The summons had come without warning.
Rias Gremory and Sona Shitori—heirs of two great houses—had both been ordered to report to the Maou Headquarters in Lilith. No reason was given, only that Serafall Leviathan herself had demanded their presence.
The two heiresses exchanged glances as their peerages followed close behind. It wasn't often that they were summoned at the same time, and rarer still by Serafall personally. Rias adjusted her crimson hair with practiced grace, though her eyes betrayed unease. Sona's glasses glinted faintly in the rune-lit corridors, her face unreadable.
"Strange," Rias muttered. "My brother didn't mention anything. Did Serafall-sama speak to you, why are we called Sona?"
"No," Sona replied simply, her voice cool. "My sister does not usually summon me without context."
Behind them, their peerages whispered quietly. Akeno's violet eyes sparkled with curiosity as she leaned close to her King. "Ara~ this feels rather serious, doesn't it, Rias? Being summoned by a Maou, together, without reason… how mysterious."
Kiba walked calmly, though his knightly posture was tense. "Perhaps it concerns the Rating Games," he offered.
Koneko said nothing, her golden eyes flickering with subtle wariness. Gasper fidgeted nervously, as though the very walls of the Underworld headquarters pressed in on him.
At last, they reached the obsidian doors to Serafall's office. The runes carved across their surface glowed faintly as they opened, spilling light into the grand chamber.
Rias and Sona stepped inside together—and froze.
The office of Leviathan was, as ever, an absurd contradiction. Black stone pillars rose like spires, the vaulted ceiling shimmered with enchantments, and enchanted glass looked out over the sprawling city of Lilith. Power pulsed faintly in every wall, every floor tile, a reminder that this was the heart of Underworld governance.
And yet… plush toys sat stacked against the far corner. Bright posters of magical girls plastered the walls in blatant defiance of gothic dignity. A rainbow carpet sprawled proudly across the floor, and Serafall herself sat atop her desk, wand twirling, legs swinging like a child awaiting guests at a tea party.
"Rias-chan! So-tan! Welcome welcome~ to Levi-tan's sparkly office ☆!" Serafall sang, throwing both arms wide.
Both heiresses exhaled almost in unison.
But it wasn't Serafall that held their gaze.
Two figures stood within the chamber.
The first was a young woman, pink-haired, her presence radiant like the first bloom of spring. She sat with elegant ease on the guest couch, posture refined yet relaxed, a faint smile on her lips. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a child admiring a new toy, yet there was an odd depth behind them, as though she were quietly weighing everything she saw.
"Hi~" she said, lifting her hand in a playful wave. "It's nice to meet you all. So many new faces—each one so lovely in their own way." Her gaze lingered on Akeno for a moment, then Rias, before she giggled softly, covering her lips.
Rias blinked, caught off guard. She hadn't expected such a casual, almost bubbly greeting in a Maou's office.
And then there was the second figure.
Tall. Towering. A full two meters, his frame carved with broad shoulders and lean muscle that radiated restrained power. He stood with arms folded, draped in a long coat black as midnight, the crimson lining flickering like embers whenever the fabric shifted. His boots struck the ground with quiet authority, every movement controlled.
But it was the mask that drew their eyes. A full face mask, smooth and expressionless, hiding every trace of his features. The anonymity only heightened his presence—mysterious, commanding, impossible to read.
The room itself seemed to bend subtly toward him, as if acknowledging the weight he carried.
Kiba stiffened. Akeno's smile faltered. Koneko's small body tensed, her gaze sharp. Even Rias felt her throat tighten before she forced her pride to steady her.
Who is he…?
Sona adjusted her glasses, eyes narrowing slightly.
Serafall hopped off her desk with a sparkle of her wand. "Everyone, meet my special guests! Jay-chan and Ely-chan!"
"Jay… chan?" Rias repeated slowly, her pride bristling at the overly casual introduction.
The masked man tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "That works." His voice was deep yet oddly smooth, carrying the kind of ease that could slip from playful to dangerous without warning.
Elysia beamed, hands clasped together. "Jay-kun's a little mysterious, but don't let the mask fool you. He's very interesting once you get to know him~."
Jay gave a faint chuckle. "That makes it sound worse."
The sound drew every gaze tighter. The sheer confidence behind it felt… deliberate.
