Silence fell in the throne room. The demons and the fallen one looked at the living dead with various emotions, while the dragon and phoenix smiled mockingly.
— That's right, Rias, — Akeno spoke. — As you can see, I'm alive and full of strength.
— But... how? — the demoness asked, still not recovering from the shock. — Brother said that your figure was destroyed.
— I'm also interested in this question, — the fallen one chimed in. — You were half a fallen angel and a demon, and now I only feel a dragon bloodline. Such a thing should be impossible! How did this happen?
— You could say that I was reborn, — the girl said mockingly. — Akeno Himejima, half demon, half fallen angel, died, and in her place was Akeno Zankoku, a dragon and a good wife.
— Nonsense! Even with dragonization, the figure of evil remains in the host's body! — the leader of the Grigori could not restrain himself. — This simply should not be! It is impossible to easily destroy the figure while leaving the host alive.
— As you can see, anything is possible! — Kiyoshi said, not hiding his joy. — Someone got rid of the hated bloodline and imposed connection, and someone returned after death, — the guy looked around at everyone present. — You just need to use the right tool.
— The Grail, — Azazel guessed. But if the mechanism could handle the revival of the deceased, then the situation with Akeno seemed incomprehensible to the man. Before he voiced his doubts, the Gremory servant beat him to it.
— Where is Valerie? — the dhampir shouted in anger, trying to get out of the grip of the blue—haired swordswoman. — What did you do to her? Answer!
— She is no longer among us. I took on the duties of the Holy Church, — fiery wings appeared behind the guy, and a flaming halo illuminated his head, as if mockingly, — and gave all the abominable creatures to the Holy Flame.
— I don't believe it! — said the fallen one primarily for Gasper. — A bastard like you couldn't miss out on your benefit by killing the bearer of the longinus. You probably took Valerie hostage and moved her with that dragon.
Azazel and Kiyoshi looked at each other appraisingly, while the surrounding people waited with bated breath for his answer. After half a minute of staring, the phoenix's smile grew even wider and he laughed.
— Ha-ha-ha! You're right, the dhampir is in my hands, however, believe it or not, this dragon has nothing to do with me. We were also caught off guard by his appearance. By the way, you are also a surprise to me. What are you doing in this place with such a team? — Zankoku looked at the two heiresses. — Isn't Sirzechs afraid for his little sister's life? What about the magical girl? What if the villains try to kidnap her?
— The sister has nothing to fear, — Sona took a step forward, drawing attention to herself. — No matter how strong the evil, the magical girl will always prevail. Levia—tan will defeat you!
After Sona's words, the hall fell silent. Everyone was surprised by the demoness's performance, even the heiress herself blushed from all the gazes focused on her.
— Aha-ha-ha! — Kiyoshi couldn't help but burst out laughing. Akeno next to him reacted less vividly, quietly laughing, covering her face with her hand. — This is really scary! Levia—tan's anger! — Even though he made this mocking comment, the phoenix was happy to hear Sitri's remark. This code phrase, invented by Serafall, confirmed that Sona knew about her sister's contract with the Shinto faction. With this, Zankoku had fewer problems in the upcoming performance.
"My soldiers will not use their full power, but if you do not take this seriously, one of your servants may die," — leaving a telepathic message to the demoness, the boy decided to take action.
— I only want Azazel's life, do not interfere, and I will not touch you, — the blond made an offer to the demons, but it was immediately rejected. —Well, it is your choice, — sparks separated from his wings, forming legionnaires. Five of them landed behind Akeno. — Darling, can you hold them off for a while while I deal with the fallen one?
— Of course! How can I refuse my husband's request, — the girl answered with a sweet smile.
— I don't mind if you're a little cruel while playing with them, — Kiyoshi's body was covered in fire, transforming into his battle form. Phoenix decided to take advantage of the opportunity and gain even more benefit. — By the way, dhampir, just because your friend is still alive doesn't mean it will last long. I only want the Gear, not her.
The provocation worked, and Gasper could no longer hold back, completely giving in to his emotions.
— Give Valerie back! — The dhampir's figure was covered in dark smoke. With a menacing roar, he rushed straight at Kiyoshi.
— Wait, Gasper! — The "Bishop" did not react to Rias's order.
Phoenix easily blocked the attack and, grabbing him by the arm, threw him out the window into the street. Letting out a light chuckle, he sent his puppets at the fallen man, and he himself followed the bearer of Balor's Forbidden Sight.
