Chapter 69: A Moment of Reflection
"Azazel asked me to bring you back. You've caused more than enough trouble," said the white-armored figure, stepping on Kokabiel's chest and causing it to crunch audibly.
"Vali, you bastard! Get your foot off of me...!" growled Kokabiel, grabbing the white-armored figure's ankle.
"Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide...!" echoed a man's voice, ostensibly emanating from the blue crystals in the figure's armor as his translucent wings became more luminous, shedding motes of blue energy.
Appearing next to Vahn as if she had teleported, Grayfia, hands folded over her lap, dutifully revealed, "That is the White Dragon Emperor, the Red Dragon Emperor's counterpart. Rather than multiplying power like the Boosted Gear, the inheritor of the White Dragon Emperor's Sacred Gear is known as Divine Dividing. It allows the wielder to divide a target's power in half, adding it to their own."
"Sounds dangerous..." remarked Vahn, his expression and tone calm as a frigid sensation permeated his mind, courtesy of Will of the Emperor. The surprise attack from Kokabiel had triggered it in earnest, so his awareness and the range of his domain were on a different level than usual, providing what he could only describe as a feeling of omniscience.
"Hmm...?"
Directing his gaze to Vahn, the white-armored figure, Vali, narrowed his eyes behind his mask and remarked, "You must be Vahn Mason. Azazel greatly anticipates your meeting and apologizes for any inconveniences Kokabiel has caused you. This fool will be made to account for his actions, and you can rest assured that he will compensate you and the Houses of Gremory and Sitri at the earliest opportunity."
"You will be the one to pay for this treachery..." groaned Kokabiel, his power having decreased to the point he would struggle to defeat even an ordinary human.
"You talk too much," retorted Vali, making a finger gun with his right hand and unleashing a pulse of Demonic Power that shook Kokabiel's mind and knocked him unconscious. Then, picking the raven-haired Fallen up by his hair and tucking him under his left arm, Vali prepared to fly away before a deep, reverberating voice called out, "Are you ignoring me, White One...?"
Turning to face Issei or, more accurately, the crimson gauntlet on his left hand, a voice other than Vali's responded, "The time for our fated conflict has not yet arrived, Ddraig. Your possessor is too weak to offer mine even the semblance of a challenge."
"That may be," conceded Ddraig, causing Issei's brows to furrow before he added, "But you know well that the strength of a Red Dragon Emperor doesn't stem solely from themselves. When that fated day arrives, we will not be the only ones standing across from you."