Chapter 184: Sudden Change, Full-Scale Invasion from Another World?
The previously casual, nonchalant attitude was now restrained by Kuroka.
She feared she had encountered troublesome individuals—one misstep and she could truly be defeated.
Yet, the other party had no intention of acting personally and instead wanted Rias to deal with her?
Were they looking down on her?
Although Rias Gremory was a genius among the younger generation of Devils, earning her the title of Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, her strength ultimately remained at the level of a High-class Devil.
As for Kuroka, her power was sufficient to rival a High-class Devil, and she stood among the top-tier Devils of that rank.
That was the same Katerea Leviathan, a Maou-class devil who had been eliminated by Azazel. While she might not have been able to defeat her opponent, she certainly wouldn't lose—at most, she'd end up a bit disheveled.
Her opponent couldn't do anything to stop her either.
So, where did Rias Gremory get the confidence to prevent her from escaping?
Of course, Kuroka didn't underestimate her because of this.
If she dared to say such things, it meant she definitely had some hidden card up her sleeve.
Then, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess before her underwent a change in attire, while an aura erupted from her that made Kuroka's expression freeze.
"How is this possible!"
Kuroka's delicate face broke out in a cold sweat as she muttered in disbelief.
She had infiltrated the school early in the morning and observed Rias, confirming that her strength was that of a High-class Devil.
Yet now, just one morning later, she had reached the pinnacle of a High-class Devil—no, this was Maou-class power.
In other words, she had misjudged her—the other party had hidden her strength well.
But there was something that didn't quite add up. If Rias Gremory possessed such power, she should have detected Kuroka in the morning.
Kuroka wasn't so confident in her abilities that she could easily deceive a Maou-class Rias Gremory. Moreover, this energy fluctuation was even stronger than any Maou-class she had encountered before.
So, had she been treated like a clown from the very beginning?
She thought she was secretly observing, but in reality, she had been discovered long ago. They were just playing along to see what she was up to?
"Has the President finally become one of the Demon Gods today?"
Shirone, nestled in her arms, suddenly murmured in a daze, startling Kuroka.
Today? One of the Demon Gods?
If that was the case, then she might not have misjudged her. The Rias Gremory she observed in the morning was indeed a High-class Devil, but now, through some unknown method, she had reached Maou-class.
And this "one of the Demon Gods"—could it be the Demon Gods from King Solomon's plan?
Her pupils contracted as Kuroka sensed a familiar magical fluctuation from Rias—the same fluctuation as the anomalous Demon God Bael from that day.
So, had Rias Gremory been granted the seat of the Demon God Bael?
Did that instantly elevate her from a High-class Devil to a top-tier Maou-class?
What an absurd leap.
Thus, Kuroka's expression turned exceptionally grave.
If it were an ordinary Maou, she could still put up a fight and confidently escape.
But Rias surpassed ordinary Maou—she was definitely no match for her.
As for escaping, that man could catch up to her at any moment. There was no way she could escape.
Now was the time to go all out. Youjutsu, Senjutsu, and devil magic—the fusion of all three formed a magical bullet whose power even Kuroka couldn't predict. She fired it straight ahead.
Almost simultaneously, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess hurled a dark magic bullet, darker than the night itself.
The two collided—
"What!"
Kuroka gasped in shock as her magical bullet was instantly erased by the other's. The dark bullet flew past her, missing by just one meter, and shot into the distance.
BOOM—!
A deafening roar echoed from far behind. Turning back, she saw an entire mountain vanish. The resulting shockwave quickly swept through the area, tearing up the grass and topsoil from the ground.
So, Kuroka, who witnessed this scene, had a look of fear in her eyes.
The difference in power between the two sides was too great!
If that strike had been aimed at her, she would have been either dead or severely injured.
Even if she could dodge it, the explosion nearby would still have left her badly hurt.
The reason it wasn't directly aimed at her was that this attack was meant as a deterrent and also out of concern for Shirone.
"I surrender, surrender, nya~"
There was no way she could use her little sister as a hostage to threaten them.
Besides, a hostage might work against the Rias, but it would likely be ineffective against that mysterious man.
It was better to obediently surrender.
So—
"You're really going too far, Shirone~"
No sooner had her sister released her from the restraints than her younger sister immediately used her monstrous strength to unceremoniously pin Kuroka to the ground, pulling her arms behind her back and holding her down.
"Serves you right, sis."
As Koneko said this, her gaze shifted to someone else, her expression tense. Surely, she wouldn't actually kill her sister, right?
"Speak, Kuroka. What is your true objective?"
Rias, who had stepped in front of Kuroka, raised an eyebrow as she questioned her.
"Don't tell me it was just to find Koneko."
Adding this, Rias also released an intense surge of magical energy—a clear act of intimidation.
Come to think of it, the uncomfortable sensation in her body had lessened considerably. It was probably because her magical energy had evaporated it.
So, why had that situation occurred in the first place?
Her teasing had originally been meant to make him feel awkward, but he hadn't been flustered at all. In the end, she was the one left feeling embarrassed.
Then, as punishment for teasing him like that, he had given her two choices.
First, continue with the awkward teasing.
Second, choose to be electrocuted, just like the embarrassing moment Akeno had during her transformation into a demon god.
So, Rias's current situation was the result of choosing the first option.
"Tch~"
Kuroka clicked her tongue and sighed, her cat ears drooping slightly as if she were somewhat dejected.
Just as she was about to speak, the purple sky suddenly showed an anomaly.
Of course, the anomaly wasn't that the sky was purple—the sky here had always been this color. This was the Underworld, hell itself, and they had chased Kuroka all the way here.
Now, a crack had appeared in the purple sky.
"A dimensional rift?"
Rias muttered in astonishment. Had the sky suddenly torn open in this desolate place?
The crack widened into a massive hole, and something abruptly squeezed through.
"Is that... a battleship?"
It was a blue battleship, one that looked both somewhat sci-fi and somewhat fantastical.
Had human technology advanced to this level?
No, Rias sensed a familiar energy fluctuation from this mechanical battleship—a fluctuation that didn't belong to this world.
She also noticed that the blue battleship's main cannon at the front was already glowing with intense light, as if it had been charging up all along. The moment it arrived, it was ready to fire.
With a flash of light, the luminous shell that made Rias's heart race was launched, causing her expression to change drastically.
Was this a full-scale invasion?
Where was it aiming?
But, bizarrely, the shell suddenly vanished mid-air.
It wasn't as if it disappeared without a trace—it was more like it had struck the surface of calm water, causing ripples to form in the air.
And almost simultaneously, a distortion occurred.