"How long will it take before you gain enough power to become champion?"
"The current champion — Diehauser of the fallen House of Belial — stands at the peak of Ultimate-class, bordering Satan-class power. How long do you think it will take you to reach that level, little girl?"
"I… I… uh… I…"
Rias stuttered, unable to meet my gaze.
"A decade? Two decades? A century? Two centuries?"
"Do you believe the old council of devils will patiently wait that long? Your family will lose prestige long before that happens. House Gremory will fall from prominence — just as Houses Abaddon and Bune did after supporting the losing side of the Civil War. In the eyes of the masses, they became little more than traitors."
I looked at her with open mockery.
Of course, there was one way for her to preserve her house's reputation — acquiring a Longinus wielder.
In the original timeline, Gremory's prestige remained intact because the Red Dragon Emperor stood within her peerage. That alone was enough to preserve their standing.
But this world was different.
"And what do you believe will happen afterward?"
"Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."
"The noble and kind name of Gremory will become a joke — all because its heiress cannot fulfill her responsibilities. If you truly wish to avoid that marriage, then renounce the Gremory name and sever yourself from its lineage. Free yourself completely."
"But of course, you won't."
"You lack the courage."
"You are nothing more than a delusional, selfish, spoiled child."
"Pathetic. It makes me sick."
Rias fought desperately to keep the tears from falling.
"What… do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"To be honest, I want nothing from you, Rias Gremory."
I leaned back calmly.
"What I did was simply ensure you understand that I am not someone who will quietly forgive an attempt on my life. I merely illustrated what will happen should you choose to make me your enemy."
I gestured lightly before rising.
"Understand the difference between where you stand and where I stand."
"And know this — even if you gathered allies against me, it would not stop me. If I fall, I will drag you down with me."
My voice remained cold as I turned toward the door.
"Oh — and the Fallen Angels. Leave them to me. I intend to pay them a visit regardless."
I left, the door slamming shut behind me.
Rias silently dismissed Sona and her peerage. They left without protest.
........................
With Rias
Fear was not unfamiliar to Rias.
She had felt it before — during her first hunt of a stray devil.
She had feared Gilgamesh's disappearance. But when he walked into the Occult Club room, she believed they could speak calmly.
They did not speak.
It had been a lecture — harsh, relentless, and filled with quiet threats. Every attempt she made to respond was dismissed. He spoke as if she were beneath his time.
Never in her life had she been treated like that.
As if she were nothing.
He had humiliated her peerage. Mocked her. Stripped her pride bare. Yes, she knew she was partly at fault. She had even prepared to apologize.
But the moment he began speaking like that — tearing into her pride — that intention vanished.
She was a Gremory.
No one harmed her peerage without consequence.
Fear was not foreign to her — yet what she felt now was something far worse. A blazing terror that made every past fear seem insignificant.
For a moment, she had truly believed she would die.
His aura had filled the room like an inferno. She saw herself reduced to ash, erased by a single breath of flame. Sound vanished. Sensation vanished. Only fear remained.
When he spoke again, she had not seen a human.
She saw a dragon.
A colossal being looming over her, mocking her weakness, flames curling from its breath — ready to erase her existence.
She remembered how members of the Old Satan faction once looked at her brother with the same terror.
And now…
She had looked at Gilgamesh that way.
What kind of monster had she provoked?
"Rias?"
She turned.
Akeno stood beside her, no longer smiling. Calm on the surface — but clearly shaken.
"Yes, Akeno?"
She forced herself to steady her breathing. She was the King. She needed composure.
"Koneko woke up. She's stable… but whenever we mention Gilgamesh-san…"
Koneko.
Rias realized something important.
Gilgamesh hadn't harmed her.
He hadn't threatened her.
He hadn't even touched her.
He had only looked at her.
That alone had shattered her.
Koneko's Nekoshou instincts allowed her to perceive far more than others. She had likely sensed the full extent of that overwhelming presence long before the rest of them did.
No wonder the poor girl broke down.
Their attempt to recruit Gilgamesh had not merely failed — it had backfired catastrophically.
They had not gained an ally.
They had created a potential enemy.
Yes, he claimed neutrality.
But neutrality did not guarantee safety.
Nothing about that meeting resembled what she had imagined.
At worst, she expected rejection.
Not this.
"So what do we do now?" Akeno asked quietly.
"We leave him alone."
Rias closed her eyes.
"We will monitor him — but we will not act. Not until I can repair our reputation in his eyes."
"And the Fallen Angels? If he attacks them, it could create problems."
Rias waved dismissively.
"Let him. If they were operating legally, they would have approached us already. Their presence here is clearly unauthorized. Whatever happens is their responsibility."
-------------------------------
Read upto 30 advanced Chapters on www.---patreon.com/Regulus_dragneel
Starting at $5 Remove "---" from link
-------------------------------