[270] The Dust Settles!

Ignoring the fallen Vali, August turned his attention to Azazel.

"Azazel, where is my item?"

"Here it is, but I didn't have enough time. I've only managed to fill two-thirds of it."

"That's sufficient."

August accepted the Holy Grail from Azazel, then dispelled his demonization and put away the Boosted Gear.

This was part of the agreement he had made with Azazel earlier. Though it hadn't met August's full expectations, getting two-thirds of what he wanted was good enough. Besides, maintaining a good relationship with Azazel was still important.

August casually took out a large healing potion and tossed it to Azazel.

Without hesitation, Azazel administered the potion to Vali. While it couldn't fully heal her, it was enough to pull her back from the brink of death.

"August, can you tell me what you intend to do?"

As soon as he returned, August felt a chill down his spine, followed by Sona's voice.

This made August shiver. He turned around to see Sona with a furious expression, and he panicked a bit.

"Um, what's wrong, Sona?"

"What's wrong? Look at what you've done! The entire school building is destroyed, and the back hill is now a giant crater. What were you thinking? If you don't want to attend school, just say so. Why blow up the school?"

Her words made August break out in a cold sweat. He hadn't anticipated this outcome.

"I didn't mean to, honestly. It was an accident, I swear."

"Why did you go to the mountains for your last battle, but this time you fought here? Explain that to me."

"Well..."

August didn't know how to explain. The truth was, there was no good explanation. When Vali went into her Juggernaut Drive, August just went all out, without considering the surroundings.

Seeing the once-dominant August being scolded so harshly by Sona, everyone around couldn't help but laugh.

Only Sirzechs felt concerned. A woman yelling at a man, and the man not getting angry, even being subdued... this only had one explanation: that the woman held a significant place in his heart.

Looking at Rias nearby, Sirzechs felt that if it had been Rias instead of Sona, August's reaction would have been entirely different.

Serafall, on the other hand, was delighted to see Sona dominating August. Now she didn't have to worry about her little sister being bullied in the future.

"Don't be mad. I'll cover all the expenses for the damage this time, and I promise it won't happen again."

"It's not about the money. But fine, it's already done, and nothing can change that."

Sona looked at the ruined landscape with a headache. This mess wasn't Rias' responsibility; it fell under her jurisdiction as the student council president. Repairing the school, filling the crater, restoring the back hill, and fixing the old school building... all these tasks were now hers to handle.

That's why she was so furious. August had fought to his heart's content, but now she was left with the aftermath.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound. The barrier over Kuoh Academy shattered, and a figure descended swiftly.

"Vali, looks like you're in bad shape."

A man standing on a cloud, holding a staff, looked at Vali with a grin.

"Old Man, why are you here?"

"Kuroka said you were in trouble and sent me to assist you."

"That girl must have placed another tracking spell on me."

"Looks like you took quite a beating."

"Yeah, it's the second time, and I was thoroughly defeated again."

Vali spoke slowly, admitting her defeat without hesitation. She didn't shy away from acknowledging her loss.

Azazel, standing nearby, watched the two of them converse and felt rather helpless. "

Azazel's cough brought them back to reality, reminding Vali and Sun Wukong that they were not alone.

"Azazel, are you going to stop me?"

"No, children grow up and have their own thoughts. Even parents must let go."

"Thank you."

After a long silence, Vali uttered these words. She then leaped onto Sun Wukong's cloud. Sun Wukong glanced at Azazel, confirming he had no intention of intervening, and swiftly flew towards the broken barrier.

"August, this is my second defeat, but next time, I will definitely defeat you."

In mid-air, Vali left these words for August before flying away with Sun Wukong.

August heard this and smirked disdainfully. Defeat me? You must be joking.

In this battle, he hadn't even activated his full power. Next time, even if Vali reached the level of the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, he could just crush her with his might.

Compared to Vali, August's growth rate was far beyond her reach.

Now, with the source of his magic transformed into a sea of darkness, August continuously absorbed the world's lust, growing stronger every second.

"Hey, she challenged you. Don't you have anything to say?"

"It's not the first time. She said the same thing before, and look at the result this time."

"That's true."

Sona nodded, seemingly unaware that the three powerful beings nearby, especially Serafall, had peculiar expressions on their faces.

Was this the usually calm and collected Sona? She seemed to have an almost blind faith in August.

Grayfia, standing next to Sirzechs, looked at August and momentarily saw a resemblance to the younger Sirzechs. Once upon a time, Sirzechs was just as confident, dominating the underworld of the previous era.

No matter the opponent, he always exuded confidence and ultimately emerged victorious.

She had developed feelings for Sirzechs through countless battles, eventually leading to their marriage. However, over the years, those feelings had settled, and due to certain reasons, their relationship, while outwardly the epitome of a loving couple, had in reality been more of a courteous partnership for decades.

Grayfia was a woman, a woman longing for her husband's affection.

In the past, she had never entertained other thoughts because no one in the underworld could compare to Sirzechs. But now, it seemed such a man had appeared.

August, sweet-talking Sona while holding her, was oblivious that his impressive display today had stirred feelings in someone considered a friend's wife.

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