After finishing dressing, Arthur left his room and headed toward the first-floor living room. Rias was still deeply asleep upstairs and likely would not wake for several hours, but at least it was Sunday, so there was no immediate pressure. Even so, it meant she would be absent from whatever serious discussion was about to take place.
When Arthur entered the living room, the first thing he noticed was Akeno's intense gaze fixed directly on him, her lips curved into a knowing smile.
"That girl really wants you," Lilith teased through their telepathic connection, her voice filled with amusement. "You attract trouble wherever you go."
Arthur ignored her for now and addressed the people present.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. My name is Arthur Tempest. I'm Rias and Akeno's boyfriend."
He spoke calmly, without arrogance, but with quiet confidence.
He had already noticed that Grayfia was wearing her maid uniform, which told him she was acting in an official capacity. Because of that, he did not attempt to shake her hand or bow deeply. Instead, he maintained a respectful posture and sat down beside Asia on the sofa. He gently stroked the blonde girl's hair, and Asia immediately relaxed, her sleepy eyes softening as a small smile appeared on her face.
Akeno watched this with mild jealousy, but she was also pleased that Arthur had openly introduced himself as her boyfriend as well, not merely Rias's.
Grayfia, for her part, did not seem surprised by Akeno's involvement. She had always suspected that those two would eventually share the same man.
She gave a small, formal bow.
"I apologize for intruding unannounced. My name is Grayfia Lucifuge, a maid in the service of the Gremory family."
Then she straightened and met Arthur's gaze directly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
Arthur blinked slightly. This was already far warmer than what Issei had received in the original timeline.
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Grayfia," Arthur replied evenly. "May I ask what brings you here at this hour?"
Grayfia exhaled quietly.
"There's no need to be so formal with me. I am only a servant. Originally, I came to prevent Lady Rias from doing something impulsive… but judging by the circumstances, I arrived far too late."
Her eyes briefly flicked toward the staircase.
Akeno leaned back in her chair and chuckled softly.
"Ara ara… you should have come sooner, Grayfia-san. They've been at it for hours."
Asia nearly choked on her tea.
"A-Akeno-san!"
Grayfia closed her eyes for a moment, clearly restraining herself.
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
"Since matters have already progressed this far, we must now focus on damage control."
She turned back to Arthur.
"Arthur, are you aware of Lady Rias's engagement?"
Arthur nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. Both Rias and Akeno explained everything to me, including the risks involved."
Grayfia's brows furrowed.
Despite herself, she felt an urge to scold him. Knowing full well that Rias was betrothed to a high-ranking demon like Riser Phenex, he had still gone forward without hesitation.
"The Gremory clan cannot fully shield you from the consequences of this," Grayfia said seriously.
She rubbed her temples, clearly calculating possibilities.
"Riser is not only arrogant, he is politically protected. His family has immense influence, and his regenerative abilities make him extremely difficult to deal with through conventional means."
Akeno crossed her legs and smiled faintly.
"But Arthur isn't exactly conventional, is he?"
Grayfia glanced at Akeno, then back at Arthur.
Her sharp eyes studied him carefully now, no longer seeing merely a handsome young man, but something deeper. Power lingered around him in a way she had never encountered before.
After a moment, Grayfia spoke again.
"The only immediate option I can think of is asking Sirzechs to intervene directly. If Lady Rias pleads her case personally, there is a chance he will act."
Arthur leaned back slightly.
"If that's the best path, then I'll support it. But if it comes down to strength… I won't run."
Grayfia stared at him in silence for several seconds.
She finally exhaled.
"…You really are reckless."
But strangely, she did not sound disapproving anymore.
"Grayfia, I have a question for you. Compared to you, how strong is Riser?"
Grayfia blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in topic. She had been expecting political discussion or strategy, not such a blunt inquiry. For a moment, she considered how to explain the vast difference between a high-class devil like Riser Phenex and an Ultimate-class demon such as herself.
Before she could formulate her answer, Arthur spoke again.
"Let me rephrase. If you had to face Riser alone, together with his entire peerage, do you think you could win?"
Grayfia almost smiled at the naïveté of the question.
She assumed the boy was seeking reassurance, or perhaps subconsciously hoping she would offer to intervene on his behalf. For a fleeting moment, she even entertained the thought that, if he asked sincerely enough, she might consider stepping in personally.
"I am confident I would win," she replied calmly. "But what does that have to do with—"
She never finished the sentence.
The atmosphere collapsed.
It was not sudden violence, nor explosive force.
It was pressure.
