Crackle!
Just as Rias and the others were about to fight for their lives, a golden bolt of lightning streaked from afar, effortlessly tearing through the sky.
The lightning was hundreds of feet long, its aura vast and majestic, like divine punishment meant to destroy everything.
"Who's there?"
Kokabiel's pupils contracted sharply as he instinctively turned his head.
Terror he couldn't hide crept into his voice.
Almost instinctively,
He felt the terror of this lightning.
Vaguely,
He felt as if he were back on the ancient battlefield, facing a Satan.
Without hesitation, Kokabiel shifted his target and assumed a throwing stance.
"Die!"
With a roar,
The already massive spear of light in his hand expanded several times over as he hurled it to meet the golden lightning.
Swoosh!
Where it passed, the void rippled as the spear seemed ready to pierce space itself along with the lightning.
In an instant,
The two collided.
Hum!
At that moment,
The whole world seemed to dim, as if all light had converged at one point.
Boom!
In the earth-shattering explosion,
The spear of light held against the golden lightning for only a moment before being shattered like tofu.
"This is... Ayato's aura?"
Watching this, shock appeared on the faces of Rias and the others.
"What magic is this?"
Kokabiel cried out in disbelief as he moved again.
His entire body erupted with light power, a vast, magnificent magic circle appearing beneath his feet.
Crack!
The lightning struck the magic circle, its terrifying power fully unleashed, causing the magic circle to explode with a bang!
The next instant,
Kokabiel's entire body was completely engulfed by the golden lightning.
For a time,
Only the flashing lightning remained in the entire sky.
Ayato's figure had appeared above Kuoh Academy at some point, coldly watching everything.
No one knew how long passed.
The lightning in the sky faded.
Kokabiel, his entire body charred black and his face filled with terror, fell weakly from the sky.
A Fallen Angel Cadre, defeated in one blow.
Watching this, Rias and the others looked at each other, seeing undisguised shock in each other's eyes.
Though they had witnessed Ayato's Origin Magic during the Rating Game,
It had been through a different dimension.
Seeing it with their own eyes now, they deeply appreciated the magnitude of Ayato's magic.
Under everyone's gaze,
Ayato slowly descended and approached Kokabiel. "Your strength is indeed considerable. You still have a breath left."
Kokabiel, his body nearly reduced to charcoal, raised his head with difficulty.
"When did a being like you appear among the Devils?"
"Your magic... is terrifying."
"You don't know because your knowledge is lacking."
Ayato said coldly, "Let me ask you something. The God of the Bible is dead, isn't He?"
"Of course He's dead. That's no secret among beings like us."
Kokabiel was extremely weak, but spoke mockingly.
"To manage this mess, Michael used every means, but the system governing human faith remains full of holes."
"No one knows how many devout believers have been branded heretics."
'Adding his own spin.'
'How cooperative.'
Ayato looked at Kokabiel approvingly, then waved his hand, a bolt of golden lightning extinguishing Kokabiel's last spark of life.
Meanwhile,
Rias and the others' brains had mostly shut down.
What Kokabiel said before dying was simply too shocking.
Especially Xenovia and Irina, who had collapsed to the ground.
Their eyes were vacant, like puppets without souls.
Just a few words…
Answered the doubts they had always harbored.
'So the Lord was dead.'
'That's why there were so many devout heretics.'
'Then... where did we belong?'
At this moment, it felt as if the whole world had abandoned them.
"Ayato, this was your goal all along, wasn't it?"
Regaining her composure, Rias came to stand beside Ayato. "Isn't this a bit too cruel?"
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
Ayato shrugged. "They would have to face this sooner or later."
"True."
Rias nodded, then asked suspiciously, "But how do you know this?"
Ayato didn't answer, just smiled mysteriously. "It's a secret."
With that, Ayato approached Irina and Xenovia. "Now then, you two. Would you like to reconsider my previous suggestion?"
Irina and Xenovia looked up and murmured blankly, "Become... Devils?"
"Mhm. Come find me whenever you've made up your minds."