I'll kill you after I finish this game!

It's easy to run into trouble if you don't put your heart into doing your best, since other industry peers are watching closely for any mishaps that might happen to the lightning-infused society.

Other game companies can't compete with Raiden head-on, so they can only hope that Raiden's development will encounter obstacles, and then focus their efforts on addressing those obstacles.

Lei Zhe is well aware of this, so he needs to put his utmost effort into both the development of his current strength and the future development of his game.

P.S.: Please vote and recommend! The Wrath of the Gods segment is officially starting. If there's nothing else to add, let's begin.

Chapter Eighteen: Xiaoyou is Sick

Some time later, at Zongwu High School.

"Tetsu, this is a bento that Chihiro taught me to make. I'd like you to try it."

Raiji himself was extremely worried about his friends Shirogane Miyuki, Mashiro, and even Hiratsuka Shizuka at the school, so he specially dispatched several more shadow clones to the school.

Even his Shadow Companion, whose strength was comparable to his own, had been lurking nearby, and now Raize, who was facing Mashiro Bento, was also a shadow clone.

At noon, as usual, lunch was prepared for Mashiro. However, under the curious gazes of Rias and Sona not far away, the shadow clone Raizet's lips twitched as he looked at the Japanese bento in Mashiro's hand.

The tempura, meatballs, rice, and other dishes looked quite good, but Rai Zhe, with his sharp eyes, spotted many flaws, including several burnt and charred areas.

But to make a girl who can't even take care of herself end up like this...

Lei Zhe glanced at Xiao Zhen's fair fingers and indeed saw quite a few subtle marks.

However, because of the symbiote of Raiji himself inside her body, Mashiro will not show any signs of injury.

"The taste is so-so, but it's edible. Why would I have thought of making my own bento?"

Under Mashiro's expectant gaze, Raize quickly ate everything in the bento box. He didn't try to deceive or cheat the girl, but realistically pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of each item, and even pointed out any problems with the cooking time.

Mashiro didn't need this kind of fake flattery, and Reiji said it very seriously, which seemed a bit hurtful to Miura Yumiko, who was not far away.

Mashiro was indeed a little disappointed when she heard Raiji's evaluation, but she quickly recovered.

After all, her comics had been hitting walls before she met Lei Zhe, so she has a lot of mental fortitude.

Since she didn't do well, she should work harder and more diligently to achieve better results. Mashiro is that kind of girl.

If she could channel the same focus she put into painting into other areas, she could still achieve considerable success.

Chihiro said that girls who can't cook will lose points in a boy's eyes.

As she spoke, Mashiro ate the delicious bento that Raize had made for her. Every bite of the shiny and incredibly tasty food made the girl squint her eyes in comfort.

Thinking about the bento she made, she could clearly understand the difference after eating the feed given to her by her owner, Rai Zhe.

If it weren't for caring about Raiji, Mashiro would have made some moves in a direction where there was such a clear difference.

Mashiro is a simple and adorably silly girl who openly shows her affection for Raiji.

Even someone as seemingly hopeless as Raiji could clearly sense that Mashiro's place in his heart had significantly improved after their last hug.

"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with whether you can cook or not. You won't lose points in my eyes. You don't have to listen to your cousin in everything."

A slight smile appeared on Lei Zhe's usually calm face as he watched Xiao Zhenshiro eating and carefully served her rice and vegetables.

The pet girl was delighted to hear this. Since it wouldn't lower her score, she didn't need to put in the effort. All she had to do was eat the food prepared by her owner, Razer.

"This person... unexpectedly gets along well with certain people, even though his killing intent was so immense and terrifying last time."

Sona, who was walking out of the classroom with Rias, couldn't help but sigh when she saw this scene. She hadn't expected that Reiji's ears would be so sharp that he could hear her words so clearly.

Walking side by side with Sona down the corridor where students were dying, Rias received enthusiastic stares from other men and women. She didn't flinch or feel uncomfortable, and couldn't help but speak up when she heard Sona's words.

