Hi Kage no Kenshi here. I'm finally done with the chapter. A lot of it is based of the anime and light novel, so it will sound familiar. However, I did add in a few twists and the point of view changes often in this chapter. I hope you all like this chapter.
Chapter 4: A Princess' [Rating Game]
Rias Gremory was worried. She had spent the last ten days training her peerage for the [Rating Game] with Riser. She wanted to win. She needed to win. Otherwise, she would have to marry Riser, something that she did not take comfort in.
It all started when her irritating fiancé, Riser Phenex, had the audacity to enter her clubroom without permission. Then, he demanded that she marry him immediately, leading to the argument between them. She was reaching the limit of her patience when Issei suddenly entered the room. She looked at him in relief, before noticing the cake in his hands. He stood there for a few seconds before closing the door and moving to the window. He sat down, saying "Don't worry about me. Just pretend that I'm not here." He then picked up his fork and began to eat his slice of cake.
Rias sighed internally, as she knew Riser would not be able to stand being unacknowledged and disrespected. As she expected, he told her to teach her servant some manners. Rias only replied that Issei wasn't her servant, but a friend. After a failed attempt to have Issei show some manners, the topic was eventually led back to their engagement.
Rias kept arguing with Riser about their engagement when he grabbed her hand. She was so annoyed that she stood up and raised her free hand, only for a ball of red and black to appear in her hands. Riser stood as well and a ball of flames appeared in his hand. Before they could attack each other, Grayfia interrupted them. She offered to hold a [Rating Game] between them. Riser immediately agreed, while Rias thought about it. She knew it was the only way to get out of the engagement, so she nodded her head in agreement.
After seeing her nod, Riser boasted about his previous wins and summoned his servants, a peerage consisting of only girls. She saw him kiss one of the girls and felt disgusted towards him, when Issei suddenly said "Pathetic." She turned her head towards him. He hadn't said a word since he sat down, making her forget he was in the room in the first place.
Riser broke off the kiss and said, "Excuse me?" Issei put down the plate, stood up, and brushed off his clothes. He looked at Riser and mocked him. "I apologize. I wasn't referring to you. But hey, you're still pathetic." Riser's face reddened in anger and said, "Mira."
Rias was smiling internally while Issei mocked Riser, only for her to fear for Issei when one of Riser's servants attacked Issei. She watched the girl jump towards Issei and aim her staff towards Issei, who just stood there. Her fear increased, only to remember the fight with Stray Devil. She watched as he lifted his finger and collide with the end of the staff.
Crack!
Rias watched as the staff cracked and shattered into pieces. She looked at Issei in amazement and relief when she saw him flick the girl away with one finger, flying back into the rest of Riser's Peerage.
Rias watched Riser redden even further, if that was possible, and attempt to salvage his pride. "So you defeated Mira. She was the weakest of my servants. You wouldn't last a second against my [Queen]!"
Issei challenged Riser. "Would you like to test that?" Rias sighed before Grayfia stepped in, interrupting them. "I'm afraid that if this quarrel does not end immediately, then I will be forced to step in." Issei just shrugged and backed down, returning to his seat on the windowsill. Riser grit his teeth but backed down as well. He turned to Rias. "I shall give you ten days to prepare. Not that it would change anything." He teleported himself and his peerage out of the room. Grayfia and Issei left soon after.
It was the night of the tenth day that Riser had given Rias to prepare. The [Rating Game] would be tomorrow. She spent the past few days training each her servants, so they could hold their own against Riser's peerage. She made them carry their own luggage up the mountain to their training area. She had them spar every day to increase their stamina and strength. She had Akeno strengthen Asia's magic, just in case.
Rias was worried.
She had trained her peerage to the best of her ability, but she feared that she would not win the [Rating Game]. After all, of the ten [Rating Games] Riser played, he only lost two. And those were only to show respect to his opponent.
It wasn't the peerage she feared. They were strong, but with her new training, her servants should be able to beat them. It was Riser and his immortality. As a son of the Phenex House, he gained their most recognized traits: control over fire and wind and immortality. He could heal almost any wound he received within seconds.
She determined that there were only two ways she could him: use a god-like power and attack him on one shot or break his mind and force him to give up. She didn't have anyone powerful enough in her peerage to do the first option, so she had to do the second.
Creak.
Rias looked up from her thoughts to see Akeno in the doorway. Akeno smiled and said, "I had a feeling you'd be up right now. Worrying about tomorrow?" Rias nodded in response. "You know me too well, Akeno. But as expected as my [Queen]."
