After school that afternoon…
Using the magic circle in the Department of Mystical Affairs' clubroom, Leo and the others teleported straight back to the mansion. In the basement, they regrouped with Ravel, Ram, and Rem.
"Are you ready, Ravel?" Leo asked.
No one had even changed clothes. They were still in their school uniforms as they stood before the magic circle, speaking to Ravel, who had a small one unfolded in her palm.
"Yes. Everything's ready," Ravel replied. She checked something within the miniature magic circle before reporting, "The Underworld has already sent over the coordinates for the designated pocket dimension. They've also registered the demonic power signatures of all Eligos' servants."
She continued, "The magic circle in this basement is now linked to that specific pocket dimension. As long as registered personnel step inside, we'll be able to jump directly there through the magic circle."
Hearing that, Leo nodded.
"In that case, let's go take a look."
With that, he stepped into the magic circle first, the girls following close behind as they entered together.
A sharp hum rang out.
The next instant, the magic circle erupted with an unprecedented crimson glow, enveloping Leo's group and forcing them to shut their eyes.
When they opened them again, they were no longer in the mansion's basement.
They had arrived in an unfamiliar space.
"S-So this is the pocket dimension Sirzechs-sama prepared for us?"
"It's huge!"
The servant girls gasped in shock, then burst into excited chatter.
The space was vast, so vast it seemed endless. Calling it a pocket dimension almost felt inaccurate. It was more like an entire world, with no sense of confinement at all.
The terrain was equally diverse. Rolling hills, open plains, forests, lakes… there were even scattered buildings in the distance. It looked so natural that one could easily mistake it for a world formed on its own rather than something artificially constructed.
Leo and the others stood atop a hill, right by a cliff's edge, giving them a clear view of the surrounding scenery. No wonder the girls couldn't help but marvel out loud.
"Is this really something that was artificially created?" Yukino couldn't help asking. "Devil technology has advanced to this point already?"
Even though she had read about such things before, seeing the natural landscape with her own eyes still left her stunned.
"It's not actually that rare," Ravel said calmly. "Heaven and the Fallen Angels have technology on the same level. Pocket dimensions have long been commonplace among the three factions. In fact, among devils, they're used every time a Rating Game is held. If anything, we probably make the most use of them."
Rating Games in the devil world were usually held inside pocket dimensions, and the setting changed every time.
Sometimes it was an endless wasteland. Other times, a dense urban cityscape. Occasionally, they even recreated famous locations from the human world.
In the original events, the battle over Rias' engagement with Riser took place in a pocket dimension that recreated Kuoh Academy. Rias and Sona's debut match was held in one that replicated a shopping mall in Kuoh Town. That alone showed just how extensively devils used pocket dimensions, and how mature the technology had become.
"Of course," Ravel added, "constructing something this large and this complex is still a lot of work. Sirzechs-sama clearly put considerable effort into this place."
But instead of a response from Eligos' servants, what followed was a familiar, soft chuckle.
"If my brother knew his efforts hadn't gone to waste, I'm sure he'd be delighted."
The speaker was none other than Sirzechs' younger sister, Rias.
Behind Leo and the others, two magic circles spun open at the same time atop the hill, and two groups emerged from them.
They were the Gremory servants and the Sitri servants.
"So you're here too," Leo said, greeting Rias and Sona Sitri.
"Yeah, we came to take a look," Rias replied as she approached with her servants, smiling. "Didn't expect you to beat us to it."
"We just arrived ourselves," Leo shrugged. Then his brows rose as he noticed someone unexpected. "Huh? You're here too?"
He wasn't the only one surprised. Yukinoshita Yukino and the others were as well.
That was because the person in question wasn't originally part of the Gremory servants.
She was a Holy Sword wielder from the Church, the Durandal user, Xenovia.
The blue-haired swordswoman was standing among the Gremory servants, having come along with them.
Everyone present was sharp enough to immediately sense what was different about her.
There was no trace of a human aura left on her. Instead, she carried the unmistakable presence of a devil.
"Y-You reincarnated as a devil?" Yuuki Asuna blurted out.
The others were equally shocked. Only the Sitri servants remained calm. It was obvious they already knew.
"Let me introduce her properly," Rias said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She looked genuinely pleased. "This is my newest servant. Like Yuuto, she's one of my Knights."
As her words fell, Xenovia silently spread her wings, revealing a pair of jet-black bat wings.
"I understand your surprise," Xenovia said flatly. "But this is the truth. Since God is gone, I'm nothing more than a lost lamb without faith. In a way, becoming a devil feels… only natural."
Her face was expressionless, yet there was a hint of resignation in her voice.
Everyone understood immediately.
"Turning into a devil out of sheer loss of faith… that's even more impulsive than me," Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered under her breath.
"Xenovia…" Asia, as someone from the Church herself, looked at her with concern and gently tried to comfort her.
