This time, I came to a completely different place.
I had arrived at a house.
There were three people inside.
All of them were stray devils: "WHAT?!"
I drew Ebony and Ivory, and the heads of two stray devils exploded instantly.
The last remaining male stray devil appeared right in front of me.
He was about to punch me in the stomach, but I shifted to the left, then got behind him and locked him in a choke position.
"L-Let me go…" The man was slowly suffocating.
I sighed: "You're lucky I'm feeling merciful."
BAM!
A bullet entered the side of his head.
I pushed the corpse away, yawned a little, searched the house for a bit, and unfortunately, there wasn't much money.
I took a selfie with the corpses on the floor and saved them in my gallery.
I loved doing this — it was kind of like building a photo collection, and it didn't look like I'd be stopping anytime soon.
I left the house.
They were mid-class.
Against me, who was at peak high-class and on the verge of ultimate class, they didn't stand a chance.
Their corpses vanished into thin air, and the house became spotless as if nothing had happened.
I could feel myself getting stronger — and it felt pretty good.
If I killed one more high-class, I'd break into the ultimate class.
Then I could finally apply what I had in mind.
Downstairs, Saji and Tsubaki were waiting: "Did you finish it, Arthur?" Saji asked.
"Hmm, corpses cleaned up, no traces left," I said.
Saji climbed the stairs.
Tsubaki was leaning against the wall: "It really is a huge loss that Sona Kaichou couldn't get you into her peerage."
I leaned against the wall next to her: "Still, we're working together, right? You're pretty understanding, and your Sacred Gear is quite good."
"That weird bag of yours is pretty impressive, too. Does it have a name?"
"Pandora."
Tsubaki paused for a moment: "Why that name?"
Pandora appeared in my hand.
Right in front of her eyes, I transformed it into a motorcycle and sat on it: "Because it's a weapon with 666 modes. What do you think is inside?"
"Something like this isn't Sacred Gear! I get why you named it Pandora now… so even this motorcycle counts as a weapon?" she said.
I lifted the front wheel, and a chainsaw appeared there: "What do you think?"
"I understand now why people are so afraid of you in Devil Net…"
I flicked her forehead: "Come on, we're allies. As long as you're not planning to eat humans, I wouldn't attack you."
"I-I…"
"What are you guys doing like that? Huh? Is that a motorcycle over there?" Saji came running over and touched Cavaliere — but got shocked by electricity.
I sat back on my bike: "No one but me can touch Pandora, so watch your hands, Saji."
"Pandora?"
Before he could finish his sentence, I was already speeding away on my motorcycle.
The next day.
I was sitting in the student council room, and across from me was Rias.
I looked at Sona: "What the hell is going on here?"
"Rias wanted to talk to you, and since you hang around here, she came herself," Sona said.
I crossed my arms: "So, how can I help you?"
"I'm Rias Gremory. First of all, Arthur-kun, would you like to join my peerage?" she asked.
Sona slammed the table and stood up: "I told you not to ask him that!"
"I'm just trying my luck. You could live for 10,000 years — maybe more. On top of that, you'd be able to fly, gain access to demonic energy, and perform the magic you've always dreamed of."
"You could offer Sona the same things, and I rejected her the same way I'm rejecting you."
Rias sighed: "I understand. Then, like with Sona, could you work for me? I can provide you with resources just like she does."
"That's a nice offer. I'm in, but just like I'm not Sona's slave, I'm not yours either. I want you to know you can't force me to do anything."
Rias stood up: "Fine. I wouldn't force you anyway. I see my peerage as family, so don't call them slaves."
"No matter how much you call slaves 'family,' it doesn't change the fact that they are slaves. If your peerage is really a family for you, go research Koneko's past properly. Then we'll see if you're family."
Rias's expression changed, and she left.
I looked at Sona: "From now on, I'll only communicate with that girl through the phone. She's not suitable for me in person."
"I understand."
I left the room and returned to the rooftop.