Chapter 99: The Annulment of the Engagement and the Rampage of the Evil Dragon
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"Don't get in my way, Ravel!
Ever since we were kids, you've always overshadowed me, always lecturing me! Have you ever treated me like your older brother?!
That servant I wanted so badly—wasn't it you who snatched them away from me?!"
Ravel's intervention had completely shattered Riser's composure.
Since childhood, his younger sister had always outshone him.
Whether it was becoming an Intermediate Devil or an Advanced Devil, she had always been one step ahead.
The reason he resorted to using drugs was because Ravel was simply too dazzling. At such a young age, she had already become a High-Class Devil!
Tears welled up in Ravel's eyes.
"That's not true, Brother! I never meant to take your servant. It was the family's decision."
"The Phoenix family's rule is that whoever reaches the Advanced Devil level first gets to choose their servant first. At that time, the family only prepared one batch of servants. There was nothing I could do about it."
Ravel never expected her brother to see her in such a light.
Seeing Ravel's reaction, Riser's gaze grew even colder.
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know! The reason you've been pushing yourself so hard, the reason you chose your servants early, it's all because of Akira!"
"Because of him, your bloodline mutated!"
"Because of him, you've been training so hard, trying to increase your value and influence by securing those servants!"
"Even coming here with me to face Rias... it's all because of him!"
"Whoosh!"
The wind fanned the flames.
The High-Class Phoenix flames surged toward Akira with terrifying force.
"Please, stop this, Brother!"
Ravel spread her arms wide, standing in the path of the flames.
Notably, she didn't use any magic or Phoenix flames to protect herself. She was determined to block the attack with her own body!
As the flames rapidly approached, Ravel closed her eyes.
However...
She didn't feel the searing pain of the flames.
"Boom!... Thud!"
Two sharp sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Then, Ravel felt a cool breeze wash over her, and the raging wind and fire elements around her vanished in an instant.
"Huh?"
Ravel opened her eyes in confusion.
Riser was gone. In his place stood Akira.
In front of Akira was a massive hole leading straight to the schoolyard.
The moment Riser attacked, Akira had also made his move.
"Boom!!"
A powerful surge of magic erupted, instantly clearing the elemental forces in the room.
[Divine Footsteps!]
Using "Divine Footsteps," Akira closed the distance to Riser in an instant and delivered a punch infused with immortal energy directly to Riser's face.
The hole in the ground was the result of Riser being sent flying into the schoolyard.
After punching Riser into the schoolyard, Akira received a notification from the system.
[Ding!~]
[Congratulations, host, for triggering a Villain Check-In!]
[Check-In Level: Silver.]
[Check-In Type: Event Check-In.]
[Check-In Event: Phoenix Family Conquest.]
[Requirement: Completely take control of the Phoenix family to build strength for the Old Demon King's resurgence.]
"Demon King level! Undoubtedly Demon King level strength! And... most likely at the peak of Demon King level!"
Rias, sensing Akira's terrifying magic, was utterly shocked.
It had only been about ten days since Akira's last power test, and he had already gone from an Advanced Devil to a Demon King?!
"Ara ara~ Akira-kun never fails to impress, does he?"
Sona's smile widened.
She was happy that the boy who had helped her had overcome the shadow of his mixed bloodline and become a powerful figure capable of controlling his own destiny.
As for herself...
Well, her own situation wasn't worth mentioning.
"By the way, Akira-kun, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to act so directly? The Phoenix family might use this against you," Rias reminded him.
"Rias, I wasn't attacking Riser. I was protecting Ravel. That's all," Akira explained, reframing his actions.
"I see..." Rias nodded.
Indeed, given the situation, if Akira's actions were framed as protecting Ravel, there was no issue.
"So, does this mean we'll have to fight after all?" Rias sighed.
It seemed Akira's initial judgment had been correct.
The idea that she and Akira were in love could only fool her family and the older generation of devils.
To truly annul the engagement... they would have to resort to force.
"Rias, in terms of the annulment process, this situation isn't much different from what we anticipated, right?"
With that, Akira shook his head and leaped out of the hole.
In the schoolyard, Riser had been sent flying by Akira's punch.
It took him a while to process what had just happened.
"Just now... how did he instantly dispel my Phoenix flames?"
"And why is the damage he dealt so hard to recover from?"
Full of questions, Riser struggled to get up from the ground.
As he said, the wounds on his face and back, which should have healed instantly, were now recovering at a rate ten times slower than normal!
Just as Riser got to his feet, Akira landed in front of him.
"Riser, let's settle this according to the rules of Advanced Devils, shall we?"
"Whoever wins gets the bride," Akira said calmly.
"Hmph!~"
Riser snorted, about to respond.
However...
Before he could say a word, a deafening dragon roar interrupted him.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Not far from Kuoh Town, an evil and chilling dragon's roar echoed through the air.
"Huh? That aura..."
Akira raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing the source of the evil roar.
"Ah, I almost forgot. It's time to retrieve that thing."
In the next moment, Akira stepped onto a teleportation circle and vanished.
"Huh?! He just left?!"
Riser was stunned, his expression darkening.
Akira had just left him here?!
In other words... Akira had never taken him seriously from the start!
"Bastard! I'll apply for a duel with the Underworld as soon as I get home!"
Riser got up and looked in the direction of the evil dragon's roar.
"That's at least a peak Demon King-level aura... maybe even beyond Demon King level."
"Does that mean... that roar came from a Dragon King?"
As he pondered, a teleportation circle lit up in front of him.
At the center of the circle was the emblem of the Phoenix family.
