School building ruins.
Two flame clusters morphed into human shapes—Riser and Ravel Phenex.
Revived via immortality, Riser waved his sister back and spoke slowly.
"Gotta say, I underestimated you."
"No wonder you charged in solo. You've got some skill."
"Just some?"
Roy aimed a finger at Riser.
"Boost!"
The second doubling kicked in, his aura surging as he unleashed demonic power.
A lightning beam shot from his fingertip, blasting Riser's head off.
But a second later, Riser's head reformed, hurling a fireball back.
"Exactly! Just some!"
"Time to witness the true power of House Phenex!"
Boom—!
Another lightning beam struck, piercing Riser mid-charge along with his flames.
"Take that!"
Fueled by immortality, Riser kept closing in.
To him, Roy was a squishy mage, weak in close quarters.
Get in range, and victory was his.
Boom—!
"Don't underestimate me, bastard!"
Flames roared around Riser as he endured pain, pulling off his seventh revival.
But as he regenerated, a hand clamped onto his face.
"Seems you got the wrong idea."
Roy, ignoring the flames, hoisted Riser by the head.
"I only used magic because it's faster for clearing trash."
The doubling hum rang again, Roy's aura swelling into a third boost.
"Since you want a brawl, let's play."
"See if you revive faster—or my fists hit harder."
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
"It's over."
Watching the one-sided beatdown on the screen, Sirzechs made his call.
Immortality was strong but not invincible.
Beyond specific counters, the simplest way to win was breaking the target's spirit.
Roy clearly knew this, lacing every strike with mental damage.
"At this rate, Riser's mind will hit its limit in a minute."
[Lord Riser Phenex has been eliminated. The winner of this game is Lady Rias Gremory.]
"Guess you overestimated him."
Nayuki spoke as Grayfia's announcement echoed.
"Didn't even need a minute—barely ten seconds."
"No, it's not Riser's fault."
A glint of awe flashed in Sirzechs's eyes.
His gaze had stayed glued to the screen, catching exactly what happened.
Roy had gauged Riser's breaking point and cranked the force, crushing him in one go.
Sounds simple, but the implications were staggering.
"Roy's got insane combat instincts and pinpoint control over his power."
Sirzechs's eyes flicked to Roy's arm. "Add the Boosted Gear Longinus, and his real strength might rival top-tier devils or even Devil Kings."
Nayuki raised an eyebrow. "Rare praise from you."
Sirzechs shook his head. "It's conservative."
He hadn't forgotten—Roy had only been a devil for a month.
At this growth rate, he'd likely hit Transcendent territory someday.
"Didn't see little Rias fight, which is a shame, but this trip wasn't a waste."
Standing, Sirzechs glanced at the witch. "Heard a new Fourth Primogenitor relic popped up. That true?"
Nayuki nodded. "Mediterranean side. Someone's already investigating."
"Keep an eye on it, then. I'll have the Heaven faction covered."
Sirzechs gave quick orders and left with the other devils.
Watching him go, Nayuki glanced at the screen, then vanished with a flicker.
Time to prep lessons.
Meanwhile, after crushing Riser and ending the Rating Game, Roy was teleported back to the Occult Research Club.
"Huh? That's it?"
Asia, also warped back, looked around, slow to process.
"Yup, done."
Roy checked his entry inventory.
Minus Ravel, who bailed mid-fight, he'd netted 15 new entries from the Rating Game.
Ten green, four blue, and one purple.
[Immortality (Purple): Consume stamina or energy to rapidly heal wounds short-term.]
Having felt it in action, Roy knew Immortality's strength.
Purple-tier, but in same-level fights, it was a game-changer.
Only downside? He was out of slots.
Stashing Immortality in the inventory, Roy saved it for a worthy foe.
"Roy, can we talk?"
Rias's voice cut in.
Roy closed his panel, following her out of the club to the old schoolhouse rooftop.
"Roy, I've got something to say."
"Funny, so do I."
"That's… quite the coincidence."
Rias flinched, a blush creeping up as if she'd guessed something.
"You first?"
"Nah, you go. Mine's a bombshell—you might not wanna talk after."
"Bombshell?"
Her blush deepened.
Taking deep breaths to quell her nerves, she got to business.
"About your confession, I think it's time I gave an answer."
"Yeah?"
"Personally, I'm not against it. You've helped me tons."
"But as a pure-blood devil and Gremory heir, I've got a lot to consider. So, one thing to clear up first."
"Roy, could you… accept marrying into the family?"
"Sure, why not?"
Roy answered instantly.
Why grind when you can coast on strength?
As a Devil King clan, the Gremorys held massive sway in the Underworld.
Their backing would make lying low or building a faction way easier.
"Great! I was worried you'd hate the idea."
Rias visibly relaxed. "Since you're cool with it, it's settled."
[You're All My Wings boosted. Current boosts: 3. Sources: Koneko Toujou, Sona Sitri, Rias Gremory.]
Finally, some movement.
Seeing the prompt, Roy got a rough sense of the "falling for you" standard.
At minimum, the girl had to want to marry and stay with him.
But then… what's up with Sona?
Staring at her name, Roy was stumped.
He hadn't even pursued her—how'd that happen?
"Roy, your turn."
Rias's voice snapped him out of it.
"You said you had something to tell me. Spill it."
"Oh, right. Almost forgot."
Roy refocused, meeting Rias's expectant gaze. He extended his right hand, then clenched it into a fist.
"Rias, spar with me."
One-month timer's up—time to farm entries.
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