A servant that the Master cannot control is extremely dangerous. In other words, this whole incident was a test—to gauge just how powerful Kazuki, the Guyver, truly was, and to see if he would betray his master, Rias Gremory.
"So? Did I pass the test?"
"Of course! As a Demon Lord, I acknowledge you. However, the problem lies with Rias."
"!!"
At her brother's words, Rias flinched visibly.
"Rias. Your peerage is steadily coming together. However, with members like Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor, Xenovia, the wielder of the holy sword Durandal, and Yumi, who has achieved the 'Forbidden Balance Breaker,' it is expected that in the near future, they may surpass you in strength. Will you be able to keep them in line?"
"Th-that's..."
"Unfortunately, young lady, you haven't shown much growth since entering high school. As things stand, there's a possibility you may not be able to control them."
"Grayfia!?"
"Hmm... I also met them yesterday, and I'd like to believe there are no members in your peerage who would become strays. However, we must always prepare for the worst. Especially with Issei, you need to be careful, Rias."
"Issei? There's no way he would become intoxicated with power—"
"It's said that every previous Red Dragon Emperor lost control of their power and met an early demise. Can anyone truly say he won't follow the same path?"
"..."
"To prevent that, a 'King' must demonstrate their worth to their servants. Whether it be through strength, intellect, or charisma, it varies from king to king. You should think carefully about what kind of king you aim to be."
"...Yes."
The weight of her brother and Grayfia's words pressed heavily on Rias, leaving her utterly dejected.
"That being said, Kazuki. I apologize for tonight. Let me quickly prepare a Phoenix Tears—"
"No, that won't be necessary."
Kazuki said this as he released his [Gigantic Armor]. The Gigantic Armor instantly reverted to a cocoon-like state and disappeared somewhere. And Kazuki's arms—were fully restored.
"This is...!"
"They're completely healed..."
Kazuki, having released his armor, explained.
"To put it simply, the Guyver can regenerate lost limbs. Although, I can't release the armor until the regeneration is complete."
'If you had such an ability, you should have told me earlier! You nearly gave me a heart attack.' Rias thought.
"Armor...? Is that what you call transforming into Guyver?" The demon king asked with keen interest.
"Yes. By 'arming' myself and donning the 'Guyver Armor,' I become [Guyver]."
"I see. So, it's [Guyver: The Bio-boosted Armor], huh? I like it!"
Sirzechs seemed oddly excited. On the other hand, Kazuki looked inexplicably surprised, while Grayfia rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
"Then, I'll take my leave for tonight. Let's go, Rias."
Kazuki excused himself to her brother and urged the despondent Rias to follow.
"Kazuki... Okay."
He took Rias' hand and began to walk.
"Ah, Kazuki. Do you know what 'Guyver' means?"
At Sirzechs's question, Kazuki stopped in his tracks.
"...I'm not sure what language it's from, but when I first armed myself as Guyver, a phrase came to mind. It seems to mean... 'Outlier.'"
"'Outlier,' huh? That's a good way to put it."
Without responding further, Kazuki lifted Rias into his arms, spread his wings, and flew off into the night…
As soon as they returned to the room, Rias pushed Kazuki down onto the bed.
Which brings us to the present…
Suddenly, Rias murmured softly.
"My Onii-sama is right! Kazuki, of course, but even Yumi and Issei are growing stronger by the day. Compared to them, I..."
It seemed the Demon Lord's scolding had struck a nerve. Rias was more downcast than usual. She was surprisingly fragile when it came to setbacks. Born with exceptional talent, she had never truly faced failure until now.
Whether it was during the game against Riser or when Yumi mentioned leaving her peerage, Rias tended to crumble when faced with obstacles.
'I can't leave things like this, but I'm not good at talking so I wonder if I can encourage Rias?' He wasn't sure, but he decided to speak his mind.
"Hey, Rias. Have you ever done anything special to get stronger until now?"
"Special? Hmm... I learned how to handle magic from my mother and Grayfia, but I don't think I've done anything particularly special. Why do you ask?"
In other words, she had relied solely on her innate talent to get this far. In a way, that was impressive.
"Then you'll be fine. You can get even stronger, Rias."
When Kazuki stated this firmly, Rias widened her eyes and asked.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Do you think I'm strong?"
Kazuki turned the question back on her.
"Of course. Your mastery of the Fuwa Enmei-ryu martial arts, combined with the power of the Guyver... Even wounding my brother like that is something only a handful in the underworld could do."
"Thanks. Then do you think I got that power easily?"
"Well..."
'Good.' If she had said "yes," Kazuki wouldn't have known what to do.
"I don't like remembering it much, but my grandfather's training was brutal. For example—"
Kazuki recounted some of the harsh training sessions his grandfather had put him through for the Fuwa Enmei-ryu. The details were too gruesome to share in full, but as he spoke, Rias' face grew increasingly pale.
"Th-that's... That's some intense training."
"Yeah. It was hell..."
Just recalling it made Kazuki feel sick. He was reminded once again just how insane his grandfather was.
"Well, I'm not saying you have to go that far, but why not start with some training? If you want to change, you have to take the first step. Nothing will change if you don't move."
Rias pondered his words carefully, taking a moment to think.
"Yeah... You're right, Kazuki. Nothing will change if I don't take action... Okay! Kazuki, I'll show you I can change. So, watch me, okay?"
The weakness in her eyes from earlier was gone. Instead, they shone with the same bold, vibrant light that had drawn Kazuki to her in the first place.
"Yeah, I'll be watching."
Their faces naturally drew closer, and soon their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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