"How intriguing..."
The red-haired girl narrowed her eyes. As she clenched her fists, an immediate wave of weakness washed over her. Not only that, but the demonic power within her body was being heavily suppressed down to a mortal's level by some kind of force—or perhaps by the world itself.
She even found it difficult when she instinctively tried to manifest her devil wings; her wings lacked the necessary strength to rip through her own clothes.
Most importantly, she was supposed to be in the safest place in the Underworld right now, not this bizarre location!
Just moments ago, she had been catching up with her brother at his castle—the current Lucifer of the Underworld. Yet in the blink of an eye, she had been brought here.
This was absolutely no ordinary place. Her brother was undisputedly the strongest being in the Underworld. An entity capable of instantly teleporting her away right in front of his eyes was something even the God of the Bible probably couldn't have pulled off!
Because of this, her gaze shifted directly toward the blonde girl who had emerged from the other sphere of light alongside her.
Although the blonde girl looked terrified, the red-haired teenager could sense a massive amount of magical power radiating from her. It was as if this magic had suddenly been freed from whatever had been suppressing it, and was now surging outward in a vengeful spike growth.
The sheer power surfacing from her right now was already on par with a Low-Class Devil.
If she wasn't the only one experiencing this world's suppression, then this blonde girl must have been under restrictions before too.
What terrifying talent. She smells like a pure virgin, too... She looks like an innocent child. If the opportunity arises, I should see if I can recruit her as a member of my peerage.
These thoughts crossed the red-haired girl's mind in a fraction of a second. To Li Ke and the others, she had merely frozen for a brief moment before turning her attention toward them.
"Good day, everyone. My name is Rias," the girl spoke up. "Though it may be a bit forward of me, could any of you tell me who exactly brought us here?"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the zombie corpses that hadn't disappeared yet. She knit her brows slightly. She could sense the distinct aura of the deceased, but it felt incredibly bizarre—the essence of these dead creatures was completely identical, as though their bodies and souls had been cast from the exact same mold.
"Rias Gremory?"
Li Ke blinked, stunned. He felt like he had heard that name somewhere before. Something about a "Breast Dragon Emperor" or whatever? But to be completely honest, he had never actually watched her show.
Back when he used to watch anime, his rotation consisted of titles like Sword Art Online and Attack on Titan. He had never gotten around to diving into older classics like hers.
All he knew was that she existed, that she was a red-haired fan-service queen with an insanely good body, and that she was a heroine who practically threw herself at her own peerage members.
He also vaguely recalled that her show was packed with girls who were exceptionally easy to get into bed. Beyond that, he was clueless.
Oh, right—the series Campione! fell into that exact same category for him. He had seen it referenced countless times in fanfiction novels and was even quite familiar with the characters' names, but he had never watched the actual anime and had no idea what characters like Erica Blandelli even looked like.
"Oh, but she really is a stunningly curvaceous beauty…" Li Ke thought as his eyes traced her outfit.
The clothing was clearly designed to accentuate her figure to the fullest. It left almost nothing to the imagination while still technically covering her — the perfect balance of elegance and allure. Her generous breasts strained against the fabric, their full, rounded shape impossible to ignore. The way the outfit hugged her narrow waist and wide, shapely hips created an incredibly tempting silhouette that practically screamed for attention.
She carried an aura that naturally invited improper thoughts — a seductive, welcoming presence that made her seem ready and willing.
Furthermore, there was an air about her that commanded attention; she carried herself with a certain magnetism that was hard to ignore. Li Ke found himself momentarily distracted, acknowledging that her appearance and confidence were truly remarkable.
Truth be told, Li Ke didn't really have the time and energy to pursue another girl right now; he still hadn't resolved his situation with Tsunade and Kiri.
"Oh? Do you recognize me?" Rias asked, having keenly caught Li Ke's reaction as she looked over at him with curiosity.
"Not exactly. I just happen to know of someone else named Rias," Li Ke replied, shaking his head. He didn't actually know her. After all, he hadn't even looked up her doujinshi or fan art, so he had no clue what she was supposed to look like. How could he claim to know her?
"Oh?" Rias murmured, her tone remaining completely neutral.
"As for your question, we're in the dark too. All of us ended up here out of nowhere," Kiri interjected, waving her hand dismissively to show that she couldn't give Rias the answers she wanted.
"Is that so?"
Seeing that Kiri couldn't provide any useful information, Rias instinctively tried to gather her magic. To her shock, she found herself completely unable to cast. She knew the incantations perfectly, yet the power itself felt utterly blocked from her mind—as if she had suddenly 'forgotten' how to channel it.
A conceptual suppression?
She quietly noted this restriction without letting her composure slip, keeping a polite smile on her face as she continued her inquiry.
"In that case, do you seniors have any advice for us? Also, Miss Blonde over there, you seem to be in the exact same boat as me. May I ask your name...?"
The blonde girl took a startled step back, looking like a frightened rabbit. But when she noticed Rias watching her with a faint, knowing smile, she forced herself to puff out her chest. In a tone that was fiercely proud yet still carried a hint of endearing shyness, she finally spoke up.
"I am Lux. Well, to be precise, Luxanna Crownguard, of the Demacian House of Crownguard. May I ask where in Runeterra we are right now? Do any of you know the way back?"
Lux?
The Lady of Luminosity? The support player who rushes a Mejai's Soulstealer?
The former favorite daughter of Riot Games who now gets no love?
Just what kind of criteria is this broken world using to summon people anyway?
Li Ke's gaze drifted toward Lux for a split second. This tiny reaction did not go unnoticed; not only did the red-haired girl catch it, but Tsunade and Kiri saw it too.
In fact, back when Kiri and Tsunade had first introduced themselves to Li Ke, they had noticed the exact same reaction. It was just that Li Ke had been in such a wretched state at the time, and they had been in no mood to care, so they ended up overlooking it.
This time, however, was different.
The flicker of recognition in his eyes was incredibly subtle—the kind of tell an ordinary person would completely miss.
The problem was the audience...
Tsunade was a professional ninja. Even if intelligence gathering wasn't her absolute specialty, anyone capable of becoming a Kage possessed top-tier foundational skills.
Kiri was a professional Ranger. Anyone in her line of work who couldn't read a room or pick up on subtle tells would have ended up dead a long time ago.
And Rias Gremory was a literal Devil princess.
Among everyone present, Lux was the only one who failed to notice the practically imperceptible shift in Li Ke's expression. Instead, she simply stood there, looking anxiously at the group.
"Well, as of right now, the only method we know of involves sleeping with this guy. Though we haven't officially confirmed if it works yet," Kiri said casually, pointing a finger at Li Ke before flashing a grin. "Aside from that, we haven't found any other way out. I'd highly recommend sticking with us for now, because this world is seriously bad news. There are walking corpses everywhere, and the fundamental rules here are definitely nothing like what you're used to back home. Supposedly, a massive zombie horde triggers every seven days. But in reality, it hit us on the sixth day this time, and the sheer numbers were terrifying—they were swarming all over the mountains and plains, packed into every single square meter, practically endless."
Kiri gave them a sharp, playful smirk.
"So, welcome to hell, newbies."