High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Leviathan’s Blunder

Riser’s ruined body plummeted toward the arena floor.

A sickening crunch echoed through the stadium. Levi didn’t even let the arrogant noble hit the ground naturally. His boot slammed down onto the back of Riser’s skull mid-fall, driving his face directly into the unforgiving magical bedrock.

Spiderweb fractures exploded across the arena surface. In the very next second, the oppressive, suffocating weight of High-Class Devil magic erupted from Levi’s body.

Six pairs of pitch-black wings—twelve in total—unfurled from his back, casting long, jagged shadows over the defeated Phenex.

It was the absolute symbol of noble blood. The obvious mark of Lucifer.

Amidst the crushing pressure, Levi’s cold voice drifted directly into Riser’s ringing ears.

Beneath the boot, Riser twitched, desperately trying to command his legs to move, only to find empty air and phantom pain.

“Don’t bother,” Levi said, his tone entirely devoid of pity. “Although I’m quite sorry to break it to you, those legs of yours are gone forever.”

He had severed them with Yamato.

It was true that normal physical attacks and standard elemental magic were completely useless against the absolute immortality of the Phenex bloodline. But the spatial separation authority of Yamato did not play by the rules of the underworld. Riser’s legs hadn’t just been cut; the space connecting them to his torso had been cleanly severed.

If the body didn’t recognize that it had legs to begin with, the so-called absolute regeneration of the Phoenix fire couldn’t trigger to grow them back.

By that exact same logic—if he lost his heart, or if his head was suddenly separated from his neck…

A low, dry chuckle escaped Levi’s lips. “Kid, I really don’t know if your family has something wrong with their brains, or if you were just born this stupid. Regardless, the guy who pushed you out here onto this stage must be absolutely dying to see you dead, right?”

He leaned his weight forward. “Otherwise… why would he ever think you could beat me?”

Levi lifted his foot and stomped down a second time, burying Riser’s face even deeper into the shattered stone.

The excruciating, blinding pain tearing through his severed stumps and crushed skull finally forced a terrifying realization into Riser’s mind.

This was real.

The vaunted immortality of the Phoenix Clan… was not invincible.

The exact moment Riser’s spirit broke, a crisp mechanical chime rang out in Levi’s mind.

[Check-in Reward (Riser Phenex): Armament Haki]

Claim.

The reward instantly flooded into Levi’s body. The surface of his right foot, still resting casually on Riser’s ruined head, was immediately coated in a layer of hardened, metallic black Armament Haki. With a casual flick of his ankle, he kicked Riser square in the face, sending the broken noble tumbling like a discarded ragdoll completely off the arena stage.

If he had wanted to end this quickly, the fight would have been over the second the bell rang. But his objective wasn’t to kill Riser, nor was it to completely obliterate him from existence.

He just couldn’t let him lose too quickly.

As for whether to kill him or not, Levi didn’t particularly care. A pathetic guy like Riser would only shrink away into miserable self-isolation after a crushing defeat like this. Compared to those fiercely determined, ‘never look down on the poor and young’ shounen protagonists, Riser was basically just recycled trash.

Killing him offered zero benefits.

Sparing him, however, had no downsides. His family would still have to haul a massive mountain of chips and treasures to Levi’s doorstep just to beg him to reattach those severed legs., Levi could easily read the room; Sirzechs hadn’t said a word, but the Crimson Satan clearly didn’t want the third son of the Phoenix Clan to actually die on his watch.

So, Levi spared his life, perfectly content to wait for the Phoenix Clan to empty their vaults to buy back their heir’s limbs.

As Levi lowered his leg, the massive viewing area below the stage fell into a suffocating silence.

No one dared to speak.

His crimson gaze swept over the gathered nobility. The moment his eyes met theirs, the high-ranking Devils flinched, lacking the courage to even maintain eye contact.

Even the elderly Head of the Phoenix Clan sat frozen in his seat. By now, he had completely deciphered Sirzechs’s silent reaction—it was blatant, unapologetic indulgence toward Levi.

At that exact moment, the old man completely abandoned any lingering thoughts of seeking revenge against the Lucifer heir. He couldn’t beat him, and his ultimate backer didn’t care. His only remaining option was to swallow his pride, try to befriend the monster on stage, and scrape together enough wealth to heal Riser’s catastrophic injuries.

The silence stretched on.

Sirzechs finally shifted, preparing to step forward and officially announce Levi as the victor.

But before the Crimson Satan could open his mouth, the Sitri Clan Head suddenly stood up from his VIP seat. “Lord Sirzechs, Lord Levi—forgive the interruption. Previously, Lady Serafall made a certain declaration. This match actually still has a second half that remains unfinished.”

