Author's Note: I'm alive! Sorry I haven't been updating for the past 3 months, those were the last months of school that I had and I finally graduated so it was a bit hectic and couldn't really do much. I finally got this chapter up and I hope to work on more while I'm on vacation. Hope you enjoy
[...] = Ddraig speaking
Chapter 4: Boredom, bets, and more destruction…Good lord
"Asmodeus-sama's substitute? I'm surprised someone important such as him would take time from his busy schedule to watch something like this" Spectra commented
"True, but he said that he did this voluntarily as something like this doesn't come to the Underworld at all, so he took the opportunity to be on leave to watch" Grayfia said
"Is there anyone else important besides the endless list of other nobles we don't give a damn about that will be attending?" Spirit asked this time
"As of the moment, that will be all. I wish you the best of luck in hopes of saving Rias-sama from Riser" Grayfia said
"Will do" they said in unison
"Do you have a plan on beating them?" Rias asked worried
"No worries, besides, I don't plan to make this too long, I have other things to do afterwards" Spectra said
"About how you got here though…" Sona asked in suspicion
"Just found a way here, it took a while for us to convince the guards that we were here for the Rating Game" Spirit said 'And for God's sake, we didn't even have to do anything'
"I see" Sona said not believing a single thing "I guess it's about to start, you'd might as well get ready"
"Well then, we better go, Riser seems like an impatient person" Spectra said
"Good luck, oh and there is something that I need to inform you about" Rias said
"If this is about Riser: His powers consists of that of the legendary immortal bird Phoenix, he can continuously regenerate and can control the elements of wind and fire, as Phenix is just the Devil name for it" Spectra said and Rias was surprised
"You really thought ahead, I'll give you that" Sona commented
"I research on the powers of my enemies, I make sure I can grasp a full advantage against them, even at a disadvantage" He said
"When did you get that idea, when you were waiting for Riser to arrive?" Rias asked
"Yes, and also," Spectra said looking at Spirit with a smile "let's make a bet"
"Wait, what?" Everyone excluding Grayfia and Spirit were surprised, although Grayfia did raise a brow to question this action.
"What are we betting then?" Spirit asked in anticipation and a hidden shiver
"Since Riser has pretty much a full peerage, let's say, whoever can remove more pieces from the game wins" Spectra said
"It's pretty much going to be like a scale; are we counting it by the pieces they're worth or by each person?" Spirit asked
"I'm thinking by person, since there will be nine Queens, with each one being worth nine Pawns each, there would be a total of eighty-one Pawns worth. Plus, with only having two Knights, Rooks, and Bishops, those would make up only twenty-two Pawns worth. I did not leave out Riser of course; his value will be depending on his strength, value of servants, and in comparison of strength" Spectra responded
"Doesn't really matter, just rack up the body count in the takes"
"Why are you even doing this?" Rias asked confused
"Because I love a challenge" He said
"Two on sixteen is quite a challenge, how will you fare it?" Sona asked this time, wanting to know what they'll do
"Like I told Spirit, we're doing a bet, so we'll be in separate ways" He replied
"While you'll be obviously battling against multiple pieces" She pointed out
"That's how we roll"
"Well then if you would like, you can go on right ahead now. The game will be starting" Grayfia said
"Welp, we need to go now. We will see you then; Gremory, Sitri, and their peerages" Spectra said, leaving and followed by Spirit.
"Kaichou" Saji asked out "Have you learned anything about Spirit ever since we saw him on school grounds; or about Spectra ever since Rias-sama mentioned him?"
"None at all, I even went to the archives to research what kind of power he had since his arm is nothing like any human would have" Sona said sighing "What about you Rias, have you found anything on them?"
"Nothing, I could only find those of Riser's and his peerage. But I hope this would be an interesting fight, as pretty much, my destiny is on the line" Rias said with a sigh
"I know how you feel Rias; I remembered what I had to do in order to break up my engagement." Sona said
"Yeah… hey… you wanna challenge them to a chess match after the Rating Game is finished?" Rias asked "I'm putting my money to either of them if they can beat you"
"You're on Rias" Sona said with a grin
"…what just happened to their conversation Saji?" Issei asked confused
"They caught the case of bettism…." Saji said trailing off
"You have your sights set on one of his pieces, don't you?" Spirit asked hiding a frown
"It will help us win this match; after all, this is not just for fun no?" Spectra replied hiding his grin
"Well… I can't help it that we'll be separated during the match; just keep yourself in check okay?" Spirit said
"Yeah, yeah… you're acting like you're my mother again" Spectra sighed
"We all knew what happened that time, and you really should just keep yourself in check at all times, you might even destroy everything in the arena even though it's just a replica" Spirit shrieked
"Understatement of the year" Spectra shrugged it off "There's going to be more than just regular destroying nitwit, now come on, Riser can't wait to lose"
Spirit just sighed "Fine, at lease I won't be left out of the picture"
+Arena, 3rd POV+
All Devils who were watching are at the ballroom area in which it was large enough to house plenty of families from other clans to occupy along with their servants. They were nobles from the lowest to the highest; many have come to see an unusual event in which a human would challenge a Devil. Hey, they think that they know immediately what the outcome is, but they just watched to see the human be humiliated and learn discipline.
Spectra and Spirit's base, is pretty much the Occult Research Club, and Riser's base is the Student Council Room. No explanations needed about what is the replica area, it's Kuoh Academy.
