Ravel's body was still trembling when she stepped in front of Genichi.
Although the previous blast of Gospel hadn't rendered her unable to fight, it had still inflicted considerable damage.
Most of her Lolita-style princess dress had been torn apart, revealing several charred marks across her arms.
Dust stained her face, and her golden hair hung messily over her shoulders. Her eyes were filled with fear, yet she still spread her arms and stood protectively in front of Riser like a mother bird defending its young.
"Don't!"
Her shrill, trembling voice echoed through the empty Student Council room.
Genichi looked at her without a trace of emotion in his eyes.
Killing one person or two made no difference to him. Either way, he would be creating an irreconcilable blood feud with the Phenex family.
Riser was the family's third son, while Ravel was their precious daughter. Killing either of them would lead to the same outcome.
In that case, what difference would it make if he killed one more?
Genichi had no favorable impression of the Phenex family.
They were arrogant, condescending, and regarded other Devils as insignificant insects.
Riser was like that. His peerage was like that. The entire Phenex family was like that.
Even if Genichi spared Riser today, the Phenex family wouldn't leave him alone.
Instead of waiting for them to cause trouble, he might as well eliminate the threat before it could grow.
"Move."
Genichi's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Or die together."
Ravel trembled even more violently.
She could feel the killing intent radiating from Genichi.
It wasn't a threat or an attempt to intimidate her. It was genuine, pure killing intent—the desire to utterly destroy everything in his path.
She had no doubt that if she refused, the magic cannon he had already prepared would engulf both her and her brother.
Yet she didn't move.
Ravel drew a deep breath and struggled to steady her voice.
"No! We surrender!"
Her voice was firm when she finally spoke those words.
She knew what surrender meant.
It meant humiliating the Phenex family. It meant dissolving Riser's engagement to Rias. It meant that her father would fly into a rage and that she might face severe punishment upon returning home.
But so what?
Anything was better than dying here.
Sona's cold, merciless voice echoed throughout the alternate dimension.
"Your surrender is invalid. Only the King has the authority to surrender on behalf of their side. Ravel, you are not the King."
Ravel's expression froze.
Of course she knew that rule.
As a member of the Phenex family, she had studied the rules of Rating Games from childhood.
The King possessed absolute authority and could make any decision on behalf of the entire team, including surrendering.
The other pieces, regardless of their status, had no such authority.
Ravel turned toward Riser.
He stood with his back pressed against the wall, his face filled with fear and unwillingness.
Genichi's calm face was reflected in his golden eyes. His lips trembled, and he bit down so hard on his lower lip that it was nearly bleeding.
His body was as rigid as stone. His arms hung at his sides, his fingers curling weakly as though he wanted to summon his flames but couldn't muster the strength.
He was terrified.
It wasn't merely the fear of death. It was something deeper and more primal.
It was the instinctive terror of prey facing its natural predator—the trembling of the soul when the weak stood before absolute strength.
Riser, the spoiled noble who had always looked down on everyone around him, now resembled a frog frozen beneath a snake's gaze. He couldn't even summon the courage to flee.
"Onii-sama!"
Desperation and pleading filled Ravel's voice.
"Surrender! Hurry up and surrender!"
Riser opened his mouth.
A choking sound emerged from his throat, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.
His mind was completely blank. All his arrogance, pride, and contempt for others had been shattered by the coldness in Genichi's eyes.
He wanted to surrender.
Of course he did.
He didn't want to die. He didn't want to be killed here, especially not by a Mid-class Devil.
Yet he couldn't force the words out.
He hadn't been frightened senseless. It was the pride engraved into his very bones that prevented him from uttering those words.
The Phenex bloodline. The pride of the Phoenix. Thousands of years of glory.
Those burdens weighed on his heart like a mountain, making it impossible for him to bow his head.
He was the third son of the Phenex family and a High-class Devil.
If he surrendered to a Mid-class Devil, the disgrace wouldn't belong to him alone. It would stain the entire Phenex family.
He would rather die than endure such humiliation.
"Onii-sama!"
Ravel was practically screaming now.
"Wake up! Your life is more important than your pride!"
Riser didn't react.
