Leon's manor, basement.
Before Leon and his group left for the Human Realm, people visited this place every day. But after their departure, it had become completely deserted, causing the magic circles in the basement to remain dim for an entire month.
However, today, the magic circle lit up once more, radiating a dazzling red light.
Within the crimson glow, the figures of Leon and his party slowly materialized, returning to the manor once again.
"We're back."
"Finally back."
"Home is still the best."
"I feel like even the air is different here."
Yukino Yukinoshita and the others voiced their relief one after another, their expressions relaxing. Even the way they pulled their suitcases seemed lighter, making the atmosphere quite festive.
"Is this Lord Leon's residence in the Human Realm?" Ravel observed the surroundings out of habit. "It seems quite spacious."
"There appear to be familiars here as well. That should mean the pressure on Rem and Sister won't be too great." Ram and Rem exchanged words on the side, evidently already treating this as their future workplace.
Truth be told, with familiars handling the general chores of the manor, the presence of two maids like Ram and Rem wasn't strictly necessary. But since they enjoyed the role, Leon saw no reason to object.
Look at Grayfia Lucifuge; she was one of the strongest female Devils in the Underworld, possessing strength on par with Serafall Leviathan, the current Maou. Yet, wasn't she still the maid of the Gremory household? She was the wife and "Queen" of Sirzechs, the strongest Maou, and Rias's sister-in-law, yet she still performed the duties of a maid, didn't she?
Of course, she was a maid in name only; in reality, Grayfia managed all the affairs of the Gremory household, so her power and status were no different from that of the family matriarch. Since Ram and Rem were insistent on their identities as maids, they could be put in charge of managing the manor's overall affairs. They could oversee and assign tasks to the familiars, ensuring their status remained dignified.
While Leon was lost in these thoughts, a figure burst into the basement.
"Yo, you're back."
A cheerful voice reached the basement ahead of the figure, causing everyone to look toward the entrance.
"Master Musashi!" Asuna Yuuki called out happily.
The newcomer was none other than Miyamoto Musashi.
"So you're still here?" Leon asked with some surprise.
He had assumed that after they left for their special training in the Underworld, Miyamoto Musashi would have returned there as well.
"This was per the instructions of Lady Serafall and Lord Sirzechs," Musashi explained, noting Leon's surprise. "The Lords said that although you went to the Underworld for training, the Old Maou Faction and that Hero Faction wouldn't know. They might send people here or even attack the manor."
"Considering that possibility, Lord Sirzechs and Lady Serafall decided to play along. They stationed people here to wait for the target—even having people disguise themselves as you to lure them into a trap."
"If we could capture someone, we might extract useful intelligence."
Thus, Musashi had not returned to the Underworld and had remained at the manor the entire time.
"Did anyone fall for it?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked immediately, prompting everyone to hold their breath and look at Musashi.
"Some did fall for it, but they weren't from the Old Maou Faction or the Hero Faction," Musashi said, spreading her hands helplessly. "The enemy's intelligence network seems quite vast; they likely knew you weren't here, as there hasn't been any movement from them for the past month."
"On the other hand, the Church, the Fallen Angels, and even people from other mythologies sent a few people over during the month. However, they were mostly small fry. Their goal was likely to test our reactions or determine your identity."
"Those people were essentially worthless. Even if captured, no useful intel could be squeezed out of them."
In other words, Musashi's efforts over the month had yielded no significant results.
"Is that so?" Utaha Kasumigaoka curled her lips in disappointment and muttered, "I thought we might actually catch a big fish."
"It doesn't really matter if we didn't catch anyone. It was just a casual move played by the Maous. A harvest would have been great, but it's fine even without one," Musashi consoled them. "Lord Sirzechs and Lady Serafall probably didn't have high hopes either. I heard the Lords have other plans in motion. As long as there's movement elsewhere, it's not a loss even if things were quiet here."
With that, Musashi dropped the subject and quickly scanned the group, narrowing her eyes.
"The results of your special training... seem to be quite excellent?"
As a warrior, Musashi's intuition was incredibly sharp, and she instantly detected the changes in Leon and the others.
The transformation in the girls went without saying; each of them looked as if they had undergone a metamorphosis. Their auras were restrained and steady, no longer as naive as before. One could easily imagine the growth they had achieved.
Of course, the most significant change wasn't in the girls, but in their master, Leon.
That sense of natural harmony, along with a presence and transcendence completely different from before, told Musashi that an earth-shaking change had occurred in the man before her.
This change even stimulated Musashi's fighting spirit as a warrior, giving her goosebumps. When she first walked into the basement, she had almost been unable to suppress her instinct to draw her blade against Leon.
It wasn't because she felt danger, but because she sensed a life force superior to her own. As a warrior, her instinct was to draw her sword and challenge him. To challenge those stronger than oneself, to constantly temper oneself in desperate situations, and to never stop growing—these were the basic qualities of any qualified warrior.
Therefore, even though Musashi appeared calm and her usual boisterous self throughout, she was actually enduring. Her palm was unconsciously pressed against the hilt of the sword at her waist; she had wanted to draw it several times but managed to restrain herself.
Leon had actually noticed this. He could faintly feel a sharp, delicate battle intent locked onto him, as if it could erupt at any moment.
"Another battle maniac..." Leon thought to himself, his expression unchanged.
Tiamat being like that was one thing—she was a dragon, after all, a member of an exceptionally warlike race. But what was Musashi's excuse? She used to be human and was now a Devil, neither of which were inherently warlike races. Why did she look so eager to fight?
