"I don't know how I'll feel when I'm dead, But I don't want to regret the way I lived."
— Yuji Itadori, Jujutsu Kaisen
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Outside the arena...
"Mitsuri-nee-san and Nezuko-nee-san are amazing! Everyone, let's cheer for them!" Alice exclaimed to the three little girls from the Butterfly Mansion.
Roy had assigned them the task of cheering, and they were doing their best to support everyone.
Rias, watching the battle unfold, breathed a sigh of relief as Yubelluna, the "Bomb Queen," was defeated.
"Ara ara, they're quite strong. To think they defeated the Bomb Queen so easily," Akeno commented. She knew that if she had faced Yubelluna, it wouldn't have been such a straightforward victory. And if Yubelluna had used the Tears of the Phoenix, Akeno might have even lost.
"Nezuko is so strong!" Koneko said, her eyes filled with admiration and a hint of envy.
They were around the same age, but the difference in their strength was vast, making her feel a bit discouraged. Although she had learned Breathing Styles, her beginner-level mastery didn't provide a significant boost in power yet.
Sona and her peerage were also surprised by the strength of Roy's team. The appearance of Gyarados had already shocked them.
When Gyarados was no longer able to fight, Sona had been worried.
But then, two more High-Class Devil level Rooks appeared among Roy's servants, leaving her astonished.
Sona realized she didn't know her "little brother" as well as she thought.
Thinking back to their agreement, a blush crept onto her cheeks.
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[Underworld, Rating Game Arena]
The audience erupted in commotion as they witnessed the defeat of Riser's Queen and his team's disadvantage.
"That kid from the Lucifuge clan is impressive! He really defeated Riser's Queen so easily."
"Have you noticed? Not a single member of Roy's team has been eliminated yet."
"Yeah! They're incredibly strong!"
"Isn't that Lucifuge kid supposed to be a failure? How can he be this powerful?"
"Riser is in trouble now!"
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Some Devils, particularly those close to the Phenex clan, were displeased by the praise for Roy and the criticism of Riser.
"There's no way he can defeat Riser!"
"That Lucifuge kid, no matter how hard he tries, it's useless."
"Riser has the Phoenix's immortality!"
"Exactly. he can't do anything against immortality."
...
Voices of doubt and mockery towards Roy filled the arena.
It was understandable. After all, Roy was known as a talentless failure.
Riser, on the other hand, was one of the strongest of the new generation of Devils, and he possessed the seemingly invincible power of immortality. Most of the audience favored Riser.
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[Back in the Subspace]
After defeating Yubelluna, Roy's team turned their attention to the remaining two servants, Ravel and Karlamine.
Karlamine felt the weight of their gazes and broke out in a cold sweat.
Ravel, flapping her fiery wings in the air, wiped the sweat from her brow and said awkwardly, "Hey, don't look at me! I don't fight."
Roy chuckled but didn't bother with them.
He looked towards the principal's office in the new school building, Riser's base.
"Riser Phenex, how long are you going to hide? If you don't come out soon, all your servants will be defeated," Roy taunted.
The girls turned towards the new school building.
"Hahahaha, you Clowns! Do you think you can defeat me just by taking out my servants?"
Riser, dressed in his red suit, finally emerged, his arrogance unwavering despite the loss of most of his peerage.
"Onii-sama!"
"Riser-sama!"
Karlamine and Ravel sighed in relief upon seeing him.
"Finally decided to show your face, Riser Phenex?" Roy scoffed, his arms crossed.
"Hmph! You're just a failure from the Lucifuge clan. What makes you think you can compete with me for Rias? And I'll return that punch you gave me the other day," Riser sneered, his anger rising as he recalled the humiliation of being caught off guard and punched by Roy.
"Failure?"
Roy shrugged, unfazed by Riser's repeated insults. "If you think I'm a failure, how about a wager?"
"What?" Riser was taken aback.
"Let's bet on the outcome of this Rating Game. If you win, I'll admit to being a failure," Roy proposed.
"And if I win, you'll have to admit that you're the failure."
"So, do you have the guts to accept?" Roy challenged, looking at Riser with a smirk.
Riser couldn't resist the provocation.
"Hahahaha, a mere failure dares to challenge me to a bet? Fine, I accept!"
Roy smirked inwardly. It seemed the title of "failure" would follow Riser forever.
"Roy, let us fight him!" Mitsuri and Nezuko volunteered.
Riser Phenex was a High-Class Devil. Only those two could fight him head-on.
However, Roy shook his head. "Since he's the King, I'll handle this myself."
It was only fitting for the Kings to face each other.
Moreover, even Mitsuri and Nezuko's combined strength might not be enough to defeat Riser.
Nezuko's Blood Demon Art was powerful, but even Rias's Power of Destruction, which could annihilate anything, couldn't harm Riser in the original story.
Nezuko's Blood Demon Art likely wouldn't pose a threat to him either.
"Roy, go! Defeat that arrogant fool!" the girls cheered.
"Hmph! No one can defeat Onii-sama!" Ravel declared haughtily.
Saya and the others glared at her.
"Uh... please ignore me..." Ravel cowered under their intense gazes.
She quickly retreated behind Riser.
Roy chuckled at her reaction.
He was quite fond of Ravel, the tsundere girl with the drill-shaped hair.
