Soul Damage

The moment Grayfia spoke, Liliana's longsword had already struck Riser. In barely a second, it was as if he had been simultaneously slashed by hundreds of swords; his body was covered in hundreds of deep sword wounds. In this instant, Liliana's formidable swordsmanship was on full display.

Blood poured out of Riser as if it were free-flowing water, quickly soaking his entire body in a red stain. Helpless to move or speak, he could only endure the searing pain silently, his face turning a ghastly pale.

Grayfia's expression changed upon seeing this. She was just about to intervene when Rias stopped her.

"Grayfia, sister-in-law, you shouldn't involve yourself in this matter—you wouldn't be able to help anyway, and besides, Riser is only getting what he deserves."

Rias glanced at Riser with a flash of pity in her eyes, which soon faded. As a fellow pure-blood devil, Rias initially hadn't intended to kill Riser; her plan was simply to win the Rating Game, give him a severe lesson, and then nullify their engagement.

However, since he had offended Eriri, his fate today was sealed.

"Rias…" Hearing how Rias addressed her and noting the serious look on her face, Grayfia realized she was not joking. Thinking it over, she fell silent.

Grayfia was familiar with every powerful individual above the level of the current Satan, but she had never heard of Eriri and her companions. She had already been curious about Eriri's background, and now she was even more intrigued.

Meanwhile, Riser's peerage members quickly snapped out of their shock, their faces paling. One girl, who wore a light pink lace dress and had her blonde hair styled in twin drills, appeared in front of the miserable Riser, ahead of the others.

"Brother!" The blonde girl called out, her face filled with panic. This was Riser's younger sister, Ravel Phenex.

Noticing her brother was frozen in place, his body utterly immobile, and his face ashen with pain, she anxiously turned to Liliana and demanded, her tone unsteady despite its bravado, "What did you do to my brother?"

Ravel, who had grown up spoiled by her family, saw nothing wrong with her brother's actions. Yet Liliana ignored her, sheathing her sword before returning to her place behind Eriri.

Supporting Riser with trembling hands, Ravel saw that after just a few seconds, his wounds began to heal as the Phenex flames engulfed him, gradually restoring his injuries. This gave her a measure of relief.

But soon enough, she noticed something wrong. Although his injuries were healing and the pain should have been diminishing, Riser's face remained deathly pale, and the light in his eyes was fading.

Eriri snapped her fingers, and Riser suddenly regained control of his body, letting out an agonized scream that echoed through the Occult Research Club room. He curled up on the floor like a shrimp, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Lord Riser, what happened?" Riser's peerage gathered around him, their faces filled with deep concern. Even Liliana, who had inflicted the cuts, and the others present couldn't understand why he screamed so miserably. Hundreds of sword wounds would indeed hurt, but not to this extent, especially since they were already healing. He was nearing mental collapse.

"Eriri, did you do something to Riser?" Rias asked, curiosity in her voice.

"Oh, nothing much. I simply transferred his physical injuries to his soul and, as a bonus, amplified his soul's pain sensitivity tenfold," Eriri replied casually, though her words made everyone shiver involuntarily.

They now understood why Riser was still writhing in agony even though his body was healed; the Phenex's regeneration ability could restore physical wounds but did nothing for soul injuries.

"How can this be…" Ravel said, her voice laced with disbelief. She then turned to Grayfia with pleading eyes. "Lady Grayfia, please, help my brother."

She wasn't sure if Grayfia could heal her brother, but as a Satan-Class figure, she was the only hope Ravel could cling to.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot heal Lord Riser's soul injuries," Grayfia shook her head, causing Ravel's hope to plummet.

In desperation, Ravel looked at Eriri with tearful eyes. "My lady, the Phenex family is willing to compensate you generously with many 'Phoenix Tears' if you would be willing to show mercy and spare my brother's life."

"No. This disgusting pest is as good as dead. It's only a matter of sooner or later."

Although Ravel wasn't inherently malicious, Eriri had no intention of sparing Riser for her sake. Phenex family were a treasure of the Phenex family that could heal any injury, but only for those below planetary level.

To others, they might seem like a second chance at life, but to Eriri, the tears were less useful than a fraction of life energy she could produce at will.

Besides, the thought of using tears—essentially a mixture of Phenex family members' tears and water—was unappealing.

Then, her tone shifted slightly, "Well, I'll give you a chance, at least. I'll temporarily suppress the injuries on this pest's soul, so you can proceed with the Rating Game against Rias as planned. If you manage to defeat her, I'll spare him this time."

Eriri's face broke into an amused smile. "After all, it's not like I'm a devil."

Hearing this, hope lit up the faces of Ravel and Riser's other peerage members. They had never imagined they could lose to Rias, who had never participated in a Rating Game.

However, Rias and her friends understood Eriri's intentions perfectly—she was giving Riser a fleeting taste of hope, only to crush him into deeper despair.

Eriri snapped her fingers again, and Riser immediately felt the excruciating pain vanish. Finally, he could breathe again, feeling as though an unbearable weight had been lifted.

