Even the immortal must die

Utaha Kasumigaoka floated into the air, her expression turning solemn as she raised her hands slightly. "And I've developed a new move, too."

Hum!

The instant she finished speaking, a dazzling magic circle bloomed in the air, and an enormous Tatsumaki surged out of it.

Boom!

At the same time, a boundless torrent of crimson flame poured down like a celestial river, engulfing everyone's vision with overwhelming force amid the raging Tatsumaki.

Rumble!

The fiery Tatsumaki, like a mighty serpent, began pulverizing the earth.

Boundless shock waves rolled outward in every direction.

The ground seemed to suffer a thousand cuts before visibly beginning to melt away.

The entire alternate space seemed to tremble.

An endless cloud of dust rose in an instant.

Through the towering sea of flames, they could just make out that the ground and the principal's office had vanished completely, replaced by a massive crater.

The sight made Rias and the others' pupils contract sharply.

What was going on?

When had Utaha Kasumigaoka become so strong?

This was a Mid-Class Devil? What kind of joke was this?

Akeno Himejima, in particular, had shock written all over her eyes.

She was practically Utaha Kasumigaoka's Magic teacher.

Yet even she couldn't produce power like this.

"Not bad. You incorporated the power of the Essence of the Fire God into wind Magic?"

Lin Luo nodded to himself and praised her. "Well done."

The destructive force of that attack!

It had already touched the realm of a High-Class Devil.

At Lin Luo's praise, Utaha Kasumigaoka looked pleased with herself.

"But did I end up killing them all?"

Looking at the flames towering in the distance, a complicated emotion flashed through Utaha Kasumigaoka's eyes before she finally sighed.

"Oh well. They were our enemies, after all."

"That's the right attitude."

Lin Luo chuckled. Utaha Kasumigaoka was finally getting into the right mindset.

Chapter 32: Even the immortal must die

"But you must never let your guard down in battle, no matter the circumstances."

Lin Luo offered her some guidance.

"For instance, your enemies aren't that easy to finish off."

"Huh?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka froze.

"They are the Phoenix Family, known as immortal birds, after all."

Lin Luo shook his head. "They aren't particularly strong, but they really are a little hard to kill."

Hearing that, Utaha Kasumigaoka instinctively turned to look.

The ground was scorched black, with scattered flames gradually dying out.

Apart from Riser, more than a dozen people lay on the ground.

Yet their bodies brimmed with vitality, and their injuries visibly healed until they were as good as new.

By the end, they all staggered to their feet as though nothing had happened.

"The Tears of the Phoenix."

Lin Luo explained, "Their family's secret treasure. It can heal any injury the user has in an instant."

"Something like that exists?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched. After a brief silence, she said, "Doesn't that count as cheating?"

Instantly healing their injuries?

Wasn't that a little too unfair?

"Boy, I admit your servant is stronger than I expected."

Riser regained his composure and said coolly, "But with the Tears of the Phoenix, you will still be the ones who lose."

"What blind confidence."

Lin Luo shook his head. "You're just a bunch of small fry. What does it matter if your injuries heal?"

"Master is right."

Esdeath stepped out from behind Lin Luo on her long legs, her voice thick with killing intent.

"It just means killing you a few more times."

"Besides, no matter how good a secret treasure is, it's worthless if you never get the chance to use it."

The instant she finished speaking, Esdeath raised her hand slightly.

Miniature Ice Storm General!

A terrifying freezing wind swept through like a raging storm. Not only the surrounding streets, but the entire alternate space visibly transformed into a world of ice and snow.

Before anyone, Riser included, could react, they were frozen solid into ice sculptures, their faces filled with horror and disbelief.

"Esdeath's freezing power has grown stronger."

Watching the scene, Lin Luo murmured to himself.

After becoming Devils.

Esdeath and Akame, in particular, had been freed from the constraints of human bodies, and their strength was advancing by leaps and bounds.

"This woman really is terrifying."

Utaha Kasumigaoka swallowed, but then something occurred to her, and a smile crept onto her lips.

Hmph!

No matter how strong she was!

Wasn't she just the same when they teamed up?

They were all hopeless before Master.

With her confidence restored, Utaha Kasumigaoka immediately lifted her chin and puffed out her chest.

"..." Esdeath was speechless.

Was this woman thinking something rude?

But the next moment, she gave a soft sound of surprise.

Riser's ice sculpture had begun trembling, visible streams of flame surging inside it.

Finally!

The ice sculpture melted into droplets in an instant.

Riser reappeared, looking rather worse for wear.

"Oh, you do have some skill."

Esdeath narrowed her eyes slightly, a dangerous smile curving her lips. "This hunt might prove interesting."

As she spoke, an ice saber appeared in her hand.

"A mere reincarnated Devil..."

Riser's expression twisted, and the flames around him seemed to form a massive vortex that swept in every direction.

The next instant!

They moved at the same time.

Boom!

It was a collision of ice and fire.

The entire road seemed to become a world of ice and fire.

Ice and fire intertwined, their thunderous impacts merging into one continuous roar.

Esdeath swept out one hand, sending countless ice spikes hurtling through the air. As they tore through the flames, her ice saber slashed across Riser's body.

Slash! Slash!

Gashes deep enough to expose bone appeared one after another across Riser's body.

In terms of raw power alone, he was no weaker than Esdeath.

But her combat experience and instincts far surpassed his.

"Aah!"

With a scream of agony, an arm flew high into the air.

Riser hurtled backward like a cannonball, carving a deep trench into the ground.

"You..."

Riser's face twisted, disbelief written all over it.

His power had actually lost to a Lesser Devil.

"Fine, fine, fine. Let's see how many times you can defeat me."

Looking at the utterly spotless Esdeath, Riser's face contorted with vicious malice. "I am immortal!"

As his savage voice echoed, the flesh at the stump of Riser's arm began writhing.

Pop!

A brand-new arm sprouted from the stump.

"You think you can keep dragging this fight out because you won't die?"

Esdeath said disdainfully, "And you call yourself a High-Class Devil. Turns out you're just trash."

As a battle fanatic, she held this kind of fighting in utter contempt.

What she wanted was a bloody clash between evenly matched opponents.

Not a weakling who simply wouldn't die.

"He was always trash."

Lin Luo stepped forward and said, "Let me handle this. You'll have a hard time killing him."

"All right!"

Esdeath nodded and withdrew behind Lin Luo.

Looking at Riser, Lin Luo smiled. "Still, trash though you are, you've helped my servants gain some combat experience. That's worth something."

Though he was smiling, Lin Luo's eyes grew colder and colder.

He had squeezed some value out of his opponent.

It was time to end this farce.

"What did you say?"

After being looked down on repeatedly, Riser snarled in fury, "Such arrogance! You can't kill me at all, and I will take..."