In the original story, Ravel had become infatuated with Issei after he defeated Riser.
Roy wondered if Ravel would fall for him if he defeated Riser instead.
Her drill hair must be very bouncy, he mused, his thoughts drifting in an inappropriate direction.
Shaking off his distraction, Roy stepped forward.
He held out his hand, and ice crystals bloomed, forming a sword of ice roses.
With a smirk, Roy's form blurred, then vanished.
"What?" Riser blinked in surprise.
"Looking for me?" Roy's voice came from behind him.
Riser realized that Roy had already moved behind him. The figure that had been standing there was just an afterimage.
Then, to his shock, he found himself bisected.
It had all happened so fast that Riser couldn't even react.
However, such an injury posed no threat to him. He regenerated instantly.
"Haha, impressive, but useless against me!" Riser declared, his arrogance returning.
He unleashed a wave of crimson flames.
These were the flames of the Phoenix, capable of incinerating anything.
"Ice Breathing, First Form: Flocking Ice Blades!"
Roy casually swung his ice rose sword, countering Riser's flames.
He had created Ice Breathing based on Water Breathing, utilizing his ice affinity to unleash its full potential.
Countless ice projectiles, like a flock of birds, shot towards Riser.
Riser's flames were instantly extinguished, and the remaining ice projectiles struck him, riddling his body with wounds.
"No way! How can my Phoenix flames be extinguished by ice magic?" Riser exclaimed in disbelief, then his expression morphed into fury.
He had been pushed back so easily in just a brief exchange.
And Roy remained unscathed. This enraged him.
Ordinary ice magic couldn't extinguish the flames of the Phoenix.
But Roy's ice, like Riser's flames, was a bloodline ability.
His ice powers were on par with the Phenex clan's Phoenix flames.
Seeing Roy's silence, Riser unleashed even more flames, filling the sky with a crimson inferno.
Roy smirked and swung his sword again.
"Ice Breathing, Second Form: Ice Dragon Swirling Tail!"
A massive ice dragon emerged, roaring silently as it charged into the flames.
The ice dragon rampaged through the inferno, extinguishing most of the flames within moments.
"Damn it... what magic is this?" Riser couldn't believe his eyes as his flames were extinguished.
The ice dragon, having cleared the flames, crashed into him.
Boom!
Riser had no time to dodge.
The ground cracked, and dust billowed.
When the dust settled, a massive crater was revealed where Riser had been standing.
The spectators in the arena were in an uproar.
...
After a while, Riser emerged from the crater, his arrogance replaced by fury.
But then, he burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, Roy Lucifuge, I acknowledge your strength. But you can't defeat me."
Riser seemed to have realized something, and his confidence returned.
His plan was to exhaust Roy with his immortality. Although Roy had more servants, Riser could still use the Tears of the Phoenix once more. He wasn't afraid of a battle of attrition.
Having figured this out, Riser stopped attacking and simply looked at Roy with a smug grin.
Roy saw through his plan and scoffed. "Riser, do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"
Riser remained arrogant.
"Show me what you've got!"
He didn't believe Roy possessed any power that could truly threaten him.
Roy chuckled. You're in for a surprise.
...
He slowly raised his hand towards Riser and uttered a few words.
"Secret Art: Ice 9-Dragons!"
The temperature plummeted, as if winter had suddenly arrived, causing Riser to shiver.
He recalled the feeling of being struck by the ice dragon earlier.
The intense cold had slowed his blood flow and suppressed his Phoenix flames, hindering his regeneration.
Nine massive chunks of ice materialized in the sky, then transformed into nine ice dragons.
The dragons were incredibly lifelike, a magnificent sight.
Riser felt a sense of dread wash over him as he looked at the ice dragons.
The dragons roared silently and converged on him.
There was no explosion, no billowing dust.
The nine ice dragons collided, merging into a towering ice mountain, encasing Riser within.
His expression of fear was frozen in time.
"It's so beautiful!" Asia gasped, admiring the ice mountain with its nine encircling dragons.
Roy's technique was like a work of art, powerful, majestic, and breathtakingly beautiful. The girls were mesmerized.
"Is he... defeated?" Saya asked, looking at the frozen Riser.
"Of course," Roy replied confidently.
Although he hadn't used his full power, this technique was beyond Riser's ability to break free.
"I don't believe it. Onii-sama has the flames of the Phoenix. How can he be frozen?" Ravel retorted, refusing to accept it.
She knew the power of the Phoenix flames. There was no way they could be suppressed so easily.
She firmly believed that Riser would break free soon.
But Riser remained frozen, his expression unchanged.
"What's going on?" The girls were confused. If Riser had lost, he should have been ejected immediately.
"Riser Phenex has lost his fighting ability. The winner of this Rating Game is Roy Lucifuge!" Grayfia's voice declared.
A beam of red energy struck the ice mountain, melting it instantly.
Riser, still frozen, dissolved into particles of light and was ejected from the subspace.
Grayfia's voice reached Roy's ears, explaining what had happened.
It turned out that the teleportation hadn't failed. Riser had been unable to be ejected while encased in ice.
Roy chuckled.
The one who had melted his Ice 9-Dragons was likely someone from the Phenex clan.
To melt his ice so easily, they must have possessed Maou-Class power...
Roy shook his head, dismissing those thoughts.
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