Kiseki glanced at Raynare, who was preparing to throw her light spear. Then, his eyes shifted to the dying Issei.
"Issei, take out the leaflet in your pocket," Kiseki said urgently.
Issei looked at him in confusion, but Kiseki repeated more forcefully, "The leaflet you got from the girl in the succubus costume—take it out now."
Realizing what Kiseki meant, Issei slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the ornate leaflet marked with a beautiful red symbol. He looked at Kiseki again, waiting for further instructions.
Kiseki nodded in approval. "Now, hold it tightly and sincerely ask for help—loudly."
Issei blinked, clearly wondering if Kiseki had lost his mind. But before he could speak, Kiseki snapped, "Just do it, damn it! Do you want to live or not?!"
Startled by the outburst, Issei quickly held the leaflet in both hands and prayed desperately in his heart.
Suddenly, a radiant red light burst forth from the leaflet. A large magic circle formed beneath Issei, glowing with intense energy. From within the circle, two silhouettes began to emerge.
When the light subsided, two girls stood there: one with long crimson hair, exuding elegance and authority; the other with flowing black hair and a playful, dangerous aura. The black-haired girl stood slightly behind the redhead.
"Maa... I didn't expect such an interesting scene to greet us upon being summoned. Don't you think so, Rias?" said the black-haired girl with a teasing smile.
"Shut up, Akeno. I can see that clearly," retorted the red-haired girl—Rias.
Raynare's battle stance relaxed as she smirked. "Hahaha… I never expected to meet the Ruin Princess herself—Rias Gremory—and the Thunder Priestess, Akeno Himejima."
Rias took in the surroundings calmly. She noted the bleeding Issei at her feet, Kiseki standing protectively in front of Aika, and the overall chaotic atmosphere.
With a smile, she turned to Kiseki. "Kiseki Kanda, mind telling me why you had Issei summon me? If I'm not mistaken, you also received one of our special leaflets."
Kiseki nodded. "If my guess was correct, you've been observing Issei for a while—probably for the same reason Raynare mentioned earlier. So I gambled that you were still keeping an eye on him, and used him as the summoner."
Akeno chuckled. "Fufufu… What a clever one. Rias, I think he'd be a fun addition to our team."
Rias nodded in agreement but focused on the more immediate issue. She turned to Issei. "Hyoudou Issei, do you want me to save your life? Understand that if I do, your life will belong to me from this point forward. What's your answer?"
Issei was stunned, but after a moment of hesitation, he weakly replied, "I agree. Please save me. I'll be yours. And besides, serving under the 'Big Sister' admired by half the school? I'm not losing anything."
Rias noticed the perverted glint in his eyes but chose to ignore it. She raised her hand and declared, "Then, under my name—Rias Gremory of the Gremory Clan—I appoint Hyoudou Issei as my servant."
A red pawn piece appeared above Issei's body, glowing faintly. Surprised by the weak response, Rias added another pawn… and another… until a total of eight glowing pawns hovered above him.
The red light intensified as all eight pawn pieces merged into Issei's body. The magic enveloped him, and in moments, his wounds vanished completely. He was fully healed, and his body showed no signs of injury.
"Maa... Eight pawns just to revive one guy?" Akeno said in amazement. "Looks like we've brought a monster into the team."
Rias smiled confidently. "Indeed, Akeno. Today's summoning turned out better than expected."
Raynare stood frozen in disbelief. But as the shock faded, her eyes narrowed.
"This boy… I can't let him live. If he grows stronger, he'll become a threat."
Without hesitation, she hurled another light spear directly at Issei.
"Issei! Move!" Kiseki shouted as he rushed closer to Rias and Akeno.
Still dazed, Issei reacted just in time and rolled away, narrowly dodging the deadly attack. He scrambled to his feet and ran toward Rias and the others.
Raynare conjured several more spears, throwing them in rapid succession. However, Rias and Akeno stepped forward, effortlessly blocking her attacks with defensive magic.
"Fufufu… Someone's impatient," Akeno said, smiling as she turned to Rias. "So, what's our next move?"
Rias didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Kiseki and asked,
"What's your plan, Kiseki Kanda? I'll cooperate with you—for now."
Kiseki looked at Rias and asked, "Rias-senpai, what do you plan to do with Raynare?"
"In all honesty, I'd prefer to kill her," Rias replied calmly. "But I don't want to risk a conflict with the faction backing her."
"Then... what legal justification would allow you to kill her openly?" Kiseki pressed.
