Sirzechs truly seemed like an older brother visiting his sister or a neighbor dropping by for a chat. Not only did he carry himself without a hint of pretension, but he also immediately struck up a conversation with everyone.
He didn't start with official business, nor did he directly inquire about yesterday's events. Instead, he first asked Rias and the others how they were faring in the Human Realm, whether they were happy at school, and if they had encountered any difficulties in their lives. He truly didn't seem like a Great Satan; he seemed more like a fretful parent.
Of course, he had not forgotten that the servants of his sister and her childhood friend were waiting for life-saving treatment.
"We have brought the Phoenix Tears for you."
The moment Sirzechs spoke, the silver-haired maid who had been silently following him stepped forward.
"Young Mistress, Lady Sona, these are the Phoenix Tears."
The silver-haired maid produced a small box and opened it, revealing two small vials lying inside.
Leon felt it almost instantly; those two small vials were brimming with life fluctuations, flowing with incredible vitality.
"Are these the Phoenix Tears?"
This was Leon's first time seeing this renowned holy medicine of healing, and he couldn't help but take a few extra looks.
Rias and Sona Sitri were different; the two of them looked as if they had seen Phoenix Tears long ago, and they stepped up to the silver-haired maid.
"Thank you, Grayfia."
"I am grateful for your trouble, Lady Grayfia."
Rias nodded to the silver-haired maid, while Sona adopted a more respectful attitude.
This was only natural; this was no ordinary maid.
Her name was Grayfia Lucifuge. She was both Sirzechs's "Queen" and his wife; in other words, she was Rias's sister-in-law.
She hailed from the House of Lucifuge, a family that had once served the Old Satan Lucifer. Hundreds of years ago, she had been a member of the Old Satan Faction and an enemy of the Reformers. Eventually, she fell in love with the Reformer hero, Sirzechs Gremory, on the battlefield. After overcoming numerous trials, they were united. Today, she was the strongest "Queen" in the Underworld, known as the "Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation."
In his current state, Leon could faintly sense the staggering fluctuations of magical power within her.
That was a level of power that could surpass the Satan-class, rivaling—or perhaps even exceeding—the power fluctuations of the "Heavenly Demon Karma Dragon" Tiamat that Leon had once seen in the Familiar Forest!
In other words, this silver-haired woman dressed as a maid was very likely an existence of the Super Devil-class!
Leon wasn't surprised by this. After all, Grayfia was hailed as the one who could contend with the current Satan Leviathan, Serafall Leviathan, for the title of the strongest female devil. If not for her complicated background, one of the current Satan positions might have belonged to her.
Miyamoto Musashi had also once said that the two women she admired most were her current master, Serafall Leviathan, and Grayfia Lucifuge.
She had even challenged both of them, especially Grayfia, whom she reportedly challenged more than once.
As for the results—
"I got thrashed pretty badly, hahaha."
At the time, Miyamoto Musashi had scratched her head and said those words with a silly grin, leaving Leon and the others speechless.
From this, it was evident just how strong this silver-haired maid was.
It was said that even now, the current Satan Leviathan still regarded her as a formidable rival.
At this moment, facing one of the strongest female devils in the Underworld, Leon had only one thought.
Mhm, confirmed by her gaze—this is someone I cannot afford to provoke.
Leon was very certain of this, so he stopped looking at her.
Once Rias and Sona obtained the Phoenix Tears, they immediately seemed impatient to use them on their servants.
However, with a Great Satan present, they couldn't just walk away. Thus, they handed the Phoenix Tears to their "Queens," letting them go ahead to treat Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura.
Sirzechs also asked Grayfia to follow them and see if any assistance was needed.
The scene was suddenly left with only the three "Kings" of the new generation and Sirzechs, the Great Satan.
"I have already read your reports, but I would still like to hear the details from you."
Sirzechs finally turned serious and began to mention official business.
"Could I trouble you to report once more in person?"
It was clear that Sirzechs placed great importance on this matter, or rather, the matter concerning the Old Satan Faction.
"Then I shall be the one to report."
Sona Sitri pushed up her glasses, stepped forward, and began to recount yesterday's encounter to Sirzechs.
She indeed spoke in much greater detail than what was written in the report. Especially the words spoken by Luffy; she recounted almost every sentence, fearing there might be hidden clues she had overlooked.
Rias occasionally added a few points and shared some information gathered from her servants with Sirzechs.
Sirzechs listened very intently throughout, asking a few questions from time to time without interrupting the flow of the narration.
