Two Days Later.
It was class time, but the Occult Club's office was packed with students. There were nearly two dozen faces in that place, and the atmosphere was a bit tense. The source was a small dispute between two childhood friends and rivals. The source of these two high-class female demons was a young man from their school, missing, presumed dead, for two days.
"But you wounded my pride as the student council president, who also swears to protect the students in this school. The nerve you have…"
It was truly rare for Sona Sitri to deliver a venom-filled speech out loud to Rias Gremory, her childhood friend. However, this time it was warranted, because someone she desired had disappeared, likely dead, due to Rias Gremory's reckless plan.
Rias looked to the side, avoiding her best friend's eyes, because she was irritated and embarrassed. She had never been scolded like this, except by her mother. Not even her father or older brother had done so before. And there was also the fact that she had done something that greatly offended her best friend. Oh, Rias Gremory knew how her best friend had her eye on Gilgamesh, but Sona had given her the chance to invite the official King of Kuoh to her peerage because of their long friendship. And now, she had messed everything up because of her reckless plan.
At that moment, Rias wished she had listened to Akeno and invited Gilgamesh normally, instead of plotting to kill him by the hands of a Fallen Angel. But, unfortunately… what happened… happened. There was no way to go back to the past, even with magic. And now she had made a huge mistake that threatened her long-standing relationship with Sona Sitri.
After Sona finished her long and resentful remarks, the ORC (Occult Research Club) office fell silent. The room was filled with awkwardness so thick it could be cut easily like a hot knife through butter.
If it had only been a normal student, Sona Sitri wouldn't have gone ballistic like this. If it had only been a normal student, Sona would have reprimanded Rias because of her wounded pride as the student council president.
Gilgamesh was someone Sona really wanted in her peerage. Gilgamesh had potential, even limitless potential. He was very intelligent; for a commoner, he was always number one in the third year. Always got straight A's in class. Had a good track record. Good comprehension ability. Above average, borderline genius in terms of IQ.
*Knock Knock*
The tension was broken by a knocking sound. Sona and Rias's eyes narrowed at this. There was a barrier that subtly influenced the human mind, but someone had knocked on the door. Naturally, this made them cautious and surprised.
Sona sent a subtle glance to her servants, all except Riruko Nimura, who shared similar thoughts with their [King]. Riruko Nimura was the freshman and the newest [Pawn] servant belonging to Sona Sitri. Her knowledge of the supernatural and its complexities was still superficial. It was understandable that Riruko didn't know what was really happening.
Rias also exchanged a subtle glance with her servants. And at that moment, everyone was ready for action.
Pushing her glasses slightly.
"You may come in," Sona allowed whoever knocked on the door to enter.
The door was opened slowly. What appeared behind the door sent a wave of surprise through everyone in the room.
Blond hair in a golden hue. Crimson red eyes like blood. A tall build that was taller than the average Japanese. Handsome face. And a sophisticated aura, one that only someone born with it could have. The one who entered the Occult Club's office was none other than the missing student, presumed dead, Gilgamesh.
"Excuse me… oh, am I interrupting an important meeting between the ORC and the Student Council?" The young man asked in a light tone. There wasn't a hint of regret in his voice.
"Gilgamesh-san?" Sona breathed out, stunned. She was surprised because this was something she couldn't predict.
"Eh, Gilgamesh-senpai? But…" Riruko also spoke, surprised. However, a quick glance from Tsubaki Shinra stopped her, silently.
"Yes. Sorry for the intrusion. I want to report my absence for the past two days."
"You may sit. I'm also curious about your sudden disappearance, Gilgamesh-san. You've never skipped a class without prior notice since you enrolled here," Sona said.
Gilgamesh sat in the empty seat calmly. His body language showed ease, as if the tension in the room didn't bother him. Moreover, everyone could clearly see how Gilgamesh deliberately ignored the Occult Research Club.
Did he know?