He remained against the wall, staring at Genichi as fear and unwillingness waged a fierce battle within his eyes.
Genichi watched without the slightest ripple of emotion.
"If you refuse to move..."
His voice was as calm as a judge delivering a sentence.
"Then die."
The Boosted Gear erupted with dazzling crimson light.
The magic cannon that had been gathering power was finally unleashed.
Crimson radiance shot from Genichi's palm like a pillar of light piercing heaven and earth. Carrying enough power to destroy everything in its path, it surged toward Riser and Ravel.
Ravel closed her eyes and spread her arms, shielding Riser with her body.
Her lips trembled, and tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, but she didn't retreat a single step.
Riser watched the crimson light rapidly closing in.
Finally—
"I surren—!"
His voice was hoarse and desperate, the words forced out with every last ounce of strength he possessed.
But before Riser could finish, the crimson torrent engulfed both him and Ravel.
Sona's voice echoed throughout the alternate dimension, carrying complicated emotions she couldn't entirely conceal.
"Riser has surrendered. The winner of this Rating Game is—Rias!"
The spectators erupted into cheers.
Rias stood outside the Occult Research Club, her blue-green eyes filled with joy and relief.
The engagement had finally been dissolved.
She was free.
Akeno stood beside her with one hand resting on her shoulder, a gentle smile on her face.
"Congratulations, Rias."
In truth, Riser's father had already declared his side's surrender from the spectators' area before Riser managed to voice it himself.
That surrender activated the Rating Game's safety measures just in time, allowing Riser and Ravel to escape with their lives.
Genichi found that somewhat irritating.
Still, what was done was done. He could always find another opportunity to kill Riser in the future.
Genichi would never spare someone who wanted him dead.
...
...
The celebration in the Occult Research Club continued, but Genichi had already withdrawn to the window.
Champagne bubbles danced beneath the lights. Yuuto and Koneko were discussing the battle, while Asia listened attentively from the side, occasionally exclaiming in amazement.
Akeno sat on the sofa with a cup of black tea in her hands, but her gaze kept drifting toward Genichi. A meaningful smile lingered on her lips.
Rias walked over to him. She didn't stand too close, merely taking her place beside him and joining him in gazing at the night outside.
They remained silent for a long time. The noise inside the clubroom seemed to come from the other side of a pane of glass, distant and unreal.
"You're planning to leave this world, aren't you?" Rias asked softly.
Genichi didn't deny it.
"Yes and no."
He knew he couldn't hide it from her.
From the moment he defeated Riser—from the moment he displayed strength surpassing that of a Mid-class Devil—he had known his peaceful days in this world were over.
The Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils were all watching him like starving wolves staring at fresh meat.
If he didn't want to die, he had to become stronger.
And the fastest way to grow stronger was to travel to other worlds.
"I want to visit another world and find a way to become stronger."
His voice was calm, as though he were discussing an ordinary decision.
Rias remained silent for a moment.
She knew Genichi could travel between worlds. She knew he had visited the world of DanMachi, the Vengeful Spirit World, the Female-Oriented World, and the world of Bleach.
She also knew that every journey was dangerous and that he returned each time carrying new wounds.
"Which worlds can you currently visit?" she asked.
Genichi thought for a moment.
"The Vengeful Spirit World, the world of DanMachi, the Female-Oriented World, and the world of Bleach."
Rias's eyes brightened slightly.
"Doesn't the world of DanMachi have gods? And there's also that Dungeon—"
"That world can't help me much anymore," Genichi interrupted. "Unless I can become a god, even if I raise all my stats to SSS, those enhancements will disappear once I leave that world."
Rias fell silent.
Genichi had explained it to her before. The Falna granted by the gods essentially drew out a person's potential. Once he left that world, the enhancement would vanish.
Only the magic and skills he mastered would remain permanently.
"The Vengeful Spirit World and the Female-Oriented World are even less useful."
A trace of helplessness entered Genichi's voice.
"The Vengeful Spirit World has nothing but vengeful spirits. No matter how many I devour, my demonic power won't increase by much. The Female-Oriented World is completely ordinary. It doesn't even possess supernatural power."
