While Takeyo contemplated his options, the sound of a door opening echoed through the Occult Research Club room.
"Creak,"
The red-haired Devil Princess rushed in and immediately grabbed Takeyo's hand with surprising eagerness.
"Takeyo-kun! Let's go! We're heading to the Underworld!"
Rias activated her magic circle before he could protest, the crimson light gleaming beneath their feet.
"Ara ara, The President is quite bold today,"
Akeno appeared in a flash, wrapping her arms around Takeyo's other hand with practiced ease.
"I said hold on, Rias. You can't teleport me without my permission, remember?"
Takeyo sighed and momentarily disabled part of his body's automatic defensive systems.
In the corner, Azazel watched with subtle, nostalgic eyes as Takeyo and the girls disappeared in a swirl of demonic energy.
'How nostalgic,' the Fallen Angel leader mused. 'I remember when I used to have times like that...'
At least he hadn't regretted his choices in the end. That was enough.
Meanwhile, Sona had already received a report from her peerage.
Tsubaki had witnessed Akeno bringing Takeyo into the old school building and immediately informed her King.
"President, if Takeyo-kun doesn't attend your meeting, what will happen with that matter?"
Tsubaki adjusted her glasses, displaying an unprecedented level of concern.
"I know..." Sona replied after a moment of deliberation. "Gather the peerage. We're leaving immediately."
"President, are you planning to proceed without Takeyo-kun?"
Tsubaki frowned. 'The President knows as well as anyone that the other party has many unusual abilities.'
"No, Tsubaki. Where we're going... is the Underworld Express. For my first official trip to the Underworld with Takeyo-kun by my side, I must use the proper channels."
"Ah, I understand."
Tsubaki nodded and went to complete Sona's orders.
On the Underworld Express.
Takeyo had just finished contacting Asia and Yuuma in the human world, letting them know he'd be in the Underworld for a while and wouldn't be home immediately.
"Phew..."
He exhaled and refocused his attention on his surroundings.
"Hmm?"
However, the moment he did, he noticed someone staring directly at him, no, intensely watching him would be more accurate.
It was a silver-haired maid with quiet silver-gray eyes and perfectly styled braids. Her expression remained composed, but there was something unusual in her gaze.
The first thing that came to Takeyo's mind wasn't her considerable strength, but rather the way she had looked utterly exhilarated beneath the lash of three thousand lightning strikes he'd subjected her to during their training session.
'Grayfia has undergone a subtle change,' he observed.
"Miss Grayfia, shouldn't you be working beside the Maou Lucifer? What brings you to me?"
Even under such bold scrutiny, Takeyo remained perfectly at ease.
If he couldn't handle this level of attention, he never would have attempted to see whether he could pass Grayfia's approval through mastery of that particular... technique.
Seeing that Takeyo had refocused on her, Grayfia didn't speak immediately. Instead, she produced a magic circle.
"Master Takeyo, I'm here to register you for entry into the Underworld. Anyone entering the Underworld for the first time requires proper identification and ranking."
"Although I don't know how you avoided detection when you attended the Phenex wedding last time, I must ask that you follow proper procedures for all future visits."
"Sure, sure. Do I just inject my power into it?"
Takeyo smiled and extended his hand, channeling his spiritual energy into the circle.
"Whoosh,~"
As his power flowed into the magic circle, an incredibly bright light erupted from it!
"Oh my."
Grayfia quickly stretched out her hand, using her own power to suppress and conceal the radiance.
"High-class Devil level..."
Grayfia didn't speak aloud, but she shook her head slightly. She wasn't entirely satisfied with this result.
She knew that Takeyo's main strength didn't come from his base demonic power, but from his powerful amplification abilities and seemingly infinite energy reserves.
But still... if it was only temporary transcendent strength, it would be difficult to justify revealing Takeyo's true identity just yet.
"Master Takeyo's registration is complete. I'll take my leave now."
After performing a perfect maid's curtsy, Grayfia departed swiftly.
"Well, well, I didn't expect Grayfia to have such high expectations for me."
Takeyo smiled, having clearly noticed the slight disappointment in her eyes.
'Grayfia has high hopes for me?' he mused. 'Interesting. A mid-stage high-class Devil displaying ultimate-class Devil strength, and she's disappointed?'
"Takeyo-kun, now you can freely enter and exit the Underworld using magic circles~"
Rias said with a bright smile.
She felt a sense of triumph. 'Perfect. If Takeyo-kun and I arrive at my house together first, everyone in the Underworld will naturally assume he's one of my peerage members. That impression will take root deeply...'
First impressions were important, after all. 'This way, I can... ahem... subtly conceal the fact that I'm actually the latecomer in this relationship.'
"Hm? Rias, what's that up ahead?"
Takeyo raised an eyebrow, his enhanced vision focusing on something through the window.
There were countless mysterious array patterns forming part of an extraordinarily large formation. Even this small section alone felt powerful enough to resist a Maou-level combatant!
And according to his analysis, this section was less than one-thousandth of the whole.
Additionally, he sensed a familiar power within it.
"Ah, that! I only learned about it recently myself."
Rias glanced at the Underworld Grand Formation with a hint of pride in her eyes.
According to Maou Ajuka, this was a powerful formation capable of resisting even the God of the Bible once fully constructed!
"Not long ago, the Four Great Maous approached all the Devil families and requested they contribute their magic and techniques to a collective database."
"The purpose was to construct this magnificent Underworld Grand Formation!"
