Extra Chapter.
Enjoy.
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"What are they doing here?!" A tremor ran through the entire monitoring room as Grayfia stared at the screen, her eyes colder than Serafall's ice. She had chosen this hideout after extremely careful consideration.
The Underworld was mostly divided between the Devils and the Fallen Angels. Grayfia chose to hide in a remote region within Fallen Angel territory specifically to prevent the Devils from coming here to search for them.
She had been meticulous, placing a large number of monitoring devices across an area spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Right now, Venelana, Eleonora, Rias, and Ravel were clearly visible on the screen, standing there and scanning their surroundings. Venelana and Eleonora were flying in the air to scout the area, while Rias ran around frantically, searching in every direction. Only Ravel remained in the same spot, her posture calm, as if lost in deep thought.
"What should I do?" Grayfia bit her lip, a murderous aura radiating from her and causing one of the screens to crack. If these four had come here by coincidence, then perhaps the situation was still manageable. But if they had arrived because they knew her location, then she would be forced to relocate to one of her other hideouts.
As for fighting them, that would be a stupid decision. Grayfia was strong, very strong, but the other side could not be underestimated. Even if she gained the upper hand, victory would not come easily. Before she could defeat them, others would arrive to reinforce them.
'These sluts! They want to steal my baby boy! They deserve to die!' Grayfia clenched her fist so tightly that her knuckles began to emit a crackling sound. The idea of assassinating them surfaced in her mind. If she could find an opportunity to kill each of them while they were alone, she would be able to eliminate potential threats.
Her eyes remained fixed on her mother-in-law, or more accurately, her previous mother-in-law, Venelana. She was the most dangerous threat. As long as Venelana was removed, the only real danger left would be her monkey of an ex-husband, Sirzechs.
Venelana's devil wings had sprouted from her back, five pairs spread wide as she hovered in the air and scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, Grayfia noticed Ravel speaking. The device could only transmit images, so she could not hear what was said, but Ravel's next movement told her everything.
Ravel pointed in a certain direction while speaking. Venelana and Eleonora reacted instantly and moved at once, flying over the barren land and the countless rocky hills. The image zoomed in as they approached, until Venelana's face filled an entire screen. She had found the recording device.
"Found you!" That was what Grayfia understood from reading her lips.
On the other side, Venelana picked up the device and threw it to Eleonora. "Keep it with you. We may find more clues about her."
"That will not be necessary. These things have a limited range. She is certainly hiding nearby. We need to move quickly before she decides to run away." Despite what she said, Eleonora still sealed the device with a simple sealing spell, then turned to her daughter. "How did you find it?"
Ravel was perceptive and intelligent, but her power remained far too weak. It was strange that she had detected such a well-hidden magic device.
"I did not." Ravel shook her head and pointed at her ear. "Sona sama told me."
"Sona Sitri?" Eleonora narrowed her eyes and muttered, the sister of the Maou.
Sona was the one who told them to come here. She also knew about this device. How had she learned all of this without even leaving her house?
BOOM!
"We can discuss that later. The urgent matter is finding Yusuke!" Rias shot into the air. Impatience burned across her face as she raised both hands high. A crimson magic circle appeared above her, and dark red Power of Destruction poured down wildly, tearing through the land without restraint.
If that bitch Grayfia was hiding somewhere in this place, then searching was a waste of time. Better to destroy everything and expose her hiding spot.
"I cannot believe I am saying this… but it is a good idea." Ravel covered her face with her hand. She had heard about Rias' rashness and recklessness. Seeing it firsthand was eye-opening, and she hated that she had to agree with her approach.
The fastest way to drag Grayfia out was to erase the place she hid in. As for the risk of provoking the Fallen Angels by fighting in their territory, who the fuck cared about that when they were looking for their Yusuke?
"Indeed."
Venelana's voice carried calm certainty as she lifted one hand toward the sky.
A colossal magic circle unfurled overhead in an instant, its intricate patterns glowing with ominous black-crimson light. The air seemed to thicken and groan under the weight of the gathering power. Then the circle pulsed once, violently, and unleashed a massive sphere of pure destruction.
It hurtled downward like a falling star forged from annihilation itself.
BOOMM!
The impact shattered the world.
A deafening explosion erupted outward, the shockwave slamming into Rias, Ravel, and Eleonora with brutal force. The three women were pushed backward through the air, their bodies tumbling helplessly before they managed to right themselves mid-flight, skidding across the ground on their heels and knees.
Where the sphere struck, the Power of Destruction erased everything, like your browser's history.
