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[282] The Banquet

[282] The Banquet

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, a week had passed.

After staying at the Gremory household for three days, August felt it was time to return to his own territory. He had spent three days with the House of Sitri and three days with the House of Gremory, maintaining a balance.

Upon returning to the place where his journey in this world began, August felt a twinge of nostalgia. This place was both familiar and strange to him.

It's worth mentioning that this time, Rias, Sona, and Ravel did not accompany him. The only ones returning with August were Hilda, Yolda, and Asia.

After spending four days in his castle, the time finally arrived for the banquet held in the Lilith. Every notable family in the Underworld attended, and the gathering of the new generation's elites made the event even more spectacular.

Among all these distinguished guests, August stood out as a unique presence. Despite not being a devil, he held the title of Duke and was always surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women.

Most notably, he was accompanied by the princesses from the Sitri, Gremory, and Phenex. This instantly made August the envy of all male devils, a living symbol of success.

Contrary to August's expectations, no dramatic confrontations or face-offs occurred, much to his disappointment. It turned out that manga and novels had exaggerated these situations. Even the most frivolous family scions were still products of their noble upbringing, not reckless fools seeking to make enemies unnecessarily.

Under the gaze of many, August found a seat in a corner of the banquet hall. Immediately, a noticeable gap formed around him as people instinctively kept their distance. Anyone capable of attracting the princesses of three prominent families was certainly no ordinary person. Both Sona and Rias were the sisters of Satans, making them true princesses of the Underworld.

"How disappointing. So these are the new generation of devils?" August scanned the room. Most were High-Class Devils, but it was clear that many of them had achieved this status through their family's resources, sacrificing their future potential for immediate strength. Such individuals were unlikely to progress beyond Ultimate-Class Devils, if even that.

Feeling let down, August's thoughts drifted to Sona and Rias. With their current strength, they were among the top tier of the new generation.

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

"Excuse me, are you Asia?"

At that moment, a rather ordinary-looking devil approached, smiling at Asia.

His actions immediately drew the attention of many onlookers. A brave soul had stepped forward to engage with someone who was clearly not to be trifled with.

"Yes? I am. And you are?" Asia responded politely.

"Don’t you remember me? You saved me once. I never had the chance to thank you."

"Ah, you're..."

Both Rias and Sona were taken aback. Could this man really be the devil Asia had saved? It seemed impossible.

As the current heir of the House of Astaroth, a close bloodline to the current Satan Beelzebub, his strength should be that of a High-Class Devil. How could someone of his stature have been injured in the human world?

In that instant, they both sensed something amiss.

"Hey, boy."

"Hm?"

Diodora turned his head, only to freeze in place. He found himself staring into a pair of eyes radiating a palpable aura of death.

"That girl belongs to me. If you want to touch my property, do you have a death wish?"

"This gentleman, Asia is not anyone's property. You shouldn't speak like that."

"Oh? Interesting. Are you challenging me?"

"If you think so, for Asia's sake, you can take it that way."

His words shocked many of the devils present. One of the leading figures of the new generation, caring so much for a seemingly insignificant girl?

Meanwhile, those familiar with August looked at Diodora as if he were an idiot. Did he have any idea what he was getting himself into? August's strength was no secret to them. A High-Class Devil challenging someone of Satan-Class caliber? The mere thought was laughable.

Above the banquet hall, in the VIP section, the most influential figures were gathered: Sirzechs, Serafall, Azazel, and Odin.

Naturally, the confrontation between August and Diodora had caught their attention.

"Is that the young lad from the House of Demon?" Odin remarked, eyeing August and the bevy of girls around him with a tinge of envy.

"Yes." 

"Impressive. To reach that strength at such a young age is remarkable."

"Indeed, among the new generation, there are few who can match August." Sirzechs said with a smile. Serafall and Azazel, standing beside him, also smiled. They all had connections to August. Sirzechs' and Serafall's sisters were involved with him, and Azazel considered August a friend. Additionally, Azazel's friend's daughter was one of Rias' peerage members.

"But who is this devil boy? With that silly strength? How dare he challenge him?" 

"That's Diodora Astaroth, the heir of the House of Astaroth and a blood relative of Ajuka Beelzebub."

"Even if he is a relative of Beelzebub, challenging him is sheer foolishness. If he dies, it’s no more than he deserves." Odin stated, his voice full of disdain for Diodora. From the moment he saw him, Odin had taken a dislike to the young devil. In contrast, despite his jealousy of August's entourage, he found himself somewhat liking the young man. (It was just the recognition of an old lecher, after all.)

Back in the banquet hall, August looked at the righteous Diodora in front of him and burst into laughter.

This fool, trying to provoke him without any instigation, was almost too good to be true.

Diodora was the mastermind behind Asia's expulsion from the Church, a twisted individual who derived pleasure from corrupting pure and holy nuns and saints, then discarding them. He had feigned injury to manipulate Asia into saving him, which led to her banishment and gave him the opportunity to ensnare her.

But August had intervened, thwarting all of Diodora's plans and inadvertently reaping the benefits. Seeing August now, Diodora's heart was filled with animosity and murderous intent.

Diodora's boldness in confronting August stemmed from a simple reason: he possessed the Snake granted by Ophis.

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