Rias paused for a moment before replying, "If she's operating in my territory without orders from her superiors, I can legally eliminate her for causing trouble within my jurisdiction."
Kiseki nodded thoughtfully. "Then, I'll just drive her away for now."
"Tch. You brat. Such arrogance," Raynare snapped. "Do you really think you can take me on? Maybe those Gremory girls can fight me, but you? Don't make me laugh—you're not even qualified."
Kiseki just shrugged. "I know, Miss Raynare. By your logic, I'd need Rias-senpai's help if I wanted to fight you."
"Exactly," Raynare smirked.
"Well then," Kiseki said as he pulled out a leaflet from his pocket. "I hereby request help from Rias Gremory."
Rias smiled and asked, "What kind of help are you asking for, Kiseki Kanda?"
"I want you to bestow upon me the Power of Destruction."
Rias's expression shifted to shock. "How do you know about my power? I don't recall telling you."
"That's a secret, Rias-senpai," Kiseki replied with a finger over his lips. "So, can you grant it to me?"
"Of course," Rias agreed, though her tone was serious. "But be warned—my power isn't something easily controlled."
"Don't worry, Rias-senpai. Just watch my performance."
"And the price for this request?" she asked with interest.
Kiseki thought for a moment. "I'll owe you a favor. If you ever face trouble, I promise to help you—under my name, Kiseki Kanda."
"Very well," Rias said, satisfied. She summoned a sphere of crimson energy—the Power of Destruction—and sent it toward Kiseki.
As the power surged into him, Kiseki could feel its overwhelming desire for annihilation. Thanks to his unique ability, he quickly adapted. Under everyone's stunned gazes, he coated his entire body with the power, then conjured a sword brimming with it.
Facing Raynare's shocked expression, Kiseki asked, "So, Miss Raynare, do you still think I'm unqualified to fight you?"
Raynare grit her teeth. "I underestimated you, Kiseki Kanda. To think you could wield the Gremory Clan's power... You're strong enough to fight me."
Kiseki nodded. "Then let's begin."
He vanished from his spot, reappearing behind Raynare. His sword slashed at her waist—she narrowly dodged, but a thin line formed across her side, blood slowly seeping out.
Raynare touched her wound in disbelief. "Impossible! I dodged that! How did you injure me?!"
Kiseki raised his sword. "Take a closer look, Miss Raynare. Do you see anything?"
Raynare stared but saw nothing unusual—until Rias spoke.
"He's coated the sword with invisible Power of Destruction. It's only visible if you know what to look for." She then added with a wry smile, "Ironically, I can barely perceive it myself—even though I'm its original wielder. Kiseki, you've refined my power to a level beyond what I imagined."
"I'm sorry, Rias-senpai," Kiseki said with a guilty look.
Rias waved it off. "Don't worry. I'm not so weak as to need your sympathy."
Kiseki nodded, then turned back to Raynare. "Let's continue, Miss Raynare."
"Don't get cocky!" Raynare shouted, charging in for close combat.
They exchanged fierce blows, both taking hits. But slowly, Kiseki began to gain the upper hand. His precise control over the destructive energy allowed him to wear Raynare down, her injuries worsening with each clash.
Eventually, she kicked him back and flew a short distance away, breathing heavily. Her stamina was nearly depleted.
"We'll end it here," she growled. "There's no point in continuing. Besides, I've learned enough today."
She spread her wings and took flight. "I'll leave for now, but remember this—Kiseki Kanda. Don't die before I repay this loss."
As her voice faded into the night sky, Kiseki let the destructive aura fade from his body and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
"Kiseki!" Aika cried, rushing to his side.
Kiseki looked up at her with a tired smile. "I won, Aika."
"Yes, you did," said Rias, approaching with Akeno and Issei. "Congratulations, Kiseki Kanda."
"Thank you, Rias-senpai," he replied.
"Fufufu… I didn't expect a junior to hold his ground against a Fallen Angel like that," Akeno commented with a smirk.
"I was just lucky, Akeno-senpai. Without Rias-senpai's power, I wouldn't have stood a chance."
"You were amazing, Kiseki!" Issei grinned. "You've gotta teach me how to fight like that!"
"I'll teach you later, Issei. Right now... I just need to rest."
"Then rest in our clubroom," Rias offered. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the Occult Research Club."
Kiseki nodded. "I'll take you up on that, Rias-senpai."
END OF THE CHAPTER.