SLAM!
Lord Phenex's hands slammed against the desk in pure rage, enough to make the entire Phoenix Estate fall deathly silent.
Papers scattered all over the floor, the flames blazing violently from the wall sconces, responding to the fury from the head of the Phenex clan. The flames were crowned with the eternal flame, all of it a monument to a family that had never known defeat.
Until today.
"Damn it!" Lord Phenex roared "He got us! Damn you, human!"
A human. Not a devil wielding ancient blood of original Satans. Not a dragon descendant. Not even a fallen angel.
But, a teenage boy with a sacred gear of potions brewing ability which had dismantled everything the Phenex family represented in front of the entire Underworld up till now. He still couldn't get rid of every humiliating second of his son getting punched to the stadium walls and finally the worst moment, the moment when his Phoenix form crumbled, the final strike that left his son unconscious in the devastation.
Lady Phenex caressed his shoulder with a gentle smile on her face.
"My love—"
"I have never felt so humiliated in my life" Lord Phenex's voice dropped to a venomous one. The shift in him was worse than the shouting, she rarely witnessed, when things didn't go his way.
He shrugged off her touch and turned, and she saw his face for the first time since he'd locked himself in here. His eyes were filled with rage "Our son failed us. Even after I gave him that ring, he fucking lost!"
In their entire marriage, with the centuries of managing the devil politics, managing their business empire, raising their children, she had never heard him this angry. Not once. Lord Phenex was the man who even smiled at insults. Who turned threats into opportunities. Who'd continued to raise the Phenex empire on Phoenix tears through relentless passion and unshakeable composure.
But, now that man wasn't standing in front of her anymore.
Then all of a sudden, he flipped the entire desk that served three generations of Phenex lords, crashing into the wall with glass shattered, books tumbled. A portrait of him fell and the frame cracked.
Lady Phenex shrieked by his sudden outburst.
Her husband stood there breathing hard, staring at the wreckage. His hands were shaking.
"We haven't lost everything, my love" She tried once again, forcing warmth into her voice. Tried to find the right words to reach him and bring him back "We can just sell Phoenix tears at the same price that boy will. We might face a significant loss in our finances, but I know—"
"Get out of here"
Lord Phenex didn't even spare a glance at her. His voice was dead serious, leaving no room for further argument "I need no one around me right now"
"Darling, please—"
His head snapped toward her. That glare stopped her before she could utter her next words. There was nothing of her husband in those eyes. Just a man filled with fury and shame, that he always avoided in his whole existence.
With no other choice left, she decided to give him space to get his mind back in order.
The door closed behind her with a soft click that felt louder than the desk hitting the wall.
The hallway stretched before her. Torches in their brackets. Family portraits on the walls—generations of Phenex lords and ladies, all with that same blonde hair and blue eyes, all radiating confidence that came from being 'immortal', to being put onto walls as memory.
At the far end, she could see the door to Riser's quarters. Still closed. He'd locked himself in there the moment they'd returned from the stadium, too terrified to face his father or anyone anymore.
Her son was scared. Her husband was broken.
And it was all because of that human.
Lady Phenex's fists clenched. The gentle expression melted away. Her nails bit into her palms, hard enough to ground her in something other than the helpless rage building in her chest.
She'd spent her life being kind. Patient. The perfect noble wife who smoothed over conflicts and hosted parties and made everyone feel welcome. That's what Lady Phenex did all her life because that's who she was.
But beneath that?
She was a devil. And someone had just hurt her family.
Motohama. That was his name. The boy with the cocky grin who'd held that demon sword Nothung and powers of potions granting him impossible feats. The human who'd shattered her son's confidence, ruined their financial monopoly, and apparently broken her husband's mind in the process.
"You'll pay several folds for the pain you brought upon our family. In name of Phenex, I'll ruin your life just like you did to me. And even if I have to kill you for doing so, I won't hesitate to do it"
Lady Phenex's heels clicked against marble floors as she walked ahead with a new direction. Somewhere in her mind, plans were already forming, the one that wouldn't draw attention. The kind of revenge that took time. She was a Phenex. She could afford to wait. They lived for centuries. What was a few months, a year, to set things in motion?
