With a snap of her fingers, several organic pods—just large enough to fit a single person—rose from the floor a short distance away.
"Can you guess what those are?" the rogue sorceress asked sweetly. "They're cloned Devils from the Phenex clan. We've been mass-producing them to harvest Phoenix Tears. Apparently, to create the purest form of the Tears, you need 'innocent tears'—ones devoid of emotion. So we hook up these unconscious clones to electrodes and force them to cry. We can extract as much as we want that way. Of course, since none of the originals were direct-line Phoenixes, most of the results were failures. Only the usable ones are sold on the market. But I want more—more Tears, more money. Which is why... ♡ I'm going to analyze your biological data, my dear~"
Her voice was disturbingly cheerful as she addressed Ravel, who remained silent, her head bowed, her face hidden.
"I won't let you do that!" Shirone growled, trying to break her restraints using the sheer brute strength granted by her [Rook] role.
But she was stopped before she could act.
"Oh, did I forget to mention? If you try to force those restraints off, they'll explode. I wouldn't mind collecting data from a nekomata or a vampire too, but since they're not Phoenixes, I'm perfectly fine with them dying. So I suggest you behave."
Shirone stopped resisting, but instead, she sharpened her claws and sliced her palm open. She, too, had a familiar contract with Ikki—not just Kuroka. After the demonic beast incident, neither Shirone nor Ravel wanted to be left behind, so they maintained their pacts with him. Had they ever considered ending the contract, Ikki would have undoubtedly insisted on renewing it, especially with Phoenix-related enemies lurking.
Just as Shirone prepared to summon him, Ravel suddenly chuckled.
"Fufufufu... So you really were making clones. Just as Ikki-sama suspected. I must say, it's impressive how quickly he saw through such petty villainy."
"Oh? Did you finally snap? Or are you just retreating into fantasy?"
"Neither, I assure you. As for these restraints, you said forcing them off is bad, right? Then we just need another way. Like this."
The sorceress looked puzzled—until a flash of flame burst behind Ravel. In an instant, her bound hands were brought forward, and in her grip was the magical rope that had supposedly held her.
"Here, you can have it back! And while you're at it, take this as well."
Ravel hurled the explosive rope, then thrust her right hand out, summoning a magic circle as flames engulfed her arm.
What followed was an inferno so intense it rivaled—even surpassed—her brother Riser Phoenix's flames, incinerating the rogue mages on the spot.
"Gasper-san! Transform into a bat and escape the restraints! Once you're free, undo the spell on Shirone! Izuna, protect Gasper while he does that! I'll handle reducing their numbers!"
With that, her left arm flared up, and a pressure-laden windstorm ripped through the area, hurling even shielded enemies away.
By the time Gasper had dispelled the restraints, Shirone successfully summoned Ikki.
=======
"...And that's pretty much how it went."
Right. I kind of get it. At the very least, I understand that seeing the Phoenix clones pissed Ravel off... but what's up with the sudden boost in combat power?
"Probably not just the clones. She was benched during the demonic beast incident, remember? Ravel really cares about her friends, so I bet being placed in the rear weighed on her more than she let on."
"I mean, sure, that explains her motivation. But that level of firepower? That's not normal."
"Uuuu... Ravel-san's scary now..."
Typical Gasper. But let's be real: if she's showing firepower on par with Riser—who's been training hard lately—that might actually put her above even Rias in some aspects.
The mages, meanwhile, finally realized what they were up against.
"Wait, no way! That little girl is using forbidden magic?!"
"My, so you've finally noticed. I was once told that my greatest strength came from the magical and spiritual power boosted by my [Bishop] piece. I believed that for a long time. But the true power of the Phenex family lies in our immortal regeneration."
She continued with fiery conviction.
"Until recently, I thought that power was only useful for defense. But after seeing Ikki-sama wield immense power at the cost of his body—and Yuuto-san's cursed swords that demand personal sacrifice—I realized something. Some spells allow you to gain strength by sacrificing your own flesh. And I... am a Phenex. So long as the ritual doesn't demand my soul, I can keep casting forbidden spells endlessly, as long as my stamina and mana hold out."
Holy crap. She's turning immortality into offensive firepower. The synergy between forbidden magic and the Phoenix's regenerative abilities is insane.
Honestly, at this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if learning forbidden magic became a required course in the Phenex family.
So that's why, every time Ravel cast a spell, her limbs were briefly engulfed in flames. She was literally sacrificing parts of her body to break spells—like when she slipped out of the restraints by briefly incinerating her arms.
While I was pondering that, it seemed Ravel had defeated all the enemies...
Did she even need me here?
No, no, if these were the only enemies, sure—but that's probably not the case.
Just then, Ravel stumbled from exhaustion, and I rushed to catch her.
"Ah, forgive me, Ikki-sama. Maintaining regeneration and forbidden magic in tandem is quite draining... Also, since I only recently started learning them, my spells aren't all that powerful yet. I still have a long way to go."
"If this is what you can do on short notice, I'd say you're already amazing."
Admittedly, they weren't flashy, but...
"No, I still have much to learn. Building each spell takes time and requires full concentration. I can't even move while casting. At this rate, I doubt I could beat any of the Occult Research Club members."
Yeah... if someone kept a cool head, they'd probably find a way around it.
That's when a teleportation magic circle appeared—and a man's voice echoed through the air.
"My, my... What do we have here?"
We turned to see a man cloaked in a silver robe, his hood drawn low as he surveyed the room.
"So, while I was briefing our guests in the trap zone—those pesky Gremory and Sitri devils—you lot wiped out the retrieval squad? Hmm... judging by the destruction, it wasn't Arima Ikki. Still, no matter. Their failure is not my concern. But you arrived early, Arima Ikki. I even sent you an invitation. Care to tell me how you found your way here?"
Always with the questions, just like Cao Cao. I wonder if they're hoping someone will actually spill the beans.
"Well, let's just say... even terrorists could stand to communicate better. The Hero Faction used the same trick once, after all."
The robed man chuckled, lifting his shoulders in a half-shrug.
"That would be difficult. The Khaos Brigade was a melting pot of factions—and terrorist misfits. Some prioritize tearing down the others before anything else."
"So, what, you're from the magician faction?"
I asked, even though I suspected otherwise.
"No. I now act under his directive—coordinating the remnants of the Khaos Brigade. You may consider me its current No. 2. Although with the fall of the Old Satan Faction and Hero Faction, what's left is an unruly mess, and even I can't fully control them."
And yet they attack a school in broad daylight. The human world is sacred to all mythology-based powers. If you attack it recklessly, every faction might send agents for retribution—either cooperatively or individually.
These rogue mages clearly didn't grasp the scale of the mistake they made.
"Anyway... extracting the Phoenix girl's data was just a bonus. The real experiment lies elsewhere. Originally, I planned to reveal it after you arrived... but seeing as you're already here, this should be a good warm-up for him. After all, I'm not stupid enough to face you alone."
With that, he summoned a massive dragon gate onto the floor, glowing deep green.
He's clearly wary of my Ittou Shura form.
"He's constantly hungry for battles with strong opponents. I'm sure he'll enjoy you. Allow me to introduce him... the legendary dragon of wrath once thought destroyed—Crime Force Dragon, Grendel."
As his words ended, Grendel—the one I'd once called "my worst matchup"—stood before us once again.