Akeno sat down next to Rias. "We'll win tomorrow. We'll free you from that bastard."
On 11:59PM, Rias and her peerage were patiently waiting in the clubroom for the [Rating Game] to start. Everyone looked nervous, since this was their first [Rating Game]. But they looked determined, as they wanted to save Rias from her fate.
The clock struck 12:00 and a magic circle appeared on the floor of the room. A flash of light appeared and they were transported to…the clubroom?
After a few seconds, everyone heard an announcement.
{Hello, everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and today, I will be the arbiter of the [Rating Game] between the House of Gremory and the House of Phoenix.}
It was Grayfia's voice.
{In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match. Using both Rias-sama and Riser-sama's opinion, we created this battlefield which is a replica of the school, Kuoh Academy, which Rias-sama attends in the human world. The location where both teams were transported will be their "base". Rias-sama's "base" will be the Occult Research Club's clubroom located in the Old School Building. Riser-sama's "base" will be the Student Council's Room located in the New School Building. For the [Pawns] to use "promotion", please head to the enemy's base.}
Rias knew she would be at a severe disadvantage if Riser's [Pawns] reached the Old School Building. So she planned accordingly.
{The [Rating Game] will now commence. The game starts now.}
"We must get rid of Riser's [Pawns]. They will become a big problem if they are [Promoted] to [Queens]."
Kiba brought a map of the school to Rias and places it on the table in front of her. Rias studied the map carefully.
"Since the forest is near us, I assume it's part of our territory. That means that the New School Building is Riser's territory. There will be a great chance that they will ambush us if we enter. The field can be seen from the New School Building, so it will be dangerous crossing that. Therefore, the best path is through the Gym, but they will expect that." Rias smiled. "So, let's give them what they want."
Koneko walked through the back door of the Gym. She walked as silently as possible, trying to sneak up on any of the enemy. However, her plan failed.
"We know you're there, servant of Gremory! We saw you coming inside." The sound of a woman echoed throughout the room. Koneko stepped from the shadows and analyzed the enemies.
There were four women standing in front of her. The one on the right was wearing a navy blue qipao. '[Rook]' Koneko thought. On the left was the [Pawn] who attacked Issei, holding a new staff. And between them, were twins holding chainsaws. '[Pawns]'
Koneko rushed forwards and struck the [Pawn] holding the staff. The [Rook] grabbed the staff with her left hand and punched the girl in the stomach with her right, sending the girl flying. Koneko slammed the staff against her knee and threw the pieces behind her, focusing on the remaining three opponents.
The two remaining [Pawns], Ile and Nel, were surprised at Mira's fast defeat. They pulled out their chainsaws and charged towards the girl, who had just broken Mira's staff, while Xuelan strategically waited for the opposing [Rook] to be worn down. Koneko narrowly dodged each swing of the chainsaws, looking for an opening. Koneko suddenly jumped into the air, and landed into front of a column several feet away from the twins. She grabbed the column and pulled, causing cracks to appear on the top and bottom of the support. With one final pull, she pulled the column from between the ceiling and the floor. She threw the column at the chainsaw-wielding twins.
The twins looked at the [Rook] in surprise, not realizing her plan until too late. They raised their chainsaws to try and cut the column, but the column slammed against them sending them back into the wall.
Koneko ran towards Xuelan, only to see a flaming foot in her face. Koneko flew back several feet and landed on her feet. She wiped the blood that was slowly dripping from her mouth. Seeing the opening, Xuelan ran towards Koneko and kicked with her right foot. Koneko stepped back, narrowly the attack. Xuelan then stepped forward several times, kicking with every step. Koneko merely backed up with each kick.
Xuelan, gritting her teeth in anger, started to punch. She sent a flaming left hook, with an immediate right hook. Koneko ducked under each swing. Xuelan bent down and sent her left leg up, surprising Koneko and nearly ripping her clothes in half.
Kiba quickly ran through the forest. He was ordered by Rias to set traps there and lead a few of Riser's peerage through there. He was currently navigating through the thick fog, deep in the forest, with three of Riser's [Pawns] behind him. As he went deeper into the forest, he activated several minor traps he had set up previously, forcing them to dodge the attacks and delay their assault. He smiled, knowing that soon, Riser would have three less [Pawns].
