6: Chapter 6

Sona smiled bitterly at Rias Gremory in the magic projection. "Luo Yu, huh... I'm actually a bit curious about him now."

Rias Gremory propped up her fair chin. She often played chess against Sona in the Underworld, so she knew Sona's chess skills were already on par with the masters of the Human World.

To think this Luo Yu, Sona's fiancé, could completely crush her on the chessboard. One could only imagine how terrifying his skills were.

The way Sona spoke of him made him sound quite impressive.

It didn't sound like something an ordinary person could say.

Yet the information provided by the Underworld clearly stated that he was just an ordinary human with no Sacred Gear, no special bloodline, and had never even left Kuoh Town.

How bizarre. "Sona, how is your candidate for Queen doing?"

Rias Gremory was quite curious about Luo Yu; she would have to meet him in person to find out what kind of man he really was.

However, compared to Luo Yu, she was more concerned about her best friend's choice of peerage members.

The Queen was the most important piece in Evil Pieces, second only to the King. "She has already agreed; all that's left is the Devil reincarnation."

A smile appeared on Sona's face at the mention of Tsubaki Shinra.

Although the girl had set quite a few conditions—which would seem utterly ridiculous to other pure-blooded Devils.

For instance, she could unilaterally terminate the contract and regain her freedom whenever she deemed it necessary.

But then again, Sona was highly satisfied with Tsubaki Shinra's talent and strength.

She was not inferior to Rias Gremory's Queen, Akeno Himejima, in the slightest. "Then congratulations are in order, Sona."

"Thank you."

In the Underworld, at the Gremory Clan estate. "Rias, who did you say Sona's fiancé was just now?"

A black-haired girl nearby furrowed her brows. Her features were exquisite, and her figure and appearance were on par with Rias Gremory's.

Her tone carried a hint of worry, yet also a faint trace of anticipation. "I think he's called... Luo Yu. Akeno, do you know him?"

Rias Gremory looked at her Queen in surprise; Akeno Himejima's reaction was much larger than expected. "It really is him..."

Akeno Himejima trembled slightly and smiled bitterly. "Well, the name Luo Yu isn't exactly common in Kuoh Town."

"You really know him?"

"Yes. He was my childhood playmate, and my only friend."

"A playmate... Is he a resident of Kuoh Town? I recall you used to live there too. Akeno's childhood playmate is now Sona's fiancé... That is too much of a coincidence. It's simply unbelievable."

Rias Gremory's voice was filled with astonishment.

Furthermore, she could tell that the relationship between Akeno and Sona's fiancé was definitely not as simple as mere childhood playmates.

Otherwise, someone who usually hid her feelings so deeply wouldn't show such a complex, anxious expression of gain and loss.

Akeno Himejima looked out the window. The sky of the Underworld was a purplish-red, with a violet moon hanging on the horizon. "A coincidence... Perhaps."

"In the end, you still couldn't escape this. What was the point of everything I did, then?"

Her vision blurred, and she seemed to see that boy from her childhood again.

That thin, small boy had blocked her with his own body, forcing a smile as he told her not to be afraid, that he would protect her.

Mother was gone...

She didn't want to see that boy leave her too. Even if he had barely survived this time because that man arrived in time...

But what about next time? And the time after that?

The filthy blood flowing through her veins had only ever brought disaster to others. She didn't want to watch the boy die before her eyes just like her mother, while she could do nothing but scream until her throat went hoarse.

So, she had abandoned that boy.

Yet in the end, Akeno Himejima realized that their fates seemed to have been intertwined long ago, impossible to untangle. "Now, I suppose we can only be considered the most familiar of strangers."

She curled her lips, smiling self-deprecatingly.

Rias Gremory, seeing Akeno's expression, did not speak to disturb her.

An ordinary human becoming the fiancé of House Sitri's next head had completely shocked the entire Underworld. The young generation of pure-blooded Devils were all gnashing their teeth in jealousy.

Rias Gremory had already heard from Sona that Luo Yu, this seemingly ordinary fiancé, was incredibly good at chess, and had known her Queen, Akeno Himejima, since childhood.

Now, her curiosity about Luo Yu grew even stronger.

After a moment.

Akeno Himejima snapped out of her memories, a faint trace of sadness still hidden in her eyes. "Akeno, if there's anything on your mind, just tell me. Not just you, but Koneko and Yuto as well—you are not just my peerage, but my family."

Rias Gremory tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Rias."

Akeno Himejima forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. I just felt a bit sad remembering the past."

"By the way, Rias, when are we going to the Human World?"

Rias Gremory noticed the anticipation on Akeno's face that she couldn't hide—and perhaps wasn't even aware of herself. Sighing inwardly, she said:

"In three days."

"In three days?"

Akeno Himejima was stunned for a moment and asked, "Rias, did Lady Venelana Gremory agree?"

Rias Gremory's mother, Venelana Gremory, had always been reluctant to let her daughter go to the Human World for training. After all, Rias Gremory's motives for going to the Human World were less than pure; she was running away to avoid her engagement. "How could Mother agree so easily? I was planning to spend a month convincing her."

"But something happened recently with the Bael Clan, so Mother has to return to the Bael Clan the day after tomorrow."

"Rias, you're planning to sneak away!"

Akeno Himejima's eyes widened. "Sneaking away is for fools. I've already informed Father and Brother."

