Chapter 147 – God Is Dead, and He Shall Rebuild the Seventy-Two Demon Pillars
"Become my Demon Pillar—Gremory."
The words rang through the silent chamber, neither threat nor request, but something older. An ancient covenant, voiced once again.
Rias froze. Her breath caught at the edge of a decision she never thought she'd face.
To accept… would mean swearing fealty. Not to a faction, or a bloodline. But to the man whose name cracked the foundations of myth itself.
Bai Yue—Solomon returned.
His offer was not spontaneous. Not reckless. Everything that had transpired until now, she realized, had been orchestrated. The photograph, Aisha's awakening, the battle—they were not random. They were calculations. Tests.
Even his moment of revelation—his unveiled identity—had been carefully managed.
If he had disclosed himself from the start, she would have braced herself with every suspicion. If he had come bearing titles and demands, she might have called for reinforcements before hearing a word.
But he had let them uncover the truth on their own. Let them strike first. Let them crawl toward revelation, and now… left them too stunned to flee.
This wasn't reckless trust. It was deliberate vulnerability—the kind that allowed danger to masquerade as invitation.
And now, he was offering an alliance.
No, something more.
To become his Demon Pillar—an heir in the new order of seventy-two—a reformation of the legendary hierarchy born in the age of divinity.
Rias's mind swirled with implications. To accept such a pact would mean surrendering her current alignment. Her control. Her freedom?
Perhaps not all.
After all, Bai Yue hadn't forced her. He'd punished their challenge, but not their existence. He'd healed. He'd forgiven.
Still… she couldn't ignore one final whisper.
"I do not wish my identity to spread," he said softly.
It was not a plea.
It was a binding clause.
With that declaration, the air thickened—silent and dense, like cement poured into her lungs. She couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
Behind his gentle tone lay pressure—the weight of aeons. One wrong word could fracture not just her life, but the order of worlds.
"There are traitors," Bai Yue added, voice steady. "Within the three factions… and beyond."
Rias blinked.
"Traitors?"
"Ones who have sold this world."
She felt her heartbeat falter.
This world?
Not just the human realm. Not just the demon domain.
He spoke of the entire cosmology—of heaven, hell, earth, and the structures binding them.
Bai Yue's next words shattered the last remnants of her belief.
"God died in the Three-Faction War. Without His threat… ambition has no bounds."
It hit like thunder.
Rias staggered.
What?
God—dead?
It couldn't be true.
He couldn't mean the God.
But he did.
His eyes were solemn. His tone unshakable.
Even Aisha faltered, her healing halted, hands trembling mid-blessing.
"Did… did I misunderstand?" she whispered. "Did you mean another god?"
But the grief in Bai Yue's gaze dismissed her hope.
"No," she breathed. "The Lord… He's gone?"
She collapsed to the ground, vacant-eyed. Her faith, her identity—everything she built—now fractured into silence.
Rias wanted to deny it. Scream. But she saw it, too.
This wasn't rumor. This wasn't speculation.
This was history no one dared write.
A truth so dangerous, it had never surfaced.
朱乃 (Akeno), now recovered, echoed the disbelief.
"Why didn't we hear of this?"
She knew the answer even as she asked it.
Because it would unravel stability.
Because peace—the fragile tapestry of diplomacy—would not survive the knowledge.
A new war would rise. Factions would splinter. Those suppressed would revolt.
"It's the kind of truth no one can afford," she murmured.
Rias shook her head.
"You shouldn't have told us," she said.
And yet, he had.
If they ever revealed it…
They would become the catalysts of collapse.
Even if they swore secrecy, accidents happened. A slip of the tongue. A fevered dream. A forced confession under enchantment.
And then she realized—
Bai Yue didn't trust the Church, either.
Not the angels. Not the institution built atop God's absence.
Perhaps even heaven itself had corrupted.
Perhaps someone was reaching for the throne.
Had Solomon come here not just to rest… but to investigate?
Was this quiet town meant to be a shelter?
She doubted it.
More likely, it was a deliberate choice—guided by the summoning resonance that connected her bloodline to his legacy.
He wanted to rebuild the Demon Pillars.
And she was Gremory.
Her identity… had drawn him in from the start.
Rias released a heavy sigh.
So it was all deliberate.
She'd been tested.
And now… invited.
Would she accept?
Would she become the first Demon Pillar of a new world?
Chapter 148 – The Student Council President Demands Accountability
Morning broke over Kuoh Academy, but for Rias, it might as well have been dusk.
She stood in the mirror, massaging her temple, noting faint shadows under her eyes.
To any observer, she looked immaculate.
But within… exhaustion coiled like smoke.
She hadn't slept.
Not because devils needed rest.
But because her mind refused to quiet.
She'd spent the night unraveling everything: Bai Yue's identity, the offer, the divine collapse, the implications.
How had a legendary king of myth arrived at a school masquerading as human?
And why… did he demand secrecy?
Rias exhaled sharply.
"We've all been played."
Her voice trembled with anger.
From the moment Akeno revealed the photograph, from Aisha's reaction, from Bai Yue's calculated retreat and reappearance—
Everything was part of his design.
He'd let curiosity fester.
Then punished it.
Then rewarded their obedience.
A perfect push-pull. A predator's game.
She stepped out into the clubroom.
Akeno stood at the table, arranging handcrafted pastries into an elegant box.
"You're preparing an apology?"
"For Bai Yue," Akeno said plainly.
Her tone lacked resentment. It carried responsibility.
"It was my decision to attack."
Rias nodded. She'd nearly lost her closest companions last night.
Had she panicked, had she declared war in return, Bai Yue might have annihilated them all.
Suddenly, a pale hand darted in and snatched one pastry.
"Koneko!"
The petite girl crammed the treat into her mouth and chewed furiously.
Akeno stared.
Koneko grumbled between bites, "He deserved to lose one."
But the moment the flavors hit, her body tensed.
Then she grabbed for water—fast.
Rias narrowed her eyes.
"Seriously, Akeno?"
Akeno smiled.
"Just a touch of bitter spice. A reminder."
"You shouldn't provoke him."
"I know. I won't bring trouble again."
She spoke sincerely.
Her actions last night—despite being justifiable—had nearly ruined everything.
"I don't blame you," Rias said. "Anyone would've struck first."
"President. Akeno-senpai. I'm sorry!"
The voice came from Koneko.
She bowed low.
She felt responsible. It had been she who cut the call prematurely. Had she waited—had she confirmed Bai Yue's nature—Akeno might never have launched the strike.
Rias exhaled.
"No, the one who should apologize—"
And so their quiet recovery began.
With food, regret, and the echoes of a divine secret pressing on every breath.
Would they remain quiet?
Would they accept the offer?
And most of all—
Would Solomon's pillars rise again?