In fact, the fighting spirit and battle intent in Musashi's heart might even surpass Tiamat's. At least Tiamat could control herself; Musashi was reaching her limit.
It couldn't be helped; that was simply her personality. Before being reincarnated as a Devil, she had traveled as a ronin, challenging experts and famous figures, often using any means necessary to secure victory.
After becoming a Devil, Musashi saw a much wider world and encountered even more incredible experts, but her warrior's heart never wavered. Instead, she became even more enthusiastic about challenging the strong. This was how, over several hundred years, she grew from an ordinary Reincarnated Devil into an existence just one step away from the Maou-class.
How could such a pure warrior ignore a powerhouse who made her competitive spirit burn so fiercely? Especially since Leon had been far inferior to her before, but had now quietly evolved into an existence that made her feel threatened. This caused Musashi's fighting spirit to expand uncontrollably.
Finally, Musashi stopped holding back.
"It's still early. Why don't I test how much you've grown, Young Master?" Musashi looked at Leon with burning eyes, as if flames were dancing within them.
Seeing this, Ravel, Ram, and Rem's expressions changed. Just as they were about to step forward, they were stopped by Yukino and the others.
"It's fine. They used to spar like this all the time," Mahiru Shiina said reassuringly.
"Master Musashi is just excited to see a worthy opponent," Asuna Yuuki added with a slight, wry smile.
"It's happened plenty of times before," Utaha Kasumigaoka remarked nonchalantly.
"I'm also curious to know which side is stronger now: our master or the Maou's peer," Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly. Ravel and the sisters looked at each other and finally chose to remain silent.
Leon, too, quickly accepted the situation. As Yukino and the others had said, it wasn't the first time they had sparred, so why be nervous? Hadn't they sparred countless times before? Besides, in those previous bouts with Musashi, he hadn't won a single time. Now that he finally had enough power, shouldn't he clear his past humiliation? It was time he won at least once.
At this thought, Leon's fighting spirit was also ignited.
"Then let's do this."
Without further words, Leon tossed his luggage to Ravel and walked into the center of the area.
"Haha!" Musashi laughed happily and ran to stand opposite him. Her hand on her waist had already gripped the sword hilt firmly, her battle intent released without reservation.
"Let's step back," Yukino said immediately, leading the group back a distance.
"Is that person very strong?" Rem asked, seeing how serious everyone looked. She didn't know Musashi, let alone how strong the female swordswoman was. In her eyes, Leon's strength was beyond doubt; he could easily handle her even in her Demonification state. Even her beloved sister couldn't do that. Did he really need to fear a female swordswoman who looked somewhat unreliable? Unless the opponent was a Dragon King level existence like Lady Tiamat, her master couldn't possibly lose, right?
Rem, thinking this, was soon shocked by her sister's words.
"—That swordswoman's strength is likely superior to mine." Ram stared at Musashi, uttering words that stunned Rem.
"She... is stronger than Sister?" Rem could hardly believe it.
Seeing Rem's reaction, Ravel spoke up.
"She is the 'Knight' of the current Maou Leviathan. She has fought under Lady Leviathan's banner for several hundred years. It is said her swordsmanship is incredibly powerful; even in the entire Underworld, one cannot find a Devil with better swordsmanship. She has defeated cadres of the Fallen Angels and the highest-ranking warriors of the Church. She is the strongest Devil swordswoman, known by the three factions as the 'Flower of Tengen.'"
As the daughter of the Phenex house, although Ravel had never met Musashi, she had heard of her exploits. The peers of the Maous were essentially celebrities in the Underworld, and Musashi was no exception. Ravel knew her stories quite well.
Therefore, she could tell Rem with certainty.
"Lord Musashi is indeed very strong. Even a Maou-class existence might not necessarily defeat her. Whether Lord Leon can win is truly up in the air."
As Ravel spoke, Leon and Musashi began to move.
Swish!
Leon unfurled his devil wings and suddenly took to the air, seizing aerial superiority.
"Ten wings?" Seeing the number of wings behind Leon, it was Musashi's turn to be shocked. But then, she became excited. "As expected, your transformation on this trip was massive."
Confirming this, Musashi didn't feel weighed down; instead, she became even more high-spirited. Ten wings—though it was only one pair more than before, the two states were incomparable. Previously, even with a Longinus, Leon was still a level below her. But now, Leon stood at the same height as her, reaching the position closest to the Maou-class.
With a Leon like this, coupled with the second-strongest Longinus in the world... no wonder her battle intent was so overwhelming!
"It seems I can go all out right from the start!" Grinning, Musashi slowly drew the twin blades at her waist.
Going "all out" was certainly not an exaggeration. As Musashi slowly drew her blades, the aura she released expanded at a rate visible to the naked eye. By the time she had fully drawn both swords and naturally pointed their tips toward the ground, the pressure she radiated was so strong that it caused the floor to tremble slightly.
The scene was as if an invisible sword intent was rampaging through the air. Sharp. Piercing. Unrivaled.
Faced with such a Musashi, Leon's response was simple.
Rumble!
The familiar roar appeared in mid-air, and the ceiling of the basement was suddenly occupied by a sudden cluster of dark clouds. Lightning flashed within the clouds, making the air extremely oppressive and heavy. At this moment, the aura radiating from Leon was not at all inferior to the fully unleashed Musashi! In fact, it was even slightly superior!
Seeing this, the girls knew. The intensity of this battle would far exceed any previous spar, reaching an unprecedented level.
The great battle was about to erupt.