The days seemed to have flow by, as Rias and Rareteth now sat alone, next to each other in ORC clubroom. "So… This is really going to happen, huh? We're basically going to beat eachother up in order to see which one of us is taking the other's name…?"
"It doesn't have to happen this way Rias, you can still back down. We both know you don't have a chance..."
"Yeah, but you know I can't do that Rare. My Sin is Pride." Things were silent for a moment before Rias giggled. "You know, I just realized that no matter what happens, I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Oh, really? What a coincidence, I am too!" Rias let out a laugh and her arms around one of his, placing her head on his shoulder. Rareteth smiled down at her. "I love you Rias."
Rias leaned up and kissed him. "I love you too." They stayed like that for a while.
"Everyone will be watching you know. And I don't mean every Devil. I mean everyone. Heaven, the Grigori, Asgard, Olympus, Tír na nÓg, Avalon, and Takama-ga-hara, to name a few."
Rias' eyes widened at that before she clasped her hands as if she were praying a, pout on her face. "Please go easy on me?"
Rareteth laughed. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything." He glanced at the clock. "The Game will start soon. I need to go and make sure my peerage knows not to go overboard.
I will see you in thirty minutes my love."
"Wait." Rareteth turned around to ask what was the matter, only to lock lips with his fiancé. After a minute they broke the kiss. "Please, try not to make my brother want to kill you for hurting me."
"I would never hurt you." They heard the door start to open and Rareteth vanished in a flash.
As her peerage walked into the room Rias sighed. "I hope you're all ready, because this is going to suck."
"Hello supernatural world!" A cheery girlish voice sounded throughout the pocket dimension modeled after Kuoh Academy. "I'm Miracle Levia-tan and I'll be presiding over this Rating Game. Today's match will be between Rias Gremory and Rareteth Eligos, both are strong High-class Devils with powerful peerages so it could go either way.
The game will go on until either King resigns, willingly or by force. There will be a ten minute planning and preparation phase, after which the Game will begin. I should also mention that if the presiding Maou, that's me, believes any member of either peerage to be in life threatening danger, they can force them to resign. The Gremory peerage base will be in the ORC clubroom and Eligos peerage base will be in the principal's office. Have fun and enjoy the show!"
With that the world went quiet once more. "Does everyone remember the plan?" Seeing his peerage nod Rareteth smiled and closed his eyes. A frown spread over his face as he reopened them. "Good thing I sent Eden ro spy, they're laying traps. Change of plans. Yukiko, you, Abigail and Jacqueline will cover the sports field, that's most likely where Rias will send Yuuto. You two, stay hidden until Jacqueline engages him, Abigail once she does, use the spell you developed a year ago."
Abigail's eyes narrowed, could he be any more vague? "Your pairing me with Yukiko so it has to be a water spell… Fluctus Cursus?" He nodded.
Next to her the Tsurara-onna's eyes widened. "Jacqueline wears shoes with cleats, you want me to freeze the battlefield so her Knight will continuously lose his footing."
Rareteth nodded. "Speed is of no use if you can't stay standing. Now once that is done meet up with Diane in the forest near the clubroom. