Moments later, Bokue and the others—who had only just arrived in the Underworld—followed Rias into the castle.
When they stepped into the dining hall, the first thing they saw was Venelana already seated at the head of the long banquet table, smiling warmly at the group entering through the doors.
"Oh my, you're finally here. I could hear you all talking at the entrance from upstairs. Please, make yourselves at home—find a seat wherever you like."
From the look of things, she clearly had something to discuss.
But that made perfect sense. After all, they'd come to the Underworld specifically to participate in the newly launched International Ranking Tournament. They couldn't exactly just stroll in like they were going shopping without any preparation.
At least, that was the case for Rias.
Sure enough, as everyone took their seats, the castle's maids wheeled in serving carts, setting out coffee and cake with fluid, practiced motions before withdrawing just as smoothly.
Only when everything was ready did Venelana speak again from the head of the table.
"I'm sure Rias has already told you all—recently, the Underworld launched the International Ranking Tournament to celebrate the successful alliances with Norse Mythology, as well as the earlier alliance with the Fallen Angels and Angels."
"Naturally, the Gremory family will be participating. However, since we're pressed for time—tomorrow is the first day of competition—certain matters need to be settled today."
"Such as the finalized roster of participants."
That did need to be confirmed. Serafall had already mentioned this last weekend.
Under normal circumstances, a team consisted of one King, one Queen, plus a pair each of Bishops, Rooks, and Knights, along with up to eight Pawns—sixteen members total.
But typically, no one actually filled all eight Pawn slots. After all, combat effectiveness had always been about quality over quantity.
So there was no way everyone present would end up on the roster.
"Is all this really necessary?"
Bokue scooped a bite of what appeared to be an Underworld version of tiramisu into his mouth.
"At the end of the day, whoever's still standing wins. So why don't I just go in alone and beat everyone into the ground?"
"Hmm~ Technically, the rules do allow for that."
Venelana tapped her lips thoughtfully.
"But the entry requirements mandate that the roster be filled as much as possible. A one-person team definitely wouldn't be allowed to compete."
"I see."
Bokue nodded with a soft "oh."
"Well, can't help it then. Let's just fill it out properly. First, for Queen..."
"There's no need to discuss the [Queen] position—it's already been decided."
Before the young man could finish, he was cut off. Looking toward the voice, he saw Venelana at the head of the table, smiling and flashing a cute V-sign.
"Don't forget~ We agreed that Mommy would be holding onto the [Queen] position for safekeeping~"
"This is to prevent any internal disputes, so it's absolutely non-negotiable."
❁❁❁❁
While the group continued discussing the remaining roster positions, far away in the dimensional gap—a space belonging to neither the Human World, the Underworld, nor Heaven—the long-running battle between the Two Heavenly Dragons raged on.
In the endless void, the Red Dragon Empress—her armor riddled with cracks—threw a mighty punch that warped space itself, sending the White Dragon Empress and her terrifying energy attack hurtling tens of thousands of miles away. Then she forced herself upright, fists clenched before her chest as the green dragon jewel on her armor began flashing wildly.
[Boost]! [Boost]! [Boost]!
The deafening multiplication calls echoed through the dimensional gap. As the jewel's flashing accelerated and the charge neared completion, the dragon claws securing it seemed to come alive, spreading wide.
The next instant, a devastating torrent of magical destruction lit up the entire dimensional gap. There was no travel time from firing to impact—it simply appeared, spanning the entire space and engulfing Albion completely.
This was undoubtedly a strike capable of vaporizing a Demon Lord with ease. Even Ultimate-Class Devils wouldn't dare spectate a battle of this magnitude.
They wouldn't even need to be "careless"—simply being too close would result in instant dimensional annihilation from the shockwaves alone.
Yet against her fellow Heavenly Dragon, this attack barely qualified as effective.
Over endless eons, they'd fought each other countless times—to the point where they'd become completely immune to each other's techniques. The only way to determine a victor was through battles between their host vessels.
Like Pokémon battles, essentially.
As for the [Longinus Smasher] that could instantly melt a Demon Lord? In Albion's eyes, it was about as threatening as a kid in a swimming pool yelling "tidal wave!" while splashing their friend.
[Divide]!
The next moment, the familiar sound effect rang through the dimensional gap. The apocalyptic crimson torrent of magical power suddenly shrank by half.
[Divide]! [Divide]! [Divide]!
Three more halving calls followed in rapid succession. The already-diminished magical flood was cut to a quarter, then an eighth, and finally dwindled to a mere trickle before dissipating entirely.
Under normal circumstances, it would now be Albion's turn. Having just absorbed massive amounts of magical energy from the Longinus Smasher, she'd built up more than enough power to launch an attack rivaling Ddraig's.
But she suddenly stopped.
"Ddraig—don't you feel like you've forgotten something?"
"Huh? Have I? What did I forget?"
The moment the White Dragon Empress spoke, the Red Dragon Empress's voice echoed back from across the endless void.
Albion pressed a hand to her forehead. "If I recall correctly, you said about half a month ago that you needed to deliver some message to your former host."
"Oh, that? Wait... it's already been half a month?"
No sooner had she spoken than the Red Dragon Empress crossed the void in a single step, appearing before her eternal rival. She scratched her cheek through her gauntlet, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Her personality had always been far more laid-back than Albion's, which meant her sense of time was correspondingly worse. Having lived for endless eons, half a month felt no different from twenty minutes to an ordinary person.
"Alright, fine—let's go handle that first. We've both been resurrected anyway, so we'll have plenty of time to fight later."
"Good to know you understand."
With one final jab at her rival, the White Dragon Empress turned and raised her hand to open a spatial portal.
❁❁❁❁
Back inside Gremory Castle.
At the dining table, Bokue was staring at the participant roster in deep contemplation.
Every position had been filled except one—the [Pawn] slots.
Honestly, the other positions were relatively straightforward. Rooks were basically tanks. Bishops were healers or mages. Knights were light-armored warriors.
But what exactly was a Pawn supposed to be?
It felt like they could do... anything? Or maybe nothing particularly well?
He had no idea who to pick. At this rate, he might as well just choose randomly.
Just then, a ripple of spatial energy beside the young man drew everyone's attention.
Hm?
Bokue instinctively turned to look.
The next moment, a spatial portal opened. Out stepped the White Dragon Empress and the Red Dragon Empress—who had been beating each other senseless in the dimensional gap for the past two weeks straight.
The Red Dragon Empress even waved enthusiastically in greeting.
"Yo, former host! Long time no see—we came to visit~"
"...Ah, perfect."
Bokue suddenly spoke up.
"What?"
"You two. Come help fill the [Pawn] slots."
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