Rias's question was undeniably sharp and crucial, directly touching upon the central theme of this world's ongoing events.
Kaiser cast a meaningful glance at her, uncertain whether to call her intuition keen or her intellect sharp. To think that her second question had already struck the core issue.
He had assumed Rias would only reach this key point by her third question, but her performance exceeded his expectations. As expected of the heroine of the original work.
Unfortunately...
"Your current strength is too weak. Are you sure you want to hear this from me?" Kaiser stated bluntly. "One wrong step, and you might end up dead."
Himejima Akeno, Kiba Yuuto, and Toujou Koneko all felt a chill run through their hearts, their expressions shifting drastically.
Rias's face also darkened. She was just about to say something when Kaiser interrupted her.
"I already know what you want to say. You want to tell me that this won't scare Rias Gremory, right?" Kaiser said unreservedly. "That makes sense. You are the heir of the Gremory Clan, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars. Your brother is the current Lucifer, the strongest of the Four Great Satans."
"With a brother like that backing you up, what's the big deal about Siegfried? Even if a god-level existence appeared, so what?"
"You believe your brother could never lose to a god, don't you?"
Kaiser's tone was calm, yet his words shook Rias and the others to their core.
"But let me tell you this—even if a true god were to get involved alone in this matter, they would be doomed without a chance of survival."
"Don't assume I'm just spouting nonsense. The force behind Siegfried holds such power. Forget a single Devil King—even if the entire Underworld stood together, without external help, they would still be defeated."
"If that being does not intervene, the Devils might still have a chance to resist."
"But if that being does make a move..."
Kaiser shook his head at this point and chose not to continue.
Even so, the information he had already revealed was enough to leave Rias and the others deeply shaken.
To think that behind this matter lay such a terrifying force?
Even true gods would be doomed if caught in this?
Not even the entire Underworld combined could stand against them?
That being... Who could it be?
The mere thought sent an uncontrollable unease through Rias and the others.
Especially Rias—she stared intently at Kaiser, trying to read his expression to determine whether he was telling the truth.
She didn't want to believe his words.
An existence so powerful that the entire Underworld could not defeat it? She couldn't even comprehend something like that.
But her intuition told her that while the man before her might be infuriating in some ways, he wasn't someone who would lie about something like this.
So, what he said was most likely true.
"...Tell me."
Rias spoke in a solemn tone.
"What is the force behind Siegfried? And who exactly is this 'being' you're referring to?"
That's right—Rias had decided to ask.
It might be dangerous, but knowing that such a terrifying individual and faction existed behind the scenes, she couldn't just pretend she hadn't heard.
She had to gather as much information as possible and deliver it back to the Underworld, ensuring that the Devil Kings were made aware of this matter.
Otherwise, even if she personally remained safe in the future, she would never be able to rest easy.
As for Rias's decision, Kaiser was not surprised in the slightest.
He never expected her to back down just because of what he had said.
Thus...
"The faction Siegfried belongs to is an organization known as the Hero Faction."
Kaiser revealed the truth.
"It is a group composed entirely of humans, gathering those with the bloodline, power, or lineage of various heroes, warriors, and great figures throughout history."
"This faction operates under an organization called the Khaos Brigade, a terrorist group."
"The Hero Faction is merely one branch of the Khaos Brigade. This terrorist group includes problematic individuals from various mythological factions, including but not limited to Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels."
Kaiser's revelation left Rias and the others visibly stunned.
"Khaos Brigade?"
"A terrorist organization composed of problematic figures from different mythologies?"
"This..."
Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko all displayed expressions of disbelief.
"Such a faction actually exists?" Rias murmured. "How have we not noticed at all?"
"Because they are still lying in wait," Kaiser shrugged. "That said, some of the more capable factions have already begun to take notice of them."
"For example—the Fallen Angels."
"The Governor-General of the Fallen Angels is quite the capable figure. He may not be the strongest, but his intellect and intuition are among the sharpest."
"The Fallen Angels under his command have already detected the existence of the Khaos Brigade and are secretly investigating."
"As for the Angels and Devils, they remain completely unaware and uninformed about the faction."
Hearing this, Rias felt a sense of shame.
Despite being part of the same biblical mythology, the Fallen Angels had already noticed the Khaos Brigade, while the Devils and Angels remained utterly in the dark.
