Inside the guest room, Ethan found himself enjoying conversation with Riser as it gradually moved away from the destruction in the garden and the unpleasant reason they had all ended up there. They spoke about far more ordinary things instead, and to Ethan's surprise, the Phoenix heir turned out to be considerably easier to talk to once he was no longer trying to maintain the dignity expected of a noble in front of an audience.
He was still proud, but there was a practical side to him that Ethan hadn't noticed before. He could laugh at himself, complain about the absurdity of politics, and even poke fun at the current situation. Ethan found himself answering in much the same way, and before long the conversation had become surprisingly relaxed.
It was clear Riser wasn't a bad person—at least from Ethan's point of view. He was much better than Issei Hyoudou, who only ever had a single thing on his mind.
The thought made the situation waiting ahead feel considerably worse.
A knock came at the door, and one of the attendants stepped inside.
"Riser-sama, the Rating Game is about to begin. The others are already preparing to move."
Riser glanced toward Ethan, then stood from his seat and adjusted his coat.
"Then I suppose that's my signal."
He offered Ethan a hand.
"It was good talking with you."
Ethan shook it.
"Same here."
Riser gave him a brief smile before heading toward the door. He paused there and looked back once.
"Once it's over, I'll send people over to your church to compensate."
Ethan's gaze settled on him.
"You can take your time."
Hearing this, Riser finally left the room.
The door closed behind him.
Ethan remained seated for a while, staring at the place where Riser had disappeared. The conversation had genuinely been enjoyable, which only made what was coming more uncomfortable.
Sooner or later, Riser was going to lose Rias.
Ethan knew how the Rating Game ended. No matter what happened today, Riser was going to walk into the arena expecting a victory—which he would probably get—but the result was not going to change. He was going to lose his fiancée on his wedding day.
He hated that he knew it.
Azazel, who had been sitting quietly in the background throughout the conversation, finally spoke.
"I feel like you've been worrying about him far more than you'd expect from someone you only met today."
Ethan glanced toward him.
"I just feel bad for him. Even if he wins today, he's going to meet his fiancée afterwards."
Azazel blinked.
Then he slowly smiled.
"Oh. I didn't know you could predict the future."
Ethan gave him a look.
"Knowing the future and predicting the future are two different things."
Azazel's smile widened slightly.
"That's a rather convenient distinction."
Ethan shrugged. "It's an important one. Predicting something means you think it might happen. Knowing means you already know how it's going to end."
Azazel studied him for a moment, clearly curious about the answer but not pressing the matter.
Ethan glanced toward the door.
"Anyway, I should probably leave too."
He stood from his seat and stretched his arms before heading toward the exit. The movement felt heavier than it should have, but Ethan ignored it. He had already pushed himself far beyond what his body could comfortably handle today, and there was no point worrying about it now.
Azazel stood as well and followed him toward the door.
As Ethan reached it, Azazel spoke again.
"And try not to pick another fight with a Demon King for the next few days."
Ethan looked back at him.
Azazel's expression remained casual, but his eyes were watching Ethan carefully.
"When you were fighting Sirzechs, your presence was considerably stronger than what I'd sensed from you before. Right now, however, you're actually weaker than the first time I met you."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
So Azazel had noticed.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Azazel continued. "I'm not saying you've lost the power you used against Sirzechs. I'm saying you're in no condition to use it again right now."
Ethan understood what he meant. The difference was temporary, and after some rest, he should return to his usual condition, perhaps with a little more strength than before. He simply wasn't interested in worrying about that right now.
"You don't have to worry about my condition. If anything, I can still go for a second round."
Azazel gave him a look that made it clear he wasn't entirely convinced.
"It's hard to trust your words when the last time you were climbing toward becoming an angel, and now you're talking about going for a second round."
Instead of replying, Ethan left the guest room. He had no reason to talk about his situation. He walked through the estate until he found a quiet place away from the others. His scooter was still there, exactly where he had left it earlier.
He stopped beside it and looked down at his hands. He closed his eyes and tried to transform.
Nothing happened.
He opened his eyes again.
"…Seriously?"
He took a breath and tried once more.
This time, the familiar sensation began to spread through him. Hellfire started to gather, but along with it came something he had never experienced before.
He could feel the connection.
Until now, Ethan had known that the Spirit of Vengeance was somehow connected to his power, but he had never actually been able to sense that connection himself. Now, faintly, he could feel it inside him.
For an instant, images flashed through his mind.
The black space.
The four pillars.
The chains surrounding Zarathos.
That enormous hand reaching toward him.
Then everything vanished.
Ethan opened his eyes and tried the transformation again.
This time, the Hellfire flames spread across his body as his human form changed, bones forming beneath the fire until the familiar Ghost Rider stood in its place. The transformation itself looked the same as it always had, but Ethan could still sense that faint connection beneath it.
He wasn't stronger at the moment. If anything, he felt weaker.
But now he could feel something that had always been there.
Ethan raised one hand.
Hellfire gathered around his palm.
The massive chain appeared in a burst of flames, its heavy links forming one after another before settling into his grasp.
He looked at it, gave the chain a short swing, then drove its end into the ground.
Hellfire spread along the links.
The space ahead of him distorted before tearing open into a blazing gateway. Beyond it lay the familiar darkness leading back to Earth.
Ethan turned toward his scooter, which had just arrived.
He climbed onto it and started the engine. With the chain still in his hand, he drove toward the blazing portal and passed through it without slowing down.
The gateway closed behind him.
A moment later, Ethan emerged on Earth, still riding the scooter. He accelerated down the road, leaving the Underworld behind him.
Authors note : now I need to think about what to write next before that writing would be pointless while sending him to another universe is the option but feels like them all of my books would be multiverse . Suggestions are welcome if I do not get them I would simply throw him in 7 deadly sin for five chapter then come back for the second season of dxd and why didn't I upload because after my birthday my health got a little down even now there is a problem and nobody is interested to taking me to a doctor. Why lighted manage to update daily because I didn't have some chapter previously but they were TBFW even those have run out while I did continue the writing but the speed is really slow.