With the arrival of Norse Chief God Odin, the following days were filled with the Rating Game matches of the younger generation of devils from various families.
Regarding the match between Rias and Souna, Arthas had no intention of interfering. As their shared familiar, all Arthas could do was remain neutral, offering support to both sides equally.
However, even so, Rias's team was overwhelmingly powerful. Not only did she have Asia, a powerful healer, but the three Holy Sword wielders, Kiba Yuuto, Xenovia, and Irina, were enough to give Souna a run for her money.
All three of their Sacred Gears were weapons that were effective against devils, while Souna's only true fighting force was her Queen.
Arthas hadn't been idle during this time either, using the opportunity to learn more about the Khaos Brigade from Toujou Kuroka.
According to her, the Khaos Brigade was planning something during the young devils' Rating Game, with the Old Satan Faction acting as the vanguard in the attack.
As for what the purpose of their actions was, Kuroka didn't know. She knew very little about their leader, Ophis.
All she knew was that Ophis spent all her time in a dark room, sitting silently on a high platform, receiving the worship of the Khaos Brigade members and bestowing upon them snakes imbued with power.
It was worth noting that Ophis's appearance was that of a petite, black-haired girl, which was quite unexpected.
Soon after, the first match, which served as a sort of opening ceremony, finally began: Rias versus Souna. The result didn't seem to surprise anyone.
Although Souna had worked hard to plan her strategy, the absolute difference in strength between the two sides led to her narrow defeat at the hands of Rias.
However, just as Souna was feeling dejected about her inability to realize her dream, Rias made a move that caught many devils by surprise.
Using her position as the next head of the Gremory family, she pledged to support Souna's ideal of opening a Rating Game school that would treat everyone equally.
When asked about his younger sister's actions, Sirzechs simply smiled, saying that his sister had grown up, and it was time for her to start handling the affairs of the Gremory family.
With this, the faction supporting Souna's wish now included the two great families of Gremory and Sitri, and standing behind them were two Devil Kings. This luxurious lineup caused the old-fashioned devils to fall silent.
As the young devils' Rating Game was nearing its climax, Arthas suddenly grabbed Kuroka and hurriedly rushed into the venue.
"Arthas, what's going on?!" Seeing Arthas bring Kuroka here, Sirzechs knew that something big must have happened.
"The next match is Rias against the Astaroth family, right?" Arthas said, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Rias… she hasn't already entered the arena, has she?"
"That's right… why?" Sirzechs asked.
"Hurry over there, it's a trap set by the Khaos Brigade!"
It was Kuroka who spoke these words. Sirzechs looked at her with a skeptical gaze, while Arthas nodded in agreement.
"The Astaroth family has already joined forces with the Khaos Brigade, and the one who sent this information was none other than Vali. Although I don't know what his purpose is, I don't think he has any reason to deceive us."
Rias's vision cleared from the dazzling light of the magic circle as she opened her eyes.
The area was simply an open field.
Pillars stood in neat rows at regular intervals, their bases made of stone. Rias looked around, noticing a huge temple entrance behind her.
It was built in the style of temples from the Greek era. She suddenly noticed that it was completely undamaged, appearing as if it had just been built. The sky was, as always, a pure white.
It seemed that this was the battlefield, but she had been waiting for a long time, and still hadn't received the referee's signal to start.
"That's strange," Rias said, frowning slightly.
Just as Rias and her familiars were feeling puzzled, magic circles appeared on the opposite side of the temple!
Why were they in that location? Did this mean that the match would be a close-quarters brawl?!
Rias felt a sense of danger! Her familiars also prepared for battle!
However, there was more than one magic circle! Accompanied by more light, they appeared all around, as if trying to encircle Rias and her group!
"Those aren't the crests of the Astaroth family!" Rias exclaimed in alarm, her voice filled with concern.
Kiba Yuuto, Xenovia, and Irina raised their swords, preparing to defend.
Himejima Akeno, with lightning crackling around her hands, said,
"None of the magic circles have anything in common. But…"
"They're all devil magic circles. And if I remember correctly…"
Rias, surrounded by a red aura filled with power, cast a stern gaze around her.
Appearing from the magic circles were large numbers of devils! All of them were filled with killing intent and hostility as they charged towards Rias and her group, surrounding them and letting out fierce battle cries!
"Judging from the magic circles, these are members of the Old Satan Faction who have defected to the 'Khaos Brigade'," Rias said with a grim expression.
Before them were hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of enemies. The situation was dire.
"You detestable inheritors of the false Devil King's bloodline, Gremory! Disappear here and now!"
One of the devils who had surrounded them taunted Rias! As expected, to the devils who supported the Old Satan Faction, the current Devil Kings and those associated with them were thorns in their sides.
The numerous devils gathered together, preparing to unleash a barrage of magic bullets. Although they were mostly mid- to high-class devils, no one could underestimate the power of such a massive volley.
However, before their attacks could be launched, hundreds of devils were reduced to ashes in an instant, engulfed by a red ripple filled with destructive power.
"Onii… Onii-sama?" Looking at the figure who had suddenly appeared before her, Rias said in surprise.
"I'm glad I made it in time." Having easily annihilated the devils before him, Sirzechs let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Onii-sama, how did you get here?" Rias asked curiously.
"Hmm. It's a long story. In short, the 'Khaos Brigade' tampered with the match's teleportation circle."
The next head of the Astaroth family secretly allied with the Old Satan Faction, defecting to the Khaos Brigade.
Arthas got wind of this and came to warn us, but it seems that when we entered this area, they deployed a powerful barrier.
The outside world is probably in chaos right now, and it seems that the teleportation circles are also performing random teleports! Sirzechs said with a troubled expression.
"You all retreat towards the temple. I'll handle things here." Seeing the symbols of teleportation circles flashing around them once more, Sirzechs said quickly.
"I understand, Onii-sama." Rias nodded, then led her familiars in a retreat, any devils who tried to attack Rias and her group being mercilessly crushed into fragments by the terrifying aura of destruction that emanated from Sirzechs.
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