But that disappointment quickly faded. His gaze returned to the small white-haired girl standing not far away.
His beloved little cat: Koneko.
It had been nearly ten days for Rian since he last saw Koneko.
Suddenly, a soft, cute voice echoed from his Interface glasses.
"Daddy."
Alice's tone was flat, but unmistakably displeased. "Alice already knew Vali would interfere. But… seeing it happen directly is still annoying."
"Alice does not like Vali very much," she added, her voice dripping with irritation. "How dare he steal Father's Exp target… Should Alice beat him up in secret?"
Rian chuckled lightly, glancing toward a new direction—where Sona Sitri and her Peerage were rushing toward them.
"So his name is Vali, huh?" Rian murmured to himself. "Don't be angry, Alice… We still have other spectators, right?"
Sona Sitri and her Peerage were indeed sprinting toward them. But the attention of Rias and her Peerage shifted immediately to the unusual individual accompanying them.
On Sona's side, Alice floated calmly. But this time, she appeared in a very different form from before.
Resting atop a transparent blue Tesseract was a tiny figure, no more than five inches tall.
She sat casually, even swinging her legs over the edge of the cube like a child perched on a balcony.
The little girl had long blonde hair, brilliant crimson eyes, and pale white skin that glowed softly. She wore a long white dress layered with a pristine lab coat.
This was Alice's humanoid hologram form—an advanced projection created from a fusion of cosmic energy from the Mind Stone and the Space Stone.
At the very least, interacting with her like this felt far more natural than before.
Because honestly, talking to a glowing cube without knowing where its "face" was had always been a little awkward.
Alice drifted slowly toward Rian, with Koneko following behind her in short steps, still wearing a grumpy expression.
On the other side, Akeno walked calmly toward Asia—still unconscious—showing her usual gentle grace. Issei, filled with worry, hurried to Kiba, who lay weakened on the ground.
Gasper, who had just woken up, stumbled toward Rias.
Meanwhile, Xenovia was supporting Irina, who remained completely unconscious. The empty stare and somber expression on Xenovia's face said it all—Irina had been shattered by a single bitter truth: that God was gone.
Sona Shitori's Peerage quickly spread out, tending to injuries and reinforcing the area with defensive magic.
Sona herself made her way toward Rias, her expression calm but tinged with concern.
"Rias… are you alright?" she asked.
Rias nodded slowly as she checked the condition of her Peerage.
"I think we're fine. Earlier, Rian used some kind of… strange healing magic on us," she said, glancing in Rian's direction with a look of puzzled amazement.
But before Sona could say anything, a loud thud echoed across the courtyard—like someone being slammed into the ground with force.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound… and collectively exhaled.
There, plain as day, Rian was sprawled on the ground.
His back had hit the dirt hard, while Koneko sat on top of him, pinning him down in a classic taekwondo slam.
Rian flailed his hands a little, trying to free himself as he groaned.
"Hey! No need to go full takedown on me, Shironeko!" Rian complained, irritation in his voice—though the grin on his face betrayed how amused he actually was.
Koneko merely huffed, her cheeks puffed out in her usual pout. "…The correct name is Koneko. And you deserved it."
Sona stood frozen, staring at the sight before her: Koneko pinning Rian to the ground, looking both satisfied and slightly annoyed.
She let out a quiet sigh, closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke softly—but clearly enough for everyone nearby to hear:
"I'm jealous of Koneko."
The words were so spontaneous, so unexpected, that several people froze.
Rias immediately snapped her head toward her, eyes widening. "Huh?!"
Sona slowly opened her eyes again—only then realizing that was absolutely not something she should've said aloud. A faint pink hue spread across her pale cheeks.
"W-What I meant was… Koneko gets to hit and manhandle that narcissistic idiot whenever she wants. That's all," Sona added quickly, her voice rising ever so slightly from embarrassment.
But of course… that only made her sound more suspicious.
Rias narrowed her eyes, staring at her best friend with a flat but knowing expression.