That question echoed in several minds in the room. Some had already connected the dots that Gilgamesh was not an ordinary human. After all, he had ignored the existence of a barrier outside the Student Council office.
"Here, Gilgamesh-kun…" Reya Kusaka placed a cup of tea on the table in front of Issei.
And the mysterious young man took a sip elegantly. "Very well done, Kusaka-san. This tea is finely made." Gilgamesh praised Sona's [Bishop] with a sincere tone.
When Reya heard this, red patches spread across her pale cheeks. The sudden rush of blood was from excitement. She became shy at Issei's honest praise.
It was an open secret that Gilgamesh was more famous, more gentlemanly than Kiba Yuuto. His handsome appearance didn't have a girlish aura like Kiba's pretty face. More than that, he never turned down girls asking him out, unlike Kiba. Although he was the official number one gentleman of Kuoh, he didn't make enemies of the male student population. The secret was when he was invited out by the female population. Whenever invited, he dragged along some male students with him. From her second-year servants, Sona learned a bit about Gilgamesh. Indeed, he had turned Tomoe Meguri's taste for younger boys toward him.
Moreover, Gilgamesh was also famous among freshmen and seniors. For freshmen, he was known as a helpful senior, and no small number of female freshmen became his fans, with male freshmen respecting him. In last month's circle, Gilgamesh was known as a genius because he understood the senior curriculum despite being only in his third year. Sona knew this and found out that Gilgamesh had graduated in mechanics and philosophy from the University of Tokyo.
Gilgamesh was also close to the Student Council and school staff due to his helpful nature in maintaining school equipment. For Sona, who was 100% serious about her work as student council president, Gilgamesh was someone she liked quite a bit. For a normal human, Gilgamesh was like a polished jewel in Sona Sitri's eyes. When she discovered he was a [Sacred Gear], Sona's desire to covet him grew to a new degree.
Now, Sona discovered that Gilgamesh was more than a normal human. She became cautious of him, of course, but her desire to have him join her also grew.
"Excuse me, Gilgamesh-kun…"
Rias Gremory finally opened her mouth. However, Gilgamesh still ignored her and sent a polite glance to Sona. Observing this, Sona suppressed a smile and pushed the edge of her glasses slightly.
"So, let's get to business, Kaichou."
All the members of the Occult Research Club narrowed their eyes at Gilgamesh's blatant rudeness. The Student Council members showed varied expressions: Tsubaki raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Momo Hanakai cast a strange look at Gilgamesh. Tsubasa Yura had a glint of amusement in her eyes. Tomoe, Reya, and Riruko cast a worried glance at Gilgamesh, after all, he had offended the descendant of Duke Gremory in the room, deliberately.
"Interesting. He did it deliberately… so, he knows everything, it seems," Sona reflected with interest. And then, she opened her mouth, giving her response.
"Of course, Gilgamesh-san. So, where have you been for the past two days? The school staff called your house, but no one answered."
Of course, it wasn't the teacher who called Gilgamesh's house. In fact, it was Reya who made the call. Gilgamesh didn't know about the caller, but he knew there was a call yesterday. And the student council president didn't know that Gilgamesh was at his house the whole time. His life-tracking spell was fooled by Gilgamesh that day. Although Gilgamesh wasn't as skilled as the current Beelzebub, his advanced mind could recreate a bastardized version of the [Kankara Formula], which could affect a normal spell.
"Excuse me, are you intentionally ignoring me, Gilgamesh? Aren't you being rude?"
Before Gilgamesh could respond to Sona, Rias spoke first with an offended tone. Her eyes narrowed in anger. Rias was furious because she was ignored. She was the heiress of the House of Gremory; no one had ever dared to ignore her before. This wounded her pride.
Then it happened.
The temperature in the room dropped as if Sona's older sister had unleashed her power. The room grew cold. Everyone could see their breath condensing into white mist. The temperature didn't drop because of an ice element spell or a spell producing a similar effect. It happened because of pure, unadulterated killing intent.