"Well, becoming a devil isn't that bad, right?" Hyoudou Issei said, scratching his nose before speaking up loudly. "I think it's pretty lucky, actually! I mean, devils can openly build a harem. Just that alone is enough to make someone think, 'No regrets becoming a devil!'"
At least, that was true for him.
"Lucky…?" Xenovia sighed. "That was supposed to be God's domain. Now that God is gone, becoming a devil can actually be considered fortunate. Life really is unpredictable."
Eligos' servants exchanged glances before ultimately accepting it.
"So now the Gremory servants also have a Holy Sword wielder," Shiina Mahiru said quietly, prompting silent nods from the others.
Holy Swords were natural enemies of devils. Because Yuuki Asuna possessed the Sacred Gear Blade Blacksmith, she was already considered an exceptionally sharp weapon among Eligos' talented servants, especially in Rating Games against devils. Her reputation in the devil world was actually quite high, making her someone other young devils needed to watch out for.
Now, the Gremory servants had gained a Holy Sword user as well, and a genuine one at that. Durandal was one of the highest-grade holy weapons in the world. With it, the Gremory servants were undoubtedly strengthened even further.
Of course, compared to Shiina Mahiru, a wielder of Holy Relics, Xenovia still fell a tier short.
So while Eligos' servants took note of the situation, they didn't feel truly threatened.
Someone like Xenovia wasn't the main concern.
"I think the one we really need to watch out for is Kiba-kun," Yuuki Asuna said, her gaze shifting between Yuuto Kiba and Xenovia before settling on Kiba's gentle smile.
After the Kokabiel incident, the Gremory Knight had overcome his psychological trauma and let go of his hatred for Holy Swords. In doing so, he finally reached the peak of his Sacred Gear and achieved his Balance Breaker.
The Sword of Betrayer. This Balance Breaker allowed him to create weapons that combined the opposing powers of Holy Swords and Demon Swords.
If Yuuto Kiba activated his Balance Breaker and wielded the Sword of Betrayer, he could also deal effective, specialized damage to devils.
Leo had already told Eligos' servants that Kiba, having reached Balance Breaker, was easily among the top two strongest in the entire Gremory peerage, possibly even number one. Even Xenovia with Durandal, or High-Class Devils like Rias and Akeno Himejima, might not be able to defeat him.
That realization gave Yuuki Asuna a sense of urgency.
After a month of special training, she was confident she could defeat the old Yuuto Kiba. She wouldn't lose to his Demon Sword like before.
But Balance Breaker Kiba was a different matter entirely.
She knew that even now, she likely wasn't his match.
Their Sacred Gears were on the same level. At best, Asuna only had a slight edge because Holy Swords counter devils, but Kiba's swordsmanship, combat experience, and physical abilities more than made up for it.
Now that he could also create Holy Swords through his Sword of Betrayer, even that advantage was gone.
If she wanted to surpass him, there was only one way.
She had to reach Balance Breaker herself.
"…Looks like I need to push myself even harder," Yuuki Asuna sighed, then straightened up, her eyes burning with determination.
She wasn't the type to give up easily anymore.
Leo, meanwhile, had no idea his servants were already used to grinding themselves this hard. He wasn't particularly focused on either Xenovia or Yuuto Kiba.
After all, he was already a Perfect Devil. Devils' inherent weaknesses no longer applied to him.
To him, Holy Swords were nothing more than weapons with special properties.
Neither Xenovia nor Kiba posed much of a threat. Even Balance Breaker Kiba hadn't reached the level of an Ultimate-Class Devil, let alone Maou-Class.
At his current level, that kind of strength might as well be nonexistent.
Rather than them, Leo was more curious about one of Rias' other servants.
"Didn't Sirzechs-sama say your Bishop could be unsealed now?" he asked. "Why didn't you bring him along?"
"I'm not ready yet," Rias replied simply. "That child is far too introverted and shy. Forget bringing him somewhere unfamiliar like this, just getting him out of his room is already difficult."
She looked genuinely troubled.
Her other Bishop had great ability and potential, but his personality was a serious issue.
Getting him to go outside at all was a challenge, let alone bringing him to a pocket dimension.
"For the time being, he won't be coming," Rias said with a wry smile. "Once I've done enough counseling, I'll introduce him to you."
Leo chuckled.
"Fair enough. Just another problem child. It's not like I don't have those at home."
Yukino and the others shot him a look, saying nothing.
Ignoring them, Leo clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Since we're all here, how about a few practice matches?"
Sirzechs had said this place wasn't just a shelter. It was also a training ground.
With the servants of three High-Class Devils gathered here, sparring with each other seemed like a great opportunity.
As expected:
"This is a rare chance. With conditions like this, we should make the most of it."
Rias and Sona Sitri exchanged glances, then smiled in unison.
"Let's have a friendly exchange."
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You can read up to chapter 225 on patreon.com/NiaXD.