"…Is that really all, Sona?"
Sona immediately turned her face away, clearing her throat softly as she tried to restore her usual cool, composed expression.
"Of course. That's all. Don't start imagining strange things, Rias."
Meanwhile, Koneko finally released her grappling hold on Rian. Without any warning, she shifted slightly… then wrapped her arms tightly around him.
She didn't say a single word—she simply held him, giving warmth instead of explanations.
Rian's eyes, hidden behind his interface glasses, widened for a moment in surprise.
But slowly, the corners of his lips softened into a small smile, and he returned the embrace just as gently—warm, calm, unhurried.
Everyone around them fell silent, choosing not to interrupt the moment.
***
At this moment, Rian was standing in the hallway of the modest apartment he once lived in, with Alice floating calmly beside him.
After finishing everything at Kuoh Academy, they decided to head home.
With a sluggish step, Rian made his way toward his room. Honestly, ever since slaughtering thousands of zombie dogs all the way to returning to the Infinity Room, he hadn't really gotten any proper rest.
The memory was still fresh—right after arriving in the Infinity Room, Rian immediately accessed the control system and opened the Shop.
Without much thought, he spent the 2000 points he had to purchase a grand modern-style mansion, complete with cutting-edge technology and all sorts of luxurious facilities.
He named the mansion Galaxy Lake, an extravagant residence that felt like a fusion between a secret headquarters and a dream home.
Its main chamber had a futuristic design, with integrated control panels in every corner, all linked directly to his private bedroom.
The bedroom itself was as large as half a soccer field, complete with a glass balcony overlooking the outside scenery and a king-size bed that looked inviting enough for someone to sleep on it for days.
Inside, it offered all sorts of necessities and entertainment features, including an advanced training area—though notably without a swimming pool.
Beneath the mansion lay three basement levels.
The first floor served as a high-tech workshop, equipped with mechanical tools, a nano-scale 3D printer, and a holographic workbench.
Next was the storage level, protected by cutting-edge security systems, ready to safeguard any valuable items from anyone foolish enough to attempt unauthorized entry.
And finally, on the third basement level, hidden away, was the AI Core Server—a chamber filled with rows of super-quantum server racks shielded in vibranium plating that Alice had brought with her.
And it didn't stop there. Rian spent another 2,000 system points to exchange for wealth in various official currencies from every major faction in the DxD world.
Starting from Japanese yen, U.S. dollars, devil currency, angel currency, all the way to ancient coins that only circulated in the Underworld.
The storage of Galaxy Lake was now filled with gold bars, pure silver, and neatly arranged gemstones stacked on security-sealed shelves.
Rian prepared everything meticulously, because for him, wealth wasn't just a lifestyle, it was a guarantee of freedom, no matter which world he walked into.
And now, that luxurious mansion stood right in front of his old apartment, ready to be moved into at any moment.
But all of that had to be postponed.
Before Rian could even set foot inside his new mansion, he received information from Alice: Kuoh Academy was under attack.
Without wasting a second, Rian and Alice shot straight toward Kuoh… and the rest unfolded exactly as we already know.
The reason Rian stopped by the apartment instead of heading straight to the mansion after returning from Kuoh Academy was simple—he wanted to tell Ophis that he had moved.
Not that he needed to, of course. Ophis could sense his presence no matter where he was.
But judging from how Ophis lingered here, it seemed she had grown quite fond of this modest apartment.
Through Rian's Six Eyes, this place had already become the personal nest of the petite Dragon God.
The place wasn't dusty, messy, or filled with cobwebs or bats like a dragon's lair in fiction.
That wasn't what caught his attention. It was the traces of Ophis's aura lingering in every corner, as if the apartment had become her domain.
The walls, the floor, the bathroom, even the futon and the few pieces of clothing Rian had left behind—all of them still carried her presence, like the scent of rain that clings to damp earth.
It seemed Ophis truly liked this place.
Something that was almost impossible.