After Riser vanished from the room, Grayfia's gaze immediately turned to Rias.

"This is your final chance, Rias-sama."

"I know, Grayfia."

Her voice was cold. There was no effort to hide the irritation in her tone—because every step Grayfia took was, in essence, a message from her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer.

And so, some of the resentment she felt toward her brother and father naturally spilled over onto Grayfia as well.

But Grayfia was already used to Rias's stubbornness. She had practically helped raise her from childhood.

As Sirzechs' wife, Grayfia was more than just a maid—she was like an older sister, perhaps even a maternal figure. Both she and Sirzechs had always showered Rias with affection and care.

If it weren't for that bond, Rias's arranged marriage would've been set in stone—impossible to overturn under the rigid traditions of the Underworld's noble families.

The only precedent had been Sona Sitri, who escaped her own arranged marriage thanks to the outrageous intervention of her older sister, Serafall Leviathan. Serafall had defied all authority—family, peerage, and government—for the sake of her little sister.

But Rias's situation was much more complicated.

Sirzechs loved her dearly, but he couldn't act as recklessly as Serafall. As a Maou—one of the Four Satans—his hands were tied by duty, by the weight of his title, and by the structure of Devil society.

"Please do your best, Rias-sama," Grayfia said with a small bow.

"Leave it to me."

"In that case… Rias-sama, Shin Akira-sama, I'll report everything that happened here directly to Sirzechs Lucifer-sama."

As her words fell, a red magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Wrapped in a soft crimson glow, Grayfia vanished—teleporting back to the Underworld.

The room fell silent.

Rias let out a breath and collapsed back into her chair, the strength in her legs giving out beneath the pressure of everything that had just happened.

She never expected Riser to act this quickly. There was supposed to be nearly a year left before the arranged marriage deadline. But Riser had grown impatient and brought everything to the frontlines—directly to Kuoh Academy.

This was well beyond what she had anticipated.

"Akira… are you really confident you can win?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself, then looked at him directly.

"Just leave it to me," Akira said without hesitation. "On the day of the Rating Game, you all just stay in position. I'll handle the entire fight myself."

"…You're saying you'll take on all of Riser's peerage by yourself?"

"That's the plan."

"You've gone insane! Even if you've reached the level of an Ultimate-Class Devil, that doesn't mean you can let your guard down! Riser may be a High-Class Devil, but his power is nothing to scoff at. We need to plan carefully. We need a team strategy!"

"There's no need. I'll finish it."

"Shin Akira…!"

"Rias," he said gently.

"You know Riser is strong. But from the very beginning… you've never actually seen my true strength, have you?"

Those words stopped her in her tracks.

Her mind flashed back to their first real fight—the one where she and Akeno had faced off against Akira. They had been defeated in minutes.

Even then, she had known that Akira wasn't fighting seriously.

Sure, she hadn't gone all out either, but the result had been clear. The gap in power between them was unmistakable.

Now, he stood before her as an Ultimate-Class existence—wielding not just a Longinus-class Sacred Gear like Boosted Gear, but also a second gear with chain-based abilities. He commanded divine lightning and had the rare power to draw energy directly from the earth itself.

Put all of that together, and there was no way to call him just a human anymore.

He was a monster.

As that thought settled in her mind, the hesitation in Rias's heart began to fade. Her eyes sharpened, filled now with conviction.

She had already made her choice. She had already put her faith in this man.

There was no turning back now. The die had been cast.

"I believe in you."

"And I won't let you down."

Something subtle shifted between them in that moment. A connection that had already begun to form was now starting to deepen.

This wasn't just trust—it was a wager. One that would determine the future of Rias Gremory.

— — —

Time passed slowly.

Preparations for the Rating Game were underway. As noted in the history of the original world, before any official battle, it was tradition for the peerage to undergo intense training.

News from the Underworld finally arrived: the match had been scheduled one week from today.

A week—approved by Riser himself. Or rather, likely granted as some sort of condescending mercy. A chance for Akira to "enjoy" his remaining days before the inevitable defeat.

From Riser's perspective, the result had already been decided. Giving them extra time was simply a gesture of pity.

Meanwhile, Rias and her peerage had relocated to the Gremory family's private training villa deep in the mountains.

And because of the incident with Riser, Asia had finally made her decision—she accepted Rias's offer to join her peerage as a Bishop.

Through her time with them, Asia had come to understand that Rias and the others weren't evil Devils like the Church had always claimed.

In fact, they were the ones who had saved her life… and welcomed her with warmth.

Now, in Rias's time of need, Asia was ready to give everything she had for the girl who had rescued her.

"All right, everyone," Rias said firmly, standing before her peerage.

"We have seven days. Let's use that time to become stronger."

As the President of the Occult Research Club—and as their King—Rias was the heart of the team.

"Understood, Buchou!" Kiba replied with a confident grin.

"Yes," Akeno added with her usual gentle smile.

"Roger," Koneko said quietly, but resolutely.

"I'll do my very best!" Asia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with determination.

And just like that, their intense training began.

A great battle loomed just over the horizon. One that would not only decide Rias's fate, but also test the strength, trust, and resolve of her entire team...

…And above all, prove once and for all that Rias's faith in Shin Akira had not been misplaced.

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