Seeing that Serafall's favorability was sitting at ninety-something, Takumi had no choice but to believe her.
He immediately pressed, "So what exactly happened? It's only been one day—how did this blow up everywhere already?"
Serafall didn't bother to hide anything and rattled it off right away.
"Honestly? The news spreading this far was kind of an accident. It all started when Riser suddenly showed back up at the Phenex estate and the servants found him."
"He'd been kneeling there, roaring like a lunatic for a full half hour. Then he went inside without saying a word."
"His parents wanted to know what the hell happened, so they went to Ravel—since she was the one who'd gone out with him."
"And nobody took it seriously, so they asked her right there in public."
Serafall grinned. "And it wasn't just Phenex Clan members around either. Because of Phenex Clan specialties, there were tons of other demon families visiting the estate at the time."
"So then—bam. Instant opening strike." She laughed. "They hear that phone call where Riser calls Rias, and she's out running and panting, and there's someone next to her cheering and clapping."
"Damn," Serafall said, clearly delighted. "Even though I wasn't there, just hearing that part almost killed me. I laughed so hard."
"Then Ravel just… kept talking. And somewhere along the way, she mentioned you."
Serafall spread her hands. "And that's how the entire Underworld learned about your thing with Rias."
Takumi's expression twisted. He genuinely didn't know whether to sigh or facepalm.
Ravel being pure-hearted is not always a good thing…
Before Takumi could even speak, Serafall leaned in, eyes bright with gossip-energy.
"Anyway, the Phenex Clan is furious right now. They're saying they want to fight you to the death—restore their Clan honor and all that."
"I stepped in too, tried to mediate for you." Serafall shrugged. "They thought about it and realized they probably can't beat you, so they proposed a Rating Game instead. They want Riser to wash away the humiliation."
Takumi crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. "A Rating Game? Are they trying to die? If I personally steamroll them, that's on them."
"They already set rules," Serafall said quickly. "The Kings aren't allowed to participate—only the peerage members fight."
That killed Takumi's interest in personally entering and flattening everything… though, honestly, it also made perfect sense.
Of course the Phenex Clan would lock it down that hard.
Takumi gave a short, amused snort and asked, "And if I refuse?"
Serafall lifted a shoulder. "If you don't accept, there's nothing they can do to you. But they said they'll schedule Riser's engagement ceremony with Rias… the very next day."
Takumi's brow tightened, his expression turning cold. "So they're threatening me?"
Serafall coughed softly and reminded him, "They technically have a legitimate engagement agreement already. An engagement ceremony is just following the proper process. You're the one who cut in—and you're the one who put a green hat on Riser."
To be honest, even Serafall was kind of impressed by Takumi's sheer shamelessness.
The way he was talking, you'd think Riser was the one trying to cuck him.
When in reality, Takumi had slept with another man's fiancée—and was doing it openly, like it was his moral right.
And according to rumors, Takumi had even flirted with Ravel, the Phenex Clan's eldest daughter.
So it was basically: steal the fiancée, then eye up the little sister too.
Even for a demon, Serafall thought what Takumi was doing was… honestly too evil.
Sometimes you'd rather someone just stab you cleanly instead.
But Takumi didn't look embarrassed in the slightest.
Sure, I cucked you. But if you want to touch my woman, then you're the one with the problem.
Still, since the other side hadn't fully torn the relationship apart, Takumi wasn't planning to go nuclear.
He asked, "So the Phenex Clan's saying it ends if we play this one Rating Game?"
Serafall nodded, then added more details.
"Win or lose, they'll annul the marriage agreement with the Gremory Clan."
"They mainly want an excuse for Riser to 'prove himself' and reclaim some face."
"And they're putting up a huge jar of Phoenix Tears as the prize. If you win, the whole jar is yours."
Takumi narrowed his eyes slightly.
After a moment of silence, he exhaled. "The Phenex Clan is… pretty smooth about this."
The conditions were, in a way, also a form of appeasement.
They were challenging him through official channels instead of trying to scheme behind his back.
Win or lose, Riser's engagement to Rias would be void.
And if Takumi won, he'd get a massive jar of Phoenix Tears.
Even if Takumi could mass-produce certain things now, that prize didn't have to be meaningful to him—what mattered was that it was a serious, respectable offering for the Phenex Clan.
It created a clear exchange of interests, a way to build a working relationship.
All in all, accepting the match cost him basically nothing.
The only "risk" was the hit to his reputation if he somehow lost.
But would he lose? Takumi didn't even let the thought breathe.
If he couldn't beat a roast chicken like Riser, he might as well go headbutt a block of tofu and be done with it.
With that decided, he asked, "Fine. I'll play. When is it?"
"It's today," Serafall answered, her smile fading into something more serious.
Takumi actually laughed. "That a Phenex Clan demand?"
"No," Serafall said. "That's Riser's."
Takumi's grin widened. "Ha! So he's trying to be clever—trying to force a win over me."
He was genuinely amused by Riser's simplicity.
Riser had already fought Takumi once—he knew the gap between them was heaven and earth.
Even with an immortal body, Takumi could crush him whenever he wanted.
So Riser's plan was simple: give Takumi as little time as possible to recruit and organize a proper peerage.
That way, Takumi would have to scrape together whoever he could—while the Kings were banned from fighting—and Riser's odds would go up.
Serafall clearly thought the idea was adorable too. She said, "I'll open a teleport circle. Come over directly. There's a group of people ready to join your faction—you can pick whatever peerage members you need from them."
As she finished speaking, a teleportation circle appeared in front of Takumi.
He left a quick message for Mio and the others—saying he'd be back later—then stepped into the circle and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived in the Underworld, on the territory of the Morax Clan.
The purple sky looked dim and oppressive, and even the air felt heavy.
Across the vast land, gorgeous buildings rose one after another, grand and extravagant.
Takumi glanced around—and spotted Serafall standing nearby in a proper Underworld diplomat uniform.
The fitted uniform outlined her lush, bombshell curves.
The outfit was supposed to be proper and conservative, but on her it was basically fighting a losing battle—her chest was so big it looked ready to spill out any second.