The screen opens up revealing Grayfia as the announcer.
"Hello everyone, I am Grayfia, the maid of the House of Gremory and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating Game between the House of Phenix and the duo of Spectra Ravengale and Spirit Phantom."
"In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping an eye on this match. By using both Riser-sama and Spectra-sama's opinions, to make it easier for both of them, they had decided to use the school in which Rias-sama enters in, Kuoh Academy."
"Riser-sama's base will be the Student Council Room while Spectra's and Spirit's base will be the Occult Research Club clubroom located in the old school building. There would be changes in this match though, as Riser-sama's Pawns will be automatically recognized as Queens in the beginning of the match as per Spectra-sama's request."
The nobles were murmuring in surprise when that was said. They were all thinking that he was crazy enough to do that.
"The use of Phoenix Tears are only restricted to Riser-sama and his peerage as well." Grayfia added
Another round of murmuring came from the nobles
'When will these nobles stop talking about this and can we get this started already?' Spectra thought in annoyance
"With all themes explained for the match, do the players wish to say anything to their opponent?" Grayfia asked
Riser smirked "I hope you're ready to lose, because in the end, I will emerge victorious, and will make you regret ever challenging the might of Phenix" he said cockily
However, Spectra just smiled "Good luck, have fun" he said and everyone was confused
"Why would you wish your opponent good luck, do you really want to lose?" Riser asked narrowing his eyes.
"Is it bad to wish good luck to the other opponent? I'm merely showing sportsmanship" Spectra taunted "Besides," He smirked "you'll need it" and the screen turned off
"Let the Rating Game Begin"
"We'll meet in front of Riser's base, got it?" Spectra started as he turned away
"Understood" Spirit replied going in a different direction
+ Forest Area, Spirit's POV+
The forest was quite an area if I say so myself. Wide open, trees that make up the borders and center of the forest so there can be a perfect place to fight. Now, where are my opponents now?
As soon as I said that, the trees were rustling, there were strong winds stirring up and I can smell a bit of smoke. Flames were around the area causing the trees to light up on fire. The place was getting hot, and it looks like its show time.
"Now this is a nice opening" I exclaimed
The ring of fire became more intense as silhouettes came from the side showing four women. Two of them were a lot like cat twins due to the distinct feature of their cat ears. One of the girls was wearing a maid outfit, and finally, a young girl with a wooden staff came out to play.
'Four of the Pawns that were promoted to Queen first? I guess he underestimates the power boost from the promotion, or he's saving the big ones for later' I thought
When the fire quelled down, the figures stepped out of their hiding spots and made themselves visible. I just raised a brow
"Three brats and a French maid? What kind of peerage does this idiot think he's collecting?"I commented
"Hey, how dare you insult Riser-sama like that!" The twins exclaimed
"We will not allow an insult like that to go unanswered" The maid said
"Allow me to take on this guy, this will show Riser-sama what I'm capable of" The girl with the staff said
"We don't really know what he's capable of Mira; you saw how he destroyed Riser-sama's flames with a shot of his gun." The maid said. Mira's the girl's name huh…. I see…
"No worries Burent, we'll help Mira in killing him." The cat twins exclaimed
"Ni, Li, I understand that, but what do you think he'll do then?" The maid Burent said with a sigh
"I find it weird that you're actually in a disagreement when your master's not around, weird that kids have to be in this mess"
"Hey!" The twins and Mira said in unison
"Enough" Burent said cutting them off "Time to show you that you're messing with the wrong people" she said as she charged with fists intact
"Yay, we can start now!" The twins said charging
"Don't leave me out of this!" Mira said as she started spinning her staff
"Finally, we can get started" I said as I started with a swing of my left arm to block off the attack and grabbed my gun with my right arm.
"Distance yourselves!" Burent said as she and the twins moved away
"Good call" I said and started shooting blue bullets "Better hurry up or you'll…"
"No way!" The twins said as my bullets hit the ground as huge chunks of ice shards formed
"His ability must be to freeze anything, no matter, melt the ice!" Burent said as her hands were coated in fire
"On it!" The twins said as they tried to break through the ice
"Take this!" Mira said as she threw her staff
"Whoops a-daisies!" I said as jumped over the staff and changed the bullet color, now it's gold and I started shooting again
"Move!" Burent said
"Oh no!" The twins said as the bullets hit their mark
"Take"
{Riser's 2 Queens retired} Grayfia announced
"Ni, Li!" Mira yelled
"Mira, cover me!" Burent said charging towards me while I'm in midair
"Oh wow, you're close. But not enough; Tendrils!" I yelled as white tendrils came out and I moved away and went behind her
"Oh no you don't" Mira yelled as she flew up to attempt a preemptive strike
"That's it!" I yelled and moved away from them as they attempted to trap me in a pincer attack
"Ah!" The two yelled as they collided with each other
"I'm sorry ladies, but I best be going now. Take" I said firing off another blue bullet
{Riser's 2 Queens retired} Grayfia announced again
"Welp, I guess I'll move on ahead. Wonder how he's doing" I muttered and moved on ahead to the next area where I would battle more of Riser's peerage members
+Gym building, Spectra's POV+
I heard the announcements, Riser's first wave of his peerage against Spirit has failed and he's moving onto the next area. I didn't really know anything of the battle except for the ring of fire made in the forest, so I suppose that was an easy fight for him.
