The cloaked man raised his hands, gathering dark, deadly magic to fire at the terrified crowd.
"Everyone, die!"
The man yelled.
But Elias didn't even flinch.
He let his dark eyes glow with a faint, familiar purple light.
*Tick.*
The entire grand hall was instantly covered in a heavy, glowing purple color.
The screaming stopped completely.
The falling dust froze in mid-air. The dark magic in the cloaked man's hands stopped moving.
Time had completely stopped. Elias had perfectly used Gasper's adapted power.
Elias let go of Rias's arm and calmly walked forward.
He moved through the frozen crowd with incredible speed. He didn't waste any time.
He simply walked up to every single member of the Old Satan Faction and delivered a single, fatal strike to their chests.
He moved like a ghost, taking out dozens of dangerous enemies in total silence.
When he was finished, he walked right back to his exact spot next to Rias.
He lowered his hand.
*Tick.*
The purple light vanished. Time instantly started moving again.
"...die!"
The cloaked leader finished his angry shout.
But before he could even throw his magic, a heavy, sickening sound echoed through the quiet room.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
All around the grand hall, every single cloaked member of the Old Satan Faction suddenly collapsed.
They hit the cold stone floor like broken dolls. None of them were breathing. They were completely dead.
The young noble Devils gasped in pure shock.
They looked around wildly, completely confused.
"What just happened?!"
A noble cried out, staring at the dead bodies.
No one in the crowd had any idea what had just taken place. To them, the enemies just dropped dead out of nowhere.
But Rias knew.
She looked up at Elias. She saw the completely calm look on his face, and she remembered the purple magic from the basement.
"You used Gasper's power, didn't you?"
Rias whispered softly, her voice full of awe.
"Yes,"
Elias whispered back, not taking his eyes off the dead enemies.
"It was the fastest way to protect everyone in the room."
Sairaorg stood on the other side of Elias.
He hadn't felt the time stop magic at all. But Sairaorg was a true warrior.
His eyes were trained to catch even the smallest movements.
Sairaorg looked at the dead bodies, and then he slowly turned his head to look at Elias.
"I don't know exactly what you just did,"
Sairaorg said, his deep voice thick with absolute shock.
"But I saw you. For a tiny fraction of a second, you disappeared. You flickered like a ghost, and when you reappeared, all of these men dropped dead like flies."
Sairaorg crossed his arms, staring at Elias with a massive amount of respect.
"It was you, Elias,"
Sairaorg said confidently.
"You killed all of them before anyone could even blink."
Elias didn't deny it. He simply nodded his head.
"That is incredible,"
Sairaorg grinned fiercely.
"You saved the entire gathering."
But Elias didn't smile back. His face remained completely serious and cold. He looked closely at the dead bodies on the floor.
"Do not celebrate yet, Sairaorg,"
Elias warned him quietly.
"These men were weak. They were just small flies sent to cause panic."
Elias looked up toward the dark, empty balconies above them.
"The real attack hasn't started yet,"
Elias said, his voice heavy with warning.
"The big leaders of the Old Satan Faction have not appeared. They are still hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment."
They did not have to wait long at all.
Two new, incredibly powerful magic circles appeared floating high above the grand hall.
From the dark circles stepped two very arrogant figures.
One was a tall, sharp-looking man with green hair.
This was Shalba Beelzebub.
Next to him was a woman with long, dark hair and cold glasses.
This was Katerea Leviathan.
They were the true leaders of the Old Satan Faction.
Shalba looked down from the sky with a cruel, mocking smirk.
"Look at this pathetic little party,"
Shalba called out loudly, his voice echoing through the giant room.
"All the fake Devils gathered together in one place. How convenient for us."
Katerea pushed up her glasses, her eyes sweeping across the room.
But her confident smirk quickly vanished when she saw the stone floor.
"What... what is the meaning of this?"
Katerea gasped, her voice dropping in pure shock.
She saw all her cloaked soldiers lying completely dead on the ground.
