Chapter 159: Emergence — The God-Tier Mechanical Aberration
With a sharp crack, the mirrors shattered into glittering fragments, their defense seemingly ineffective. Yet the firestorm that should have engulfed the room recoiled unnaturally, compressed into itself as if repelled by an unseen force.
Where once Shinra Tsubaki could summon only a single mirror, her transformation into a Pillar Demon had awakened new potential. Her sacred gear now conjured a fourfold barrier—an encirclement of mirrored force.
But could such a formation truly harm the target?
The Phoenix clan, infamous for their regenerative flame bodies, were notoriously difficult to injure. Unless overwhelmed by sheer force, their forms dissolved into fire, intangible and elusive.
And yet—
"Aaaaargh!"
The scream tore through the air. Riser Phoenix was hurt. Truly hurt.
Rias didn't hesitate. She hurled another volley of magic bullets, each one detonating against Riser's writhing form. His cries grew louder, more desperate.
"Stop! Please, LadyRias, stop! My brother—he's not responding! You'll kill him!"
The voice was shrill, panicked. A petite blonde girl with twin drill-like ponytails rushed forward, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ravel Phoenix—Riser's younger sister.
Only then didRias relent, lowering her hand as the last of the magic faded.
The crater left by the battle revealed Riser's broken body, unconscious and unmoving.
"A... a cross?" someone whispered.
Embedded in Riser's chest was a half-burned crucifix—an object demons feared above all. It had disrupted his flame transformation, rendering him vulnerable to physical damage.
"You went too far," Ravel sobbed. "Even if you hate my brother, to ally with the Church—this is betrayal!"
She glared at a nearby nun, then snatched the cross and smashed it against the floor in fury.
Clearly, the nun had handed the cross toRias. And it had worked—Riser had been caught off guard, unable to defend himself.
"I'll report this to Lord Sirzechs and Lady Serafall!" Ravel declared, trembling with rage.
She activated a teleportation circle to return to the Underworld—but nothing happened.
The circle had been destroyed in the earlier chaos.
Undeterred, she pulled out a parchment inscribed with a backup teleportation spell. But before she could use it, a blade flashed.
The paper split in two.
Tsubaki stood calmly, sword in hand.
"You... what are you doing?" Ravel's voice cracked with fear.
"What do you think?" Canna adjusted her glasses, her tone cold. "You think you can leave after discovering our secret?"
"Secret?" Ravel blinked, confused.
"Don't play dumb,"Rias said, her voice tinged with regret. "Whether you heard it or not, we can't let you return."
Their attack on Riser had been calculated—to incapacitate him long enough to prevent his interference at Kuoh Academy. The cross had been thrown by Koneko, snatched from Asia's belongings in a moment of instinct.
Rias doubted Ravel had missed the implications. She might be focused on her brother now, but once she calmed down, she'd remember Asia's words. And Ravel was clever—too clever. She'd piece it together.
They couldn't let her return to the Underworld.
But what now? They couldn't imprison her forever. Killing her was out of the question.
There was one alternative.
Rias and Canna turned to him.
"I don't want her dead,"Rias said. "Could you make her your familiar? She's a pureblood Phoenix demon—she'd be a fitting candidate."
"What are you talking about?" Ravel murmured, dazed.
What secret had she stumbled upon?
She replayed the events in her mind. The battle. The cross. The strange reverenceRias and Canna showed toward the young man.
And then it hit her.
The rumors.
A sacred coffin had fallen during transport. When recovered, it was empty. No bones. No trace.
The implications were staggering.
No... it couldn't be...
Solomon.
The legendary king who forged contracts with the seventy-two original demons. A human who stood among gods.
Could this man be Solomon reborn?
Ravel's thoughts spiraled. She was a pureblood Phoenix, a survivor of ancient wars. And he—he might be the heir of Solomon's bloodline.
But perhaps not the original. Titles changed with time. Just as Sirzechs was now called Lucifer, not by name but by position.
This man might be the inheritor of Solomon's mantle.
That would explain everything.
Rias and Canna's solemn respect. Their caution. Their fear.
"Is he... the new Solomon?" she whispered.
Then—
"It's time," he said.
Time for what?
Not directed at her. At something behind her.
Ravel turned.
The wall had been blasted open during the fight, revealing the empty courtyard beyond.
No one was there.
Confused, she looked back.
"Rias," Canna said.
"Mm."
Their expressions darkened. Something had entered the barrier.
The supernatural research club's grounds were protected by powerful wards. The earlier battle hadn't breached them—but something had slipped inside.
Not recently.
It had been there all along.
Only when Solomon spoke did it reveal itself.
"Hehehe... impressive. You sensed me."
The voice was wrong.
Not human. Not beast.
It sounded... mechanical.
As the voice echoed, five figures shimmered into view, shedding their optical camouflage.
They wore black robes, obscuring their forms. But beneath the fabric, strange protrusions hinted at alien anatomy. Only the speaker resembled something humanoid.
The others were monstrous.
"Who are you?"Rias demanded, invoking her authority as Kuoh's guardian.
No magic. No divine aura. No demonic energy.
Yet the pressure they exuded was suffocating.
"You ask who we are?" the speaker said. "Fair. This is our first meeting with the natives of this world."
Natives?
Rias and Canna paled.
They weren't just outsiders.
They were not of this world.
Solomon had warned of traitors—those who sold this world to another.
Was this the buyer?
"Then allow me to introduce myself," the figure said, voice smooth and chilling. "I am Hazirus, Moon King of the Rahu Septet, second general under the evil god Melbazoa, sovereign of mechanical life."
As he spoke, a wave of oppressive energy flooded the room.
Rias staggered.
Canna's face turned white.
This was no ordinary foe.
This was Demon King-level.
"And these four," Hazirus continued, gesturing to the robed figures, "are my creations. My Four Generals."
The moment he finished speaking, the air shifted.
The four beings released their power.
Rias gasped.
Even the weakest among them radiated strength equal to—or greater than—Tsubaki, a top-tier demon.
The others?
Demon King-class.
And Hazirus himself?
Beyond that.
God-tier.