Chapter 42: Chapter 40: Consequences!
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Riser's face twisted in rage, but he held himself back, his flaming fist trembling at his side. Grayfia, on the other hand, maintained her usual cold composure, though there was a sharpness in her eyes as she turned toward him.
"Is this true, Riser? If what Shiro claims is correct, then there will be consequences." Grayfia's voice was laced with an undeniable authority.
Riser scoffed, trying to regain his arrogant demeanor. "How could you believe such lies from a lowly mortal!?"
Shiro smirked, crossing his arms. "Your family is the only one known to tame these Phoenix familiars, Riser. The collar I found had an inscription that literally said, 'If found, return to the Phenex family.'" He let the words hang in the air before continuing, "Now, I'm not saying you did it, but someone in your family definitely sent that thing to spy on Rias in her own territory. Lowly mortal or not, I'm keeping it—those feathers will be useful."
With a casual flick of his hand, Shiro stored the charred remains into his inventory.
Rias blinked. "Where'd it go?"
Shiro grinned. "Magic."
Riser's patience finally snapped. "That's it! I'm done with this nonsense—you die now!"
His entire arm erupted in flames, the searing heat distorting the air around it. He lunged forward, his flaming fist aimed straight at Shiro's head.
But Shiro was faster.
With a sharp pivot, he dodged the attack and leapt into the air. The moment Riser's punch missed, Shiro twisted his body midair, gathering momentum, and brought his heel crashing down onto Riser's skull.
BOOM!
Riser's body cratered through the floor, leaving behind a Riser-sized hole that extended to the level below. Dust and debris filled the air as a muffled groan echoed from the lower floor.
Grayfia sighed, rubbing her temples. "Sirzechs predicted something like this would happen…"
Shiro dusted off his hands. "A rating game is in order."
Grayfia gave him a blank stare. "…I was going to say that."
He flashed her a grin. "Beat you to it."
Grayfia exhaled, clearly already tired of his antics. "Before we continue, I need to confirm something."
Shiro tilted his head. "If you're about to ask if I'm single, then—"
Flick.
"Ow!" Shiro whined, rubbing his forehead.
"I was going to ask if you were serious about that claim, but now I have my answer." Grayfia deadpanned.
Shiro grumbled, but before he could say anything, he felt another sharp flick against his forehead.
"Ow! What the hell!?"
Koneko stood beside him, arms crossed. "That's for getting drunk the other night."
"…It was fun, though?" Shiro muttered.
Flick.
"Ow! Come on!"
Koneko simply narrowed her eyes at him. "You're a minor, and you should not be drinking."
Shiro pouted. "You sound like my mom—"
Flick.
"I take it back! I take it back!"
Before he could complain further, a loud groan echoed from the Riser-sized hole. Moments later, the blond noble stumbled out, his suit slightly burned and his face twisted in anger.
Grayfia turned to him. "Sirzechs has suggested a Rating Game as the proper course of action."
Riser straightened his posture, brushing off the dust from his clothes. "Riser agrees." His gaze turned sharp as he glanced at Rias. "But may I make a suggestion?"
Grayfia nodded. "Go ahead."
Riser smirked. "Riser shall grant Rias two weeks to train her peerage. Since this is all she has, it would be unfair to have a match in their current state. They should be given a handicap."
Rias clenched her fists at his patronizing tone. Even though he was technically offering her an advantage, it was clear he didn't consider it a real threat.
Riser continued, "You see, Riser knows that if Rias and her peerage fought against Riser's now, they would surely lose."
Shiro narrowed his eyes. (Oh, so he's only acting generous because Grayfia is watching.)
Seeing Rias silently fuming, Shiro decided to step in. "I actually agree with you, Riser."
Riser turned to him, surprised.
Shiro shrugged. "Even though you're an arrogant prick, you're not wrong. As they are now, they wouldn't stand a chance. But given the opportunity to train…" He grinned, "…they'll wipe the floor with you."
A visible vein popped on Riser's forehead as his smirk twitched violently. He was barely restraining himself from attacking again.
Grayfia, sensing the rising tension, nodded.
Grayfia crossed her arms, her cold, calculating eyes scanning me. "That request is reasonable. I'll make the necessary arrangements."
I nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Riser with a smirk. "Oh, and one more thing, Fried Chicken."
Riser's face twisted in anger. "What!?"
I gestured lazily toward the unconscious Issei. "That kid over there—the one currently drooling on the couch? He's the wielder of the Boosted Gear, the Red Dragon Emperor himself. And he used up all of Rias's pawn pieces. This two-week training period? Yeah, thanks for that—it's going to help him a lot."
I made sure to say it in the sweetest, most condescending tone possible, just to see his expression sour.
Riser's eye twitched in barely contained rage. "Hmph! You have two weeks, Rias. Make the most of them—because it won't matter."
With that, he disappeared in a burst of flames, leaving behind the faint scent of burnt arrogance.
Grayfia sighed, rubbing her temples. "I must inform Sirzechs about the details of the match. Do not waste these two weeks, Rias."
She turned to me briefly, her expression unreadable. "…And perhaps keep an eye on this one as well."
With a flick of her wrist, a magic circle formed beneath her feet, and she vanished in a swirl of light.
Silence settled over the room as eveShirone turned toward me.
Rias stared at me, utterly baffled. "Are you real?"
I shrugged. "Not sure at this point."
Akeno let out an amused chuckle, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "Ara~ Shiro-kun, just how are you so strong?"
I grinned darkly, my eyes flashing with excitement. "Oh, don't worry. You'll all find out soon enough."
The ominous tone in my voice sent a shiver down their spines, and I could practically see Kiba reevaluating his entire life.
Koneko, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. She tugged at my sleeve, her golden eyes staring up at me expectantly. "What's my training?"
I smiled mischievously, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
"How about we go for twenty-five rounds?"
Koneko's face immediately turned as red as Rias's hair, her grip on my sleeve tightening. I could feel the heat radiating from her as she stiffened.
Rias and Akeno exchanged curious looks, while Akeno barely stifled a giggle. Kiba, on the other hand, looked mildly jealous, while Issei continued his career as a professional floor mat.
"Here, let me wake him up."
With a casual flick of my wrist, sparks crackled at my fingertips, shocking Issei just enough to jolt him awake.
He shot up with a yelp, looking around dazed and confused.
Before I could celebrate my success, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my cheeks.
Koneko had grabbed them—hard.
"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell!?" I whined, squirming under her grip.
Koneko leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper, her breath hot against my ear.
"You were dominant last time… But this time, I'm on top."
I paled.
This tiny, deceptively adorable Neko could be absolutely terrifying when she wanted to be.
Meanwhile, Rias just knew something was up, her curiosity evident in her stare, while Akeno was giggling uncontrollably.
I sighed in defeat. "This is going to be a long two weeks…"
[Til Balance Breaker is unlocked: 69,990 / 500,000]
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