Azazel, who had been trying to find a loophole in the barrier and contact his allies, got rid of the legionnaires with irritation and flew out after Zankoku.
— Damn it! Xenovia, help Gasper and Azazel, and we'll deal with Akeno and those dolls.
— Okay, Rias. Good luck! — the blue—haired girl flew out into the courtyard without any obstacles.
— Can we begin now? — Akeno said cheerfully. — Or should I wait a little longer?
— Akeno, why did you leave? We were like a family, weren't we? — Rias asked sadly.
— Family? Are you serious? — the brunette looked at her "friend" in surprise. — I was your servant, Rias. I don't know if you know it or not, but it was in your brother's servant's territory that I was suddenly hunted again, although I had been of no use to them for a long time before. When the little girl was cornered, the heiress of the clan appeared before her like a prince on a white horse, accompanied by the owner of this territory, giving her a choice: die or serve. What a great way to become a family!
— But you were cared for and helped in your training. You became much stronger thanks to that, — the red-haired girl tried to get through to her. — And also, over all the time we spent together, didn't we become friends?
— Of course, I was helped in my training. The "Queen" of the clan's heiress must be strong in order to protect her "King" and improve his prestige, — she said the simple truth. — As for the latter, it is obvious that I must be on good terms with my mistress so as not to fall into disfavor. However, Rias, all these years you have not acted like a friend. You have ordered and managed our lives according to your whim.
— That is not so, Akeno-senpai! — Issei, who relied on his mistress' skills, could no longer remain silent. — Rias-sama values and cares for her servants!
— Are you so sure of that? — The brunette looked straight into the eyes of the Sekiryuutei. The vertical pupils of her dragon eyes made Hyodo shudder.
— Yes! — Her serious tone and gaze made the guy doubt for a second, but he remained faithful to his beloved. — I believe in Rias!
— Will you remain as faithful after what I tell you? — This strong devotion of Issei made Akeno's sadistic desires awaken. She wanted to see how this guy in love would break. All the positive feelings he had for Rias would shatter like glass, turning into hatred and malice. — Then let's start small, Issei — her charming smile brought a wave of goosebumps to the Sekiryuutei's body. Although the girl's smile looked beautiful, the brown-haired man felt an unknown fear. — The incident with the stolen fragments of Excalibur. When Kokabiel appeared, the situation instantly got out of our control. An enemy like that was way out of our league. Rias should have contacted her brother and waited for help from the underworld, but what did she do? Our "King," — she emphasized the red-haired girl's title with irony, — wanted to raise her status by defeating one of the Grigori generals. And without taking into account the huge difference in strength. She foolishly risked her life and ours by doing so, which ultimately led to Yuuto's death. Or do you think that we were able to defeat Kokabiel?
As much as Issei wanted to refute her words, he understood that they were right. All attacks, even those strengthened to the maximum by his mechanism, could not harm the fallen angel.
Aside, Sona Sitri silently agreed with the girl's words. She had long scolded herself for giving in to her friend's words. Her parents and sister also spoke a lot to her about her rash actions. In general, this whole situation they were in now was strange for the heiress of Sitri. While a serious battle was raging outside the castle walls, a normal conversation was taking place here, and Sona herself and her retinue were pretending to be furniture, standing quietly to the side. The girl was only happy that she managed to reduce the risks for her group and create an alibi.
— By the way, about caring for the servants, — the dragonborn continued, — she really treats them well, but do you know how everyone actually became Rias's figures?
— Akeno, don't! — the heiress of Gremory begged, but it led to nothing.
— You've already heard my story. Kiba escaped from the church laboratory and wandered in the forest for a long time, until the 'mistress' found him at the last moment, — the brunette said with a grin, — but she could have appeared earlier. Completely by accident, walking through the wilds near the hidden base of the church. Little Gasper was tracked by the hunters and killed, but our "King" was also nearby and saved the dhampir by making him his figure. And now it's your turn, Issei, — seeing how the emotions on the guy's face changed, Akeno smiled predatorily, showing her fangs. — You already guessed, right?
— President, — he turned to Rias with hope, — that's not true, is it? — but there was no answer.
— That's right! — the brunette's voice no longer concealed her amusement. — The interest of the fallen in you, as well as the result of the unsuccessful date with that chicken — all of this happened under our watchful eyes. Rias's preparation for the fight against Raiser paid off. You were able to defeat Phenex and save her from an unwanted marriage, — here Akeno's behavior changed slightly. She made a deep bow to Hyoudou. — I want to thank you for this. With your victory, you also saved me from becoming a concubine. Thank you very much!
