Chapter 58

Serafall was one of the Four Great Maous of the Underworld. Despite being a woman, no one could deny her power; she stood at the pinnacle of the Underworld, as one of its four greatest pillars.

Once, in a fit of anger, she had frozen an entire nation.

And yet, someone as strong as Serafall, her servants now watched in shock as their master was sent flying with a single blow!

What was even more shocking was that her servants, all at least Ultimate-class devils, some even Maou-class, hadn't even reacted. They'd known their enemy would be strong, but this was on a whole other level!

"Hmm? Where are you all looking? Your opponents are me and Schwi, you know," Jibril said with a playful smile as she suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of the female knight wielding a sword, swinging her own pitch-black energy blade.

Clang—!

At the very last moment, the Ultimate-class devil knight managed to parry, but she was still sent flying by Jibril's overwhelming power.

At the same time, a violent tornado swept towards her. The magical beast among Serafall's servants dove forward, shielding the knight from the worst of Jibril's magic and saving her from serious injury.

"So strong!" The devils stared at Jibril with grim faces. To be able to overwhelm one of their own so easily, she had to be Maou-class at least and not just any Maou-class, but a high grade.

"Pseudo-Formula: Thunder Dragon," Schwi announced, unleashing a roaring blue lightning dragon at the group.

The "queen" servant, a woman with Maou-class power and a magic staff, immediately created multiple magical barriers, clashing head-on with Schwi's thunder dragon.

Boom—!

The queen was blasted out of the sky, crashing to the earth below. The surrounding area was scorched for miles, and the queen herself was left covered in soot, electricity still crackling over her battered form.

Everyone was stunned by the power of Jibril and Schwi. They'd thought the two were just some kind of attendants, but they were terrifyingly strong!

If the servants were this powerful, then what about their "master", Riku?

The devils all felt a chill run down their spines.

"Damn it… Five of us will handle her just to stall for time! Serafall-sama will be fine," the beaten queen gritted out, flying back up. She quickly gave commands, and the servants steeled themselves for all-out battle.

This was exactly what Jibril wanted, being a battle maniac, she gleefully unleashed high-tier spells, one after another.

Schwi, for her part, fought more elegantly, but her oppressive presence was even greater than Jibril's. Any spell or move she saw, she could instantly analyse and counter.

In that desolate wilderness, the sounds of terrifying explosions rocked the sky and earth, leaving everything in ruins.

"How long do you plan to hide?" Riku asked calmly, unfazed by the shockwaves and destruction all around him. His white hair fluttered in the wind as he looked into the distance.

He knew that, though his earlier punch could kill a typical Maou-class devil, it wasn't enough to take out Serafall, nor was that his goal. He'd held back.

As he finished speaking, Serafall burst from the shattered mountain, taking to the sky. She was covered in dust, her magical girl outfit torn in several places, but she was otherwise unharmed.

"So, you're Riku… You're really absurdly strong, aren't you? It seems both I and Sirzechs underestimated you," Serafall said coldly, fixing Riku with a steely gaze.

"But no matter how strong you are, you dared to ruin my precious costume. Now, you'll pay the price!" Murderous intent flashed in Serafall's eyes.

Riku couldn't help but feel speechless. 'She cares more about her magical girl cosplay than getting punched through a mountain…? No wonder she's the ultimate chuunibyou Maou.'

In the next instant, Serafall unleashed a terrifying surge of demonic power. Space itself trembled, and the air froze, scattering blue ice shards everywhere.

"Absolute Zero!" A deep blue magic circle appeared in Serafall's hand.

An instant later, a wave of freezing cold shot toward Riku, freezing the very air, dust, and even space itself in its path.

Boom—!

Riku met the wave with a single punch. His fist shattered the incoming cold, the sky-blue crystals exploding into sparkling dust that rained down across the land.

Not only that, but the resulting shockwave obliterated everything for tens of kilometres, mountains, clouds, everything vanished in an instant.

If Serafall hadn't dodged the lingering shockwave, she might have been seriously injured.

"Hey, that's just cheating…" Serafall muttered, not wanting to accept it. Even Sirzechs' Power of Destruction couldn't dispel her Absolute Zero so easily, but Riku had brushed it aside with a casual punch, nearly injuring her in the process.

"But I haven't lost yet!" The angry Serafall immediately attacked again.

She conjured a massive ice dragon, hundreds of meters long, its breath freezing everything it touched. With a roar, it lunged at Riku.

"…This is getting a bit boring," Riku sighed, watching the ice dragon rush at him. He raised his fist and struck.

Before Serafall's stunned eyes, the dragon was reduced to shards of ice, smashing into the ground and leaving countless craters.

In the next instant, Riku vanished and reappeared in front of Serafall, seizing her delicate throat with one hand.

"—!" The sudden attack made Serafall's pupils contract violently.

Was it a space ability? No—if he was this overwhelming, even a space ability wouldn't explain it. The only answer was that he outclassed her by an entire tier!

Crack—!

But Serafall wasn't done yet. She grabbed Riku's arm with both hands, summoning intense cold as deep blue ice began to spread, trying to freeze Riku's arm solid.

