Upon hearing the word "playboy," the devils of the Phoenix family immediately looked displeased. However, since the other party was a Maou, they had no choice but to hold their tongue and give her some respect.
Yet once they realized Serafall was on their side, their mood improved considerably.
They had initially feared that the Lucifer Maou might change the rules at the last minute due to familial ties, but now it seemed that wouldn't happen.
At that moment, the glow of a magic circle lit up the spectator room once again.
This puzzled everyone. The Maou had already taken a seat—who would still use a teleportation array at this point? How rude could they be?
But when a silver-haired woman stepped out, all onlookers quietly turned away.
It was the "Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation," famed for her impartiality.
Grayfia Lucifuge.
During the civil war, she had once been loyal to the Old Maou faction. However, after her childhood friend Serafall persuaded her—and once the Old Maou resorted to forbidden weaponry, harming innocent citizens, while the Old Lucifer's descendant Rizevim vanished—Grayfia decisively joined the reformist side. Together with the current Four Maou, she quickly ended the war.
At the time, her abilities would easily have qualified her to become a Maou herself.
Yet, citing her family's centuries-long tradition of serving the Maou, Grayfia declined everyone's recommendation. Instead, she became the Underworld's sole Regent, a position equivalent to a prime minister in ancient China.
"Oh? Grayfia, you came too?"
When Serafall saw her friend, her face lit up with delight, and she quickly invited her to sit.
"Lord Leviathan," Grayfia said, "I'm merely here to take a look. After all, I have a bit of interest in the current Red Dragon Emperor."
She sat in a slightly lower seat. Her statement left everyone momentarily stunned.
The Red Dragon Emperor?
One of the Two Heavenly Dragons that even the God of the Bible found troublesome?
Did that mean the new host had already been found?!
"Grayfia's so serious," Serafall murmured, "but I find that quite cute."
Then she continued, "Although that kid has decent potential, he only just got his hands on the Red Dragon Emperor's power. It's only been a few days—there's no way he can tap into much of its strength yet."
Hearing this, the devils of the Phoenix family breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, it was a legendary god-slaying Sacred Gear, but before it awakened, it was no different from a regular Sacred Gear. Theoretically, god-slaying Sacred Gears can unleash the full might of the soul sealed within, but that's only theoretical. After a few mere days, whatever boost it could provide would be negligible.
"That's why I'm simply here to observe," Grayfia said quietly, saying no more once she took her seat, as the match had already begun.
Meanwhile, in another room—specifically, the Occult Research Club in the human world—Rias, Sona Sitri, and their groups were watching both sides' progress through a magical display.
All of them felt some measure of worry. But since the Maou were personally present at the scene, there was nothing they could do.
"Riser isn't stupid," Sona analyzed. "He'll distribute his peerage members along the route to both headquarters. First, he'll use his soldiers and the castle to wear them down. His knights will hide in the dark to harass with their speed, while his bishop provides support. And let's not forget Riser's queen—'the Bomb Queen'—who's a real headache; she can launch aerial attacks with astonishing destructive power."
"Of course, the biggest threat is Riser himself. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll definitely bring along Phoenix Tears to guarantee victory."
"In that case," Tsubaki Shinra asked, "wouldn't that make Hikaru's chances of winning rather slim?"
She clearly didn't want Hikaru to lose; she had a bit of a soft spot for him.
"It's not as though he has no chance," Sona said, adjusting her glasses. "Hikaru can use the power of light. If he can get in close, it might counteract Riser's regenerative ability. As long as he can finish Riser off within a short window, he still has a shot."
"Wait, Hikaru can use the power of light?" Rias and her group were astonished to hear this.
It was one thing to wield magic, but light-based power, too?
Then again, Hikaru was human. Humans may not start off as strong as devils or angels, but they excel in adaptability. A long time ago, a great mage had analyzed demonic power so humans could also use magic, so it wasn't entirely impossible for a human to harness the power of light. Still, using both light and magic simultaneously was intriguing. Wouldn't they repel each other?
And more importantly, how did Sona Sitri know so much about Hikaru?
"He helped me with a problem before—the Kishimojin case. You can look it up," Sona said.
"So he helped you with a request," Rias murmured, a complicated expression on her face, feeling as though something precious had been taken from her.
Meanwhile, Hikaru finally confronted Riser's peerage.
"Um… Handsome guy, I really don't want to fight you," one of the girls said earnestly. "Would you just surrender? We'll let you go."
~~~
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