Rias bit her lip.
"What about the world of Bleach?"
Genichi remained silent for a long time.
The world of Bleach—
A world inhabited by Soul Reapers, Hollows, and Quincies.
A world containing Aizen and Yhwach.
A world where he, as a hybrid Quincy, had once nearly died during the Auswählen.
"It's too dangerous," he finally answered, bitterness entering his voice. "That world has too many beings I can't handle. Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu is almost impossible to guard against. Yhwach possesses The Almighty and can see every possible future. Then there's Yamamoto. Ryujin Jakka possesses enough power to incinerate heaven and earth."
He paused to organize his thoughts.
"Besides, I've lost my Quincy abilities. In that world, I may not even be capable of harming souls. Who knows whether a Zanpakutō would still work after leaving the world of Bleach? As for the Hōgyoku, I'm nowhere near strong enough to take it from Aizen."
Rias tightened her fingers around the hem of her skirt.
"So..."
"So I won't return to the world of Bleach for now," Genichi said calmly. "I'm not going there to die before I have absolute confidence in surviving."
Rias breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could fully relax, her heart tightened again.
If none of the worlds available to Genichi could help him, what was he supposed to do?
Remain here and wait for the Angels and Fallen Angels to assassinate him?
Wait for the Devils who feared his growth to make their move?
Seeing her expression, Genichi's lips curved into a faint smile.
"For now, I won't be leaving."
Rias raised her head, hope flashing through her blue-green eyes.
"I don't have another world I can go to," Genichi explained frankly. "Or rather, none of the worlds currently available to me can make me significantly stronger."
It was the truth.
To gain any substantial improvement from the world of DanMachi, he would need to become a god—and achieving that was easier said than done.
The Vengeful Spirit World and the Female-Oriented World couldn't help him.
The world of Bleach was far too dangerous. Going there now would be suicide.
All he could do was wait.
Wait for a new world to appear. Wait for a new opportunity. Wait until he had accumulated enough strength to challenge more powerful enemies.
Until then, he could only remain here.
He would have to stay in this dangerous world, beneath the watchful eyes of all three factions, walking a tightrope above a bottomless abyss.
Rias remained silent for a long time.
The night outside gradually deepened. The lights throughout Kuoh Town went out one after another until only a few distant streetlamps remained, casting faint halos through the darkness.
The noise in the clubroom slowly faded.
Yuuto and Koneko had already left, and Asia had gone home as well.
Akeno glanced at the two of them, smiled knowingly, and tactfully departed.
Only Genichi and Rias remained in the clubroom.
Rias pressed her lips together. It was a small gesture, but it carried both nervousness and determination.
Then she stepped closer, rose onto her toes, and kissed him.
The kiss was light and brief, their lips touching for only a moment before separating.
Rias didn't retreat.
She remained before him, her head tilted back as her blue-green eyes stared directly into his.
"In that case, before you eventually leave, there's something we should settle between us."
Her voice was quiet but unwavering.
Genichi looked into her eyes.
There was no hesitation or retreat in them—only a determination he had never seen before.
He didn't reject her.
Genichi raised a hand and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her warm skin.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her.
This kiss lasted longer than the first.
Rias closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against him. Her heart pounded so quickly that he could feel it even through their clothes.
When they finally separated, Genichi rested his forehead against hers.
"Rias, are you certain?"
Rather than answer aloud, she tightened her arms around him and kissed him again.
Genichi didn't ask a second time.
Outside, Kuoh Town slept peacefully beneath the deep night.
Only the small clubroom remained illuminated.
Moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and cast their overlapping shadows across the floor as they spent the remainder of the night together.
Later, Rias rested in Genichi's arms, tracing small circles against his chest with one finger.
"Genichi."
"Mm?"
"You won't abandon Akeno and me, will you?"
Genichi looked down at her.
Her blue-green eyes were filled with expectation and unease.
He raised a hand and gently stroked her crimson hair.
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Rias smiled.
It was a soft, tender smile.
She closed her eyes and rested against him as her breathing gradually became calm.
Moonlight poured through the window, draping them both in a veil of silver.
(End of Chapter)
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