The sound of running water, steam curling thick in the air, shrouded the elegant forms of the girls lounging in the bath.
In a sprawling, luxurious bathroom, Rias and Sona lay side by side on massage tables, their Queens working expert fingers along their backs. Both wore expressions of pure relaxation.
Rias was all soft curves and graceful lines—a single glance could ignite the most primal urges in any sane man. Sona, by contrast, was slender, her beauty a study in subtlety and poise.
"Rias, I hear you and Tenra Kamiyo are headed back to the Underworld for your engagement ceremony. Congratulations." Sona's voice carried just a hint of teasing.
"Sigh… even you know about it?" Rias shifted, resigned.
"Oh, the Sitri family already received Lucifer-sama's invitation. I'll be attending as our representative." Sona's smile was gentle, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Honestly, my brother… I told him it wasn't necessary. Go ahead and laugh if you want, Sona…" Rias buried her face in her pillow, her ears tinged red.
Sona signaled her Queen to pause, sat up, and cleaned her glasses before turning to Rias. "Rias, how do you really feel about Tenra Kamiyo?"
"What do you mean, how do I feel?"
"Do you like him, or not?" Sona adjusted her glasses, her gaze steady.
"That guy couldn't awaken his phoenix bloodline. People called him the Underworld's failure. He couldn't even protect Akeno and had to ask me to look after her. But he clawed his way up—beat Riser, claimed the Sacred Gear that sealed the Red Dragon Emperor, did things those so-called geniuses could never even dream of."
"If I had to put it into words… I guess I admire him." Rias's voice was thoughtful, her expression complicated.
Admiration—no doubt. But whether that feeling was anything more, Rias herself couldn't say. Her heart was tangled, uncertain.
Sona's lips curled—she'd gotten the answer she wanted. "You seem pretty interested in him, Sona," Rias asked, suspicion flickering in her eyes. It wasn't the first time Sona had brought up Tenra.
"Someone so interesting is bound to catch my eye. But don't worry—even if I'm curious, I won't interfere with your engagement." Sona's eyes flashed with something unreadable, but her tone was calm.
Rias chuckled softly. She knew Sona's pride better than anyone. Even if Tenra intrigued her, it would never go further than that.
Still, what Rias couldn't possibly foresee was how things would change in the days to come…
Kamiyo Residence
"Yubelluna, starting tomorrow, you and the others will begin distributing the Codex of Divinitas et Diabolus. Recruit believers for me."
Tenra's gaze swept over Yubelluna and the assembled women, his tone grave.
Preparations were complete. His long-held ambitions were finally set in motion.
Recruit followers. Gather faith. Build power, step by step—until he stood as the one true god.
"Yes, Tenra-sama!" Yubelluna and the others replied in unison, voices trembling with excitement.
Already fanatically loyal, their devotion deepened by the Codex's rituals, they'd gladly offer everything for Tenra's cause.
Tenra outlined the plan in detail, assigning tasks to each woman. The priority was clear: recruit as many believers as possible, build a church. But ambition hadn't clouded his judgment.
Their foundation was fragile, their influence small. Recruiting openly would be suicide—the Church and rival gods would crush them before they could take root.
Tenra wouldn't allow that.
His strategy: covert recruitment. Hide the Codex inside devil contract flyers. Only those who tried to summon a devil would find the Codex revealed.
Inefficient, but discreet. Tenra also ordered special magic on each Codex—only the first person to touch it could read it. If anyone else tried, it would instantly burn to ash.
Eventually, the Church and other faiths would catch on. But every day bought was another day to grow stronger. Once he'd gathered enough faith and power, he wouldn't have to care about them at all.
"Our church will be called 'Sancta Diabolus Ecclesia'—a sanctuary for light and darkness alike."
"One day, we'll build a world with a single faith, where light and darkness coexist."
Tenra spread his arms wide, his voice brimming with conviction.
Below him, Yubelluna and the others gazed up in rapture. For their master's ambition, for their true god, they'd defy the world itself.
"Tenra-san, what about me? What's my mission?" Asia piped up, anxious to contribute.
She was Tenra's first believer—she wanted to serve.
Tenra cupped her chin, a wicked smile playing at his lips. "Asia, you have a special task: believe in me, more and more. You'll be our church's first Saint—guiding the lost, bestowing love and grace on our followers."
The Underworld, Astaroth Estate
"AHHHHH!!! AHHHHHH!!!"
"Hahahahaha… hahahahaha…"
In a pitch-dark room, several girls dressed as nuns hung chained to the walls. Diodora's laughter rang out, shrill and twisted, as he lashed them with a whip.
Ecstasy—pure, unhinged pleasure. Their screams of agony and terror only fueled his madness.
"Diodora-sama."
The door opened. A beautiful silver-haired girl entered.
"What do you want?!" Diodora snapped, face contorted with malice.
Unfazed, the girl produced an ornate invitation. "This is from Maou Lucifer-sama. You're invited to attend the engagement ceremony between the Gremory princess and the Phoenix family's fourth son. The family head wants you to represent Astaroth at the event."
Diodora snatched the invitation, eyes scanning for the name—"Phoenix Family Fourth Son, Tenra Kamiyo." Instantly, his eyes flared red, his face twisting into a mask of rage.
That bastard. It really was him.
The one who'd stolen everything—his pride as a man, his coveted plaything—and now, he was marrying the Gremory princess?
Unforgivable. Unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!
"AHHHHHHH! TENRA KAMIYO!!!"
His roar echoed through the room as demonic power exploded, reducing the invitation to dust.
The silver-haired girl watched, eyes cold with mockery and pity. She said nothing, offered no comfort.
Only after a long, wild fit did Diodora finally quiet, his gaze glittering with venomous malice.
"Hahahahaha… hahahahaha…"
A plan began to form, brilliant and wicked.
If Tenra had stolen so much from him, why not steal something precious from Tenra in return?
He was about to marry the Gremory princess, was he? Well then…
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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