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"All right, all right..."
Anos let out a helpless laugh.
The real issue was that everything was still dry.
Completely dry.
Was there really any need to be this impatient?
And yet reality quickly proved that yes, there absolutely was.
Just as Anos and Rias were only halfway through things, and he was becoming keenly aware of just how clumsy Rias truly was in this area, a blood-red transfer circle flashed inside the room.
Just like the one Rias had used earlier.
A teleportation circle.
Within that crimson glow, the form of a silver-haired maid slowly appeared.
Twin silver tails rested quietly against her chest. Her eyes were so severe and composed that anyone meeting them for the first time would instinctively feel pressured.
Her maid uniform wrapped itself neatly around a flawless figure.
The perfect maid.
That was the impression most people would have the moment they saw her.
"Lady Rias, I must ask that you not do this again. This kind of behavior is not only irresponsible toward yourself, but it also disgraces House Gremory."
Grayfia showed no sign of being shaken by the sight of the two of them in their current state. She spoke as calmly as ever.
"Grayfia, so you really did come after me."
Rias instinctively shrank back in resistance, though it was clear she had expected Grayfia to show up.
"Lady Rias, neither Lord Sirzechs nor your father and mother will ever approve of resolving things this way."
How could Grayfia fail to see what Rias was trying to do?
Still, she had to admit one thing.
Rias's taste was excellent.
At least in Grayfia's own opinion, this boy possessed looks and presence that were no less striking than those of a god.
"If they wanted my approval, then they should never have forced something like this on me in the first place, Did any of them ever stop to think whether I approved of it?"
Rias's emotions began to fray.
She had been so close.
So incredibly close.
At that moment, she regretted with all her heart that she had not prepared more in advance.
If things had already passed the point of no return before Grayfia arrived, then she would not have needed to waste time arguing now. She could have simply shoved it in Riser's face and been done with it.
"Rias... Rias."
Just as she was about to keep going, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. The familiar sensation instantly pulled her out of that unstable state.
"Rias, didn't you tell me you wanted me to handle this? That still applies now. Leave it to me."
Anos's voice was steady. He did not seem bothered in the slightest by the fact that someone was watching.
Being watched did not bother him.
What bothered him was being interrupted.
"Anos... all right, then I'm leaving everything to you."
Rias looked at his face.
Since she had come here in the first place, she had already made up her mind.
"Lady Rias, and Sir Kanzaki, do you really intend to continue this conversation in that position?"
Grayfia frowned slightly.
She knew Anos's name, Sirzechs had information on him.
But if she had not been seeing him in person right now, she would never have believed this was the same person as the one described in those reports.
The difference was simply too great.
It was the same face, perhaps with only slight changes, yet the quality of his presence felt entirely different.
"I think this is your fault, Miss Grayfia. You knew perfectly well what sort of situation you might be walking into, and yet you still came charging in."
Anos lifted a brow.
He was not someone who stopped halfway through anything.
"You may see it that way, Sir Kanzaki, but this is still something I must do for Lady Rias."
Grayfia's gaze shifted slightly.
As expected, this kind of situation was not one she handled especially well.
"That may be your concern, but I only know one thing. I've never been the type to leave something unfinished."
Anos made his answer clear.
Honestly, if she wanted to stay there, then she could stay there.
What did that have to do with what they were doing?
What, was she going to stop them?
Then all that was needed was to make sure she no longer could interfere.
With that, Anos finally withdrew one hand.
Several cards appeared in it.
Monster Card, Savior Dragon.
Monster Card, Stardust Dragon.
Monster Card, Dark Magician Girl.
Using Dark Magician Girl as material, tuning through the Synchro Wheel.
Synchro Summon. Savior Star Dragon.
Savior Star Dragon's effect activates.
Light of Salvation.
A small crystal dragon filled with dreamlike colors appeared, and the moment its crystal radiance spread out, Grayfia felt the magical power in her body vanish all at once.
Thunk!
With a soft sound, Grayfia dropped to her knees.
