After leaving the crater, Kaiser did not immediately return to Asia and Raynare.
Instead—
He made his way toward Gravisheath.
Even now, the scythe remained plunged into the ground, its gravity field still suppressing Diodora's Evil Pieces—the women he had enslaved.
One by one, they lay sprawled across the ground, unable to move.
Some had even lost consciousness from prolonged exposure to the overwhelming force.
Kaiser gazed at them silently.
And for the first time since this battle began—
He hesitated.
"…What am I supposed to do with them?"
Unlike Diodora, whose sins were unforgivable—
These women were victims.
They had suffered.
They had been broken.
And now—
They had no future to return to.
Diodora was dead.
The women he had tormented and enslaved were finally free from his grasp.
But what now?
If Kaiser simply let them go, left them to fend for themselves, could they even manage?
Even if they could, where would they go?
They had already been reincarnated as devils. Returning to the Church was impossible.
And if they returned to House Astaroth, their fate wouldn't be any better.
After all, they were Diodora's Evil Pieces—his personal servants.
If their master had died out in the open while they returned unscathed, there was no way House Astaroth would let them live.
But if they didn't return to House Astaroth, what then?
Would they simply leave the Underworld altogether?
Then they would become Stray Devils.
And considering Diodora's status, if his Evil Pieces defected, House Astaroth would absolutely send enforcers to hunt them down—if only for the sake of their family's reputation.
No matter what, they were as good as dead.
Kaiser's brows furrowed.
"Would the only option be to seek refuge with the Fallen Angels?"
The thought irritated him.
Naturally, he never even considered sending them to Khaos Brigade.
The Khaos Brigade was still a terrorist organization.
These mentally and emotionally broken women would only suffer if they were sent there.
They couldn't go back to the Church.
They couldn't return to the devils.
And sending them to Khaos Brigade would be no different from throwing them into a pit of fire.
That really only left the Fallen Angels—
"…No, wait."
Kaiser suddenly stopped.
"There's one person who could actually help them."
The moment those words left his lips—
A light chuckle rang through the air.
A soft, teasing voice drifted into his ears.
"Oh? Don't tell me the person you're thinking of is that Rias Gremory, the one you stole a kiss from?"
—!
Kaiser snapped out of his thoughts instantly.
His grip on the True Longinus tightened, his instincts flaring.
"…Who's there?"
With a swift motion, he raised his spear, the holy aura intensifying, golden radiance gathering at its tip.
"Relax, relax."
The unseen figure reacted immediately to the spear's divine energy.
Clearly, they didn't want to risk a direct confrontation against the True Longinus.
"Whew—"
Suddenly, a cloud of black mist drifted in with the wind, swirling before Kaiser.
As the mist dissipated, a silhouetted figure emerged from within.
The moment Kaiser's gaze fell upon the person, he froze.
Standing before him was—
A mature, stunning beauty, radiating an alluring, intoxicating presence.
She was draped in a black kimono, its hemline dangerously short.
Worn loosely, it hung off her shoulders, as if threatening to slip off at any moment.
Her exposed skin was smooth as silk, so pale it almost seemed to glow in the moonlight.
She was immaculately proportioned—a slender waist, yet a generous bust and curvaceous hips, her body exuding a lethal mix of elegance and seduction.
But what stood out the most—
Were the cat ears atop her head.
And the two long, black tails swaying lazily behind her.
"…It's you?"
Kaiser's surprise was evident in his tone.
"Meow?"
The woman's cat-like golden eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Oh my, do you already know me?"
Of course, Kaiser knew her.
"You're a Nekomata—one of the legendary cat yokai."
His voice was sharp, but his gaze remained locked onto her.
"And not just any Nekomata—you're a Nekoshou."
Nekoshou—the strongest and rarest bloodline among Nekomata.
The yokai race was one of the few neutral factions, unaffiliated with devils, angels, or fallen angels.
They were known for their mystical arts, their ability to wield illusionary magic, and their unique transformation abilities.
Among them, Nekomata were famous in folklore—cat demons with two tails.
But Nekoshou—
They were on a completely different level.
Unlike regular Nekomata, Nekoshou possessed exceptional natural talent, rumored to even have access to Senjutsu—the mystical techniques of the sages.
They were an upper-class yokai species, renowned as elite warriors.
And the woman standing before him—
She wasn't just any Nekoshou.
She was one of the most infamous ones in history.
"…And you're also a Stray Devil."
Kaiser's expression darkened.
"The one who murdered her master, fled the Underworld, and even after the devils sent hunting squads after her, defeated them all and escaped."
"The SS-ranked Stray Devil."
"…Am I right?"
The woman blinked—
Then grinned playfully.
"Well, that certainly saves me the trouble of introductions."
Her lips curled, and in an almost lazy, yet enticing motion—
She licked her lips.
Then, raising a delicate hand, she playfully mimicked a cat's paw gesture.
"I'm Kuroka."
Her voice purred, dripping with amusement.
