It was obvious that the main targets of this labyrinth weren't the servants, but the three King pieces themselves. That meant the trial waiting for Leo and the girls would be the most difficult of all.
"ROAAAR!!"
With a roar that shook the air, something massive emerged from the magic circle. It was far larger—and far more terrifying—than any monster the others had encountered.
"Roooaaar!!"
Three monsters appeared in total. Compared to the numbers in the other rooms, that didn't seem like much.
But these three were each more than fifteen meters long, with wings so large they dominated the space. Their bodies were covered in red-ochre scales, with thick limbs, hulking torsos, twin horns, ferocious eyes, and enormous jaws lined with fangs. When they roared, the temperature in the room spiked instantly. The blast of sound forced Leo, Rias, and Sona to shield themselves with their arms. Rias and Sona's skirts whipped violently in the wind—an impressive sight, though only Leo was there to see it.
"That's… a Crimson Flame Dragon!"
Rias shouted over the sound, unable to care that her clothes were practically blowing apart.
"Dragons…?!"
Sona's expression darkened.
Even Leo hadn't expected the Old Maou Faction to go this far—sending *three* Crimson Flame Dragons just to deal with them.
Flame Dragons were true fire dragons, famed for their ferocity, combat instincts, and destructive power. While they weren't among the highest-ranked dragons, any pureblood, fully grown dragon could fight on equal terms with a High-Class Devil.
"ROOOOAR!!"
All three dragons locked onto the trio, flames surging in their throats—
—and unleashed massive torrents of fire.
"Move!"
Before the blast even reached them, Leo, Rias, and Sona leapt backward in perfect sync, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
The flames crashed into the ground like a nuclear detonation. A sea of fire expanded outward, swallowing everything in its path.
"One each. Finish them quickly."
"Fine by me."
Leo didn't hesitate. He stopped mid-retreat and sprinted straight toward the nearest dragon.
Rias grinned fearlessly. She unfolded her devil wings and shot into the air, weaving past incoming fire as she closed in on her target.
"I guess that's how it is."
Seeing her two closest friends rush ahead without waiting for strategy, Sona sighed—and spread a magic circle before her.
She was a tactical fighter by nature—calm, calculating, and analytical since childhood. She wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as Rias, but when it came to strategy and efficiency, Sona could easily overpower Rias in a straight one-on-one.
Her brain had already been racing, trying to devise the fastest way to defeat their enemies. But with Leo and Rias charging in recklessly, she could only sigh and join them in direct combat.
Of course, just because she preferred strategy didn't mean she was weak.
Far from it. As the heir of the Sitri House, a pureblood devil and a proper High-Class Devil, Sona was still stronger than Leo, who had only advanced a few months ago—so she had no reason to fear direct combat.
Her opponent was a dragon—possibly even stronger than she was.
But because it was a *Crimson Flame Dragon*, Sona knew she had the advantage.
"To beat fire… you use water."
The magic circle in front of her spun and released a massive column of water.
"ROAR!"
The water smashed into the incoming fire breath, clouds of steam erupting in every direction. Then the water plowed straight into the dragon, hurling it through the air like a ragdoll and slamming it into a wall hard enough to shake the entire room.
Sending a Crimson Flame Dragon against Sona Sitri had been a mistake.
The Sitri House's trait was exceptional water manipulation. It sounded simple—unremarkable, even—but simple things, when honed to their extremes, became terrifying.
The current Maou, Serafall Leviathan, a pureblood Sitri, was living proof. Rumor said she possessed power beyond ordinary Maou-Class devils, capable of freezing an entire small country with ease.
Sona had always devoted herself to mastering water magic, refining her control to the absolute limit.
Against a fire-attributed dragon, she was a natural hard counter.
"Let me show you what my water techniques can do."
Demonic power surged around Sona. Moisture gathered in the air, transforming under her control.
In seconds, she created an entire menagerie of water beasts—hawks soaring through the air, serpents slithering across the floor, lions, packs of wolves, even massive water dragons—all simultaneously formed and controlled with flawless precision.
Rias dodged another blast of flame and couldn't help admiring the sight.
"As expected of you, Sona."
This level of magical control was something Rias could never match.
Even Leo, who excelled in manipulation of demonic power precisely because his mixed blood forced him to rely on technique over talent, would admit Sona surpassed him here.
Rias, on the other hand, had so much overwhelming demonic power—and the Power of Destruction—that she rarely needed technique. Why bother with precision when raw force solved almost everything?
She was the perfect example of a power-type devil.
The dragon shrieked under the assault of Sona's water beasts.
Rias smiled.
"Can't let you outshine me, Sona."
She dove through the last wave of flames and appeared right in front of her dragon.
"Turn to ashes!"
Her demonic power erupted like a crimson explosion.
The aura rising from her body matched her scarlet hair—brilliant, overwhelming, and dangerous. Her eyes glowed red as magic blazed around her, her clothes rippling violently from the force.
A massive sphere of demonic power gathered before her.
BOOM!!!
The sphere shot forward and smashed into the dragon. It didn't just injure it—the dragon didn't even have time to scream before it evaporated completely, erased from existence.
One hit.
Rias had annihilated a dragon capable of matching a High-Class Devil in a single blow.
That was the Power of Destruction—the power to erase, to end, to bring ruin.
Sona, who had been overwhelming her own dragon since the start, still hadn't finished by the time Rias vaporized hers. Only after witnessing that did she fire several massive water lances through her dragon's body, killing it cleanly.
"…I still can't compete with you, Rias."
Sona exhaled and gathered her magic, minimizing unnecessary consumption. She looked at Rias's figure standing unshaken within the crimson gale and couldn't tell whether she felt admiration or resignation.
The two exchanged a glance—and shared a knowing smile.
Then they both turned toward Leo.
And froze.
"Look—the exit is already open."
Leo pointed calmly toward a newly revealed passage.
Behind him lay the corpse of a Crimson Flame Dragon—massive, scorched, and very much dead.
Judging by the faint smoke rising from it… it had been dead for quite some time.
Rias and Sona's pupils constricted.
A single thought struck them at the same time:
So the one who finished first… wasn't either of us.
It was him.
And when they looked at Leo again—their eyes had completely changed.
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Extra chapter!