Before long, under the watchful eyes of soldiers sent by the three factions, the car pulled slowly into the Kuoh Academy parking lot. Many soldiers looked confused when they saw who was stepping out of the car. The summit was supposed to be for the leaders of the three factions; why was a human suddenly showing up?
However, as guards, they didn't ask questions. The guest was being personally received by the sister of Lucifer herself, so there was surely a reason they weren't privy to.
"Good evening, Mr. Rhode."
The car door opened, and a smiling Rias appeared. Her peerage—Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba—were all dressed in their school uniforms, standing behind her with serious expressions.
"They're all very nervous," Rias noted. "After all, we have to speak during the meeting later."
"Perfectly natural," Rhode said. It was like a teacher asking a student to give a speech on stage while their parents and the school principal were sitting in the audience.
Rias was slightly surprised that Rhode hadn't used his sharp tongue to mock her, saying things like "You're a noble, yet you have such little courage? Go home and practice more." In fact, she had been mentally prepared for a lecture. Rhode being this understanding made her a bit uncomfortable.
"My brother, Her Majesty Leviathan, and the VIPs from Heaven and the Fallen Angels are already waiting in the lounges." Rias checked her watch. "The meeting starts in twenty minutes. I'll take you to the other lounge."
She didn't have any issue with Lavinia's presence, as she knew the girl had appeared alongside Rhode that night. Rias led them to a lounge in the new school building.
"Apologies. This was a regular classroom, but it was remodeled into a temporary lounge," Rias said with a hint of helplessness. Clearly, there were better choices for a summit venue, yet it just had to be held at the school she attended. She and Akeno had been busy for days moving things and overseeing the Underworld construction crews. Normally, it wouldn't have taken this long, but because of the status of the guests, Rias had to ensure everything was perfect.
Once they entered the empty lounge, Rias, Akeno, and Koneko all let out instinctive sighs of relief. Even though this was their familiar campus, the layers of barriers outside, the strict security of the Three Factions' soldiers, and the presence of the world leaders made it hard to breathe. Part of it was stage fright, and the other part was worry about the meeting's outcome. If the talks failed, the surrounding armies of Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils would likely tear each other apart, escalating into a full-scale war. Just the thought made their limbs tremble.
Amidst the tense, pin-drop silence of the lounge...
"Look closely, this woman's name is Xiao Mei..."
A loud AI voice broke the silence, making everyone instinctively turn toward the source. Realizing all eyes were on him, Rhode paused the video.
"What are you all looking at me for? Don't you have other things to do?"
Isn't it because you're the only one in the mood to scroll through TikTok in this atmosphere? Rias and the others were speechless, but they soon found themselves envious of Rhode's mindset.
The only sound in the lounge was the drone of the "movie recap" narrator. But soon, Rhode flipped his phone horizontally.
"Ti-mi!"
Everyone: "..."
Rias and the others spent those grueling twenty minutes in a state of mental conflict. By the time they walked toward the conference room, the "Penta-kill!" announcements were echoing in their brains like an earworm.
Rias stopped in front of the conference room doors and knocked. "Excuse me."
She opened the door and stood aside like an attendant, letting Rhode and Lavinia enter first.
"Ah, Mr. Rhode has arrived," Gabriel said, looking at him with a kind expression.
"You're too kind. I'm just a perfectly ordinary human who happened to punch the Governor General of the Fallen Angels into the dirt the day before yesterday," Rhode said with a light smile, offering a polite bow.
Lavinia followed his lead, mimicking the gesture. However, her eyes immediately locked onto the silver-haired youth standing beside a grim-faced Azazel. It was the White Dragon Emperor, Vali. Though she missed him dearly, she knew the setting and planned to talk to him after the formal session.
Hearing Rhode's opening line, Sirzechs, Michael, and Gabriel all suppressed their laughter. Only Serafall failed to hold it in.
"I was wondering why Azazel had a black eye! So it was your doing, Little Rhode?!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe even Azazel was no match for you. You're so strong!"
"It was nothing. Azazel is the Governor General, after all. It's only natural there's a gap between us—though it's only this much." Rhode held up his thumb and index finger in a tiny "pinch" gesture.
"Ohhh! That's still amazing! To reach such a level through human cultivation!" Serafall looked genuinely impressed. This time, she was wearing an exquisite, dignified robe rather than her magical girl cosplay.
This strength was the reason the leaders had allowed Rhode to attend the meeting—and even gave him a seat. Taking down Kokabiel made him a prodigy, but if even Azazel wasn't his match, his potential and talent were hundreds of times greater than anyone else in the room. Even if they couldn't recruit him, staying on his good side was mandatory.
Azazel actually shared this sentiment. It was just that Rhode gave him zero face. And since what Rhode said was technically the truth, he had no way to refute it and could only sit there fuming in silence.
Vali, standing beside Azazel, had been glaring at Rhode with hostility since he entered the room. Rhode had no idea what he'd done to offend the guy. Was it because he'd ignored Vali's warning and killed Kokabiel? Or was Vali holding a grudge because Rhode punched his boss? Surely the White Dragon Emperor wasn't that petty.
Rhode didn't care either way. He scanned the room and noticed another unexpected figure on the Underworld's side. A woman with silver, shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a high-ranking Underworld official's uniform. Her expression was stern and cold, her eyes silver like tempered ice, with a slight upward tilt at the corners that added a touch of aloof charm.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (256 Chapters – Ongoing)
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