Meanwhile, at the Occult Research Club headquarters...
"Where's Koneko? Why isn't she here yet?" Rias asked Akeno, looking a bit frustrated.
"Ara ara, President. I bet she's with that Xi Ye. Otherwise, she would have used teleportation magic to arrive by now," Akeno replied, gesturing innocently as if to suggest she had already conveyed the message.
Rias sighed and covered her face, feeling a headache coming on.
Click!
The door to the conference room opened slightly, and a small figure slipped in through the crack.
Noticing Koneko's behavior, Rias sighed again. The girl was starting to act more like someone her age, but this change had come about too suddenly, and Rias struggled to adapt.
"Hi, Koneko-chan," Yuuto Kiba greeted her.
The moment Koneko entered, she reverted to her usual cute, quiet demeanor and took her seat without saying a word.
With everyone present, the meeting officially began.
"Akeno, please report your findings," Rias said, folding her arms and looking at Akeno seriously.
This time their enemy was a faction of fallen angels. If they handled the situation poorly, it could spark a war between their two races.
Previously, the club had focused on eliminating stray devils who had defected from the Underworld to the human world—a core purpose that justified the establishment of their Occult Research Club: cleaning up the rogues from the Underworld.
"I'm somewhat surprised to report that I checked the more remote locations," Akeno began. "I observed several fallen angels entering and exiting a recently abandoned church."
"A church!? They really know how to pick their locations," Rias paused for a moment, thinking. Churches were places devils avoided whenever possible due to the holy water designed to harm them. The stronger devils might withstand it, but for weaker ones, holy water could cause irreparable damage.
However, holy water did not affect fallen angels, it was only harmful to devils.
Rias thought for a moment before asking, "How many are there?"
"I only observed from the outside, so I'm unsure what's happening inside. But I saw several fallen angels with mid-class devil strength coming and going, and there are quite a few of them!"
"Mid-class devil strength fallen angels!" Rias frowned. The sudden appearance of such formidable opponents in her territory concerned her.
Sensing danger, Rias knew she couldn't let Akeno, Koneko, and the others rush in recklessly. They weren't just dealing with a handful of stray devils; they faced a substantial number of fallen angels, and their leader would likely be present, potentially equal in strength to Rias herself.
With this in mind, she decided to ask her friend Sona for assistance. It would also be a good opportunity to learn more about Xi Ye from Tokyo.
"Let's go see Sona, this opponent won't be easy to handle," Rias concluded.
"Yes!" Even Akeno, usually carefree, became serious.
The group of four gathered in the open area before them. Blood-red light emanated as a teleportation circle formed beneath their feet. In the blink of an eye, they vanished.
Meanwhile, after moving into his new home and simply putting down his belongings, Xi Ye headed to the abandoned church in Kuoh Town.
Upon arrival, he noticed people walking in front of the church entrance, not ordinary citizens but fallen angels.
"When did so many fallen angels appear here?" The sudden change surprised Xi Ye.
He quickly pieced it together. His warning to Raynare must have made her feel threatened, prompting her to call for reinforcements from the Fallen Angel headquarters.
"It seems Raynare is quite resourceful. If Asia comes to Kuoh Town, things won't be easy for her."
Waiting for a moment, Xi Ye emerged from the shadows and headed directly for the church entrance.
"Who's there!?" a fallen angel standing guard called out cautiously upon spotting a man suddenly appearing from the dark corner.
"Open the 'Domination' theme!" Xi Ye commanded. "Connect to the 'Gluttony' library of the Magic Library! Power Word!"
In a flash, his school uniform vanished, replaced by a gray-black robe from Astiel's Manuscript. His hair turned silver-white. He looked like a reaper incarnate.
BOOM!
His fist slammed into the fallen angel, launching him through the wall and embedding him there—lifeless.
Xi Ye opened the church doors.
The scene was worse than expected. Over a dozen fallen angels filled the room, many stronger than Raynare.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them growled, standing.
"Dohnaseek, take care of him," another sneered. "The boss doesn't want interruptions."
"Two minutes is all I need," Dohnaseek said, his black wings unfurling as he launched into the air.
"How boring," Xi Ye muttered, leaping skyward.
A blue magic circle appeared on his arm, amplifying his strength. Magic wrapped around his fist.
BOOM!
Dohnaseek crashed to the ground, lifeless.
"Dohnaseek… is dead?"
The others stared in disbelief.
"Damn it! That stubborn woman… The boss is dealing with her now!"
They all rose, eyes locked on Xi Ye.
"All at once? Fine by me."
Xi Ye activated his next spell.
"Connect to the 'Rage' library. Holy Ritual!"
With two libraries active, his power surged to peak devil-class—approaching ultimate-class.
Blue magic circles appeared behind him, stretching across the hall.
BLAST!
A barrage of magical energy rained down like a meteor storm.
"Run!"
"No!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions lit up the church. Blood sprayed across the floor. The building trembled as screams filled the air.
Xi Ye stood untouched. Crimson patterns formed in the blood around him.
"Stubborn woman… Boss…" he muttered, pushing deeper into the church.
Beneath the church, in a hidden chamber…
Candles flickered along the walls. A man sat at the far end with a smug grin, several fallen angels dead at his feet.
Raynare knelt on the floor, panting. One of her wings was badly mangled.
"You!?" she gasped, her expression a mix of shock, relief, and dread.
The man at the far end radiated power, stronger than her. He had arrived as reinforcement but demanded she submit to him. When she refused, he butchered her subordinates.
"Oh? You two know each other?" the man asked, standing. "Curious. How did you get past my guards?"
"They were less capable than you believed," Xi Ye said coolly, glancing behind him.
The man paused, reaching out with his senses, realizing all his men were gone.
Raynare looked down in shame. The one she feared most had defeated even the reinforcements she had summoned.