Because the visitor had concealed his aura, aside from Rod, only Lavinia sensed that something was off.
When she saw Rod heading out, she immediately moved to follow, but Rod told her to stay inside.
"Be careful."
The girl's voice came from behind him.
After pushing open the door, Rod saw a man standing in front of the mansion, dressed in a loose black kimono.
He had a high nose bridge, well-defined lips, and the look of a man who was no longer young, yet remained strikingly handsome.
His hair color was unusual. Most of the bangs hanging over his forehead were golden, while the rest was as black as ink.
When he saw Rod, a faint smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, giving him both the refinement of a scholar and the dignity of someone in a position of power.
Although he had suppressed his presence to the absolute minimum, simply standing there still placed a tremendous invisible pressure on others.
The system had already displayed his character panel.
Though reality was somewhat different from anime, Rod could still recognize some of Azazel's features from his appearance.
The visitor was none other than Azazel, Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
"So you're the one who killed Kokabiel. You're a lot younger than I imagined."
Azazel folded his arms and looked Rod up and down, then furrowed his brow ever so slightly.
Although Vali had already told him that this person really was the one who killed Kokabiel, judging from Azazel's own experience, Rod simply did not look like a powerhouse capable of taking down a fallen angel cadre.
The biggest issue was his eyes.
Judging by human standards, for someone to grow strong enough to defeat Kokabiel, they would at the very least have to go through trials of blood and fire.
But what kind of eyes were these?
He clearly knew Azazel had not come with good intentions, yet his expression, movements, and gaze had not changed at all.
It was almost as if... he did not take Azazel seriously.
In truth, Azazel was not overthinking it.
Rod really did not take Azazel seriously.
But it was not because of strength.
It was because Rod simply had no interest in men. If Azazel's status were not somewhat special, Rod would not even have bothered stepping outside.
Besides, Rod had long expected that this day would come.
It had just come a little later than he had anticipated.
"I thought you'd come looking for me sooner."
That single sentence told Azazel that Rod had already recognized who he was, and for a moment Azazel was a little thrown off.
No, seriously, if you already know I'm the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, then even if you don't act all terrified, you should at least show a bit of basic respect. Ask who I am, let me answer that I'm the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, then react with a "What?! You're the leader of the fallen angels?!" or something along those lines.
With Rod being this calm, Azazel felt strangely deflated.
But since Rod was acting so composed, Azazel naturally could not lose face either.
"It seems killing Kokabiel has given you a great deal of confidence. Kid, speaking as someone with more experience, I'd advise you not to be high on yourself. Kokabiel and i are different in term of skills."
"What's youth without a little pride?"
The moment Rod heard that line, he answered almost on instinct.
Azazel's expression changed slightly.
Originally, he had only taken advantage of the temporary stability between the three factions to make time to come see for himself what kind of human had killed Kokabiel, and to put a little pressure on him while he was at it, just to see whether he might be recruitable in the future.
After all, the reason he had rushed out of Grigori in the first place, even bringing the White Dragon Emperor Vali with him, was because he had wanted to get to Kokabiel before anyone else and drag him back.
At Azazel's hands, even if Kokabiel were sealed away, at least he would still be alive. Who knew, maybe one day a sentence with no end could turn into one with a fixed term, and he might still have a chance of being released.
But once you were dead, that was the end of everything.
Azazel had not come to avenge Kokabiel.
After all, Kokabiel really had committed a capital crime.
But it was true that he wanted to vent some frustration. Originally, he thought he could use his position to pressure this human a little, but instead, he had actually been talked back to.
This was the first time since becoming Governor-General that such a thing had happened.
"It seems you're quite confident in your strength. In that case, how about the two of us spar a little?"
Azazel said with his arms folded, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Of course, you also have every reason not to accept. After all, the one standing before you is the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me the strongest of the fallen angel race."
"Fine."
"If you don't dare, I can understand. But at the very least, you ought to show me some basic respe-"
Azazel spoke in an easy, self-assured tone, but then suddenly reacted.
"Wait, what did you say?"
"I said fine. Are you deaf?"
Hearing that from inside the house, the fallen angel trio could not help giving their master a silent thumbs-up.
To actually speak to the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels like that.
At that moment, their admiration for Rod completely surpassed the respect they once held for fallen angel cadres.
Azazel's face immediately darkened.
But since Rod had already refused to go along with him again and again, Azazel did not waste any more words.
"Good. You've got guts."
"But to keep people from saying later that I, the mighty Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, oppress someone younger than me, I'll let you decide the location, the rules, and the condition for victory. That way, even if I win, no one can say I used my position to throw my weight around."
[The Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel, has issued you a new quest.]
[Quest: First Clash]
[Objective: Withstand Azazel's offensive until victory is achieved.]
[Reward: Azazel Affection +20, Random Reward x1.]
That can trigger a quest too?
And wait, winning would actually raise Azazel's affection? What kind of nonsense was that?
Could it be that Azazel was actually a masochist at heart?
The reward was a bit stingy, though.
This was a fight against Azazel, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. Even if it was only a spar, there was no need for the system to be this cheap.
"Let's go to the back mountain. We can set up a few layers of barriers around the area. As for the condition for victory, you can decide."
Since there was a quest, there was no reason not to complete it.
Besides, getting the rare chance to cross hands with Azazel was a valuable experience in itself.
It was just the right opportunity to judge roughly where he currently stood in this world.
Hearing that, Azazel found himself looking at Rod in a new light.
He had thought Rod would choose conditions favorable to himself, but instead, Rod had kicked the ball right back to him again.
"Then let's decide it by how many times each side gets hit within the time limit."
Azazel did not want to make things too complicated. After all, this was only a spar, not a fight to the death.
Rod had no objections.
Soon after, Rod and Azazel headed to the site. Lavinia came along to help set up the barriers, while Asia, Kuroka, Xenovia, and Irina came as spectators, and self-appointed cheerleaders.
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