"Devil's Lightning: A New Power."
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Occult Research Club!
Minato looked at Rias and broke the silence first.
"Let's do a Rating Game and cancel the engagement."
"But I'm not ready yet… his servants are really strong."
"No. I'll face him in the Rating Game."
"Ehhh?!"
Rias was stunned for a second and immediately said,
"Minato, don't be reckless! He's nothing like those fallen angels from yesterday."
"Plus, you only have one servant right now!"
"Relax. I've got this."
Minato smiled calmly.
Rias hesitated, then bit her lip and said, "Fine, then fight me first."
She didn't want Minato to get hurt. She just wanted to calm him down.
In her mind, he'd only just become a high-ranking demon.
And the magic he'd learned so far? Barely average in terms of power.
"Alright. If that's what you want."
Minato nodded.
A few minutes later—
Behind the Occult Research Club building, there was a wide open area.
Totally empty. No one ever came here.
It had always been used as the training grounds for Rias's servants.
Right now—
Utaha and Koneko had stopped their training and were standing with Akeno and Asia, watching from the side.
They were all staring toward the middle of the field, each with different expressions.
"Minato, give it everything you've got. I want to see what you're really capable of."
Rias had spread her demon wings, floating above the ground. The magic around her surged like a tidal wave.
This was for Minato's own good.
Thinking that, she decided to go all in.
Of course, she'd hold back just enough to not hurt him.
But if he really did end up fighting in a Rating Game, it wouldn't be this easy.
"Come at me, then."
Minato stood firmly on the ground, smiling calmly.
"Alright. Don't blame me for what happens!"
Rias shouted, raising both her hands.
In the next moment—
A dazzling magic circle lit up in the sky.
"That aura… the President's going all out?!"
Akeno's eyes twitched.
She knew full well—the magic flowing through Rias was the kind that could destroy everything.
Even among demons, her power was considered terrifying.
BOOM!
The next moment—
A massive column of magic light shot down from the sky through the magic circle.
"Minato…"
Even though the attack shifted slightly off its mark, Rias still looked worried.
This was the only way she could stop Minato from doing anything reckless.
But!
Right then, a faint blue magic circle appeared in her eyes.
And within that circle, she saw an overwhelming bolt of blue lightning shoot straight up into the sky.
That lightning... it looked like it could wipe out the entire world.
"W-What is that?"
Even Akeno Himejima, who specialized in lightning magic, looked completely stunned.
Wherever the lightning passed, it shattered everything like it was nothing—destruction magic so intense it made solid matter crumble like sand.
Then—
The raging, overwhelming lightning didn't stop. It burst through the clouds, punching a massive hole straight through the sky.
Looking up, it seemed like the whole heavens had been pierced by it.
"This…"
Rias floated in the air, her eyes wide with shock, unable to process what she was seeing.
Was she… completely outmatched?
At the same time—
Koneko and Akeno were both frozen in disbelief.
Had Minato already become this powerful?
Rias was a pure-blooded High-Class Devil, and yet she couldn't even put up a fight?
Just how terrifying was this lightning magic?
Surprisingly, Utaha and Asia looked pretty calm.
One already knew how incredible her master was.
The other? Totally clueless and fearless.
"Rias, are we good now?" Minato slowly withdrew the magic circle.
Yeah, Destruction Magic was strong.
But what really mattered was the difference in power between the two sides.
And this lightning magic—especially with its origin magic roots—might even be scarier than some of those top-tier spells.
A moment later—
Rias gently landed on the ground, folded her demon wings, and looked at Minato.
"You… you're already an Ultimate-Class Devil?"
"Yup."
Minato gave a casual smile.
"This is… kind of unbelievable," Rias muttered. "You just became a High-Class Devil not too long ago, and now... this..."
It was more than unbelievable.
Rias still felt like she was dreaming.
She and Minato were about the same age. Just reaching the level of a High-Class Devil already made them geniuses.
But to become an Ultimate-Class Devil at his age?
That kind of strength was extremely rare—even in the entire Underworld.
"Alright then," Minato smiled. "You can leave everything to me now."
In the end, everything he did today was just to put Rias's mind at ease.
"Mhm mhm…"
Rias nodded over and over, eyes full of joy. "Finally, this damned engagement can be canceled."
But then she hesitated. "Still… you need a few more servants, or the Rating Game might not even be allowed to start."
"Got it."
"I'll go take care of that now."
Back at Minato's house—
It was already late at night. The room was quiet, except for the sound of pages turning.
[Origin +5]
[Origin +6]
Watching the system notifications pop up, Minato couldn't help but smile.
Click.
Just then, the door opened.
"Master-kun, Asia has something she wants to talk to you about."
Utaha led a slightly shy Asia into the room.
Minato put down his book and asked, a little puzzled, "What's up?"
"Asia wants to become a devil," Utaha said with a proud smile.
Her expression clearly said: This was all thanks to me. So… how are you gonna reward me?
"Good job. I wouldn't expect anything less from my first servant."
Minato shot her an approving look.
He didn't know the details, but he was sure Utaha must've said something to convince her.
Asia finally gathered her courage. "Big Brother Minato, you need servants for the Rating Game, right?"
Minato nodded. "Yeah, right now it's just you, Utaha."
"Big Brother Minato, do you really like President Rias?"
"Very much."
Minato answered without hesitation.
He was starting to piece together what Utaha had done.
Some classic workplace emotional manipulation—textbook stuff.
Especially with a sweet, naïve girl like Asia… yeah, that kind of talk hit hard.
"....."