"Eh?... Eh!?"
Ravel's face flushed crimson as she instinctively clutched the white wedding dress to her chest.
'Wait... didn't he come here to ruin my brother's wedding? Why is he grabbing me instead?'
Strange thoughts whirled through Ravel's mind. 'He's certainly handsome, but this is completely improper! This doesn't follow any noble etiquette at all! Father and Mother would never approve!'
Her eyes darted to the man holding her. 'But he seems incredibly powerful... What if he wants to elope with me?'
Countless scenarios flashed through the young Phoenix girl's head in rapid succession.
"Ahem... ahem..."
Ravel opened her mouth to speak, but before she could form words, Takeyo suddenly coughed violently. A mouthful of golden blood sprayed from his lips.
The golden droplets splattered across the pristine white wedding dress, adding an almost sacred, otherworldly quality to the fabric.
"You, what's wrong with you?"
Ravel looked at the man anxiously, her earlier embarrassment forgotten. 'He's vomiting blood just like that? Is he seriously injured?'
"It's nothing, just a small matter," Takeyo said, pulling out a handkerchief and offering it to Ravel. "Could you wipe this for me?"
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Ravel blinked in surprise before taking the handkerchief. 'Well, I suppose since he's clearly injured, I can help him this once,' she thought with a touch of pride.
She gently wiped away the golden blood from his face. Just as she finished, she suddenly lost her balance!
'He... he picked me up? A princess carry?!'
"Thank you, Miss Ravel," Takeyo said with a smile.
Ravel was his insurance policy, his guarantee that Riser wouldn't fight back recklessly. With her as a hostage, things would be much simpler.
"Hey! You bastard, let Ravel go!"
Riser shouted, having just resurrected from being impaled by the holy spear moments ago.
Though the resurrection had cost him considerable energy, he'd managed to pull it off successfully. Of course, there was a reason Artoria hadn't used her full strength against him.
Enduring the burning pain of sacred power throughout his body, he glared at Takeyo.
"No problem. Just return Rias to me, and I'll release your sister. After all, I did promise Rias something before," Takeyo said naturally.
"Eh? Eh?... What's going on?"
Ravel, still cradled in Takeyo's arms, blushed even deeper, her mind spinning in circles.
"Yang..."
Rias recovered from her shock and walked to Takeyo's side, her expression a mixture of disbelief and relief.
"What happened to you? Are you injured?"
She asked the question everyone would ask upon seeing someone in such a state, because Takeyo truly did look weak.
"I'm fine. I'll recover naturally with time. Sorry for not notifying you beforehand, things happened suddenly. But it's all resolved now, so I came to pick you up as promised."
Takeyo reached out and gently touched Rias's hair.
"Eh eh eh?!"
Ravel exclaimed, instinctively hugging Takeyo's head as she lost her center of gravity again. Since he was holding her in a princess carry while simultaneously reaching out to comfort Rias, Ravel's balance shifted. Seeking stability, she unconsciously pressed herself against Takeyo's body.
At that moment, a stern voice cut through the tension.
"This is the engagement ceremony between Riser Phoenix and Rias Gremory, Master Takeyo. Could you discuss your matters after the ceremony concludes?"
A beautiful woman in an elegant maid outfit stepped forward, speaking with absolute authority.
Though her attire marked her as a servant, no one present dared question her strength or status. She had once competed with the current Demon Lord Leviathan for the title of strongest female demon. Her name was Grayfia Lucifuge.
"Artoria, I don't appreciate being interrupted right now," Takeyo said, frowning slightly.
'Grayfia, didn't you notice that your husband Sirzechs hasn't said anything? Why are you interfering?'
For various reasons, primarily his lack of interest in married women, Takeyo's attitude toward Grayfia remained lukewarm at best.
The situation wasn't quite what Takeyo had anticipated, but that would become clear later.
For now, Artoria, having received her orders, rushed forward with her holy spear raised!
'I will complete my lord's command!'
This simple thought drove Artoria forward.
"Tch!"
Grayfia's eyebrows furrowed slightly as powerful magic erupted from her body, bursting through the roof in an instant as she met Artoria's charge head-on.
She truly didn't want to fight here, but she had to express her attitude on behalf of Demon Lord Lucifer. At this moment, Sirzechs did not approve of such methods, and her intervention demonstrated that stance clearly.
In short, she'd made her position known. Now it was time to let the Demon Lords handle the rest.
She was going to slip away after showing her displeasure.
Back in the venue...
"Hey! Don't push it too far!"
Riser, having resurrected once again, rushed toward Takeyo with Phoenix flames burning across his entire body.
"I don't think I'm pushing anything. I'm simply here to fulfill my promise," Takeyo said, shaking his head.
Then he revealed all the Evil Pieces attached to his body, fourteen Pawn pieces, two Rook pieces... a total of thirty-three pieces in all!
Seeing the sheer number of Takeyo's pieces, Riser finally realized what kind of existence stood before him.
Of course, Takeyo actually had pieces he hadn't revealed yet.
"So you're the person Rias mentioned before! It's actually real?!"
Riser's lips twitched. He'd only believed it superficially, never expecting this person to actually exist.
"Well, I'm here to make a deal with you. How about we have a game?" Takeyo asked with a smile.
"A game?" Riser's tone carried a hint of annoyance.
