Chapter 164: The New Fourth Pillar Demon God—Sona Sitri
Occult Research Club.
A petite, cute girl with shining golden drill-shaped twin tails was looking at the man before her with sparkling eyes, her face full of anticipation and excitement.
Her behavior was like that of a fan in human society suddenly finding themselves within arm's reach of their idol.
In fact, that's pretty much what was happening with the girl Ravel.
The person before her was a hero she greatly admired—a living hero.
Even though he was someone blessed by God, a holy son who should be her enemy, she couldn't help her admiration for this heroic figure.
And now, the reason for her extreme excitement was that she wanted to become one of the legendary King Solomon's seventy-two pillars.
Well, this time it wasn't due to threats from Rias and Sona, but Ravel's own initiative.
Now, she was just waiting for his approval.
"Is it okay? King Solomon-sama"
"Alright"
He agreed without hesitation, making Ravel so excited that her twin tails seemed to move with their own consciousness—not due to her shaking.
He took out a piece of paper with a magic circle on it and tossed it toward her. An unclear magic circle appeared at her feet.
Immediately, dozens of glowing cards appeared in his hand, one of which flew toward her and enlarged.
When the card revealed its image, it showed a burning phoenix.
As the card dissolved into countless points of light that merged into her body, Ravel felt the changes within herself and sensed her connection with King Solomon.
"Just like that, she's a High-class Devil?"
Rias murmured in a daze, watching as Ravel instantly became a High-class Devil before her eyes.
She could faintly sense that the demonic aura emanating from Ravel was even more refined than her own, as if Ravel were the pure-blooded devil while she was the mixed-blood one.
So, should she make the same choice?
However, Rias still felt insecure, finding it difficult to fully trust this King Solomon.
"King Solomon, I'll first send my foolish older brother back home and then return immediately"
Ravel now understood why Rias and Sona had attacked so suddenly. Given her brother's personality, he really could easily ruin things.
After all, another world had invaded, and the current situation made King Solomon appear like the protagonist of a story—the savior who would rescue the world.
And she had actually become a member of such a person's forces. It was truly an honor, and this was exactly her dream, now realized.
No, not completely realized yet—this was just the beginning.
From now on, she would properly assist this King, making herself an indispensable right-hand figure.
So when the Phenex siblings disappeared from Rias's sight, Rias sighed inwardly, feeling particularly conflicted.
The world was currently facing invasion, and it seemed the enemies would all be terrifyingly powerful. Her own strength was only that of a High-class Devil - she wouldn't stand a chance even against the weakest opponent.
That kind of despair was something she never wanted to experience again.
Of course, it wasn't that she feared the despair brought by death, but rather the despair of being powerless.
"I..."
The one who suddenly spoke was Sona, who seemed to have made up her mind but then hesitated again.
After biting her lip—
"Please allow me—Sona Sitri—to also become one of your Seventy-Two Demon Gods"
If Tsubaki hadn't been converted first, she wouldn't have been able to abandon Tsubaki. Then being saved herself made Sona less suspicious of him.
If he really intended to harm her, given the power he had displayed, she would have no way to resist.
And with the interworld invasion imminent, she urgently needed to increase her strength. Becoming one of his Seventy-Two Demon Gods was currently the best choice.
Another point was that the mechanical lifeforms from another world suddenly seemed to understand something and feared him, and he had demonstrated unimaginable power.
This way, as one of his Seventy-Two Demon Gods, he would likely offer some protection to the Sitri family.
This was Sona's reason for making her decision.
"Then welcome to the team, President Sona"
He smiled in agreement, making Sona feel a surge of joy.
When their eyes met, she couldn't help but blush.
Thus, another Demon God began the transformation.
Breakthrough—High-class Devil.
Another breakthrough—
"High-class? No, this is...!!!"
Rias looked at her childhood friend in utter astonishment. The power radiating from her had already surpassed that of a High-class Devil.
Which meant—
"President, have you become... Maou-class?"
Now possessing the power of a High-class Devil, Tsubaki could clearly sense that the student council president's strength was an entire level above hers.
Did this mean the president had reached the level of a Maou?
"Ah? It seems so..."
Sona also murmured in a daze, finding it rather surreal.
Of course, having Maou-level power didn't mean she could currently rival those at the Maou level.
On one hand, she needed to properly familiarize herself with this power; on the other, those at the Maou level possessed far more combat experience than her.
"Ara, so you've reached Maou level already? I'm quite tempted too~"
Akeno's demeanor appeared as casual as usual, giving off the impression she was joking.
But in truth, she was genuinely quite tempted.
However, without Rias's permission, she didn't want to betray Rias.
But judging by the situation, Rias seemed truly unsettled by Sona's choice, as she moved her lips once again.
"I..."
"Sorry!"
He interrupted her directly, and with such a response at that, causing Rias's expression to stiffen.
She had been rejected!
...
Meanwhile, two church members wielding holy swords were heading toward a town.
Though their faces were concealed by robes, the curves of their exposed limbs revealed that they were both young women.
Yesterday, the church had been suddenly attacked, and the holy swords were stolen, so they were now pursuing the culprit.
It appeared the culprit was returning to a previous location—Kuoh Town.
Suddenly, the two noticed a glowing light on a mountain, where a massive, unfamiliar emblem had emerged. They couldn't determine which pantheon it belonged to.
Believing there might be traces related to the holy swords there, they immediately rushed over.
Upon reaching the glowing spot, a burst of intense light suddenly flooded their vision, turning everything white.
Then, as their sight returned to normal, they stared in astonishment at an unfamiliar girl dressed in what seemed to be religious attire.
She appeared to be a human girl, but her face was veiled, making it impossible to see her features clearly.
And now, this girl seemed to have fallen unconscious.