He ran into a clearing in the forest and turned to his opponents, who had just landed a few feet from him. A flash of red appeared and a red energy barrier surrounded the four.
Koneko looked down at her ripped clothes. She blushed and growled in anger. Xuelan ran forward and kicked Koneko in the chest, who grabbed her leg with both hands. With one hand, Koneko pulled the [Rook] to her, punching Xuelan with her other hand. Xuelan was sent back.
Xuelan's wiped her mouth with the back of her mouth. She looked at Koneko and said, "Not bad-"
Koneko, seeing the opening, rushed forward and tackled the [Rook] in the chest with her shoulder. The air in Xuelan's lungs was knocked out and she fell to the ground.
"Koneko. How is the situation?" Rias asked Koneko through the ear pieces they received before the [Rating Game] started.
"Three [Pawns] and one [Rook] have been taken care of."
"I'm glad to hear that. Akeno is ready to make her move now. Please continue with the plan."
"Understood." Koneko headed for the door of the gym.
Xuelan's yelled out. "Are you running away? The match hasn't been decided yet! You're abandoning this strategic location?!"
As Koneko left the building, a lightning bolt struck the gym, obliterating it and its inhabitants.
"Take." Koneko looked up to see Akeno in her shrine maiden outfit, flying in the air.
{Riser-sama's three [Pawns] and one [Rook], retired.}
Sensing danger, Koneko jumped from her spot, just in time to see the ground where she stood seconds before explode. She looked up, to see Riser's [Queen] flying.
"Tch. I failed." Riser's [Queen] sighed in annoyance.
"Koneko!" The [Rook] looked at Akeno, who had called her name. "Go! I'll deal with her!"
"Hai." Koneko quickly ran to accomplish her job.
"I wanted to fight you someday, Priestess of Thunder." Riser's [Queen] said.
"Ara, I'm quite honored," Akeno replied. "Bomb Queen."
Koneko was running away from the fight when she heard an announcement.
{Riser-sama's three [Pawns], retired.}
Koneko kept running until her arm was grabbed and was pulled into a dark room. She looked at the person who grabbed her arm to see Kiba.
"Yo, Koneko."
"Yuuto-senpai. Was that you?"
"It was all thanks to Akeno. With the [Pawns] trapped, it was easy to defeat them."
Rias interrupted them. "Yuuto, Koneko, can you hear me? Asia and I will launch a surprise attack on their main base, so make sure you distract as many enemies as possible to buy us some time."
"Buchou, are you sure?" Kiba asked with concern.
"I don't have any other choice. Originally, we were to wait for Akeno to destroy each building individually, but that will no longer work, now that he's brought out his [Queen].
"But, Buchou! It's too risky for a [King] to leave the base!" Kiba tried to Rias.
"The enemy must be thinking the same thing. That's what I'm going for. A Phenex's body is immortal, but its mind is not. If I deliver an attack strong enough to break his spirit, I can win."
Suddenly a loud voice was in the air. "I'm Karlamine, Riser-sama's [Knight]. [Knight] of Gremory, I challenge you!
Kiba stood up and stepped out of the room. "Since she introduced herself, I can't hide myself both as a [Knight] and as a swordsman." Koneko followed him.
"I'm the [Knight] of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuuto."
"Toujou, Koneko. [Rook]."
"You must out of your mind to come at me directly." She pulled out her sword. The blade suddenly caught on fire. "However, I love idiots like you two! Now then, let's begin!"
Kiba stepped forward and summoned his sword with his Sacred Gear, Sword Birth. The two [Knights] rushed at each other.
As Kiba fought with Karlamine, Koneko found herself surrounded by several girls. She looked around, inspecting each member, and determining their trait. The one with the sword was obviously a [Knight]. The woman with the mask on the right side of her face was most likely a [Rook]. The two cat girls were probably [Pawns]. The one in the kimono was a [Bishop], probably the blonde girl in the pink dress as well. For some reason, Koneko felt aggravated when she looked at the blonde girl.
The blonde [Bishop] with large drill-like curls in her hair spoke. "All Karlamine thinks about is swords, swords and swords. Karlamine was making a bitter face when the [Pawns] were being sacrificed, so does she hate the battle strategy planned by her Master who happens to be her [King]? Then, just when I thought I found a cute boy, he also happens to be a sword freak."
Koneko starred at the [Bishop], her fists, in front of her, ready to fight.
The [Bishop] only responded, "I'm not going to fight. Isabella, why don't you be his opponent?"