I went inside the Gym building where I presume there would be some members of his peerage. The Gym was the perfect place to set up an ambush; I really don't have anything to lose so might as well play along.
What was really nice was the place was set on fire. They started a fire attack, well… I'm sorry guys; this is the 21st century, not ancient Japan or China….
"How does it feel being roasted alive?" a voice said and I just rolled my eyes.
"Not much, I've had to survive with heat waves than small singes" I said
"The flames of the Phoenix are unmatched, there is no way you could be handling this" another voice yelled out
"Amaterasu's flames are way stronger than the Phoenix's, or so I have read." I said with a smirk
"How dare you!" There were a total of four voices that were in the building
'Too easy, compare a creature to a god, they rage quit already'
"You're truly overconfident if you think that a four-on-one handicap means you automatically win" I announced "Why don't you show your faces if you're oh-so brave"
The four voiced showed themselves. One was in a maid outfit. Two were obviously twins wearing P.E. attire. The last one looks like a dancer from Arabia. Riser must've traveled all over the world to get them, but alas, they ended up as Pawns….
"Four of the Pawns promoted to Queen first, you must really wish to impress him" I taunted
"Why compare us to a Goddess, we know that she naturally outclasses us" The maid asked
"No shit, I just did that to see your reactions and you clearly fell for it" I said
"This guy's really testing our patience" The Arabian dancer said "I'm going ahead" she said as she charged
"Shuriya, no!" The maid said
"Let her do what she wants, I'll show you what I can do" I prepared bits of electricity on the palm of my hand
"You're too slow!" She said as her fist covered in flame was close to me but I instantly moved away and she was surprised
"H-How!?" She asked in shock, turning to her right, seeing me
"You're the one that's slow" I whispered into her ear "now TAKE" as I released a huge shockwave destroying the whole gym and sending the four girls away
[Riser's 1 Queen Retired] Grayfia said in a surprised tone
+Within the watch room, Rias' POV+
"You felt that?" Sona asked in surprise
"Yeah… that was an incredible amount of energy released" I said shaking a bit
"How was that even possible?" Issei asked in awe
[He's more than a regular human if you ask me] a voice said
"Ddraig, what do you mean?" Issei asked his partner
[He covered up most of his energy to avoid being detected, which is to say I'm impressed; I only felt it when he released it] Ddraig said
"How were you able to notice it earlier though, what kind of energy is this?" I asked, his energy was nothing I've felt before in my entire life; and it scared me to my very core.
[He really must be more involved in the supernatural after all, or maybe that's a whole different understatement] The dragon mused
"Ddraig, please stop messing around and tell us what's really happening" Issei complained
[I'm getting to that. Rias, ever heard of a species known as Nephilim?] Ddraig asked me
"No, why do you ask?"
[Nephilim are superior species, they can outclass the Three Factions. They're a mix of both Angel and Devil blood naturally, rumored to be offspring of the Son of God from the Bible] The Red Dragon Emperor explained
"What makes them so special? There are more of those out there than them?" Saji exclaimed
[Unlike regular born Hybrids, Nephilims are naturally talented all around. They can slack off and still outclass you even in your strongest of forms due to them being blessed by various gods] Ddraig explained sighing
"Do Nephilims have anything to do with the war between the Three Factions or any of the sorts?" Sona asked curious to learn more
[Not at all, they're naturally laid back but willing to do anything just to have some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, before the Great War started, members of the Three Factions try to hire them to do the dirty work; in which that leads to persecution and extinction] He said sadly
"What are you saying; that both Spectra and Spirit might be Nephilim?" I asked
[I'm thinking that Spectra boy might be but I'm unsure about that Spirit fellow, he seems to be something that you would be used to seeing] Ddraig said
"I see… thank you for the information Ddraig, I appreciate it" I said
[No problem but be careful, they can be extremely tricky to be with] Ddraig said and he cut off the link
"Well then… he might be a useful ally; or a huge threat…" I said sighing
"Let's observe them more carefully, Rias" Sona said
+Back to the Arena, Destroyed Gym Area, Spectra's POV+
After taking out that Arabian Dancer Queen, the other three Queens were actually shaking up seeing what I just did. The place a bit of a wreck, the planks from the Gym building were all over stuck on trees burning up due to electricity build up and flames from the fire attack.
They were under trees that were broken in half, covered in wounds. I walked up to them, raising a brow a bit. They looked angry at me, and I was just surprised.
"…I thought you all had Phoenix Tears with you, didn't I restrict their use to your peerage?" I merely asked
"…what?" The three asked in unison
"Oh well, I guess it's my fault for not saying that there's no limit into usage of Phoenix Tears" I sighed
"They did not allow it due to limits into the regular rules of the Rating Game, only 2 each" The maid said
"Good answer" I replied walking away
"Are you running away from a battle?" The twins said in unison
"Who said I was running away from a battle, this round is already decided" I said waving my hand and teleporting away
"What…?" The three said as suddenly, a blast of energy came out from the ground
"Take" I muttered where I was standing, in another area of the arena
[Riser's 3 Queens Retired] Grayfia said in surprise
+Student Council Room, Riser's POV+
I was surprised how it was going. First I split my whole peerage into groups leaving me and Yubelluna to defend the base. They were separated into four squads in different areas in which they would take to get to the base. They consisted of 4 Promoted Pawns for the first wave and one of each Bishop, Rook, and Knight in the second wave.
