"Bang!"
Rias's body slammed heavily into the floor, carving a winding crack through the ground as she skidded backward, only stopping when she crashed into the wall.
"Guh!"
The violent impact sent a brutal shock through her organs, making Rias cry out in pain. The agony twisted even her beautiful features.
"Ah..."
With a faint groan, she struggled to climb back up, shook her head to clear the dizziness, and lifted her gaze. As far as she could see, most of the people and Devils invited to the banquet had already fallen to the group of black-clad intruders who had suddenly burst in. The magnificent banquet hall had been wrecked beyond recognition, with none of its former grandeur left.
She tried to draw out her Power of Destruction, but she had only come here to attend a banquet, not some fighting tournament. She had kept only a normal amount of Magical Power inside her, just enough to move around conveniently. After that battle, her small reserve had been completely spent. If she wanted to use Magical Power again, she would have to squeeze it out of her body.
Her stamina and physical condition were still fine, but for some reason, she simply could not gather Magical Power from her body.
And it was not just that she could not gather it. During the process of gathering Magical Power, her stamina and condition still declined, yet the Magical Power itself vanished for no apparent reason.
Seriously, what rotten luck. How the hell did these people break in? Wasn't an alternate dimension supposed to be impossible to enter without an entry item or the owner's permission? And when did they set up a magic-suppressing device here? Why weren't they affected?
Watching the people around her fight the black-clad enemies barehanded, their movements restrained and awkward, a trace of despair appeared on Rias's face.
Once the battle began, everyone who used up their free Magical Power and then tried to extract more discovered that refining Magical Power only drained their condition further. With no other choice, they were forced into close combat against the black-clad attackers. But how many Devils actually trained pure martial arts?
If they could use Magical Power, they would not have been defeated so quickly. In fact, it was hard to say who would have won. After all, very few of the people invited to this banquet were weak.
But fighting enemies who could use Magical Power while they themselves could not? What kind of joke was that? They were not ordinary flesh-and-blood humans, but did that mean their opponents were?
Unless someone was absurdly specialized in one area, having Magical Power and having none were two completely different concepts. The gap was even greater than the difference between an infant and an adult. Without Magical Power, they could not even break through the enemy's defenses.
Her hostile gaze swept over the black-clad figures still fighting in front of her. When she saw her companions already defeated and lying on the ground, a fierce rage rose in Rias's heart, driving her to rush forward and continue fighting.
Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Rias, calm down. Going in now won't help.
Knowing that she would not be able to help even if she charged in, Rias took several deep breaths and forced down the anger in her heart. Her gaze shifted toward Akeno Himejima, who lay powerless on the floor but was still alive.
Clearly, their lives were still useful to these black-clad people. In other words, they did not need to worry about anyone being killed for the moment. But that did not mean they were safe. Rias would never believe the enemy had gone through so much trouble to break into this alternate dimension just to beat them up. Either they wanted to capture them alive, or they were planning something worse than death.
So... could they only wait for rescue now?
After observing the situation and reaching the conclusion that their hope had to be placed entirely in someone else's hands, Rias clenched the shattered stones on the ground in frustration, trying to think of a way to escape. But it was useless. The difference in strength between the two sides was so great that the enemy could toy with them like a cat playing with mice, draining their Magical Power and stamina at leisure. Unless she could make the enemy turn on one another, any scheme would be meaningless in the face of that overwhelming gap.
"Boom!"
While she was thinking, every ally still standing had been knocked down by the black-clad attackers. The most eye-catching of them was the tall and imposing Sairaorg, lying in the large crater at the center of the banquet hall.
As someone skilled in martial arts, he had been affected the least and had the greatest combat strength among them. Even after losing his Magical Power, he had managed to hold off several A-rank fighters by himself.
Unfortunately, even he had reached his limit after holding out for so long. Now he was being pinned to the ground by a Devil they could normally deal with casually, beaten as the attacker vented his rage.
"Smack!"
