Chapter 57

In the Underworld, in the city of Luciferd on Maou Ridge, a group of high-ranking figures were having an emergency conference in the majestic castle's meeting room.

Everyone present was either a pure-blood High-class Devil noble or a member of the Elders' Council. Above them all sat the Four Great Satans: Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Falbium Asmodeus, and Ajuka Beelzebub.

"This criminal has no respect for the Underworld! We must send troops immediately and punish him!" One elder shouted in rage.

"Sigh, Nigel was too reckless." A pure-blood Devil noble lamented.

"Hmph, that Nigel fellow charged in without even investigating the enemy, and then he got himself killed," Another Devil sneered.

"Still, this is a matter of the Underworld's reputation. We can't just let it go. We must immediately punish the perpetrator." He continued coldly.

"If possible, we should try to capture him. There could be a plot targeting us from behind the scenes," another elder said calmly.

At this moment, regardless of their personal feelings toward the Naberius clan, all the high-ranking Devils were fuming with rage and bloodlust.

This wasn't just about personal honour; this was an event that would damage the prestige of the entire Underworld. For those who valued reputation above all else, this was intolerable.

"Quiet. Let's review the magic footage that was recorded," said Sirzechs, his crimson hair striking, his features elegant, dressed in his signature white and gold robes. His voice was authoritative and calm.

"You're all so hot-blooded, honestly! And yet you call Nigel old man impulsive," added the girl beside him in a magical-girl costume, Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Satans, her eyes glimmering with a faint reddish light and a strange accent.

Falbium Asmodeus and Ajuka Beelzebub said nothing, simply watching on with calm expressions.

With Sirzechs' and Serafall's words, the room quieted down.

"Let's begin," Sirzechs said, tapping the table lightly. A subtle wave of demonic power spread, and in front of each high-ranking Devil appeared a small magic mirror, which began replaying the footage of Riku killing Nigel Naberius.

After watching, every high-ranking Devil's face turned grim.

They had thought Nigel was killed after a fierce battle, but in the footage, it was clear: with a casual wave of his hand, Riku had dispersed Nigel's most furious attack. Then, with a single, nonchalant punch, he obliterated Nigel and all other Devil powerhouses present, so quickly that even in the playback, it was hard to see what happened. In an instant, Nigel Naberius had gone from standing to raining down as a shower of blood.

Such power no one present dared claim they could defeat him.

And it was obvious: even the display of strength in the footage wasn't Riku being serious.

"Does anyone have any comments?" Ajuka Beelzebub finally spoke, his expression slightly tense as he glanced around at the others.

"He's strong… at least Maou-class," murmured one noble.

"Maou-class, that's a conservative estimate. He's certainly not weaker than us four," Sirzechs agreed, nodding.

Of course, Sirzechs and Ajuka's expressions remained calm because they meant in their normal, non-serious forms.

Serafall Leviathan and Falbium Asmodeus, however, looked far more serious.

"Tch…" The room fell silent as everyone processed this.

When did Maou-class powers become so common, appearing out of nowhere like this?

There were many powerful Devils in the Underworld, but true Maou-class beings were rare, forged through centuries of accumulation.

"And another thing, the girl with the halo and wings," Sirzechs added.

"An angel?!" The Devils finally noticed the small wings behind Jibril, drawn in by Riku's power, and they hadn't paid attention earlier.

"Damn, is this a plot by Heaven? If the angels can invade the Underworld undetected, that's a huge problem," someone cursed.

If this was really Heaven's scheme, with a means of infiltrating the Underworld completely undetected, the danger was beyond words, far worse than a single Maou-class threat.

"No, it's not certain this is a plot by Heaven. But it is certain they are not of the Underworld and have arrived here by some unknown means," Sirzechs said seriously.

"Still, that angel doesn't look like a regular angel to me," Serafall mused, touching her lips with her finger and staring at Gabriel's glowing wings.

"Ordinary two-winged angels don't have wings sprouting from their waists."

"That's also an issue. We can't judge her by normal standards. And that small girl next to them, we don't know her race, but to be with someone of Maou-class, she can't be normal," Sirzechs continued solemnly.

"This affects the entire Underworld, so we must act with utmost caution. This incident is SSS-level," he concluded.

"Leave it to you, then. I'm closest to Naberius territory, so I'll go check out those mysterious people. Wouldn't want them to run away," Serafall said with a twinkle in her eye, her usual playful tone returning.

Before anyone could react, she cut her magical projection and vanished from the meeting.

Sirzechs and the others could only smile wryly. Serafall was always like this, headstrong and unpredictable.

But no one truly worried. After all, Serafall was one of the Four Great Satans, standing at the peak of the Underworld. Even if she couldn't win, she could always escape.

That was everyone's assumption.

The next day, after Riku, Schwi, and Jibril took a bath together and cleaned up, they decided to leave the inn.