I really underestimated the two a lot. First off was that Spirit character. I had Burent, Ni and Li, and finally Mira to attack him in the forest. I was watching the battle through my familiar and what was threatening was the gun; the bullets fired off from it can have different abilities which can be a threat to those who are capable of mid range and close range fighters.
The other one, the one who dared to stay in my way: That Spectra. His own prowess shocked me and Yubelluna to the core when we felt the shockwave pass through the whole battlefield; and possibly was felt throughout the whole Underworld. That was surprising…. Until he decided to leave, this left me insulted. But then when he left…the place blew up to bits just like that. I have to be more careful around the both of them.
"Yubelluna, create a barrier dome around the areas in which my second wave would be positioned. I don't know if it would be enough to weaken them but give it a shot. I want both of them to fall on their knees"
"Of course Riser-sama" Yubelluna bowed and left me alone in the room
'Now then… how and when shall I approach this…?' I thought
+Main Ballroom, Schneizel's POV+
I felt the power surge come out of that shockwave… it was incredible truly indeed. I saw the reaction of the people as well; they were horrified that he could just blow 4 promoted Queens away as if they were just Pawns. Something that I should've anticipated
Sirzechs himself was amazed on how Spectra handled the situation easily despite being outnumbered; then again, numbers don't determine everything.
"So Sirzechs-sama, what do you think of them at the moment?" I asked
"Interesting fellows, they are not to be underestimated as Riser has right now" The current Lucifer Maou mused
"If Zero were here, he wound enjoy a new challenge" I smiled
"Haha, agreed. I wonder how he's doing; he must be watching all of this during his leave I guess. We should contract him later" Sirzechs said
"Later, we can describe it to him when we show him the whole video"
"Of course, he would have front row seats in the action" Sirzechs said concentrating now on the battle
'You don't know half of it' I mused in my mind
+Tennis Court, Spirit's POV+
I felt the power surge around the area. I guess he handled them all well and unscathed as always. Then again, why would I worry about him, he can handle himself after all.
I passed through the burnt forest and arrived at the tennis court. It was again another open area. Although it was quite different considering the surroundings as I notice the presence of a barrier.
'So their true Queen set up a barrier around the area since they other Queens were removed. Its aura… it's going to enhance the effects of flame and wind attribute attacks… interesting'
The winds got stronger as the area was being affected by a heat wave. Then a shadow blocked my view from above as it was headed right straight for me. When it was about to hit, I shot a blue bullet on the ground causing massive ice shards to rise up and sending the hammer staggering back. The ice melted in a slower pace than regular ice even though the heat wave was a bit massive itself.
"Impressive, to think Ice could still survive on a heat wave and melt in a lower pace…. This is no ordinary elemental prowess" The girl with the hammer said
"You wield a Zweihander, impressive, that thing is quite difficult to wield" I confirmed
"I accept your praise, now we fight" The girl said now swinging her hammer in a circular motion above her head causing a flame tornado to be whipped up
"Sirirs," a girl in a kimono said from the sidelines "let me assist you" She said holding up her hand revealing a blazing aura surrounding the girl, which is confirmed as Siris, and enhanced her flame tornado
"Thanks Mihae. To those, who dare challenge our master Riser; feel the flames of his wrath!" Siris landed the hammer on the ground and sent flame tornadoes in waves towards me
"Tendrils!" I moved away from the heat tornado wave as fast as I could
"You won't escape!" a woman with a mask appeared from my flank with fists a blazing
"Tch" I blocked the attack with my left arm which made a flash and blasted both of us away
"Now the challenge is getting better" I smiled at this
"We won't allow any letup!" Siris proclaimed and started the second wave of tornadoes
"We will ensure Riser-sama emerges victorious here!" The masked woman said
"Isabella, go!" Mihae said adding a few spells on the ground to make the winds stronger
"On it" Isabella said and her feet were covered in flames and boosted her attacking power
"The competition is heating up a notch" I said loading a red bullet "Let's play fire with fire!" I shot the bullet causing a huge fireball to come out
"That's not going to stop me!" Isabella roared and punched through my fireball splitting it in half
"Watch out Isabella, you're not the only one here" Siris said as she swung her Zweihander to another direction
"We still have the advantage" Mihae said neutralizing the fire that went to her direction
"You people aren't even close" I said reverting my clawed left hand to my normal hand, bought out my second firearm, and started moving in a circular motion in the air
"Two firearms?" The three said in unison, moving away to gain distance
"Sadly for you three I have something special for you all" I changed my bullets to gold color "dodge these" I said as I moved in the air like a machine gun
"Ha, weak!" The three said as they're blocking it, but show signs of struggle
"Kh, how the hell is it still going?" Isabella said
I landed on my feet "Sadly for you, those bullets don't stop until they hit mark, meaning your energy will be drained" I said with a grin
"No way!" They started moving away and the bullets started to follow them in pursuit; bad move
"Welp, too bad for you three I really have a timing to keep, and I don't want to piss of Spectra with that because of you" I said as the bullets were at point blank range on them, I clicked a button on my gun and huge chunks of ice surrounded the three girls, making them immobile
"No way, they're not melting" Siris said as her Zweihander was inside the ice with her, emitting a blazing aura, but the ice didn't melt
"Carbon freezing, it's not affected by heat at all" I said twirling my guns
"Now, take," I said intertwining my arms in an x position and shot to make a shockwave. They were consumed by bright light within the crystals
[Riser's 1 Rook, 1 Knight, and 1 Bishop Retire] Grayfia announced
"Now I need to get myself ready not to laugh, I want to see the look on Riser's face when he gets fooled" I smiled as I put my guns back in my pocket and moved onward
+Open field Area east of Riser's base, Spectra's POV+
I heard the announcements, good; you're ahead, now to get my victim to make a fool out of him.
