The Rating Game Debut Ceremony!
Normally, when a pure-blooded devil reached the level of High-class devil, they were considered to have come of age.
After all, High-class devils were already considered fairly powerful within devil society.
They would then receive their own set of devil pieces, and the debut ceremony would only be held after they had acquired three servant devils.
Because the minimum requirement to participate in a Rating Game was a team of four devils.
For this reason, to celebrate the beginning of a young devil's journey—
Even the ancient devil elders, and sometimes even the Four Maou themselves, would personally attend debut ceremonies to encourage the noble-born High-class devils.
"Well then, let's introduce Rias's servants!"
Sirzechs's speech wasn't very long, and it quickly moved to the final segment.
At this moment, Rias stepped forward and took the microphone from her brother. At the same time, a side door opened.
"My Queen, Akeno Himejima!"
A tall girl with waist-length black hair tied into a ponytail that hung behind her. Her entire presence radiated the grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko. In both appearance and bearing, she was no less stunning than Rias.
Another girl stepped forward, extremely petite—she looked like a middle schooler.
"My Rook, Koneko Toujou!"
Her body was slender, her silver hair neatly shoulder-length and brushed to a smooth sheen. At her temple was a cute little black cat-shaped hair ornament.
"My Knight, Yuuto Kiba!"
The last one was a handsome blond young man, with an elegant and somewhat androgynous appearance.
As Rias introduced her servants, she also kept glancing toward Grayfia out of the corner of her eye.
"Huh? Who's that? How could someone be casually chatting and laughing with Lady Grayfia?"
She had originally wanted to observe how her idol would react to seeing her own servants—but instead, she noticed something else that seriously caught her attention.
Yes, seriously caught her attention!
"Well then, let's have Sona and Rias hold a friendly match to celebrate Rias's debut ceremony."
Sirzechs's sudden announcement snapped Rias out of her daze.
At the same time, Sona stepped onto the stage with her own set of servants.
Half an hour later!
They had moved to the training field behind the Gremory estate. It was the place where Rias and her servants usually trained.
The field was reinforced to be sturdy enough to withstand the attacks of Ultimate-class devils.
After all, with the power of a High-class devil, even a single charged blow could blast away half a mountain—ordinary terrain wouldn't survive the chaos of a match between Rias and Sona.
Some guests had arrived at the venue to watch the match live, while others stayed in the banquet hall and observed via magical projection.
Among those who came to spectate in person was Ravel from the Phenex household.
She muttered that her hands were getting itchy as she glanced toward a man—Vitan.
Also present were the two Maou—Sirzechs and Grayfia!
And the aforementioned Vitan as well.
"Rias, looks like I'll have to go all out this time."
Normally calm and composed, Sona now seemed a little fired up.
"Looks like the Student Council President is getting fired up for once!"
Akeno smiled faintly as she responded in place of Rias.
Her form of address reflected the title Sona held while they were attending school in the human world.
"Well, of course! Akeno—after all, Lady Grayfia is watching us."
Tsubaki said, swaying her long, straight black hair that reached her knees and adjusting her semi-rimmed blue glasses, this beautiful girl had a personality quite similar to Akeno Himejima.
Hearing such teasing from her queen, Sona couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks.
After all, as the younger sister of the Devil King Serafall, the idol she admired most wasn't her own sister, but rather another Devil — and this fact made her feel slightly embarrassed.
But she couldn't help it!
Her sister, who clung to her constantly and acted like a creepy old man whenever they met, simply couldn't inspire any sense of reverence in her.
By comparison, Grayfia was exactly what she imagined a perfect Devil should be.
"Sona, there's no need to be shy. I'm the same as you."
Rias showed a perfect smile.
"But compared to that, there's another matter I care more about."
With a sudden shift in tone, Rias piqued Sona's curiosity and made her take on a listening posture.
"That man beside Lady Grayfia and my brother — do you have any impression of who he is, Sona?"
"Every time I see him, I get this overwhelming sense of familiarity… but I just can't remember who he is."
Ever since entering the training grounds, the doubt in Rias's heart had only grown.
The man who had caught her interest earlier wasn't just getting along well with Grayfia — even her brother seemed to know him and had struck up a conversation with him.
Sona hadn't paid attention before, but after Rias's reminder, she too noticed something odd.
However, she quickly shook her head.
"This isn't the most important thing right now, Rias. What you need to focus on is our match. I'm not going to go easy on you just because today is your debut battle. Don't expect an easy win."
As she spoke, magical energy surged around her, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.
With that unique trait of Devils, a pair of black leathery bat wings spread from her back.
Rias was momentarily stunned, then smiled with full confidence.
Her own magic, imbued with destructive energy, began to surge upward. As she spread her own wings, dozens of crimson magic circles unfurled behind her.
Those were the signs of her destructive magic bullets charging up!
"Sona, do you think that just because you're not holding back, I and my peerage won't be able to defeat you?"
The two girls had known each other since childhood through their mothers and older siblings.
They were not just close friends — they were also each other's strongest rivals.
The fact that both of them reached the rank of High-class Devil in their late teens had much to do with their constant rivalry.
Magic turned into a cold white mist as it surged toward Rias — Sona was already flying high in the sky.
"Whether that's true or not, Rias, why don't you find out for yourself!"
"I'll show you that the growth I've undergone recently far surpasses yours!"
With a flap of her wings, Rias began to rise!
Without replying, she simply waved her hand — and a barrage of magic bullets, like a torrential downpour, rained down on Sona.
"Ara, ara! Since Buchou has already started, I can't afford to fall behind!"
With a sadistic smile, Akeno let electric-blue lightning surge in her palm without any restraint.
"Hah!"
Likewise, a large, beautifully ornate mirror appeared in front of Tsubaki and the other two Sitri peerage members, shielding them.