"That is… Touki!"
As the surging white aura erupted from Kaiser's body, enveloping him like a visible wave of energy, the first person to react was none other than the usually silent Koneko Toujou.
The expressionless girl, who rarely showed any emotion, now had a look of genuine shock on her face for the first time.
"Touki?"
Yuuto Kiba, who had been quietly observing the situation, turned toward Koneko after hearing her words.
"Koneko, do you know what that is?" he asked.
"…Yes." Koneko remained silent for a moment before nodding. "It's a type of Ki."
"Ki?" Kiba frowned. "You mean Aura?"
Koneko nodded again, carefully choosing her words before continuing.
"It is a form of energy that only manifests after undergoing extremely rigorous training and honing one's physical abilities to their absolute peak. It is different from Demonic Power and Light Power. You could say it is the very essence of life itself—an unending surge of vitality and life force bursting forth into a tangible form."
"Those who possess Touki gain significant enhancements in attack power, defense, speed, and even the overall resilience of their bodies, both inside and out."
"That man seems to have awakened this power… It's truly surprising."
Koneko genuinely appeared astonished. Even the way she looked at Kaiser had changed, her usually cold and indifferent gaze now filled with doubt and uncertainty. The stark contrast in her demeanor was obvious.
"I see… So he's mastered such a power…"
Kiba's frown deepened, his eyes shifting toward Rias Gremory, now carrying a hint of concern.
Even though Kaiser was human, no one present underestimated him.
His possession of a dangerous Sacred Gear was already public knowledge to some degree. More importantly, he had fought an unknown being at the High-Class Devil level and emerged unscathed. Furthermore, he had single-handedly crushed a Fallen Angel stronghold and even taken a Fallen Angel captive. That alone was proof that his strength was nothing short of exceptional.
From the very beginning, Kiba had been worried about Rias confronting someone like that.
Now that he knew Kaiser had mastered Touki, an ability that granted formidable physical prowess, his concern only grew stronger.
"Senpai…"
Kiba turned to Akeno Himejima for her opinion. In Rias' absence, the person best suited to lead the Gremory Peerage was undoubtedly her right-hand woman.
But when Kiba turned to look at Akeno, he found that she was still glaring at the Fallen Angel woman.
Judging from the hostility radiating from her, it was clear that Akeno was on high alert, wary of a sudden attack from the enemy.
"…I guess there's no choice."
Kiba exhaled, removing his hand from his sword's hilt. His posture, however, remained that of a knight ready to act at a moment's notice.
At that moment, Rias made her move.
"VANISH INTO OBLIVION!"
It was her signature phrase.
The crimson aura surrounding Rias surged into her raised palm, forming an enormous mass of Demonic Power above it.
The gathered energy was also crimson—so dark it nearly appeared black. The sheer volatility radiating from it was terrifying, as if capable of annihilating everything in its path.
No, it wasn't "as if."
It was a power that could destroy everything.
Unlike the Angels and Fallen Angels, who wielded Light Power, Devils used a force known as Demonic Power.
This power could manifest supernatural phenomena purely through imagination. If one imagined fire, the Demonic Power would turn into flames. If one imagined ice, it would transform into frost.
It sounded incredibly versatile, but in reality, materializing complex phenomena required both a strong mental image and advanced techniques. The stronger and more intricate the effect, the greater the Demonic Power consumption and the higher the level of skill required for control.
As a result, Devils needed to adapt their Demonic Power to match the situation in combat. Without the necessary talent, no amount of imagination alone would be effective.
Take Akeno Himejima, for example. She had an extraordinary talent for converting Demonic Power into Lightning, making her exceptionally skilled in electrical attacks—earning her the title "Priestess of Thunder."
Conversely, Kiba and Koneko had little affinity for Demonic Power. Kiba excelled in swordsmanship, while Koneko specialized in hand-to-hand combat. As a result, they rarely used Demonic Power offensively, relying on it only for enhancement or fueling techniques.
But Rias was different.
As a Pureblood Devil from the House of Gremory, she was innately gifted in Demonic Power.
More than that, she had inherited a unique trait—Destruction.
By imbuing her Demonic Power with this characteristic, she could release it as devastating energy that annihilated everything it touched. Anything struck by it would be reduced to nothingness, erased from existence—just as she had declared.
Now, Rias unleashed her Power of Destruction.