"Our army!"
Shalba yelled, his face turning bright red with sudden anger.
"Who did this? Who wiped out our entire strike force before they could even move?!"
Before any of the young nobles could answer, the grand doors of the hall glowed with bright, overwhelming crimson light.
The Four Devil Kings had finally arrived.
Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Ajuka Beelzebub, and Falbium Asmodeus stepped into the room.
Their massive magical power filled the air, pushing back the dark energy of the enemies.
Sirzechs immediately looked at the dead enemy soldiers on the ground.
Then, his blue eyes found Elias standing calmly next to Rias.
Sirzechs smiled and gave Elias a deep, respectful nod.
"Thank you, Elias,"
Sirzechs said warmly, making sure everyone in the room could hear his gratitude.
"I heard the explosion and feared the worst. You dealt with their army perfectly."
Elias just nodded back.
"You did us a huge favor,"
Sirzechs replied, his tone turning very serious.
"If those soldiers had managed to capture the young heirs, they would have used them as hostages against us. It would have been a massive problem to deal with later. You saved a lot of lives today."
Shalba glared down at the Devil Kings, his anger completely boiling over.
"Do not ignore us, Sirzechs!"
Shalba roared, pointing his finger down at them.
"You stole our thrones! We are the true descendants of the original Devil Kings!"
Sirzechs looked up at the angry enemies.
His friendly smile was completely gone.
"You are just holding onto a broken past,"
Sirzechs answered calmly but firmly.
"Your time is already over."
Elias stood quietly and watched the battle begin in the air above them.
However, he really didn't know if he could even call it a "fight."
Sirzechs just raised one hand. His pure, destructive magic was completely overwhelming.
Shalba tried to throw a massive attack, but Sirzechs easily brushed it away like it was nothing but dust.
Sirzechs alone was more than enough to completely crush both of them in seconds.
But before Sirzechs could finish the battle, Serafall stepped forward.
Her usual cheerful smile was completely gone. Her eyes were sharp and cold.
"Hold on, Sir-chan,"
Serafall said, spinning her magic wand in her hands.
"Leave Katerea to me. She and I have a lot of old business to settle. She is mine."
Sirzechs nodded and stepped back, letting Serafall face her rival.
While the Devil Kings were busy, Elias kept his senses perfectly sharp.
Because of his adapted body, his hearing was incredible. He could hear a pin drop in the giant room.
High up on a dark balcony, completely hidden from the crowd, Diodora Astaroth was completely panicking.
He was holding his hand up to his ear, listening to a glowing magical communication circle.
His handsome face was sweating with pure terror.
"What do you mean they are all dead?!"
Diodora whispered fiercely into the magic circle.
"How could my elite squad fail to kidnap one little nun?! Who stopped you?!"
A weak, terrified voice answered him through the magic.
"A pale girl..."
The dying voice cried in fear.
"She was a monster... We couldn't even get near the shrine! She just smiled, and she wiped out our entire force in a single second!"
Diodora's green eyes went wide.
His perfect plan to capture Asia and break Elias's heart was completely destroyed.
"Useless fools!"
Diodora cursed, his hands shaking in anger and fear.
Down on the main floor, Elias's eyes turned as cold as ice.
He heard every single word.
Diodora had tried to send men to his home. He had tried to kidnap sweet, innocent Asia.
*Whoosh.*
Elias didn't wait. He didn't say a word to Rias.
He completely disappeared from his spot.
In the blink of an eye, Elias appeared on the high balcony.
Before Diodora could even turn his head or scream, Elias reached out and grabbed him tightly by the throat.
Elias easily lifted the young noble right off the ground.
Diodora choked loudly. He dropped his wine glass, and it shattered into pieces on the stone floor.
He kicked his legs, his eyes bulging in pure panic as he stared into
Elias's empty, dark eyes.
"Stop right there,"
A calm, highly intelligent voice called out.
A green magic circle flashed right next to them.
Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Devil Kings, stepped out of the light.
