A/N: To support me, pls donate and subscribe
Patreon: patreon.com/UNLIMITEDPOWER1
______________________________________________
[POV - Lord Atticus Astaroth]
[Astaroth Castle - War Room - Night]
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
My fists hit the obsidian table with such force that cracks spread across the surface like black spider webs. The echo of the impact ricocheted off the stone walls, a hollow sound that perfectly matched the emptiness I felt in my chest.
"USELESS!" I roared, my voice reverberating through the castle's dark corridors. "COMPLETELY USELESS!"
The reports were scattered before me like cards from a lost game. Each word was a stab to my dignity, each sentence a reminder of my colossal failure.
The Hero Faction - six of the most legendary warriors in the world - had been defeated. Not just defeated, but humiliated. Crushed like insects under a child's boot.
TAP! TAP! TAP!
My fingers drummed nervously on the table as I reread the details for the tenth time. Six pairs of golden wings. Power that made dimensions collapse. Authority that reduced Indra - INDRA! - to an obedient dog.
"What kind of monster is this boy?" I murmured, feeling a chill run down my spine like a cold serpent.
WHOOSH!
A cold wind swept through the room when I realized the terrible truth: there was no one left to blame. No more pawns to sacrifice. If I wanted revenge for my son...
I would have to dirty my own hands.
GULP!
I swallowed hard, the metallic taste of fear filling my mouth. I, Lord Astaroth, one of the most ancient and powerful devils of the Underworld, was afraid of a high school student.
But Diodora... my son... he deserved justice.
SLAM!
I slammed my hand on the table, a decision crystallizing in my mind like ice forming on still water.
"If I can't send others to do the job," I declared to the empty air, "then I'll do it myself."
Because sometimes, to ensure something is done right, you have to do it with your own hands.
Even if those hands might be destroyed in the process.
[POV - Rias Gremory]
[Gremory Mansion - Living Room]
CLINK! CLINK!
The teacups clinked against their saucers as I told my parents and Sirzechs everything that had happened in Sainan. Each word that came out of my mouth seemed more absurd than the last.
"Six pairs of golden wings?" my father, Zeoticus, repeated for the third time, as if repeating could make the information make more sense.
"And he defeated the Hero Faction alone?" my mother, Venelana, added, her eyes wide with incredulity.
THUD!
Sirzechs let his cup fall harder than intended, the dark liquid spreading across the table like spilled ink.
"Rias," he said, his voice carrying a seriousness I rarely heard, "are you absolutely certain of what you saw?"
"Sirzechs-nii," I sighed, "I know how this sounds. But I was there. I saw everything."
TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK!
The pendulum clock in the corner of the room marked the seconds like a countdown to some inevitable fate.
"If a being with this kind of power exists..." my father murmured, running his hand through his red hair in a gesture I had inherited from him.
"Then we need to reevaluate everything," my mother completed.
RING! RING!
Sirzechs's magical communicator rang, interrupting our thoughts. He answered with a gesture, and Grayfia's worried face appeared in the holographic projection.
"Sirzechs-sama," she said, her voice tense, "there are strange movements in Astaroth territory. And we've received reports that..."
"That Lord Astaroth is mobilizing forces personally," Sirzechs completed, a somber expression crossing his face. "I already suspected as much."
My stomach did a somersault. The situation was escalating quickly.
"Rias," Sirzechs turned to me, and I knew that tone. It was the tone he used when he was about to give me an order I wouldn't like. "You need to return to Kuoh."
"What?!" I practically screamed, jumping up from the armchair. "But I've only been in Sainan for a month! I've barely started to..."
"Things could escalate quickly," he interrupted me, his voice firm but gentle. "If Astaroth decides to act personally, Sainan could become a battlefield. And you being there..."
"Could complicate things for this Yuuki Rito," my mother completed softly.
THUMP!
My heart sank like a stone thrown into a lake. They were right, of course. My presence there could be seen as official involvement from the Gremory Clan. It could force Rito to make decisions he didn't want to make.
"But..." I started to protest, then stopped. There was no "but." They were right.
"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. "I'll return to Kuoh."
Actually, there was a part of me that was curious. Curious to see how Issei had progressed. Curious to know if he had finally unlocked his Sacred Gear completely.
"Who knows," I thought, "maybe he's become strong enough to surprise me."
But even so, leaving Sainan - leaving Rito - felt wrong somehow. Like I was abandoning something important.
[POV - Riser Phenex]
[Phenex Mansion - Riser's Room - Night]
SHHHHHH...
The wine flowed down my throat like liquid lava, but not even the alcohol could warm the ice that had settled in my veins.
Vassago had returned. My familiar had fulfilled his mission and brought me a complete report of what happened at school.
And I wished he hadn't.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
My heart beat like an out-of-tune drum as I reread his words for the tenth time:
"...six pairs of golden wings..." "...power that made reality itself tremble..." "...Hero Faction defeated effortlessly..." "...absolute divine authority..."
GULP!
I swallowed hard, the wine having lost all flavor. Each line of the report was like a nail being hammered into the coffin of my matrimonial plans.
"If I make any move against him..." I murmured to the empty air, "it will be my end."
And I wasn't being dramatic. Normally, I would attack first and let my Phenex immortality handle the consequences. Burn until I turned to ash? No problem, I'd regenerate. Be torn apart? Fine, I'd reassemble myself.
But this... this was different.
CRACK!
The glass shattered in my trembling hand, crystal shards cutting my palm. Blood flowed, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the terror gnawing at my soul.
"An archangel," I whispered, remembering the golden wings. "If an archangel - no, if THAT archangel - attacks me, there will be no regeneration. No second chance."
It would be the end. Final. Definitive.
WHOOSH!
I stood up abruptly, walking to the window that overlooked the Phenex gardens. Outside, the eternal flames of our property danced cheerfully, indifferent to their heir's existential drama.
"Perhaps..." I thought aloud, "perhaps it's time to accept defeat."
The words came out like vinegar from my mouth. I, Riser Phenex, admitting defeat? It was almost unthinkable.
But sometimes, survival requires us to swallow our pride like bitter medicine.
RING! RING!
The communicator on my desk rang. It was my father.
"Riser," his voice sounded tired through the projection. "We've received troubling reports about Sainan. About this Yuuki Rito."
"I know, father," I replied, my voice calmer than I felt. "I'm already aware of the situation."
"Then you understand that the marriage to Rias Gremory..."
"Is canceled," I completed for him. "At least for now."
Silence from the other side. Then, a sigh of relief.
"You've grown, my son," he said finally. "Knowing when to retreat is a wisdom few Phenex possess."
CLICK!
The communication ended, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the bitter taste of reality.
THUD!
I let myself fall back into the armchair, looking at the ornate ceiling as if it could give me answers.
"Well, Rias," I murmured to the air, "looks like you're free. At least for now."
Because facing Yuuki Rito wasn't just suicide.
It was something worse than death.
It was complete annihilation.
And I, however arrogant I might be, wasn't stupid enough to accept that fate.
TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK...
The clock continued marking time, indifferent to destroyed plans and uncertain futures.
But at least I still had a future.
And that, at the moment, was more than enough.