Rias stepped forward, crossing her arms. "Serafall-sama. Why exactly have you summoned both our peerages here… and with strangers no less?"
Sona nodded, voice even. "We would appreciate clarification."
Serafall twirled her wand and leaned forward with a sparkle in her eyes. "So-tan, Rias-chan~ I have a super-duper idea ☆! Since Jay-chan and Ely-chan dropped in, why don't we let them whip you and your peerages into shape? It'll be like a sparkly magical boot camp!"
Both heiresses froze.
"Training… us?" Rias repeated slowly, pride bristling.
Sona's gaze sharpened. "Sister, this is highly irregular. You want us to be… taught by strangers?"
"Not strangers~ friends!" Serafall sang. Then she spun toward Jay, stars practically popping in her eyes. "Jay-chan, show them a little something, okay? Just so they take you seriously ☆!"
Jay tilted his head, the crimson lining of his coat fluttering as he spread his arms lazily. "If you insist…" His tone was light, playful—yet what followed was anything but.
The shift came like the snap of a finger.
One heartbeat, Jay leaned casually with hands in his pockets. The next, the world screamed.
A pulse of aura exploded outward. Not power as they understood it—this was something older, deeper, crushing. The foundations of Maou HQ groaned, runes flared desperately along the walls, and cracks spiderwebbed across the obsidian floor. Beyond the glass, Lilith itself trembled. Streets filled with devils suddenly dropped to their knees, choking, staring at the sky as if gravity itself had betrayed them.
The entire Underworld bowed without knowing why.
Inside the chamber, it was worse.
Every single peerage member collapsed. Their knees hit stone, their palms clawed at cracks, their bodies betrayed them. They weren't just being pressed down—they were being judged.
And Jay hadn't even moved.
His laughter was soft, casual, utterly cruel. "Mm. That's better. Now you look like what you really are."
He took one slow step forward. The weight doubled. Cries and gasps filled the chamber.
"Good. None of you passed out. That means you're not completely hopeless." His voice carried effortlessly, smooth, mocking, like silk laced with knives.
Rias' pride blazed hot, her voice hoarse. "Y-you… dare—"
Jay tilted his head, playful. "Of course I dare. That's why Serafall dragged me here." He crouched slightly, just enough to look directly at her, mask reflecting her trembling eyes.
His mask tilted toward Rias first. "Let's start with our little princess."
"You're the King here, aren't you? Let's start with you, Rias Gremory."
Her name on his lips felt like a curse. Rias' eyes snapped up, fury smoldering even as her body trembled against the weight.
"Born into comfort. Bathed in privilege. Born to the Gremory name. Sister of Sirzechs, the Crimson Satan himself. The whole world bends around you, and you think that makes you strong. But deep down, you know the truth, don't you?" His voice sharpened, cutting through the chamber. "You wave your bloodline like a shield, expecting the world to bend because of your name. But tell me…"
He leaned closer, words dropping to a mocking whisper that still echoed in every corner of the room.
"…what have you earned on your own? You've earned nothing. Everything you are is borrowed from your brother's star. A pampered child, playing King with borrowed toys. Do you even know what it means to stand without your brother's shadow? Without your family's indulgence?"
Rias' nails tore the stone beneath her fingers, humiliation burning her cheeks red. Rias' breath hitched.
"You call yourself King, but you hide behind your servants. You talk of pride, but you've never truly been tested. You think love and loyalty are enough? Cute. Try throwing love at someone who wants you dead."
Her hands trembled against the floor.
Jay straightened, chuckling. "Your brother dotes on you, protects you, shields you from consequence. You're pampered, spoiled, soft. A little princess playing at being a King."
Rias' heart thundered in her chest, humiliated fury burning her ears red. How dare he—
Jay raised a hand lightly, silencing her thought with another pulse of aura. "Don't glare at me, Rias. The truth stings, doesn't it? Deep down, you know it. You're not Sirzechs' equal. You're just his shadow, clinging to his name."
Her nails dug bloody crescents into the cracked floor.
Jay chuckled, standing tall again. "A King who can't even stand. How pitiful."
Satisfied, Jay turned lazily toward the others. "And then there's you."
His masked face shifted toward Akeno. "The priestess of thunder. Smiling, always smiling. Electricity at your fingertips, but fear in your chest. You laugh because you're afraid of being seen. Afraid of rejection. Afraid that if they knew what you really are, they'd turn their backs."