"Useless trash, stop! Not only did it take you this long to bring down this defective product from the House of Bael, you're actually trying to kill him too?!"
A seductive woman, one of the few who was not dressed in black and who appeared to be the leader, had been standing behind the black-clad group watching the show. Seeing that her subordinate was about to beat Sairaorg to death, she stepped forward and slapped the black-robed man who had defeated him across the face. Her alluring features twisted, and a flash of violence passed through her eyes.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I only, I just..."
After being slapped, the black-clad man instantly snapped back to his senses. His body shook violently, and he did not dare resist at all. He released Sairaorg, respectfully stepped back several paces, and knelt before the woman, stammering as he struggled to explain himself.
"Tsk. Get lost."
She kicked her subordinate away and paid no attention to whether he lived or died. Her gaze moved over the people lying on the floor.
"You're Devils too, aren't you? Why are you attacking us?"
Rias met the woman's eyes without showing fear, doing her best to keep her voice from sounding too gritted as she questioned her.
Through aura and bloodline, she could clearly sense the Devil presence coming from the woman. But after searching through all her memories, Rias could not recall seeing that face among the Underworld's higher-ups or top combatants. With a Devil of this level, she should have at least heard something about her.
Now that the woman's attention had fallen on them, and considering that these black-clad people had only defeated them without killing them, there was no chance of hoping the enemy would let them go. In that case, she might as well take the initiative and ask questions now while looking for a chance to act in secret later.
"Oh..."
The seductive woman stopped looking around and turned her gaze onto Rias. When she saw Rias's crimson hair, she frowned, but a malicious smile quickly spread across her face.
"The daughter of the House of Gremory. That disgusting red hair really is exactly like your brother's, that inferior Satan..."
She grabbed Rias by the collar and lifted her until they were face-to-face, the mocking curve of her lips stretching wider and wider.
"Sirzechs would never imagine that one day his little sister would fall into my hands. Looks like once this is all over, I'll get to see your brother holding his sister's corpse and breaking down in pain. Hahaha..."
The seductive woman laughed happily, only to stop abruptly. Her expression turned displeased, and she casually threw Rias to the ground.
"Just thinking that I have to wait until this is over to see that delightful scene pisses me off. Ahhh... I really want to see those fake, inferior Satans regret making enemies of us..."
A lunatic.
Rias stared wide-eyed at the woman's deranged behavior, and the word surfaced instinctively in her mind. The woman's inexplicable hatred toward her and her companions went far beyond anything Rias had imagined. At the same time, that sentence made her realize the reason they were being attacked. The enemy most likely needed their lives to accomplish something.
"Oh, right!"
While Rias was stunned, the madwoman in front of her seemed to remember something and stopped raving. She turned her head, her gaze moving over the people lying on the ground as if searching for someone, her eyes carrying a smile.
"I can't see Sirzechs regretting making an enemy of us just yet, but there's a bitch on this island right now who I hate even more than Sirzechs. I think that bitch's little sister came too. Ahhh... I'll kill that bitch's sister right in front of her as punishment for stealing my throne..."
As Rias gathered information from the seductive woman's murmuring, which sounded like a cat toying with a mouse, a name instinctively appeared in her mind.
"I wonder if that bitch will feel sad when her sister dies?"
The moment the words fell, a blood whip appeared in the seductive woman's hand. Without even turning her head, she swung it toward a certain spot, dragging Sona Sitri out from the hidden corner where she had been hiding and slamming her heavily to the ground.
"What do you think, Serafall's little sister?"
As the woman's mocking voice rang out, the blood whip wrapped around Sona Sitri's neck and lifted her despite her struggles, forcing her to meet the woman's eyes.
"Katerea... Leviathan..."
Struggling in midair, Sona Sitri gripped the blood whip around her neck tightly and used the tiny bit of air she could manage to say the woman's name.
"You know me?"
Katerea raised an eyebrow in surprise and casually flung Sona Sitri away. The force was not great, but the impact still caused considerable damage to Sona Sitri, who had no Magical Power right now.