Soon, a golden-haired noblewoman emerged from the circle.
Seeing her, Riser's aggressive demeanor instantly vanished.
Because... the person who had arrived was his mother—the Duchess of the Phoenix family!
"Mother? Why have you come to the human world?"
Riser asked awkwardly.
His face was still smoldering with flames, and meeting his mother in this state was beyond embarrassing.
"As a mother, isn't it natural to be concerned about my children, Riser?" the golden-haired noblewoman said softly.
"Especially... when this conversation concerns the annulment of your and Ravel's engagement."
With that, the Duchess of Phoenix calmly looked into the distance.
In the distance, an evil dragon was being pummeled into the sky, completely unable to fight back.
The one doing the pummeling was none other than Akira.
A few years ago, Riser's mother, Lady Layla Phoenix, had been thinking about how to separate Akira from her daughter.
But now, the situation had changed. Akira had demonstrated terrifying strength in a short period, and they had realized that their daughter's unusual behavior was due to Akira.
Thus, they had allowed Ravel to resume contact with Akira.
According to the Phoenix family's intelligence, Lady Layla had learned that the Sitri family was planning to annul the engagement.
Originally, she had intended for her daughter to take on the engagement with Akira, which would not only bring Akira into their family but also fulfill Ravel's long-held wish.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Akira had somehow gotten involved with Rias, and rumors had spread that they had formed an engagement.
Lady Layla had seen Akira and her daughter together many times and knew that Akira was, at his core, a domineering individual. Thus, she had concluded that Akira's engagement with Rias was purely transactional. Even if Akira had feelings for someone else, he would never willingly enter into a marriage where he would be subordinate.
According to her plan, Riser and Ravel were supposed to expose Akira and Rias's scheme while ensuring both engagements—Rias and Riser's, as well as Akira and Ravel's.
But to her surprise, Ravel had suddenly lost her composure and thrown herself into Akira's arms, showing no intention of helping her brother.
This not only ruined their original plan but also caused Riser to completely lose his composure.
After that, the situation had spiraled out of control.
"At this point, we have no choice but to cut our losses..."
Lady Layla shook her head and walked over to Riser, looking down at him.
"Riser... do you know how disappointed your father and I are in you?"
"I... I'll do my best in the upcoming duel! I won't bring shame to the family!" Riser protested loudly.
"That won't be necessary," Lady Layla said softly.
"What do you mean... it won't be necessary?"
Riser looked at his mother in disbelief.
"To duel Akira over the engagement with Rias... there's no need for that."
"Because... the family has unanimously decided to annul your engagement with Rias Gremory, the next head of the Gremory family."
Lady Layla glanced in the direction of the evil dragon's soul.
As she spoke, Akira had already completed his subjugation of the evil dragon.
"After you return home, you'll be confined for six months to reflect and train. That's all."
"From here on out, leave things to me and your older brother."
With that, Lady Layla activated a teleportation circle and vanished.
"Thud!"
Riser collapsed to the ground.
He had been prepared to fight Akira.
Even if his spirit was pushed to the limit, he would have fought to the death to defend his family's honor.
But now... he didn't even get the chance to fight. His engagement was already over.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Kuoh Town...
A few minutes earlier.
Sona and Tsubaki were in the middle of a Sacred Gear transplant procedure.
However, unlike the original plan, the focus of this transplant was Tsubaki Shinra.
Half a month ago, Sona had engaged in a battle of wits and strength with Akira, only to be completely defeated.
After that, Sona had resolved to undergo a Sacred Gear transplant to become stronger and had set her sights on an ordinary high school student in Kuoh Town.
According to rumors, this student possessed the power of the Dragon King-class Sacred Gear, [Black Dragon's Pulse].
At the time, Sona hadn't known that Akira had already obtained three-quarters of the Dragon King Sacred Gear from the Fallen Angels, leaving only this last piece.
Later, Sona had keenly noticed Akira's unusual behavior and, after receiving his promise to marry her, had willingly offered herself to him.
After Sona's submission, Akira had treated her as one of his own, granting her access to the [Boosted Gear].
Theoretically, since Sona already possessed the [Boosted Gear], she didn't need to transplant the [Black Dragon's Pulse].
But Sona wasn't one to waste resources.
If she didn't need it, why not give it to Tsubaki?
Tsubaki Shinra, a member of the Shinra family, was Sona's first servant.
The Shinra family was an ancient lineage of exorcists, one of the five great exorcist families of Japan, tasked with guarding the Western Divine Beast, the White Tiger.
Due to Tsubaki's unique ability to summon otherworldly beings through mirrors ([Mirror of Reminiscence]), she had been treated almost like an outcast.
Tsubaki harbored not only a desire to become stronger but also a determination to stay by Sona's side.
She knew that Sona's strength had grown exponentially, and to remain by her side, she needed to be able to assist Sona not just in daily life but also in battle.
Thus, Tsubaki had accepted Sona's suggestion to undergo the [Black Dragon's Pulse] transplant without hesitation.
And now, the consequences of transplanting a Sacred Gear into an incompatible host were becoming apparent.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The evil dragon's soul roared.
The ground cracked, and dark energy gathered.
At the center of the evil dragon's aura was a tall girl enveloped by the dragon's soul.
Tsubaki Shinra had lost consciousness, consumed by the dragon's power, and had entered a berserk state!
"So it's come to this after all..."
Sona frowned.
She... had anticipated this outcome.
If the transplant succeeded, all would be well.
If it failed, she had a plan to turn the situation around.
The next step...
Was to wait for Akira to arrive.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 145 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 80 power stones I will publish the next chapter.