91: Chapter 91

The walls and ground were baked by the high temperature until they split open, cracking like a dried-up riverbed.

Rias Gremory retreated continuously. That scorching high temperature was unbearable even for her as a High-Class Devil, and her body felt as if it were about to melt.

She stared at Himejima Suzaku, whose eyes were glowing faintly red in front of her. That crimson flame was surging out from within her, spreading outward like layers of giant waves.

Akeno Himejima and Yubelluna, along with their respective peerages, temporarily ceased their attacks and hurriedly retreated.

This crimson flame gave them a strong sense of impending death; it felt as if touching even a tiny bit would result in instant annihilation.

Their souls couldn't help but tremble. "Brother..."

Ravel Phenex flew into the sky, nimbly dodging the crimson flames that were constantly shooting toward her. She looked with great concern toward the center of the flame eruption, which was exactly where her brother, Riser Phenex, was clashing with Rias Gremory.

Both worried and terrified, she pondered repeatedly in her heart, what on earth was going on!

This flame was clearly not the ability of the Phenex Clan's Phoenix. But it also didn't seem like the kind of flame a contractor of a Vermilion Bird Spirit Beast should possess.

Things had developed to this point, completely exceeding the scope of a Rating Game—

"This is Ah Yu's flame... It's a contingency Ah Yu left inside my cousin, and she has activated it."

Akeno Himejima understood the source of the sudden change before her, but she still couldn't figure out what had happened on Rias Gremory's side that would make her cousin use Ah Yu's power regardless of the consequences. Wouldn't that be equivalent to cheating?

The heads of the pure-blooded devil noble families watching the battle all had sweat on their foreheads.

They would never mistake the origin of this crimson flame...

That was the Red Dragon Emperor's—Crimson Emperor Flame!

It was a flame capable of burning gods to ashes, one that would never extinguish until the target was completely consumed. To be precise, it was the fire of destruction.

Within the Three Realms, countless gods and devils had been reduced to ashes by this Crimson Emperor Flame.

Just thinking about that terror was enough to make countless gods' hearts run cold.

And what made them swallow hard was that this contractor of the Vermilion Bird Spirit Beast actually possessed the Crimson Emperor Flame. Didn't that mean she must have a deep connection with the Red Dragon Emperor? Otherwise, how could this flame appear on her?

The ominous premonition in their hearts grew heavier. Could it be that the scene at the Sitri Clan's banquet was about to repeat itself?

This time, the protagonist had become the Phenex Clan...

The moment the Crimson Emperor Flame appeared, the current head of the Phenex Clan, Patriarch Malthus Phenex, who had come in person, could no longer sit still. He knew very well that even if his son used Nirvana, he would absolutely not be able to block the power of the Crimson Emperor Flame.

But just as Patriarch Malthus Phenex was preparing to forcibly break open the different dimension to save Riser Phenex.

Himejima Suzaku had already moved.

The flames wrapped around her as if they were alive.

Himejima Suzaku looked like a war god who had walked out of the fire, the killing intent in her eyes cold enough to freeze someone to death. "Y-you, don't come over!"

Riser Phenex was completely panicked.

He desperately waved the Phoenix's flames, trying to block her, but those flames were swallowed up by the Crimson Emperor Flame on her body as soon as they got close to Himejima Suzaku.

Not only did it fail to stop her, but it actually made the fire burn even brighter. "I said, you must die."

Himejima Suzaku's voice lacked a trace of warmth. "Your Phenex Clan, the blood debt you owe, I will make you pay it back bit by bit."

She held the Phenex Clan accountable for the entire grudge of the Himejima Clan.

Today, it would start with this Third Young Master.

Rias Gremory stood on the side and glanced at Himejima Suzaku, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

She knew that this strike could not be stopped.

The Phenex Clan had brought this upon themselves, and now retribution had arrived.

Riser Phenex would not survive today.

She only worried that this battle wouldn't end up like the one with Sona, spiraling out of control. "I am a member of the Phenex Clan!"

Riser Phenex roared through gritted teeth. "If you kill me, the entire Underworld will hunt you down! Your Himejima Clan's last bit of bloodline will also be severed!"

He wanted to use this to threaten her and buy himself a way out.

But he had no idea how firm Himejima Suzaku's resolve was.

She didn't reply with a single word.

She looked at him as if looking at a dead man.

She slowly raised her right hand, then, suddenly swung it downward.

The Crimson Emperor Flame transformed into a sky-piercing sword beam, striking straight down at Riser Phenex. "No—"

Riser Phenex screamed in despair.

The flame in his eyes kept growing, carrying the scent of death.

How could she dare...

He was the Third Young Master of the Phenex Clan, after all...

The high temperature swallowed everything.

Not only was Riser Phenex cleaved in two, but the entire different dimension was severed by that single strike.

Before his death, countless thoughts flashed through Riser Phenex's mind.

If he hadn't mentioned the Himejima Clan, she might not have dared to kill him.

If he had simply refused this Rating Game, perhaps nothing would have happened.

If he hadn't...

But in this world, there are no "ifs."

The flames burned him to ash.

Nothing was left.

As the referee for this Rating Game, Sona had long known that this would happen.

She had already spoken up to warn Riser Phenex when he tried to kill Himejima Suzaku.

Unfortunately, that arrogant guy didn't take it seriously at all.

Now it was done; the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

Sona looked at Patriarch Malthus Phenex, the current head of the Phenex Clan, in front of the shattered different dimension; his face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

She knew this matter wasn't over yet.