"I believe you have also investigated Reiji. He is a pure human being. According to the information that Youdou has obtained, he was just an ordinary person a few months ago. I can almost conclude that he awakened when his family went through a change."

When Rias learned of this news, she was genuinely disappointed. To become a powerhouse of this level in just a few months—this potential and speed of growth were enough to make any major power take notice.

If she had arrived here sooner and offered timely help when Lei Zhe was still weak, wouldn't she have gained a powerful partner?

Based on Rias's experience with Reiji's strength, dealing with her fiancé would be a piece of cake.

Rias, upon receiving news about Raiji, genuinely felt like an ordinary person who had missed out on a hundred billion yen, and even jokingly remarked this to her best friend, Himejima Akeno.

'If I had noticed Razer sooner and saved him when his family was in trouble, even if we hadn't become partners, we could have been close friends.'

Sona glanced at the hint of disappointment in Rias's beautiful eyes and immediately understood what her childhood friend was thinking.

There's nothing shameful about it, because even Sona fantasized about it when she received the news from Raize.

However, what's done is done, and it's impossible to have a good relationship with the other person now.

We can only maintain the current situation.

"Rias, you'd better give up on that idea. You can't possibly win over that human."

Cang Na lowered her head slightly, sunlight reflecting off her eyes through the glass in the corridor, and spoke in a very low voice.

According to the information she investigated, it was impossible to win over Razer, and it was absolutely impossible for him to have any good relationship with the demons.

"Sigh, I know I can't win them over, but can't I at least improve our friendly relations? There's no harm in befriending a powerful person."

Rias sighed and said that she herself knew that it was impossible to win over them, as they were all far weaker than Reiji. Her brother might be able to win them over, but it was impossible for her, a pure-blooded demon who was far weaker than Reiji. She was very clear about this.

"His entire family died at the hands of ghouls. You probably haven't focused your investigation on that aspect." Upon hearing this, Sona sneered and looked at Rias with a serious expression, asking in a somewhat enigmatic tone, "I had Tsubaki Hime investigate thoroughly. Guess who's behind those ghouls?"

Rias had a bad feeling when she saw Sona's eyes. Her eyes twitched slightly as she pondered the matter of ghouls.

She and her retinue had no affection for this weak cannibalistic race, which was rejected by every other being in the world.

Sometimes, when fighting lost demons, Akeno Himejima and Yuuto Kiba killed ghouls a few times.

and many more!

Rias's eyes suddenly widened as she immediately connected the dots to some ominous truth.

I think the creatures that are closest to ghouls are those lost demons!

Ordinary Lost Demons are difficult to defeat even by the top-tier SSS-class ghouls, but they are only slightly stronger than them.

The demonic power within them is the reason why they are far superior to ghouls, and the lost demons who are out of the loop usually prefer to recruit ghouls as their henchmen.

Because most of the vicious Lost Demons also like to increase their strength by eating people, Rias had heard her sister-in-law Grayfia talk about this when she first started fighting the Lost Demons.

Things that she hadn't paid much attention to before, she now remembered vividly. She looked at Sona with a questioning gaze, about to ask if it was true, but then she saw the cold smile in Sona's eyes that she had expected all along.

This smile sent Rias's heart sinking to the bottom.

"Could it be... a lost demon?"

With a bitter and reluctant expression on her face, Rias personally asked Sona to confirm, so that she could finally give up completely.

“That’s right, that’s why I said it’s impossible to win him over. I don’t think he wouldn’t take revenge on those ghouls once he has the power. There aren’t a single ghoul left in this area. Do you think he wouldn’t know who’s behind the ghouls?”

"The first time he was very unfriendly to us, not only because we were outsiders, but also because of our identity as demons. It was lucky that he didn't kill us outright."

Unlike Rias, who felt disappointed when she received news about Raiji, Sona felt as if she had just walked through the gates of hell.