Perhaps for an average Maou-class powerhouse, being frozen by Serafall's ice would mean the only chance of survival would be to sever both arms before the cold could spread; otherwise, if the chill reached the rest of the body, there would be no saving them.

But for Riku, this level was child's play. He simply gave a calm shake and then unleashed a surge of terrifying energy from within.

In an instant, the ice covering his arms shattered completely, revealing Riku's perfectly unharmed limbs.

Even in his normal state, Riku's sheer physical strength was enough to overpower Reginleif, and now, empowered by chaos energy that far surpassed Reginleif's own, he was on an entirely different level.

Though he wasn't sure who was stronger between Reginleif and the Heavenly Dragons of this world, one thing was clear: Reginleif was vastly above the average Maou-class. By this calculation, Reginleif was at least a Super Devil.

So, even if Serafall was at her peak, to Riku, she was still just a weaker opponent one he could defeat with ease.

"—!" Seeing Riku effortlessly shake off her ice, Serafall's expression finally changed to one of panic. She clenched her teeth, ready to unleash her trump card regardless of the consequences.

"Still not giving up?" Riku noticed immediately, and with a light squeeze of his hand, Serafall's face began to turn a bit purple, her breath coming in gasps.

Even for a Maou, the neck was still a vital point.

"In that case, I'll just make you behave," Riku said, completely calm.

With those words, his left hand pressed against Serafall's abdomen, forming a complex magic circle covered in elf-like runes.

This was none other than the [Fourth Blessing of Eternity], the strongest defence and sealing magic of the elves, a spell Jibril had once used. As one of Riku's women and maids, Think had eagerly taught him everything she knew, and Riku, with his own talent plus Schwi's analysis, had even managed to improve on it.

In the blink of an eye, Serafall felt her whole body grow heavy. The absolute-zero cold she was preparing to unleash was instantly suppressed, and even her demonic power was compressed and sealed away, completely inaccessible.

"My power has been sealed! What did you do to me?!" Serafall's eyes widened in disbelief. Without her magic, she was just a slightly stronger-than-average devil girl.

"Alright. From now on, you're my spoils of war. As my prisoner, you're now my maid," Riku let go of her neck and, to prevent her from falling out of the sky, scooped her into his arms as if nothing was wrong.

"Who's your maid?!" Serafall snapped, both panicked and furious. "Give me my powers back, now!"

"Not listening? Disobedient maids have to be disciplined." Riku's brow arched, and he erected a barrier, holding Serafall horizontally. He promptly smacked her across the butt.

"—!" The impact left Serafall completely stunned. A sharp pain bloomed across her rear. As a Maou, when had she ever been spanked by someone?

"You—!" Even Serafall, usually so easy-going, was left speechless and humiliated.

Smack!

"Hmm? Still not obedient? Then let's continue." Seeing this, Riku's eyes glinted, and he delivered another slap. The crisp sound echoed within the barrier.

With it came Serafall's flustered, angry, and embarrassed cries, a mixture of indignation and shame.

While Riku was "disciplining" the Maou, the battles on the other side grew even more intense.

Though Serafall's servants were all powerful Ultimate-class devils at the very least, facing Jibril and Schwi, they were still outmatched.

No matter how well they cooperated, no matter how fierce the fight, they were always being suppressed. After all, both Jibril and Schwi had overwhelming power, and both possessed space manipulation, an utterly broken ability. Especially Schwi, who was on another level.

So, after a period of back-and-forth, leaving the area devastated, all of Serafall's servants ended up defeated, each one sealed within the [Fourth Blessing of Eternity].

"Hmm, what's taking Riku so long?" Schwi tilted her head, glancing at the still-shrouded barrier with curiosity.

"Eheheh, maybe Master's having some fun with that Maou girl," Jibril said, her eyes shining with mischief.

"Flirt," Schwi pouted lightly. She was well aware of Riku's playboy tendencies. All of Riku's women knew, but none of them tried to stop him or could, really. Besides, if opposing Riku lowered their favorability, it simply wasn't worth it.

"—!" Meanwhile, Serafall's servants grew more anxious and furious with each passing moment.

But sealed inside the barrier, there was nothing they could do.

They never imagined they'd fall here to these three monsters from who-knows-where...

Serafall's queen looked utterly despondent. She wasn't worried about her own life, but about the "purity" of Serafall and her fellow servants.

Dying wasn't scary. But being toyed with before death? That was the greatest humiliation.

Jibril and Schwi's conversation was enough to scare her witless, making her imagine Riku as that kind of person.

A short while later, Riku and Serafall reappeared before everyone. Riku looked as calm as ever, though there was a subtle satisfaction in his gaze.

After all, disciplining a Maou-girl like that was deeply satisfying.

Serafall, on the other hand, had already changed into a brand-new, gorgeous magical girl outfit and now stood obediently at Riku's side. With her seal slightly loosened, she could now control a small amount of demonic power enough for flight, if not for battle.

Serafall's face was full of shame and resentment, sneaking murderous glances at Riku when she thought he wasn't looking.

If he hadn't produced such a beautiful, magical girl outfit… she would never have submitted… probably…