After all, they were just spending the night here; they had no intention of staying in this city for long. And the devils who needed to be wiped out had already been dealt with.

For Riku, what was more interesting was opening treasure chests. Plus, his most important goal was to devour the World Authority.

Although the system didn't specify exactly how to devour a world's Authority, Riku had some ideas. The system had said it was related to fate. So, the goal should be to find the people with the greatest fate in this world, the protagonists and supporting characters. Whether recruiting them or killing them, he should be able to suppress their fate on them.

Of course, aside from protagonists and supporting characters, top-tier powerhouses must also carry a lot of fate.

Once the threshold was reached, the World Authority would naturally manifest.

That made the goal clear: approach all the pantheons, either recruit them, form alliances, or, as a last resort, destroy them. After all, Riku's aim was world fusion, not becoming a mad destroyer.

"The Diamond Chest is in Maou Ridge, which is a bit far. But deviating a little and grabbing a nearby Platinum Chest isn't bad either," Riku said, checking the system map.

While thinking about these things, the three had already left the city, under the frightened gazes of the devil civilians.

As Riku and the others left, a black-haired, twin-tailed girl quietly followed them from afar.

"Master, when are we dealing with the one following us?" Jibril's eyes sparkled with fighting spirit. "She feels strong, not like those weaklings we dealt with earlier."

"According to my energy scan, she's even stronger than Jibril. But she doesn't seem to have strong killing intent, more like interest or curiosity," Schwi's eyes flashed with data as she reported to Riku.

"Huh? Stronger than me?" Jibril was surprised, but her fighting spirit burned brighter.

"No rush, let's see how long she wants to follow," Riku said playfully, the corners of his mouth curling up. He trusted Schwi's detection. If she were stronger than Jibril, she must be Maou level. Not just any Maou, either, most likely a peak-level Maou.

There weren't many at that level in the Underworld. In Riku's view, it had to be one of the Four Great Maous. In fact, he could even guess who it was.

Thanks to his superhuman senses, he could smell a faint fragrance from a great distance, the kind only women possessed.

"Where are these mysterious people going?" Three hours later, Serafall trailed behind at a distance, muttering to herself.

"If they keep going, they'll enter the Phoenix territory. Is that their next target?" Serafall pondered.

"The punitive force will need time to catch up. Before that, I can't let them advance any further. Plus, this area is deserted, perfect for a battle," she decided. The Underworld was vast and sparsely populated, with cities far apart. That was why she hadn't attacked yet; Maou-level battles were too destructive. But out here in the wilderness, there was nothing to worry about.

"Maou Serafall Leviathan, you've been following us for quite a while. Aren't you tired?" Riku and his companions suddenly stopped and turned, calmly addressing the seemingly empty air behind them.

"…!" Serafall froze for a second.

"So I've been discovered for a while, huh?" She dispelled the magic that concealed her presence and looked at Riku, frowning. "Since you knew I was following you, why didn't you run?"

"Hehe, Maou-sama, I think you're misunderstanding something. Someone at your level isn't even a match for my master. In fact, you might not even be able to beat me," Jibril said with a smile.

"Master?" Serafall glanced at the warlike Jibril, then focused on Riku's calm expression.

Originally, Serafall had thought Jibril was just Riku's attendant, probably at most an Ultimate-class. But now, with them recognising her identity and still talking so big, it could only mean Riku himself was peak Maou-level.

To have a suspected angel-level Maou as a maid, was this guy really as strong as the highest speculated level…?

"If you already know my name, may I ask yours?" Serafall asked Riku seriously, her tone losing its usual "magical girl" flair. She was getting genuinely concerned.

"Probing, huh? Well, it doesn't matter," Riku said calmly. "I am Riku Dola. This is Schwi, and this is Jibril."

"Riku Dola, Schwi, Jibril…?" Serafall squinted. She'd never heard of any of those names. None of the world's power rankings included them.

The more she thought about it, the bigger her headache became. Just where did these monsters come from?

"I know you won't tell me, but I'll ask anyway. What's your purpose in the Underworld? Why did you exterminate House Naberius?" Serafall pressed.

"Oh, those pests tried to capture me as some kind of experiment. Master got angry and just wiped them out," Jibril answered lightly.

"Jibril, don't talk too much," Riku said, patting Jibril's head. Jibril immediately grabbed her head in mock pain.

"…" Hearing this, Serafall could only roll her eyes at House Naberius. You spot suspicious people, and instead of reporting it, you try to capture them and not just anyone, but a group of Maou-class powerhouses? Of course, they wiped you out. The strong always have their pride.

Serafall had already heard plenty of rumours about House Naberius, including that incident three years ago. Apparently, they hadn't learned a thing.

"Although House Naberius was indeed disrespectful to you first, you're still invaders in the end. This kind of approach is pretty arrogant, you know," Serafall first complained about House Naberius, then addressed Riku seriously.