So Riser ordered his Queen to make a barrier that would enhance the elements of a Phoenix, useful, but can be used as a double-edged sword if someone can use elements that can match with either elements boosted.
Now then, to approach the situation at hand
It was pretty much just the barrier that was up on this section, no traps, no nothing. It was just a simple straightforward approach, perfect; no need for anything tricky or whatnot at the moment.
"I am Karlamine, Knight of Riser Phenix. Let us have a duel of swords opponent!" The woman who was standing in the center of the area proclaimed proudly
"I'm glad I actually found someone who doesn't use traps and just straight up challenges me" I said jumping down from a tree branch
"Shall we have a duel of swords?" Karlamine said holding out her flame sword
"Sounds fun, I accept" I said summoning out my lightning sword from the sky (Imagine the Sword of Akasha in a handheld version, with lightning being emitted)
"I'm surprised, I would have thought that your partner is the one that can wield weapons while you use magic" Karmaline said in surprise
"When you have a partner that's faster than a machine gun naturally because he exercises too much, he'll eventually need a partner to spar with." I said calmly and charged
"Very well then, En Garde!" Karmaline said powering up her sword with a blaze
"Xuelan, let's go!" A voice said from the bushes
"Yes Ravel-sama!" The Chinese Rook and Tsundere sister came out of their hiding spot. Ravel started burning the area around everyone's feet and Xuelan just went into smashing the ground with her legs
"Oh come on, would you think I'd fall for such an easy trick" I disappeared and gained some distance, causing winds to blow away the flames that were lit up on the ground
"Take this" Ravel said producing a beam of flames heading straight towards me
"Those flames are weak" I said blocking it off with a purple wind surrounding my sword (Remember when Galahad used his sword against Xingke in R2)
"You'll pay for embarrassing me in front of Riser-sama yesterday" Xuelan said as she punches me, which I blocked, then followed up by a fury of kicks like what Chung-Li does in Street Fighters. You really are a copycat.
"Nah, you're still too slow" I said catching her by the ankle and throwing her down on the ground; as I heard a bone crack, she was consumed by light
"Riser-sama…" was what she said
{Riser's 1 Rook Retired} Grayfia announced
"Xuelan!" Ravel and Karmaline said
"You two are next" I said as I went for Karmaline
"Karmaline!" Ravel yelled
"I won't break that easily" Karmaline said holding up her sword to block mine
"Keep him there" Ravel said shooting another blast of flames
"Out of the way" I said emitting a lightning aura, causing the flames to be blocked and knocking back Karmeline
"He's good…." Karmaline said panting a bit
"Karmaline, catch!" Ravel said throwing her a bottle of Phoenix tears
"Got it" Karmaline said opening it and her wounds healed instantly
'Well then, that's 1 Phoenix Tear down. The other one should be with Riser's Queen…' I thought as suddenly, bomb magic rained down from above straight towards me
"Take" Yubelluna said
"Yubelluna!" Ravel and Karmaline said in unison
"He was easier than I thought. He was a fool challenging us" Yubelluna said floating down to where Ravel and Karmaline were
"Well… we did have a hard time battling him at the moment before you interfered…" Karmaline said trailing off
"It doesn't matter, he's gone for now. We have to move on and defeat his partner" Ravel said
"You know, you're either stupid or deaf as you never really heard of the announcement of me retiring from the game" I said from the smoke cloud
"What?" The three said in shock, as I gave them a shocking response.
