Faced with the sudden appearance of this unknown man, Raynare didn't hesitate for even a second—she continued charging straight toward Hyoudou Issei.
It wasn't that she didn't want to be cautious.
It was that she had no other choice.
She had already seen the crimson power Rias had used to erase her spears of light—that was the Power of Destruction, the signature ability of the Bael family, leaders among the Seventy-Two Pillars.
Any devil capable of wielding that power was, at the very least, a high-ranking one.
A fallen angel like her stood no chance in a direct fight.
Raynare understood this perfectly.
Which meant her only path to survival…
Was to seize the Longinus from Issei.
With the power of the Boosted Gear, not only could she escape safely—
She might even be able to kill both devils in front of her.
—
Ren Kuroda stood before Issei, his presence so faint it was almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human.
He wasn't a devil.
He wasn't an angel.
And he certainly wasn't a fallen angel.
People from other mythological factions wouldn't just show up here without reason.
So in Raynare's mind, there was only one conclusion—
He was just a human.
In that brief instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
And in the next moment, she condensed an enormous spear of light in her hand.
This one was on an entirely different level from the ones she had thrown earlier—both in size and power.
"A mere human with a bit of strength dares to interfere in a battle between devils and fallen angels?"
"Then go to hell and regret your foolishness!"
The massive spear—several meters wide—lit up the dark street like daylight as it shot forward.
"Move!"
Rias leapt down from above, shouting urgently.
"The power of light is lethal—not just to devils, but to humans too!"
She tried to intercept.
But it was too late.
Her speed couldn't surpass the spear's flight.
And using her Power of Destruction recklessly at this distance…
Might erase Ren entirely along with the attack.
One student had already died under her watch.
If another innocent civilian died here…
She'd definitely be recalled to the Gremory estate tomorrow.
—
The enormous spear tore through the night, dazzling and deadly.
Even as a low-ranking fallen angel, Raynare's full-powered attack was more than enough to instantly kill a devil of the same rank.
Yet—
Standing in its path, Ren didn't move.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he watched it approach… almost thoughtfully.
"So this is the 'light power' fallen angels use in combat?"
"The energy concentration is impressive. The speed's decent too."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But beyond that… the application seems rather one-dimensional."
His calm, almost analytical tone made Raynare let out a cold laugh.
Most fallen angels—even among their officers—used light power in exactly this way.
And this man… was calling it simplistic?
She didn't bother arguing.
There was no point debating with a dead man.
In her eyes, Ren was already as good as a corpse.
—
And then—
What happened next froze both Rias and Raynare in stunned silence.
The massive spear of light, blazing with destructive force, shot toward Ren—
And he simply raised one hand.
Caught it.
Midair.
Like stopping a thrown stick.
Then—
His fingers closed.
And the spear—
A construct of pure, concentrated light—
Was crushed. Barehanded.
"BOOM—!!!"
The explosion of released energy surged outward, tearing into the surroundings.
The concrete street caved in, forming a massive crater in an instant.
Dust and light scattered in every direction.
And when the smoke cleared—
Both Rias and Raynare stared in disbelief.
Catching a spear of light with one's bare hands wasn't entirely unheard of.
But doing it as a human?
And then crushing it?
That was something else entirely.
Moments later, the figure of the young man with chestnut hair emerged calmly from the fading dust cloud.
Completely unharmed.
As he walked, he casually brushed the dirt off his clothes.
Noticing their stunned gazes, he flashed a bright, easy smile.
"Heh. Not bad."
"A bit stronger than I expected… though you did get my clothes dirty."
—
Raynare's mind went blank.
Her full-power attack—
Hadn't even scratched him.
Hadn't even torn his clothes.
Without a second thought, she spread her black wings and fled at full speed.
A Longinus was valuable—
But only if you were alive to use it.
And the man before her…
Was anything but ordinary.
If Rias represented danger—
Then Ren Kuroda was something far worse.
An absolute, overwhelming fear.
If her strongest attack couldn't even break his defense…
Then there was nothing left to fight.
"Damn it—don't let her get away!"
Rias snapped out of her shock, but by then Raynare had already flown far into the distance.
—
Far ahead in the night sky, Raynare's expression twisted with frustration.
The Longinus had been within reach—
And yet, everything had fallen apart.
With opponents like Rias… and that monster of a man…
There was no chance she could take it now.
Reluctantly, she decided to retreat and report the existence of the Boosted Gear to her superiors.
At least that way, she might gain some reward.
With that thought, she accelerated, trying to escape their range as quickly as possible.
But suddenly—
A chill ran down her spine.
A sense of imminent death.
Even though she had already flown far away…
The feeling clung to her like a shadow.
—
On the ground, Ren raised a single finger toward the sky.
White lightning crackled at its tip.
"Hadō #4—Byakurai."
In the next instant—
A bolt of pure white lightning shot forth.
It pierced through the clouds—
And struck Raynare, hundreds of meters away, with absolute precision—
Before vanishing into the horizon.
—
In the distance, Raynare's body convulsed as the lightning tore through her.
Like a fallen angel with broken wings—
She plummeted from the sky.
—
Standing nearby, Rias watched the scene unfold.
Then slowly turned her gaze back to Ren Kuroda.
And for the first time—
Fear appeared in her eyes.
..
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