A deadly silence.
The entire hall of the Shinomiya residence truly felt like it had fallen into stagnant water, quiet and deadly.
Everyone was nearly shocked!
They didn't know whether they couldn't accept this reality or why, but their expressions couldn't avoid showing respect as they looked at the young man standing there, Hikaru, who was resolute in killing.
Diodora was killed just like that!
After a long time, Daizen, who first regained consciousness, muttered in disbelief.
"Diodora has high-level devil power. He was annihilated so easily!"
"Highest-level devil power... at least highest-level devil power, even—"
Arima pushed up his glasses. Muscles throughout his body tensed, and his spirit was extremely vigilant, as if a forbidden existence was standing before him. The slightest carelessness could bring great disaster.
The seriousness in Arima's tone, combined with the words before and after, also made others understand the meaning of the last unfinished sentence.
Devil King level powerhouse.
Hikaru was most likely a Devil King level powerhouse.
In an instant, the gazes of Nako, Shouzou, and Manami as they looked at Hikaru changed.
Previously, all three of them, more or less on par with Diodora, were full of doubt about Hikaru's strength. Although they knew he might not be weak, how strong he was was hard to estimate. After all, there was no good reference object, and they had never seen him move.
But now it was completely different. Hikaru could easily kill Diodora, as if stepping on an ant.
Hikaru's power was most likely at the Devil King level.
The fact that Hikaru's name did not appear on the Transcendent List was the best proof.
"Kotonoha seems to have a good relationship with him."
Manami previously wanted to make Kotonoha Diodora's Familiar, which in a certain sense was also for the Katsura family and Kotonoha herself.
Now, Diodora was dead, and the devil contract naturally could not be formed. If her daughter Kotonoha could be with Hikaru, in the future in Japan and even worldwide, who would dare touch the Katsura family backed by Hikaru, a Devil King level powerhouse.
Not only her who had this thought. The eyes of Shouzou and Nako beside her also sparkled.
Especially Nako, her daughter Shirayuki Hime still had lingering feelings for Hikaru. Perhaps there was still hope...
"Hikaru, you killed Diodora. Isn't he a blood relative of the Devil King? Now the problem is big."
Compared to others with wild thoughts, Gan'an was genuinely worried about Hikaru.
As soon as these words came out, the gazes of Shirayuki Hime, Kaguya... and the others also carried a bit of worry as they looked at Hikaru. That was the Devil King of the Underworld, a figure from myths and legends. Just hearing the name was enough to make people shudder.
If the other side attacked, whether Hikaru could withstand it was unknown!
Meanwhile, Kotonoha tightly gripped the corner of Hikaru's clothes, her eyes full of tears from anxiety. After all, it was all because of her actions.
"Senpai—"
"It's fine. A bastard like Diodora, from the first time I saw him, I was already thinking of ways to annihilate him."
Hikaru comforted Kotonoha, then said to Diodora who had become a pool of flesh, "Devil King Ajuka, you've been watching for so long, now it's time for you to come out from your blood relative."
Everyone was shocked and quickly looked around.
Devil King Ajuka!!!
Could it be that the Devil King from the Underworld, that mythical figure, had already arrived!!!
So fast?!!!
But, the scene that appeared in the next second answered everyone's doubts.
"Blue light sword. What is your relationship with that man?!"
A dignified voice echoed in the hall. Visible on Diodora's body that had become a pool of flesh, an illusory projection of a young man appeared, speaking with a serious expression.
"He truly has no feelings. If not for the projection hidden in Diodora's body blocking my attack, he wouldn't have died so miserably. After all, he is your blood relative." Hikaru said in a mocking tone.
"A blood relative colluding with the Old Devil King faction, trying to overthrow the Underworld government system, is merely a tool in my eyes to help the Underworld spy on the Old Devil King faction's information."
It was evident that Ajuka was fully aware of Diodora's hidden actions.
Ajuka's consciousness projection hidden inside Diodora's body, rather than protecting him, was more accurately for monitoring him.
"..."
Not only Gan'an and the others, even Arima and Daizen were seeing a mythological figure of this weight for the first time. The shock in their hearts was inevitable, and their eyes showed horror.
And, what shocked them even more was that Hikaru could actually speak with this Devil King from myths and legends as if equals. Was his power so strong that it made even Devil King Beelzebub fearful, or for other reasons...
"Senpai!"
Kotonoha still murmured this.
She slightly understood why her senior's ex-girlfriends like Shirayuki Hime chose to break up with her senior back then, and why they still had lingering feelings now.
Sometimes, mystery and a sense of difference might add a different charm to a person, but if this mystery and sense of difference were too strong, what it brought was desperate humiliation, a sense of inferiority with no end in sight. Even though she was beside him, the place she stood seemed like not the same dimension as him.
Love as humble as this would torment anyone.
"It's not because Hikaru has flaws, but in a certain sense, he is too extraordinary, extraordinary to the level that makes people unworthy."
Shirayuki Hime sighed and shook her head. This was the most honest thought in her heart.
"Extraordinary. It seems among them, I, the 'childhood friend,' know the least about you?!"
Kaguya sneered at the corner of her mouth.
"Kanzaki Hikaru, Emperor Shin..."
Ajuka looked at Hikaru seriously, continuously assessing what relationship existed between the two.
If it was said that Hikaru was Emperor Shin, let alone him not believing it, other Transcendents would laugh heartily if he drew this conclusion, including his best friend Sirzechs.
Nothing else because Hikaru's age was too young. Who would dare believe that a human youth under twenty years old could rise so high, reaching the Transcendent position.
It should be known that all Transcendents, including him and Sirzechs, almost all had passed thousands of years before they transcended racial categories and reached the unique Transcendent status.
However, the blue light sword that had just annihilated Diodora was indeed Emperor Shin's unique mark.
There must be a connection between Hikaru and Emperor Shin.
"Rather than you here guessing these useless things, better think about how to fulfill the devil contract signed by Diodora in the name of the Astaroth family."
Hikaru changed the topic and reminded.
"The devil contract is still valid?!"
Kotonoha's heart panicked.
"After all, that overly clever man signed it in the family's name. The ones who must fulfill the promise are the Astaroth family. Diodora is dead, the part about you in it automatically becomes invalid."
Hikaru explained with a cynical smile.
Gan'an, Shouzou... and the others all looked at Hikaru in shock. They also felt anxious in their hearts. This was an overtly one-sided clause. They were truly afraid this Devil King would get angry and turn all of Tokyo into a sea of fire.
Ajuka only frowned slightly.
He also understood that Hikaru's words were completely unreasonable. Diodora who signed the devil contract was dead; the entire devil contract should have been canceled.
This Hikaru clearly wanted to take advantage of it.
However, no matter, these were all trivial matters.
"Regarding the pure-blooded devil who will teach them to enter the training path, he will arrive as promised tomorrow."
Ajuka clearly did not want to dwell on this matter with Hikaru and directly agreed.
"Kanzaki Hikaru, no matter what your relationship with Emperor Shin is, it's best not to become enemies with the Underworld."
Ajuka warned firmly, then disappeared.
"Not becoming enemies with the Underworld, huh. In the future, that truly cannot be guaranteed!"
Looking towards where Ajuka disappeared, Hikaru's eyes became slightly deeper. No one knew what he was thinking in his heart.