The weak have no right to negotiate with the strong — a truth that has remained unchanged throughout history.
This principle applies not only among humans but is regarded as absolute law in the Underworld.
Zing—!
With a sharp tearing sound through the air, a pure white magical energy beam blasted forward at high speed, cutting across the sky like a shooting star, hurtling directly toward Vitan.
You could say that even a casual magical blast from Vali was equivalent in power to a fully charged strike from Kokabiel.
In other words, Vali's attack power was on the same level as Vitan's.
Faced with that beam, even Vitan dared not face it head-on.
As reluctant as he was to admit it, he had to acknowledge it.
Right now, in terms of magical quality, he couldn't match Vali in his White Dragon Emperor armor.
Vali's raw power might only be at the level of an ultimate-class devil — perhaps even below Vitan's actual magical reserves — but with the Vanishing Dragon armor equipped, the quality of his power had transcended.
So if Vitan wanted to win now, he had to show something beyond mere strength.
"Reconnecting to the libraries of 'Gluttony' and 'Sloth,' theme initiated—"
Facing Vali's oncoming magical beam, Vitan used number-based sorcery to continuously teleport through the air in rapid, five to ten-meter jumps, dodging each of Vali's beams.
He no longer had the luxury to care about the battlefield or how the surroundings would look after the fight.
But Vitan wasn't just dodging.
Violent magical energy erupted skyward, so dense it seemed nearly tangible, churning the atmosphere.
The moment Vali's attacks stalled, Vitan also halted in midair using numerology.
Behind him, space began to warp, rippling like water, as countless red magic circles materialized.
And what emerged from those circles were not ancient cold weapons — but heavily modernized military firearms.
Submachine guns, handguns, sniper rifles.
Even rocket launchers, mortars, and tank-like cannons.
If the target wasn't Vali, any other being — even an ultimate-class devil — would've felt a flicker of fear when staring down that arsenal.
"—Oath, Reappear!"
Vitan's jet-black pupils were filled with a brilliant blue glow. The '卍' symbol on his chest simultaneously emitted a dazzling light.
The released magical energy condensed behind Vitan into countless threads of power, winding like agile serpents, rapidly and deftly wrapping around the modern firearms he had formed with magic.
Immediately, a wave of magical energy—no less intense than that of a Maou—rippled outward from him in powerful surges.
"Interesting! Very interesting! I didn't expect you to have such power. In that case, this trip to capture Kokabiel wasn't a complete waste after all."
Seeing the power radiating from Vitan, a gleam of excitement finally lit up in Vali's eyes.
Hovering midair, Vali made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he spread his legs apart and took a stance, preparing to face the attack head-on.
Vitan's gaze sharpened, and he swung his raised arm downward.
"Crimson Flash."
Buzz!
The magic, which had long been gathering at the muzzle and cannon tips, was released in an instant, coalescing into a beam of magical energy in the sky—one that seemed to pierce the very heavens and earth.
The atmosphere screamed in anguish.
Space twisted violently.
Winds reversed and surged.
The deep crimson beam of magical power roared straight at Vali with the overwhelming force of annihilation, dissolution, and destruction.
This was the same attack Vitan once used against Sairaorg. Now, facing Vali, he unleashed it once more.
"However, this time… it's different from last time."
Muttering under his breath, Vitan watched as the beam closed in on Vali in the blink of an eye.
"——Divide!"
"——Divide, Divide... Divideeeee!"
From the blue wings of light on Vali's back came the repeated voice of Albion, the White Dragon Emperor.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"
Vali's exhilarated voice rose together with Albion's chant.
This was the White Dragon Emperor's ability. While Vitan's attack was indeed powerful, once Vali activated Albion's ability, the crimson magical beam quickly diminished in strength.
From its original five-meter width, it now shrank to about half its size.
The White Dragon Emperor's wings had the power to halve an opponent's energy every ten seconds and absorb that power into itself.
But in this forbidden form, Vali removed the ten-second interval—transforming the ability into one that could be triggered continuously, without delay.
Of course, the halving ability didn't just apply to energy attacks like Vitan's.
It could halve the opponent's stamina, magic, and any type of energy output—anything within the range of the "White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings."
Staring at the now-weakened beam, Vitan didn't show the slightest concern. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a twisted smile.
"I told you… this time's attack isn't the same as before."
As the crimson beam made contact with Vali's hands, it buzzed with a high-pitched whirr, like the wings of an insect.
Vali continued laughing loudly.
He could clearly feel the energy inside his body rapidly swelling—so much so that he was nearing the point of being completely full.
But he didn't notice the eerie script—like numerical runes—that had silently coiled itself around the crimson beam.
Snap—!
A crisp finger snap echoed through the air.
Whoosh—!
Vali's consciousness trembled.
The massive energy beam that had just been in his grasp vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
In the next instant, space warped both above and below Vali simultaneously.
Even though his eyes detected the impending attack, the signals relayed to his brain were too late—his body couldn't react in time.
And then—
Deep crimson light erupted simultaneously from above and below, engulfing the surprised Vali entirely.
"That's why I said—this attack is completely different from before."