Starting with No Game No Life: Infinite Chests

Suddenly, a spatial ripple appeared next to Sirzechs. As Riku's words echoed through the sky, a new figure materialised before everyone's eyes.

It was a man with short, pale green hair, striking features, and a perpetually languid expression.

But nobody present dared to underestimate him. He was Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Great Maou of the Underworld, Sirzechs's lifelong friend and rival.

Riku knew even more. Ajuka Beelzebub, like Sirzechs, was one of the few Super Devil among the others, brilliant in formulas and magic theory, and the creator of the Evil Piece system that revolutionised devil society.

"So, I got caught right away, huh?" Ajuka stood at Sirzechs's side, looking up at Riku floating above, shrugging with a wry smile.

"Well, you were trying to pull a little trick. Otherwise, I might not have noticed you so easily," Riku replied, peering down at Ajuka, amusement in his eyes.

In the entire Underworld or the whole world, there were almost none who could claim to surpass Ajuka in the arts of sorcery. If there were, it would only be someone who didn't truly understand Ajuka Beelzebub's true capabilities.

Even so, using his masterful sorcery to perfectly conceal his presence and approach Sirzechs, Ajuka had almost managed to evade even Riku's senses. If Ajuka hadn't intended to rescue Sirzechs, Riku might not have detected him at all.

Considering Riku's current level of perception, almost no one could slip past him, but Ajuka had nearly succeeded.

"Sigh, nothing for it, then." Ajuka twirled a lock of hair around his finger, resigned. He'd planned a stealthy rescue operation, but he hadn't even gotten started before being caught.

"Sirzechs, no wonder you lost so badly." Ajuka glanced down at his friend, still lying in the crater, and shook his head.

"Cough… there was no helping it. He's just too strong. Maybe only someone powerful like Ophis could hope to win against him," Sirzechs answered weakly.

"Seems that way," Ajuka didn't disagree, but looked gravely at Riku.

There were other legendary beings on that level, Trihexa and the Great Red, along with Ophis, but Trihexa was sealed by the God of the Bible, and the Great Red wandered the Dimensional Gap. Of those active in the world, perhaps only Ophis could fight Riku.

Faced with such overwhelming power, even a like Ajuka felt a heavy pressure.

Meanwhile, Serafall and the other devils felt no joy at Ajuka's arrival, only deep anxiety. If even Ajuka were to be captured, that would mean three of the Four Maou and most of the Underworld's elite would become prisoners, leaving only one Maou to stand alone. How could the Underworld possibly resist Riku's group then?

"Enough small talk. Ajuka Beelzebub, are you planning to fight me and win, or do you intend to escape?" Riku said coolly.

"Well, originally I wanted to sneak everyone out, but that's clearly not going to work. Fighting isn't a real option either, so I guess escape is all that's left, huh?" Ajuka spread his hands in a laid-back gesture.

His demeanour was completely relaxed, as if he felt no pressure at all.

This made Serafall twitch and left Sirzechs speechless. While escape was logically the right move, why did it sound so infuriating coming from Ajuka?

"Even so, you don't really intend to run, do you?" Riku exposed Ajuka without hesitation, seeing straight through the clever, eccentric Maou. "So, why don't you just tell us your true goal?"

"Caught me, huh?" Ajuka shrugged, dropping all pretence. "If that's how it is, there's no point pretending anymore."

"From my observation, whether it's High-Class devils, peak Maou-level like Serafall and Grayfia, or even a Super devil like Sirzechs, you could kill any of us at any time. Even the head of House Phoenix, you have the power to obliterate him outright, but you haven't. In fact, I haven't sensed any 'killing intent' from you. That, together with the fact you stopped Sirzechs when he was about to destroy the Underworld itself, tells me you have no interest in mass slaughter. Not a single High-Class devil has actually died during all this."

Ajuka watched Riku calmly as he spoke.

"More than that, it looks like your goal is to rule the Underworld, but you don't want to rule by force and terror. You're capturing the leaders, showing your overwhelming strength, and seeking to have us submit to you," Ajuka concluded.

"Interesting," Riku's eyes sparkled with amusement. "But you're wrong about one thing: while conquering the Underworld is my goal, it's only the first step, a small goal, really. If I wanted to, I could wipe out every strong devil here and reach the same result."

"—!" Ajuka's expression froze, eyes sharpening at Riku's words.

Sirzechs and the others were just as stunned.

"But, such a result attained only through violence, wouldn't be satisfying to me. The prize wouldn't feel complete," Riku added with a softer tone.

Hearing this, Ajuka and the rest all breathed a little easier.

"Of course, that's assuming you don't resist. If you try to fight back, I won't hesitate to do something a bit more dangerous," Riku finished with a sudden, sharp edge to his tone.

That made Ajuka and all the other devils break out in cold sweat. Riku's words were like a rollercoaster, one moment reassuring, the next terrifying.

It made them want to punch him, but there was nothing they could do.

"But, I can give you all a chance." Riku looked down at Ajuka, Sirzechs, Grayfia, and the assembled devils of the Underworld, his voice calm and steady.

"—!"

His words made everyone tense up, listening with bated breath, afraid to miss a single syllable.