I shot electricity up in the air causing the barrier to break. Then I snapped my fingers causing the weather to change from a heat wave to a storm. They were surprised that the barrier broke easily, especially Yubelluna. The expression on her face was priceless
"Before you celebrate, check if the person is actually dead" I deadpanned
"How did you break my barrier so easily?!" Yubelluna sneered in rage
"It wasn't that hard to be honest, I actually thought I needed more power to break it but never mind." I said calmly
"Why you…!" Yubelluna got upset as she attacked me head on
"Wrong choice" I made a magic circle on my hand, which surprised Ravel, Yubelluna, and Karmaline; and summoned a stream of lightning, hitting jackpot when it hit her face
"Take" I said and she was consumed by light
[Riser's 1Queen Retired] Grayfia announced
"Yubelluna!" Ravel and Karmaline said in shock
"Well then…" I said turning around to them "what shall I do with the both of you…?" I said smirking a bit
"You won't harm mildady!" Karmaline said standing up in front of Ravel
"I don't need people who would hinder my advance" I said as I knocked out Karmaline by hitting a pressure point on her neck and she passed out without retiring from the game
"Karmaline! You…!" Ravel said pissed and charged
"Why don't you knock yourself out first?" I said raising my hair from my covered eye and activated my powers
Ravel's eyes shook open as my power took effect. There were red rings on her eyes and stopped on her tracks. She landed on her knees and lied down to pretend to be knocked out
"That will do now" I said "Now to meet up with Riser" I said as I transformed myself into Ravel Phenix
"I hope Onii-sama will forgive me for what I'll do" I giggled and used my wings to get to my dear 'Riser-onii sama'
+Riser's base, Spirit's POV+
The Queen was defeated and the barrier was destroyed, Riser's gonna be pissed as hell about this. I hope he noticed Ravel is still in the game…
Riser was on the roof looking pissed as hell right now. He was fuming with steam flowing out through his ears. He noticed me immediately and started throwing flames at me
"You damn assholes, why the fucking hell do you have to barge in on other people's business!?" He yelled
"Why blame us, Rias was never involved in this so we simply decided to help her out" I said shooting blue bullets and destroying the incoming flames
"She is the reason why we're doing the Rating Game you dimwit, get that through your brain" Riser yelled shooting another barrage
"She was never consulted about this, and if anything she refused. Why blame it all on her when you never asked her for her opinion? Get that through your damn skull" I said shielding myself from the flames
"Why ask her for her damn opinion, it would benefit us Devils if we were to join together in marriage" Riser yelled as he released more flames around, causing destruction to the area
"This marriage might prove a nuisance than a beneficial" I said deflecting the stray blasts of energy
"What the hell do you know about marriages and politics? I bet you're inexperienced" He mocked as he sent a boosted blast against me
"Uh, I have more common sense that you?" I taunted and that pissed him off
"That's it! You're in for it!" He yelled and shot a Phoenix-leveled flame against me, which might hurt
'Come on, any moment now…' I thought
"Onii-sama!" a voice yelled out
"Ravel? You're okay, how did you escape him and where's Karmaline?" Riser asked 'Ravel'
"I managed to escape and Karmaline is currently holding him off. We should take him out before he could get Karmaline out of the game so we can work together and outnumber him" Ravel said
"Yes," Riser said turning to me "your head will make a nice addition to the people I have defeated, those who stood away of my ambition" He said with a messed up look on his face
"Oh my… Onii-sama…" Ravel said sighing. Yep, he's not enjoying this at all
"Ravel, support me" he said charging already
"Of course, Onii-sama" Ravel said as she summons flames that boosted his flames
"Let us resume what we were doing shall we?" I said gun locked and loaded
"You'll pay for insulting me you damn brat, and that Spectra bitch will also pay for everything for setting me up with this useless duel" He said and I noticed Ravel's eye twitch
"So what, you're just a wuss that can't beat two people in a one-sided handicap in your favor?" I said
"No I'm not, it seemed that I have just underestimated you two quite a bit" Ravel just facepalmed at this
"Are you really just an idiot now that you're admitting that we're stronger?" I asked in disappointment
"No I'm not!" Riser sneered and began to charge again only to be stopped by electric chains
"No way!" Riser said as he struggled with the chains
"You know what Riser, I've had enough of your bullshit" 'Ravel' said sounding weird
"The hell, then who are you suppose to be then?" He said demanding answers when there was a rustle of grass on the side
"You really do have the brains of a bird… how embarrassing for you" 'Ravel' said in a pitiful tone
"What the hell are you doing Ravel, you're suppose to be helping me" Riser snarled
"And helping I am" 'Ravel' said "if anyhow, you should know if I am your real sister or not"
"I only have one sister and that's you" Riser said
"You should tell that to her then" 'Ravel' said pointing to the rustling grass revealing Ravel and Karmaline
"Two Ravels?" Riser said in surprise
"That was fast, oh well" Ravel said as she charged at the other Ravel
"Ravel-sama!" Karmaline said as the two Ravels faced each other
"I don't believe it…did you have something to do with this!?" Riser yelled at me
"Maaybe…." I said sarcastically
"The hell… which one is the real Ravel?" Riser asked
"I'm the real Ravel!" Both said in unison as I just laugh at this in my head
"This might prove a problem" Karmaline said and I merely just nodded to the both of them
"I guess… if possible, why don't we ask them questions. The one who answers them all correctly is the real Ravel" I said
"Why are you even helping us when he planned this all out?" Riser asked, no demanded
"Maybe it's because it's a game that he actually wanted to play?" I said dumbly
"You're not bloody involved in this and you don't know anything about this?" He said again
"I admit he's a bit of a bastard, but that's how he entertains himself. And at the end of the day, both of us just enjoy ourselves" I said
"Fine, let's get this over with so I can continue kicking your ass" Riser said as he stood up
"I was holding my own against you well anyway" I said smirking
"Why don't you shut up before I burn you to a crisp" He said
"I can freeze you in carbon and I might decide to drop you in the frozen glaciers of the Netherealm alive so you can drown, die, resurrect, repeat." I retorted back and saw Karmaline and both Ravels with wide eyes.
"Damn… what is wrong with you?" Riser asked
"Bored of your babbling" I said and went ahead to the open forest area followed by the three.
+Forest Area+
While we were heading for an area to resolve this damn issue, both Ravels have been arguing against each other nonstop. Karmaline was worrying about both of their well beings for well... both being Ravel. Riser was having a headache because of knowing his sister is like that.
