From Chapter 57 onward, prepare for a major upgrade—writing, cleaner grammar, and a more immersive story!
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Scene Shift: Phenex Family Territory.
Inside a grand castle chamber, a blond young man sat alone on a sofa, legs crossed, head slightly turned so that his elbow rested on the armrest while propping up his cheek. Sunlight filtered through the colored windows near the wall, casting a half-shadow across his face like a Uchiha Itachi side profile.
"Brother."
A voice broke the silence from outside the room. The blond man—Riser Phenex—subtly shifted his brows.
He came back to his senses, turned toward the door, and saw a blond girl with twin tails enter.
Seeing it was her, Riser's stern face relaxed somewhat, even softening into a doting smile.
"Ah, Ravel. What is it?"
"Mm, it's about the Gremory family."
Ravel Phenex stepped up to the sofa, nodding.
"Oh?"
Riser arched a brow. "Gremory again? Let me guess—they're about to try some last-minute apology stunt?"
Arrogant as it might sound, he didn't see it as impossible.
Since Sirzechs became a Maou, Gremory technically had only Rias and Venelana left at home—mother and daughter alone, fairly isolated. Meanwhile, the Phenex family was thriving, with Riser's older brothers above him and Ravel as his younger sister. They were in the prime of their prosperity, overshadowing a Gremory with minimal manpower.
In Riser's mind, if not for the fact the Underworld forbade serious internal wars for the sake of rebuilding, Phenex family could have forced Gremory into submission ages ago.
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"It's not that," Ravel said with a small shake of her head. "We heard from the Demon Special Zone about an hour ago: Gremory's private train has already left the port. By now, they're presumably arrived at the castle."
"Hmm..."
Riser didn't look surprised.
Devils prized martial strength, after all. If there was a dispute they couldn't settle diplomatically, a fight determined everything. In devil society, retreat or forfeit wasn't an option. You might lose due to weaker skill, but refusing to battle at all was a life-long disgrace.
Had Gremory tried fleeing this challenge, they'd have been stripped of all respect as a Pillar family.
"So, Brother, how's your own prep going?" Ravel asked, arms tucked behind her back. "We already sent out invitations for tomorrow's showdown."
"Of course I'm ready."
Riser sneered confidently, pulling out a stack of printed documents—from behind him. The corners had faint logos from some "encyclopedia."
"These past few days, I've done thorough research on that kid. The so-called Keikain clan is just a line of Onmyoji from the human world, yes? Humans are weak by nature, so to gain angel- or devil-level power they rely on Sacred Gears. And as far as I can tell, the Keikain clan never produced a single Sacred Gear user. Later, they invented their Talismans, or Shikigami, or whatever, but that's still only enough to handle Mid-class Devils."
"Oh, so nothing especially formidable then."
Ravel's interest waned. She circled around behind the sofa, motioning for Riser to scoot aside. After a slight hesitation, he yielded some space, letting her sit.
"So you're confident you'll beat them tomorrow?"
"Obviously."
Riser flashed a condescending grin.
"Besides investigating that boy's background, I discovered a crippling weakness of Onmyoji in general. Any guess what that might be, Ravel?"
"...Just say it already, don't make me humor you."
The twin-tailed girl's manner was blunt.
Riser reddened but resumed quickly, "In short, humans are physically fragile. Without Sacred Gears, they rely on those little spells or rituals. Just to form a small fireball demands considerable chanting and time."
Ravel shook her head. "That's... quite inefficient."
She was a Phenex, inheriting their quasi-immortal healing factor, able to conjure flames as naturally as breathing. The notion that you'd need to gather energy for each petty technique was unfathomable—like having to "charge up" to speak a sentence.
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"Well, that's humans for you," Riser gave a boisterous laugh, then his voice grew cold. "In tomorrow's fight, I'll make sure the brat can't get off a single attack before my Hellfire incinerates him."
"Sure, sure..."
Seeing her brother's swelling pride, Ravel responded halfheartedly, rising to her feet with a wave. "All right, I've delivered the update. No more business, so I'm off."
"Wait!"
Riser seized a large album full of discs from behind him, the cover reading 'Power Rangers' or something.
"Ravel, I had them gather this from the human world for you. I haven't watched it myself, but I hear it's a popular hero show—"
"I don't care to see it."
She cut him off, stepping out, voice echoing back, "That's so childish, you watch it if you want. Also, dinner's about ready, stop acting mysterious in here."
Riser: "..."
Why indeed did it turn out like this? Once upon a time, Ravel had adored heroic tales. Now... she was completely different. Truly, a girl changes a lot as she grows...
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Meanwhile, back at the Gremory household—
Everyone was gathered around a grand dining table for dinner.
"So the duel is set for tomorrow, meaning we'll head off first thing in the morning,"
"Mm."
"Bokue, got any thoughts? Maybe feeling some pressure?"
"Nope."
At that, Bokue paused, setting down his silverware. "Still, if that guy's a Phoenix-Devil, maybe he'll stand up to a couple extra hits."
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