The door to the club room opened.
Rias and Akeno walked in together.
Rias looked a little tense, but when she saw Elias sitting on the sofa, her shoulders relaxed.
She gave him a small, relieved smile.
Just a minute later, the air in the center of the room grew very hot.
A bright circle of fire appeared on the floor.
Two people stepped out of the flames.
One was a young man with messy blond hair.
He wore a fancy, dark red suit and had a very arrogant smirk on his face.
This was Riser Phenex.
Behind him stood a beautiful, mature woman in a silver and blue maid outfit.
She had silver hair and cold, serious eyes. This was Grayfia Lucifuge, the strongest maid in the Underworld.
"Ah, my dear Rias!"
Riser said loudly, opening his arms.
"Riser has come to see his beautiful bride! Riser missed you so much!"
Riser always talked in the third person.
It was extremely annoying.
Rias glared at him. She didn't hesitate.
She ran straight over to the sofa and grabbed Elias's arm, hugging it tightly against her.
"I am not your bride, Riser,"
Rias said firmly.
"I already have a lover. And he is here to challenge you for my hand."
Riser stopped smiling. He lowered his arms and looked at Elias with angry, narrow eyes.
While Riser was glaring, Grayfia looked closely at Elias.
Grayfia was incredibly powerful.
She used her magic senses to check this strange boy.
At first, she felt normal Devil energy.
He was a Devil. But when she tried to look deeper, her breath hitched.
She could not understand what was inside of him. It wasn't just Devil magic. It was a massive, swirling storm of impossible powers.
It felt like an endless, dark abyss.
Grayfia realized with absolute horror that if she tried to fight him, that abyss would easily swallow her whole.
For the first time in a very long time, the strongest maid felt a drop of cold sweat slide down her neck.
"A challenger?"
Riser laughed loudly, breaking the silence.
"This nobody? Riser is a pureblood, high-class Devil! Look at Riser's true power!"
Riser snapped his fingers. Another huge magic circle appeared behind him.
Fifteen beautiful girls stepped out. They carried swords, staffs, and magic books. They were Riser's complete peerage.
"This is Riser's family,"
Riser boasted, waving his hand proudly.
"Where is your peerage, boy? Bring them out."
Elias stayed sitting on the sofa. He didn't look scared or impressed.
"I don't have a peerage,"
Elias answered simply.
"I don't need one. Just myself is enough to deal with you all."
The room went completely silent.
Riser's face turned bright red with anger.
He felt deeply insulted that a single boy thought he could beat a whole team.
"You dare mock Riser?"
He growled. He pointed at one of his girls, a tall fighter holding a heavy metal staff.
"Teach this arrogant fool a lesson. Break his legs!"
The girl nodded and charged at Elias. She was very fast. She swung her heavy staff with all her might, aiming right at Elias's head.
Grayfia finally snapped out of her shock. She knew exactly how dangerous Elias was.
"Wait! Stop!"
Grayfia yelled, trying to warn the girl.
But it was too late.
Elias didn't even stand up. He just raised his bare hand and casually smacked the attacking girl, just like swatting an annoying fly.
BAM!
The impact sounded like a bomb going off.
The girl flew backward through the air at incredible speed.
She crashed hard into the wall on the other side of the room, completely knocked out before she even hit the ground.
The room was dead silent again.
Everyone stared at the broken wall.
Elias slowly stood up. He gently pulled his arm away from Rias and brushed a little bit of dust off his shirt.
He looked at Riser, whose jaw was practically touching the floor in shock.
"You shouldn't send someone else to do your dirty work,"
Elias said calmly, keeping his eyes locked on Riser.
"But just so you know... my hands believe in true gender equality."
Riser's face turned from red to purple.
He was absolutely furious.
"You dare touch Riser's servant?!"
He raised his hands, and bright fire covered his fists.
But before he could attack, a cold voice stopped him.
"Enough."
Grayfia stepped between them. Her face was perfectly calm, but her voice held absolute authority.
"There will be no fighting here. This is a school."
Riser glared at her, but he slowly lowered his hands. He couldn't disobey the strongest maid.
Grayfia looked at Elias, her eyes still hiding her deep shock, and then she looked at Riser.
"If he wishes to challenge you for the bride, it must be done properly,"
Grayfia stated clearly.
"There will be an official duel in ten days. One on one."
Riser gritted his teeth. He could not refuse an official duel set by the Devil King's own maid.
"Fine!"
Riser spat angrily.
"Riser will crush this boy in ten days! Let's go!"
He turned around and walked back into the magic circle.
His peerage quickly picked up their knocked-out friend and followed him into the flames.
Grayfia stayed for a moment. She turned to look at Rias.
"Rias-sama,"
Grayfia said, her voice dropping to a serious tone.
"If this boy wins the duel, your arranged marriage with Riser will be officially canceled."
Rias smiled happily, feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders.
"But,"
Grayfia continued, looking right into Rias's eyes.
"If he wins, he must marry you instead. No matter what."
Rias gasped in pure surprise.
She stared at the silver-haired maid.
Grayfia had always supported Rias's independence in secret.
Why would she suddenly force her into another arranged marriage?
Rias didn't know that Grayfia had felt the bottomless abyss of power inside Elias.
Grayfia knew that keeping this unstoppable boy tied to the Gremory family was the smartest thing she could ever do.
Without explaining anything else, Grayfia gave a small, polite bow and disappeared into the magic circle.
The room was quiet again.
Rias slowly turned to look at Elias.
She thought about the new rule. If he won, she had to become his wife.
She looked at his strong shoulders, his kind eyes, and how he had just protected her without a second thought.
To her total surprise, she didn't feel bad about it at all. In fact, her heart fluttered, and her cheeks turned a very bright pink.
Elias saw her blushing face. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little helpless.
He remembered the conversation he had with Dee right before he came to the club room.
He remembered what she had said about that crazy American comic book.
"The comic is really good, Eli,"
Dee had told him with a bright, teasing smile.
"I actually really liked it."
Elias looked up at the ceiling.
He and Dee were going to be together for billions of years.
In the comic book, he had a massive family across the multiverse.
He had many wives and consorts to help them manage the endless worlds.
He looked at Rias, who was playing with her crimson hair nervously.
Then he looked at Akeno, who was giving him a very warm, knowing smile.
Elias realized he couldn't fight destiny.
He just smiled back at them. His crazy, multiverse comic book life was only just beginning.
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