Chapter 155 – The Black-Threaded Threat and the King's Mercy
Sona's fury didn't recede—it deepened, sharpened into a glare that could have broken stone. Solomon's gaze remained fixed on her, an inscrutable smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"You... what?" Tsubaki gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. He had simply—let her go?
No. Not truly. Tsubaki understood now—his bond was like an invisible thread. Whenever he desired, she would return.
Then, with a casual smile, he added, "Ah, and Sona—if you so much as speak of today's events…"
His tone was light, his expression gentle, his voice even—yet Tsubaki paled.
"…then I'll kill…" he paused. The moment stretched like a blade drawn slowly.
"…all your servants."
A shiver ran through the room.
Tsubaki turned ashen.
Sona went bloodless.
To kill her retainers? It would be worse than murdering her directly. The psychological devastation—crushing. And the executioner… would be her friend.
At last, the weight of her choices pressed down.
Rias had warned her.
She should've listened.
Then, without missing a beat, Solomon offered his farewell like a thoughtful professor dismissing class.
"It's late, children. Head home and rest well. Otherwise you'll be listless tomorrow~"
He spoke as if nothing cruel had passed his lips. Warm, kind—sickeningly gentle. It chilled the heart more than an outright threat. A monster wearing grace—those are the most dangerous ones.
The following day arrived with frost in its mood.
In the student council chamber, Sona hosted a tense meeting.
That is—until the door slammed open without so much as a knock.
She scowled. But as soon as she saw who entered, her expression softened.
Rias Gremory.
With one look, Sona dismissed the rest of the council members—save Tsubaki.
Rias folded her arms, a sigh curling around her voice. "I told you not to investigate. Regret it now, don't you?"
Sona didn't reply. She stared blankly.
"Asia inherited Malphas's power," Rias continued, "and Tsubaki—Gaim. Just like that, they've ascended."
Sona swallowed.
This wasn't the end of their journey.
It was the beginning.
"I assume you haven't tattled to your sister yet?"
Sona bristled. "Of course not! I'm not some child who calls for mommy whenever she scrapes her knee."
That earned a smirk from Rias—but it faded fast.
"God is dead."
"…What?"
Sona blinked. The words didn't register.
Rias met her gaze squarely. "The God of the Bible died. Long ago. During the Great War."
Sona staggered backward, gripping the edge of the desk. "That's… absurd."
"No. That's truth."
The implications sank like ice into her gut. Divine order—gone. Chaos—birthed.
The reappearance of Solomon wasn't random. It was aftermath. Aftershocks of death, betrayal, and hidden wars.
And Solomon had spoken of traitors. Powers working against the world itself.
Was he building his new seventy-two demons to face this unseen threat?
"Isn't it more likely," Sona asked bitterly, "that he's just replacing the seventy-two families? Seizing power over the Underworld?"
Rias shrugged. "I can't prove otherwise. But think—if he wanted silence, why not kill us? If he could force Tsubaki's conversion, he could do the same to us. Yet he didn't."
That silence wasn't weakness. It was intent.
"He showed mercy. That means something."
Sona stared.
Mercy?
Was it merciful to snatch away her closest friend?
She almost spoke, then stopped.
Because it was true.
She had invited this upon herself.
And Tsubaki—Tsubaki had explained everything.
She wasn't under total mind control.
There were boundaries.
Commands to bed with him? She could refuse.
She was no puppet—just a subject. A knight loyal to her sovereign. Not by compulsion, but by deep devotion.
It was disturbing—and intimate.
Should Solomon overreach or err, she could defy him.
But if Sona became a threat… her loyalty to Solomon would overwhelm her bonds of friendship.
That was terrifying.
Yet Tsubaki, eyes open and voice steady, made a suggestion that shattered Sona's world.
"Join him."
Become one of his seventy-two demons. As an elite devil, she could ascend—maybe even reach Demon King status.
With that power, her dream—the academy where devils of every lineage competed as equals—could be real.
The old pureblood houses laughed at her.
The elders called her naïve.
But she had never let go of the vision.
And power spoke loudest in the Underworld.
Sona reeled—not just from the offer, but the trust behind it.
Tsubaki believed in Solomon.
Truly, deeply.
And somehow, that made the betrayal harder to reject.
Later, during gym class, Sona approached Solomon—now posing as their physical education instructor.
She spoke in a low voice, eyes fixed forward.
"What would it take for you to release Tsubaki?"
Solomon raised a brow. "Release? You make it sound like I kidnapped her."
He smiled easily.
"Tell you what. If she voluntarily relinquishes her role—I'll let her go."
Sona's eyes lit up.
But quickly dimmed.
So that was it.
Why hadn't he forced her conversion as he had the others?
Simple.
Unlike Asia and Tsubaki, Sona and Rias carried the blood of the original seventy-two houses. Their DNA resonated with the summoning seals.
If forcibly converted, their rings would react.
Their families would be alerted.
And Sona's sister—Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Great Kings—was not to be trifled with.
Even Solomon knew better.
And just then—
A ripple passed through the field.
A girl appeared.
No one had seen her arrive.
One moment the field was empty.
The next—she was there.
A small figure in black.
Pale skin, long raven hair, and a stare like starlit abyss.
She looked no older than eleven.
Solomon narrowed his eyes.
She was no human.
Yet Sona, an elite demon, had noticed nothing.
"What in—"
Chapter 156 – The Infinite Dragon God Appears
The girl walked forward in a flowing black dress, light as shadow.
Her appearance captivated the crowd instantly.
Boys and girls alike paused mid-activity, drawn by her eerie grace.
"She's adorable," one whispered.
"Where did she come from?"
Even Sona blinked. The child had materialized from nowhere, crossing the field directly toward her.
Curiosity spiked.
Was she lost?
Did someone leave her here?
Sona stepped forward—
—and nearly collapsed.
Her knees trembled. Her legs refused to obey.
Why?
She was no human. She wasn't even tired.
Something was wrong.
Her limbs rebelled—resisting motion.
A silent refusal.
Her instincts screamed.
She glanced at Solomon.
He ignored her, gazing at the girl as well.
Was it him? A spell?
No.
It was her.
The child.
Sona forced herself forward. Each step felt like dragging rusted iron.
By the third step, her back was soaked.
Cold sweat.
Not from exertion—but from fear.
Fear her conscious mind hadn't recognized.
Her body knew.
Her heartbeat accelerated. Her eyes widened.
As the girl drew closer—
—it clicked.
She wasn't approaching a child.
She was approaching a god.
No—a dragon god.
A presence so vast her senses failed to process it.
It bypassed mind and struck straight at instinct.
Each step closer was like suffocation.
And now the girl stood before her.
Silent.
Still.
Smiling.
The Infinite Dragon God—Ophis—had arrived.
And the Underworld would never be the same.