"Kokabiel? Never heard of you," Ren said lightly, tilting his head as if genuinely trying to recall the name. "Guess that means you're not exactly a famous figure from the scriptures."
He shrugged, utterly unimpressed.
"Then again, that makes sense. Anyone who brags about surviving a fight between God and the Devil Kings probably isn't all that impressive to begin with."
Names like Lucifer or Michael—even someone as indifferent to theology as Ren had heard of them in myths and legends.
But Kokabiel?
That was a first.
"Silence!" Kokabiel's face twisted with rage. "You, a mere half-demon who never experienced that ancient war—you have no idea how terrifying the Biblical God and the Devil Kings truly were!"
Being dismissed so casually struck a nerve.
He was a ten-winged fallen angel—a commander.
And yet this brat had just lumped him in with insignificant fodder.
"The Biblical God and the Devil Kings?" Ren mused, almost thoughtfully. "I'm actually quite interested in how strong they were."
He looked up again, his gaze sharp.
"Too bad they're both dead."
A faint smile curled at his lips.
"My goal was always to challenge and surpass them. That puts me in a completely different league from someone who takes pride in merely surviving them."
"…Then let me see," Kokabiel growled, his voice dripping with fury, "whether your strength matches that arrogant mouth of yours!"
He had originally intended to make a grand entrance—exchange a few words, assert his presence.
But Ren's casual mockery had completely ignited his temper.
The moment he finished speaking—
A terrifying surge of demonic power erupted from his body.
The barrier that had been set up earlier shattered instantly, unable to withstand the sheer pressure of his aura.
Kokabiel didn't possess some unique elemental ability like lightning.
His power lay in something far more fundamental—
Light.
The same power used by angels and fallen angels alike.
But the quality of his light was on an entirely different level.
Compared to the fallen angel Ren had encountered before—
It wasn't even close.
If her "light" had been like a cup of water…
Then Kokabiel's was a lake.
Raising both hands, Kokabiel effortlessly condensed a colossal spear of light—hundreds of meters long—forming it as if it were nothing.
Within the confined space, the massive weapon shone like a blazing sun, turning the night into day.
"…Ddraig, is there any way to deal with this?" the red-haired boy muttered under his breath, his voice tight with fear. "If I use Boost… how long would it take for me to reach a level where I could beat him?"
As a reincarnated devil, light was poison to him.
And what Kokabiel had just summoned—
Was overwhelmingly lethal.
"None," came the blunt reply in his mind. "He's a ten-winged fallen angel commander. In theory, Boost can raise your power to my former peak—but he's not going to stand there and give you that kind of time."
A pause.
"Frankly, you're weaker than a typical low-class devil right now. Even if that red-haired girl showed up, it wouldn't change a thing."
The Boosted Gear could double its user's power every ten seconds.
But that didn't mean infinite growth.
After all, its limits were bound by the peak of its creator—one of the Two Heavenly Dragons.
That was why Ren had never been particularly interested in it.
At full power, he wasn't necessarily inferior to the peak of the Two Heavenly Dragons himself.
To him—
Such an artifact was optional at best.
"Relax," Ddraig added lazily. "As long as that half-demon is here, you're not the ones in danger."
There was a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Besides… that fallen angel hasn't even considered you worth killing personally."
As if to prove that point—
Kokabiel rose into the air, his ten black wings beating slowly.
The massive spear of light in his hand tilted downward.
Its target—
Ren.
As for the others?
He didn't even bother looking at them.
Instead, with a flick of his gaze, he signaled two four-winged fallen angels and the mad priest, Freed, to deal with the rest.
Then—
He threw it.
The colossal spear of light tore through the sky, blazing like a divine blade that split the night apart.
Facing such overwhelming power, Ren's expression finally shifted—just slightly.
Not fear.
Interest.
Without hesitation, he entered his half-oni transformation, a faint aura of demonic energy rising around him as his grip tightened on the hilt of Divine Blessing.
"Fūrinkazan Style—Swift as the Wind… Breaker!"
The world seemed to fall silent for a heartbeat.
Then—
The wind roared.
Air currents from every direction converged around Ren, spiraling tightly as he focused his mind.
And in the next instant—
A flash of cold steel split the air.
The gathered winds surged forward, drawn into the arc of his slash as the blade left its sheath.
A crescent-shaped wave of compressed wind erupted outward, carving a deep trench into the ground as it surged forward—growing stronger, faster—
And then—
It collided head-on with the descending spear of light.
At first, Kokabiel watched with confidence.
As a fallen angel commander, his control over light was among the purest and most powerful—even rivaling that of twelve-winged beings.
But that confidence didn't last long.
Because the moment the two forces met—
Cracks spread across the massive spear.
Like glass.
Then—
It shattered.
Piece by piece.
His fully condensed light—
Destroyed.
Just like that.
"…Impossible," Kokabiel muttered, his expression stiffening.
The wind blade didn't stop.
After breaking through the spear, it continued its advance, slicing through the air toward him with unstoppable momentum.
Grinding his teeth, Kokabiel drew a Holy Sword of his own.
The crescent slash howled across the sky—
And yet—
When it passed—
Kokabiel was still alive.
Unharmed.
Because just before the attack could strike him—
He vanished.
In the next instant, his figure reappeared beside Ren, his blade already thrusting forward, aimed straight at Ren's heart.
Ren's Insight had already sounded the warning.
He could have dodged.
Easily.
But just as he moved—
A sudden force gripped his body.
Like invisible chains.
For the briefest moment—
He hesitated.