The crimson mass of energy roared like a flood, surging toward Kaiser.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion erupted as Rias' Destruction Energy struck the ground. The very earth beneath them wasn't merely shattered—it ceased to exist, leaving behind a massive crater.
"So this is the Power of Destruction?"
Kaiser dodged the attack effortlessly, his body moving like a streak of white light. Landing lightly outside the blast zone, he looked at the newly formed crater and commented,
"Quite the impressive destructive force."
"You say that, but you're not scared at all, are you?" Rias glared at him. "You seem completely at ease. If that's the case, then I don't have to hold back, do I?"
Her Demonic Power surged once again, gathering around her before she launched another strike at Kaiser.
"BOOM!"
The ground was obliterated once more. No debris, no dust—just pure annihilation.
"Because the weakness is obvious."
Kaiser dodged effortlessly again, his movements appearing casual. As he evaded, he spoke with a smirk,
"The destructive power is overwhelming, but because it's too strong, the Demonic Power's fluctuation is too obvious. That makes it ridiculously easy to sense the trajectory of your attacks and dodge accordingly."
"As long as I don't let it touch me, it doesn't matter how powerful your Destruction Energy is. It won't even graze me."
"That Fallen Angel woman wasn't wrong, you know." Kaiser shot her a teasing look. "You may be a High-Class Devil, a Pureblood from a prestigious clan, and your talent and potential are undoubtedly enormous…"
"But right now, you're just a greenhorn—a fledgling relying on her innate abilities to fight."
"My advice? Train properly before picking fights. At the very least, learn to control your Power of Destruction better. Improve your techniques, develop different applications—otherwise, you'll never stand a chance against veterans at your level."
Rather than feeling grateful, Rias' face twisted in frustration.
"I don't need you to tell me that! After I defeat you, I'll train as much as I want!"
Her Demonic Power surged once more. The crimson-black energy roared into the air, launching toward Kaiser with renewed intensity.
Kaiser scoffed.
"With your current strength, defeating me is impossible," he stated bluntly. "Go train properly before making such claims."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaiser stopped evading and charged straight toward Rias.
"Boom—!"
A torrent of destructive demonic power surged toward him, like a roaring pillar of crimson flame, evaporating the surrounding air.
Kaiser, however, remained completely composed. Enveloping his fist in an intense surge of Touki, he swung upward at the incoming wave of energy.
"Bang!"
A deep, resonant impact echoed as his fist collided with the magical force, holding it back for a brief moment before sending it hurtling skyward.
The demonic energy shot into the heavens, exploding in midair with a violent detonation, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
"What?!"
Rias gasped in shock.
"He blocked it with his bare hands?"
Yuuto Kiba stared in disbelief.
"...He wrapped his fist in Touki and used its immense energy to neutralize the Power of Destruction," Koneko murmured, her tone laced with astonishment.
Without hesitation, Kaiser broke through the remnants of the attack and flashed toward Rias.
"…?!"
Rias snapped out of her daze, her body tensing as she instinctively leaned backward, preparing to leap away.
But before she could retreat—
"Smack!"
A crisp sound rang out as Kaiser reached forward with both hands, seizing Rias by the wrists.
"L-Let go of me!"
Rias struggled instinctively, her voice rising in protest.
Kaiser, however, remained unmoved. His gaze locked onto her face, taking in the slightly flustered expression that replaced her usual regal composure.
Something unfamiliar stirred within him.
A sudden impulse.
A desire he had never felt before.
And before he could even think—he acted.
"…Mmph?!"
Rias' eyes widened in shock.
In her vision, Kaiser's face had abruptly closed the distance. The next moment, an unfamiliar sensation pressed against her lips.
He had silenced her.
With a kiss.
"Mm…?! Mmmph…!"
Realizing what had just happened, Rias immediately began struggling, her entire body flaring with crimson demonic power in protest.
But Kaiser had already anticipated this.
With one hand, he released her wrist and drew a small, dagger-like energy blade. With a swift flick, he sliced through the tendrils of destruction she had begun to unleash, severing the unstable energy before it could fully manifest.
"—!"
Rias was completely stunned—shocked, flustered, and utterly unprepared for the turn of events.
"S-S-…President?!"
Kiba and Koneko were frozen in place, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed. Even Akeno stood there, momentarily speechless.
The entire scene plunged into an eerie silence, as though time itself had come to a standstill.
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