Capítulo 28: Interlude 2 - A New Rival
–Vali Lucifer–
He entered the conference room with a grumble and sat in his seat with an annoyed expression, showing how dissatisfied he was. Vali would've preferred to continue with his training, but Azazel mentioned that he had prepared something he would enjoy, so here he was. Except that bastard was nowhere to be found and was late again!
"Sorry, sorry." Azazel burst in the room with a wide grin on his face, clearly not meaning his words.
Of course, the fools started talking and yapping, further intensifying his annoyance with them. Naturally, he ignored them and started devising the best ways to take down everyone in the room as quickly as possible.
"Alright!" Azazel clapped his hands, and the rest quieted down. "I got my hands on some interesting footage and spent the past few hours editing it."
"The past few hours in which you repeatedly said you were working on something important?" Penemue asked as she took off her glasses to narrow her eyes at him
Why did she even wear those useless things when she didn't need them? Vali didn't understand nor did he bother to try to figure it out.
"Of course, I was doing something important!" Azazel grinned widely. "You have no idea how shaky the footage was! I had to slow it down and fix it to make it presentable."
"Get to the point," Vali growled out.
Azazel was a fucking idiot, but he somehow made it work. He didn't fully understand how, but so many were willing to follow him despite his antics.
For fuck's sake, even individuals way more powerful than Azazel were willing listening to his commands. Tobio and Lavinia–who were just a few years older than Vali–easily eclipsed him in strength.
'You will get there soon enough. I believe in you,' his partner added in his mind.
'I know,' he replied back, feeling better about himself.
"I will." Azazel turned to him, watching him with amusement. "But first, we need an introduction! And this other footage I got my hands on will serve as one!"
Vali was tempted to just walk away, but Azazel finally got to the point. The wall behind him lit up, displaying a somewhat large arena where a human was smacking down some Youkai.
"Introductions!" Azazel exclaimed and pointed at the human before tapping his heart. "This right here is one of my close friends. Honestly, he's almost like a brother to me."
Vali didn't recognize him, and he sneakily glanced around, noticing that the other also appeared confused. So, this definitely wasn't one of the humans that Azazel liked sponsoring and training. Then who was he? Thankfully, someone else asked that question for him.
"His name is Michael!" Azazel happily announced, receiving a room full of blank stares. "Don't look at me like that! He's much cooler than our brother, I promise! I even gave him a Twice Critical as a gift."
"Azazel…" Shemhazai drew out as he rubbed his temples. "Why would you hand out a Sacred Gear to someone not part of our faction?"
"Because he introduced me to the amazing world of femboys?" Azazel asked before he quickly started explaining himself once he saw everyone's expressions. "No, no, hear me out. Femboys are the perfect lovers. They know when you just want to cuddle, they know when you want to have sex, and they know when you want to be left alone to tinker. They also don't nag you like a woman! How are they not perfect?"
Everyone continued staring at him until he sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll shut up and start the video."
'Finally!' Vali thought as he stared at the screen with half-lidded eyes, showing how bored he was. However, inwardly, he was enjoying this. Fighting enemy after enemy, each one stronger than the rest? That sounded like a dream come true.
He should try and set up something like this around here. Or maybe he should visit those Youkai to challenge them instead? They certainly seem like a more fun bunch, judging by how excited everyone was.
They still looked pretty weak. Or so he thought until the dude with the sword jumped in. Now things really got interesting, especially when the human's Touki changed to a red color, and he started releasing explosions with each hit.
"Is that Twice Critical?" Someone asked, but Vali barely paid attention.
'I'd have to hold back, but those two seem like they'd make good opponents.'
'The human is a skilled fighter,' Albion commented, and Vali had to agree.
There was potential there. The human was even somewhat similar to him, judging by his words, so he could potentially invite him to his team with the promise of fighting strong enemies.
"Not unless it has somehow turned into a variant," Azazel explained, and the rest nodded, trusting his words as the foremost expert on Sacred Gears.
'That attack is dangerous,' Vali thought as he watched the Youkai swing his blade. Of course, he had numerous ways to avoid it and even stop unlike the human.
However, Vali was surprised when… Michael got his arm cut off, only to use it to slap his enemy before he managed to reattach it a split second! That was… cool, he had to admit. This also served to increase his interest in him, assuring him that he would be a valuable teammate to have around.
Michael was no Red Dragon Emperor, so he wasn't worthy of being his rival. In fact, he wasn't even worthy of being his stepping stone, but he was strong for a human, and he could become even stronger. That was all that mattered to him.
"What was the point of this?" Penemue asked, already starting to lose her patience.
"As I said earlier, it's an introduction," Azazel explained as he switched the video, showing an entirely different scene. "Let's just say that Kyoto had a bit of an incident."
Vali perked up. He knew those guys at the Hero faction were planning something there, but he didn't know what since they tended to keep to themselves, ostracizing everyone that wasn't a pure human.
'I can take them,' he confidently thought to himself once the video started, showing a massive fox fighting against a Dragon while another figure flickered in and out of existence around them.
'No, you can't.' Albion didn't hesitate even for a second. 'You are strong, but you are not at that level yet. Don't be discouraged by this. You are still my strongest wielder, and you will only keep getting more powerful. It is only a matter of time until you surpass them. You only need to continue working as hard as you always have.'
'I know…' It was hard to admit, but his partner was right. He wasn't that strong yet, but he would eventually get there. That was a promise!
