No, wait.
Forget a minute. They wouldn't even last thirty seconds.
As someone who carried Fallen Angel blood in her veins, Akeno understood the gap between them better than anyone.
That pressure… it was something only the highest-ranking Fallen Angels could possess. It felt like a mass of heavy storm clouds pressing down on her heart, like trying to breathe while sinking in thick mud.
"Akeno, don't space out! Clear the Hellhounds first!"
Rias's anxious voice rang out beside her.
"What are you standing there for?!"
Boom!
A crimson magic barrier flared into existence before Rias, intercepting a fireball spat from the Hellhound's twin maws.
The scorching energy exploded outward. Even stray sparks instantly ignited the nearby grass, and flames began to spread rapidly.
"Filthy mutt! The punishment for defiling my territory will be paid with your life!"
Rias didn't care whether the beast understood her words. She was furious.
The past few days had been exhausting. And not long ago, Akeno had relayed to her Rod's ruthless assessment of her, so infuriating that Rias's monthly cycle had practically exploded in retaliation. The bleeding that night had been far heavier than usual.
Tonight, she had planned to confront Rod in person, together with Akeno and Koneko, and argue her case face to face.
Instead, just as they were about to leave, she received an urgent notice from Sona.
When they arrived, they found a Fallen Angel releasing Hellhounds to wreak havoc in Kuoh Town.
Though they had responded quickly and casualties were minimal, the mere act was enough to touch Rias's reverse scale.
After blocking the attack, she raised both hands. Surging Power of Destruction rapidly condensed between her palms.
Buzz!
The atmosphere seemed to tremble. Deep crimson energy shot forward at blinding speed.
The Hellhound answered with another fireball. When the two collided, the fireball was instantly suppressed, but then the beast unleashed two more in quick succession.
A triple volley.
The combined density of its magical output overwhelmed Rias's attack.
Facing a ferocious beast that roamed the Underworld's primeval forests, she, an Upper-Class Devil, had failed to dominate it outright.
Her Power of Destruction was quickly consumed. Residual flames roared toward her.
And in that instant, a spear of light burst from the left, piercing the incoming fireball and annihilating it.
The searing heat washed over Rias's face.
She felt a chill down her spine.
If that had hit her directly, even she wouldn't have walked away unscathed.
"Akeno… thank you."
Rias nodded in gratitude.
She knew her closest friend had been training at Rod's place these past few days.
Akeno's acceptance of her Fallen Angel bloodline filled Rias with pride. She fully supported her frequent visits.
Of course… it would be better if that man softened his tongue a little.
Akeno didn't respond immediately. Instead, her slender fingers pointed sharply at the two-headed Hellhound as it began gathering magic again.
Boom!
A thick bolt of pale lightning crashed down from above, slamming into the Hellhound's body. Smoke curled from its charred hide, its iron-like bones cracked and scorched.
"President! Finish it!"
Akeno shouted.
Rias snapped back to focus. Another blast of crimson Destruction followed immediately, tearing into the Hellhound's body. Flesh exploded outward as black blood sprayed from the wound.
Yet even as smoke poured from its body, the Hellhound's eyes remained vicious.
It had taken a direct hit from the Power of Destruction,
And it was still trying to rise.
"It… didn't die?"
Akeno froze.
The Gremory clan's Power of Destruction had been elevated to legendary heights thanks to Sirzechs Lucifer's genius.
As his younger sister, Rias naturally carried great expectations.
But now,
She couldn't even kill a Hellhound that wasn't yet at Upper-Class Devil level in a single blow.
Akeno was stunned.
And, at the same time, she understood a little more of what Rod had meant.
If Rias continued like this, coasting along, relying on potential alone, then in a few years she would become a failure
Perhaps… becoming a housewife like Rod said wouldn't be the worst fate after all.
Boom! Boom!
Two more blasts of Destruction struck the Hellhound in succession. The first shattered its skull; the second obliterated its brain entirely.
Only then did the monster collapse, dead.
At the same time, another Hellhound fell under the combined assault of Koneko and Yuuto.
Koneko manipulated the beast's internal magic flow. After Yuuto impaled it to the ground with a conjured demonic sword, its own magic detonated from within, blowing it apart.
"Good work, Koneko! Yuuto! Now there's only one enemy left!"
Rias and Akeno landed beside them.
"We can't let the casualties grow any further! Even if he's a Fallen Angel executive, we'll strike back!"
Rias's brows arched sharply as she glared at the ten-winged figure in the sky.
Releasing Hellhounds within her territory, slaughtering indiscriminately,
It was naked invasion.
Just then, Sona arrived with her peerage.
"The magical beasts on my side have been dealt with," the short-haired girl in glasses said calmly.
"Thank you, Sona. Could you handle evacuating the civilians? We'll take care of the rest."
Rias didn't even turn her head.
"Rias, our opponent is on a completely different level. You'll lose if you fight him. It's not too late, if you contact your brother- "
"I said no."
Rias cut her off sharply.
"Sona, you didn't call your sister either, did you?"
Sona faltered. "I… that's different. Your brother loves you. If you contact Lord Sirzechs, he'll definitely act. So hurry and call the Lucifer Maou-"
"No."
"Rias, you-"
"Sona. The reason you won't call your sister is the same reason I won't call my brother."
Fire ignited in Rias's eyes.
"I am the heir of the Gremory family. If I retreat when an enemy invades my territory, what kind of heir would that make me? Listen well, my devils! What comes next will be a battle to the death! But even so, I forbid any of you from dying! You will all survive and return to Kuoh Academy!"
"…Very well. In that case, my peerage and I will stand with you."
Sona felt something stir within her at the sight of Rias's resolve.
"In the name of the Sitri family, I will protect this city."
Her words ignited her peerage with fervor.
....
Meanwhile
Akeno and Koneko stared at them in stunned disbelief.
Wait.
What exactly are you two getting so fired up about?
One of you is Lucifer's little sister. The other is Leviathan's little sister.
You could literally open a magic communication channel and summon two Devil King-tier heavyweights in seconds.
Why aren't you calling for backup?!
Do you seriously think the two of your teams combined can defeat a Fallen Angel executive?
After listening to their exchange, Akeno didn't know whether it was Rod's influence over the past few days,
But she was so exasperated she started laughing.
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