"Well then, how would you like to start out: ask them questions or test their abilities?" I asked
"This would be difficult; I guess we can start by asking why she was added into my peerage?" Riser asked
"Easy, you added me to the peerage because I would be the Tsundere of the group and the little sister of the leader" Both Ravels answered in unison
"Welp…." I said "this might take a while"
"No shit Sherlock" Riser huffed
"Second question?" Karmaline asked
"Not in the mood for questioning though, I want to just get this over with by testing their abilities" I said
"Although I really would take this slowly and figure this out, there's a time limit and no time for caution." Riser said
"So are you suggesting we fight both of them?" Karmeline asked
"Why not, plus it would just lure out the fake one or the real one depending on who loses first" I said
"50/50 chance on finding out who would be the real or fake… it's a risk but we might not have any else choice Riser-sama" Karmaline said
"Maybe… but this might not work well and something may well just happen." Riser said shooking his head
"It's your choice… because as of the moment ever since and still is… we're being watched" I said
"I guess… let's begin then. Ravel! Don't hold back!" Riser said
"Yes Onii-sama!" Both Ravels said, glared at each other, and charged at Riser and Karmaline
"Damn… no popcorn…" I muttered
It's weird how Riser's own peerage was battling each other while I was in the sidelines. One Ravel was battling Riser and the other one was battling Karmaline. The one battling Karmaline was looking at her straightforward without hesitation, and was flaring up the place and making it sizzle. The other Ravel was dodging through all of Riser's attacks and was able to do little to no damage thou. It was hard to say which one was which for them seeing as they are fighting as how they expected the real one would be.
"Both of them are holding out… was Ravel really that strong?" Riser asked in surprise
"Just because I'm your little sister, doesn't mean I can't hold out against my own" Ravel said
"Impressive Ravel-sama… you've been doing well" Karmaline complimented
"All the fruits of my training show, Karmaline. Of course I do well" Ravel said
That went for like 30 minutes until both parties were showing exhaustion except for the Ravel Riser was battling. Karmaline and the Ravel she was battling were on the ground panting heavily. I stood up and checked on Riser after my nap
"Wow… you're being bought down by your own sister. That's unimpressive" I said yawning
"Shut up…" Riser said panting
"Ravel and Karmaline are also exhausted" I said looking at them
"Does that mean we're done?" The Ravel with Riser said
"Sure, we can just finish it now" I said walking towards Ravel and Karmaline
"What the hell do you mean?" Riser said trying to stand up
"Finishing up the job" I said pulling out my pistols and aimed at both Karmaline and Ravel
"No way… wait!" Karmaline said standing up and drawing her sword but was too late as I fired a red and blue bullet and caused a huge dust cloud to appear and spread out the whole area. Riser was coughing and looked to where Ravel and Karmaline were.
[Riser's 1 Knight and 1 Bishop retired] Grayfia said
Finally, he heard what happened… I knew he was in shock even though I couldn't see due to the thickness of the dust cloud. When the cloud was almost dispersed, Riser was for some reason standing still as if he was being held as hostage. But then, there was a gust of wind that was summoned and completely blew away the cloud and it revealed:
Spectra having Riser's neck on blade range ready to cut his neck in half.
"Finally… being in that form was way out of my likings and is not my way of infiltrating…" Spectra said with a sigh
"You…!" Riser looked at him but the blade just went closer to his face
"Before you get more pissed off, yes, I knew which one was the real Ravel in the very beginning" I said
"Why go through the trouble of helping us find the real one then… don't tell me…!" Riser said with realizing eyes
"Yes" Spectra said "we did all of that just to show what humans are actually capable of with the use of the correct equipment and skill. We were able to humiliate you in front of the whole Devil population that you fell for petty trickery so easily and took an opponent's advice. It goes to show how much of a dumbass and naïve person you are"
"And in the end…I'm shamed in the outcome…" Riser said looking down
"I can give you a choice, surrender or fight; in the end… you're insulted anyway" Spectra said
"I…" Riser said standing up slowly
"Will stand up to the end!" Riser yelled throwing fire onto the ground causing it to erupt and forcing me and Spectra to guard
"Not the end yet; fine with me, a short battle is a boring one anyway" Spectra said
"Split up or we'll search?" I asked
"We'll find him together. No point stalling this whole thing out" He said leading the way and sheathing his sword
+Waiting Area, Rias' POV+
This went incredibly different than we were expecting. At first, we thought that Spectra would just straight up get Riser after taking out Ravel and Karmaline, but then this happened.
There were cameras set all over the arena for all of everyone to check what was happening and to ensure no one was cheating, but for some reason they found a way to bypass the security while being in an open area. The feed was cut off when Spectra was able to knock down Ravel and Karmaline.
"To think he would take advantage of mere imagery and fool them into such a low sense of security. The question is, how was he able to do that" Sona said
"Illusion magic is nothing new to us but this is in a whole different level as if their field of vision will be altered; as if they are under someone's control" She continued
"Under control…" I muttered and it came back to me "when he was battling against the Fallen Angels and the Priest, he was able to make them say what were their plans and their location… I wonder if there's anything related to what happened right now."
"A spell capable of such a thing… it might be used as a double-edged sword… there must be something that he has to do to keep in under control" Sona concluded
"Impressive as always Sona, this might be a step closer into figuring out what they are and what they are doing here" I said though I feel like I'm betraying them
"There are things I would like to know than just their powers; their weapons show exceptional skill and power to that and the way they wield it" She said
"Although it's near the end, Riser might pull something unexpected out" I said sadly
+Back to the Arena, 3rd POV+
"Riser may not be a fool like we think he is, but he's definitely stalling out the whole thing" Spirit said
"Sadly I feel like there's more than the three of us in the arena" Spectra said moving the vines away
"How is this part of Kuoh Academy again?" He asked
"No idea, but I think we're closed since I smelled burned stuff" Spectra said going on ahead
The place was pretty much burning up and Riser was in the middle of it. He looked down as if he was planning something crazy and fucked up.