An invisible weight slammed into her body from every direction, crushing the air itself. The temperature in the room dropped sharply as shadows surged outward from Arthur, swallowing the walls, ceiling, and floor in suffocating darkness.
Grayfia's breath caught in her throat.
Her instincts screamed at her to retreat, but her body refused to move.
Some unseen authority wrapped around her limbs like chains, locking her in place. She attempted to step back, only to realize that even lifting her heel from the floor was impossible.
Her demonic senses went dead in an instant.
She could not feel mana.
She could not perceive space.
She could not even locate Arthur properly through magic.
All that existed was him.
Dark energy poured from his body in slow, terrifying waves, not chaotic or violent, but perfectly controlled, as though the room itself had been claimed by his will.
Akeno stiffened.
Asia clutched the couch.
Even Lilith fell silent.
Arthur stood up.
Each step he took felt like a hammer striking Grayfia's chest.
Her heart pounded violently as her vision narrowed, locking onto his glowing violet eyes, which burned through the darkness like twin stars.
"You see, Grayfia," Arthur said quietly, his voice carrying effortlessly through the oppressive atmosphere. "From my perspective… I can defeat you easily."
Her knees trembled.
She tried to force herself upright with sheer physical strength, engaging every muscle in her body, but it was like struggling against a mountain.
Then she attempted to circulate her demonic power.
The instant it left her core, it was erased.
Not suppressed.
Not blocked.
Erased.
Arthur's Anti-Magic devoured it before it could even manifest.
Cold terror crept into her spine.
She had never encountered energy like this.
Her instincts, sharpened by centuries of battle and service under Maou-level entities, were screaming that this boy in front of her was not merely powerful.
He was dangerous in a way that transcended conventional rankings.
Yet beneath that fear, something else stirred.
Excitement.
Her pulse quickened.
Her breathing became shallow.
Her body reacted before her mind could stop it.
Arthur looked down at her calmly.
"I apologize for that, Grayfia. I thought it would be simpler to show you rather than explain."
And just like that, everything vanished.
The darkness receded.
The crushing pressure evaporated.
Her magical senses returned in a rush.
Grayfia staggered slightly, barely managing to steady herself, her maid training preventing her from visibly collapsing.
The only thing that remained was the memory of those glowing eyes staring down at her in absolute dominance.
She inhaled slowly, regaining control over her expression.
"Don't worry," she said after a moment. "I understand. And I am not upset."
Her voice was steady, but inside her heart was racing.
"Now I see why you weren't concerned about the situation."
She exhaled quietly.
She felt foolish for having worried.
Even more foolish for not realizing sooner.
She mentally cursed Rias for failing to explain this properly to the family. If the Gremory household had known that her boyfriend possessed pressure comparable to Maou-level beings like Serafall Leviathan or Falbium Asmodeus, none of this tension would have existed in the first place.
Grayfia looked at Arthur with new eyes.
"Since your strength is so overwhelming," she asked, "do you already have a plan to deal with Riser Phenex?"
Arthur nodded.
"I intend to request the Gremory clan's cooperation to resolve this through a Rating Game. Riser's peerage versus me. The prize will be Rias's hand."
Grayfia almost laughed.
Not mockingly.
Amused.
Now that she understood his true power, Riser Phenex did not even register as a threat.
"I understand," she said. "I will convey your proposal to Lady Rias's parents."
She offered Arthur a genuine smile before summoning a teleportation circle beneath her feet.
Then she vanished.
Arthur watched her disappear and released a quiet breath.
Convincing her had been easier than expected.
Compared to the original protagonist, his current power was on an entirely different level.
Thanks to the dungeon, his strength had risen from the peak of mid-class to Ultimate-class territory. On paper, that placed him near Grayfia's level.
But what she had felt was not merely raw power.
Arthur had layered three things together.
[Ruler's Authority], to immobilize her.
Anti-Magic, to erase her demonic energy.
And Touki.
After reaching advanced combat mastery, he had learned to circulate his Qi externally, forming Touki around his body, allowing him to enhance his physical strength even while Anti-Magic was active.
That combination pushed him beyond conventional Ultimate-class standards.
Even without mana-based reinforcement, his body now operated close to super-demon territory.
And that was only the beginning.
-
Read ahead More than 13 chapters on pat platform link is given below....
Current Chapter - 58 ( New World - Danmachi )
A/N : New Fanfics - Shinobi in DC , Cult in Marvel, boundless harem in multiverse. Each with 10+ chapters
I hope you guys join me on this platform
[email protected]/Xue_fang_1