The following year saw the Underworld descend into a chaotic, grinding stalemate. The Old Satan Faction and the Anti-Maou Faction bled money and soldiers in equal measure, but in the middle of this devastation, Ashborn Enterprises stood as the ultimate winner.
Reinhardt maintained a strategic "Family Discount" for the Great Pillars of the Bael, Phenex, Agares, and Sitri clans. This move solidified his political base, making him the most popular figure among the neutral and allied high-tier nobility.
A Motherly Visit from Agares
One afternoon, the Matriarch of the Agares Clan, Lady Elara Agares, visited the mansion. She looked at Reinhardt with the sharp, doting eyes of a concerned aunt.
"Godson," Elara said, reaching up to pinch his cheek. "Are you eating well? Look at you, you've become so skinny with all this business and war-mongering! I won't have the Bael and Phenex heir looking like a ghost."
Reinhardt chuckled, gently patting her hand. "Don't worry, Aunt Elara. I have a house full of maids and cooks making sure I'm fed. I'm just busy ensuring the world stays profitable."
They chatted for hours about the shifting political landscape, with Elara promising the full support of the Agares' temporal magic should he ever need to freeze time for a shipment.
The Call from House Phenex
Later that evening, the communication crystal lit up with the face of his maternal grandfather, Cassius Phenex. Behind him, Reinhardt could see his brothers Rhaziel and Jessica, and his sister Reyna, all watching with curiosity.
"Rein, stay safe," Cassius grumbled, though his eyes were warm. "I don't want your mother, Seraphine, scolding me in my dreams for letting her son get hurt in this mess."
Rhaziel and Reyna chuckled in the background. "Grandpa is just worried he'll lose his best supplier!" Reyna teased.
"Quiet, you lot!" Cassius snapped before turning back to Rein. "Listen, kid. The war is hitting our healing reserves. We need Phenex Tears, but our production can't keep up with the demand. It's a loss we can't easily cover."
"How about I give you some?" Reinhardt offered casually.
Cassius snorted. "Rein, I need a hundred drops to stabilize the front line. You can't just hand those over—they're rare even for us."
"I have around two hundred drops," Reinhardt replied. "Do you want them or not?"
The silence on the other end was absolute. Then, Cassius roared so loudly the crystal vibrated. "REINHARDT PHENEX! HAVE YOU MADE YOUR OWN TEARS DRY, YOU IDIOT?! HOW CAN I MEET YOUR MOTHER IN THE AFTERLIFE AND TELL HER I LET HER SON CRY HIMSELF TO DEATH FOR PROFIT?!"
Reinhardt winced, pulling the crystal away from his ear. "Do you and Old Man Zeckram share the same overactive imagination?"
The room on both sides erupted in laughter, with Reyna and Jessica clutching their sides. Reinhardt's expression then turned serious.
"Grandpa, for the sake of the Maous, listen. My bloodline was upgraded because of the influence of the Power of Destruction. I am no longer a 'Phenex.' My bloodline has evolved into a true Phoenix. One drop of my tears, when diluted, is equal to fifty drops of standard Phenex Tears."
The laughter stopped instantly. Cassius, Rhaziel, Reyna, and Jessica stood frozen.
"When did this happen?" Cassius whispered, his voice trembling.
"Shortly after Dad died," Reinhardt replied softly. "The stress and the power combined to rewrite the core."
Cassius let out a breath that turned into a booming, triumphant laugh. "Finally! The life-long wish of the Phenex clan has been fulfilled! A descendant who will not just be a Great Satan, but a Greater Phoenix... a Super Devil! Seraphine, do you see this? Your son is going to rule it all!"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Bloodline Evolution Confirmed: Primordial Phoenix]
Healing Factor: $Infinite$ (Standard damage heals instantly).
Tear Potency: $1$ Drop = $50$ Standard Phenex Tears.
New Status: You are now a "High-Value Target" for every faction in the Underworld.
With the Phenex family now looking at you as their Messiah and the Bael family seeing you as their ultimate weapon, a secret messenger from the Sitri domain arrives. It's a letter from Serafall, but she sounds distressed.
Reinhardt watched the holographic display as his grandfather, Cassius, continued to stare at him with an intense, predatory hunger—the kind of look a patriarch gives when he realizes his house just became the most powerful force in the world.
"Grandpa," Reinhardt said, his voice deadpan. "Let me tell you something."
Cassius leaned in, nodding eagerly. "Yes, Rein? Anything!"
"I am straight. I like girls. So please, look for someone else to stare at like that."
The silence lasted for exactly one second before Rhaziel, Reyna, and Jessica clutched their stomachs, falling to the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. Cassius turned a shade of red that actually out-glowed the Phenex fire. "You... you brat! That's not what I meant!"
Once the laughter died down and Rhaziel managed to wipe the tears from his eyes, he looked at his nephew with newfound respect. "So, the 'Anonymous Benefactor' who has been selling those ultra-potent drops on the high-tier market... that was you, wasn't it, Rein?"
"Yes," Reinhardt replied with a casual shrug. "And I sold them at double the price, Uncle. Business is business."
Cassius huffed, though his chest was puffed out with pride. "It looks like Seraphine's business ruthlessness was inherited by you perfectly. Fine, you win. I need those 100 drops for the clan reserves. I'll buy them at the official market price."
Reinhardt nodded, then his gaze softened as it landed on Reyna. "Hey, baby," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Do you miss me? Have you been eating well?"
Reyna's expression melted, her eyes sparkling with affection. "Yes, baby. I'm eating well, but nothing tastes as good as the food at your mansion. I miss you every day."
Reinhardt gave her a small, promising nod before turning his attention to his uncle, Rhaziel, and his wife, Jessica. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Uncle Rhaziel..."
"Yes, Rein?"
"When am I going to get a nephew? You've been married for a while now."
The effect was instantaneous. Rhaziel and Jessica both turned as red as the Phenex crest, stammering over their words. Cassius, catching onto the trail, slammed his hand on his desk. "Now that I think about it, he's right! I haven't seen a single grandson from your line yet! When am I going to hold a baby?!"
"We... we are still young, Father!" Rhaziel protested, waving his hands dismissively.
"Young, my ass!" Cassius roared. "The world is ending in a civil war, and you're talking about being young? Get to work!"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Clan Relations: House Phenex]
Status: Absolute Loyalty.
Bond: Reyna (Deepening Love).
Bonus: You have secured the entire Phenex production line as a subsidiary of Ashborn Enterprises.
[Financial Update]
Sale to Cassius: +5 Billion Devil Coins (Bulk Order).
Current Balance: 15.43 Billion Devil Coins.
After the call ends, Reinhardt feels a sudden surge of mana from his backyard. It seems the training session between the "Parental Trio" (Artoria, Morgan, Mordred) and the "New Trio" (Ei, Feixiao, Kaguya) has reached a new level, but there's a third presence watching them from the shadows—a mysterious figure with silver hair.