Rias began explaining enthusiastically.
"In other words, this thing is led by Ajuka?"
Takeyo's lips curved into a knowing smile.
'Ahem... looks like it's time to ask my teacher for a little benefit.'
So it turned out to be Ajuka's project! He understood two things immediately.
First, there was indeed the aura of Vishnu within this grand formation, though only he or beings at the Infinite Dragon God level could detect it.
Perhaps... Ajuka had directly used Vishnu as sacrificial material when constructing the formation.
'That's... rather ruthless,' Takeyo thought. 'First I defeat him, then his corpse gets repurposed. The man can't catch a break even after death.'
Second, he now understood that this so-called Underworld Plan was prepared specifically for him.
Through his analytical abilities, he'd seen that the core of this formation was powered by Vishnu's energy.
And Vishnu's arm had been given to Ajuka after Takeyo received the Crystal of Underworld Knowledge in exchange.
The successful construction of the Underworld Grand Formation was no coincidence, it was likely a smokescreen for gathering information about him.
"But this formation is truly extraordinary... It seems to have multiple potential applications beyond defense."
Takeyo's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
The first thing he considered was miniaturizing the formation.
Just as transistors evolved into integrated circuits, Takeyo firmly believed that formation evolution must trend toward miniaturization and refinement.
'Alright, decided! Next time I see Ajuka, I'm asking him for access to the Underworld Grand Formation's specifications!'
If Takeyo tried to observe and study this massive formation covering the entire Underworld with his analytical eyes alone, who knew how much time he'd waste?
"Takeyo-kun? Takeyo-kun... We're about to arrive~ After we exit, we'll head to Gremory territory~"
Rias said excitedly.
'Let's take Takeyo-kun to meet my parents first!' she thought simply. 'We're already in that kind of relationship, meeting my parents is perfectly normal!'
"CRASH!"
The door suddenly burst open, not just opened, but practically wrenched from its hinges.
Rias raised her eyebrows, ready to see who was being so rude, but after seeing who it was... she could only offer an awkward smile.
"Sona? Don't you have Student Council work to handle? What are you doing on the Underworld Express?"
Rias's eyes flickered with obvious discomfort.
As Student Council President, Sona always had work to manage, especially right after exams. That's why Rias felt confident asking.
"I've delegated everything to Tsubaki. I'm here to see Takeyo-kun."
As Sona's excellent Queen, Tsubaki had "gladly" shouldered the Student Council President's responsibilities to manage the academy in Sona's absence.
"Sona, how confident are you about your exam results?"
Takeyo's expression remained unchanged as he asked naturally.
'Can this even be considered a Shura field?' he wondered. 'I've dealt with far more serious confrontations than this.'
"I'm confident I'll place second, right behind you, Takeyo-kun."
After hearing Takeyo's question, Sona's expression relaxed slightly.
"Takeyo-kun... I believe you promised to visit my house, didn't you?"
The next moment, however, her tone carried a note of dissatisfaction.
"That's right, but just because I'm going to Rias's house doesn't mean I won't go to yours. I always fulfill my promises."
Takeyo responded with a smile.
He still possessed the Authority of the God of Contracts, after all.
"You're right..."
Sona nodded. As long as Takeyo-kun visited, the problem should be resolved.
"Exactly!"
Seeing that Sona didn't seem angry, Rias said somewhat tentatively.
"Sona, would you be interested in coming to my house? I don't think you've visited in quite a while~"
"Sure."
Sona didn't hesitate, responding with a simple affirmative.
'Wait, what?' Rias thought, slightly stunned. 'I was just being polite! Why did you actually climb up that pole?'
Based on Sona's personality, Rias had assumed she would never follow her home.
"After the Young Devils Gathering concludes, Takeyo-kun will come to my house."
Sona stated it as an undeniable fact.
This point was absolutely non-negotiable.
"No problem."
Takeyo agreed immediately.
Rias currently had the advantage, but he couldn't let Sona fall too far behind.
Ten minutes later, Takeyo and his group disembarked from the Underworld Express.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!"
Salutes thundered as they formally entered Gremory territory, greeted by an impressive formation of maids.
'As expected of a great Devil family,' Takeyo thought. 'Standard welcome gifts include castles and maid teams.'
However, he valued quality alongside quantity, and if anything, quality slightly more.
Ten-winged Fallen Angel and Angel maids... even the God of the Bible never had that kind of treatment!
"Hello, Takeyo-kun. I'm Rias's father, Zeoticus. Rias is usually in your care~"
The red-haired middle-aged man extended his hand toward Takeyo.
"If anything, the President takes care of me more often."
Takeyo shook his hand with a friendly smile.
"Takeyo-kun, I'm Rias's mother, Venelana Gremory. The Gremory Clan welcomes you~"
Venelana also greeted him warmly.
"I've heard the Underworld has changed dramatically~ It's completely different from people's traditional impressions. I'm looking forward to seeing it all myself this time."
Takeyo smiled genuinely.
Of course, what interested him most was that particular "souvenir" called the Underworld Grand Formation.
"Ah, isn't this Sona? It's been quite a while since you've come to visit Rias~"
Venelana noticed Sona standing nearby.
'Sona... she's my daughter's biggest rival,' Venelana thought with an appraising look.
"Hello, Lady Venelana. I apologize for visiting without submitting a formal greeting card beforehand."
Sona responded with perfect courtesy, neither humble nor arrogant.
☆☆☆
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