A few minutes earlier, shortly after leaving the gym.
The crackling of mandibles and the buzzing of wings filled the maid's senses. As she rose into the air, she was taken aback by the scene before her.
The number was overwhelming. How had they managed to bring so many creatures without her noticing? She wondered this as she unleashed her devil power and froze thousands of insects crawling or flying out of the nearby forest. Then she attempted to contact her husband or the Gremory household, but something blocked her attempts. Confused, she focused her senses and looked toward the sky. She accelerated, rising above the school grounds, and "touched" the membrane that seemed to surround them. She condensed her devil power and unleashed a devastating attack, opening a hole in the dome. But there was nothing beyond it—only more gray mist.
"Another dimension?" she murmured with suspicion.
The situation grew increasingly complicated. Who could have transported the entire school without her noticing? Her power was in the Maou class; if someone had blocked her senses and moved her to another dimension, that was troubling.
She hesitated a few seconds between returning to Rias or eliminating the threat in the forest. Determined, she conjured an ice wall to delay the insects while she removed the source and accelerated toward the forest.
The crackling sound of thousands of legs echoed among the trees. Grayfia cautiously observed her surroundings. These insects weren't the issue, but the being that had brought them was someone worthy of attention.
Soon, a strange scene appeared before her. A rift was opening in the air, with insects pouring through it in droves.
To the side, two humanoid creatures held staffs while chanting in an unknown language. Black runes flickered as devil power was extracted from dismembered bodies on the ground. "Stray devils?" the maid thought upon seeing the remains.
Grayfia's expression grew serious as she saw a large anthropomorphic female insect emerging from the rift. It was far from weak; if it reached Rias and her group, it would be a real threat.
She didn't hesitate. She advanced while conjuring a wave of ice that froze all the enemies in front of her. The "mages" noticed and tried to resist, but the power difference was overwhelming. Soon only ice statues remained before the rift.
Grayfia took some distance while watching it, wondering how to close it and whether it was the cause of the spatial blockage. But suddenly, a massive claw burst through the rift, lunging toward her.
She leaped back, avoiding it, but a strange energy shot toward her head, dazing her for a moment.
"A mental attack?" she murmured, firing magic at the claw.
Tch.
A guttural voice exhaled as the claw clenched. In that instant, hundreds of thousands of insects that had crossed the rift again were crushed into a bloody mist and turned into gray fog, which surged toward Grayfia without giving her room to dodge.
The maid widened her eyes in disbelief as she felt her devil power being blocked. Before she could understand what was happening, another creature emerged from the rift, holding a sword as it charged at her, its cloak billowing behind it.
Zure swung his sword without holding back in the slightest. If Lord Grapha had needed so many sacrifices to nullify her magic, the power of that maid was evident.
Thrusts and slashes whistled through the air as the two moved at high speed. With each exchange, Zure grew more serious. The woman didn't seem like a mage; her movements were those of a veteran warrior.
Grayfia took advantage of a brief opening, deflected the blade with the back of her hand, and struck with her fist, sending the knight flying.
Zure spun in the air a few times before landing on his knees, leaning on his sword. Purple blood trickled from his lips.
The knight rose slowly, coughing blood as he admired his opponent's strength. He wanted to keep fighting, but his king had given orders, and Lord Grapha was watching. He only backed away, giving the maid a respectful look.
"Fiendish Chain…" a raspy voice whispered to the side.
Black chains wrapped around the silver-haired woman. Although she tried to avoid them, they moved too quickly, and soon she found herself trapped.
Footsteps echoed behind some trees. A humanoid creature with a large head and grayish or purplish skin approached. It wore a green cloak and held a book or grimoire in its hands.
"Wonderful, wonderful. My theory was correct. Chains designed to restrain devils are effective," it murmured while examining the maid. "You don't look like an Archified one, but your energy is similar. Should I take you to my laboratory?"
Zure, watching from the side, had to intervene.
"Gren, don't forget the king's orders."
"Oh, my mistake, my mistake. This young lady is an important sacrifice," he exclaimed while grabbing his head. "Will this be enough to open the gate?"
Another voice echoed from within the rift.
"Even if we succeed, we won't be able to invade. The node trapped us here. We need to capture it."
Zure nodded, turned, and advanced toward the school. Behind him, a massive swarm of insects followed.
Seeing this, Grayfia made the chains creak as she tried to break free.
"It's a shame you killed Snoww and Ceruli. I'm not very skilled with spatial magic," Gren said as he began chanting, slowly draining her devil power.
Bodies and blood covered the courtyard, giving off a strange smell. Sona wrinkled her nose as she stepped back. She wasn't going to get careless; who knew if the blood of those insects carried poison?
"Saji, fall back," she ordered firmly as she saw the boy moving too far ahead.
With a sigh, she looked at the "hills" of bodies. She didn't understand what was happening, but her duty as student council president was to protect the students.
She turned to the side, where Rias's group was also eliminating insects in their area.
"Good. If Riser handles his side, we'll secure the building," she murmured before turning to her queen. "Tsubaki, inform the students that although this area is safe, they are not to leave the building."
The bespectacled girl nodded and flew toward the classrooms. Sona watched her leave, thinking about how much work it would take to erase these memories from the human students.
Sona returned to the building. Rias's and Riser's groups were also there. From the way they looked at each other and the tension in the air, it was clear they still weren't on good terms. The girl shook her head, remembering how difficult it had been to convince them of this strategic "alliance."
"Riser, did you clear your sector?" she asked, trying to ease the atmosphere.
The blond devil clicked his tongue while nodding. Then he turned to his group and walked toward a corner.