"You're joining, right? I mean, your aura's way more enticing than Lucifer's~"
Gaio couldn't help but smirk when Rias said his "scent" outdid Lucifer's.
Looks like this demon girl had picked up on the Spartan blood running through his veins, altered by the Yama Blade.
No surprise there—the Gremory family, one of Solomon's seventy-two demon dukes, was known for its ability to see through time, predict the future, and uncover hidden treasures.
He didn't look down, just glanced at the strap of his Yama Blade's sheath. "This war you're talking about—how do I join?"
Rias's eyes lit up at his question, her fingers tracing the outline of a magical array in the air. "It's simple~ Just sign a contract with me and become my servant—"
"You sure you want to make a contract with me?" Gaio leaned forward, a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Absolutely!" Rias nodded eagerly. "Having a powerhouse like Nero-san would be an honor for the Gremory family~"
Gaio's smirk grew playful. "Alright, give it a shot."
He stepped back, creating some distance. "Let's see if you can actually bind me."
A flash of surprise crossed Rias's face, but she quickly formed a seal with her hands. "Well, don't mind if I do~" A swirling purple-and-red magical array flared to life in her palms, rapidly expanding.
The array grew until it detached from her hands, floating above Gaio's head.
He didn't bother looking up, just kept his teasing gaze locked on Rias.
Her body trembled with excitement at the thought of binding Gaio, her wine-red hair whipping wildly in the surge of magical energy.
She stared intently at the contract array, her smile growing as thin red tendrils began to snake down, latching onto Gaio's shoulders. Completely unaware of the mockery in his eyes, her grin widened with anticipation.
"It's almost done…" she whispered, pouring more magic into the array to sustain it.
Suddenly, a gut-wrenching void exploded deep within her.
In an instant, her face went pale. Her magic poured out like a river into the sea, unstoppable and wild.
Only then did she grasp the weight of Gaio's earlier words: "You sure you want to make a contract with me?"
She scrambled to cut off the flow of magic, but to her horror, she couldn't sever the connection.
"What's happening—?"
Worse, the lights in her mind representing her demon chess pieces began to flicker out. The knight and pawn icons shattered one by one, and even the core king piece started to waver.
"No! My pieces!" Rias's body shook, her hands trembling as she tried to maintain the array. "This isn't a contract… it's devouring me!"
Gaio chuckled at her panic. "I did warn you."
"Stop! Please, stop!" Her voice cracked with a sob, her vision darkening from magical overexertion. "If this keeps up, I'll—"
"Die? Nah, probably not. You'll just drop a few ranks, become a regular demon," Gaio teased, making no move to stop it.
Rias could barely speak now, collapsing to the ground, but the array kept draining her magic. Her skin turned ashen, her body convulsing from the soul-deep pain of having her magic siphoned away.
Just then, a ghostly blue flame erupted around Gaio.
The red tendrils clinging to his shoulders recoiled like snakes scalded by fire, retreating frantically to the center of the array. But the blue flames pursued, surging along the tendrils' path in a reverse assault.
"What… is this…?" Rias's weakening eyes lifted, watching as the blue flames devoured the purple-and-red array, transforming it into a ghostly blue.
Before her question could be answered, the contract array shuddered violently in the air and vanished.
Just as she thought it was over, the array rematerialized above her head—now completely altered. The intricate Solomon runes had twisted into thorn-like blue patterns.
"No… it shouldn't… be like this…"
Rias's pale face was etched with shock. Before she could react, the blue flames poured down like a waterfall.
She braced for agonizing pain, but when the flames touched her skin, it never came.
Her rigid body suddenly relaxed. A warm current surged through her veins, filling the void left by her drained magic. Her ashen skin regained its color at a visible pace, and the soul-tearing pain washed away like it had been soothed by warm water.
"This…" She stared at her hands in disbelief. Her trembling fingers steadied, and even her hair grew smooth and glossy again.
The blue array above her spun faster, its thorn-like patterns glowing with piercing light.
Only then did Rias realize something was wrong—the blue flames were imprinting themselves through her magical channels, each wisp carrying an unyielding, domineering will that etched new contract runes into the depths of her soul.
"No! This is a counter-contract…" She snapped her head up to Gaio, her pupils reflecting the shrinking blue array. "You're rewriting—"
Before she could finish, the array dissolved into countless light particles and sank into her forehead.
Rias's body jolted, a clear contract oath ringing in her mind—an absolute rule far stronger than her demon contract. From now on, her magic, her will, even her life, would be wholly bound to the man before her.
Gaio watched the spectacle with amusement. He didn't know a thing about contract magic; he'd only used his demonic power to corrupt the array. He hadn't expected this outcome.
A blue contract mark appeared on Rias's chest.
She could feel the unbreakable bond forming between her and Gaio, like a mental seal stamped into her core.
"Now, you're my demon servant."
"Master…"
The word slipped out, and she froze, stunned by her own voice.
The pride of Solomon's seventy-two demons wailed in her soul, but her body obediently bowed to Gaio.
Worse, she felt an eerie sense of comfort in submitting, like a drifting ship finally finding its anchor.
Gaio stepped closer, using the Yama Blade's sheath to lift her chin. "Look up."
The simple command sent a shiver through her.
When she raised her face, her wine-red eyes had turned blue, and blue, tattoo-like patterns marked her collarbone.
"Ha, you brought this on yourself, Rias," Gaio teased.
Rias wanted to argue, to snap back, but her body refused to let her speak disrespectfully to her master.
When she realized the true nature of the contract branded into her soul, her pupils shrank.
A memory from the Gremory family's sealed Book of Genesis flashed vividly in her mind—an entity from the dawn of creation, above all rules.
"I see…" Her trembling fingers brushed the burning blue patterns on her collarbone, the thorn-like marks resonating with her demon blood.
Gaio watched her shifting expressions with interest. "Figured something out? Heh, doesn't matter."
He rested the Yama Blade's sheath on her shoulder. "But now—"
Boom!