By the time she turned the corner, her expression had replaced back into that kind, gentle smile as she saw Ravel approaching her.
But inside, where it counted, Lady Phenex swore that Motohama would pay for this. She would bring doom upon him. Ruin his life just like he'd ruined her family's.
. . .
- Meanwhile in the Sitri Mansion -
Motohama woke up to the sight of Kalawarner's face.
'Not the worst way to wake up after a life threatening duel, objectively'
She was sitting in a chair next to his bed, with a book in her hands titled 'How to stay excited in boring situations', wearing that same formal outfit she always preferred while babysitting him in what was apparently the Sitri mansion.
He groaned and pushed himself up on his elbows.
"I-I'm alive?" He patted his chest, then his arms, checking for holes or missing limbs "But how?!"
Kalawarner's expression shifted from concern to exasperation in about half a second. She leaned back in her chair and sighed at her leader's antics.
"Sigh, You can be at ease" she said "There is no one around here, and also no one keeping an eye on us. Syr already checked it multiple times"
Motohama immediately dropped the act. He sat up properly, crossing his legs, as he faced her "So, Why am I here? Shouldn't I be in a hospital, surrounded by my friends and well-wishers?"
"After your duel, a lot of devils insisted on visiting you" Kalawarner's tone was almost like she remembered a scene that will haunt her forever "It got crowded, mostly with female devils and we had no other choice but to bring you here safely"
He sighed. Made sense. Everyone would want a piece of the human who'd beaten a Phenex. Political networking, alliance-building, or just plain curiosity but that didn't matter. The end result was the same: too many people, too many questions, and way too much attention on the fact that he'd basically gambled his life essence on this duel.
Motohama cracked his neck He still felt weak, like someone had wrung him out and left him to dry, but it wasn't as bad as it should've been. Losing most of your life essence in one go was supposed to be, you know, catastrophic.
But, Instead he just felt like he'd pulled three all-nighters in a row and run a marathon.
"Grayfia Lucifuge said you lost a significant portion of your life essence" Kalawarner's voice sharpened as she narrowed her eyes, watching him too closely "Is that true? Because from what I am seeing, you seem fully capable to go for another duel with that arrogant Phenex"
"Yeah" Motohama stretched his arms overhead as he turned to face her with a smile "But there's nothing to worry about. I already asked Sona to arrange the ingredients for my new creation. Should get my life essence back in no time"
"Sometimes I wonder if you really treasure your life or not" Kalawarner stood up from her chair "What if you had lost all your life essence during the battle? You most likely would've ended up dead"
He shrugged, knowing exactly the reaction he knew it would get from her.
"When things go according to plan, there's nothing to fear, Kala. Even if that plan is horrifying"
He pushed himself off the bed and stood with slightly less energy within him.
"Besides, I can't just die yet. I know a lot of people will get mad if my story ends up too soon"
Kalawarner just looked at him with an unimpressed stare she'd perfected over the month. She was pretty much used to his bullshit at this point—had to be, or she would've strangled him by now. But underneath the exasperation, he could see the genuine concern in her words.
She cared for him. She just refused to say it out loud like some kind of sappy drama character.
"I will let others know you're awake" she said finally, turning toward the door.
Motohama nodded, as she left without another word.
The door clicked shut, and he was left alone.
Motohama let out a breath of relief, his hand came up to rub his face, and yeah, okay, he was more tired than he'd let on. The weakness wasn't just physical—there was an emptiness inside him, like someone had scooped out a chunk of his soul and left a hollow space. That's what burning through most of your life essence felt like, apparently.
But he'd been prepared for it. Had known the risks going in. Riser's Phoenix form had been unexpected—that family heirloom ring turning him into an actual firebird was some bullshit—but even that hadn't thrown him off the plan. Because the plan had always accounted for the worst-case scenario.
Which was dying.
Motohama had been fully prepared to die if it meant winning that duel. That's what made it work. He'd risked everything because he had everything to gain. A Rank 9 Gacha Ticket wasn't something you got from sparring with Ultimate-class devils. You got it from doing something insane. Something with real stakes.
Like challenging the son of a major devil clan to a duel in front of the entire Underworld.
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. No point dwelling on what-ifs.
