Three days after the collapse of Riser Phenex's pride, Kuoh Academy returned to its usual rhythm—at least on the surface. Beneath the mundane pace of classes and lunch breaks, whispers still lingered. About the transfer student who humiliated a pure-blood noble. About the wildcard who shattered immortality with his fists alone.
Ren Kurokami hadn't changed. He still smiled casually in the halls, still held back in P.E., still offered quiet nods when spoken to. But those who looked closer… they saw the subtle shifts. His steps were too light. His presence too silent. And when his eyes wandered—always drifting skyward—it was like he was waiting for something.
That something arrived.
It was mid-afternoon when the pressure rolled in.
It wasn't magical. It wasn't demonic. It was simply heavy. A suffocating instinct, like something ancient had woken up and cast its gaze across the town.
Students paused mid-step. Birds went silent. Even the air stopped moving.
Sona Shitori looked up from her notes in the Student Council room, her pen frozen in midair. Rias Gremory, sipping tea in the Occult Research Clubroom, narrowed her eyes.
"He's here…" she whispered.
A figure strolled through the gates of Kuoh Academy as if they didn't exist. White hair, silver eyes, and a presence that didn't ask for attention—it commanded it. Not loud. Not arrogant. Just… inevitable.
Vali Lucifer.
He didn't speak to anyone. He didn't look around. He walked past students who instinctively moved aside, not even understanding why.
He didn't knock on any doors.
He found Ren behind the school, crouched beside a vending machine, casually tapping the side after it failed to drop his drink.
The contrast couldn't have been sharper—Ren, in his rumpled uniform and relaxed grin, and Vali, pristine and cold, radiating power.
Vali stopped a few feet away. "So you're the wildcard."
Ren didn't look up. "And you're the dragon."
"I thought you'd be taller."
Ren smirked. "I thought you'd be louder."
A pause. The wind stirred.
Vali's lips curled. "You beat Riser. You made the Underworld pay attention. Now I want to see what you really are."
Ren stood slowly. His eyes met Vali's. Calm. Measuring.
"You want a fight?"
Vali's tone didn't shift. "I want a challenge."
Ren rolled his shoulder. The faint hum of energy pulsed beneath his skin, his aura restrained like a predator in chains. For a heartbeat, nothing moved.
Then—
"I accept."
No threats. No speeches.
Just an agreement between monsters.