Chapter 241 Fierce Battle
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I never imagined the successor to the Red Dragon Emperor would carry the blood of the Ancient Devils,” someone murmured from the crowd.
”Ancient Devils?” another scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. They’re nothing but the embodiment of sin.”
”Ancestral genes, huh?” a third voice mused. “Even if the match is only thirty percent, that’s still enough to qualify him for the rank of Count.”
Among the Peerage, there was a lingering, reluctant respect for Ancient Devil blood. After all, they were the ancestors of modern Devils. Even so, every race had its detractors. A small but vocal group despised anything connected to the Ancients, and because of his heritage, Aki had become one of their favorite targets.
Aki could not have cared less what they thought. He possessed multiple bloodlines, yet his Devil form remained his strongest by far. Better still, it allowed him to fight at full strength without revealing his ability to copy talents and lineages.
Rather than rely on magic, he chose close combat. Magic consumed Mana1 too quickly, and against someone like Riser Phoenix, whose regenerative abilities bordered on immortality, it would accomplish little. More importantly, Aki wanted to see whether this battle could finally push his long-stalled Martial Way forward.
Beneath the dark-red sky, he became a streak of black lightning and shot toward Riser Phoenix, whose cold eyes burned beneath wings wrapped in living flame.
At the last possible moment, Riser twisted aside.
BOOM!
The strike tore through empty air and slammed into the massive stone pillar behind him, reducing it to powder before Aki could pull back.
”What the…?” Riser stared as Aki emerged from the swirling dust completely unharmed. “That power and speed… The hell are you? What kind of monster are you supposed to be?”
Although Riser stood an entire realm above him, the gap between them was surprisingly small as long as Aki left the Boosted Gear untouched. The Phoenix heir immediately abandoned any thought of underestimating him and silently vowed not to give him a single chance to activate the Sacred Gear.
Aki brushed the dust from his shoulders and grinned. That strike had been close to his current limit, yet Riser had avoided it. The guy was definitely stronger than he had expected.
(Good. This is exactly the kind of fight that demands my full attention.)
Wrapped in Phoenix flames, Riser burst across the sky in a jagged yellow path before diving toward Aki beneath a crushing wave of Mana. Aki did not retreat. His combat-oriented nature fully awakened as he launched himself from the broken remains of the pillar and met the attack head-on.
Two torrents of Mana collided.
A cross-shaped shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, followed by a blinding flash that swallowed both fighters.
The Devils watching the broadcast instinctively shielded their eyes. Only those with sufficient strength could continue watching through the glare. When the light finally faded and the Mana dispersed, Aki was thrown backward, a charred fist-shaped bruise stamped across his bare chest.
”One realm of difference, huh?” he muttered. “Without the Sacred Gear, I really don’t stand much of a chance.”
”That Red Dragon Emperor successor has guts, but he’s too arrogant,” someone in the gallery remarked.
”Indeed,” another agreed. “He should have used the Boosted Gear from the start. Riser won’t leave an opening now.”
While the Peerage Devils debated among themselves, the atmosphere around the Gremory and Phoenix groups was completely different.
Ravel Phoenix sat with a folding fan in hand, her pink Lolita dress perfectly arranged as she glanced toward her sister-in-law.
”Sister Rias, you don’t seem worried about the Red Dragon Emperor’s successor at all.”
”The Red Dragon Emperor?” Rias blinked before realizing who she meant. “Ah, Aki. My apologies. He rarely uses the Boosted Gear, and his relationship with the Red Dragon Emperor is… complicated. It took me a moment to realize who you meant.”
Aki had first drawn the Underworld’s attention during the Azazel incident, and because the Boosted Gear had been at the center of everything, most Devils simply referred to him by that title. In reality, he hardly used it. The Sacred Gear was more of an insurance policy than a cornerstone of his strength.
There was no reason to explain all of that, however.
”The battle has only just begun,” Rias said instead. “Surely you don’t think that’s all Aki can do.”
As an SS+-class Devil, Rias had sparred with Aki more than anyone else. She was a genius even among Devils, blessed with extraordinary talent and enough combat ability to challenge multiple opponents of her own rank at once.
And yet she had never beaten him.
Every time she thought she had cornered him, he adapted. Every time she found an answer, he found a better one. His ability to copy skills, his instinct for overcoming impossible situations, and the frightening way he grew stronger as a battle dragged on made him a nightmare to face. That was not even mentioning abilities such as Berserk or Divine Body-Imitation Insight. If he had truly fought without restraint, Rias doubted she would have landed even a single clean hit.
Sirzechs’s interest deepened.
If Aki’s current performance was still not serious, then just how much was he holding back?
Meanwhile, the battle raged on.
Another blow sent Aki tumbling from the sky. As he steadied himself, he realized his clothes had been completely burned away by the Phoenix flames. He did not care about the exposure itself, but he had no interest in fighting half-naked.
(No wonder Riser keeps his outfit so simple.)
Using Instant Illusion, he immediately created a fresh set of black casual clothes.
(The guy’s basically fighting in pants.)
Several noblewomen watching from the sidelines flushed red, while more than a few men found themselves offering reluctant admiration. It was, after all, the physique of someone carrying Dragon blood.
High above, Riser felt exhilarated.
”See that?” he shouted. “Without the Boosted Gear, you’re nothing but trash!”
He poured vast amounts of Mana into his attacks and unleashed a relentless barrage while finally venting all the frustration he had been holding back.
”Is that really all you’ve got?” Aki asked calmly.
