The performance of this so-called mad scientist instantly provoked Rias's anger.
"He's nothing more than a human, yet he dares to be this arrogant."
"Hah! Then allow you to witness our masterpiece," Ituso said with a sneer. "Number Two—capture them. Just don't kill them outright."
At his command, the cage beside him opened on its own. The youth who had remained silent within suddenly opened his eyes.
Those pupils were a deep, dark green.
Brilliant patterns of light surfaced across Number Two's body, rapidly condensing into a suit of holy armor. At the same time, a radiant light sword took shape in his hand.
Rias and Ryuya both felt an extremely unusual surge of divine power emanating from him—so strong it seemed close to that of a high-class devil.
The very next second, Number Two launched a surprise attack. He burst forward at terrifying speed, not even inferior to Ryuya with the enhancement of two Knight pieces.
Ryuya instantly deployed the Divine Shield, fully activating its defensive barrier.
Crack!!
A crisp, sharp sound rang out as the protective field formed by the Divine Shield was actually shattered by a single strike!
Ryuya's pupils tightened. He immediately pulled the shield's true form in front of him—and in the next instant, the blade of light slammed heavily into the shield itself.
Bang!!
A violent numbing sensation shot through his arms. Ryuya's body was forcibly pushed back more than a meter, sent sliding by the sheer power of the blow.
Without a word, Ryuya counterattacked with a backhand slash. Demonic power erupted wildly as the Sword of Kings cleaved straight into Number Two.
Yet this time, the Sword of Kings—normally capable of effortlessly cutting through divine power—was blocked. It merely blasted Number Two flying, failing to truly strike his body.
When the dust settled, Number Two walked out again, completely unscathed. The holy armor on his body gleamed brilliantly, showing no sign of damage whatsoever.
"Oh? Not bad," Rias remarked lightly, a hint of praise in her voice. "To think your technology could modify a human to this extent… it seems you've put quite a bit of effort into this."
"Hahahaha… Is that all it takes to surprise you?" Ituso laughed triumphantly. "There's even more impressive stuff where that came from!"
"Hehe, then I'll be looking forward to it," Rias replied calmly, clearly not taking Number Two too seriously.
Turning her gaze to Ryuya, who was facing off against Number Two, she spoke in a composed tone.
"Ryuya, you handle him first. We'll provide support."
She intended to use this opportunity to temper Ryuya's real combat ability.
Ryuya nodded without hesitation. "Leave him to me."
The Number Two before him was indeed a formidable opponent, and Ryuya was eager to use him to test his true combat strength.
After all, ever since his last breakthrough, he hadn't gone all out even once.
Although Number Two's divine power fluctuations were faintly approaching the level of a high-class devil, he hadn't truly crossed that threshold. He was still within the bounds of a mid-class devil—making him the perfect sparring partner.
Even if Rias hadn't suggested it, Ryuya had no intention of letting the others intervene.
The Divine Shield spun of its own accord around his body as Ryuya tightened his grip on the Sword of Kings and charged toward Number Two once more.
The two collided head-on. This time, both were fully prepared—neither yielding even a single step.
The clash between demonic power and divine power stirred up violent whirlwinds. The Sword of Kings blazed brilliantly, its radiance tinted a deep, ominous violet-black by Ryuya's demonic energy, while the light sword in Number Two's hand shone with pure gold. When the two blades struck each other, waves of shock rippled outward.
Their direct, brute-force exchanges sent rings of distorted air spreading again and again—visible ripples formed as the atmosphere twisted under the strain. Astonishingly, the two were evenly matched.
Wherever they passed, the floor shattered completely, and metal experimental equipment was ground to pieces as easily as if it were made of clay.
Whether it was Ryuya or Number Two, the destructive power of their attacks had already far surpassed that of ordinary mid-class devils. Even among mid-class devils, their actual combat strength was clearly at the very top tier!
"Oh my… Ryuya's demonic power has already grown this strong?"
Akeno couldn't help but sound a little surprised. She clearly remembered that Ryuya had only broken through a few days ago.
How could his demonic power have surpassed that of so many mid-class devils in such a short time?
That Number Two hadn't truly reached the level of a high-class devil, but within the mid-class devil tier, he was undeniably among the best. And yet Ryuya was able to confront him head-on without falling behind…
"Because he's been training relentlessly," Rias said softly, her expression gentle.
She had always known that Ryuya trained seriously every single day. Not only was he meticulous when it came to forming contracts, but every night he also made use of that dangerous method of Sacred Gear resonance.
It could be said that every single day, he pushed himself toward greater strength. As long as it was a way to become stronger, he never let any opportunity slip by.
With progress like this, Rias wasn't surprised in the slightest.
This was what he deserved.
Asia understood this better than anyone. After all, she often assisted Ryuya in his training. The injuries he suffered during training—injuries that made her heart race with fear—always made her want to beg him to stop.
But she also knew that Ryuya would never give up so easily. All she could do was grit her teeth and persist. In order to heal the injuries he sustained during training, her own abilities had grown significantly as well…
"Damn it! Number Two, what are you doing?! You can't even deal with a piece of trash devil like this?"
Ituso stomped in frustration, clearly displeased that he wasn't seeing a one-sided slaughter.
After all, the mid-class devil scouts who had infiltrated before had all been torn apart by Number Two with ease—usually in just a few moves.
As if receiving a command, the divine power within Number Two began to boil. His light sword grew even more dazzling as he shifted into a desperate, all-or-nothing fighting style.
Ryuya, however, remained perfectly composed. Faced with this overwhelming assault, he calmly relied on the Divine Shield. No matter how much Number Two intensified his attacks, Ryuya steadily blocked every single strike.
Ituso wasn't lacking in discernment. Before long, he noticed something was wrong.
"What's going on with that shield…? Could it be… a Sacred Gear?"
"Oh? Sharp eyes," Rias laughed, her tone filled with pride. Clearly, Ryuya's performance had satisfied her immensely.
Thinking about it carefully, Ryuya had never once disappointed her. He was so outstanding that there wasn't a single flaw to pick at.
"Damn it… so that's how it is… Right, if it's a Sacred Gear, then it really can't be helped…"
Ituso muttered to himself, before breaking into a shrill, grating laugh.
"But Sacred Gears aren't invincible. Perfect timing—it's time to test Number Two's true ability! Watch closely now. Even I don't know what the final result will be!!"
Laughing madly, he issued his command to Number Two:
"Number Two—use the Holy Sword!!"
At those words, Rias's expression finally changed.
"The Holy Sword!?"
----
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