"Cough, cough... I do. I heard my sister mention you. A noble Devil from the old government faction making a last stand, and the bloodline holder of Leviathan, one of the original Four Great Satans of the Underworld..."
Sona Sitri coughed several times, then answered the question while panting, speaking as if she were also reminding everyone around her of the woman's identity.
Her sister had indeed mentioned this woman before. A remnant who spent every day dreaming of restoring the old Underworld government, one of the old nobles who had not been completely wiped out because of concerns over reputation and bloodline inheritance.
If that was the case, then the other side's malice toward the current four leaders of the Underworld was understandable. After all, the throne and title beneath her sister Serafall right now was Leviathan, a throne taken from that woman's family.
"Hahaha, looks like that bitch Serafall still remembers me. Then when I kill you in front of her, she'll definitely make a wonderful face. Ahahaha..."
Katerea laughed mockingly at Serafall through Sona Sitri, then licked her lips while looking at Sona Sitri with ill intent.
"As for now, I'll use you as a substitute for your sister and vent a little..."
"I remember that you old nobles who refused to obey the Underworld government were defeated by the current Underworld government and exiled to the borders of the Underworld. Why are you here attacking us? Are you trying to betray the Underworld again and start another war?"
Before Katerea could finish, Rias interrupted her with a question, causing Katerea to turn a displeased gaze toward Rias, who had gotten back on her feet.
The next second, a blood whip descended from above and struck Rias, knocking her to the ground and sending her flying dozens of meters.
"You should be grateful you're still useful. Otherwise, I would kill you right now."
Katerea put away the blood whip and did not continue attacking, speaking in an ice-cold voice.
"And don't speak to me in that tone. We of the Old Satan Faction are only taking back what belonged to us in the first place. We are the true rulers of the Underworld. You are nothing but rebels who stole what was ours."
After saying that, Katerea turned and swept her gaze around the room. When she failed to see the person she wanted, she frowned and finally looked toward her subordinates.
"Where is Diodora? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Your Majesty Leviathan, we have already searched the alternate dimension's control center, but we found no trace of Diodora. There is a high possibility that he has already left, gone missing, or even betrayed us..."
As she listened to the report, the dark lines on Katerea's forehead grew heavier and heavier, and violence flashed in her eyes. In the end, she lashed the reporting subordinate with her whip.
"What a useless piece of trash. He can't even handle such a small matter. Looks like when we get back, I'll have to kill that turncoat who came over to us as well. Our new world has no need for a useless thing like him..."
After several heavy breaths, Katerea calmed down, pulled something from her clothes, and tossed it into the center of the banquet hall.
The next second, a sound like shattering glass rang out. Dense magical patterns appeared across the floor and walls, and a Cross and a large vessel appeared at the center of the banquet hall.
"No choice, then. Since that trash disappeared, I'll have to activate it manually. Let me think, what did that weirdo from the Cult of Diablos say..."
Katerea muttered to herself, but her hands moved quickly. She selected a target, and her whip caught a Devil before dragging them toward the vessel.
"S-Stop! You have no idea how terrifying the Underworld's current power really is. There's no way your old government can succeed in rebelling. Doing this will only add more killing to the Underworld."
"And if you commit a crime like this, the Underworld government will no longer hold back because of your status. All of the old nobles who refuse to submit will be killed by the current Underworld government. It isn't too late to give up. You are still part of the Underworld..."
Watching the Devil who had been caught and dragged across the floor struggle desperately, Rias struggled to remind Katerea and the others of the difference in strength between them and the current Underworld government. She wanted to reduce the casualties while also dissuading them from betraying the Underworld. The current Underworld truly could not withstand more turmoil.
"A huge difference in strength? Ha, you've got that backward. I'll let you witness this vast power capable of overturning the entire world."
As she spoke, Katerea threw the Devil in her grasp into the vessel and bound Yuuma Tokoyogi to the Cross. Amid the Devil's screams, a trace of blood stained the Cross.