Chapter 114 – So What If I Step on Your Face?
The sudden change in atmosphere made Rias Gremory glance over in confusion.
Asia Argento was part of her peerage now, but the girl had once been a nun of the Church.
So how could she possibly know Diodora Astaroth—the next head of the Astaroth Clan?
"Don't you remember me?" Diodora's tone was calm, his lips curling into a composed smile. "Back then… you were the one who saved me, my dear nun."
As he spoke, he loosened the top of his formal robes, revealing a deep, ugly scar across his chest.
Asia's pupils shrank.
She remembered him.
The devil she'd healed years ago—the very act that had branded her as a "fallen" by the Church and led to her exile.
Even though the truth was cruel, Asia had never held hatred toward Diodora. Her gentle heart didn't work that way. She had always blamed herself, believing her faith had been too weak.
Even after learning that Heaven's system had collapsed following God's death in the Great War, she still took the blame upon herself.
"So… it was you…"
"I'm glad… You finally remember me, Asia. I—"
Before he could finish, a fist smashed into his face.
The blow sent Diodora flying across the hall, crashing hard into the far wall.
It was Akira's punch.
"Akira-san…?"
Asia looked at him in shock, almost unable to process what she'd just seen.
The commotion quickly drew eyes from around the room, though it didn't plunge the banquet into chaos.
Among young devils, brawls like this weren't rare. Heated words turning into physical blows—even if it meant breaking walls—wasn't unheard of at such gatherings.
"Oi, Shin Akira. What are you doing?" Rias's voice carried a serious edge.
Diodora Astaroth was a future head of one of the Seventy-Two Pillars. His status was equal to Rias's own, and attacking him here wasn't something to take lightly.
Nearby, Sona Sitri, who had witnessed everything, rose from her seat and began walking over.
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Diodora's voice was low and dangerous, his glare sharp enough to cut.
Of course, he knew who Akira was.
The man who had stolen what was rightfully his.
He had planned everything—faking an injury so Asia would heal him, manipulating her until she was branded as "fallen" and cast out by the Church.
His intention had been to swoop in as her "savior," break her spirit, and turn the pure-hearted nun into nothing more than his possession.
Raiser Phenex had moved first, but Diodora hadn't cared much.
That was, until he came to Kuoh and learned Raiser had been utterly crushed… and Asia was already in Akira's hands.
Because of Rias and Sona's presence in Kuoh, he hadn't dared to act openly. But his grudge against Akira had burned ever since.
And now, with Asia standing right here, every twisted obsession resurfaced.
"Who am I?" Akira's tone was ice-cold as he walked toward him. "Just a passerby."
Diodora clenched his teeth.
As a member of the Khaos Brigade, he knew exactly who Akira really was—not only the Red Dragon Emperor, but a human who had reached the level of a Maou.
A man who wielded not only a Longinus-class Sacred Gear, but also a Divine Construct in the form of mysterious chains with an unknown origin.
Akira's power was beyond comprehension.
Even Katerea Leviathan—descendant of the previous Leviathan and host to Ophis's serpent—had fallen to his hands.
"I'm merely an old friend of Asia's. But I don't understand why you suddenly attacked me, Lord Shin Akira."
"My reason?" Akira stopped a few steps away. "Because Asia is mine. And anyone who tries to touch what's mine… I'll destroy."
"Asia isn't a thing! I won't let you call her that!"
"Hmph. If Rias is my fiancée, then everything she owns is mine. Asia is part of her peerage, so that makes her mine as well."
That statement sent ripples through the room.
Most of the devil women present looked disgusted. As women, they loathed the idea of being treated as possessions.
But many pure-blood nobles nodded in approval.
In the world of the Seventy-Two Pillars, a reincarnated devil was the absolute property of their King. And since Akira was Rias Gremory's official fiancé, Asia was indeed under him in the peerage hierarchy.
"You bastard—!"
Diodora growled.
Before he could move, Akira's foot sank into his gut, folding him over and sending him stumbling back.
"No need for words," Akira said flatly. "If you want what's mine, I'll end you."
Even those who sympathized with Diodora didn't dare step in.
By both moral and structural law, Akira's actions were legitimate.
"Are you trying to start a war between the Astaroth and Gremory Family?" Diodora spat between gasps.
Akira only smirked.
"That's funny. You're just a candidate, not the head yet. When you actually become the head, come back and say that to me."
Another brutal kick slammed into his stomach.
Diodora gagged, bile rising in his throat, the searing pain rattling his insides.
The sheer dominance of the scene lit a strange fire in the eyes of the young devils watching.
In the Underworld, strength was everything. When Akira had humiliated Raiser Phenex, his name had spread like wildfire.
Now, seeing him step on Diodora Astaroth—an influential noble heir—cemented his image as a monster.
Akira pressed his foot down on Diodora's face, grinding him into the floor.
It was total humiliation.
Not just to the man, but to the entire pride of the Astaroth Family. Their name had been trampled before the eyes of every guest.
"So… show me. How strong is the great heir of the Astaroth Family? Don't tell me you're just a useless weakling. That'd be boring."
"I'll kill you… I'll kill you…!!" Diodora's voice cracked, his breathing ragged, eyes burning with hatred.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Akira apart with his bare hands.
But deep down, reason still whispered.
If he truly lost control and unleashed Ophis's serpent here—while the Maou were upstairs in this very building—it would be the end.
And he knew… he wouldn't walk away alive.
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