— Uh, yeah. You're welcome, — the Sekiryuutei was confused by this and did not immediately react.
— In general, you don't know much about Rias. All of her servants, or family as she calls it, with the exception of Xenovia, were on the verge of death before receiving the Evil Piece. Now decide for yourself: how much does she value and care for her servants. Personally, I am glad to get rid of the slave collar and become free again, — the brunette's words made Hyoudou think hard. — So, Rias, we can't start everything from the beginning, as you probably want. I do not intend to obey anyone except my husband anymore.
— Then I will have to fight you as an enemy of the Biblical factions.
— Try it, if you have the strength for it, — with a wave of her hand, Akeno sent four legionnaires to the already bored Sona and her retinue, leaving one next to her. — Two against two — it will be a fair fight.
Gathering a sphere of destruction in her hand, the Gremory heiress launched it at the brunette, but the released lightning destroyed the attack halfway.
— You will have to try hard to defeat me, — the brunette said with a superior smile, sending Holy Lightning at her former "King".
Rias did the same as her opponent, destroying the attack with her own. At this time, Issei did not stand still. He summoned his Balance Breaker and clashed with the Legionnaire. The Holy Flames that the warrior was made of brought discomfort to Hyodo, but the armor imbued with dragon energy reduced the effect to a minimum.
— Damn! And he is an inconvenient opponent, — the Sekiryuutei complained, dodging the Holy Magic. — Take that! — The mechanism accumulated the maximum possible gain. — Transmission! Dragon Volley!
A huge clot of enhanced concentrated demonic energy completely engulfed the Legionnaire, destroying him and the wall behind him, until it collided with the barrier and went out, unable to break through it.
The Sekiryuutei looked at the student council and, realizing that they could handle it themselves, decided to help his mistress.
— Akeno-san, I understand what you wanted to say, — the guy said, looking at the smiling girl, — but I am Rias Gremory's pawn. I love my "King" and believe in her, so please surrender. I don't want to hurt you.
— Issei, — Rias's voice was full of joy. She couldn't help but smile happily.
— Well, I didn't expect anything particularly smart from you to begin with, but you are too self—confident for a lower devil, — the brunette said arrogantly. — Even with the strengthening mechanism, you are too weak to release its real power.
At the moment of her speech, destruction magic flew at Akeno. Rias did not waste the opportunity to attack. The former Himejima did not use magic in response. When the sphere almost reached its target, the girl's right hand turned into a dragon's, and the brunette simply waved it away, redirecting the magic to the side.
— How? — the red-haired girl asked in shock.
— Why are you so surprised? — Akeno asked with a grin. Her other hand also transformed, and powerful dragon wings appeared behind her back, lifting the girl into the air. — Now I am a real dragon with all the advantages, and not something like Issei, who sacrificed part of his body. I have become much more powerful than I was before, so your power will not be able to harm me, Rias. You still haven't started training, so you can only suppress someone weaker than you.
The red-haired demoness frowned at the words of her former friend and bit her lip, absorbed in her thoughts. The Sekiryuutei looked at Akeno's transformed parts in surprise. He felt envious and looked at his left hand. The green stone on his palm was hidden by a plate, allowing Ddraig's consciousness to be limited, leaving only the mechanical voice of the mechanism. The Sekiryuutei thought that he had the opportunity to also obtain the power of a dragon before he did the same to his partner.
— Try my fire breath, — a scorching stream of flame came out of Akeno's mouth.
Rias and Issei managed to avoid the attack. In the place where they had been before, there was a red-hot stone that was gradually melting. This made the guy swallow. He did not want to experience such a fate at all. He turned his gaze to the cheerful girl who had carried out such an attack. She had already taken a deep breath, preparing to repeat her breath, when Zankoku appeared next to her in a flash of fire. The most surprising thing for those present was the unconscious body of a dhampir in his hand.
— The time for games is over, — the white-haired man only glanced at the demons and continued talking to his companion, — it's time for us to leave. One of the Lords came to their aid, so there was no time to bully the children.
Having embraced his wife's waist, the phoenix burst into purple fire, hiding them from the sight of those around them. As soon as the flame disappeared, there was no trace left of the couple who had been there before.