Chapter 55

A world unknown. The sky was a shade of purple, clearly not the normal human world. And at one point above a certain luxurious castle in this world, a pitch-black rift suddenly tore open the sky, forming a dark spatial gate.

Riku, holding Schwi's hand, was the first to step out. Following behind was a beautiful woman with a geometric halo behind her head, and wings woven of light, the unmistakable Jibril.

"This time I'll let it go, but next time I catch you doing this, I'll spank your butt until it's swollen. Do you hear me, Jibril?" Riku looked at Jibril, exasperated.

He had opened a spatial channel. Was this something just anyone could enter? Without a [Sovereign Power]-infused Star Grail, anyone else who tried to come in would only meet death or be lost forever. To secretly follow him in like this, she was seriously treating her life like it was worthless.

"Jibril, you idiot." Schwi also turned her head to silently glare at Jibril.

"Hehehe, Master, I'm sorry! I just couldn't help myself, I'm just too attached to you. I knew you'd notice me eventually!" Jibril replied with a sheepish smile, showing no real remorse.

Snap! At that, Riku raised an eyebrow and flicked this lovestruck maid on the forehead.

"Ow! That hurt!" Suddenly scolded by Riku, a red mark appeared on Jibril's smooth forehead. She held her head with teary, sparkling eyes, staring up at Riku.

Riku only rolled his eyes, too lazy to keep lecturing her. With his strength, it couldn't have really hurt her, just stung a bit. With Jibril's constitution, she wouldn't even flinch at serious wounds. She was totally playing pitiful.

"Riku, this world is overflowing with energy, but it's not the 'spirits' of Disboard, it's some other unknown kind," Schwi observed, scanning her surroundings in awe.

"Yeah, you're right. There aren't any 'spirits' here, but it seems like I can still use this energy," Jibril chimed in, quickly spinning her halo and conjuring a small black orb in her hand. "But it'll probably take a while to fully adapt."

"Hmph, I only need a few dozen minutes," Schwi declared proudly, glancing at Jibril.

"Sigh, a machine species, and an analyser on top of that... Fine, Schwi, you win," Jibril muttered in defeat.

While the two girls were bantering, Riku pulled up the [System Map].

"Devils and Fallen Angels of the Underworld, Grim Reapers of the Netherworld, Angels of Heaven, the Thirty-Three Devas of Mount Sumeru, the Twelve Olympian Gods of Mount Olympus..." Riku's eyes scanned the three-dimensional map displaying various powers, and a grin began to spread across his lips.

"You look pretty happy, Riku. Did you already figure out this world's situation?" Schwi asked curiously.

"Yeah. This world is going to be very interesting," Riku replied with excitement.

Just from the information displayed on the map, he could tell this was absolutely a world of gods and demons and a very high-level one at that.

Why? Because there were over ten [Diamond Treasure Chests] scattered across this world, and even two [Rainbow Treasure Chests]. Not to mention, he could already sense many powerful presences scattered throughout the Underworld.

This proved one thing: the power level of this world was definitely not below Disboard's; if anything, it was even stronger!

"How fascinating. I'm looking forward to this!" Jibril's lips curled upward, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Despite her lovesick devotion to Riku, she was, at heart, a battle-crazed war fanatic.

"Riku, something is coming," Schwi suddenly said, looking downward. She could sense the beings approaching exuded an aura totally unlike humans. And in Schwi's view, besides Riku, no human could possibly be this strong.

"Who are you people? How dare you linger in the airspace above the noble Pure-blood Devil Naberius clan's territory? Don't you know there's a no-fly order here?" No sooner had Schwi finished speaking than several dozen figures flew up, surrounding the three.

Each of them had black, leathery wings, a clear sign they were devils straight from myth.

"Naberius clan? That's one of the 72 Pillars of Devil nobility from the legends... And Pure-blood Devil nobles on top of that..." At those words, relevant knowledge popped into Riku's mind, and his eyes narrowed. He had a rough idea of what kind of world he'd landed in.

"Well, we sure got noticed fast. Devils, huh? Is that your race?" Jibril asked, looking around with open curiosity.

"An angel? A human? And—" The devil leader was stunned by Jibril's wings, Riku's human-like aura, and the mechanical ornaments on Schwi's head.

It was too strange. Jibril might look like an angel, but clearly not a normal one. And Schwi, even less so.

"Tch. Angels coming to the Underworld? How arrogant," the devil's expression turned cold. The Underworld could only be entered through special channels; other methods were all illegal trespass.

And now, for an angel to be here, undetected, if they hadn't just happened to spot her, they wouldn't have known at all. This was an extremely serious matter.

"Seize them! The Young Lord is currently researching angels. This one's perfect for an experiment." The devil captain's eyes flashed with malice. It wasn't anger at trespassers, it was pure ill intent.

At that command, all the devils' eyes changed, and they lunged at Jibril with wicked grins.

Splat—! But before any of them could reach her, a surge of power erupted from Riku. A wild, slicing wind instantly shredded every devil who approached into pieces, their blood raining down to the ground below.

"—!" The remaining devil captain froze, staring at Riku in terror.

A whole squad of middle-class devils wiped out in an instant, without even time to react!

"Ultimate-class Devil level strength? No, it's even higher!" The devil captain stared at Riku, his face twisted with terror, unable to muster even the courage to flee.

