RUMBLE—!
Blinding light and a rush of wind surged through the classroom the instant the golden gate appeared out of thin air. Bookshelves toppled, and the ceiling lights shattered with a loud crack.
The roar woke up Touka Takanashi, who was clutching her pillow within the magic circle. Dazed, she blinked up at the floating door above her.
"Huh?"
Rikka Takanashi and Sanae Dekomori shielded themselves with their arms against the gusts. Their minds went completely blank.
"What's going on?" "What am I doing?"
They were just chuunibyou teens fantasizing about nonexistent things. While they liked to believe those things might be real, they never truly expected to encounter them.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Yuuta Togashi scread in shock. Seeing the golden gate summoned by two chuunibyous shattered his worldview, which he had only just begun to rebuild after escaping his own chuunibyou phase.
No way! Summoning magic actually exists?!
That presence, that mana, that aura...
All those fantasy tropes—he felt them completely. His legs were trembling.
The golden gate now fully erged. The blinding light faded, leaving behind only a soft, divine glow.
"A... a door? What's going on?"
Now fully awake, Touka leapt out of the magic circle in a panic.
Yuuta's eyes nearly popped from their sockets. Trembling, he pointed a shaky finger at the divine golden door, his teeth chattering as he turned to Rikka and Dekomori.
"C-C-Could it be... y-you two... you're... actually serious?"
"Are you... really... really magic users?!"
Rikka and Dekomori had been frozen, but Yuuta's words snapped them back to reality.
Rikka was trembling with fear, but still stamred defiantly, "Y-Yes... I-I am the wielder of the Tyrant's Eye..."
Dekomori's eyes exploded with fanaticism. She dropped to her knees before Rikka.
"Waaah! My Master, my Lord! So cool, Death! I can feel it, Death! This is amazing, amazing! You really summoned sothing, Death!"
Her gaze sparkled with stars as she looked up at Rikka.
Touka Takanashi, dumbfounded, covered her mouth and curiously reached toward the door.
Yuuta panicked. "Senpai, no!"
But Touka had already touched the door.
"Wow! It's actually floating in midair."
She tapped the space underneath to check for supports, and examined the door for wires.
"There's really magic in this world!"
She said it with her trademark airheadedness, then turned to Rikka.
"Rikka, you really are a magician. No wonder you founded the Magic Society!"
She'd only joined the club to have a place to nap without doing work—who would've thought the Magic Society actually had magic?
Rikka was drenched in sweat, her knees shaking. But seeing everyone looking at her with such admiration, she reflexively responded in full chuunibyou mode:
"T-That's right... I-I am... the wielder of the Tyrant's Eye..."
Click!
Just then, the clubroom door opened.
A tall girl with waist-length chestnut hair and a red hairpin stepped in.
"Um, hello. I heard a loud noise from in here—did a desk fall over or sothing..."
Her words stopped abruptly. Her wide eyes reflected a bizarre and overwhelming scene. A sacred pressure swept over her.
"Wh-What is this...?!"
Mori Sumr (Shinka Nibutani) had just been curious about the two new classmates and their so-called "Far Eastern Magic Napping Society of Sumr." She had only gotten close when she heard a crash inside the room...
She had thought maybe a desk or bookshelf had fallen over, so she ca to see if she could help.
But the mont the door opened, the bizarre scene before her, combined with an overwhelming sensation she had never felt before, hit her like a tidal wave.
Yuuta Togashi, Rikka Takanashi, Sanae Dekomori, and Touka Takanashi all turned to look at the girl who had just entered—Shinka Nibutani.
Shinka staggered back a step in shock, stamring, "D-Did I just see sothing I wasn't supposed to?"
Dekomori imdiately dashed forward. Before Shinka could react, she was tackled into the room, and with a slam, the door shut behind her.
"What are you doing?! I didn't see anything!" Shinka shrieked in fear, trying to get up, but Dekomori was pinning her down.
Dekomori turned triumphantly to Rikka. "My Master! I've captured the woman who tried to peek into the mystery, Death! We now have another live sacrifice, Death!"
In her mind, her Master had used the chira (the cat) and Touka-senpai to summon the gate.
Already frightened, Shinka was now absolutely terrified. "L-Live sacrifice?! AAAHHHH! Let go! Help !"
Just hearing the term was horrifying.
Magic actually existed in this world?! Sacrifices and such? And right here in a school?!
Yuuta was also stunned, trying to make sense of what was happening—when suddenly, the gate opened.
Woooong—
Everyone turned their attention to it, and even Shinka stopped screaming.
The atmosphere grew unnaturally quiet.
The golden door creaked open slowly. Under everyone's watchful eyes, a figure with blood-red hair stepped through.
Everyone was frozen in awe.
She was stunning. Her figure was perfect. She looked elegant and noble.
But when they saw the pair of pitch-black devil wings unfurl behind her, it was like an invisible hand gripped everyone's throat.
Gah—
As modern students raised on ani and novels, their minds imdiately processed what they were seeing.
A devil.
Rias Gremory opened her eyes and gave a soft flap of her wings before landing gently on the classroom floor.
Her crimson eyes swept across the room.
Below her feet was a strange ss of chalk-drawn magic circles. Five students stared at her, completely stunned.
She imdiately understood what had happened.
"They were playing a ga of summoning a devil."
"And the World Gate just so happened to open here."
Rias didn't feel like ssing with these five students. Smiling gently, she said,
"You're students, aren't you? I'm not sure whether to call you lucky... or very unlucky."