Akeno's breath hitched. Her smile was gone, replaced by trembling lips and wide eyes.
Jay chuckled. "Tell me, how long do you plan to keep laughing to cover the tears?"
Jay pivoted, his gaze sliding toward Kiba. "Ah, the knight. The perfect gentleman. Steadfast, loyal, calm. Always standing tall."
Kiba braced himself, knuckles white on his sword.
Jay's tone sharpened, crueler. "But that's not a knight I see. That's a survivor."
Kiba froze.
"You carry their screams, don't you? The children who didn't make it. The friends who turned to ash while you crawled out alive. You wear perfection to bury guilt. You wield loyalty so no one sees how broken you really are."
Kiba's hands shook violently, his breath ragged.
Jay laughed softly. "Tell me, knight—when the mask finally cracks, will you still stand? Or will you fall with the rest of them?"
Kiba bowed his head, silent tears dripping to the floor.
Jay's mask shifted toward Koneko. The small neko's body was curled, her nails clawing into the stone, golden eyes wide.
"The quiet kitten," Jay murmured almost gently. "So still. So disciplined. But I can smell the chains around your neck."
Koneko gasped softly, throat tight.
"You hate yourself, don't you? You choke your instincts, bury your blood, strangle yourself every day. Why? Because of your sister? Because you're terrified you'll become like her?"
Her lips trembled.
Jay crouched, a mask looming above her. "Pathetic. You don't even know the truth. You built your hatred on lies. You bleed for a crime you don't even understand. You've imprisoned yourself in chains that don't exist."
Koneko's body shook violently, tears slipping down her cheeks as her composure finally broke.
Jay straightened, spreading his arms wide, laughter cruel. "A princess afraid of her own shadow. A priestess hiding behind a smile. A knight carrying corpses. A kitten chained by lies. And these are your chosen pieces, Rias?"
Rias' heart thundered, fury boiling over humiliation, but she couldn't rise.
"And you, strategist. The perfect little Queen of glass."
Sona adjusted her glasses, forcing composure even as sweat dripped from her chin.
"You build plans within plans, walls of logic, castles of strategy. But do you know what happens to glass when reality hits it?" He snapped his fingers. The sound cracked through the suffocating pressure. "It shatters."
Sona's peerage flinched as his gaze fell on them.
Jay's mask tilted toward Tsubaki, his voice soft, cruel.
"And you… the mirror."
Her eyes widened faintly.
"You reflect, you block, you return. Always disciplined. Always composed. But that's all you are—a reflection. Never the origin. Never the blade itself."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a mocking whisper.
"Mirrors are fragile, Tsubaki Shinra. All it takes is one crack… and they shatter."
Jay exhaled softly, aura rippling one last time. The stone cracked louder, the chamber itself quivering under the weight of his presence. Both peerages trembled, broken pride and wounds laid bare, tears streaking down more than one face.
And then—silence.
The aura vanished like smoke.
The room stank of sweat and cracked stone, breaths ragged, pride torn apart. Neither Rias nor Sona spoke; their lips pressed thin, faces pale, their pride shredded and scattered like glass on stone. Their peerages still knelt, trembling as if their bodies had forgotten how to rise.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Jay laughed lightly. A warm, almost teasing sound that felt like mockery.
"Mm. Not bad for a first meeting. You all collapsed faster than I expected, but hey… you're still breathing. That means you can improve." He tilted his head, mask glinting. "That is… if you want to."
Rias bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood, shame and rage twisting in her chest. Sona adjusted her glasses, forcing her hands to stop shaking, but her eyes stayed sharp, calculating through the pain.
"Jay-chan~!" Serafall finally burst in, though her voice lacked its usual bubbly cheer. She clapped her hands together, forcing her usual sparkle back. "You didn't have to go that far, you know ☆!"
Jay turned to her with a playful shrug. "You asked me to train them. Training starts with breaking. If they can't crawl through the dirt, they'll never stand tall."
Serafall pouted, puffing her cheeks like a sulking child. "So-tan's gonna glare at me forever if you traumatize her peerage like this~!"
Jay chuckled softly. "Trauma is a good teacher."
"Jay you're terrible~" Elysia chimed in sweetly, though her eyes glittered with something sharper. She leaned slightly forward, chin resting in her palm, her smile dazzling. "Everyone, you should cheer up. You all look so gloomy~. Think of this as… an exciting new beginning"
Her voice was light, but her tone carried a strange weight that made several of them shiver.
