MTLNOVEL Chapter 84: Chapter 84
A moment later, Riku walked out of the room, glancing over the girls before letting his gaze settle on Rias and Akeno, both of whom looked a little left out.
"Rias, your potential with Destruction power isn't low; you just haven't developed it properly yet," Riku said, turning to her.
"I know… It's just, I need a deeper understanding of destruction magic. That's not something you master overnight," Rias replied, sounding a little downcast.
"If that's the case, let Schwi teach you," Riku said, shaking his head.
"Huh? Schwi?" Rias was stunned. The other girls also looked curiously at Schwi.
"Don't be fooled by Schwi's appearance; she's actually stronger than the Two Heavenly Dragons now. And as for destruction power, even your brother Sirzechs probably can't compare to her," Riku said casually, shrugging.
"Ex-machina are the definition of bug-level. Schwi can analyse and evolve Destruction magic in no time. And with the Source of Machinery and her upgrades, if she travelled the multiverse with me, her potential would be limitless."
"Uh…" Rias was at a loss for words. Schwi was that strong…? She and the others had always treated Schwi like a cute mascot…
"Schwi, I'll leave Rias to you," Riku said, smiling at Schwi.
"Mhm," Schwi nodded and blinked. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to properly 'train' Rias."
Rias covered her face in resignation.
"As for you, Akeno, here's something for you." Riku turned to her, pulling a blue staff out of his storage and tossing it to Akeno.
"This is the Arcane Lightning Staff, a thunder-elemental artefact I crafted myself. It's perfect for you. While it's not quite a Sacred Gear, it has the potential to evolve to that level. I made it specifically for you," Riku explained with a smile.
"Riku-sensei…" Akeno's eyes shimmered with emotion as she held the artefact.
"Alright, let's talk about the details tomorrow. For now, let's all get some rest," Riku said, clapping his hands with a sly grin.
The girls all blushed. Since Riku was definitely not the herbivore type, he always got a little handsy when they slept together. They were all used to it, but his current smile made them a little nervous.
That night, after a bit of commotion, Riku and all the girls enjoyed a relaxing sleep on a single, massive bed.
....
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, the girls got ready for school as usual.
Riku, however, stayed home. It wasn't until an hour later that Koneko and Kunou finally woke up.
"How do you feel?" Riku asked, sensing the powerful energy now hidden within both Koneko and Kunou.
"Mm, I feel great. Like I have endless power," Koneko said with awe.
"Lord Riku, I feel so strong now!" Kunou said, face bright with joy, clearly hoping for Riku's praise.
"Very good." Riku smiled and patted Kunou's head.
"Well then, both of you attack me with all you've got. Don't hold back," Riku suddenly said.
"Understood." Koneko nodded without hesitation, knowing full well that, even now, she was still leagues away from Riku. Hurting him was impossible.
"Okay! Be careful, Lord Riku!" Smart as she was, Kunou thought the same. So both she and Koneko attacked with everything they had.
The destructive White Tiger and the illusory Heavenly Fox avatar lunged for Riku. Fortunately, he had already set up a barrier; otherwise, the whole area would have been wrecked. Even so, the room's contents were instantly shredded by the unleashed power.
Still, even the two girls' strongest attacks were nothing to Riku; he easily caught them and crushed them.
"Koneko's destructive force is almost peak Maou-class. As for Kunou, she's probably at mid-Maou-class, since her powers are more about trickery than raw force. Both of you are doing great," Riku said fairly.
"Really? That's great!" Kunou said happily, thrilled at how quickly she had become a top-tier powerhouse.
Koneko also smiled. With this much strength, she was sure she could bring her sister back.
"Ah, it's so late already, I need to get to class!" Koneko suddenly noticed the sun was already high in the sky and panicked.
"No need. Schwi already took care of your absence. You two don't have to go to school for the next few days. You'll be training with me and you too, Kunou," Riku said, patting Koneko's head.
"Training? Are we going to find my sister?" Koneko asked, a little nervous.
"More or less. But we'll also be hunting for treasure and taking care of a few enemies," Riku explained.
"I understand. I'll go with you, Riku-sensei," Koneko said, clutching his sleeve.
Kunou's eyes sparkled with excitement. She definitely wasn't the type to stay still.
"In that case, let's go," Riku smiled, taking both Koneko and Kunou by the hand and vanishing from the room.
.....
Elsewhere, at the entrance to a dark abyss, a sinister and dangerous-looking middle-aged man listened to his subordinate's report, frowning.
"Cao Cao and the others are dead as well? Killed by that Riku…" Rizevim Livan Lucifer muttered. "What a troublesome character."
In such a short time, almost all the Khaos Brigade's Sacred Gear wielders and major forces had been wiped out. It was almost as if someone was specifically targeting them.
"And now there's talk of a power that surpasses even Ophis and Great Red… He's definitely a threat to my plans. I'll have to find a way to get rid of him," Rizevim frowned.
"Hm? Who's there?" Suddenly, Rizevims's expression darkened as he looked to his upper right. Someone had just forced their way through his compound barrier!
"Koneko Toujou, and daughter of Yasaka?" The moment he saw the two petite girls standing in the sky, Rizevim recognised them from intelligence reports and was briefly surprised. Immediately, a wave of terrifying killing intent filled the air.
"How did you find this place?" Rizevim asked coldly, his eyes locked on Koneko and Kunou, radiating murderous intent.
