The night fell, with the city lights beginning to twinkle. Star-light dotted the sky, and the streetlights of the night streets flickered. As the motorcycle engine turned off, Luo Guang got off, his expression unchanged.
Tonight, Kuoh Academy was exceptionally quiet, not only because it was the weekend but also because a simple barrier had been set up to prevent outsiders from intruding.
Rias and her group, who were waiting in the center of the school, immediately walked toward Luo Guang when they saw him.
"I thought you wouldn't come," Rias said, her expression complex.
After school that day, Rias had specifically found Luo Guang to offer to help him as much as possible within the limited time, but Luo Guang had refused her kindness. It was completely meaningless to him.
However, Rias didn't think so. After being rejected, she went home and stewed in her frustration. As the contest drew near on the weekend, she was both hoping Luo Guang would come and hoping he wouldn't. In the end, Luo Guang came.
Akeno Himejima covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Luo Guang-kun is a man of his word."
"Thank you, Luo Guang-kun. We're entrusting the President's future to you," Koneko and Yuuto Kiba said, expressing their loyalty and gratitude. As Rias's familiars, they were ashamed that they couldn't help, but they were grateful for Luo Guang's intervention.
Luo Guang nodded slightly. Besides Rias's group, two unexpected figures stood beside them: Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra.
Noticing Luo Guang's gaze, Sona stepped forward to explain. "Rias is my friend, so I had to come and see what would happen concerning her future."
"Luo Guang, Riser is very powerful. Most importantly, he has the Phoenix family bloodline, which allows him to recover from any injury quickly. In Rating Games, he often doesn't defeat his opponents but instead uses his lineage to simply outlast them and win. So you need to be especially careful."
Luo Guang already knew this. The bloodline of the Phoenix was not just for show. It allowed him to recover even if his head was cut off or his entire body was pulverized, a healing ability even more monstrous than a ghoul's. At least with ghouls, you could stop their regeneration by destroying their kakuhou, but the Phoenix family's pure-blooded devils' healing was passive. Unless their magic was sealed, they would automatically recover from any injury.
Luo Guang, however, was in a world of his own as he looked at their serious faces. If that's the case, does a female Phoenix also heal during her first time?
"Thanks," Luo Guang said concisely.
Seeing Luo Guang's demeanor, the others didn't say anything more. Although the situation was still very much against him, they could only put their trust in him now.
"The battleground is a temporary extra-dimensional space that has been created. The location is the entire Kuoh Academy campus. Familiarity with the environment is probably our only advantage," Rias explained. She then led them into the Occult Research Club.
As she watched Luo Guang step into the teleportation circle, Rias looked like she wanted to say something but didn't.
Sona spoke softly. "Rias, there's nothing more you can do now but to trust Luo Guang. Many people from the Underworld have come to watch this time. Besides the Gremory and Phenex families, Lord Lucifer and my sister are also in the stands. If you act stubbornly again, no one will be able to help you." Sona had also been forced into an arranged marriage by her family but had won her freedom by winning a Rating Game.
"I know. It's just... I can't help Luo Guang right now, and I feel very guilty," Rias said with a heavy sigh.
Meanwhile, Riser and his group had already entered the battleground. Although Luo Guang's sudden appearance was a surprise to him, he had no choice but to obey the orders of the Demon King and his family.
However, Riser was not just a useless, arrogant fool. Before the match, he had specifically investigated Luo Guang's background. The investigation showed that he was indeed not a normal person. He exorcised rogue ghouls and stray devils in Kuoh City. Not long ago, he had even dealt with a ghoul organization called Aogiri Tree and a few low-class Fallen Angels.
That was all the information he could find. After reading it, Riser was even more contemptuous. Ghouls were flesh-eating monsters that, in his eyes, were on the same level as dogs. Even in a group, they were just an organization of stray dogs. As for the Fallen Angels he had dealt with, that was even more of a joke to him. A few low-class Fallen Angels? He could kill ten with a single drop of his saliva.
"After the two of you teach him a lesson, bring him to me. I'll show him that a High-Class Devil is not someone just anyone can challenge." Riser wanted to put on a good show while the two Demon Kings of the Underworld and the elders of both families were watching. He also wanted to take the opportunity to show off his power.