She honestly didn't care if House Naberius was wiped out; they were a cancer on the future of the Underworld anyway. But letting them be destroyed was one thing; the Underworld's dignity was another.

"Right and wrong, do you really think there's any point in debating that here?" Riku glanced at Serafall with a calm, indifferent expression.

"You're right, there's really no meaning in talking about that," Serafall paused, then gave a carefree smile. Her eyes sharpened, and she continued, "In that case, I might as well just capture you now, and we can talk about the rest later."

"If you can do it, go ahead and try," Riku replied coolly.

"Ehehe, Master, how about you let me have a go at her?" Jibril suddenly interrupted with a playful grin.

"Denied," Riku shot her a look and rejected her immediately.

"Eh! Why?" Jibril asked, looking crestfallen. She finally had a chance to fight someone apparently stronger than herself, but Master just dumped a bucket of cold water on her excitement.

"Why can't you be as obedient as Schwi?" Riku rolled his eyes.

"Riku, I want to try too." Schwi suddenly tugged at Riku's sleeve, looking up at him.

At this, Riku's brow twitched a little. My adorable Schwi, are you trying to embarrass your husband?

"You three are too much! I'm really angry now!" Seeing that Riku's group didn't take her seriously at all, instead debating who should have the 'right' to her as if she were some prey, Serafall was about to explode with anger.

I'm supposed to be the hunter here! You're the criminals, have some self-awareness!

Besides, as a Maou, she was always treated with the utmost respect wherever she went. When had she ever been looked down on like this?

"You don't have to worry, rest assured, I'll wipe all of you out here!" Serafall yelled, her anger boiling over. "You'll find out what happens when you make a magical girl mad!"

"Oh? Pulling out your big move already?" Riku replied leisurely.

"Looks like it," Jibril nodded seriously.

"Hurry up, I'm quite curious about Maous, you know," Schwi added, smiling brightly. This made Serafall's face twitch; she didn't even bother with dramatic lines, just got ready to fight.

In the next moment, a powerful wave of demonic energy radiated from Serafall. A magic circle, etched with mysterious runes symbolising Leviathan, rippled out from beneath her feet.

Soon, ten figures appeared beside Serafall.

There were magical beasts, high-class youkai, and even something like exorcists.

In short, these ten were no ordinary beings; the weakest among them were Ultimate-class devils, and two or three were even Maou-class (though not peak level).

After all, these were the personal servants of one of the Four Great Maous—Serafall Leviathan.

"Hmph, don't blame me for ganging up on you," Serafall said coldly after summoning her servants.

"Servants, huh? The devils' little trick really does boost your strength a lot. I have to give credit to Ajuka Beelzebub for inventing the Evil Pieces system," Riku commented as he glanced at Serafall's servants.

Ajuka Beelzebub's Evil Pieces allowed most races to be reincarnated as devils, becoming servants of a high-class devil. The set included a queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns, just like chess.

It was a brilliant invention, not only could it expand the devil race, but the newly reincarnated devils would gain the special traits of their corresponding pieces and grow alongside their master.

There was another advantage: with the right preparations, the link between master and servant allowed for summoning at will.

"Well, that's about the only thing Beelzebub is better at than the rest," Serafall said with a snort. "But you're awfully calm about all this, it's almost surprising."

…

"So these are the wanted criminals? As expected, they're not ordinary at all," said a magical beast wreathed in fire behind Serafall, his tone heavy. His instincts screamed for him to stay away from Riku.

"No matter how strong, we'll subdue them," a woman with a magic sword at her waist said coolly.

"Oh my, looks like I won't have to fight you for the prey, Master! So many to choose from!" Jibril's eyes sparkled.

"Riku, your opponent is the Maou. The rest are for me and Jibril, don't take our fun away," Schwi declared.

"Sounds good to me," Riku said with a cheerful nod.

…

"That's enough out of you!" Serafall shouted, almost hopping mad after listening to the three of them. "All of you, attack, gang up on them if you have to! Especially that guy!"

"These three really are underestimating us…"

"Go! Take them down!"

Serafall's servants charged toward Riku's group, and the short distance of a hundred meters vanished in an instant.

"Don't kill them, leave them alive. They might be useful," Riku said calmly to Jibril and Schwi, before vanishing from his spot.

In the next instant, Riku appeared in front of Serafall and casually threw a punch. Serafall's pupils contracted sharply. At the crucial moment, she condensed layers of ice and unleashed a powerful magical barrier.

Boom—!

Crack—!

But it was all futile. Riku's punch shattered the ice and broke through the barrier with ease.

In an instant, Serafall was sent flying like a meteor, smashing into a distant mountain and pulverising several hills in a row. Rocks flew everywhere, and the earth trembled with the impact.

"Serafall-sama!!" Her servants, who had just surrounded Schwi and Jibril, froze in shock and horror.