A week had passed.

Not too short, but not quite long either.

Day by day, time moved forward—until finally, the day before the long-awaited Rating Game arrived.

With the special training period officially over, everyone had returned to Kuoh Academy. Though it wasn't formally recognized, Akira's private villa had now become the unofficial second headquarters of the Occult Research Club.

Other than Kiba Yuuto, who still stayed at the school dorms, every other member had chosen their own rooms within the villa. Akeno Himejima had even handed out duplicate keys to everyone.

Naturally, with her newfound intimacy with Akira, Akeno had taken up the role of the lady of the house without anyone needing to say it out loud.

— — —

[Name: Shin Akira]

[Identity: Transfer Student at Kuoh Academy]

[Rank: Level 6 (Ultimate-Class Devil)]

[Template: Enkidu (63%)]

[Noble Phantasm: Chains of Heaven]

[Talent: Consummated Shape, Beast King Instinct, Body Transformation]

[Skills: Blue Lightning Light, Aura Detection, The Wisdom of the People]

[Equipment: Boosted Gear (Red Dragon Emperor)]

[Items: —]

— — —

During their training days up in the mountains, while the primary focus had been on refining technique and team coordination, Akira had also taken the liberty of hunting down several stray devils that had wandered too close to the training grounds.

The result? His Enkidu inheritance template rose to 63%.

And that number alone made him feel like tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

According to the intel Rias had provided, the enemy team was composed of:

Riser Phenex, a High-Class Devil.

Yubelluna, a Mid-Class Devil and Riser's Queen.

Ravel Phenex, Riser's little sister and another Mid-Class Devil.

Thirteen other members, all classified as Low-Class Devils.

While the pawns couldn't be dismissed outright, their threat level was... minimal.

Assuming a percentage conversion of inherited value from their defeat:

13% from the pawns, 3% each from Yubelluna and Ravel, and 5% from Riser himself. That would total around 24%.

If added to Akira's current 63%, he'd hit 87%—more than enough to push past the threshold into Maou-class power.

And once he crossed that boundary... things would change completely.

The difference between those below and above that line wasn't just numerical—it was an entirely different realm of power.

"Man... I can already feel it. Tomorrow's match might just change everything."

Just thinking about the possibility of ascending into Maou-class made his heart race with anticipation.

At that moment, the door to his room creaked open quietly.

Akeno Himejima stepped inside, wearing a light nightgown. These days, the two of them shared a room naturally.

After all they had gone through together, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. Akeno had chosen Akira—completely, without reserve.

Their relationship now had the soft warmth of a honeymoon phase. They were almost never apart.

And as a man, Akira had no reason to complain about having such a beautiful woman glued to his side.

"What's on your mind, darling?"

"Nothing much. Just thinking about tomorrow's match."

"The Rating Game, huh? I believe in you. You'll win… and set Rias free from that engagement, right?"

"Of course. I'd never betray the trust of my wife."

"W-Wife… Honestly, you say things like that so easily."

Akeno gave him a light smack on the chest, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue. Still, the happiness on her face was unmistakable.

Tonight, unlike previous nights, she didn't try to tease him or tempt him into anything.

Ever since crossing that boundary in their relationship, both Akira and Akeno had been swept into an unending spiral of closeness.

But tonight was different.

Tomorrow would be a decisive battle—and without needing to say much, the two had agreed to show restraint.

— — —

Elsewhere

The Underworld – Phenex Household

"Tomorrow is the Rating Game. Are you prepared?"

The head of the Phenex family sat in the central seat of the grand meeting room, his eyes calm—but heavy with pressure—as he addressed his son.

"Relax, Father. My opponent is just a human. Even with a Sacred Gear, the outcome is obvious. Victory is mine."

Riser Phenex answered confidently, with neither hesitation nor respect for the threat that was Shin Akira—or Rias's team.

He'd participated in countless Rating Games against adult devils. Facing off against Rias—a girl newly risen to the status of a full-fledged devil—didn't intimidate him at all.

Especially since he already knew the composition of her peerage.

In his eyes, they were a group of nobodies.

"Good. You must win tomorrow. Rias may be young, but her potential is immense. Once you marry her, your mother will take over her proper education."

"Understood, Father."

The family head nodded. He had always pampered his third son.

After the eldest son brought glory and prestige to the family, the pressure on Riser had lessened. Instead, he was given more freedom—more indulgence.

Back during the political reshuffling for the new Four Great Satans, the Gremory family had offered Rias's engagement as part of their bargaining chip to gain the Phenex family's support for Sirzechs's rise to the position of Lucifer.

In return, the Phenex family reaped many benefits from that alliance—both political and economic. And with Sirzechs now firmly established as Maou, their connection to the Gremorys gave them added prestige and protection.

Now, if Riser were to officially marry Rias Gremory, the Phenex family's position would rise even higher—placing them closer to the inner circle of the Maou faction.

One son had already carried their name into glory. The other would wed into bloodline royalty. If children were born from this union, they would carry the blood of a Maou.

Everything was falling into place—almost too perfectly.

That is, except for one small detail:

Rias Gremory absolutely rejected the marriage.

To the point that she invoked an official challenge through a Rating Game.

And beyond that, she'd even taken in a human as both protector and romantic interest.

Their investigations confirmed that she hadn't been physically intimate with him—yet. But the fact that she chose a mere human over Riser? That alone was a slap across the Phenex family's face.

It was beyond unacceptable.

To make matters worse, Sirzechs Lucifer himself had approved the Rating Game—as if brushing aside the old engagement agreement like it meant nothing.

To the head of House Phenex, that was nothing short of betrayal.

Once, Sirzechs had needed their support to rise to power.

Now that he stood tall as a Maou, was he simply planning to discard their alliance?

No self-respecting noble could tolerate such arrogance.

And besides... even if the Phenex family had already received their share of rewards, greed was only natural.

If you can take more, why stop now?

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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