"Ho, are you really sure about this? Replenishing the number of pure-blood devils is the will of all devils. Did the Maou-sama also approve of your willfulness?" Riser's tone should have been calm and composed, even carrying pressure to force Rias into compliance.
Yet after being glanced at by Zeroy earlier, even now, his words came out stiff and unnatural. That failed to impose any pressure on Rias, especially since she now had Zeroy by her side.
"Then let's settle this with a Rating Game."
"A Rating Game? You haven't even gathered all your pieces—" Riser found it unbelievable, almost laughable, but halfway through speaking he realized something. His expression instantly soured.
A Rating Game was absolutely in his favor. Not only was he ranked in the top ten of the Rating Games, but only mature devils were qualified to participate in official Rating Games. Riser was such a mature devil, and a powerhouse ranked in the top ten. Rias, however, was still an immature devil. She didn't even have the qualification to enter an official Rating Game, nor had she gathered all the necessary chess pieces to do so.
What she spoke of now was nothing more than an unofficial Rating Game fought under the rules of the Rating Game. The gap between the two sides was evident.
Nevertheless, without a doubt, Rias also understood this. And still, she put forth such a demand. Had she been driven into a corner? No—Rias displayed no such signs. Riser immediately thought of the blond girl sitting beside Rias, clearly there to back her up.
He didn't know her true strength, yet from that single glance earlier, he already understood: even if her only ability was intimidation, she would be an extremely troublesome opponent.
In fact, without an effective countermeasure, the moment his team locked eyes with her, they might all collapse instantly. Worse, this was a mental attack—his worst matchup, considering he bore all the traits of a Phoenix, with immortality and super regeneration.
"I see… so Rias, this is your confidence? This is the help you sought to defeat me?" Riser gnashed his teeth. If Rias invoked a Rating Game to dissolve their engagement, he had no way to refuse. Even knowing he might lose, even knowing he might be restrained, he still had to accept. Refusing would be the same as conceding defeat.
"You're overthinking this, Riser. Zeroy won't personally take part in our little conflict. My acquaintance with her has nothing to do with you." Rias's expression carried exasperation tinged with contempt.
She admitted that without Zeroy, she truly had no way to handle Riser. For her, this was indeed a difficult hurdle.
But to drag Zeroy into this, and specifically target Riser with her—well, that would be like using a cannon on a mosquito. To put it harshly, Riser wasn't even worthy of being singled out by Zeroy.
That said, her initial encounter with Zeroy did, in fact, have something to do with Riser. When they first met, she saw Zeroy's immense strength and sensed that their personalities could communicate and even befriend one another.
Naturally, she wanted to form ties with such a powerhouse. Of course, there were various reasons for seeking out strong allies, details she didn't need to mention. Nevertheless, one of them had indeed been the idea of borrowing strength to resolve her engagement. After all, she was facing this very problem.
"Not personally participating?"
Meaning she would still participate somehow? Though he caught the implication in Rias's words, Riser's expression did ease slightly.
His understanding of Zeroy was still too shallow. She hadn't done anything like unleashing her full pressure to make the disparity clear, so he assumed that as long as she didn't take the field, things would be manageable. Assistance from the sidelines, after all, carried heavy restrictions.
"Fine then. Since you insist, let strength decide." Of course, Riser wasn't foolish enough to relax just because Zeroy wouldn't fight personally. After all, those words had only come from Rias's mouth. Naturally, he would also seek outside help.
...
In the reception hall of the Gremory estate, the magic lamps cast a soft glow over the figures of Rias Gremory and Zeroy sitting side by side. The air still carried faint traces of the magic left behind by Riser Phenex's hasty departure.
"Sorry, I troubled you again just now." Rias turned her head toward Zeroy, her crimson hair gleaming like fire in the lamplight, her eyes holding a sincere hint of apology. She paused, then her lips curved with a sly smile. "And thank you. I never thought I'd see Riser looking so pitiful—it's truly rare."
Zeroy waved a hand lightly, the corner of her lips lifting. "It's nothing. I just happened to be sitting here and caught his eye."
Rias brushed back a strand of hair, her brows knitting slightly, a trace of regret in her voice. "I had planned to catch him off guard. I didn't expect him to come knocking on his own. Now we've lost the advantage of surprise." Her voice carried a touch of frustration.
"Don't worry." Zeroy's tone was gentle, her eyes glimmering with confidence, her words resolute. "I can tell—his strength is rather average. With H.A.M.P supporting you, there shouldn't be any problem."
"Mm." Rias nodded softly, her tense shoulders easing a little. After a brief silence, she suddenly remembered something and looked at Zeroy curiously. "By the way, you came to see me for something in particular, didn't you?"
"Mainly to say goodbye. Patchi and I plan to leave tomorrow."
"Eh? But there are still four days left." Rias's eyes widened. There were still four days until the week Zeroy had mentioned.
"Yes… Patchi and I still have things to do, so we can't stay in the Underworld for these last days."
"Do you need help?"
"No, we can handle it." Zeroy shook her head, a relaxed smile still on her lips. "But since your duel with that bird is set for tomorrow, I'll stay to watch it before leaving."
That timing had been set by Rias. On the one hand, since Zeroy's presence had already been exposed, the sooner the duel happened, the less time Riser would have to prepare. On the other hand, it was also because of Zeroy.
Even though she hadn't known Zeroy would leave tomorrow, she hadn't wanted to schedule the duel at the last possible moment and risk rushing her. Better to leave some leeway.
...
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