Under the vast night sky, chains glimmered like celestial streaks as they shot forth from every corner of the battlefield—Chains of Heaven, roaring through the air, hunting down their single prey.

Vali, now fully enveloped in radiant white aura, moved like lightning incarnate. His body danced through the sky with dazzling agility, weaving through the oncoming barrage of chains with masterful precision. Not a single link touched him.

"Show me your true power, Shin Akira! Face me with everything you've got!"

Vali's voice rang out, brimming with excitement. He hadn't come for a sparring session—he was here for a true battle. A showdown between those who sought strength, not half-hearted trials.

"Then I'll give you what you want…"

Akira's voice thundered like a divine command.

Behind him, a surge of dark blue lightning began to form. In mere seconds, the swirling energy took shape—an enormous dragon, wreathed in electricity, roared as it manifested in the sky. The sheer pressure from its presence made the air tremble.

The Thunder Dragon let out an earsplitting roar before launching toward Vali like a wrathful god descending from the heavens.

"Yes! That's more like it!"

Vali laughed with exhilaration, charging in without a trace of fear.

The moment their powers collided, the sky erupted. A deafening shockwave tore through the clouds, lighting up the heavens in an explosion of blinding force. But Akira didn't smile—not even a flicker of satisfaction on his face.

Because he knew.

Even after that overwhelming attack... Vali's aura hadn't diminished at all.

『Divide.』

The lingering thunder scattered.

The mighty surge of blue lightning that had rampaged across the sky now began to fade, its energy siphoned away by an invisible force.

『Divide.』

『Divide.』

『Divide.』

Everything fell quiet once more.

As the thick smoke cleared, Vali stood tall—unscathed.

The power Akira had just unleashed, the Blue Lightning Light, had been absorbed—stolen—by Divine Dividing.

It now belonged to Vali.

"Use your Sacred Gear, Shin Akira. Only the Red Dragon Emperor can stand against the White Dragon Emperor."

"…Red Dragon Emperor, huh? I don't think I'll need him."

Akira replied softly, his expression turning calm—but resolute.

To him, Boosted Gear wasn't the core of his strength. It was a tool. A powerful one, yes—but not the foundation of who he was.

Once, he had defeated Vali with Boosted Gear Scale Mail.

But this time… he wanted to surpass Vali as himself.

With the power of the Chains of Heaven.

"…I figured as much," Vali muttered.

He could read Akira's intent clearly. As a fellow warrior who chased after true strength, Vali understood his resolve.

Akira didn't want to win as the successor of Ddraig—he wanted to win as Shin Akira.

『Vali, is Ddraig's host really going to fight you without using Ddraig's power?』

"Seems like it."

『Even if he has two Sacred Gears, most of them can't even compare to a Longinus—let alone one of the Heavenly Dragons.』

"…We'll see."

Vali smirked as he glanced down toward Akira's position on the ground.

He respected him—not just as a rival, but as a man who stood on his own two feet, chasing strength with unwavering conviction.

And then it happened.

Akira stomped the ground beneath him. For the first time in his life, he called upon a power that slumbered within the earth itself.

The earth—foundation of all life—revered in countless mythologies as the Mother Goddess. It held a primordial force no mage could ever replicate.

From deep beneath the surface, golden particles of light began to rise.

Ripples of energy spread out in all directions, covering kilometers of land.

And then, slowly—majestically—weapons emerged from the earth.

Swords. Spears. Axes. Bows. Scythes. Halberds.

One after another, they floated upward, glinting with an ethereal shine—like the legendary Noble Phantasms of ancient heroes.

They weren't Sacred Gears.

But each one radiated a presence that rivaled holy weapons and divine relics alike.

"Vali… prepare yourself to receive the judgment of the land—Wisdom of the People!"

The arsenal of weapons surged into the sky like a divine onslaught, raining down with overwhelming force.

The sheer number of them… the speed… the weight behind every strike—it was as if the earth itself had turned its fury into steel and hurled it toward the heavens.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Vali didn't flinch.

There was no space to dodge. No escape. Nowhere to run.

Donning his full Divine Dividing Scale Mail, Vali braced himself—meeting the barrage head-on.

Clashes. Shockwaves. Explosions of pure mana and steel.

The night sky became a battlefield of falling stars and shattering magic. Each impact was a cry of war—each strike, a testament to the will of mankind.

Vali endured it all.

Every strike. Every crash. Every ounce of fury.

These weren't mere weapons.

They were forged from the will of humanity—from those who dared to dream, fight, and survive.

This was Wisdom of the People—a technique born not from gods, but from mortals.

And Akira stood beneath it all, eyes focused and heart steady.

Their battle… had only just begun.

Vali's body was riddled with impacts from all directions.

His white armor—the proud manifestation of the White Dragon Emperor—remained pristine at first. But then… cracks began to spread.

Fragments of armor started breaking away, clattering through the air.

Bit by bit, the Scale Mail shattered under the relentless assault.

And as the armor fell, blood followed.

Each passing moment felt like an eternity. By the time the attack ended, Vali was barely holding himself together.

He gasped for breath, pain coursing through his body, but relief flickered in his eyes—he had survived.

His left arm and right leg were now exposed, the armor gone. Even the upper half of his helmet had been destroyed.

His body was covered in bruises and cuts.

"Hah… huff… So this is your strength now, Shin Akira…? Unbelievable…"

Vali wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite his injuries, there was a glint of joy in his eyes.

The thrill of finding a worthy opponent—a rival who stood as his equal.

Akira, too, felt the weight of his own choice.

That technique—Wisdom of the People—had drawn upon all the spiritual energy from the surrounding land.

He wouldn't be able to use it again anytime soon. The earth itself needed time to recover, to breathe.

For now, he could no longer draw upon its power.

『Vali, are you still with me?』

Albion's voice echoed in Vali's mind.

"…Yeah. Just a few scratches. Nothing serious."

『I see. Still… I must admit—Ddraig got lucky, finding a host like that.』

"Yeah… you could call it luck. But honestly? I'm just grateful I got to meet someone this strong."

『Divine Dividing Scale Mail—White Dragon Emperor's Armor!』

A surge of light burst from Vali's body.

In an instant, his shattered armor regenerated, reforming as if it had never been broken.

This was the power of a Balance Breaker—the armor wasn't forged from metal, but from pure magic and will.

As long as the user still had energy to spare, the armor would rise again.

But not his wounds.

The armor may return.

But the pain? The blood? The injuries carved into his body?

Those were real.

And they were his to bear.

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