Or rather, it had only just begun.

The moment the different dimension shattered, everyone inside fell onto the Kuoh Academy playground.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet.

Not to mention Riser Phenex's peerage, even Akeno Himejima herself hadn't expected Himejima Suzaku to act directly and slaughter Riser Phenex.

"Brother!"

Ravel Phenex was stunned for several seconds before she screamed out in agony.

She stared at the empty ground; Riser Phenex hadn't even left a shadow behind.

Anyone burned by the Crimson Emperor Flame couldn't even hope to leave behind ashes.

Even if there were any remains, the moment the different dimension shattered, they would have fallen directly into the dimensional rift.

Completely gone.

No corpse remained.

Patriarch Malthus Phenex gritted his teeth, his face livid.

He stared fixedly at the murderer in front of him who was covered in crimson flames, wishing he could rush up and kill her with his own hands.

But the thread of reason still tense in his mind told him he couldn't do that.

If he made a move, the Phenex Clan might be finished.

Those pure-blooded devil families in the Underworld that had been wiped out were all cautionary tales.

He couldn't afford to gamble.

The entire Phenex Clan couldn't afford to gamble.

In the current Underworld, no one dared to provoke the Red Dragon Emperor.

But he couldn't just swallow this insult.

He had to get an explanation for his son. "Lord Red Dragon Emperor, you should be here, right?"

Patriarch Malthus Phenex scanned his surroundings, his voice low and heavy. "Lord Red Dragon Emperor, may I ask, how exactly has our Phenex Clan offended you?"

"If we have, I, representing the entire clan, apologize to you right here."

"But isn't it going too far for you to use such methods in a Rating Game?"

In the magic projections, many heads of pure-blooded devil families nodded secretly.

Patriarch Malthus Phenex was right.

If the Red Dragon Emperor couldn't provide a decent explanation today, it was too bullying—did he really think the Underworld was easy to bully?

"Rating Game? Do you Phenexes still consider this a Rating Game?"

Luo Yu's voice came from all directions at once, every word as cold as a knife.

The heads watching through the magic projections were all stunned. "You know it in your hearts, for example, the matter of the fire seed."

As long as one wasn't blind, they could see whose handiwork the fire seed on Riser Phenex was.

Riser Phenex didn't have the ability or the capability himself.

To split and condense magic power into a fire seed while ensuring one remained unaffected—that required at least Maou-Class strength.

The fact that the Phenex Clan cheated was no longer a secret.

It was just that no one said it openly, or rather, no one could produce ironclad evidence.

Now, if they insisted on getting to the bottom of this Rating Game, the Phenex Clan would have no ground to stand on—after all, they were the ones who broke the rules first.

Luo Yu's figure appeared in front of Patriarch Malthus Phenex.

He looked at this Phenex Clan head who was suppressing his anger, and the corner of his mouth curled up. "Ridiculous, I never intended to interfere in this Rating Game from start to finish."

"Whether Rias Gremory wins or loses, it has nothing to do with me."

Once these words were spoken, many people nodded secretly.

The Red Dragon Emperor indeed didn't have much connection to this Rating Game; the one truly involved was the person who had contracted the Vermilion Bird Spirit Beast.

"But you Phenexes insisted on doing something unnecessary."

"I left the Crimson Emperor Flame inside Suzaku and set a restriction. As long as she is not in mortal danger, the fire will not be easily unleashed."

"If that trash in your family hadn't messed with the teleportation mechanism, he wouldn't have died."

Luo Yu's words made Patriarch Malthus Phenex's face darken.

In the end, this was something the Phenex Clan had brought upon themselves and couldn't blame anyone else.

Could it be that only the Phenex Clan was allowed to break the rules and forcibly interfere with opponents, while others weren't allowed to fight back?

If that were the case, the Phenex Clan would truly be tyrannical.

"If you want to know whether your Phenex Clan has offended me—"

Luo Yu's gaze was icy as he stared straight at Patriarch Malthus Phenex. "Then I can only tell you that your clan offended me a long, long time ago."

"And, they offended me quite severely."

As soon as the words landed, all the heads of the pure-blooded devil families were in an uproar.

Even those who were present at the scene were astonished, their faces full of disbelief.

The Phenex Clan and the Red Dragon Emperor had a grudge? When did this happen?

The key was, they offended the Red Dragon Emperor and actually lived until now? Who didn't know that the Dragon Emperor was petty-minded and would take revenge on the spot?

Wasn't Hades in the Underworld a living example?

"Lord Dragon Emperor, where does this come from? We Phenexes have always been law-abiding in the Underworld, and we really haven't had any interaction with you."

Patriarch Malthus Phenex hurriedly explained.

How could he dare to take the blame for this? If the entire clan were dragged into the water, he wouldn't even plan to pursue the matter of Riser Phenex being killed.

If the New Maou Castle heard wind of this, they might just carry out justice by killing their own kin to give the Red Dragon Emperor an explanation.

...

Luo Yu's eyes turned cold, making Patriarch Malthus Phenex's heart pound. "No interaction? That doesn't mean you haven't done good deeds."

"You Phenexes, don't tell me you've forgotten about that incident where you wiped out the Himejima Clan back then? You pinned the blame on me, and you were quite smooth about it."

Patriarch Malthus Phenex's expression changed; he remembered which old incident the Dragon Emperor was talking about.

He opened his mouth to explain: "Lord Dragon Emperor, at that time we were only..."