As for Leon, he admitted he wasn't as meticulous as the two girls, especially with Sona present, so he didn't interject at all, letting the two of them communicate with Sirzechs.
However, Sirzechs had no intention of ignoring him. After finishing with Rias and Sona's report, he pondered for a moment and suddenly turned to Leon, asking a question.
"May I call you Leon?"
Sirzechs asked with a kind attitude, causing Leon to start slightly.
"Of course. You may address me simply as Leon."
Leon replied quickly, causing Sirzechs to smile.
"Then, Leon, do you feel there was anything particularly noteworthy about this attack by the Old Satan Faction?" Sirzechs inquired. "Or rather, did you discover anything?"
"Anything at all. Just say whatever is on your mind."
Sirzechs encouraged Leon, causing Leon's brow to twitch.
After a moment of thought, Leon decided to reveal a little.
"If we're talking about the most concerning aspect, it is undoubtedly the thing that idiot from the House of Trix swallowed," Leon said. "That thing was clearly not simple. It allowed a fellow who was originally only at the Eight-Winged level to break through his limits and possess power comparable to a Ten-Winged Ultimate-class devil. I have never seen such an exaggerated enhancement through any means, except for Longinus."
As mentioned before, the one known as the Red Dragon Emperor—one of the future Two Heavenly Dragons—could double his own power every ten seconds using the Red Dragon Emperor's power when he was still a Low-class devil. After accumulating doubled power for two minutes, his power reached 8,190 times. Yet even this nearly ten-thousand-fold increase only allowed him to release a single strike comparable to the High-class level, proving that a gap of two ranks is an absolute chasm.
Under such circumstances, even a gap of a single rank would mean a power difference of dozens or hundreds of times, making so-called "rank-skipping" challenges extremely difficult.
Longinus could achieve this, which is why they were considered balance-breaking powers.
But if a means other than Longinus could achieve this, it had to be taken seriously.
"I would like to ask, Lord Sirzechs, to your knowledge, what kind of enhancement methods exist that are capable of overturning rank differences?"
Leon hinted silently, leaving Sirzechs in deep thought.
"It's not as if there are none—"
As if thinking of something, a shadow flickered in Sirzechs's eyes, but he quickly recovered.
"It's just that the methods I know of are vastly different from the thing Luffy Trix used as you described. It's difficult to draw a parallel."
Hearing Sirzechs say this, Leon knew that Sirzechs likely hadn't imagined that person, or rather—he didn't dare to imagine it.
In that case—
"I can tell you that the small vial Luffy Trix took out contained a gaseous, small black snake."
Leon looked directly into Sirzechs's eyes and spoke word for word.
"A black snake with its tail in its mouth—the 'Ouroboros'."
The moment those words were spoken, Sirzechs's expression changed instantly.
Not just Sirzechs, even Rias and Sona's expressions shifted uncontrollably.
"Ouroboros?"
"That... isn't that—?"
Both of them associated the name with something, and their faces paled significantly.
"Calm down!"
Sirzechs's originally gentle voice took on a hint of sternness and an imperceptible power, allowing Rias and Sona to regain their composure quickly.
Sirzechs's face flickered between shadow and light as he fell into silence, his thoughts unknown, causing the air in the Occult Research Club to grow somewhat heavy.
After a moment, he let out a soft breath and regained his original demeanor.
"Thank you for your help, Leon."
Sirzechs thanked Leon, earning a shake of the head in return.
"I am glad to be of assistance to you."
Leon knew that Sirzechs had certainly realized something and sensed what kind of existence stood behind this.
Leon didn't dare reveal too much because those were the secrets among secrets. Even the Three Great Powers were currently unaware; only the Governor of the Fallen Angels had sensed something amiss and was conducting an investigation in secret. Everyone else was still being kept in the dark.
If he casually spoke of secrets that even the Three Great Powers hadn't detected, it would only make people wonder if he himself was problematic.
Therefore, Leon couldn't speak too plainly; he could only point out the most critical link to Sirzechs.
Ouroboros—mentioning this symbol was enough. After all, in the entire world, there was only one existence who could be granted this symbol.
"I will immediately inform the high-ranking members of the Underworld and call for a collective discussion on this matter," Sirzechs said, looking around at everyone. "In the meantime, you must be doubly careful to avoid being targeted by those with ulterior motives and getting caught up in danger."
"Yes."
Rias and Sona both nodded obediently in response.
"Would you mind walking with me for a bit?"
Sirzechs turned to Leon again and extended an invitation.
As if he had expected this, Leon accepted readily.
"It is my honor."
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