The [Rook] mentioned stepped forward. "Hai, ojou-sama." Koneko's eyes widened in surprise. 'Ojou-sama? Then she must be a Phenex.' The [Rook] introduced herself. "I am Isabella, Riser-sama's [Rook]."
Koneko rushed forward.
FIZZ! BOOM!
Yubelluna fell to the ground, her magic exhausted and her body heavily wounded. She looked up to see an equally exhausted and wounded Akeno.
"You are indeed a formidable opponent, Priestess of Thunder." The fallen [Queen] smiled. "But your magic has been depleted."
"Worry not. I'll recover after a short rest."
"Heh. I'm sure if you'll have time to rest." Yubelluna pulled out a small vial.
Akeno's eyes widen in surprise. Yubelluna smirked. "You fell for it."
Rias and Asia stepped out of the Old School Building. They quietly crawled behind the bushes, to avoid any of the enemies. For a few seconds, Rias peeked over the bushes, seeing Kiba and Koneko keep the remaining members of Riser's peerage busy.
Rias continued on moving with Asia, until she reached the New School Building. She opened the glass doors. A voice permeated through the air.
"I've been waiting for you." Rias looked up to see Riser. "Rias, my love."
Kiba and Karlamine continued to clash swords.
CLASH! Kiba's blade suddenly shattered.
Kiba cried out, "My Holy Eraser!"
Karlamine smiled. "That attack doesn't work on me."
"Then about this? Freeze." Ice sprung from the hilt in Kiba's hand. The ice shattered, revealing a new blade.
"Damn you! You have two Sacred Gears?" Karlamine charged forward. She gasped when her sword froze and then shattered a moment later. "It's no matter! We, the proud members of the Phenex family, control wind, fire, and life!" She pulled out a knife from her back, which quickly surrounded itself with fire and wind. "You lose!" She struck her knife against the sword, shattering it.
Kiba smiled. A new blade materialized out of the hilt in Kiba's hand. Karlamine gasped in surprise. A black void appeared in the blade, drawing in the wind and flames from the knife.
"How many Sacred Gears do you have?!"
Kiba responded. "I don't have multiple Sacred Gears. I'm just making them. I make magic swords with my Sword Birth. In other words, I can make as many magic swords as I want." Kiba squatted on the ground, putting his free hand flat on the ground. A magic circle appeared on the ground and grew in size. Swords shot out of the ground. Karlamine jumped, narrowly avoiding the impaling blades.
Karlamine landed on the ground, several yards from Kiba. She smiled and motioned him to come to her. Kiba obliged, rushing at her with his sword. As he neared her, he swung his sword. He didn't see another sword appearing his sword's path. A loud clang rang out, momentarily shocking Kiba. He looked at the sword's wielder, a tall woman with long black hair tied into five ponytails.
The sword-wielding girl spoke. "You took too long, Karlamine."
"At least I completed my mission, Siris." Karlamine turned to Kiba and smiled. "As much I wanted to have a one-on-one match, I was ordered by Riser-sama to have you surrounded and defeated quickly."
Kiba heard a voice behind him. "Yuuto-senpai." He turned to see Koneko and himself surrounded by all of Riser's remaining peerage.
"Yo Koneko. It seems that we're in a lot of trouble." Kiba told Koneko, as they stood back-to-back, looking at their surrounding opponents.
{Rias-sama's [Queen], retired.}
Kiba continued. "And it seems to have gotten worse."
On the roof, a red magic circle appeared on Rias' hand, blocking the flame attack that headed for her. She sent her own attack back at him. Riser didn't try to block. He let the attack hit him and instantly regenerated, showing Rias, how futile her attacks were.
{Rias-sama's [Queen], retired.}
Riser sent another attack, this one hitting Rias. Asia immediately healed Rias, who grit her teeth. She realized this battle was going nowhere, and this rate, she would lose.
Koneko was currently holding off the two cat girls and Karlamine. The constant random attacks from the twins made her unable to focus on Karlamine, who kept attacking her when she found an opening. The attacks were weak, but they wore her down. Every time she tried to attack, they would quickly dodge and continue their attacks.
Kiba was not faring any better. He was forced to focus on Isabella, who continuously broke his sword, forcing him to constantly make a new one. During the time it took to make a new sword, Isabella, and Siris would attack.