Back then, Razer did indeed possess the strength to crush and slaughter them, and because of his family's situation, he had no good feelings towards demons.

It's lucky they didn't kill these demons outright.

Put yourself in their shoes. If Sona had gone through what happened to Raize, and saw a large group of races he hated wandering around in front of him, how would he feel?

If she had experienced the devastation of losing her family, despite Cang Na's current calm and composed demeanor, she would definitely have taken action to kill her enemies, given her drastically changed personality.

"No wonder he was so murderous. Surprisingly, his past overlaps quite a bit with my Youdou's."

Rias muttered to herself, "Knowing this, I should really be glad they didn't just kill them last time."

As she said, Raiji's character is somewhat similar to Yuuto's. Yuuto Kiba's tragic past is related to the 'Holy Sword'.

Those companions who were like family to Kiba Yuuto all died because of the church's Holy Sword Project.

Don't be fooled by Yuto's gentle and kind appearance. If you touch his sore spot, he will immediately reveal an extremely crazy and ferocious side.

"But your Yuto isn't as strong as Raize. Who knows what he went through to become so powerful in just a few months?"

Cang Na sighed and said that there are many motivations for people to become stronger, and she became stronger for her own ideals.

However, for people like Raiji and Kiba Yuto, hatred can make them incredibly powerful, regardless of the consequences.

Yuto Kiba and Raizetsu both have tragic pasts, but the two are worlds apart now.

Having obtained information about Reiji and his past deeds, Sona thought about the words Reiji had said to Rias so bluntly last time.

Without experiencing a lot, it's impossible to be so persistent in pursuing power.

..........

"You're finally back!"

After school, Rai Zhe went to the company and then returned home. As soon as he got back, he was surrounded by Haruna and a group of little chirps. The girl had obvious anxiety on her face, and the chirps surrounding the two of them were all dressed as doctors and nurses.

Well, there's nothing offensive about the outfit on Manju; it's actually quite cute.

"Haruna? So many Manjuu dressed like this... How come you're the only one left at home? Where did Saeko and Aisha go?"

Lei Zhe frowned slightly, casually placed the women's items he had bought on the sofa, looked at Haruna and the Manju, and then looked around. It seemed that only Haruna and the Manju were in the hall.

At this time of day, Raffi usually goes out with Xiaoyou to watch comedy variety shows, but now that there's a new friend in the block world, Raffi needs to get busy.

As a senior ship girl, Laffey also needs to do something for her junior ship girls. Although she is lazy, she is willing to work hard for her comrades, which is what makes Laffey so adorable.

It's normal that Xiao Sheng and Aisha aren't here today; they probably took Aisha somewhere to cultivate.

Elsa's divine power also increased day by day with the help of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

It's normal for the others to be away, but Xiaoyou is the only one who doesn't have much to do. Lei Zhe feels a little uneasy not seeing her usual graceful figure, who is part of the living room.

The feeling of unease is second only to the loss of a family member, such as subconsciously going to his sister's empty room to wake her up when he gets up.

"Saint and Elsa said they went to cultivate, Raffi is still in your little world, and as for the necromancer, she suddenly fell ill."

Haruna was anxious because she couldn't solve Yu's symptoms of high fever and discomfort. After all, Yu was from the underworld, and even human cold medicine wouldn't work for her.

Helpless, she wanted to go find Lei Zhe, but just as she was about to make a move, he returned.

"Xiaoyou is sick!?"

Lei Zhe was somewhat speechless. Generally speaking, someone like Xiao You, who possesses primordial level magic, shouldn't get sick so easily.

However, recalling the matter of Yu, there was indeed a story in the original work about Yu getting sick, but that was because Yu was a person from the underworld and ate the white vein part of an orange.

The fact that the veins of an orange are a deadly poison to people from the underworld is a plot point that even Razer doesn't know how to make fun of.