In truth Ren Kuroda—didn't harbor a particularly strong intent to kill Vali.
With Vali in his Juggernaut Drive state, combined with the White Dragon Emperor's signature "Divide" ability, Ren believed that even a fully chanted Kidō—though immensely powerful—shouldn't be enough to outright kill him.
But Ren had overlooked one crucial detail.
Vali's Juggernaut Drive wasn't without cost.
Maintaining that state through such an intense battle had already drained an enormous amount of his demonic power. On top of that, he had taken multiple heavy blows from Ren while he was in his "Absolute Evil" state. The Juggernaut Drive had long since begun to collapse.
Just as Albion had warned, Vali was already on the verge of losing consciousness. If he failed to activate "Divide" in time, then taking this overwhelming azure flame attack head-on would leave him with no chance of survival.
"Hadō #63 — Sōren Sōkatsui!"
The sky filled with roaring blue flames, raising the temperature of the entire space in an instant. Then, as the flames churned violently, they converged into a massive pillar of fire that crashed down from above.
Before it even reached the ground, the terrifying heat had already scorched the surface—rocks glowed red as if forged in a furnace, and the moisture in the air evaporated instantly, leaving the surroundings unbearably dry and suffocating.
As the colossal pillar of azure fire descended, Albion was frantic with panic—while Vali himself was already barely conscious.
And just as Albion was about to give up, resigning himself to seeking a new host for the White Dragon Emperor…
A small, black-haired girl suddenly appeared in front of Vali.
Without warning.
Facing the descending inferno, the petite girl—expression blank and emotionless—raised a single hand.
And stopped the overwhelming pillar of blue flames.
"Thy strength is considerable. Yet Albion and Vali are aiding me in fulfilling my wish. Vali is the most promising White Dragon Emperor thou hast ever seen, and one of the few willing to assist me. Therefore… I cannot allow thee to kill him."
Ren froze for a moment as he looked at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere.
Setting aside her archaic, overly dramatic speech—"thou" this, "thy" that—the more shocking fact was that his fully chanted Kidō, unleashed in his current state, had been effortlessly blocked with one hand.
More than that… he hadn't even seen her move.
Logically speaking, Ren now felt that his strength far surpassed that of the Archangel and the Governor of the Fallen Angels nearby. Even against the Devil King Sairaorg—no, even someone like Sirzechs, who once felt unfathomable—Ren now believed he could stand toe-to-toe.
And yet…
When his pitch-black eyes fell upon this small girl standing on the ground, it felt as though he were staring into another abyss.
The girl had jet-black hair that fell all the way to her hips. Her height couldn't have exceeded 120 centimeters—at most, she was about the same as Kuroka's younger sister, Koneko.
Her attire, however… was another matter entirely.
She wore a black cloak draped behind her. As for her clothing—
Ren honestly wasn't sure it even qualified as clothing.
Her lower half was covered by frilled boyshort-style underwear, which at least looked somewhat normal. But her upper body… was covered only by two X-shaped bandages placed over the bare minimum.
If someone like Yasaka or Rias—or any well-endowed woman—wore something like that, it would be overwhelmingly provocative.
But on someone with a childlike frame…
Well. There really wasn't much to look at.
After stopping the massive flame pillar, the black-haired girl casually waved her hand.
The raging azure flames vanished completely.
Putting aside her bizarre outfit and strange way of speaking, however, her appearance was undeniably flawless. Her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, and she exuded a unique, almost otherworldly presence.
"Though you look like a little girl, you're obviously not actually one like Koneko," Ren said calmly. "The 'dragon' aura around you is incredibly dense… and in terms of strength, you've already surpassed the so-called Two Heavenly Dragons."
"In the dragon race, the only beings definitively stronger than Albion and Ddraig—the Two Heavenly Dragons—are the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis… and the true Red Dragon God Emperor."
"From what I know, the true Red Dragon God Emperor wanders endlessly through the dimensional gap. Which means… you must be Ophis—the Infinite Dragon God said to possess limitless power."
At Ren's words, the black-haired girl's otherwise expressionless face showed a faint flicker of surprise.
Then, as if devoid of emotion once more, she looked at him and said:
"Just as Vali claimed. Thou possess not only considerable strength, but also keen analytical wisdom. I am indeed Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God. Tell me—art thou also an enemy who seeks to prevent my return home?"
The girl known as Ophis gazed at Ren with her pitch-black eyes, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Yet for one known as the "Infinite" strongest dragon, even such a simple gaze was enough to make most gods and demons tremble in fear.
Her title was no exaggeration.
To the vast majority of beings, whose power already seemed absolute, they couldn't even muster the courage to breathe loudly in Ophis's presence.
According to Vali's earlier ranking, while the positions from third to tenth strongest in the world might be debated, the first and second had never been in question.
They were universally acknowledged as untouchable.
The one ranked first was the true Red Dragon God Emperor, endlessly flying through the dimensional gap.
And ranked second…
Was the Infinite Dragon God standing right here—Ophis.
As for who was truly stronger between Ophis and the Great Red, no one could say for certain. Their power existed on a level far beyond anyone else, and no one had ever witnessed them clash.
The only reason Ophis was ranked second was simple:
She had once resided in the dimensional gap as well… but had been driven out by the Great Red.
But make no mistake—being second meant nothing insignificant.
Even if Ophis couldn't gain the upper hand against the Great Red, her strength was still leagues beyond all other beings in the world.
To put it simply—
Ophis might be ranked second.
But even if the third through tenth strongest joined forces…
They still wouldn't be enough to make her take things seriously.
Despite her tiny, childlike frame—
She was just that absurdly powerful.