"Time to see what we got this time"
Motohama focused, calling up the familiar interface that existed somewhere between his mind and reality. The blue screen materialized in front of him, translucent and glowing softly in the dim light of candles.
[Quest Completed: Defeat Riser Phenex in Upcoming Duel]
[Reward Available: Rank 9 Gacha Ticket]
[Would you like to Use it?]
'Yes! Yes! Yes!'
The ticket appeared on the screen glowing in an azure blue light, for a few moments before it shattered. White light crystals burst outward, spinning around each other in a pattern that reminded him of a beyblade spin of Tyson. They swirled faster, and faster until.
The light solidified.
[You've acquired the Sacred Treasure, Chastiefol!]
"..."
Motohama blinked, and read it again, to make sure it was what it was in front of him.
[This one is a new True Spirit Spear Chastiefol, which is larger and more powerful than its predecessor. You can use multiple forms of this new Chastiefol at the same time, being able to use up to four. But, in return, each one's precision and power would drop greatly.]
[Alert! You don't require Disaster to draw out the mysterious qualities of this spear, but your mana will be used instead, so don't say later you weren't told about it.]
[Alert! Although you don't possess Levitation, you can still freely control the spear without direct contact.]
The spear materialized in his hand. It was massive—easily as tall as he was, maybe taller.
It felt alive in his grip.
Motohama just stared at it in pure admiration, with no thoughts coming to his mind at the moment.
He'd expected something good. Rank 9 Gacha Tickets didn't hand out junk afterall. But this? Chastiefol was from Seven Deadly Sins—King's sacred treasure. A weapon with different forms, each one ridiculous in its own way. And this version was apparently upgraded. Granting him the use of Four forms at once.
He grinned as he pointed the spear in front of him, feeling a deep connection to this spear in his mind.
"Some treasures are absolutely worth staking your life on!"
....
..
.
.
.
- In Unknown Location -
"Impressive. Truly impressive"
The boy said in amusement as he watched the human defeat a Phenex.
A human performing such a feat amidst devils in their home realm wasn't something to be overlooked.
Not by someone like him.
His lips curved into an amused smirk. His short black hair was slightly mussed from the journey here, and his blue eyes reflected the dim light with sharp intelligence. He wore his usual combination of gakuran and ancient Chinese hanfu, a mix that some people found pretentious, but he wore it because it connected him to his ancestor.
Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms.
A genius.
A warrior.
And a leader.
He intended to be all three.
The True Longinus spear gripped loosely in his right hand. The weapon was an extension of him ever since he'd awakened it years ago.
The holy spear that had killed God. The ultimate Longinus. The weapon that made him the strongest human alive.
Behind him, The other young boy had been watching the broadcast in silence, who very well knew his expression. But he chose to stay silent, as he pushed up his glasses, waiting for the words that he had already anticipated.
"Let us pay a visit to him, Georg. It would be a heresy if the hero faction won't introduce themselves to the newly crowned Phoenix slayer"
SLAMMMM!
The spear slammed into the ground, embedding itself in the floor, glowing faintly with divine power. Around the room, the other members of the Hero Faction simply nodded at their leader's decision.
"Inform Siegfried and Jeanne" he continued, with growing anticipation.
"They owe me a lot of explanations"
Motohama had wielded Nothung in his battle against Riser Phenex. One of Siegfried's demon swords. And, Siegfried was supposedly in the Kuoh Town with Jeanne.
If one of his people had given a demon sword to a random human who then used it to beat a Phenex in front of the entire Underworld?
That was something he needed answers for.
Georg nodded "Understood. Should I prepare for an immediate departure?"
"Yes" He pulled his spear free and rested it against his shoulder with a smirk "Prepare yourselves, everyone. We're heading to the Kuoh Town"
He was looking forward to this.
Meeting the human who'd defeated a Phenex with a borrowed sword and sheer audacity? That was interesting. Finding out why Siegfried had apparently decided to arm him? That was concerning. But both together meant this trip would be worth the fun he was looking for.
Besides, the battle with Phenex added more fuel to his curiosity of Motohama's outstanding potential, which could be shaped into something far greater, and with his eye for looking for such talents, he couldn't just look the other way.
"Heh...This journey will be worthy of remembrance"
. . .
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