"I'm sorry to disturb you so early, Rias-sama."
In the drawing room, Sona bowed anxiously as she saw Rias arrive.
Serafall didn't accompany Sona today; after all, as a Devil King, she still had work to do.
Generally speaking, Serafall was responsible for diplomacy, which was indeed a job that couldn't be handled casually.
"You don't need to be so polite."
Rias patted Sona's head and asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Um, not yet..."
Because she was too excited, Sona had forgotten to eat breakfast today.
Sona had arrived too early, and the Sitri Family had perhaps guessed such a possibility, so they didn't stop her.
In all probability, the Gremory Family would notice this point.
By having Rias invite Sona to eat breakfast together, it might enhance the friendship between the two.
"Then let's eat together."
Rias smiled and said.
And that was indeed the case~
If it were some naughty little troublemaker, Rias might have had the mind to mess with them a bit.
But letting a cute little loli go hungry was not Rias's style.
Arriving at the dining room, the maids had already brought out the food.
There was no sign of her father or mother; they were likely still lying in bed.
Or perhaps they were doing early morning exercises?
Thinking of such extremely rude things in her mind, Rias couldn't help but look at Sona.
A tiny figure, cute cheeks—it made one want to kiss her, hug her, and lift her high up.
She was just too cute~
Fortunately, Rias's affection was purely innocent, with no other intentions.
After all, a person shouldn't—at least, they really shouldn't~
After eating breakfast, the two went out to the courtyard.
After strolling for a while, Rias came up with another idea.
"Sona-chan, have you ever been to the capital?"
Rias asked.
"Um, my sister took me there once."
Sona said in a tender, soft voice, "It's very bustling there, with lots of delicious food and fun things."
"Then shall we go take a look together?"
Rias laughed and said, "Speaking of which, I haven't left the Gremory Family mansion yet. I'm very curious about the scenery of the new capital, 'Lilith'."
"Just the two of us?"
Sona tilted her head and said, "Mama won't allow me to leave the territory alone."
"Then it's fine if the two of us leave together."
Rias said, subtly twisting the logic.
Sona being able to come here naturally meant she was accompanied by people from the Sitri Family.
It seemed to be a member of Serafall's peerage, possessing the strength of a High-class Devil.
Rias had seen that young girl; her strength was decent, but even before having the Chat Group, Rias was confident in defeating her.
While a High-class Devil was strong, it was only to that extent.
Rias was not only powerful in terms of Power of Destruction, her combat methods were also extremely rare and magnificent among devils.
Even Sirzechs could only be called a technical type, whereas she was an all-rounder.
Her combat style was similar to Ajuka's, yet it possessed the characteristics of Power of Destruction, allowing her to push her power to the limit. Even challenging those of a higher level was not impossible.
"But..."
Sona also felt that something was off with Rias's reasoning and couldn't help but feel conflicted.
But looking at Rias's smile, the hesitation in Sona's heart immediately vanished.
That bright red long hair was just too cool!
"Mhm! I want to go!"
Sona nodded.
Rather than saying she wanted to go, it was more that she wanted to go with Rias.
The two desires merged into one~
"Then let's go."
Rias grabbed Sona's hand and left the Gremory main house.
However, midway, Rias stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Sona asked curiously.
From the surface, it looked like two bratty kids who didn't know the dangers of the Underworld running away from adults to play.
It wasn't impossible for some nasty plot to occur.
While the Human World had things like 'human traffickers', in the Underworld, there were things far more terrifying than that.
Although the devils had undergone reforms several hundred years ago, it had only changed from a monarchy to an aristocracy.
The severity of the law couldn't compare to the Human World because nobles were privileged individuals. As long as it wasn't done openly, even killing a weak Low-class Devil didn't matter.
General safety wasn't an issue, but two young ladies running out on their own was a different story.
Then again, anyone with a brain should understand that it was impossible for these two young ladies to run out on their own!
Evading the family guards and running out privately?
That was simply impossible.
"Come out."
Rias said, "The presence of you two is far too obvious."
"Young Mistress, could you please not make things difficult for me?"
A tall man appeared, his face full of bitter smiles.
Another person also stepped out; it was a young girl.
Serafall's peerage member, a High-class Devil.
Naturally, she had come to protect Sona.
"I hate being followed."
Rias said.
"We won't disturb the young ladies' play."
The girl gave a slight bow.
"Then there's no choice."
Rias said softly.
Just as the two subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly, crimson wings appeared behind Rias.
They were completely different from devil wings, glowing like crystals and looking very beautiful.
"Since you won't back down, I'll have to force you to leave the stage~"
Saying so, Rias gently flapped her wings, and several crystal-like feathers darted around them.
"Destruction Formula Six: Absolute Destruction Barrier."
Activated by these wings, the magic feathers, with a quality comparable to Transcendents, transformed into a square barrier, sealing them inside.
The barrier was constructed using several crystals as formation cores, while a constantly changing Formula appeared in the sky above.
Even without Rias's control, this Magic Formula would maintain itself until the magic power was exhausted.
"Magic power of this quality..."
The man said in shock.
"It's best not to touch this barrier, Okita Souji."
Rias glanced at the man and said, "You should know the characteristics of Power of Destruction. This barrier contains a magic quality no less than that of my brother Sirzechs. If you're not careful, you'll be erased~"
"Even so, I have to try."
Okita Souji shrugged and said, "If I just surrender like this, I'll be beaten to death by Grayfia-ane-san."
After speaking, Okita Souji released a massive monster, attempting to burst the Absolute Destruction Barrier.
However, the moment it touched the barrier, the monster vanished.
It was destroyed until not even a speck remained, and pitch-black blood flowed onto Okita Souji, drenching him.
"How can this be..."
Okita Souji's eyes widened, filled with shock.
Okita Souji was the Captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi. When he was ill, to avoid dying of sickness, he performed various magical rituals and accidentally summoned Sirzechs in the form of a black cat, being taken in as a member of the peerage.
Due to repeating magical rituals multiple times, his body became a nest for various magical beasts, making him a Japanese version of a Chimera. Because of this, he could manifest the Hyakki Yagyō by himself.
Although he was a High-class Devil, Okita Souji's strength was already comparable to gods and demons.
Yet, such a powerful individual was blocked by a barrier released by a three-year-old girl, leaving him no choice but to be shocked.
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