The Student Council Office in the new school building had been swallowed whole by Freya's Purgatory fireball.
In its place now was a molten crater hundreds of meters wide, lava seething at the bottom like an open wound. Waves of scorching heat rolled outward, cranking the temperature of the entire pocket battlefield up by dozens of degrees.
Even Yubelluna, who'd been quietly proud of her own strength, was now keeping her head down—no trace of arrogance left.
Takumi's mage wasn't just stronger than her by a mile…
Even the thing Yubelluna took the most pride in—her figure—lose out in comparison.
That realization sent a sharp spike of urgency through the voluptuous older mage's chest.
If I don't hurry up and make myself useful to Takumi-sama… I'm going to get sidelined.
"Looks like there's no need to guard the base at all," Takumi muttered, sounding bored. "And after Freya's two personalities merged… she got a lot more… direct."
The old Freya wouldn't have dropped a finisher this quickly after a brief clash.
Even if this Purgatory spell was, for her, basically just a casual skill.
Takumi had been ready to sit back and enjoy the show.
Now? He'd lost interest.
"Force Riser to surrender," he said lazily. "He's durable—if he wants to be stubborn, just kill him a few more times until he gets the message."
With that order, Kureha and Yubelluna moved—along with the others—surging forward as a group.
They surrounded the lava crater that used to be Riser's base, staring straight down at the spot where Riser kept reviving.
Ravel had withdrawn from the battlefield at the last possible second—right before the fireball hit.
At this point, Riser's side had basically collapsed. There were only a few pieces hiding in corners… and their King, fighting alone.
Riser—reborn in flames again—glared up at the women encircling him, his face twisted with frustration.
"As long as I haven't—"
"Explosion magic!"
Yubelluna didn't even let him finish.
A terrifying magic bomb detonated instantly, blowing the freshly revived Riser into pieces.
Before those scattered chunks could even start regenerating, Eve, Freya, and the others started raining spells down one after another like they were stamping out a campfire.
The melee fighters on Takumi's side—especially Kureha—looked absolutely miserable.
Kureha had geared up mentally for a real fight and then she arrived and realized the enemy was a bunch of pushovers.
She hadn't even gotten to swing properly, and her teammates were basically already clearing the battlefield.
I haven't even started playing—why is the game already over?!
That was exactly how Kureha felt. They won, but it didn't feel like a win.
No participation. No thrill. It was unbearable.
"No. Absolutely not. I'm getting at least two cuts in!"
Kureha charged straight down and hacked at the tiny bit of Riser that had just re-ignited.
"I surrender! I surrender!!" Riser broke down sobbing. "W-Waaah! Women are terrifying! I want to go home!!!"
He'd been dismembered so thoroughly it rewired his soul. Now he was barely holding together from the waist up, bawling like a kid.
Kureha actually felt too awkward to keep chopping.
Right then, the broadcast crackled back to life.
"Takumi-sama's pieces have occupied Riser's base for ten minutes. I hereby declare Takumi-sama's side the victor."
With Grayfia's declaration, the cube teleport array activated again—everyone was whisked to the council hall for the post-game gathering.
"Dad—! Mom—!" Riser wailed the moment he saw his parents, crying even louder.
Riser's parents stared at their son like they'd just watched him publicly trip over his own ego.
They'd hoped—at minimum—that this Rating Game could serve as training.
But Riser's performance was so bad it physically hurt to witness.
Good thing they had more than one son.
"Escort the Third Young Master back to rest," Riser's father said flatly.
Servants immediately moved in and took Riser away.
Once he was gone, Riser's parents turned their attention to Takumi.
Riser's mother—a blond, elegant woman—stepped forward first and raised her wineglass with practiced grace.
"Honored Takumi-sama, I hope this Rating Game hasn't damaged the friendship between our houses," she said warmly. "As promised, Riser's engagement to Rias is hereby annulled today. And this is the Phenex Tears you earned through victory—please accept them."
She smiled with a kind of polished, diplomatic sweetness, and a servant presented the gift at once.
Then she gestured—and Ravel approached.
Ravel was dressed in a pink formal gown. Conservative, proper… but on her it still carved her figure into a clean, unmistakable silhouette—curves in all the right places, elegant and undeniably sexy.
The dress hid the most provocative details, sure, but it couldn't hide the noble, princess-like aura she carried from head to toe.
Standing before Takumi like this, Ravel looked like someone about to be married off—radiant, eye-catching, and impossible to ignore.
The moment she met his gaze, her flawless pale cheeks flushed a shy peach-pink.
The blond woman spoke again, smoothly stepping back into the real reason we're here.
"My daughter Ravel… after meeting you before, she hasn't been able to stop thinking about you," she said with a gentle smile. "So today, why don't we let her represent the Phenex Clan and have a proper conversation with you? I won't intrude."
With that, she withdrew elegantly—leaving the space to Takumi and Ravel.
Takumi watched her go and silently gave the Phenex Clan full credit.
No wonder they're so well-liked in the Underworld. They know exactly how to handle people.
Off to the side, Sona and Rias were practically shooting fire from their eyes… but neither could step in.
This little victory banquet was hosted by the Phenex Clan. In front of everyone, you couldn't embarrass them publicly without consequences.
So Takumi and Ravel became the center of attention, and no one interfered.
Ravel, remembering her parents' instructions, tried to keep her head straight but the instant she really locked eyes with Takumi, everything in her brain blanked out.
"…!"
She lowered her head, blushing hard, and after a long, painful pause she finally managed to squeeze out one sentence:
"Takumi-san… you're awful. How could you… treat my brother like that? No wonder he was so angry before."
Takumi didn't get angry. He just smiled.
"That was between consenting adults. What good does your brother's anger do?" He tilted his head slightly. "And you know it too—his engagement was arranged by your families. If your parents forced a marriage on you, would you be happy about it?"
That single question instantly threw Ravel into chaos.
She mumbled, voice tiny, "Of course I wouldn't…"
And then she remembered what her parents had said earlier. If possible, they wanted her to marry Takumi.
"Uu…" Ravel let out a soft, embarrassed whimper, her face turning even redder.
Because if the arranged marriage was with Takumi…
She realized—quietly, shamefully—that she might actually be willing.
Seeing how flustered she was, Takumi decided not to tease her further.
He was about to change the subject—when a silver-haired presence strode straight over, cutting into the space like a blade.
She wore a tailored blue-and-white uniform—hugging every curve so tightly it felt one tug away from surrender.
Her long silver hair was braided into two thick plaits that fell down her back.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, dangerously so—cold, proud, and unapproachable in the way that made people want to get closer anyway.
And that long, hip-hugging skirt? It couldn't hide a thing.
Her ass was high and round—like a ripe peach you could feel the weight of just by looking.
The line from her hips to her waist flowed in a perfect curve, sculpted and voluptuous, and above that—her chest rose abruptly into a sinful depth, big enough to make the whole outfit look like it was one breath away from tearing at the seams.