After all, this concerned the fate of the entire Underworld.

"I can let you all go. I'll give you one week to prepare, gather the strongest forces you can muster, and choose the battlefield yourselves. Whatever traps you want to set, you're free to use them." Riku raised a finger, gazing down from above with the bearing of a king. "And then, with absolute strength, I'll crush you all."

"—!"

His words left Ajuka, Sirzechs, and all the other devils completely stunned. It sounded arrogant, almost unbearably so. But the worst part was, he actually had the strength to back it up.

"If you lose, then from that moment on, you'll have to obey my orders without question." Riku continued, his tone calm, but with an unshakable dominance.

"And if we win… then you promise never to interfere with the Underworld again," Sirzechs quickly replied, immediately stating their only demand.

Grayfia, Serafall, and the rest all looked over at him.

"Well, that was my intention from the start," Ajuka echoed. "We simply can't afford the alternative."

Everyone else fell silent. He was right; they had no way to avoid the consequences. The Underworld was their foundation, their home.

"You're surprisingly reasonable. Still, you've made the smartest possible choice." Riku released his Balance Breaker, the gauntlet vanishing as he suppressed his aura. The tremors shaking the Underworld faded away as he clapped his hands with a hint of approval.

"I'm sure you still have plenty of stubborn old devils left. How you convince them is your business. Now, before I change my mind, you'd best leave." Riku teleported over to stand beside Schwi and Jibril, looking entirely unconcerned.

At this, Ajuka supported Sirzechs, while Grayfia, Tannin, and the other injured elites gathered together.

"Knock, knock, knock—!"

At that moment, Serafall could be heard pounding on the inside of the sealing barrier, clearly making her wishes known: she wanted out.

"Um, Serafall is still a Maou, one of our most important assets. Couldn't you…" Sirzechs tried, giving a wry smile.

"Denied." Riku glanced at him and refused flatly. "Disobedient maids deserve to be disciplined. She's my trophy, and after she tried to sell me out, I'm still not happy with her. When you're ready for your rematch, I'll return her to you."

"—!" Sirzechs's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected Riku to hold such a grudge. Serafall was supposed to be one of the Underworld's top leaders, after all!

"Ahem… I suppose that's that, then." Sirzechs coughed, giving Serafall a helpless "good luck" look.

Serafall stared in disbelief. Wasn't she a Maou? Wasn't she one of the highest authorities in the Underworld? How could they just leave her behind like that?

"What about Serafall's peerage?" Sirzechs asked again, unable to help himself.

"Oh, take them if you want. Keeping them here would just get in the way, and besides, they eat too much," Riku said offhandedly, not even glancing at the group of devils who had been sealed by Schwi and Jibril.

The ten powerful devils nearly coughed up blood at those words. What did he mean, "in the way"?! They were still strong devils! But a glance at Riku reminded them of the overwhelming gap in power. All they could do was swallow their bitterness and shoot him resentful looks.

"Oh, and the head of the Phoenix family, yeah, you. Come with me. I'll be visiting your house next," Riku called out to the Phoenix patriarch.

"Me?" Phoenix Patriarch, Phillip Phoenix, pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Yes, you," Riku replied casually.

"Uh…" Phillip Phoenix's mouth twitched with despair. This was a disaster if Riku, a walking catastrophe, stayed at his mansion, and he accidentally offended him, he could get wiped out at any moment, and no one would dare plead his case.

Sirzechs and Ajuka both gave him looks of deep sympathy. The other devil nobles quickly averted their eyes, terrified that Riku might change his mind and pick one of them instead. At least the Phoenix clan was tough; they wouldn't survive a direct hit.

Left with no choice, Phillip Phoenix reluctantly flew over to Riku's side.

Riku then had Schwi and Jibril undo the sealing barriers, releasing Serafall's peerage and sending them back to Sirzechs and the others.

Once everything was settled, Sirzechs, Ajuka, and the high-ranking devils all left the scene with heavy hearts. They had only one week to recover, strategise, and handle the chaos spreading through the Underworld.

If they failed, it would mean the end of the Underworld.

"Sirzechs, Ajuka! You two bastards, just wait!" Serafall yelled, glaring at her allies as they slipped away through Ajuka's magic teleportation circle. She gritted her teeth, furious and indignant.

"It's over for me…" Then, thinking about what awaited her, Serafall trembled. That dreadful experience was about to repeat itself…

Her reaction made even Phillip Phoenix shudder. Was Riku really that terrifying? Even the usually unfazed, reckless Maou was reduced to this!

A disaster had truly come to his house…

"Riku, you're so cool," Schwi said, gazing up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Master, it seems there are even more powerful beings in this world than we thought… but you're still the strongest. I can't wait to see more," Jibril added, her eyes shining with anticipation and obsession.

"Mm. This is only the beginning, you'll see even greater foes in the future." Riku nodded, patting Schwi's head with a gentle smile.

Then, he glanced at the pale-faced Serafall and dispelled the sealing barrier.

"We'll continue your 'training' when we get home."

Riku put extra emphasis on "training," making Serafall shudder uncontrollably, on the verge of tears.