Ryuichi narrowly avoided the surprise attack, though the shockwave still left him badly injured. Fortunately, with Asia there, he wasn't too worried about his condition.
As black feathers drifted slowly from the sky, he looked up, eyes narrowing.
He had already etched this grudge into his heart.
"This dimensional space won't hold for long," Akeno warned softly.
The destructive blast from before had torn it apart from the inside out—its structure was barely stable anymore.
"Let's go," Rias said firmly.
Supporting the wounded Ryuichi, she led everyone out of the collapsing pocket dimension and back to meet with Samuel.
After briefly reporting what had happened, the group hurried back to the Occult Research Club's activity room.
Inside, Rias and Asia worked together to heal Ryuichi, while outside, Koneko and Akeno were busy organizing intel before sending a full report to the Duke.
The healing process wasn't easy. Ryuichi's injuries were severe this time—he had taken a hit that far exceeded the level of a high-class angel's power. Even Asia's Twilight Healing wasn't enough to completely restore him in one go.
"Let's stop for now," Ryuichi said at last, noticing Asia's pale face. "These wounds aren't too serious anymore."
Rias hesitated but finally nodded, withdrawing her magic flow. Her healing spells weren't nearly as potent as Asia's, and if even Asia was struggling, there was nothing more she could do for now.
"I'll continue once I've recovered a bit of my strength," Asia murmured apologetically.
"It's fine," Ryuichi reassured her with a smile. "Just a little pain in the organs. As long as I don't move around too much, it's no big deal."
Once he was stable, the three of them changed clothes and returned to the clubroom.
"How are your injuries?" Akeno asked, her voice calm but tinged with concern.
"There's still a little that hasn't healed," Ryuichi admitted, "but I'll live."
He smiled faintly, signaling he was alright, then turned to Rias.
"After that ambush, those Fallen Angels will definitely be more cautious now."
Finding them again would be much harder next time. Those bastards were clearly plotting something huge—but with their enemies hiding in the shadows, Rias's team had no leads to work with. It was all too passive.
"There's no helping it," Rias sighed. "We'll have to mobilize everyone we can to search for clues."
Her thoughts shifted briefly to the stolen Holy Sword incident, and she felt a fresh headache coming on.
Looks like she'd have to reach out to the Church after all. What a pain.
The problem was, Rias couldn't quite figure out the Church's stance. Were they actually collaborating with the Fallen Angels? Or had their Holy Sword simply been stolen?
Probably the latter, she decided. The Church, backed by the Angels, wasn't likely to stoop so low as to conduct such cruel, inhuman experiments. Doing that would make them Fall outright.
The "Fall" — that transformation from pure Angel to Fallen Angel — when those pristine white wings darken into black. That corruption of divinity itself… it was the very essence of Falling.
"For now, this is all we can do," Ryuichi said with a stretch, his tone easy despite the situation. "The rest, we'll leave to fate."
There was no use worrying about an enemy they couldn't find. Instead of stewing over it, better to spend that time getting stronger.
Rias smiled softly. "You're right. We've already reported this to the Duke. Let him deal with the headaches."
Her information network couldn't compare to the Duke's anyway. If there was any new development, he'd hear about it first.
As for informing her brother—Lucifer, one of the current Maou—Rias hadn't even considered it.
For something of this scale, she wasn't about to bother him. Not yet.
"Alright then," she said cheerfully, "enough gloomy talk. It's late—why don't we all get something to eat?"
The suggestion was quickly accepted, and the group teleported straight to Rias's mansion.
For Ryuichi, this was his first time visiting Rias's home.
Usually, it was the other way around—Rias showing up uninvited in the middle of the night…
As the teleportation glow faded, Ryuichi looked around, his jaw dropping.
"This place… are you sure it's not a historical monument or something?" he muttered.
The room he stood in wasn't just big—it was a massive castle hall straight out of a medieval epic.
"This estate has belonged to my family for centuries," Rias said with a serene smile. "Is there a problem with that?"
Of course, the castle had been renovated countless times since its construction. It had all the modern comforts, yet retained its antique grandeur. Even the smallest ornaments radiated history.
Ryuichi gave a wry chuckle. Compared to this, his meager savings probably couldn't even buy one of her tables…
"Alright, I get it," he said at last. "You win, rich lady. Anyway, I'm starving."
"…"
Rias blinked—then couldn't help but laugh.
She clapped her hands lightly, and within seconds, neatly dressed maids appeared with trays in hand.
After a few quick instructions, they began bringing out an array of exquisite dishes.
"Everyone, please enjoy," Rias said warmly. "We've all earned it after today."
The food was perfect—every dish beautifully presented, deliciously aromatic. Everyone relaxed, chatting and laughing as they ate.
At one point, Koneko, sitting beside Ryuichi, quietly lifted a skewer of grilled meat and held it out toward him.
"For you," she said simply.
Ryuichi blinked in surprise. "You don't like it?"
Normally, Koneko was always eating something—snacks, sweets, anything she could get her hands on. Must've been her nekomata instincts. For her to actually give food away was… rare.
Koneko shook her head slightly. "It's thanks. For protecting me earlier."
Her golden eyes met his, full of quiet sincerity. Such a small, serious girl—cute and earnest in her own way. Most of the time she was expressionless, but this moment… was genuinely touching.
Rias chuckled softly. "Well, that's rare. Koneko sharing her favorite food."
"It's proper," Koneko said firmly. "Gratitude should be shown."
Ryuichi smiled. "Then I'll gladly accept."
He ate the skewer in a few quick bites, and Koneko's lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.
They continued chatting and eating, laughter filling the hall. The dinner stretched pleasantly for nearly an hour, until everyone was full and content.
When the plates were finally cleared, Rias stood, her crimson hair gleaming under the chandelier.
"Now that dinner's done," she said brightly, "why don't we all relax in the bath? My home has a private hot spring."
A private hot spring.
Yeah… this was definitely how the rich lived.
"Ryuichi, coming?" Rias asked, noticing he hadn't moved.
"Uh… shouldn't you all go first?" he replied cautiously.
"Hehe, there are separate sections, of course," Rias teased, her smile mischievous. "Unless you'd prefer to join us?"
"Eh?" Ryuichi blinked. "Wait… is that an option?"
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