Everything in the blast radius simply ceased to exist. The land disintegrated as though it were nothing more substantial than a fragile cake left too long in the rain. Billowing clouds of fine gray dust rose in choking waves, swirling upward before settling slowly over the devastation.
When the haze finally thinned, nothing remained but a vast, perfectly circular crater. Its edges were unnaturally smooth, almost glassy in places where the heat had briefly fused stone into obsidian.
The crater stretched wider than your hentai library, deep enough that the bottom lay shrouded in shadow even under the purple Underworld sky.
"Shit!" Eleonora and Ravel cursed at the same time. This woman was ridiculously strong. That attack was clearly not her best. It was obvious she had barely exerted herself.
"Mother…" Rias rose to her feet and stared at her mother's majestic, dependable back. She had grown up hearing stories about Venelana's reputation, but this was the first time she had seen her take action. Her mother truly was terrifyingly strong.
As expected of the strongest woman in the history of the House of Bael.
BOOM! BOOM!
More blasts rained down from the massive magic circle, each explosion tearing apart the land. Every impact carved out craters dozens of kilometers wide.
If Venelana were not restraining herself to avoid accidentally harming Yusuke, she would have already evaporated the entire thousand-kilometer radius and forced that thieving bitch out into the open.
"...Venelana!" Grayfia bit her lip so hard that blood dripped from her chin. She wiped it away roughly with the back of her hand and turned to leave the room.
The entire base trembled under the relentless explosions. At this rate, it would not take long before Venelana uncovered this place.
Grayfia hurried toward Yusuke. When she entered the living room, she saw him standing there with his head lifted, staring at the ceiling as dust fell and the structure vibrated.
"You are back," he said as he turned to face her. "Did you put me to sleep again?"
"Sweetie, I did it for your own good." Grayfia kept her voice calm as she approached him and pulled him into a tight embrace, pressing his face into her chest.
'Did he wake up because of the commotion, or had the magic stopped working on him?'
"I did not want you involved in this. Mommy only wants you to enjoy your days happily and without any burdens." She stroked his head gently, ignoring the escalating explosions and the tremors shaking the entire underground base.
"Really?" Yusuke looked up at her with a pure, innocent expression. "The ones causing this are the others, right?"
"Yes. They want to take you away!" Grayfia's arms tightened around him.
"Why do we not meet them? I can talk to them and try to convince them," Yusuke said earnestly. "We can all stay together and avoid all this conflict."
[Heh, you are using the same trick again.] B2 commented with a dark chuckle.
'If it works, why try something new just to look clever? That is just dumb,' Yusuke replied inwardly with a quiet snicker.
"No! Impossible! Unacceptable!" Grayfia grabbed Yusuke's face with both hands, squeezing so hard that his features distorted. Her eyes turned frantic, almost manic. "You are mine! Mine alone! No one else deserves you! Only I am worthy of your love and attention!"
"Do not ever bring this up again!" She released him. Then, as if turning a page in a book, her expression softened into that of a gentle, loving mother. "My baby boy, I am doing this for your own good. Mommy knows what is best for you. I always do."
"Yes, mommy." Yusuke nodded calmly. He hugged her back and said, "Sorry for making you upset."
...
BOOM!
Another explosion tore through the ground, and a section of the underground structure was finally exposed.
"Finally," Venelana said as she flew downward.
A red flash shot past her before she could move further. Rias charged straight toward the opening, rushing in without hesitation.
"She needs to curb that impatience." Watching her daughter dive in recklessly, completely ignoring the possibility of an ambush or facing Grayfia alone, Venelana shook her head with a weary expression and followed after her.
Eleonora and Ravel trailed behind them. The two of them were weaker, so they wisely allowed the first pair to lead. If anything happened, Venelana and Rias would be the ones to take the brunt of it.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
"Rias, stop!"
A violent rumbling erupted from the exposed underground structure, spreading outward like a wave. The shaking intensified in an instant. Venelana's expression changed as she sensed the danger. She surged forward in alarm and grabbed Rias, pulling her back just before a massive explosion detonated from below.
BOOOMM!
A colossal explosion detonated from the exposed structure. A pillar of searing white light and black smoke blasted upward, swallowing everything in its path. The shockwave slammed into the four women like a wall, hurling them high into the air. Their bodies spun helplessly; they used their wings instinctively to stabilize flight as they were flung outward across the devastated landscape.
When the blinding flash finally faded, and the choking clouds of dust began to thin, silence settled over the ruins.
"She escaped…" Eleonora bit her lip as she stared at the aftermath. Their chance to retrieve Yusuke had slipped through their fingers once again!
...
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