"Siegfried of the Hero Faction, huh?"
Rias continued speaking.
"So, he came representing the Khaos Brigade and the Hero Faction to invite you to join them?"
"You refused, which led to that massive destruction on the outskirts initially?"
"The incident at the abandoned church was your own action, unrelated to the Khaos Brigade?"
"And the event in the streets today—you caused that to eliminate Diodora Astaroth?"
Piecing together the answers from her questions, Rias finally unraveled the chain of events that had disrupted Kuoh Town's peace recently.
Even the motives behind these incidents—she had deduced most of them. She could nearly reconstruct the entire sequence of events.
"That's exactly how it is."
Kaiser confirmed Rias's deductions.
"So it was like this..."
Akeno and the others displayed looks of realization, though their expressions remained heavy.
Even though the truth had been revealed, the fact that it concealed such an enormous secret left them uneasy.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Rias, now clearly impatient, pressed forward.
"The 'being' you mentioned earlier... Who is it?"
At her words, Kaiser cast her a glance.
"That was your third question."
He reminded her first, then, without waiting for her response, dropped the biggest revelation yet.
"That being is the leader of the Khaos Brigade, a presence even gods and satans fear."
"She is the Ouroboros Dragon, born from the void—the Dragon of Dragons, the God among Gods."
"She is the Infinite Dragon God—Ophis."
—"Ophis."
As Kaiser's words echoed in their ears, Rias and the others felt a deafening roar inside their minds.
"Ophis!"
Rias cried out involuntarily.
"How could it be her...?!"
As the heir of the Gremory Clan, even though Rias was still a newcomer in the supernatural world, she had heard of the name Infinite Dragon God.
The strongest Dragon, the strongest God, the world's most powerful being—an existence said to possess infinite power, before whom countless gods and devils had bowed.
How could she not know of such an existence?
Just one individual, yet capable of standing against all mythologies—such a terrifying force!
And now, this being had become the leader of a terrorist organization?
That had to be a joke, right?
"The Fallen Angel Governor-General has likely already discovered this as well."
Kaiser spoke sarcastically, as if to crush any last traces of Rias's hopes.
"Compared to him, the leaders of the Angels and Devils are far too slow."
"Whether in the research and development of Sacred Gears or the investigation into the Khaos Brigade, the Angels and Devils lag far behind the Fallen Angels."
"If not for that individual, perhaps by the time the Khaos Brigade finally makes its move against the Three Factions, you wouldn't even be able to react."
With that, Kaiser glanced at the sky.
"I've answered all your questions. I won't be staying any longer."
His words snapped Rias and the others out of their shock.
"Wait!" Rias quickly called out. "Have you already joined the Khaos Brigade?"
"That's your fourth question—beyond what I need to answer." Kaiser shook his head. "Find the answer yourself."
Leaving those words behind, Kaiser turned to leave.
Suddenly—
"Lightning, strike!"
With a solemn invocation, a massive magic circle abruptly unfolded above the old school building.
"Boom!"
A thick bolt of lightning, like a pillar of descending light, erupted from the magic circle and struck down upon Kaiser, accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.
However, the relentless barrage of lightning was halted by an invisible gravitational barrier that had appeared at some unknown moment.
A purple glow enveloped Kaiser like a protective shield, forming a Gravity Field that deflected the falling lightning. The electrical energy veered off course, skirting around the barrier's edge rather than striking Kaiser, who stood unharmed in its center.
Kaiser held Gravisheath in his grip, briefly glancing at the lightning cascading above him before shifting his gaze to the figure behind Rias.
There, Akeno Himejima had donned a shrine maiden's attire, her slender hands raised, crackling with arcs of electricity.
"Rias!"
Akeno spoke with a resolute expression.
"We can't let him leave so easily!"
Rias understood Akeno's intentions perfectly.
At this moment, Kaiser's stance was clearly that of an enemy, not an ally.
Moreover, he possessed critical information concerning the Underworld.
Not to mention—he was the direct cause of multiple recent incidents and the murderer of Diodora Astaroth, heir to the House of Astaroth.
Both emotionally and logically, they could not let him walk away.
With these thoughts weighing on her mind, Rias cast a conflicted look at Kaiser.
But soon, her gaze sharpened with firm resolve.
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Author's Note: 100 stones within next 3 hours for 3 extra chapters..
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