Chapter 25: How Many Trump Cards Are You Still Hiding?
Chapter 25 – Just How Many Trump Cards Are You Still Hiding?
High in the sky, Raynare kept darting around, barely dodging the glowing chains that chased her—Chains of Heaven.
Black feathers scattered in the air with each close call, and her wings were already showing heavy damage.
"A Fallen Angel who dares to attack humans… doesn't deserve to live."
Akira stepped forward slowly, the aura radiating from his body causing both Rias and Raynare to freeze in surprise.
Especially Rias—she was utterly stunned.
She had believed the strength Akira had shown previously was already his limit.
But now… she realized he had been holding back this entire time.
He still had trump cards.
Just who is he really…?
Raynare's expression darkened as she glared down at him.
It was already troublesome enough facing Rias Gremory, the heiress of the Gremory family—
But now, a powerful human with a Sacred Gear had appeared out of nowhere?
"A human. Same as the one lying on the ground over there. Just another person the Fallen Angels deem dangerous—a threat worth eliminating."
The moment those words left his mouth, Raynare's expression contorted in fury and regret.
Damn it… Did I just dig my own grave with my own words?!
On the other side, Rias stared at Akira, her mind racing.
So that's why he attacked the Fallen Angels…
Come to think of it, it did make sense.
Hyoudou Issei, that unfortunate boy, had been murdered by the Fallen Angels simply because he carried a Sacred Gear.
Akira was also human, and he too possessed a Sacred Gear.
The only difference… was that Akira was strong. Ridiculously strong.
And since Fallen Angels hunted down Sacred Gear wielders, Akira was clearly one of their targets.
Of course he would strike first.
What Akira didn't know, was that a single sentence from him had already led Rias to imagine dozens of different scenarios in her head.
If he knew, he might've actually given her a thumbs-up.
A sudden, sharp tearing noise split the air as violet-blue lightning surged around Akira's body.
The arcs of energy crackled and snapped wildly, lighting up the battlefield like a storm in human form.
Standing on the ground, Akira looked up at Raynare.
This was the power of Blue Lightning Light—a new ability he had only just acquired.
He could now control this lightning at will.
It wasn't pure Heavenly Lightning, but it was still a powerful new option in his arsenal.
After all, Chains of Heaven wasn't always the best solution in every situation.
"Eh? Is that… lightning? He can even control lightning?! Just how many abilities is this guy hiding?!"
Rias's expression shifted slightly.
This guy really liked to hold back, didn't he?
The first time they met, he had only shown Chains of Heaven.
When he fought Kiba, he displayed terrifying physical strength and close-combat technique.
And now? Lightning control too?
What the hell is Akira? Some kind of monster?
Meanwhile, she herself only had one power: Destruction—and even that was still in its early stages.
In the sky above, lightning arced once more, splitting the air as it shot toward Raynare with deadly precision.
The Blue Lightning Force had locked onto her like a hunter to its prey.
"Damn it!"
Raynare didn't dare take any chances.
She conjured a spear of light and hurled it forward to intercept the incoming strike.
The impact lit up the sky like a brief explosion of power.
But before she could even catch her breath, a golden glint flashed behind her—
A glowing chain tip emerged like a serpent from the shadows and drove straight through her heart.
"...Impossible…"
Raynare stared down at her chest in disbelief.
A glowing chain had impaled her directly through the heart.
Believe it or not… it was already over.
A sickening crack sounded as her heart was shattered, and her life came to a swift end.
Her body fell limply to the ground—lifeless.
And as if guided by some cruel twist of fate, her corpse landed right beside Hyoudou Issei's.
The two faces, frozen in death, now faced each other…
as if they were lovers who had died together.
A cold tone echoed in Akira's mind.
[You've obtained 1% of the Inherited Template!]
He scoffed.
So Raynare was only a low-tier Fallen Angel after all.
He had initially assumed she was mid-tier, given that she was leading the others in Kuoh Town.
But in the end, it seemed like he had overestimated her.
Sure, she was something like a "team leader" among the Fallen Angels here…
but that was about it.
"Rias-senpai, I'll leave this to you."
His voice was calm and steady.
"…Mm," Rias responded instinctively.
With a wave of her hand, she activated her Destruction power.
The two corpses disintegrated into nothingness—erased from the world.
After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Whenever Akira defeated a Stray Devil or enemy, the cleanup was always left to Rias.
Over time, it had become something of a routine.
Akira would handle the fighting, and Rias would handle the aftermath.
This time was no different. He gave her the cue, and she moved without hesitation.
"…Hey! I'm not your subordinate, you know!"
Realizing what she had just done, Rias puffed her cheeks and protested.
"Why not? We work pretty well together, don't we, Rias-senpai?"
Akira smirked, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"Work well, my ass!"
Rias glared at him, half-annoyed, half-exasperated.
Sure, with Akira around, cleaning up Stray Devils had gotten way easier.
But still—this kouhai kept getting under her skin.
He always turned her down, yet still dumped the cleanup on her like it was nothing.
How rude could one guy be?
And yet… she couldn't actually say no to him.
Because this was her responsibility to begin with.
Whether Akira asked her or not, she'd still have to handle it.
After all, this town was under the Gremory family's jurisdiction.
"Shin-kun… just how many trump cards are you hiding?"
Rias looked at him, her eyes filled with curiosity and a touch of frustration.
"In a world this dangerous, if you want to survive… of course you need to keep a few trump cards. Otherwise, you're as good as dead."
"…So you do still have more, don't you?"
Akira didn't respond. He fell silent.
But to Rias, that silence was as good as a confession.
To be honest, he didn't have anything else—yet.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't in the future.
He had only unlocked 34.1% of the Enkidu Template so far.
There was still 65.9% left.
A vast amount of potential just waiting to be drawn out.
As she stared at the boy before her, Rias couldn't help but wonder—
What exactly had he gone through in the past?
Why was he so guarded? So obsessed with strength?
She had always thought of herself as someone obsessed with power.
But compared to Akira… she felt like she hadn't even scratched the surface.
At her current age, she has already reached High-Class rank. That alone made her a certified genius.
But to go even higher, she still needed time—to accumulate more demonic energy, slowly and steadily
After all, Devils were long-lived beings.
This was still her growth phase.
Because she couldn't boost her power in short bursts, she had begun recruiting strong pawns to join her team—especially with the Rating Game scene becoming more competitive by the day.
And Akira… was the greatest potential she had ever come across.
Unfortunately, he kept refusing every offer she gave him.
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