Riser's arrogant, overbearing attitude had already pushed Rias's peerage to their limits.
Especially when Issei was sent flying—Ren and Xenovia, who had more or less thrown caution to the wind when she reincarnated as Rias's Knight, imdiately drew their blades. Holy Sword and demonic blade alike were leveled straight at Riser.
"Oh? What's this?" Riser smirked, unfazed. "You're thinking of making a move? Out of respect for the Gremory family, I refrained from killing that low-class devil just now.
"You should understand sothing—I'm not like fledglings such as Rias. I've already participated in multiple official Rating Gas, and my peerage is fully assembled."
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Grayfia couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
At present, she stood here only as the Gremory family's head maid. When it ca to Rias's marriage, she truly had no authority to interfere.
She had already warned Riser once. This ti, it was Rias's own servants who had raised their swords first.
Kiba and Xenovia were mid-to-low-class devils.
Riser, on the other hand, was a pure-blood high-ranking devil.
The difference in status between the two sides was enormous.
According to the laws of the Underworld, their actions alone were enough to justify Riser retaliating against them.
As for Rias's peerage—both Sazex and Grayfia had taken the ti to understand them.
They were all undeniably talented, brimming with potential.
But potential was still just that—potential.
At this stage, not even Kiba or the Red Dragon Emperor could stand against Riser.
Even Rias herself, wielder of the Gremory clan's "Power of Destruction," was no match for him yet.
With a light snap of his fingers, Riser summoned his forces.
Figures cloaked in black robes appeared one after another at his side.
Fifteen in total.
Even beneath the loose robes, their silhouettes betrayed their forms—every one of them was female.
A devil's Evil Pieces consisted of eight Pawns, two Knights, two Bishops, two Rooks, and one Queen. Particularly powerful individuals could require multiple pieces to reincarnate.
But Riser had taken a different approach—maximizing his numbers to the full fifteen.
In truth, most devils in the Underworld chose this route. It was Rias and Sona who were the minority, pursuing an elite, quality-over-quantity strategy.
The once-spacious clubroom now felt cramped with the sudden influx of bodies.
At that mont, flas burst to life around Riser's body.
With a sharp cry, the fire gathered behind him, forming the shape of a blazing bird spreading its wings.
Grayfia was just about to speak again—
But Riser beat her to it.
"No matter what, they are still Rias's servants. I won't kill them outright."
His smile turned cruel.
"But their disrespect toward deserves a little punishnt… wouldn't you agree?
"After all, once I marry Rias, I'll be one of their masters. If they can't even show basic respect, what use are such servants?"
His reasoning was flawless.
And more importantly—it aligned perfectly with the laws of the Underworld.
After a brief mont of inner conflict, Grayfia closed her eyes and remained where she stood.
She did not intervene.
The tension in the room reached its peak.
Grayfia was even preparing to deploy a barrier to prevent collateral damage—
When suddenly—
Bang.
The door swung open.
"Rias, you skipped class again today, didn't you?"
The voice was casual, mildly exasperated.
"Having money and influence doesn't an you can just skip classes whenever you feel like it. That's not exactly the behavior expected of a student."
Ren Kuroda stepped into the room—
—and imdiately froze.
The small clubroom was packed to the brim with people. One of them was literally engulfed in flas.
For a brief mont, Ren just stood there, blinking.
"…Did your Occult Research Club recruit a bunch of new mbers or sothing?" he asked, tilting his head. "But why are there so many at once?
"And putting that aside… is that guy a student too? He looks way too old for that…"
"Pfft—!"
A stifled laugh escaped from Koneko before she could stop herself.
And that single laugh was enough to redirect Riser's fury entirely.
His gaze snapped toward Ren, blazing with anger.
The Seven Maou had long since decreed that devils were not to harm ordinary humans without cause.
From the aura Ren gave off, he appeared no different from a normal human.
But Riser was a man who valued his pride above all else.
And having his appearance mocked?
That was sothing he absolutely could not tolerate.
The flas around him surged, spiraling together—
Then took the form of a blazing firebird that shot straight toward Ren.
Watching the incoming attack, Ren blinked again, genuinely confused.
…Did I just get dragged into this for no reason?
As a pure-blood high-ranking devil, and one who had debuted earlier than Rias, Riser's strength was nothing to scoff at.
The flas he wielded might not rival Rias's Power of Destruction, but in terms of control and precision, they were undeniably refined.
And yet—
Just as the shrieking firebird closed in—
Ren casually raised a hand.
Smack.
Like swatting a mosquito, he dispersed it.
The firebird let out a final, unwilling cry before dissolving into nothingness.
Riser's confident expression froze instantly.
Before he could even demand to know who Ren was—
He realized sothing far worse.
He couldn't speak.
At so point—no one even saw when—Ren had already crossed the distance between them.
Now he stood directly in front of Riser, one hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him clean off the ground.
Riser's peerage snapped out of their shock and imdiately drew their weapons, surrounding Ren from all sides.
But with their master struggling in Ren's grasp, none of them dared make a move.
They could only glare, helpless and furious.
"You… bastard… who the hell… are you…?"
Riser choked out, his voice strained as the grip on his throat tightened.
"Do you even know who I am? I'm the third son of the Phoenix family—a pure-blood high-ranking devil… and you dare… lay hands on …!"
He had never imagined that so random bystander could possess such overwhelming strength.
The crushing pressure around his throat made it difficult to breathe, but he still tried to threaten his opponent.
If this man knew Rias, then he must also know the standing of the Phoenix family in the Underworld.
Anyone with even a shred of common sense should understand the consequences of attacking him.
"Phoenix?" Ren's tone was flat, almost bored. "You an that family that sells those so-called 'tears' all the ti?"
His grip didn't loosen in the slightest.
"But so what?"
His eyes were calm—too calm.
"Even if you're the third son of the Phoenix family…"
"…what difference does it make?"
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"Even if you were one of the Maou of the Underworld—so what?"
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