The few minutes of torment had left Riser mentally exhausted, making it impossible for him to stand on his own.

As Riser's screams quieted down, Ravel and his Queen immediately rushed over, helping him off the ground in relief.

"Brother, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Ravel…" Riser managed to lift his head and glance at his sister, his voice rasping with weakness.

Before he could exchange further words with her, Eriri's voice echoed through the room once more.

"I'll give you half an hour to prepare. In exactly thirty minutes, the Rating Game will begin."

Seeing Eriri, Riser yelped and began to tremble uncontrollably, edging backward as a look of overwhelming fear flooded his eyes.

…

Before long, the thirty minutes had elapsed. Riser's mental state had stabilized somewhat, but his earlier arrogance was entirely gone, replaced by timidity and apprehension. If it weren't for his life being on the line in this Rating Game, he might have simply retreated back home to sulk alone.

During this time, Sona Sitri, responsible for broadcasting the Rating Game, arrived in the Occult Research Club's room, along with her Queen, Tsubaki Shinra. Both appeared curious about Riser's unusual state but refrained from asking any questions.

At that moment, Grayfia stepped between the two groups and began to speak calmly, "The time has come. Lady Rias, Lord Riser, please bring your peerage members to the designated teleportation circles, and the Rating Game will commence. Both families will be watching this event live."

At her words, two large red magic circles materialized on the ground.

Rias entered one of the circles with Koneko, Akeno, and Kiba, who had barely made his presence known since Eriri's arrival. Riser, accompanied by his fifteen peerage members, entered the other circle.

Once they had all entered the combat space, Eriri, followed by Liliana and the others, simply teleported into the space, hovering mid-air and ready to observe Rias's performance, all right in front of Grayfia and Sona.

Grayfia merely gave a nod, unconcerned so long as Eriri didn't interfere with the Game itself. Even if Eriri had intended to interfere, she was powerless to stop her. Sona, noticing Grayfia's lack of objection, wisely kept silent.

The battle arena wasn't particularly large, with structures mimicking the layout of Kuoh Academy. Rias and her team materialized in the Occult Research Club's room, while Riser and his group appeared in the principal's office on the opposite side of the school grounds.

Grayfia's voice soon echoed throughout the combat space, her announcements heard by all.

Once she finished explaining the rules of the Rating Game, the game to drive Riser into complete despair officially began.

…

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, members of both the Gremory and Phenex families had gathered to watch the live broadcast displayed across multiple large screens. In one room, Rias's brother, the current Lucifer and one of the Four Satans, Sirzechs, observed the feed with a frown.

"A team of four facing off against fifteen members—it's definitely too great a disadvantage."

Although he could tell something seemed off about Riser's condition, the sheer numbers were difficult to overcome. Sirzechs knew how strongly Rias opposed the engagement but felt powerless to intervene due to the antiquated traditions of the Underworld. Still, if the situation became truly dire, he wouldn't hesitate to step in to protect his sister. He and his wife, Grayfia, had already prepared for this possibility.

In the Phenex family quarters, however, Riser and Ravel's father and two older brothers observed the screen with relaxed expressions. In stark contrast to Sirzechs, they were perfectly at ease.

They had never considered the possibility of Riser losing. In their minds, Riser's strength was comparable to Rias's, but with his regenerative abilities, defeating her should be effortless. In addition, Riser's peerage vastly outnumbered hers by eleven, and he had two Phenex Tears available for use during the Game.

They simply couldn't imagine any scenario in which Riser might lose. Yet, one woman with a striking resemblance to Ravel gazed at the screen, worry evident on her face.

"Something doesn't seem right. Riser and Ravel don't look well, especially Riser—he appears so out of it."

"What's the problem? He's probably just in a bad mood," replied the Phenex family's current patriarch, Riser's father, who dismissed the concern, his confidence in the Phenex regenerative abilities unwavering.

After a brief pause, he continued, "After the Game, let's arrange Riser and Rias's engagement as soon as possible. It's already been delayed long enough."

"Very well," replied Ravel's mother, nodding, though a vague sense of unease lingered. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss but was unable to pinpoint it.

…

In the Student Council's office, Sona sat with her usual composed expression, her gaze fixed on the screen displaying the combat space. While she exuded calmness, her eyes betrayed a hint of worry as she watched Rias.

However, what transpired next left her unable to remain seated, her concerned gaze shifting to one of disbelief.

Inside the combat space.

Rias and her team were sitting calmly on the sofas in the Occult Research Club's room, waiting patiently without discussing tactics. Knowing Rias's strength, Akeno and the others felt completely at ease. In this Rating Game, they were merely along for the ride.

Meanwhile, in the principal's office, Riser sat slumped in a chair, his peerage standing behind him. Before coming to the human world, he had intended to teach Rias a harsh lesson during the Game. But now, he had completely abandoned that thought.

With his life potentially at risk, all Riser wanted was to resolve this as quickly and as powerfully as possible, eliminating Rias and retreating from the human world.

The memory of that soul-crushing pain, like his spirit being torn apart shred by shred, was something he never wanted to endure again.

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