"What is that?"
Lafei's movement didn't only catch Leo's attention—Rias and Sona Sitri noticed it too.
Everyone's eyes locked onto the small vial in Lafei's hand, and they finally saw what was inside.
A tiny black snake-like thing twisted within it.
Its form was unstable, flickering like vapor, drifting and writhing without end. Yet its head and tail were connected, giving off an unsettling aura—something impossible to fully comprehend.
Rias and Sona felt it immediately.
Whatever that was, it came from something terrifying, a presence so dreadful that even looking at it made their bodies tremble instinctively.
But before they could examine it any further, Lafei tilted his head back—
—and swallowed the contents in one gulp.
The space around them convulsed instantly. A surge of monstrous power burst outward, sweeping through the entire arena in an instant.
"BOOM!"
The aura erupting from Lafei's body skyrocketed, swelling at a pace visible to the naked eye.
His demonic power surged past his limits in mere seconds, so violently that even he roared involuntarily.
If he had previously been at the level of an eight-wing devil…
Then right now, his power had shot up to—
—the level of a ten-wing devil.
"What—what is happening?!"
Rias and Sona stared in shock.
Leo's calm expression disappeared for the first time. His brows drew tight.
Bathed in that monstrous aura, Lafei felt the flood of power rushing through his body.
"Hahahaha!"
He burst into triumphant laughter.
"What incredible power!"
"So this… is my power now?"
"Strong! So unbelievably strong! As expected of the one who granted it to me! Hahahaha!"
Lafei was completely intoxicated by the overwhelming strength bursting from within him, not a trace of his earlier desperation remaining.
He glared at Leo, bloodlust twisting in his eyes.
"So what if you have eight wings? So what if you're an Ultimate-Class Devil?"
"With this power, a mere eight-wing Ultimate-Class Devil isn't even worth one strike!"
"I'll wipe that smug look off your face!"
His bloodthirsty declaration only made Leo's frown ease slightly.
"What exactly are you so proud of?" Leo looked down on him from above, voice sharp as ever. "Anyone with eyes can see that this power isn't yours. You're borrowing strength from some outside source. What's there to brag about?"
"And what of it?" Lafei sneered, unbothered. "You have no idea what this power represents. You don't understand how incredible it is."
"Right now, I'm going to use this power to kill you… and kill those two fake Maou sisters over there."
He jerked his head toward Rias and Sona.
"Then the devils who dared side with the Reform Faction will finally understand how foolish they've been to oppose the true Maou bloodline!"
"Oh—and your servants too. We'll be sure to treat them properly."
As if remembering something amusing, Lafei waved his hand. Dozens of magic circles unfolded, projecting images of the other rooms within the labyrinth.
Leo, Rias, and Sona saw the situations their servants were currently trapped in.
"Akeno! Koneko! Yuuto!"
"Tsubaki! Everyone—!"
Rias and Sona's faces drained of color.
In room after room, their servants were fighting desperately—and barely holding on.
Akeno Himejima and Shinra Tsubaki were still battling devils from the old Maou faction in the first room, surrounded on all sides. They were constantly ambushed, covered in wounds and blood, their clothes shredded, exposing far too much—and showing how dire their situation was.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, Koneko Toujou, and Tsubasa Yura were also in the first room, hiding within a defensive barrier. Black-robed magicians surrounded them, hurling spells in endless waves. As soon as one group tired out, another immediately replaced them. Utaha was drenched in sweat, struggling to stay conscious.
Shiina Mahiru, Reya Kusaka, and Momo Hanakai had fought all the way to the third room—mostly because of Mahiru's explosive outburst. But the enemies there were also black-robed magicians, unaffected by her Holy Light. After expending so much energy in the earlier rooms, Mahiru was now pale and collapsed on the ground, guarded by Reya and Momo.
Yuuki Asuna and Tomoe Meguri had entered the second room, only to be met with a swarming tide of locusts. The two girls screamed repeatedly, forced to rely on the holy aura of their Holy Swords just to push the insects back. They had zero ability to counterattack.
As for Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura—
Their situation was the worst of all.
Ruruko lay unconscious on the ground in an unknown state. Yuuto stood in front of her with one arm severed, barely holding himself upright with his Demon Sword. His face was pale, lips trembling—ready to collapse at any moment.
Rias and Sona completely lost their composure.
Even Leo's expression changed, tension tightening in his chest.
But what finally shattered his calm—
—was the last projection.
His first servant, his strongest servant, was in a situation more dangerous and more hopeless than all the others combined.
Drip… drip…
Blood dripped steadily.
The sound came from a shadow slumped against the corner of a room.
"Hah… hah…"
Yukinoshita Yukino pressed a trembling hand to her abdomen, struggling just to stay standing with the wall's support. Her face was pale.
Her stomach was soaked in red—she had been stabbed clean through. If she hadn't frozen the wound shut with her demonic power, she would have bled to death already.
"Honestly… I can't believe it. After only a few months, I've been stabbed in the stomach again. History really does repeat itself…"
She forced a smile, but sweat dripped constantly down her forehead. She looked miserable, but still tried to put on a brave face.
"You actually lasted this long."
Sharon stood before her, twin blades emitting black mist clutched in her hands. Her nun outfit was torn in multiple places, still covered in patches of frost—but her condition was far better than Yukino's.
"I thought you'd fall much sooner," Sharon said. "But not only did you survive, you even managed to counterattack. It hasn't been long since our last fight, yet you've grown at an incredible pace."
Her eyes shone with genuine astonishment.
"As expected of a Longinus wielder. You monsters always ruin the balance. Look away for one second, and you become more terrifying than anyone else."
"The Church was truly incompetent to let someone like you fall into the hands of devils. If I had been in Chiba back then, I would never have allowed it."
Sharon sounded genuinely regretful, pity flickering in her eyes.
"You're the last person who should say that." Yukino gritted her teeth, voice laced with sarcasm. "You've gotten a lot stronger too. I thought for sure I'd win this time."
She hated admitting it.
She had grown stronger. She believed she could defeat Sharon and avenge her prior loss.
But Sharon hadn't been idle either.
She had gained new weapons. Her overall strength had risen dramatically. She had grown just as fast as Yukino—if not faster.
Yukino couldn't understand how. What had happened to cause such a change?
"The reason is simple," Sharon said, raising the black blades. "These devil-slaying swords."
Yukino's expression tightened.
"These weapons contain the lingering hatred, hostility, and resentment of humans who died to devils. Feed them devil flesh and blood, and they convert it into power—strengthening their wielder."
"When the blade pierced your stomach, part of your flesh was eaten away. Didn't you notice?"
"Thanks to that, I've become even stronger."
Dark mist surged from her body, making her look like a demon rising from Hell.
Yukino shivered. She had indeed sensed Sharon's power increasing, but…
"But earlier—you were already much stronger than before. Even before eating my flesh."
As soon as she said it, realization struck.
"You… used your own flesh, didn't you?!"
She couldn't bring herself to say the rest.
Sharon simply smiled—cold and hollow.
"Even if I'm not a devil, you know this… I still carry Demon Factor in my body."
Yukino's eyes widened.
"My flesh works just fine as nourishment for a 'devil-slayer,'" Sharon said softly. "And perhaps I am crazy."
She stepped forward.
"From the moment Demon Factor was forced into my body, I stopped being normal."
She kept walking—step by step toward the wounded Yukinoshita Yukino.