"That being said, barring any accidents, there won't be any danger to life, so everyone doesn't need to be too nervous."
Rias leaned on the table and slowly stood up, her crimson hair flowing as if in a breeze.
"Unless they intend to provoke a war again."
After a simple explanation, Rias led the entire Occult Research Club, including Ethan, toward the portal opened by Akeno Himejima.
Rias and Akeno Himejima were at the front, the trio of Fallen Angels and the white-haired loli were in the middle, and Ethan and Yuuto Kiba brought up the rear.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Yuuto Kiba, Ethan always felt a sense of disharmony emanating from the handsome blond swordsman.
This feeling occurred every time the two got close, and it became increasingly noticeable as his power grew.
Sensing Ethan's gaze, Yuuto Kiba turned his head and gave him a friendly smile, perfectly demonstrating what it meant to be the Campus Prince.
Among the boys, both of them were the type with a 'cursed' reputation.
However, among the girls, Yuuto Kiba was slightly more popular than Ethan at Kuoh Academy.
Ethan only paid special attention to girls with high attractiveness and good figures, which unconsciously made some average girls feel uncomfortable.
Yuuto Kiba treated everyone equally. Regardless of whether a girl was attractive or not, he maintained a polite and friendly distance, never getting too close.
Consequently, after Ethan joined the Occult Research Club, some fujoshi often paired Yuuto Kiba and Ethan.
When Yuuto Kiba met Ethan, the two would chat and even have lunch together, showing much more enthusiasm than he did toward other girls.
In fact, Yuuto Kiba showed much more enthusiasm toward all his companions in the Occult Research Club. Rias had saved Yuuto Kiba and regarded him as family.
In return, Yuuto Kiba viewed the other servants as family, too.
As the only 'male' companion, he naturally gave Ethan special attention. However, this situation, seen through the eyes of others, especially the fujoshi, had led to countless scenarios of them as 'top' and 'bottom' in their minds...
Ethan awkwardly returned a smile and subtly shifted two steps to the side.
He had no desire for same-sex relations. Until he confirmed Yuuto Kiba's true gender, he would treat him as male and maintain his distance.
Mhm... If Yuuto Kiba were non-binary or intersex, Ethan would be understanding as a comrade. But if he wanted anything more intimate, Ethan would politely decline.
Passing through the portal, the group of eight materialized at the foot of the large church.
For the sake of both courtesy and safety, the portal couldn't open directly inside the large church.
The Fallen Angel trio walked in the middle of the group. Yuma Amano and Mittelt were also wearing Kuoh Academy uniforms. Their pure and lovely appearances showed no trace of being Fallen Angels.
Kalawarner was too tall and voluptuous, combined with her icy expression, so Rias had chosen a black OL uniform for her, the most common attire for female teachers at Kuoh Academy.
In the next semester, under Rias's arrangement, Kalawarner would take a teaching position at Kuoh Academy. Since the Occult Research Club had always lacked a faculty advisor, she would also serve as a co-advisor.
Yuma Amano and Mittelt would officially appear at Kuoh Academy as transfer students. With Rias's special privilege, all three would be in the same class, and even Ethan and Koneko Toujou might be arranged to join them.
Facing their former employer, it was impossible for Yuma Amano's trio not to feel nervous. However, thinking about the attitude of the Fallen Angel headquarters toward them, a feeling of resentment constantly churned in their chests alongside the nervousness.
Ethan maintained a safe distance from Yuuto Kiba, observing as they moved forward to see if anyone was following them.
Whether the newly arrived Fallen Angels hadn't had time, or for some other reason, the group encountered no warning measures or reconnaissance personnel along the way.
It wasn't until Rias instructed Koneko Toujou to push open the church doors that they didn't see a single Fallen Angel shadow.
If they hadn't genuinely sensed the presence of many Fallen Angels, Ethan would have doubted whether Fuyuko Sakuramachi's intelligence was wrong.
Rias slowly walked toward the entrance of the basement, glancing around the obviously cleaned and tidied church hall.