With just a single glance from Riku, his whole body was paralysed, unable to move even a muscle. He understood in that moment, there was an entire dimension of difference between their strength. Even an Ultimate-class Devil couldn't do something like this!

A Devil King-level powerhouse! Why would someone at that level appear here as a human, at that?!

Jibril, meanwhile, didn't look the slightest bit angry at the malice in their eyes just now. She still wore her usual, cheerful smile. To her, these so-called devils were nothing more than petty clowns.

As for Schwi, she cared only about Riku.

"Well, let me ask you a few questions," Riku said, staring coldly at the devil captain, his voice calm.

"Gulp... What do you want to know, sir? If I answer, will you let me go?" The middle-aged devil was drenched in cold sweat, his voice trembling.

"First, who are the current Four Great Satans of the Underworld?" Riku asked indifferently.

"...!" Hearing that, the devil opened his mouth as if to say something, but realised he was in no position to resist. He could only answer in a hoarse voice:

"The Four Great Satans are Lord Sirzechs Lucifer, Lord Serafall Leviathan, Lord Falbium Asmodeus, and Lord Ajuka Beelzebub."

As he spoke, the devil was bewildered why this powerhouse was asking such a basic question.

"Hm," Riku murmured thoughtfully. Sure enough, this really was the world of High School DxD, and it seemed to be set after the end of the Three Factions' Great War.

"One more question, where is Rias Gremory right now?" Riku's golden eyes flashed as he asked calmly.

"Princess Rias Gremory is currently in Kuoh Town, Japan. That's her territory, and it's said she's enrolled at Kuoh Academy, currently in her third year of high school," the devil replied immediately.

This was common knowledge to anyone of any standing, or anyone who paid attention to major figures.

"Third year, huh..." Riku's golden eyes narrowed. That meant the timeline was just around the beginning of the main story.

"Has the Red Dragon Emperor appeared yet?" Riku asked again.

"No."

"I see." Riku's eyes narrowed slightly. He now had a pretty accurate grasp of the current time.

"S-so, does this mean I can go now?" the devil asked, shaking.

At that, Riku shot him a single, icy glance, almost causing the devil to tumble out of the sky.

Splurt—!

Suddenly, the sound of flesh being pierced rang out. The middle-aged devil stared blankly at the gaping hole in his chest before plummeting helplessly to the ground.

"To think a noble house retainer of the Pure-blood Devil Naberius clan would grovel before an enemy... Disgraceful. Death is what you deserve." Just then, a cold, new voice rang out.

A younger devil arrived at the head of a large devil army, eyes brimming with killing intent as he glared at Riku.

But the instant he spotted Jibril, his gaze turned fanatical. Lately, he had been deeply interested in angels, seeking specimens for his research. He never expected an angel to present herself so conveniently.

"Heh, I am Gita Naberius, Young Lord of the Pure-blood Naberius clan. If you know what's good for you, angel lady, surrender, and I won't need to hurt you." He spoke to Jibril with exaggerated politeness, a fake smile plastered on his face.

"What an unpleasant gaze..." Jibril replied icily, then turned to Riku and bowed. "Master, please allow me to kill them all."

"Go ahead. Don't hold back. Wipe them all out," Riku nodded calmly.

"Then, I'll get started," Jibril smiled, fixing her eyes on Gita Naberius.

"Insolence!" Gita, realising neither Riku nor Jibril were taking him seriously, instantly flew into a rage, his gaze filling with murderous intent.

Splurt—!

Before he could even give the order, Jibril vanished and appeared right in front of him, a black energy blade in hand. With a single stroke, she sliced off his head.

Blood splattered everywhere. Even in death, his eyes were wide with shock, never comprehending what happened before everything went black.

"How boring. So weak," Jibril said in disappointment.

"Sh-she killed the Young Lord! Damn it, capture them!" The other devils, snapping out of their shock, howled in terror.

The death of the Young Lord of a Pure-blood Devil Noble House was enough to shake the entire Underworld. Failing to protect him was a huge crime. Their only hope was to capture Riku's group to atone and lessen their punishment.

But before they could even act, Jibril moved again, each time she vanished and reappeared, a devil was sliced in two.

To Jibril, these devils, even the strongest among them, Ultimate-class, were nothing but weaklings.

Within seconds, the remaining devils were paralysed with fear and tried to flee. Jibril, growing bored, simply cast a few spells and slaughtered the rest.

"So dull," Jibril said, uninterested, as she rejoined Riku.

Riku simply smiled. He'd already gauged these devils' strength. Ultimate-class devils were impressive, but to someone like Jibril, who, thanks to her contract with him, now wielded at least Devil King-level power, they were nothing but cannon fodder.

As for that so-called Young Lord of a Pure-blood House, if he'd really been strong, he would have been counted among the young generation's prodigies.

Still, thanks to his perfect memory and having finished the entire High School DxD series out of boredom, Riku recalled some details about the Naberius family.

If he remembered correctly, an Ultimate-class devil from a branch family of Naberius had once taken in the Nekoshou sisters, Kuroka and Koneko Toujou. Nekoshou were the strongest class of nekomata. That devil had intended to experiment on and devour Koneko's power, only to be killed by Kuroka, who wanted to protect her little sister. That tragedy left Kuroka a stray devil, and Koneko deeply scarred.

Apparently, the main house of the Naberius clan wasn't much better.

Since they'd set their sights on him, there was no reason to let them exist any longer.

Riku's golden eyes flashed with a chilling light.