A few yards away, Ravel Phenex watched the sight of her brother's servants slowly defeat the opposing [Knight] and [Rook]. She watched them fall to the ground, exhausted and full of injuries. As she watched them disappear in a shower of light, retiring from the game, she remembered the man who argued against her brother. She had a bad feeling about him.
{Rias-sama's [Knight] and [Rook], retired.}
Rias gasped in shock when she heard her servants failed. She realized she had lost.
Riser gloated in front of her. "Well Rias? Almost all of your servants are defeated. All that is left is you and your [Bishop] over there. You have no chance of defeating me." To prove his point, Riser's [Queen] Yubelluna descended onto the roof.
Rias choked back her tears. "I resign."
{Rias-sama's resignation confirmed. Riser Phenex-sama wins this game.}
Issei was at home. The club was cancelled today. Issei didn't know why, but if he had to guess, it would be that Rias lost the [Rating Game] and had to marry Riser. 'Ah, whatever. Let's see how they get out of this one.'
Issei suddenly turned around, just in time to a familiar red magic circle appear on the floor. A red haired man appeared, with the maid, Grayfia, behind him on his right.
"Hyoudou Issei. I need your help."
Issei stood silently for a few seconds, not expecting this. He mentally shook and head and asked, "Shall we discuss this in your office?" Sirzechs nodded and all three teleported in a very lavish office.
Sirzechs walked to his desk and motioned to the chair in front of it. "Please. Have a seat." Issei walked to the chair and sat down. Sirzechs sat in his chair, with Grayfia standing behind him.
There was silence for a few moments.
"I assume you wish to know why you're here." Issei nodded. "Let me start from the beginning. You see, we Devils have a near eternal life. To compensate our lifespan, we have a low birth rate, so the number of children in each generation is small. During the Great War, the Devil population dropped. For example, we used to have 72 Pillars, but only 34 of them remain today.
"Recently, we were able to solve this problem. The creation of the [Evil Pieces] allowed us to turn other species, except Angels, to turn into Devils. A High-Class Devil would receive a set of [Evil Pieces] and reincarnate other species into their servants. However, most High-Class Devils believed the reincarnated Devils were inferior to them. They wanted to keep the bloodlines pure, so they arranged marriages between their children to keep the lines pure."
"So because of this reasoning, Rias was engaged to Riser by her parents?" Issei asked. Sirzechs nodded.
"Since I became a Lucifer, I was unable to continue the Gremory line. So that responsibility fell to my sister. My parents engaged her to Riser, even though she was very vocal against it. She was able to delay the marriage until she graduates, but Father and Lord Phenex decided to push the engagement forward. I tried giving my sister a chance, with the [Rating Game], but-"
"-she lost." Sirzechs nodded. Issei continued. "So what do you want me to do?"
Sirzechs smiled. "The engagement party is tonight. I wish for you break into the party and challenge Riser."
"I see." Issei was silently contemplating his options. "I have one question." Sirzechs motioned him to continue. Issei smiled for the first time in a very long time, showing very sharp teeth. "What's in it for me?"
I have one question. Do you guys want Issei to fight Riser alone or against Riser and his entire peerage? Send me your answers through reviews or PMs.
Now onto the reviews:
Dakkaboy123: Thanks for the support. Hope you like the new chapter.
Lady Lily Anne: ...
dadman9994: Hope you like this chapter.
Guest: Thanks.
Previous Reviews:
Lady Lily Anne: No, what's a miracle is that you're actually following and reading this story. Plus, I haven't touched the desktop in years, so of course my writing's improved. Last time I checked (ten seconds ago), there's something called the Internet. And I believe the bratling looks less related to us than I do to you.
Td03: I'll think of a few scenes along the way.
AJ: As much as I like the Perverted/HaremKing Issei, there are too many stories of him. I felt there needed to be stories with an Issei with a different personality.
DragonicNature: Thank you. Almost of the DxD FanFiction Archive has Issei joining Rias' Peerage. I felt that it needed some stories where Issei isn't part of the peerage. I'll work on the grammar.
dxdiserias: Yes he is.
Groszekace: Thanks. Now to answer your question. No. I have something special planned for Rias.
Dantralan: I'm definitely not going there. This is a much darker story.
percyjackson1233: I'm afraid that I don't understand your review. Based on what little Latin I know (and some help from Google Translate) I'm assuming that your anxious to know if Issei will save the day. I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see.
not a accourd: Issei is not friends with Rias. They are acquaintances. I think the updated Chapter 3 should help explain why.
ShredX01: Thanks.
