"I'll tell you this in advance," Azazel said, arms crossed as he leaned against the desk, his tone unusually serious. "After your match with Diodora… your next opponent will be Sairaorg Bael."
The room froze.
"—! Are you serious!?" Xenovia blurted out, eyes widening as she leaned forward. The sheer name carried weight—raw, suffocating weight. Azazel merely nodded once, confirming the nightmare.
Rias frowned immediately. "Isn't that too early? I thought the next match was supposed to be against the house of Glasya-Labolas."
"He's out," Azazel replied bluntly.
That answer only deepened the confusion. Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward him.
"Zefardoll Glasya-Labolas was crushed in his match against Sairaorg," Azazel continued. "Not physically. Mentally. His soul was carved with fear. Whatever confidence or ambition he had was completely broken."
The room went silent.
"He won't be fighting again," Azazel added. "His heart is done. His mind is done. Because of that, the remaining matches will proceed with whoever's left. As far as youth-rated games are concerned, the house of Glasya-Labolas ends here."
Crushed their mind…
I narrowed my eyes.
That sounded familiar. Too familiar.
It was the same thing I had done to Riser Phenex—destroying not just his body, but the foundation he stood on. Was Sairaorg inspired by that… or had he always been like this?
"You all need to be careful," Azazel warned. "Sairaorg is charging forward with the clear intent to break his opponents. Not just defeat them. He's aiming for the Maou position. There's no hesitation in him. No mercy. No doubt."
That warning sank deep into my chest.
If I defeat him, I can finally become a high-class devil and have peerage for myself? Slim chance, but nevertheless defeating him will be an achievement that will go on my resume.
Then becoming a high-class devil wouldn't just be a dream anymore. It would be undeniable proof. An achievement no one could ignore. The odds were slim—but the payoff was enormous.
Rias took a slow breath and nodded. "First things first. We focus on the next match."
She tapped the device on the table. "We'll review footage of the Astaroth peerage. They defeated their last opponent—the next heiress of the Archduke family, Seegvaira Agares."
"The Archduke lost!?" Xenovia exclaimed.
I blinked as well. That girl with glasses—the one who stood her ground against that loud Yankee aura—lost? Her peerage was strong. Discipline d.
Never thought she would lose to that asswipe. Is it a canon event or something?
"That's not all," Azazel added. "Sona Sitri's team received a gold star rating, as you already know. But the Astaroth peerage, having defeated the second-rank Agares house, received a large gold star."
Rias nodded calmly. "Those rankings were made before the matches even started. They were predictions—nothing more. That's why rating games are terrifying. No one knows the outcome until it happens."
She paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "Still… I never expected Agares to lose."
She reached out to start the video.
FLASH.
A sudden burst of light exploded in the corner of the room.
Everyone spun around instantly.
A magic circle—single-person teleportation—glowed on the floor. The symbol was unfamiliar. Sharp. Elegant.
"What—!? " Kiba started.
"…Astaroth," Akeno said quietly, eyes already sharp.
The light vanished.
Standing where the circle had been was a man with gentle features, neatly styled hair, and a calm, refreshing smile. He looked almost harmless.
Almost.
"How are you doing?" he said pleasantly. "It is I—Diodora Astaroth. I have come to—"
CRACK.
The next moment happened faster than thought.
"Oops," I said casually. "My hand slipped."
Diodora's body flew sideways like a ragdoll.
BOOM.
He slammed into the wall, plaster cracking as his nose shattered on impact. The room echoed with the sound of impact, dust raining down as his body slid to the floor.
Silence.
I lowered my fist slowly.
"Teleporting into someone else's strategy meeting without permission," I added calmly, looking at his unconscious form, "I thought it was an enemy attack."
~~~
Give me a comment and thought on this fanfic. Support me by giving me a power stone.
I have posted 130+ advanced chapters on my Patreon. If you are interested, join my Patreon.
Support me:
patreon.com/BlackBolt517