The two Youkai leaders ended up winning the fight, but he wasn't surprised. The Dragon acted like a mindless beast and only thrashed around. The only reason it lasted so long was probably due to one of those snakes. Albion even agreed with his conclusion.
That was when the Hero faction made their appearance. Hundreds of them teleported there with a purple mist, being led by two figures that caused a commotion among the gathered members of the Grigori.
"That's the True Longinus and Dimension Lost!" Many of them jumped on their feet, more than surprised to see two users of top tier Longinus gears working together.
"Yes, they are." Azazel nodded, acting a bit more serious. His eyes scanned the room, staying on Vali for a second longer than everyone else. Naturally, he pretended not to notice.
The following scene made everyone sit down and stare at the screen with wide eyes. However, Vali couldn't understand what was so special about it.
Didn't Cao Cao just use some special move of the True Longinus? Why did they react as if this was something extraordinary? What was so special about that? It was just a big wave of Holy Power.
Though… even Albion was unnaturally quiet, keeping to himself rather than commenting. So what was he missing then? What made this so special?
Meh, Vali would eventually figure it out. He always did. Plus, something interesting was finally happening again! Michael made his appearance, seemingly unaffected by that wave of Holy Power as he rushed over to the group.
Vali had to stop himself from grinning. That was exactly what he was going to do in the same situation! Rush towards the strongest and immediately attack them without hesitation! He wasn't wrong, Michael would definitely fit right in in his team!
The screen lit up as Michael met two Longinus Sacred Gears with his fist! Vali's heart started beating wildly when he saw the result of the clash, as it showed both Cao Cao and Georg with their clothes singed and their skin burned.
However, he felt a pang of disappointment once the camera panned to the stupid human as he was missing half of his upper body. Why did he have to get himself killed before he recruited him? Stupid human! Gah!
Of course, there was one more surprise waiting for him.
"What was that?" He asked, surprising himself from speaking out loud.
"Didn't you say that the video was slowed down?" Shemhazai asked the same question Vali had on his mind.
"It is," Azazel confirmed, slowing down even more.
They all intently watched, seeing how Michael went from missing half his body, to being completely healed. One frame he was injured, the next, he was not. It was completely instantaneous, negating any theories about him using a Phoenix Tear to heal himself.
"How is this possible?" Shemhazai asked, clearly interested in this phenomena from the look in his eyes.
"I have a theory," Azazel said before he continued the video. "Watch what happens next."
The golden Touki that damaged his surroundings was kind of cool, but Vali ignored it, keeping his eyes on Michael to spot what Azazel was referring to. Cao Cao opened his mouth, and then Michael just appeared behind them.
Vali blinked his eyes as he tried to figure it out. Michael didn't move, he was sure of that much. He also didn't teleport, evident by the lack of Magic Circle. So how did he do it?"
"Time Manipulation?" Someone asked, and Vali nodded. That seemed plausible.
"That's my theory," Azazel confirmed.
'No,' Albion rejected that idea. 'He's teleporting, but I don't know how.'
'Why do you think so?'
'If he could stop time and affect them, he would've killed them instead of appearing behind them.'
'That makes sense.'
Azazel resumed the video, and they watched as Michael decapitated Georg with a swipe while punching Cao Cao, his fist exploding and lighting up the screen. Then Michael proceeded to slaughter the Hero faction on his own, each of his punches resulting in the explosion of a star.
'That's kind of cool,' 'I can still take him though.'
'You can't. Not yet.' Albion instantly shattered his fantasy. 'But you will be able to fight him on equal grounds in the future as long as you don't get discouraged.'
Vali nodded, only for his eyes to open wide once he saw another figure appear in the sky. He ground his teeth in anger, wishing he was there, so he could rip Shalba apart with his own two hands.
'Kill him!' He roared as Michael appeared above Shalba, his arms blurring as he punched, forming two brilliant suns in the night sky that erupted into a mighty explosion.
When the light died down, Shalba was on the ground, staring at the sky with a look of horror on his face. His whole body was badly burned, parts of it were even melting away. Then he teleported away like the fucking coward that he was.
"As you can see, my close friend has been holding out on me! I thought he was working with the Devils, but it seems like he has allied himself with the Youkai," Azazel said with a dramatic sigh once the video ended. "If you meet him, I want you to scold him for me and then ask if he's interested in a drink or two. I know just the right place to discuss the wonders of femboys!"
Vali ignored him. Instead, he cupped his chin thoughtfully. Michael… would be a worthy rival. He could sharpen his skill against him until he eventually met the Red Dragon Emperor of this generation.
Should his destined rival turn out to be a disappointment… he could end him and hope the next one would be better. And until then, Michael could easily fill that spot.
Now there was only one question on his mind. How was he supposed to get in contact with Micahel?
'The Youkai are a good start.' Albion helpfully supplied.
That was indeed a good suggestion. Vali could even get to fight with them since they clearly enjoyed a good brawl. He should've known as much. Bikou loved fighting just as much as he did, after all.
It was decided then. He would soon be visiting the Youkai and… he grinned. 'I will then challenge Michael to a fight.'
'Just don't be disappointed when you lose. Treat it as a learning experience and use the loss as a motivation to get better.'
Vali would never admit it out loud, but he was glad that Albion was his partner. He would've never reached this point without his help.
'Me too, partner, me too. I couldn't have asked for a better wielder than you.'
A/N
Just a short interlude. And yes, the title is the same as the first one, so what?
Also, Albion is best Heavenly Dragon! No questions there.
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