The moment the Sitri Clan Head finished speaking, a burst of magical energy flared, and Serafall floated directly down onto the center of the arena.

She immediately began circling Levi, her bright eyes wide as she looked him up and down with exaggerated scrutiny.

On the surface, it looked like the innocent curiosity of a magical girl, but beneath that playful facade, every single glance was calculating and precise. She was measuring his magical density, his muscle tension, his breathing.

She quickly confirmed one fact: Levi was indeed a High-Class Devil in terms of pure demonic energy, but his physical attributes wildly exceeded any normal High-Class standard.

Satisfied with her assessment, her signature idol smile bloomed across her face. “Yep! I said it before, didn’t I? The winner of this match gets the Sitri Clan Head’s blessing to take over Sona’s engagement—”

She paused, winking dramatically.

“But I simply refuse to be separated from my darling Sona! So, my engagement has to be bundled right along with hers~”

What!?

The absolute absurdity of the statement hit the crowd like a physical shockwave. Not only were the lesser Devils below completely stunned, but even Sirzechs and Ajuka blinked, genuinely dumbfounded by the sudden escalation.

Only Levi remained completely unfazed.

His expression didn’t shift a single millimeter. He still firmly believed this entire circus was Sirzechs’s doing. He figured Sirzechs desperately wanted to free his sister from her engagement without causing a political civil war, so he had orchestrated this elaborate drama. Levi had already anticipated that someone would jump out to stir the pot at the climax of the event.

He just hadn’t expected the designated disruptor to be the Leviathan herself.

“However—” Serafall placed her hands on her hips, leaning in close. “If you want to marry me, you certainly have to let me see if you have the ability to handle me first.”

Serafall had already confirmed her primary concern: Levi did not possess Satan-class combat power. She calculated that as long as he wasn’t a Satan-class entity, there was absolutely no way he could have successfully signed the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation, Grayfia Lucifuge, into his peerage as a servant.

Confident in her deduction, she beamed at him. “I won’t bully you, though! How about this: you bring out all your servants and fight me! Neither side is allowed to hold back. If I win, both engagements are completely voided. If you win… then both engagements are yours!”

Serafall felt her victory was absolutely guaranteed.

Levi slowly turned his head to look at Sirzechs.

The Crimson Satan sat completely motionless, his face a mask of polite neutrality.

Did that mean he was consenting to this madness? No holding back, letting Levi bring his entire peerage to jump Serafall in a one-versus-all brawl? Sirzechs had to know exactly what kind of monsters were lurking in Levi’s peerage… So, had he calculated Serafall’s downfall into his grand plan as well?

Since Sirzechs wasn’t stepping in to stop it, Levi had no reason to decline. After all, his system check-in targets already included both Sona and Serafall.

Turning his attention back to the bubbly Satan in front of him, Levi stared at her for a long moment before giving a slow, deliberate nod. “Fine. I accept.”

Standing in the center of the ruined hall, Levi drew Yamato from its sheath.

The dark blade slashed a perfect cross into the empty void. The fabric of space tore open with a sharp hiss, revealing a swirling rift. Without another word to the stunned crowd, he stepped inside.

At this gathering, the system had flagged a total of five check-in targets.

Sairaorg Bael could wait until the after-party. Riser was already handled. The remaining three were Rias, Sona, and Serafall.

Rias and Sona’s check-in missions were directly tied to their respective engagements. Securing those engagements first meant holding the absolute initiative in his own hands.

As for Serafall…

The mission the system had generated was straightforward: Defeat Serafall Sitri.

Under normal circumstances, this mission would be incredibly difficult. Serafall’s strength was unquestionable; she stood on the exact same tier as Grayfia, a genuine Satan-class powerhouse that any sane individual would find terrifying to face.

But she had just set the conditions herself.

She wanted to solo Levi’s entire team.

The moment that arrogant condition left her lips, the difficulty of the mission plummeted from ‘Extreme’to’Comical’.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Levi’s mouth as the spatial rift closed behind him. My servants are not weak at all.

He stepped out into the grand foyer of the House of Lucifer castle. Grayfia was already waiting nearby, sensing his return.

“Call everyone to the main hall,” Levi ordered smoothly.

Grayfia offered a flawless curtsy. “Right away, Levi-sama.”

Within minutes, the peerage had gathered. Kuroka was curled up comfortably on the plush sofa. Seeing Levi return so soon and summon the entire house, her cat ears twitched in curiosity. “What’s wrong, Levi-sama? Did something happen at the party, nya?”

