The Holy Knight!

Yasuhiro, Sirzechs and Ajuka all soared into the air above the Bael territory.

Several miles behind them stood two massive, imposing legions, each maintaining a strict, formidable formation.

The soldiers in both ranks wore grim expressions, gripping their weapons like taut bowstrings, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

These two forces were, of course, the Burial Agency and the devil army under the Bael clan.

Unfortunately, in terms of both presence and actual strength, the Bael army fell far short of the Burial Agency, and the two were not even on the same level.

The Burial Agency consisted almost entirely of exorcists matching the strength of ultimate class devils, while those at the level of high class devils were exceedingly rare.

Even among those few, every single one had earned their place through notable combat capabilities or by wielding a sacred gear.

In contrast, the Bael clan could hardly compare.

The bulk of their devil legion was made up of mid class devils, along with a fair number of low class devils, while only a handful of legion commanders reached the rank of ultimate class devil.

The clan heads of the various clans wore grim expressions, but none looked more sour than the current clan head of the Bael clan, whose face was dark enough to cast a shadow.

On his clan's own soil, right in front of the assembled nobility, his forces had already lost the battle of military presence.

Regardless of the reason, even if their opponents were the legendary force that struck terror into the pantheons and helped the Saint who embraces darkness conquer Europe, a loss was still a loss and making excuses would only seem petty.

No matter how one looked at it, the Bael clan had lost a great deal of face in the Underworld today.

"Sirzechs, for the Underworld of today, you might truly be considered a highly capable ruler."

Though Yasuhiro spoke words of praise, the contempt and disdain laced through his voice remained bare.

"Whether I am seen as a ruler or a worthy maou matters little to me. My only objective is to secure the eternal survival of the devil race."

Yasuhiro felt even greater scorn for Sirzechs's response.

He had to admit that the Underworld had recovered a tremendous amount of its strength under Sirzechs's reforms.

In just a few centuries, it might completely return to the height of its glory before the great war.

Sirzechs had done an exceptional job in that regard, perhaps even a perfect one.

Yet the devils of the Underworld had not achieved this without a cost, and what they surrendered was their very nature, the inherent savagery, bloodthirst and cunning that had defined their race since its inception.

Such traits were nowhere to be found in the devils of today except for some.

From the introduction of the evil pieces to the rise of the rating game, the four maou had steadily eroded the foundational instincts of their kind.

Furthermore, with the influx of reincarnated humans joining their ranks, the social structure of the Underworld had grown almost identical to human society.

Thousands of years from now, the devils of the Underworld might truly become nothing more than humans disguised in devilish skin.

Beyond the unique blood flowing through their veins, their thoughts, customs and ways of life would be thoroughly assimilated.

When it came to adaptability and evolution, even a supernatural race like devils was far outmatched by humanity.

If that were not the case, then in this modern era following the death of the God of the Bible, the three factions would never have dwindled to the point of relying on humanity just to sustain their numbers.

"If our race had continued along its old path, it would have been swallowed whole by the relentless tide of time."

"Placing our faith in humanity is the only viable path forward."

Ajuka spoke in a measured tone.

"Then you might as well call yourselves human, rather than clinging to the hollow pride of a supernatural race."

Yasuhiro laughed.

"If the original maou saw the underworld today, they would turn in their graves."

A chill ran through Sirzechs and Ajuka.

Though they claimed that relying on humans was their best option, that choice carried a heavy burden of bitter compromise.

Even with all their power, they were powerless against the changing eras.

Everything they did was for the survival of their kind.

Yet this was precisely what Yasuhiro despised most.

Every existence needed a line it would not cross.

To abandon one's nature merely for the sake of survival was no different than angels willingly falling from grace just to stay alive.

To him, the current devil race had become an utter farce.

"Saint Who Embraces Darkness, if all you have to offer is empty rhetoric, you will certainly fail to take Sona from the Underworld today."

Sirzechs chose not to argue any further.

Beliefs differed from person to person, and he never expected every devil to agree with him.

The Old Faction still harbored endless hatred for his ideals, after all.

"True form, release!"

Sirzechs unleashed his true power, entering his form of destruction.

His entire body was enveloped in a concentrated, suffocating crimson miasma of power of destruction.

Everything around him began to deteriorate and collapse, as though he had become the very epicenter of ruin.

The pressure of destruction continued to expand, quickly sweeping toward the front lines of both armies.

The clan heads and Dulio's side immediately ordered their respective forces to pull back, retreating until they were safe from the crushing aura.

"So this is my brother's true strength."

This was the first time Rias had ever witnessed her brother unleashing his real form, and she could only watch in awe.

Beside her, even the clan heads who already knew the extent of Sirzechs's might, felt their hearts tremble at the sight of his true form.

It brought back memories of the past civil war, where Sirzechs had killed across the battlefields, carving dread into the hearts of all who opposed him.

Back then, not a single devil could withstand even a single blow from him.

That invincible silhouette was burned into the memories of every devil.

Now, that terrifying presence of destruction had returned, and standing against it was the Church's Saint.

None among the spectators could predict the outcome, nor did any dare to imagine it.

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