"...."
"Th-this can't be..."
"Grr... what monstrous power..."
"Azazel-sama..."
Not long after Pain attacked the Demon World, Azazel and the White Dragon Emperor, Vali, were lying in a miserable state beneath the floating Pain, both bleeding and writhing in agony. Seeing their governor brought low right before their eyes, the remaining executives could only slam the ground in bitter frustration.
"You all wound others in order to gain something for yourselves."
Not long ago, Kokabiel had committed his atrocities in an attempt to seize Asia's Sacred Gear. His true goal had been to start another war, and the groundwork for that had been the collection of Sacred Gears and Holy Swords. A few executives had secretly cooperated with him. That was the real reason Issei had invaded the Demon World.
"Have you ever thought about the position of the one being robbed?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Azazel had no idea what Pain was talking about, but Pain ignored him and continued reciting the lines he had prepared.
"The hatred of all the humans and powerless races who were abused, tormented, and erased by your Three Factions has now taken form as this result."
The Three Factions now claimed to exist for the sake of peace, but even the clearest river can contain filthy water. The Demon World had known of such things and left them alone. Issei, having been hurt by those very things, could never forgive it. The current Demon World had sheltered and protected those who brought hatred into the world without ever stopping them.
"To know of evil and not stop it is also a sin."
Pain's words left the executives confused, but Azazel seemed to understand. He had witnessed the scene of Kokabiel's death with his own eyes. The timing lined up too perfectly, so he had suspected there was surely some connection. That was why he said nothing. As Pain said, turning a blind eye to evil and letting it grow was a sin. But the real question was why this Pain was the one carrying out that judgment. And why did the boy Hyoudou Issei and Pain share the same eyes? Azazel's mind spun with possibilities, but—
"Know pain. Those who do not know pain cannot know true peace."
Pain rose higher into the sky. High enough that Grigori's fortress and the entire surrounding area fell within his field of vision, and his voice echoed across the land.
"From here, I shall bring pain to the world."
His body seemed to radiate a holy white light, like the sacred brilliance poured forth by angels.
"[Shinra Tensei]."
The instant Pain spoke, the ground below was transformed into nothing short of hell. A shockwave centered on one point spread outward, violently repelling everything in all directions, a calamity that seemed to sweep away sin, hatred, and love alike. It swallowed Grigori's city whole, and Grigori, the symbol of the Fallen Angels in the Demon World—
"...The fortress..."
"The city..."
—vanished completely from the map. Barakiel and several Fallen Angels who had been fighting the Akatsuki members in the air were left speechless at the sight before them. It was truly the power of a god, a crushing force even Uchiha Madara would not have been able to ignore. The surviving Fallen Angels lost all will to fight and dropped to their knees. And Vali, who had miraculously survived at the center of it all, stared in disbelief.
"...What absurd nonsense..."
He could hardly believe that the symbol of the Fallen Angel faction, Grigori's fortress, had disappeared in an instant. And then—
"!! Azazel!"
The reason Vali had survived at all was clearly the mercy of his mentor, the one who had taken him in and cared for him when he had nowhere else to go: Azazel. In exchange, Azazel had collapsed unconscious. Not a trace of magical power could be felt from him anymore...
Dark shadows gathered beneath Vali's eyes.
"...Azazel, unlike me and the other executives, wanted to lead the world in a better direction."
Vali rose to his feet, and for once he looked genuinely enraged.
"He's not some existence that a terrorist like you, who can't even tell right from wrong, gets to treat however he wants!"
Vali shouted at Pain, but in Pain's eyes he was nothing more than an insect making its final struggle. And then—
"I, awakening—"
"Let's blow it away!"
"You're going to blow it away, aren't you?!"
Light burst from Vali's body, and static crackled from his [Divine Dividing].
"I am the Two Heavenly Dragons, robbed of everything by the law of the path of domination."
"The dream ends!"
"The illusion begins!"
"My current ultimate technique—"
"Jealous of infinity, I dream of illusion—"
"All of it!"
"Yes, offer everything you have!"
The sorrow of losing someone who was practically a parent to him.
"I shall master the path of the white dragon—"
And the fury directed at the being before him.
"And lead you to the ultimate of purity!"
For no reason other than to crush the enemy—
"[Juggernaut Drive]!!!"
Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, took on the form of a shining dragon, the image of the White Dragon made manifest. Pain looked on and said only,
"A monster."
The quantity of magical power, its quality, and even its aura were all far from ordinary. Yet with his usual expressionless face, he looked down at it and asked,
"Have you understood pain now?"
"Pain, you fool..."
The Two Heavenly Dragons, Albion, residing in Vali's arm, spoke up in response to Pain's attempt to force reality upon him.
"It seems you made the wrong choice."
As Albion spoke, Vali, now fully transformed into his dragon state, was watched closely—
"!!"
Vali broke through the sound barrier without any extra boost and appeared behind Pain. He then brought down a glowing fist imbued with dragon power onto Pain's body.
"!!"
Pain, whose power of the Deva Path had not yet fully recovered, was struck by the light-infused fist and slammed into the ground with an impact like a meteor falling from the sky. As Pain coughed up blood, Vali charged straight toward him.
"[Summoning Technique]!"
Facing Vali's meteor-like assault, Pain barely managed to rise and, for the moment, summoned more beasts to rush toward the charging Vali.
"Die!"
"GROOOOAAAH!!"
"Kyaaaahhh!!"
Vali paused for only an instant, then pierced straight through the bodies of the beasts and continued toward Pain. Pain thought,
'Close...'
"!!"
"Ghk!"
By a margin of 0.1 seconds, the power of the Deva Path returned, and Vali in his dragon state was blown back by [Shinra Tensei]. He spat blood in midair, but even then—
"UOOOOOO!! DIE!!"
A white breath blast erupted from the dragon's mouth, yet Pain did not move at all. If it was not a physical attack but one made of magical power—
"!!"
—then the breath began to be absorbed by [Human Path of the Six Paths]. Vali immediately stopped his attack and tried to create distance, but—
"[Almighty Push]."
He was dragged straight toward Pain. Pain then thrust a black spear from his sleeve, and—
"Ghk!"
—as [Truth-Seeking Orbs] were driven into various parts of the white dragon's body, Vali was rendered unable to move. Soon after, his dragon transformation was undone as well.
"You monster!"
"The monster is you. But being called that ends today."
Vali glared at Pain with burning rage, unable to move even a single finger, but to Pain it was nothing more than the howl of a defeated dog. And just as he had done to Asia before,
"!! T-this is!"
"I'll return your pain to you."
He began forcibly separating the Sacred Gear from Vali's human body. Vali panicked and struggled with all his might, but—
"Damn iiiiit!"
With death looming and no way to move, Vali let out a furious scream of despair. And as if answering that despair,
"Hihah!!"
A massive staff shot straight toward Pain's arm. Pain had no choice but to release Vali and dodge, since using [Shinra Tensei] would have also blown Vali away. At that moment—
"!!"
—blue flames rained down behind Pain. He turned and immediately absorbed them with [Human Path]. Then, when he looked toward the source of the ambush, there stood—
"You look pathetic, Vali."
"We came to save you, nyaan."
Vali's comrades: Kuroka, the nekomata with short black hair, refreshing features, and the power inherited from the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong; and the long-haired black-haired woman with a revealing outfit and, above all, a voluptuous chest that would surely be to Issei's taste, who practiced senjutsu.