~ We're almost close to the 200 Power Stone Bonus Chapter.
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Returning to the banquet hall, the gazes coming from all directions had already subtly transformed.
Just ten minutes ago, they had been filled with curiosity, amusement, mockery, and even disdain.
Now, those same gazes had turned to awe, astonishment, respect—and even fear.
One must realize that the Phenex family was ranked thirty-seventh among the Seventy-Two Pillars, almost twenty places higher than the fifty-sixth-ranked Gremory family.
In other words, defeating Riser meant having power enough to rank near the very top among high-ranking devils of the Seventy-Two Pillars.
But to defeat him so completely—practically a one-sided beatdown—was something even Ultimate-class Devils might not easily accomplish.
After all, though the Phenex family only ranked thirty-seventh, their near-limitless regeneration allowed them to remain undefeated even in disadvantaged fights.
Taking all this into account, the conservative estimation was that this young human named Bokue Keikain possessed combat power at least at Satan-class—perhaps even beyond...
And currently, there were only four Satan in the Underworld…
"Bokue!"
Inside the castle, as the crimson magic barrier dissipated, the white-robed youth stepped into the banquet hall, only to be instantly tackled by the excited red-haired girl who'd waited anxiously for his return, giving him an unreserved hug.
"How are you? Are you feeling alright? You're not hurt anywhere, right?"
Hurt?
Well, obviously not.
Bokue Keikain chuckled softly, gently patting Rias's back in a soothing gesture.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Also, Rias, you should probably let go first. I just came back from outside; there's dust all over me."
"It's okay, I don't mind."
Rias huffed softly, displaying a bit of rebelliousness as she not only refused to let go but even tightened her embrace.
Not far from the pair, Riser—lying on a stretcher as he was carried away—just happened to pass by. Looking at the two closely embracing figures, envy and helplessness flickered through his bruised and swollen eyes, barely open enough to see clearly.
Truthfully, Rias really was beautiful.
And truthfully, Bokue Keikain really hit hard.
If you ask how he remained calm when seeing his own fiancée held intimately by another man, the reason was simple—apart from remaining calm, there wasn't really anything else he could do about it...
At the same time, Himejima Akeno and the others moved closer.
As Rias's best friends, naturally, they couldn't allow her to monopolize their mutual love interest so easily.
"Bokue-kun, you looked really cool when you gave that speech earlier~"
The moment Akeno arrived, she brazenly approached Bokue Keikain's side. Without regard for the fact that Rias was still hugging him, she promptly pressed her soft chest against the young man's arm.
Tsss…
A small vein immediately popped on the red-haired girl's forehead.
This Akeno… could she not see she was still hugging him? Did she have to come barging in like that? Just because her breasts were a little bigger, huh?
Fine, they were quite impressive.
Though Rias hated admitting it, the simple truth was that, if measured purely by cup size, Akeno was indeed slightly bigger—probably by the approximate thickness of about three kittens stacked together.
"Meow!"
Right then, Kuroka—previously curled snugly in her younger sister's arms—suddenly cried out, then gracefully leaped from the white-haired girl's gentle embrace directly toward Bokue.
Instinctively, Bokue turned and caught the black cat midair.
As if she'd found her personal exclusive cat bed, Kuroka immediately curled comfortably into a fluffy cat-ball nestled against his chest.
That's right. As long as she occupied his embrace first, he wouldn't have free arms left for hugging anyone else.
'These young ladies were still far too naïve. Hohoho~' Kuroka proudly gloated, completely ignoring the two girls nearby whose faces were now written clearly with dissatisfaction.
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Meanwhile, Koneko didn't rush forward. Instead, she looked down at her own arms where Kuroka had just been lying moments before.
Under the bright lights, a bit of suspicious milky-white fluid remained smeared along her fair, delicate skin.
That was exactly where Kuroka had just been sitting.
She cautiously sniffed it. Hmm… somewhat fishy.
What… is this?
The innocent, catlike girl found herself deeply puzzled.
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"In any case, congratulations, Bokue-kun."
The young red-haired Satan's voice came from behind. Turning toward it, Bokue saw Sirzechs returning from somewhere he'd briefly disappeared to, holding two glasses of red wine. He passed one over to Bokue with a smile. Following behind him were several attendants—including a western-styled mage, a Japanese-style swordsman, and leading them all was a certain silver-haired maid who looked extremely skilled at knife-throwing.
Unlike their previous meeting, when she'd maintained a cooler, more distant demeanor, this time Grayfia clearly wore a subtle, welcoming smile. Politely lifting her skirt slightly, she curtsied toward the youth respectfully.
"We all watched your battle from afar just now, Keikain-sama. It was truly magnificent."
'Sama…?' Bokue felt his eyebrow twitch.
Though he knew Devils respected martial prowess—and thus treated the strong with due reverence—he himself was the laid-back type who cared little for such formalities. Calling him directly by name was fine, but adding strange honorifics…
Urgh. Goosebumps incoming.
"Enough already, just call me by my name directly. Forget the honorifics, I can't stand them."
As he said this, he casually reached out and took the wineglass from Sirzechs—who smiled helplessly at the youth's informality—raised it in acknowledgment towards everyone, and emptied it in one go.
"Onii-sama!"
Rias reacted a bit late, stamping her foot in protest toward her older brother.
"Really now! Bokue is only in his second year of high school—he's still underage! How could you just hand him wine like that?!"
"Ah… really?"
Sirzechs, caught off guard for once, blinked his eyes a few times before awkwardly attempting to recover:
"But that's just Japanese law, isn't it? Here in the Underworld…"
"Underworld laws also forbid underage drinking!"
As Rias glared fiercely, Sirzechs fell silent again.
After three or four awkward seconds passed, the young red-haired Satan scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Next time we have a meeting, let's change that rule…"
"Onii-sama!"
Rias wanted to argue further, but from the corner of her eye she saw another wineglass being handed to the youth beside her.
This time, the culprit was her dear mother—Venelana.
Dressed gracefully in a beautiful white gown, the gentle-faced matron mimicked her son's earlier action and offered the glass of wine to Bokue, playfully remarking:
"Since Satan himself took the lead in breaking this rule, perhaps it's not so serious after all. Mother would also like to share a drink with Bokue-kun. Is that alright?"
"..."
"MOTHER!" Rias felt utterly exasperated.
First her brother, now her mother joining in the fun—she was barely managing to handle the fires erupting around her!
Honestly, what were these people thinking?!
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Meanwhile, somewhere far off in a quieter, dimly lit corner of the banquet hall…
The blonde, twin-drilled girl quietly stared at the white-robed youth surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd in the distance, then down at the wineglass she held. After a long silence, she still couldn't muster the courage to take that step forward.
With a sigh, she quietly turned around and left the banquet hall behind.
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