Chapter 15: Brutality! Raynare Twisted by a Fallen Angel’s Heart!

The interactions between Ren and Raynare had been clearly observed by Rias and the others.

That was also the reason why none of them had taken immediate action against the fallen angels who were preparing to leave.

As for being cautious of Ren… after thinking about the terror Fou unleashed earlier, Rias and the others relaxed just a little.

Not to mention anything else, if Ren truly intended to make a move on them, he could've easily wiped them all out already.

Just the power Fou showed earlier—Rias had been standing so close, yet didn't even notice anything unusual from her. That meant if they had meant harm, forget stopping them—Rias wouldn't have even had time to react.

"President…"

Akeno and Kiba stepped forward slightly, a trace of questioning on their faces.

Rias subtly shook her head. She didn't say anything, but her meaning was clear enough.

The two gave slight nods. Though they eased up somewhat, their wariness didn't completely fade.

Who would've thought that the Raynare by Ren's side was actually a fallen angel? Even after seeing her last night, they hadn't sensed it.

However, the power on her body seemed to have completely vanished, and even the other two fallen angels had a completely different attitude toward her now.

Only Koneko acted as if nothing unusual had happened, continuing to pet the black cat in her arms.

Suddenly, no one knew what Ren had fed Raynare, but a terrifying power erupted from her body.

In an instant, the pupils of Rias and the others contracted sharply. Their once-relaxed bodies tensed up again.

Just now, they had clearly felt a dangerous aura coming from Raynare, who a moment ago seemed completely powerless.

What had Ren just fed her? That same thought flashed through all their minds at once.

Not just Rias—even Koneko, who had mentally prepared herself, instinctively tightened her hold on the black cat in her arms.

She recalled how her familiar had sneakily eaten some of the cat food, and how baffled she had been when its power suddenly surged.

Seeing this scene now, she was only surprised for a moment before quickly settling down.

"Meow???"

Feeling herself being tightly squeezed, Kuroka tilted her head. Sis, are you trying to murder your own sister?

"Ah—sorry, Kuro!"

Realizing what she was doing after hearing Kuroka's voice, Koneko quickly let go.

The suffocating feeling faded, and Kuroka finally took a breath. While she wouldn't have died from the squeeze, it was still extremely unpleasant.

However, upon hearing Koneko's nickname for her, Kuroka grew frustrated again.

Hadn't she already said that "Kuro" was a terrible name? It was all that damned master's bad influence!

"Got it, my hateful master!"

The moment Raynare said those words, Kuroka instinctively nodded in agreement.

While Ren wasn't exactly hateful, he was definitely annoying.

Still, just as she nodded, Kuroka suddenly felt a gaze fall on her.

Her body stiffened instantly, and her head creaked upward like rusty gears turning.

At that moment, her eyes met Ren's.

Looking at Ren's amused grin, Kuroka gave an awkward smile.

"Meow?"

That cutesy act made Koneko unable to resist squeezing her a few more times, while Ren opened his mouth slightly.

"No food for the next three days…"

Kuroka despairingly read his lips and instantly understood.

Even though Ren hadn't drawn any purple-grade food suitable for Kuroka yet, he did have plenty of blue-grade items.

Not only from his earlier pulls, but also from the last ten-roll that included Lucemon.

There was definitely enough food to go around…

Well, not anymore—she just lost her rations due to being cheeky.

In an instant, Kuroka wilted like a dried-up cat.

"Um… are you Fou's owner?"

Asia, who had been silently observing Fou the entire time, suddenly spoke, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Ren had noticed her a while ago, but was waiting for her to speak first, knowing that if Asia and Fou had become friends, she'd come to him eventually.

"Yeah… Thanks for looking after her."

"No… Fou saved me…"

Asia quickly shook her head. If it hadn't been for Fou earlier, she…

"Fou!"

With just a glance from Ren, Fou let out a cry and leapt straight into Asia's arms.

At the same time, she threw Ren a disdainful glare—as if to say: "So you're using me to impress girls now?"

Ren didn't respond to Fou's gaze and simply said to Asia,

"Looks like Fou really likes you. Since the church is gone now, how about helping out at my place? That way you can be with her every day. What do you think?"