Ajuka looked at Elias with a very serious, calculating expression.
"Please, let him go,"
Ajuka said firmly, raising his hand to calm the situation down.
"Diodora is the official heir to the Astaroth family. He is a high-ranking noble. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Diodora kicked his legs, holding tightly onto Elias's strong arm. He looked at Ajuka with wide, fake tears in his eyes.
"Lord Ajuka!"
Diodora gasped, acting completely innocent.
"Please help me! He is crazy! He is attacking me for absolutely no reason!"
Diodora smiled a tiny bit in his mind.
He was confident.
He used secret magic to communicate.
Nobody had ever caught him before. Elias had absolutely no proof.
But Elias just smirked. It was a cold, knowing smile.
"You think I need a piece of paper to prove what you did?"
Elias asked quietly.
Elias raised his free hand. A bright red, natural energy sparked on his fingertips. It wasn't Devil magic or Angel light.
"I learned this from a friend recently,"
Elias explained calmly.
"It is human magecraft. It is called Mana Memories."
Elias tapped Diodora's forehead with his glowing red finger.
Instantly, a bright projection appeared in the air like a movie screen.
The magic played Diodora's exact memories from just a minute ago.
This magic only worked with those who were far weaker than the caster.
Everyone could clearly hear Diodora's own voice yelling about his elite squad, his plan to kidnap Asia, and his deal with the Old Satan Faction.
Ajuka Beelzebub watched the glowing screen.
His highly intelligent eyes narrowed with deep interest.
"Fascinating,"
Ajuka whispered, looking at Elias's hand.
"That is pure human magecraft. It is completely incompatible with Devil magic. A Devil's body would reject it. Yet, you are using it perfectly."
Then, the memory finished playing. Ajuka's curiosity quickly turned into pure disgust.
He looked at Diodora in absolute disbelief.
"You betrayed us,"
Ajuka said, his voice dropping into a cold, angry tone.
"You worked with the Old Satan Faction just to kidnap a little girl. You are a disgrace to the Astaroth family."
Diodora began to panic for real. His face turned pale.
"No! That is a trick! It is fake magic!"
Ajuka ignored his lies. He looked directly at Elias.
"Elias,"
Ajuka said respectfully.
"I am deeply sorry that this coward tried to hurt your family. But he is still a high-ranking noble. Please, hand him over to me. Let me take care of him personally. He will face the harshest Devil laws."
Elias looked at Ajuka, thinking about the offer.
But before Elias could even answer, Diodora let out a terrifying scream.
"Ahhhh!"
Diodora's skin suddenly turned grey.
His eyes rolled back into his head.
His healthy body began to wither and shrink, drying up like a dead leaf in the middle of winter.
Elias quickly let go of his neck.
Before Diodora even hit the floor, his entire body crumbled apart.
He turned into a pile of grey dust, completely dead and erased from the world.
Ajuka took a step back in pure confusion. His eyes were wide.
"What... what just happened?"
Ajuka asked, looking quickly at Elias.
"I felt your energy. You didn't do that. You didn't cast any spell to kill him."
"You are right. He didn't do it,"
A sweet, playful voice echoed from the shadows.
A pale girl wearing a simple jacket stepped out into the light. It was Dee.
"I did,"
Dee giggled happily.
She walked over and stood right next to Elias.
"I was watching from the human world. He tried to send bad men to our house while Kunou and Asia were playing. Nobody tries to hurt my family and get to live."
Ajuka froze. He had never met this pale girl before.
As a Devil King, Ajuka's special power allowed him to calculate and understand any magic, power, or math in the entire world.
His mind automatically tried to measure Dee's strength.
But the moment his power touched her, a cold sweat broke out on Ajuka's face.
His supreme calculating power gave him an instant, terrifying answer.
It screamed at him to run away. It told him that this smiling girl was a walking, endless void.
Ajuka swallowed hard. He knew right then and there, with absolute certainty, that he could never, ever win a fight against her.
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