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According to Rias, purging stray devils within their territory was part of their job.
In the clubroom, Akeno Himejima stood at the center of a glowing red magic circle that spun faster and faster beneath her feet—she was ready to cast the teleportation spell.
Next up, Jack would be tagging along with three beautiful girls on an official devil hunt.
"Let's go," Rias said simply, tossing her crimson hair as she stepped onto the circle with all the confidence of a queen.
Jack followed behind them. The circle whirled faster, sending a rush of air that lifted everyone's clothes and hair—he caught a teasing glimpse beneath their skirts before the world flashed white.
A blinding light filled his vision, and for a moment it felt like they were slipping through a thin layer of glass. When it faded, they were standing somewhere entirely different.
They were surrounded by overgrown bushes. Up ahead loomed a long-abandoned half-finished building, its concrete walls mottled with moss and cracks.
"I smell blood," Koneko Toujou said softly, wrinkling her small nose and covering it with her sleeve.
Her sense of smell was unnervingly sharp.
The place was silent—too silent. Out here in the outskirts, everything felt still, heavy with an invisible malice that pressed on the skin.
"Yeah," Jack murmured, scanning the area calmly. "Perfect spot to dump a corpse."
If the stray devil they were hunting was anywhere, it had to be inside that building.
"My, my," Akeno said with her usual teasing smile, eyes narrowing. "Looks like we're not exactly welcome here."
Rias stood tall beside her, one hand on her hip, exuding confidence and grace even in this bleak setting. Her smile was calm but commanding.
"Of course we're not welcome. Let's go."
She led the way toward the building, her heels clicking lightly on the cracked pavement. The others followed close behind.
"Jack," Rias said suddenly as they entered the dark hall, "since you've got such a rare opportunity, how about watching how devils really fight?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't even made my first contract yet. You sure my strength is enough to take on a stray devil?"
"Well," she said with a small shrug, smiling wryly, "not really."
That was blunt.
Jack rolled his eyes. Yeah, he knew he wasn't exactly powerful right now—but hearing it said so casually still stung a bit. Compared to Rias and the others, he was nowhere close.
Depressing thought.
"Hehe," Akeno chuckled, "then just watch from the sidelines this time. Oh, and remember what Rias told you before about devil chess pieces?"
"Of course."
After all, he'd been reincarnated with two Knight pieces and eight Pawn pieces. Hard to forget.
"Then watch closely," Rias said. "You'll get to see what Koneko and Akeno are really capable of."
Before she could finish, Jack felt a sharp chill creep into the air—the sense of hostility suddenly intensified.
"They're here," Koneko whispered.
A faint, ragged breathing echoed through the building, low and twisted.
"Ahh… ah~ What a strange scent," a voice rasped. "Some smell awful… but others smell delicious. I wonder which one of you tastes sweet… and which one's bitter?"
The voice was distorted, like something crawling up from the depths of hell. It was cold, mocking, and so unnervingly alien that it sent shivers down Jack's spine.
Maybe, he thought grimly, that's what a real devil's voice sounds like.
Rias stepped forward, her red hair flaring behind her.
"Stray devil Baisa," she declared, "we've come to eliminate you."
A dry, guttural laugh echoed back—"Kukukukuku…"—a sound so twisted it clearly didn't belong to any human throat.
From the shadows of the ruined structure, a woman slowly floated into view.
Long black hair, a surprisingly pretty face—almost human, if not for the unsettling stillness in her eyes.
Then his gaze drifted lower—and he froze.
She was completely naked. Her upper body, at least, was that of a human woman, smooth and flawless.
Uh. Guess devils don't have much concept of modesty.
But then she rose higher—and the rest of her body came into view.
Thump… thump… thump…
Heavy, monstrous footsteps echoed as the light revealed her lower half—a massive beast's body, grotesque and clawed, fused to her torso like some nightmarish centaur.
"…And here I was thinking all devils looked like you, Rias. Beautiful. Elegant. Cute," Jack muttered under his breath.
He instantly regretted it.
Yeah, that was going to haunt his dreams. The top half was definitely fine art, but the rest… good grief.
He'd need to rinse his eyes out later.
The three girls exchanged silent looks—Jack's reaction was, as usual, something else. Instead of panicking at the sight of a monster, he was apparently rating her looks.
"Those who betray or kill their masters, and abuse their own power… their bodies and hearts both rot away," Koneko said flatly, stepping forward without fear.
The stray devil—Baisa—snarled, her voice dripping with scorn. "Ha! Preaching now, are you? Suppressing your instincts, pretending to be righteous—do you even deserve to call yourselves devils?"
"Big talk," Rias shot back, eyes flashing. "You betrayed your master and ran wild for your own selfish pleasure. That's enough to damn you a thousand times over."
Her crimson hair flared as her aura surged. "In the name of the House of Gremory—be erased!"
"Heh… you arrogant little brat," Baisa sneered. "I'll crush you and paint your body red to match your hair!"
"Funny," Rias said with a cool smile. "Small fry always talk the loudest."
That did it—the stray roared in fury, raising a massive clawed leg and bringing it down toward her.
But none of the four moved.
Right before the blow landed, it stopped—then shot backward, sending dust flying.
Koneko stood where the monster's leg had been, her tiny fist still raised.
The attack had been cleanly repelled—with a single punch.
She looked small and cute enough to hug, but as Rias's Rook, Koneko's strength and defense were terrifying.
Inside that petite, doll-like body was the raw, overwhelming power of a living tank.
"..."
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