Death. Destruction. Domination. Mutilation. Tear the body. Spill the blood. Crush the entrails. Burn to ashes. Torture. Rip the limbs. Mutilation. Brutal death! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
The more experienced demons in the room could contain the terror of this incomprehensible killing intent, but they were still affected. Unfortunately, Riruko Nimura, who had been a demon for only a few weeks, trembled in terror. Her bladder gave out, and she leaked unconsciously. Besides Riruko, Koneko Toujou was experiencing something similar to Sona's [Pawn]. However, it was because of Koneko's sensitive side—her Nekoshou aspect.
Akeno and Kiba were also frozen at the same time, their legs trembling greatly and their bodies shaking like helpless children looking at a man-eating creature.
Rias Gremory's eyes widened immediately, her skin grew paler, and she could feel herself frozen like a statue. Her beautiful face was adorned with fear, as her jaw slowly opened and her pupils dilated shakily.
Everyone's wide eyes, filled with terror, stared at the golden-haired young man. He was the source of the absurd amount of killing intent. His previously polite mask slipped, replaced by a cold, emotionless mask and dead eyes, as if he were a corpse. And he turned his face to Rias Gremory slowly.
Rias took a step back in fear as her eyes connected with crimson irises with a black vertical reptilian slit. Those eyes were like they were gripping her heart, threatening to crush it at any moment.
Suddenly, the monstrous pressure vanished, as if it were just an illusion. But everyone was certain it wasn't an illusion. What had just happened was real.
"My apologies for overdoing it, but if you want to blame someone, blame the spoiled princess over there," Gilgamesh said while resting his face on one of his hands.
"What did you mean by that, Gilgamesh?" Rias said, forgetting any suffix for Gilgamesh's name.
"I meant what it implies, little princess," Gilgamesh said bluntly toward Rias.
"Stop mocking me! I demand…"
"—respect from me? In your dreams, foolish girl. Do you have anything that could make me respect you? Your status as my senior? A high school student wouldn't represent a death for her youngest daughter. You're just pretending to be a good student, while the truth says otherwise. At least, the other princess is serious about her responsibility. And your status as the heiress of the Duke in the name of Duke Gremory? There are too many flaws in you that make you unfit for it."
There were gasps at the merciless taunting. However, Rias didn't ask why Gilgamesh knew this or what he was, but she was offended because Gilgamesh ridiculed her.
"What… what… what do you mean? Stop talking nonsense. Speak now or—"
"Or what? Kill me? A wasted space like you has the audacity to challenge me? If it's your brother, who was enthroned as the holder of the title of Lucifer centuries ago, one of the three existing super demons and a member of the top 10, being the strongest in the world, I'd gladly accept it. Hell, it'll be a long and good fight that I'd enjoy, but a delusional and spoiled little girl who uses her family's name and prestige as you do, ignoring your responsibility as the heir of the House of Gremory, stop daydreaming and wake up, face reality, girl. Reality isn't sunshine and rainbows, as your spoiled and insignificant brain always imagines."
Rias was left speechless. She was tongue-tied and couldn't argue back.
Sona and her entire group stared at Gilgamesh as if he were crazy. After all, he had provoked the current Lucifer in front of his little sister. But they knew. They knew Gilgamesh was strong, terrifyingly strong. The previous heart-stopping killing intent was something a weak being couldn't create. Only a strong existence could create such a potent killing intent. However, Rias's brother was also powerful. And he had the guts to insult the current Lucifer; that made them speculate about who Gilgamesh really was. Unfortunately, the ORC was full of hot-headed teenagers. Instead of thinking and connecting the dots like Sona and her servants, they bared their fangs fearlessly.
"Stop disrespecting my [King], Gilgamesh. Don't blame us if we get rough with you," Akeno Himejima joined the fray. She had a hostile look toward me.
"You? A little girl with daddy issues who can't accept reality has the courage to challenge me?"
"Shut up! You know nothing about me!"