As soon as she stepped onto the stairs, a strong Fallen Angel aura radiated up. It seemed the newcomers were all hiding below.
Ethan inwardly noted this, reaching out to stop Rias. "President, I'll take the lead."
Both he and Rias were S-class. Compared to Rias, who specialized only in magic, Ethan, who excelled in close combat and possessed a more robust physique, was better suited to act as the vanguard in this situation.
If the Fallen Angels had truly lost their minds and set up a danger ahead, Ethan could react quickly, buying precious reaction time for the entire team.
Rias didn't refuse, smiling. "Then I'll leave it to Akira."
Ethan moved from the back to the front, leading the team down the stairs.
He had walked this set of stairs many times recently, having to traverse it whenever he had a Dual Cultivation session with Yuma Amano's trio.
But this time, he clearly noticed a difference in the stairs. Someone had cast magic on them, not only reinforcing the stairs but also serving a reconnaissance purpose. He estimated they were already exposed.
While the Occult Research Club cautiously advanced toward the Fallen Angels' location, a group of Fallen Angels in the underground plaza was gathered around a middle-aged man.
"Governor Azazel."
The burly Fallen Angel with sunglasses, Dohnaseek, who was once Yuma Amano's subordinate, spoke up. "Are we just going to let them come down?"
"Why not?" The middle-aged,-looking man in a Japanese yukata (onsen robe), Azazel, asked languidly. "We're here to negotiate peace this time. Are you suggesting we take people to fight them?"
"Yes. Leaving aside the Gremory girl, I want to teach those three traitors a lesson."
Dohnaseek stuck out his neck, showing no fear of Azazel, and shouted, "No matter the result, Governor Azazel can just say he was unaware afterward."
Good advice is wasted on the self-doomed. Azazel said no more. He had already probed the approximate strength of the Occult Research Club members.
The young boy leading the group made him raise an eyebrow. When he focused his senses on the boy's left hand, he felt a faint sense of danger.
If he didn't intervene, even if all the Fallen Angels in the church attacked together, they stood no chance.
Azazel couldn't interfere. He had just resigned as the Governor of the Fallen Angels before coming here, making him the former Governor now. If he dared to attack, regardless of the outcome, peace talks would definitely be off the table.
Moreover, if he, with his power, attacked juniors, the Demon Lord of the Gremory household would likely come looking for trouble within days.
Seeing Azazel prop up his chin and start spacing out, Dohnaseek bowed, waved his hand, and two-thirds of the surrounding Fallen Angels hesitated briefly before following him.
The remaining third debated for a moment, eventually choosing to stick to Azazel's plan.
Azazel stretched languidly, instructing, "When the fighting is over, send a few people to treat Dohnaseek and his team. If there are any deaths, report it to me. Don't take matters into your own hands."
"Yes, Governor Azazel."
"Go down. After the battle, send someone to bring our guests who have traveled far."
Azazel waved his hand, leaned back, and began to stare blankly.
Safely traversing the stairs, Ethan immediately saw a group of fiercely menacing Fallen Angels.
Using a reconnaissance spell, he found that the strongest among them was only at the B-class peak. Ethan turned around and quietly discussed with Rias.
"President, it seems we have to deal with the trouble in front of us before meeting the big shot."
Rias nodded slightly, pondering. "Let's hold back and let Akeno and the others warm up."
The members of the Occult Research Club were all A-class or higher. With the bonus characteristics of the Devil Pieces, despite the absolute numerical disadvantage, they completely outclassed the opponents in strength.
Without further ado, under Rias's arrangement, Koneko Toujou charged head-on, Yuuto Kiba provided flanking cover, and Yuma Amano's trio shielded Akeno Himejima, allowing the Thunder Miko to safely chant her large-scale spell.
As the incantation ended, the suspense-free battle reached a cease-fire.
The heavily prepared Fallen Angels didn't last even five minutes before falling one after another.
This was even with the deliberate control to only wound, not kill, out of consideration for the unseen "big shot."