Time passed, and finally, the Rating Game between Riser Phenex and Rias Gremory arrived.
I was sitting in the best seat in the spectator stands, looking down below.
But...
"Why is he there?"
Standing in Rias Gremory's camp was a guy with all-too-familiar green hair.
Ryu, why is he there?
"Hm? Do you know him, Lord Eden?"
The current Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer, who was sitting next to me, asked.
"That... First, let me ask you something. Did that guy become your sister's servant?"
"They said that wasn't the case. He's a mercenary. Considering the skill gap between Riser-kun and Rias, the difference in experience, and the number of peerage members, we decided to allow one mercenary."
So he intervened in that way.
But you shouldn't be getting involved, you crazy bastard.
That guy is at the top of Ultimate-Class, at the very least...
In short, it's no different from an adult interfering in children's play.
Still, he'll probably go easy on them, right?
Perhaps because Riser is Ravel's brother, I feel weirdly uneasy about it, unable to completely ignore the situation.
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Hyoudou Issei had already collapsed.
In the original story, this was a fight where he would have endured until the end, only to lose due to Rias's surrender.
But now, something had changed.
Riser Phenex before his eyes was not merely a High-Class Devil.
A clear variable.
Originally, this should have been an easy fight for Ryu to win since he intervened.
"One-Sword Style."
Ryu focused his mind, holding a single sword.
"Iai."
The moment he shouted the technique's name, he dashed at a speed Riser couldn't even perceive and severed his upper and lower body with the drawn sword.
Literally, the ultimate quick-draw.
But Riser is a Phoenix.
With a burst of flames, his severed upper and lower body reconnected in an instant.
"To a mere human... I, a noble Devil of a prestigious house, cannot lose!"
Riser had always thought of himself as a winner.
A wealthy family, the unique regenerative ability of the Phoenix, and Riser's own talent.
Riser used to think that even if he did nothing, the life given to him was a paved road to success.
However, since a certain day, Riser had been feeling inferior.
It was because of a man named Eden, who became the master of his younger sister, Ravel.
An existence that dealt irrecoverable damage to God, the Satans, and the Fallen Angels in the past Great War.
An immortal monster that does not die, an indescribable aberrant dragon.
Since that man followed by countless modifiers became his sister's master, Riser had felt inferior to his sister.
It wasn't that he disliked Ravel.
Rather, he was close to a doting brother who cherished his sister.
But as an older brother, falling behind his younger sister was a huge humiliation for Riser.
And eventually, when Ravel became an Ultimate-Class Devil before him, he fell into despair.
At the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't beat Ravel, who was trained by the Chaos Dragon.
And at himself, who hadn't even tried properly to become stronger until now.
But even though he despaired, he did not give up.
Riser began to put in effort, something he hadn't done his entire life.
He trained endlessly to become stronger and whipped himself to reach a higher stage.
And now, he does not kneel before a strong opponent surpassing himself.
"Human, state your name."
"Ryu."
"Ryu... A good name. I will remember it. As the name of the man who made this Riser Phenex get serious!"
There is only one way to win against someone stronger than oneself.
A final attack staking everything he has.
If the opponent dodges, it ends there.
But facing each other now, he knows.
That the human named Ryu before his eyes will absolutely not dodge.
That he will simply fulfill the role of the strong.
He does not avoid the challenger approaching him.
That is the way of the strong.
That is why he gathered it.
His flames.
He performed the ultimate compression within his heart, as much as he could handle.
He wrapped a ring of supremely compressed fire around his heart, continuously regenerating his burning body with the Phoenix's regenerative power, simply circulating it.
The circulated flames became a larger fire, and that fire underwent compression again, eventually becoming a power that even a Satan could not ignore.
"Haha...! I like it! This kind of thing! Yeah, this is what makes a fight worth it! Try me! Riser Phenex──!"
Ryu thought.
The opponent before his eyes right now is a challenger staking his everything to challenge him.
Then isn't it only right for him to respond with full power as well?!
"Demon Spirit Nine-Sword Style!"
Ryu's form began to look like the image of Asura.
Massive and intense Touki wrapped around the nine swords.
The strongest technique Ryu can currently perform.
In the past, he collapsed from just a finger flick by Sera, but now it is different.
Not an illusion made simply of demon swords, but an Asura form made of Touki actually holding nine swords—it had become his own technique, no longer a mere imitation.
His body, strengthened by Touki, shot toward Riser at tremendous speed.
Using that speed, the nine swords moved to embed nine slashes into the enemy at once.
Simultaneously, Riser's technique was completed.
The supremely compressed flames were reminiscent of a small sun.
The miniature sun, created by burning even beyond his own regeneration, soon moved forward to incinerate everything and strike the enemy.
"Asura: One Flash!"
"The One!"
The storm of rusty-green slashes and the crimson sun clashed.
Shockwaves shook the virtual field and began to tear it apart.
And soon, the one whom the Goddess of Victory smiled upon was...
"Cough...! Did I... lose..."
"Yeah, but you were definitely strong. Riser Phenex. Your fighting spirit was real."
It was Ryu.
Riser collapsed, spraying blood from the nine slashes, and because he used a technique that transcended his limits, his regeneration wasn't functioning properly either.
But Ryu wasn't unscathed either.
With severe burns all over his body, he had gone blind in both eyes and didn't even have the strength left to move.
"Let me ask... one thing... Why... do you wield your sword to become so strong...?"
"To land a hit on that damn friend of mine, the guy you all call the Chaos Dragon..."
"Haha...! My, my... No wonder I felt we matched well..."
So we were both influenced by the same person...
With those words, Riser fainted.
[Contestant Riser Phenex, Retired! Therefore, the winner is Contestant Rias Gremory!]
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