"Don't you know? Magic circles shouldn't be drawn carelessly. An unstable formation can summon sothing... unexpected."
Hiiiiss—
Seeing the "devil" actually speak to them, Touka Takanashi, Sanae Dekomori, and Yuuta Togashi instantly dashed behind Rikka Takanashi.
"Huh?"
With Dekomori no longer pinning her down, Shinka Nibutani quickly scrambled to join the others behind Rikka too.
She didn't fully understand what was happening, but it was obvious—Rikka was the most powerful one here.
After all, that was a devil. A real, bona fide devil! She might not look scary, but all the legends said devils were bad.
And just earlier, that sa girl who had posted Shinka's chuunibyou diary online and made it into a "grimoire" was planning to use her as a "live sacrifice."
"Ugh!" Rikka's face stiffened. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Her one visible eye (the other hidden beneath her eyepatch) brimd with terror. Her legs were trembling, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest.
Rias, wearing a soft smile, wasn't the least bit surprised. Back in Kuoh Town, her peerage used to hand out flyers in the streets.
Those flyers let people summon devils, offering paynt in cash or equivalent value—and in exchange, devils would grant wishes.
Of course, it was based on "equivalent exchange." But most humans just wanted help with chores or soone to play video gas with.
The first ti most humans summoned a devil, they reacted just like this.
Dekomori clung to Rikka from behind, eyes gleaming with admiration. "Master! You summoned a devil, Death! Is it a familiar? Or can it grant wishes, Death?!"
Touka, Yuuta, and Shinka all swallowed hard.
Gulp...
Rikka stared at the very real devil in front of her, her legs trembling uncontrollably. She had summoned a devil. A real devil.
Summoning all her courage, she stamred out,
"I-I-I'm Rikka Takanashi, the w-wielder of the Tyrant's Eye..."
Rias smiled. "Don't be nervous. Don't be scared. I'm a professional devil—granting wishes for humans is part of my job."
"We devils don't hurt people."
Her warm tone and calm deanor soothed the room. Everyone's fear eased, if only a little.
Shinka gulped. "Y-You don't hurt people?"
Rias smiled again. "Not at all. Let's just say... you successfully summoned a devil. I can grant your wishes."
devils granting wishes—it was sothing straight out of novels, ani, and myths. But now they'd actually encountered it, and they didn't know how to react.
Yuuta gathered his courage and asked curiously, "Grant wishes? Any wish?" He didn't plan to make one—he was just curious.
Shinka's heart pounded. Her cheeks flushed pink. A devil... granting wishes... Was she dreaming?
She pinched her thigh. Ouch. Nope, not a dream!
Rias shook her head. "Of course not just any wish. Devils contracts follow the law of equivalent exchange. It's a trade: humans offer sothing they can give, and devils do what humans can't."
Rikka's eye suddenly lit up with hope. She stepped forward.
"Then... can you help find the Unseen Horizon?"
Rias blinked in confusion. "Unseen Horizon?" She activated a simple spell to lightly read the girl's thoughts.
"Oh... You want to see your father again."
Rikka's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward boldly, no longer afraid of Rias's demonic identity. She nodded like a pecking chick.
"Yes! My dad is already on the other side of the Unseen Horizon—in a parallel world."
Her words made Dekomori, Yuuta, and Shinka all perk up their ears. They didn't really understand, but it sounded incredibly profound.
It had to be so mystical language only a true magician could grasp.
Rias thought for a mont. "The Unseen Horizon... is that a taphor for the underworld? I see. You want to bring your father back to life?"
Rikka stubbornly retorted, "It's the Unseen Horizon. My dad isn't dead."
Rias nodded. "I understand. Bringing soone back to life is possible—but the cost is far too great for a human to pay."
In the Teyvat Universe, resurrection could only occur with the approval of "Celestia."
But in worlds beyond Teyvat, if a soul or even just the remains of a person existed, they could be brought back with the help of the gods from the Underworld Pantheon.
Conveniently, the Traveler Pantheon had a great number of such items—mainly because their main god had a habit of collecting everything. She had amassed many "specialties" from various pantheons.
Rikka's eyes dimd instantly. Her head dropped.
Everyone held their breath.
So the "Unseen Horizon" Rikka always spoke of... was really the Underworld.
And she had summoned a devil... in hopes of seeing her father again.
That ant... Rikka's father...
If Rikka was this powerful, what kind of person had her father been?
In everyone's mind, a majestic grand sorcerer's silhouette appeared.
Hiss—
Seeing Rikka so downcast, Rias glanced at the others and considered sothing.
"It's not impossible to grant your wishes for free."
"In fact, I could even let you learn magic, divine arts, supernatural powers... and more."
This was part of her plan to expand divine influence in the otherworld by turning these five students into divine envoys.
In a modern world, establishing influence was simple. A few well-crafted stage performances were all it took.
The whole world was a stage, every human an audience mber—and they, the actors, would deliver a world-shaking performance.
With Rias being so kind and approachable, everyone began to forget she was even a devil.
Yuuta Togashi summoned his courage to ask, "W-We can learn magic? Superpowers?"
It wasn't just him. Dekomori and Shinka's hearts were pounding too.
What attracted teenagers the most? Naturally, supernatural abilities.
Rias nodded. "Of course. I can even grant you any wish you desire."
Rikka imdiately asked, "W-What do we have to do?" Her desire to see her father burned in her eyes.
Rias replied, "Beco heroes. The gods will bestow divine power upon you—and then, together, we'll put on a performance for the world."
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