Shirone stood quietly beside her older sister. Levi’s gaze landed on the small, white-haired girl first. “Kuroka, how has Shirone been progressing with her training lately? We are going to have a Rating Game very soon. Sakura is being personally guided by Tiamat, and her mastery over the ‘Void’ attribute is finally on the right track, so she’ll integrate perfectly with the team. What about Shirone?”

“I can fight too!” Shirone puffed out her cheeks, her golden eyes flashing with stubborn defiance.

Levi helplessly rubbed the back of his neck, amused by her rare display of emotion. “It only counts if you’ve truly mastered your Senjutsu, Shirone.”

“I’ve already mastered it!” she answered resolutely, her small fists clenching.

Kuroka reached out, gently patting her little sister’s head before nodding seriously at Levi. “Shirone has made incredible progress. Although the Senjutsu she has mastered is primarily oriented toward support and defense, if she cooperates with Sakura, relying on the sensory and environmental control of Senjutsu, she can be extremely useful in amplifying Sakura’s magic.”

Since Kuroka vouched for her, Levi didn’t press the issue further.

The rest of the team had wildly different reactions to the news of their first official Rating Game.

Artoria and Grayfia remained the absolute pictures of calm.

Artoria’s combat power had already been terrifying when she was a mere Heroic Spirit. Now that she had been reincarnated as a Devil and finally laid down the heavy burden of the Sword of Selection, her strength was skyrocketing at a visible, terrifying rate. She was already standing firmly within the world of Satan-class power.

As for Grayfia… Honestly, Levi felt that if he just sat back and let Grayfia solo the opposing team, she could fight Serafall to a standstill all by herself.

Tiamat, Grayfia, and Serafall—all three of them existed on that exact same monstrous tier.

Ingvild and Kuroka were currently hovering just a breath away from Satan-class, and both girls were practically burning with high fighting spirit, eager to test their limits.

Sakura and Shirone were the only true beginners in the room. Their latent potential hadn’t been fully tapped yet, and Levi simply hadn’t had the time to hunt down a suitable Sacred Gear for Sakura. So, for this match, they would act purely as support, using the opportunity to open their eyes to high-level combat.

“That’s settled then. Everyone is deploying this time,” Levi announced, his voice echoing through the hall. “As for tactics, there’s nothing overly complicated to arrange. When the match starts, Sakura and Shirone will retreat into the Imaginary Space, strictly responsible for Senjutsu support, sensory relay, and recovery. As for the rest of you… just cooperate naturally, exactly like we do in our usual training spars. That should be more than enough.”

Hearing Levi’s casual dismissal of the tactical planning, Tiamat crossed her arms, her draconic eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Levi, is the opponent really this weak?”

Levi paused. He nodded slowly, then shook his head. “The opponent is Serafall—the current Satan Leviathan.”

Huh?!

The casual atmosphere in the room shattered instantly. Several pairs of eyes widened in sheer shock. Grayfia’s elegant brows furrowed deeply. “Levi-sama, if we are facing her entire peerage, there are indeed many variables that need to be handled with extreme care.”

Seeing Grayfia and the others suddenly tense up, Levi finally let out a dry, amused laugh. “If it were her team, yes. But unfortunately for her, she initiated the trouble today… and she explicitly demanded to solo our entire team by herself.”

The moment those words left Levi’s mouth, Tiamat’s serious expression completely collapsed into utter disbelief.

Artoria didn’t react much; the stoic knight maintained the exact same disciplined attitude regardless of who the opponent was. Besides, having served Levi for a while now, she had already figured out her Master’s pragmatic combat philosophy—if you have the numbers to jump someone, you never fight them one-on-one.

Since joining his peerage, Artoria was slowly learning to adapt to Levi’s highly effective, if somewhat shameless, way of fighting. Whether it was because she had finally laid down the crushing burden of being a King, Levi always felt that Artoria was becoming much more human.

As one of the three absolute pillars of Levi’s forces, and also his wife, Grayfia’s brows knit even tighter, though this time in sheer annoyance. “Serafall… just how long has it been since we last crossed paths for her to become this arrogant?”

Meanwhile, back in the VIP lounge of the Underworld arena.

By the time Serafall Sitri realized that she had made a catastrophic miscalculation, it was already far too late.

Sirzechs and Ajuka had gently pulled her aside, casually informing her that Levi’s peerage currently included both the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation, Grayfia, and the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat.

The bubbly magical girl persona instantly vanished, replaced by a cold sweat.

She began to panic.

After all, she wasn’t even entirely sure she could win a one-on-one duel against Grayfia, let alone survive an entire team of monsters jumping her at once.