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"You guys… are you looking down on me?"
Riser's gaze swept across Minato and his group, and his expression darkened."Kill them," he ordered coldly.
The moment his voice echoed out, several of his followers shot forward like shadows, charging straight at Minato and the others.
But Minato didn't move a muscle. He just stood there, completely unbothered.
Come on—seriously?
With subordinates like his, why would he even need to lift a finger for this level of trash?
Sure enough—
The moment Minato didn't react, someone stepped up to take care of things for him.
With a flash, Leone appeared in front of Minato, blocking the attack.
"Heh… You wanna hurt my master? Did you ask me first?"
As she spoke, her pupils turned into vertical slits, and two cat ears popped up on her head.
Boom!
The ground exploded beneath her, and Leone vanished.
Her sudden burst of speed caught all of the attacking phoenix familiars completely off guard.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before they could even react, a powerful force smashed into them like a storm.
Leone threw out a flurry of punches, and her terrifying strength sent them flying in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the distance, buildings were instantly smashed to pieces, and the flying bodies crashed into the rubble, completely buried.
From the moment Leone stepped in, it took only a few breaths for the whole fight to end.
The battlefield went dead silent.
"So… so strong..."
"Her name's Leone, right? She transformed… Is she from some special race or something?"
Back at the Supernatural Research Club, gasps rang out after a brief moment of silence.
They were watching the ranking match live on screen.
Everything had played out right in front of their eyes, and everyone was completely shocked.
"She's insanely fast… and that strength!" Sona Shitori's eyes widened. "Is she part of Minato's castle?"
"Nope, just one of his soldiers," Rias shook her head. "Though even I didn't expect her to be this strong."
"Now I get where Minato's confidence comes from," Sona murmured in admiration.
Koneko stared at Leone, then looked at herself."...I totally lost."
"No way!"
Riser snapped, clearly shaken."She's just a low-class devil! How could she be this strong?!"
"And why not?"
Minato stayed right where he was, speaking casually."Or maybe... your followers are just too weak?"
He wasn't bluffing.
Lately, he'd gained a ton of power. After getting his hands on Teigu tech, he'd upgraded everyone's gear—except Esdeath's demonic essence, which was already flawless.
Leone and the others had all gone through heavy modifications and enhancements.
Their strength had transformed completely.
"You arrogant bastard!"
Riser's eyes blazed with rage."Yubelluna! Don't let me down again!"
"Understood!"
A tall woman in mage robes soared into the sky.
Buzz!
A massive magic circle appeared in the sky above, glowing ominously before unleashing a deafening explosion that rained destruction down on Minato's group.
"Not bad. That explosion spell's pretty solid."
Minato casually praised her… still not moving an inch.
Shing!
Murasame was drawn!
Akame leapt into action like a comet, a blur across the sky.
Slash!
A cold flash of steel tore through the air—her blade sliced the massive explosion in two, reducing it to sparkling dust that vanished without a trace.
Riser's eyes widened in disbelief.
This low-class devil… was a monster too.
"Come on, come on! Who's gonna be my next opponent?!"
Just then, the rest of Riser's followers heard a loud voice.
In the instant they were distracted by Akame's attack—Leone struck again.
She blitzed toward them, her athletic body radiating explosive strength.
Every step left behind an afterimage, tearing through the air with raw power.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With every heavy blow, more people went flying, crashing into the ground and carving deep trenches into it.
"You bastard! That's enough!"
Riser's eyes were bloodshot as his power erupted.
"Utaha… show me what the Flame God's Essence can really do," Minato said calmly. "You've had a few days to master it by now, right?"
"Of course, Master!"
Utaha floated into the air, her face solemn and serious.
She raised her hands slightly and said, "Actually… I've come up with a new move too."
Buzz!
The moment she finished speaking, a dazzling magic circle lit up in the sky, and a massive tornado burst out of it.
BOOM!
At the same time, a massive crimson flame crashed down like a river from the heavens. Fueled by the tornado, it came with an overwhelming and majestic force, drowning out the entire battlefield.
RUMBLE!!!
The fiery tornado—like a raging dragon—tore the ground to shreds.
Waves of heat blasted out in all directions.
The land was being completely melted away right before their eyes.
The entire alternate space started shaking violently.
A huge cloud of dust rose into the air.
Through the blaze, they could just barely make out that the land—along with the principal's office—had completely vanished, leaving behind a giant crater.
The sight made Rias and the others all freeze, their pupils shrinking.
What the hell?!
When did Utaha become this powerful?
She's supposed to be a mid-class devil—what kind of sick joke is this?
Even Akeno Himejima was visibly shaken.
She was practically Utaha's magic tutor—
But not even she could pull off something with that much power.
"Nice. You infused wind magic with the Flame God's Essence, huh?"
Minato nodded with approval."Well done."
That level of destruction…
It was already edging into high-class devil territory.
Hearing Minato's praise, Utaha couldn't help but smile proudly.
"…But do you think they're all dead now?" she asked.
Looking at the blazing sky in the distance, a complicated look crossed her face. After a moment, she sighed.
"Oh well. They were the enemy, after all."
"Now that's the right attitude."
Minato chuckled softly.
It seemed Utaha's mindset was finally starting to get where it needed to be.
"....."