Rias Gremory smiled slyly. "If that's not sneaking away, then what is!"

Akeno Himejima sighed, then asked, "Rias, what happened to the Bael Clan that even Lady Venelana Gremory had to rush back?"

The Bael Clan ranked first among the Seventy-Two Pillars, and their status in the Underworld was only slightly below that of the Four Devil Kings. Akeno couldn't fathom what kind of major trouble such a great clan could face that would require Rias Gremory's mother, who had married out long ago, to personally return. "The Four Great Emperors—Akeno, you must have heard of this title before."

Rias Gremory brushed her red hair from her forehead, her tone carrying a rare heaviness. "They are the owners of those four Sacred Gears, recognized by all pantheons in the Three Realms as troublemakers."

Akeno Himejima was certainly no stranger to the title of the Four Great Emperors.

They were on a completely different level compared to the young generation's Four Kings in the Underworld, like Rias.

Those four were the ceiling of combat power among the younger generation in the Three Realms, completely overshadowing the geniuses of their peer group. They roamed the world, stirring up trouble everywhere and instigating countless battles. None of the pantheons could do anything about them; they were truly the number one problem children of the Three Realms.

In the past, having just one such formidable figure in an era would be considered a miracle. But now, four had appeared all at once, which was practically enough to tear the heavens apart. "Actually, what's truly terrifying isn't the Sacred Gears themselves—those artifacts were originally just things left behind by God to protect humanity." Rias Gremory paused, her eyes darkening. "What's terrifying are the Four Great Emperors. They have developed their respective Sacred Gears to the absolute limit, with almost every one of them considered the 'strongest possessor in history.' Only in their hands do the Sacred Gears truly live up to their name, capable of slaying Devil Kings and gods."

Saying this, a trace of helplessness appeared on the face of the usually confident Rias Gremory.

Living in the same era as these monsters brought a despairing amount of pressure.

Although the four of them were wanted by numerous pantheons, this in itself indirectly proved their strength.

A useless person wouldn't have the qualifications to make so many pantheons mobilize. "A few days ago, while you were in seclusion trying to break through to a High-Class Devil, Akeno, the White Dragon Emperor of the Four Great Emperors broke directly into the Bael Clan's territory. Right in front of a crowd of Bael Clan elders, he killed their successor and severely injured the current head."

"By the time the Devil King rushed over, he had already torn open space and fled."

Akeno Himejima's pupils shrank sharply.

The White Dragon Emperor was incredibly audacious.

To kill the successor and heavily injure the head right in their own nest, in front of a crowd of high-ranking members... This was no longer just a provocation; it was practically a slap in the face to the entire Underworld. After all, in many aspects, the Bael Clan represented the face of the Underworld's Devils.

It was indeed not surprising that Lady Venelana Gremory had suddenly rushed back to the Bael Clan.

After all, she was the elder sister of the Bael Clan's current head, and the successor was her nephew.

With such a huge crisis happening in her maiden home, it made sense for her to return and offer support. "Why did the White Dragon Emperor target the Bael Clan?"

If he didn't have a purpose, it made absolutely no sense to risk being hunted down by the entire Underworld just to forcefully attack the Bael Clan.

The White Dragon Emperor is one of the Four Great Emperors, not some brainless brute. How could someone who reached that position do something without a profitable return? "I don't know the exact reason either. There are rumors that it's related to when he and the other three stormed the Netherworld back then. My cousin probably took something he shouldn't have from there, which is why someone came directly to his door and slaughtered him."

Rias Gremory spoke very casually, clearly having no affection whatsoever for that cousin of hers.

In her eyes, he was nothing more than a fool who liked to show off his talent everywhere. "But then again, dying at the hands of the White Dragon Emperor is better than being dragged down from the position of successor by Sairaorg Bael. If he had really ended up like that, he would have completely lost face in the Underworld and would have had to leave in shame."

The Devils of the Underworld had never been kind or gentle.

The struggles among those pure-blooded nobles had always been life-or-death.

The fate of the losers was far worse than death.

Since The Great War ended, the Underworld had been severely weakened, and a vast number of pure-blooded Devils had died, causing their numbers to plummet. Only then did such struggles become less obvious.

But this didn't mean it had truly disappeared. "I have to work harder."

Rias Gremory silently clenched her fists in her heart.

The White Dragon Emperor's sudden move this time was equivalent to a harsh wake-up call to the young generation of the Underworld.

Compared to the Four Great Emperors, they, the younger generation, were still far too lacking.

Those people were already walking tall across the Three Realms. As for them, except for Sairaorg Bael, the leader of the young generation's Four Kings, whether the remaining few could even protect themselves in the Three Realms was a question.

Not to mention anything else.

Two more days passed after that late-night chess game with Sona.

Other than Sona coming to play chess with him every now and then, nothing much happened over these two days.

His cultivation at the Mirror Lake of Light in Heaven had been progressing smoothly.

Before heading out today, Luo Yu made sure to let Sona know that he was going out and would only return in the evening.

The Mirror Lake of Light had already pushed his strength to the absolute peak of his current realm, and he could no longer advance any further.

Next, there was only one path left: breaking through to the Devil King level.

This speed was much faster than Luo Yu had initially anticipated.

He had originally thought it would take nearly a month, but now, all things considered, it had only taken ten days.

For divine and sacred beasts of the light attribute, the cultivation effects of the Mirror Lake of Light were truly unparalleled.