"So scary... So this is the leader of the Khaos Brigade..." Kunou said nervously, clearly shaken.
"Mhm. Riku said we need to beat him, so let's go!" Koneko said firmly, her voice steady.
"Right!" Kunou nodded and charged at Rizevim without hesitation while using her new ability.
Koneko also attacked, combining the power of a divine beast with her newly awakened spiritual arts.
"These brats… they've gotten this strong?!" Rizevim's expression twisted. He only knew about Koneko and Kunou because of Riku, but he never expected them to be Maou-class fighters.
'I need to kill them and get out of here fast,' he thought, face expressionless, though unease gnawed at his chest.
There was no way Koneko and Kunou could've broken through his layered dimensional barriers on their own. Which meant… someone else powerful, maybe even that Riku was likely nearby.
This place, the new base he had built at the mouth of the Abyss, right at the threshold of hell in a separate dimension… had somehow been exposed. But there was no time to dwell on it now. He had no choice but to engage them directly.
Massive waves of magic erupted. Explosions tore through the warped space around them.
Although Rizevim held the title of "Super Devil," that status came only from his Sacred Gear Nullification ability. In terms of raw power, he is barely at the peak of Maou-class.
Which meant, despite his experience, he couldn't finish off Koneko and Kunou quickly. Had the two girls not been so inexperienced, the fight might have dragged on even longer. While Maou-class enemies often looked like punching bags against Riku, when the gap wasn't massive, battles could stretch on.
Meanwhile, over a dozen kilometres away, chaos was erupting at the Khaos Brigade's main base as they sensed the disturbance.
As they scrambled to send reinforcements, they were horrified to realise the entire area had been sealed inside a barrier. No matter how much force they threw at it, not even a crack appeared.
"Doesn't seem like she's here… Where did that black cat run off to?" Riku muttered, standing high above the Khaos Brigade stronghold, frowning as he looked down.
He had just used a scanning spell to sweep the entire base there was no trace of a presence similar to Koneko's. That meant Kuroka wasn't here.
"Such a troublesome little kitty. When I find her, I'm spanking her good," Riku grumbled as he cancelled the scan.
Sure, if he mobilised his current forces worldwide, they could probably track her down. But it would still take time.
"Why is a god of the heavens here…?" Inside the base, two descendants of the Old Satan Faction, Shalba Beelzebub and Creuserey Asmodeus, spotted Riku. Instantly, their expressions darkened.
Riku hadn't even made a move. He was simply floating in the sky, gaze not even on them, yet the pressure they felt was suffocating.
"Whatever. I'll just order the three major factions to hunt her down. With that black cat's habit of causing trouble, she's bound to show herself soon enough," Riku muttered to himself.
"Next up… let's visit the loli dragon," he said, shifting his gaze to the centre of the compound where a large mansion sat. An incredibly powerful presence pulsed from within.
Many guards stood around the mansion, but rather than protectors, they felt more like watchers.
[The Infinite Dragon God, Ophis.] In this world, she was hailed as the strongest. But in truth, she was little more than a pure-hearted dragon girl, blank and naive.
The Khaos Brigade had gathered around her only to exploit her power. Ophis, longing to return to the dimensional gap and reclaim her original peace, had been pushed into the role of their symbolic leader. In truth, she simply gave them power and was used.
'This place doesn't belong to you.' With a faint shake of his head, Riku vanished from midair, violently blasting open the mansion's protective barrier and charging inside.
"Not good! He's after Ophis!" Shalba Beelzebub and the other executives of the Khaos Brigade turned pale and rushed toward the explosion.
Ophis was their trump card. They couldn't let anything happen to her.
Inside one of the mansion's spacious rooms sat a girl of ethereal beauty dressed in a black one-piece dress, skin like porcelain, long black hair flowing down her back like ink. Her deep black eyes showed no ripple, no emotion, only a bottomless silence.
"Riku, ruler of the Three Factions… what do you want with me?" Ophis asked calmly, her voice soft and clear.
"You know my name? I thought you wouldn't know anything," Riku said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"I know things like that, of course," Ophis replied without a hint of emotion.
"Good. That makes things easier." Riku smiled faintly, stepping naturally to her side. Without hesitation, he reached out and gently patted her head. 'Yep, just as soft as I imagined.'
Ophis frowned slightly but didn't push him away. She neither resisted nor showed any hostility. She remained as serene and vacant as ever.
"Come with me. This place isn't for you," Riku said softly.
"I need the Khaos Brigade's power to defeat baka Red," Ophis finally showed a flicker of emotion, her voice filled with stubborn determination.
"The Khaos Brigade? With just this ragtag bunch of cats and dogs, you expect to defeat Great Red? That's not happening, and I'm sure you know it," Riku said bluntly.
And he was right. Great Red had even expelled Ophis from the Dimensional Gap. These Maou-class chumps couldn't even scratch his defences.
"..." Ophis fell silent. She couldn't argue.
"You dare look down on us?!" Just then, Shalba Beelzebub and the others arrived, faces dark and eyes filled with murderous fury.
"You're in the way. Begone." Riku said flatly, not even sparing them a glance.
As the words left his mouth, a golden magic array large enough to cover the entire Khaos Brigade base appeared in the air. Thunder rumbled. A torrent of divine lightning descended, obliterating everything in its path.
Shalba Beelzebub and the other Khaos Brigade elites didn't even have time to scream. Their expressions were frozen in terror as they were all instantly erased without a trace.