Jay clapped his hands once, drawing every eye back to him. "Listen carefully. I'll be staying in this world for one week. During that time, you'll train. Hard. No excuses. No pampering. You'll bleed, you'll break, and if you're lucky, you'll grow."
Rias finally found her voice, hoarse but defiant. "And what if we refuse?"
Jay tilted his head, chuckling. "Refuse? Then you can go back to being pampered little heirs playing at kings and queens, waiting for the day someone stronger decides your lives aren't worth sparing. It makes no difference to me."
His tone sharpened, playful edge dripping with venom. "But make no mistake—if you waste this chance, you won't survive what's coming."
The words hung heavy in the chamber.
Sona's eyes narrowed. "Coming…? What are you implying?"
Jay chuckled, almost sing-song. "Crises, disasters, Invaders… call it whatever you like. The future doesn't care if you're ready. It'll swallow you whole either way."
He paused, tilting his head. "And there's one more piece missing. Someone out there carrying a burden far too heavy for his back. I'll confront him soon. If he wants to cling to it, fine. If not…" Jay spread his arms lazily. "…I'll take it off his hands."
The room went still. None of them knew who he meant, but the certainty in his voice sent a chill crawling down their spines.
Jay's masked face turned back to Serafall. "Call your little Kings again tomorrow. I'll handle their schedules. For the next week, they belong to me."
Serafall blinked, then grinned nervously. "O-okay ☆! But if you break So-tan, I'll pout forever, you hear me?"
Jay chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't break her." His voice dipped low, playful yet dangerous. "I'll shatter her illusions instead."
Rias' fists clenched. Sona's jaw tightened. Neither spoke, their pride too raw to trust their voices.
"Oh… and Rias?"
Her head jerked up, eyes wide, cheeks still pale from humiliation.
Jay's tone dripped with mockery, yet every word was a command.
"Next time, bring all your pieces. Even the one you're so desperate to hide."
The words struck like knives. Rias froze, color draining from her face. The room stiffened—Akeno glanced at her sharply, Kiba's brows furrowed in confusion, even Sona tilted her head with suspicion. None of them knew what he meant… but Rias did.
Jay chuckled softly, satisfied with her silence. "A King who hides her own piece? How pitiful. Tomorrow, you bring him. Or don't bother showing up at all."
Rias' fists clenched, her pride screaming, but no words came. She couldn't.
Jay spread his arms lazily, turning away once more. "Rest up, little Kings. Tomorrow… your hell begins."
Elysia clapped her hands gently, her smile radiant as if nothing terrible had just happened. "Then it's settled! One week of fun, training, and maybe a little suffering. Doesn't that sound wonderful ☆?"
Her tone was cheerful, but the glint in her eyes was unmistakable.
He shifted his gaze to the side, toward the pink-haired woman sitting elegantly, hands folded, her smile radiant as always.
"Elysia."
She blinked, tilting her head slightly, that graceful playful lilt in her movements. "Hm~?"
"You're not training," Jay said simply, his tone very soft. "You need to rest. That's my instruction."
"Ehh~ but it looked fun~" Elysia sang softly, her lips curving. But even in that teasing tone, Jay noticed it. The smile didn't reach her eyes.
Jay chuckled, playful on the surface, though his chest tightened faintly. "It won't be fun. It'll be hell. And I don't intend to drag you into it." He tilted his head, mask gleaming. "So… take this chance. Breathe. Rest."
Elysia's eyes softened, her lashes fluttering as she tilted her head, studying him. "Fufu~ you're oddly protective, Jay-kun. We've only just met, haven't we? You're a strange one~"
Jay only laughed lightly, brushing it aside with a casual shrug. But behind the mask, his gaze lingered on her. Something about that smile—the way it faltered, almost imperceptibly—wouldn't leave his mind.
As the others slowly shuffled out of the ruined chamber, their pride shattered, Jay's eyes followed Elysia a moment longer.
Why?
Her smile.
It wasn't right.
He exhaled softly, hands in his pockets. "Tomorrow I'll break Rias and Sona… but tonight…"
His gaze slid toward the quiet guest chambers where Elysia had been shown to rest.
…Tonight, I need to know why you like this.