In the Phenex family residence, five members of the household sat together in a formal chamber: Lord and Lady Phenex, their three sons, Ruval (the eldest), Reid (the second), and Riser (the third) and their daughter, Ravel. Each possessed the family's signature blonde hair and striking beauty.
[AN: Riser's second older brother is not named in the source material, so "Reid Phenex" is a fan-created name for this story.]
Lord Phenex looked furious.
Everyone except Lady Phenex seemed confused by the sudden summons, though she too was angry, her expression a carefully maintained mask of calm.
"Father, is everything all right? You called all of us here so urgently," Ruval asked.
"No, it is not. This concerns Riser's engagement agreement," Lord Phenex said, his voice tight with anger. "Just as I was preparing to push the engagement forward, the Gremorys made their move."
"What about it? Did the Gremorys break the engagement?" Reid asked, considering the worst-case scenario.
Lord Phenex's demonic energy flared. "They have mocked us. It is an insult to the Phenex name to suggest that a human is a suitable match for one of my sons."
Everyone except Lady Phenex stared in shock.
"The Gremorys have always been eccentric, but to go this far simply because their daughter asked… and she chose a human," Lady Phenex said coldly, her composure barely containing her fury. "Their reasoning is even more absurd: they claim he wields an unrecorded Longinus, a so-called 14th. It sounds like a bedtime story. Even their eldest son supports the match. To me, this reeks of desperation."
An unrecorded Longinus?
The others were stunned. A new Longinus user appearing was unheard of in recent memory.
"Sirzechs is supporting the human?" Reid muttered, unable to believe that one of the Demon Lords would back a human with a Longinus.
But that very support implied something significant. If Sirzechs was involved, this was no bluff.
"Mother, Father, I believe this is more concerning than insulting," Ruval said thoughtfully. "If Sirzechs is backing the human, he isn't joking. The Gremorys wouldn't risk their reputation on a lie. If a 14th Longinus has truly appeared, we are walking into unknown territory."
"But doesn't the unknown work in our favor from a publicity standpoint?" Reid countered, thinking like the media owner he was. "Father, they agreed to a public match, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then this is excellent promotion for our family. We can frame it as The Secret God-Slayer vs. The Immortal Phoenix. If we handle the narrative correctly, we could dominate the Underworld's broadcast ratings. Riser's fame and our family's would soar," Reid explained in detail.
"Let him come," Riser said, confidence radiating from him. "I will win and show everyone that a Phoenix burns even a so-called god-slayer. I'll burn the Longinus right out of him. This will be a public execution."
"Onii-sama," Ravel interjected softly, raising a practical point, "if the Gremorys are so confident in him, perhaps we should try to meet him first. We need to see if his Longinus has any counter to fire."
"That's a good point, Ravel," Lord Phenex said, his anger cooling into strategic focus. "Reid, gather all available information on this human. Arrange an interview before the match, make it as high-profile as possible. If the Gremorys lose this, it will be a humiliation that repays their insult in full."
. . . .
April 19th,
Five days left before the match.
A girl with blonde hair, dressed in a nun's habit, stepped out of the airplane. She carried a small travel bag as she walked through the terminal, murmuring to herself in Italian.
This was Asia Argento, the exiled nun.
"Where is Kuoh Town?" she wondered aloud, looking around uncertainly.
As she made her way through the airport, a man in a black suit approached her.
"You are the exiled nun, correct?" he said in flawless Italian.
"Y-yes, I am," Asia replied, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"Please come with us. We are associates of the Fallen Angels."
Asia nodded hesitantly and followed them.
They escorted her quickly from the airport and drove her away from the area. Moments after they departed, two stray exorcists arrived, searching for Asia, but they were too late.
Inside the car, Asia waited silently as they traveled toward Kuoh. Exhausted from the long flight, she soon fell asleep. Several hours later, the car came to a stop.
"We have arrived," one of the men announced.
Asia woke up and stepped out of the vehicle. Instead of a church, she found herself standing in front of a corporate building. Realizing this wasn't her destination, she tried to run, but one of the men gently stopped her and gestured toward the entrance.
"Please head inside the building," he said firmly.
Trembling with fear, Asia entered. She had never experienced anything like this before.
She climbed the stairs to the third floor, where the men guided her into a room. Inside, Mizuho was waiting, seated calmly behind a desk.
"Take a seat," Mizuho said in clear Italian.
Asia sat down in the chair across from the desk. The men in suits exited the room after a subtle nod from Mizuho.
"Ask whatever you wish," Mizuho offered.
"Umm… who are you?" Asia asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"Mizuho," she replied. "And your name?"
"Asia Argento. Why… why have you brought me here?"
"To keep you safe. The Fallen Angels you sought protection from plan to extract your Sacred Gear from you," Mizuho stated plainly.
Asia paled. "Is that true?"
"Yes. They intend to use your Sacred Gear for their own purposes. My lord sent me to assist you. For now, stay with me until the stray exorcists cease their pursuit."
Asia was wary, but with nowhere else to go, she decided to remain.
Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Judai watched as Endymion casually manipulated Touki, his body enveloped in a steady white aura as though he had been using it for years.
"How?" Judai asked, baffled by how quickly his master had adapted. "When I use it, my life energy drains slowly from my body."
"That is because your body has grown accustomed to magic power. When you activate Touki, you are unintentionally blending it with your magic energy," Endymion explained.
"So what do I need to do?" Judai asked.
"Focus. Separate the energies in your mind life force and magic are distinct streams. Practice until you can draw upon Touki alone, without letting your magic interfere."