"Really?"

It had to be said—Asia was truly simple-minded and easily tricked.

If Ren had even a trace of bad intention, she would've been caught in a trap already.

"Of course! You're more than welcome!"

"Mm mm mm… Thank you, um…"

"I'm Kurosawa Ren. Pleased to meet you."

"Mm! Thank you, Mr. Ren!"

Asia smiled brightly as she hugged Fou tightly.

Seeing all this, Kuroka couldn't help but feel annoyed.

How come Ren's so two-faced?!

She gets her food taken away for muttering a few words, but when Fou glares, he just smiles?

It was now undeniable—her place in the household hierarchy was the lowest… well, aside from Raynare.

At that moment, Asia's face was once again lit up with joy as she held Fou.

---

Meanwhile, Raynare had already begun exacting revenge on her two "precious subordinates."

What Ren gave her was a purple-grade item he had pulled earlier—the [Heart of a Fallen Angel].

According to its description, it was a crystallized essence of power from a fallen angel in an unknown world. It could be used to bestow a fallen angel's bloodline upon someone, or enhance the bloodline of an existing one. Being a purple-grade reward, there was no doubt it possessed incredible power.

Considering how orange-grade items already approached Ophis-level strength or even surpassed it, the upper limit of purple-grade rewards could very well reach or even challenge that tier.

After all, Ren didn't know if the pets he'd drawn so far were just the lower bound of the orange-grade tier.

Which meant the Heart of a Fallen Angel was immensely potent.

He didn't have any immediate use for it—he hadn't summoned Angewomon yet, and was still hoping to replace LadyDevimon with Mastemon.

As for using it on Lucemon… well, it was pleasing to look at now. He couldn't stand its corrupted form.

He already had light-element crystals, so why force a corrupted form?

So he simply gave it to Raynare. With the contract in place, Ren would receive a tenfold feedback boost in power anyway.

At that moment, under the despairing gazes of Mittelt and Kalawarna, Raynare's expression turned cruel. Raising her right hand—not a spear of light this time, but pure darkness.

Different worlds had different rules. Not all fallen angels wielded light spears.

The intensity of that energy made even Rias feel…

Her own power of destruction might lose in a direct clash!

Without a word, Raynare slammed her dark energy toward them.

Dust flew as the two were smashed into the ground without any resistance.

Then, landing softly, Raynare grabbed Mittelt by the throat with one hand, the other reaching for her wings—

"Raynare-san… no… plea—ahhhhhh——————!!"

"Raynare… please… stop—ahhhhhh——————!!"

Cold sweat poured down Rias and the others' backs as they watched Raynare tear off their fallen angel wings with her bare hands, completely ignoring their despairing pleas.

But despite their unease, none of them said a word.

It was someone else's business, after all—not their place to butt in. Still, all of them glanced at Ren's calm and unchanging expression.

Tch… this shopkeeper Ren is far more ruthless than expected…

Only Akeno's eyes lit up at the sight, licking her lips with a gleam of interest.

Clearly, a kindred spirit!

Kuroka clicked her tongue but said nothing.

You do the crime, you take the punishment.

Mocking Raynare while knowing her personality? That's just asking for it.

If anything, she should've been like Kuroka—mock only when strong enough to back it up!

Still, it was quite the shift—from harmless a second ago to totally overpowered the next. Who could stand against that?

The screams continued for several minutes until both girls collapsed on the ground, drained.

Raynare, seemingly satisfied, dragged them by the hair in front of Ren.

"My hateful master, I'll leave them to you!"

Covered in black energy, Raynare smiled as she looked at Ren, making him wonder if the Heart of a Fallen Angel had warped her personality.

It wouldn't be surprising. Across the multiverse, there were plenty of cases where power influenced a person's character.

Ren, however, didn't dwell on it. A contract was absolute. No matter what, she couldn't escape it.

Even if she tried, he could crush her with a single finger.

[Detected fallen angel bloodline. Convert into lottery shard?]

[Conversion in progress…]

As the power drained from their bodies, Mittelt and Kalawarna regained consciousness, trembling uncontrollably.

They were clearly at the brink of mental collapse.

Until… all their power disappeared completely.