Riser relied on overwhelming physical ability and regenerative immortality, trading injury for injury without hesitation. It was a crude style, yet it perfectly countered Aki’s technical superiority. In this violent exchange, Aki was clearly being pushed back.
He briefly considered fighting more evasively before taking one look at Riser’s ridiculous yellow-haired delinquent hairstyle.
(Screw it. We’re doing this head-on.)
His combat-oriented nature welcomed the challenge. Between Mirror Reflection and his many other talents, if Riser wanted a bloody brawl, Aki was more than willing to oblige.
Sparks erupted, blood splashed across the battlefield, and Mana explosions shook every corner of the arena.
Gradually, Riser began to overwhelm him through sheer weight of power. Yet just as the Phoenix heir started feeling confident enough to mock him again, Aki stepped in and drove a brutal punch directly into his face.
The impact dwarfed every strike that had come before.
Blood spilled from Riser’s lips for the first time.
”How is this possible?” He stumbled backward, eyes wide with disbelief. “You bastard… what did you do?”
”I didn’t do anything,” Aki replied, his voice frighteningly calm. “I simply decided I was done playing along.”
Mana surged through his body as the chain-linked contract crest around his neck began to glow.
Trading blows had been entertaining, but it was doing nothing for his Martial Way. He had hoped Riser would provide enough pressure to force a breakthrough. Apparently, that hope had been misplaced.
At this point, he was tired of the posturing. If there was nothing left to gain here, he would rather spend his time with his wife.
Aki activated Berserk.
”If that’s all the strength you’ve got, this fight ends in five minutes.”
Berserk could last for ten, but with his physical abilities doubled, he now surpassed Riser outright. Once superior technique was added to the equation, five minutes was a generous estimate. He did not know exactly how long it would take to crush Riser’s will and overcome his immortality without revealing his other abilities, but he was finished waiting.
”Arrogant…” Riser snarled.
”Maybe,” Aki said, cutting him off. “You’re about to find out.”
After indulging Riser for this long, Aki considered it a small courtesy in return for the offer of his sister’s hand.
—
Trivia:
Rias Gremory has sparred with Aki more than any other devil.
Aki does not actually possess a direct, chosen lineage from the Red Dragon Emperor, but rather a working partnership.
Riser Phoenix’s immortality is dependent on mental and spiritual stamina, which can be overcome through sustained, overwhelming damage.
Aki’s Devil form is a strategic choice to hide his talent-copying abilities.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Aki – A tall, handsome Kuoh Academy strategist and Red Dragon Emperor successor with smooth, jade-like skin and a wild, sturdy physique. This mixed-blood Devil/Fallen Angel/Nekoshou is a dominant, authoritative powerhouse who uses dual cultivation, lightning magic, and high martial strength to heal others. Rias’s key pillar, he protects the Naruse sisters and Mio amid complex supernatural conflicts.
• Phoenix – The Phenex noble clan, from which Riser and Ravel originate, is known for their unique bloodline abilities and the healing properties of their tears.
• Riser – A tall, yellow-haired, punkish High-Class Devil of the Phoenix clan who wears a crimson suit, wields infinite wealth, and has a queen named Yubelluna. Driven by obsession and an intense drive for dominance, his arrogance masks permanent mental trauma, physical deterioration, and a near-death terror from a past duel. He uses fire control and near-immortal regeneration to pursue Super-Devil status, fueled by losing his fiancée, Rias Gremory, and a deep hatred for Aki.
• Gremory – Rias Gremory, a pure-blood devil of the prestigious Gremory house, has striking crimson hair, blue eyes, a curvy figure, and a prominent bust. Wielding top-level demonic power, she governs Kuoh Academy’s hidden hierarchy and leads her household in a high-stakes competition against the rival Phoenix clan.
• Ravel – The youngest child of the noble Phoenix clan, this sixteen-year-old blonde twin-tailed Devil princess sports flame wings and a lolita dress. Initially haughty and a loyal yet critical Bishop to her brother Riser, her sharp, analytical mind later leads her to join Rias’s peerage. Reverent yet nervous, she serves as a tactical asset, messenger, and patient escort with a solemn, sharp-tongued demeanor.
• Rias – An elegant, voluptuous SS+ rank Gremory devil heiress and Buchou with long crimson hair and green eyes. As future clan head and Sirzechs’ sister, this tea-loving, book-reading noblewoman commands a peerage from a villa. Wielding destruction mana, she navigates a forced marriage to Riser and a soul-bound bond with Aki, acting as a firm, confident leader and organizational contact for patients.
• Azazel – A decadent, arrogant fallen angel and former Governor General, this middle-aged man in a neon hot-spring yukata pairs a rogue personality with immense, Demon King-class power. Defeated by and confirmed weaker in combat than Aki via Balance Breaker, he still acts as a formidable antagonist who researches Sacred Gears, provides the Occult Research Club with data, and shapes their view of Aki.
• Sirzechs – Sirzechs Gremory, the powerful, red-haired Demon King and Lucifer-class Devil, holds immense political and combat authority. Older brother to Rias, he serves as a stern, focused arena observer for the Rating Game. He commands a regal appearance while navigating complex relationships with allies and rivals, manipulating events for his family’s benefit while maintaining an ambiguous political stance.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• Rias Gremory – Rias Gremory, a pure-blood high-class devil from the prestigious Gremory pillar, is the influential, commanding, yet occasionally lazy leader of Kuoh Academy’s Occult Research Club and its hidden hierarchy. She has a curvy, elegant figure, a large bust, striking crimson hair, and blue eyes. Wielding top-level demonic power, she expertly governs her household’s affairs and school club members.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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