That human…That human was far too terrifying.
It wasn't just his overwhelming strength—Izumi fought with a brutality that bordered on sadistic.
Look at the two siblings of the Phoenix House—Riser Phoenix and Ravel Phoenix.Just look at them.
Their vaunted Undying Phoenix Regeneration, a gift their clan had always been proud of, had become their greatest curse today.
Reviving again and again only to be incinerated again and again…They had danced endlessly between life and death inside those explosions.Even after being forcefully teleported out, their eyes were vacant, as if their souls hadn't returned with their bodies.
Just hearing the name "Izumi" was enough to make them shiver.
Naturally, the Phoenix family elders were furious.They wanted to storm into the Human World and tear Izumi apart.
If not for the fear that Sirzechs would personally punish them, the Phoenix household's hot-blooded members would already be sharpening their claws at Kuoh Academy's gates.
…But even they knew the truth.
They could not win.They had watched the broadcast. They had seen everything.
Izumi was easily Maou-class, and in large-scale battles, his ability was outright broken.Simply hurling a weapon created an explosion on par with a tactical nuke.And he even wielded weapons that specifically countered the Phoenix bloodline—Riser's wounds had come from one such weapon.
Once they realized that, the Phoenix family collectively trembled.
This guy… cannot be provoked. Absolutely cannot.
The angriest siblings still wanted revenge, yes—But the rest of the clan?They swallowed all resentment and accepted reality.
Even those few Phoenix brothers who initially swore revenge… later realized the truth:
Riser's grudge shall remain unavenged for the rest of his life.
Back in the Occult Research Club's activity room—
Izumi was teleported back, and the moment he appeared, Aisia and the others rushed toward him.
"Izumi-sama!!""Welcome back!"
Asia immediately clung tightly to his arm, her grip trembling slightly.Seeing him unleash those apocalyptic blasts earlier had terrified her half to death.
Rias stepped forward next, sighing deeply.
"Izumi-kun, I believe… you may have caused a huge problem."
"Riser's family will not let this go."
Izumi blinked once, then shrugged as if it were nothing.
"I'm not scared. Why should you be?""And besides, it's not even certain they'll dare to come.""If they do, well… I don't mind collecting more materials."
He casually shook the bottles in his hand—Phoenix Tears and Phoenix Blood.
To obtain either was notoriously difficult.Phoenix wounds healed instantly, and their tears almost never flowed.
Ravel, in particular, seldom cried despite being a young girl—yet Izumi's continuous torment earlier had reduced her to a sobbing mess.Unfortunate for her… but excellent for his collection.
Rias covered her face with one hand, unsure whether to scold him or thank him.
Akeno, however, simply giggled.
"Buchou, it's fine. Izumi-kun clearly knows what he's doing~.""You should be happy, right? Your problem's been completely solved."
Rias's eyes lit up.
"That's true… Izumi-kun, thank you.""I'll speak to my brother. I'll have him warn the Phoenix family.""I won't allow anyone to come after you."
She smiled brightly—finally free from the engagement chains that had haunted her for so long.
Izumi waved off her concern.
"They won't come… not if they have common sense."
Indeed—After the spectacle he put on, the entire Underworld now knew his name.Not in a good way, necessarily—He was basically known as "that lunatic who nearly traumatized the Phoenix heirs into insanity."
Still, a reputation was a reputation.
With Rias's matter settled, Izumi gathered Megumi, Eriri, and Asia, and left the academy.Rias and her peerage had to return to the Underworld to handle post-match matters, so they wouldn't be around for a while.
Since it was still early, Izumi's group stopped at a café.
He figured he might as well check whether the system would exchange anything valuable for Phoenix Tears and Phoenix Blood.If the results were good…
Perhaps he could go and make Ravel cry regularly to harvest more tears?
A very profitable business idea.
Eriri took a sip of her iced cocoa, then leaned forward with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Izumi, that thing you used earlier… was that magic?""It caused explosions like missiles—no, like actual nuclear blasts!"
She still saw mushroom clouds when she closed her eyes.Japan had historical trauma related to such imagery.
Izumi answered calmly:
"Broken Phantasm.I simply detonated the Noble Phantasms I projected."
"All my projections contain a huge amount of mana.""When I overload and destroy them, the magical energy inside bursts out in a massive explosion."
"You saw the result yourself."
Eriri froze.
"Hold on—Those bizarre weapons you projected… they're all packed with mana?!Like… valuable, insanely expensive mana weapons?!"
"If you sold them you'd be the richest guy in Japan overnight!"
Izumi just smiled.
Eriri, meanwhile, looked like her worldview had been shattered on the spot.