Red Dragon Emperor With The Villain System! Chapter 56 - 56

Weakly letting go of Akuto's arm, Riser fell straight down from the sky.

During his descent, Riser's aura rapidly declined, and soon his strength had dropped back down to the peak of High-class Devil.

"Riser-nii!"

Ravel quickly spread her Phoenix wings, wanting to catch him.

However, before she could reach him, a crimson-gold fla streaked across the sky at terrifying speed.

Even though it was farther from Riser than Ravel, in the blink of an eye the fla caught him first.

A few seconds later, the fire scattered, revealing a blonde youth in a wine-red suit.

The youth resembled Riser by about seventy percent, but his temperant was far more mature, his aura much stronger.

The newcor—Ruval Phoenix, the elder brother of Riser and Ravel!

[What! It's Ruval Phoenix!]

The host was stunned—today was simply full of shocking developnts.

[Ruval Phoenix! Ranked among the top ten in Rating Gas! To think he would appear here, disguised as his younger brother's retainer, joining this struggle for succession!]

[Could it be, the Phoenix clan's so-called Rating Ga is just a cover? Their true intention is a brutal family succession war where siblings must be defeated?]

The host nearly outright called this shaless.

It was clear enough—if Riser could win, the Phoenix clan would gain prestige through him. If he couldn't, Ruval would step in as insurance.

A shaless plan to save both face and benefit.

Only… Ruval hadn't co here with such thoughts.

At this mont, the Rating Ga battlefield went silent.

"Ruval-nii!"

Seeing her brother arrive, Ravel let out a breath of relief—only to feel her chest tighten again the very next second.

Could it be that Ruval intended to fight Akuto?

Noticing her anxiety, Ruval smiled helplessly.

"Relax, Ravel. I don't make a move against people like him."

"You take care of Riser first. I have a few words to say to Akuto."

With that, Ruval waved his hand, tossing the unconscious Riser straight toward her.

Flustered, Ravel hurriedly unfurled her fla wings to catch him.

Ruval then turned his steps toward Akuto, speaking slowly as he approached.

"Akuto, you are excellent. Far more than the Phoenix clan ever expected."

"The Underworld, and Devils as a whole, have always been tolerant toward the truly exceptional."

"So, on behalf of the Phoenix clan, I must ask you a question—please answer seriously."

"At the bloodline test, you spoke certain words to my sister."

"Do you… truly like Ravel?"

Akuto hadn't expected this to be Ruval's purpose.

The next instant, the system's voice rang in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the Host for triggering Story Quest — Ruval's Test.]

[Quest Rank: Purple.]

[Quest Description: Out of responsibility for his sister, Ruval has taken the Queen piece from his brother temporarily. He has co to verify whether the Host's words to Ravel were true. If not, he will take asures to protect her. But if true, he will gladly witness their future.]

[Quest Requirent: Defeat Ruval Phoenix and earn his recognition.]

"…So the big brother himself is testing , huh? Guess this counts as eting the brother-in-law."

Anyone else would have been drenched in sweat by this sudden shura scene.

They'd be worrying about whether Rias would be angry at their response.

But Akuto was never ordinary.

"Akuto, have you decided your answer?" Ruval asked calmly.

"Of course I have. I like her." Akuto replied without hesitation.

"Good. That's all I needed to hear."

Ruval's smile deepened.

"In that case, on behalf of the Phoenix clan, I hereby betroth Ravel to you."

"From this day forth, she shall be your second wife—her position only beneath that of the Gremory princess."

"Ravel, are you willing to marry Akuto?"

"I—!"

Ravel's cheeks flushed crimson. The sudden twist left her utterly stunned.

Only after more than ten seconds, did she, with a face red as fire, softly whisper her answer.

Satisfied, Ruval nodded and turned to Akuto.

"Very well. Since that's decided, Akuto, fight with all your strength!"

"In the Underworld, as long as you have power, you can obtain anything you desire—including wives."

"For the sake of my sister's happiness, I will not yield. But the proper ritual must still be perford."

"Since you intend to marry two wives, you must prove you have sufficient strength!"

"This battle will be ceremonial—regardless of the outco, the Phoenix clan will still give Ravel to you. But…"

He narrowed his eyes.

"…if you win, I will even grant you all the retainers currently entrusted to Ravel."

Those "retainers" were, of course, the group of beautiful female servants that in the original story belonged to Riser.

In the Phoenix clan, these won were gathered as potential attendants before formal marriage, aning they were still considered pre-retainers. Thus Ruval could rightfully dispose of them.

"Agreed."

Akuto's eyes lit up—another treasure trove of rewards!

"Hahaha! To think you have such interest in won!" Ruval laughed. "But as your future brother-in-law, I must remind you—while won are fine, never forget the root of all things… strength."

"Therefore, if you lose, you must confess your love and propose to Ravel before the entire Underworld. Is that acceptable?"

A fair condition.

"No problem." Akuto replied imdiately.

Ruval's actions had already regained the clan's lost face, secured his sister's happiness, and even provided Akuto a stage to showcase his power to the entire Underworld.

It was a masterstroke—one move, three gains.

Akuto understood perfectly: Ruval was offering him the chance to engrave his na across the entire Devil world.

[Boost!]

The Boosted Gear once again manifested, crimson dragon aura bursting forth!

Its green jewel shone, dyeing the skies erald.

[Welsh Dragon—Balance Breaker!]

[Forbidden Move! Boosted Gear Scale Mail!]

Gasps erupted across the arena.

Though later arcs would trivialize it, here and now—the Forbidden Move was a taboo form!

In normal mode, the Boosted Gear could only raise the host to near-Maou level.

But in this form, it elevated Akuto straight to a true Maou-class—on par with the Four Great Satans!

[Maou-class! The instrunts confirm it—Akuto's strength has reached the level of a Maou!]

The host leapt onto the table in excitent.

[To be precise, mid-tier Maou.] Ajuka corrected with a smile, clearly satisfied.

"Mid-tier Maou… The Sacred Gear's power truly is terrifying."

"Akuto, so this is the reason you dared challenge the Phoenix clan?"

"In that case, on behalf of the Phoenix family, I acknowledge you as the 'True Heir of Leviathan'! The future that awaits you will restore Leviathan's lost glory!"

For the first ti, Ruval made a political declaration.

To the masses, it was rely encouragent to his future brother-in-law.

But to the noble houses of the Underworld, it was explosive news.

Because the Phoenix clan was the wealthiest family in all Devil society!

When others still struggled to gather funds for a single "Evolution Core," the Phoenix clan had already purchased three.

Their wealth translated directly into imnse political power.

Though forrly part of the Old Devils, after the Reformation Faction rose, the Phoenix clan had strongly aligned with them—even marrying their son into the Sitri family.

Thus, Ruval's acknowledgnt was a declaration on behalf of the entire "Realist Faction" of Old Devils!

[Phoenix-Style Fla Wings!]

Flas erupted from Ruval's back, wings hundreds of ters long engulfing the skies!

Yet despite their overwhelming might, they still fell short of the Maou-tier aura radiating from Akuto.

Unlike his siblings, Ruval had never relied on Evolution Cores.

A true powerhouse never leaned on shortcuts of uncertain origin.

"Co then, Akuto! Show your true strength! Show how far you can go!"

He beat his wings, flas storming forth.

Akuto grinned.

"In that case—be careful, brother-in-law!"

He addressed Ruval naturally with the title.

Then, raising his right hand, he snapped his fingers.

Instant-Cast Explosion Magic—Activated!

[Explosion!]

"—!!!"

(End of Chapter)

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