— — — — — — —
"I see... So that's why you had Utaha-san showcase her ability?"
Rias finally understood, casting a complicated look at Lynn.
Lynn wore a smug expression, as if saying, "You got me."
A mere common magic technique wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him.
He had flipped through that black-covered book earlier.
Too much theoretical knowledge.
A lot of repeated content—long-winded and tedious.
As for the magic spells inside, most were basic, like "Auto Writing".
The most valuable one was probably "Teleportation Magic"
But there were barely any powerful, wide-range, or highly practical spells.
Since he was already here, Lynn naturally wanted to score some high-level skills.
So when he noticed Rias's growing curiosity about Utaha's ability, he seized the opportunity to push things further.
Might as well take a shot—who knows what he could get?
To be honest, Rias had taken the bait completely.
She was genuinely curious about how far Utaha's "Archivist Devil" ability could go.
With a helpless smile, Rias sighed. "Alright, you win."
"Akeno, bring me the 'Lightning Magic' scroll."
"Yes, President." Akeno didn't hesitate.
She never questioned Rias's decisions.
"Lightning Magic."
Rias slid a parchment scroll toward Lynn. "This is an Ultimate-class spell, the most advanced magic I currently possess."
Lightning?
Lynn casually glanced at Akeno.
If he remembered correctly, her specialty was lightning-based magic.
Rias was really offering up something precious.
Lynn unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it.
Yeah, he had no clue what it meant.
Instantly losing interest, he handed it off to Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Your turn, Utaha-beast."
This time, Utaha didn't even react to his nickname. She eagerly took the scroll.
"Whoa!"
Ultimate-class magic!
Just the name alone sounded powerful!
She was seriously impressed with Lynn now.
In just a few words, he got the devil princess to hand over an Ultimate-class spell!
Suppressing her excitement, she opened the scroll.
Dense, incomprehensible text swam before her eyes, making her dizzy.
Yeah... No idea what any of this means...But she knew exactly what to do.
Just copy it!
As she transcribed, Rias explained what Ultimate-class magic meant.
In simple terms, it referred to spells capable of unleashing power on par with a Maou.
"Done!"
Utaha stared at the freshly written text in her Devil's Grimoire, eager to try it out.
She instinctively began channeling magic—
"Wait!"
Rias's eye twitched, stopping her just in time.
"Lightning Magic is too destructive. Let's move outside first."
She had nearly witnessed the destruction of the Occult Research Club.
Realizing her mistake, Utaha awkwardly laughed. "Uh... sorry."
Rias shook her head. "It's fine." She then led the way outside.
— — —
Behind the Occult Research Club, in an open space.
Utaha's Devil's Grimoire floated in front of her, pages flipping rapidly with a flurry of rustling sounds.
"Lightning Strike!"
Utaha called out firmly.
The pages of the Grimoire froze on a specific spell.
A one-meter-wide blue magic circle formed in the air.
Crackle!
Without hesitation, a thick blue lightning bolt—about the size of an oak tree—blasted forward!
BOOM!!
The lightning struck the ground, leaving behind a one-meter-wide crater.
Electric sparks slithered across the ground, crackling like restless serpents.
"So powerful!"
Utaha stared at the scene in disbelief, barely registering that she had cast the spell herself.
But...She suddenly felt exhausted...
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed backward—straight into a firm yet warm embrace.
Lynn caught her, quickly assessing her condition.
It looks like she overexerted herself and completely drained her magic.
Rias stepped forward, examining Utaha before glancing at the crater.
"She should still be a Low-class Devil, right? That last spell probably drained all her magic power."
She stole another glance at the exhausted Utaha and then at the crater in the ground.
Although the spell's power wasn't fully unleashed due to her low magic reserves, the technique itself was flawlessly executed.
No cost, no sacrifices—just recording the spell's information and casting it.
And given what she had seen, Ultimate-class magic wasn't even the limit of this "recording" ability.
Wasn't this... a bit too overpowered?
Suppressing her swirling thoughts, Rias looked at the limp Utaha still leaning against Lynn and suggested:
"Why don't you restore her magic, Lynn?"
"Seems like that's the only option."
Magic restoration?
How was that supposed to work?
With her Magic completely depleted, Utaha could barely speak. She struggled to open her eyes, wanting to see how this "magic restoration" worked.
Then—
She saw Lynn's face getting closer.
Wait!
Something's not right!
"Mm—?!"
Her lips were suddenly sealed by something warm.
Her body... felt so hot...
And something... was flowing into her...
.
.
.