"Yes. All your servants against me, but I have one condition. If I win, you cancel the marriage contract with Rias, just like your previous Rating Game with her."
"The difference is, I'll be fighting alone on my side."
Takeyo now possessed the strength to annihilate a team of high-class demons without even using his avatar. He didn't particularly care about a single high-class demon like Riser.
If Riser's older brother Ruval were here, that might be more interesting. After all, Ruval was an ultimate-class demon, slightly more challenging than a mere high-class demon like Riser.
"No! I refuse! I have no need to fight you. You're just Rias's servant! You're not qualified to challenge me!"
Riser said in a disdainful tone.
Whether he was truly disdainful or simply afraid, only he knew.
"As a servant who wasn't present when your master needed you, can I report you as a Stray Devil and have the Underworld's law enforcement team arrest you?"
Riser showed a mocking expression. 'Just a mere servant trying to act important in front of high-class demons! This marriage represents the future of the Underworld! No matter how valuable those pieces are, it changes nothing!'
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."
Takeyo scratched his head, looking slightly troubled.
He'd considered this possibility before, but when it actually happened, it was still somewhat annoying.
"Snap!"
Takeyo snapped his fingers softly.
Silver chains materialized out of thin air, locking Riser in place!
[Enkidu!]
With Takeyo's growth, the Chains of Heaven could now restrain even ultimate-class demons from breaking free.
"Riser Phoenix, I must inform you of something important."
Finally, Ajuka spoke up.
He was worried that if Takeyo became upset, he might finish Riser off right here and now with the same devastating blow that had killed a Dragon King. That would cause serious problems.
"Huh?"
When the Demon Lord Ajuka spoke, Riser had no choice but to listen obediently.
"First of all, Yang is my disciple. Moreover, he is not a Reincarnated Devil. Even with such a large number of pieces, we were unable to successfully reincarnate him."
Ajuka narrowed his eyes meaningfully.
Not only that, he didn't even have the ability to probe Takeyo's body. The information he'd obtained came from the automatic system embedded in Takeyo that revealed basic data.
"Um... He's your disciple, Lord Ajuka?"
Riser clenched his teeth. 'How could Takeyo have this level of backing?!'
"Yes. Though I don't know if he's a demon in the traditional sense," Ajuka replied.
Ajuka's presence brought tremendous pressure to bear on Riser.
"May I make a suggestion?"
Just as Riser was about to speak, a gentle man's voice came from the side.
"Why don't you simply listen to Yang's request? After all, the previous Rating Game was conducted when my dear sister's peerage wasn't fully assembled yet."
Sirzechs said with a smile.
Originally, his position had been shaken, but Takeyo's return, bringing with him a warrior capable of standing against Grayfia, made his stance crystal clear once more.
"Lord Lucifer, are you dissatisfied with the results of the previous game?"
Riser frowned.
He knew it had been difficult for him to win, even inglorious. His opponent had been an underaged Rias with an incomplete peerage, yet he'd expended all his pieces to achieve victory and nearly lost anyway.
"Not dissatisfied at all. I simply think you should defeat Rias when her peerage is fully assembled. Wouldn't that be more proper?"
"However, it would be unfair to make you face an opponent you've already beaten once."
"So let's do this as compensation, Yang will fight you alone. If you can win, I don't think Rias will complain."
Sirzechs's words were carefully calculated and technically sound.
"I have no problem with the Demon Lord's decision," Rias immediately said.
This was her last chance!
"Since it's the Demon Lord's will, then I must obey."
Riser spread his hands in acceptance.
He was actually satisfied with this arrangement!
Because he cared more about that female knight who could fight the strongest Queen than about Takeyo himself. In his opinion, Takeyo was just a cripple. As long as his immortal body held out, Takeyo would eventually exhaust himself from his injuries and lose.
'Look at how many times he's vomited blood since arriving!'
As for Takeyo claiming it was "just a small problem," Riser would never believe it. In his view, those were just brave words from someone trying to save face.
"I have no objections either," Takeyo said with a smile, gently setting Ravel down.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Ravel."
After putting her down, Takeyo whispered in her ear.
Ravel had indeed helped. By not struggling or moving excessively while in his arms, she'd been the greatest help he could ask for.
"Um?..."
When there was no response, Takeyo checked on Ravel's condition.
"It seems she fainted from a combination of embarrassment and anger. She's really quite cute."
Takeyo motioned for Koneko to come to his side, then handed Ravel over to the petite girl.
This was the best possible outcome.
He'd wanted Sirzechs and Ajuka to speak up on his behalf all along. If they hadn't, Takeyo would have been forced to use Ravel as leverage, possibly saying something like, "Riser, if you disagree, I'll take your sister somewhere no one can find her and father a whole flock of little phoenixes." That probably would have made Riser agree.
But ultimately, that was a last resort. It was better not to use such methods if they could be avoided.
"Since both parties have agreed, then it's settled."
Sirzechs said with a satisfied smile.
This situation was the best possible outcome he'd imagined, and he'd even arranged for a live broadcast in preparation.
The broadcast would go out not only to the Underworld but to the entire world.
The battle between Takeyo and Riser would also serve to demonstrate Takeyo's position and importance.
It would tell the world: 'This person is ours!'
Of course, this was a decision he'd made after realizing Takeyo's strength had advanced considerably.