"Well then… I see you managed to catch up to me" Riser said in a low tone
"You pretty sent out smoke signals, you were easy to track down" Spirit said
"It's weird…." He said turning around "I was desperate to find a way to defeat you and something just showed up…" He looked at them like a madman
"Well then, why don't you show us what you got?" Spirit asked raising his gun and Spectra looked at Riser with caution
Suddenly a blast of energy came out from Riser and it surprised the both of them a bit as to how it was different from his usual energy. It was more ominous and that there was another presence inside it. Within that same moment, a huge sphere engulfed the three of them and they disappeared from sight
"What is this…?" Spirit muttered
"This energy…it feels so familiar" Spectra said narrowing his eyes to Riser
"Feel the wrath of my newfound power!" Riser yelled as he struck out his hand and blew a blast of brighter flames
"You can't block it!" Spectra yelled pushing Spirit away and out of the sphere
"Damn" Spirit said striking the sphere but couldn't get in "what happened to the bastard anyway, at one point we were in pursuit and now this happens"
"You're lucky that the sphere prevents anyone else from coming inside once you're out" Spectra started "no one but me knows that you gained power from someone"
"Yes, yes" Riser said "to think it would come here and grant power cause of boredom; it wanted to make the beginning of the game to be interesting for you!" Riser said revealing the symbol of what he meant
'So…you miss me that much? I'm flattered' "Surprising on how I'm talking to you right now, I'll speak with you later once this part of the game is over" Spectra said
"Of course, now finish off this bastard, he smells like roasted meat. You know what to do from now on" Riser said as he returned back into his senses
"Wha-what the hell are we doing…where's the arena?" Riser asked confused
"We're in the arena, just separated from it" Spectra replied calmly
"How the hell do we get out?" He asked angrily
"Easy" Spectra said drawing his sword
"I don't like this" Riser muttered
"Of course, let me just end this already" Spectra said as he jumped and broke the barrier shell
"Whoa, what the fuck" Spirit, who was outside resting a bit under the tree, was surprised at the sudden burst of energy
"Dammit, where did he go?" Riser said looking around as he looked at Spirit, who pointed up
Suddenly Spectra landed behind him and said "checkmate" as he slashed through Riser with ease
[Riser Phenix has retired; Spectra Ravengale and Spirit Phantom are the winners] Grayfia announced
"We're done" Spectra said putting away his sword
"By the way, you have some explaining to do to me" Spirit said
"Yeah, yeah I'll fill you in later" Spectra said as the duo went into the VIP room to meet up with Rias and the others
+Main Area 30 minutes later after the other Devils has left+
"Let's give a round of applause to the victors of this Rating Game: Spectra Ravengale and Spirit Phantom" Sirzechs declared and everyone present was happy
"Thank you very much, now I don't have to deal with that Riser anymore about the engagement" Rias said happily and with tears in her eyes
"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't cry, not especially in front of your brother" Spectra commented, Rias blushed a bit and everyone laughed a bit
"It's an honor to be in everyone's presence. Sadly I have to go now" Spectra said putting down his glass
"Why, is it anything concerning about what happened to Riser earlier?" Spirit asked
"Sadly yeah, I'll look into it. No one else but me saw what happened to him and it's a serious matter" He replied
"Why don't we help you out, in helping Rias break his engagement from Riser, I owe you" Sirzechs said
"No worries, I feel like it would become a personal matter soon enough but thank you for the suggestion" Spectra said turning towards the exit
"I'll be you-know where if you need me, for now just enjoy yourself okay?" Spectra said disappearing in a flash of light
"Is it a bad problem?" Rias asked Spirit
"I don't know; he pushed me out of that sphere for a reason…" He said trailing off 'maybe it's about that'
"Whatever it is, I hope we can help out" Issei said surprisingly "cause Bucchou would be sad if someone who helped her out in a pinch is in trouble as well"
"This is the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess' way of thoughts" He said chuckling a bit "I'm glad we found someone whom we deemed worthy for our services"
"I know he said that we have a contract" Rias said "but will there be more to it?"
"I guess so, only time will tell" Spirit said with a sigh as he sipped his drink and relaxed a bit with the others
+A Park in the Human World, Lelouch's POV+
I'm not surprised what happened, I know we would win the Rating Game no matter what happened but the thing that stood out was what happened to Riser after he fled from us. There must be something that lured him to that precise location and I'm going to find out why now.
It's around 1 in the morning while I'm just walking around the park just to clear my mind and solve this; it's annoying as hell if you can't simply think while everyone is there wallowing on the thought what you have when you're suppose to party and celebrate after a glorious victory. Sadly, I'm not that kind of person.
I took a seat on the bench alongside the fountain and read a book a bit; waiting for him is one of the things I learned to get used to before. Why did she even bother going through the trouble of getting to the rating game when he can contact me easily is not really not worth my time questioning.
"Lelouch, it's been a while" a voice called out from the distance
The voice was no stranger to me, I heard of it ever since that day…
"You as well, how has the Khaos Brigade been without me, Infinite?"
Author's Note: Okay, so how was the chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me. Rate/Review/Follow/Favorite. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.