Her magic had been instantly drained away and converted into energy for Savior Star Dragon.
At the same time, Rias also tensed and let out a small breath.
Anos had never been someone who quit halfway through.
Since she said she did not mind, then he would simply let her stay where she was.
That said, Grayfia's successful arrival today really had been a matter of timing.
Earlier, Anos had temporarily opened the spatial permissions for this house.
That was why Rias had been able to transfer in.
But after she arrived, Anos had not immediately sealed those permissions again.
That was what made Grayfia's sudden entrance possible.
As she sat there, already realizing the situation was beyond stopping, countless thoughts raced through Grayfia's mind.
There was helplessness over Rias's actions.
There was anger toward Anos.
And more than either of those, there was unease.
A tremendous unease over the fact that someone at a Devil King level was standing at Rias's side.
That little crystal dragon had stripped her of all ability to fight and emptied her magical reserves in a single instant.
That meant it had to be a Dragon King at the very least.
Or perhaps even a Heavenly Dragon.
A dragon of a type the world had never seen before.
And if the boy named Anos Kanzaki could command a dragon like that, then his own stance effectively represented the stance of a Dragon King.
Grayfia already knew he was not weak.
Back during the stray devil Kuroka incident, he had dealt with the matter with ease.
But she had never imagined that a Dragon King class was standing behind him.
"If Rias can get him to make a move against Riser, then that really might resolve the Phenex problem..."
"So that's it... I see now..."
At last, Grayfia understood why Rias had come to Anos.
Perhaps Riser had already pushed too hard against her peerage, leaving her with the sense that ordinary methods would not work anymore.
And so she had gone all in.
As Grayfia sat there, forced into helplessness and left to watch everything unfold, her mind scattered in every direction simply to keep itself from dwelling too much on what was in front of her.
"His profile said he used holy power, didn't it? And quite strong holy power too."
"Rias is unquestionably a devil. Is this really going to be all right?"
Grayfia had arrived at a possibility Anos himself had not considered in that exact moment.
And before long, she saw that same unlikely possibility begin to happen.
Rias seemed to get burned by the surge of holy power.
Seeing that rare, slightly awkward expression cross Anos's face eased a small part of the frustration Grayfia felt over being neutralized.
...
Meanwhile.
In the Underworld.
"Hm-hm-hm... hm-hm-hm-hm..."
Tiamat hummed cheerfully as she flew back toward the human world.
There were indeed points where the human world and the Underworld connected. Most people simply could not pass through them in the flesh unless they were exceptionally strong.
Tiamat was in an excellent mood.
After being thoroughly taught a lesson by that man named Anos, she had finally managed to regain some dignity by venting all that frustration on Tannin.
As expected, fighting only felt satisfying when your opponent was on your level.
Trading blows with that man had done nothing but wound her pride.
That could not even be called a fight.
It had just been one-sided humiliation.
"Dragon Apples. I even pulled up the biggest tree. Let him enjoy researching with that."
Tiamat had completed the task many times over.
Anos had asked for one Dragon Apple.
She had uprooted the biggest tree in Tannin's territory and taken the whole thing.
No wonder Tannin flew into a rage and came at her.
Tiamat's logic was simple.
More Dragon Apples brought back meant Anos would spend more time researching.
More time researching meant less time harassing her.
Perfect logic.
So even though Dragon Apples grew only in that little stretch of demonic territory, she still tore out the largest tree she could find and brought it with her.
Tannin's heart had practically shattered.
If he had not stopped himself by remembering that Tiamat was still a dragon and that his whole reason for reincarnating as a devil was to preserve dragonkind, he might have chased her straight into the human world.
"All right, time to get back. Better before that man finds another excuse to torment me."
Tiamat had no idea that Anos currently lacked both the time and the mood to bother her.
"Hm?"
She casually threw the Dragon Apple tree into the backyard and stepped into Anos's house.
The moment she did, she sensed a familiar wave of power.
"That crystal dragon's presence."
She recognized it immediately.
The aura belonged to that crystal dragon capable of sealing others completely.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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