"Like you said, I'm a very—very—dangerous Stray Devil, you know~?"
"Nice to meet you, nya~!"
—
There was no denying it.
A mature, dangerously seductive beauty—purring like a cat, making playful gestures—
It was almost criminally cute.
Even Kaiser had to admit—
It was distractingly effective.
But he did not let it cloud his judgment.
He quickly composed himself.
"Alright, Miss Extremely Dangerous Stray Devil—"
"Why are you here?"
Kaiser's eyes narrowed.
This woman—
Kuroka.
She was Rias Gremory's servant's older sister.
The older sister of Koneko Toujou.
And—
She was also a member of Khaos Brigade.
Did she sense the presence of a fellow Stray Devil here and simply come to say hello?
As Kaiser entertained that thought, Kuroka's next words completely shattered his expectations.
"Nyahaha~ I came to visit my little sister."
Kuroka tilted her head, licking the back of her hand like a true cat.
"Since I left the Underworld and abandoned the devils, I don't really have anywhere to go~ So I just drop by to see my cute little sis from time to time, just to kill some time, nya~"
Kaiser immediately understood something.
"This cat… hasn't joined Khaos Brigade yet."
In the original events, Kuroka had only joined Khaos Brigade after accepting an invitation from a certain silver-haired rival character—
But that person wasn't even part of Khaos Brigade yet.
Which meant Kuroka was still a free agent.
At this moment, she was simply a fugitive Stray Devil, avoiding capture while keeping a silent watch over her sister.
And as for how she knew about Kaiser's little incident with Rias Gremory…
She was probably keeping an eye on her sister when she just happened to overhear some… interesting gossip.
As for why she had shown up here—
It wasn't hard to guess.
Kaiser had caused an absolute spectacle in broad daylight, even fighting on the streets. There was no way the commotion hadn't drawn attention.
Kuroka had likely been attracted by all the chaos—and decided to check it out.
With that realization, Kaiser felt somewhat relieved.
But at the same time—
She was definitely suspicious.
"You—"
He was about to speak—
But Kuroka cut him off first.
"Nya~ No time for idle chatter, Kaiser~"
She flashed him a playful smile, but there was an undeniable sharpness in her gaze.
"It'd be best if we got out of here right now. Otherwise—"
"—We're going to be surrounded."
—?!
Kaiser's eyes narrowed.
The moment she said that, he immediately sensed it—
Faint but steadily approaching presences—
Several powerful energies stirring in the distance.
It wasn't just Kuroka who had been drawn in by this battle.
The scale of this destruction was far beyond his previous fights.
They had nearly leveled an entire mountain.
And unlike before—
This time, the battle had begun in broad daylight, right in front of civilians.
The chaos wasn't something that could simply be covered up.
At this point, it wasn't just Rias Gremory who might come looking.
The Church.
The Fallen Angels.
Even other devils—
Any of them might send agents to investigate.
That realization made Kaiser's frown deepen.
"Worried about all the people headed this way, nya~?"
Kuroka tilted her head, her golden eyes gleaming mischievously as she saw through his thoughts.
She smirked.
"Want me to lend you a hand?"
Kaiser immediately grew more suspicious.
This cat—
Why was she offering help?
First, she had revealed herself voluntarily—
And now she was proactively trying to assist him?
It all seemed… way too convenient.
Was there a catch?
As he tried to process the situation, Kuroka simply giggled.
"You're not saying no, so I'll just take that as a 'yes' nya~"
Before Kaiser could even object, she waved her hand.
And then—
The scenery around them began to distort.
Within seconds—
They were no longer in the same place.
Kaiser, Kuroka, and the unconscious devil women were now deep within a dense forest, far from the battlefield.
"…Spatial teleportation?"
Kaiser immediately realized what had happened.
Kuroka—
She had manipulated space itself.
This wasn't like devils' magic circles—which simply opened a door between two locations.
This was something far more advanced—
A direct distortion of space itself.
The sheer difficulty of such a feat was on a completely different level.
"—?!"
Suddenly—
Kaiser's nose twitched.
A strange scent filled the air.
Immediately, he covered his mouth and nose.
There was something in the atmosphere.
A foreign substance.
A hazardous gas.
"…Was this your doing?"
Kaiser's eyes sharpened as he snapped his gaze to Kuroka.
"Oh my, noticed so soon~?"
Kuroka placed a finger to her lips, as if genuinely impressed.
Then, she simply laughed.
"Don't worry, don't worry~"
"It's just some miasma, nya~"
Her tone was lighthearted, as if she had done nothing more than spill a drink.
"People tend to chase me a lot, you see~"
"So I set up these little defensive barriers just in case—"
"It's nothing serious. Even if a human breathes it in, it just causes a tiny little… side effect~"
A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Kaiser's chest.
"…Side effect?"
His expression darkened.
"What side effect?"
Kuroka's smile widened mischievously.
She clasped her hands behind her back—
And with obvious amusement, she purred her response:
"Arousal."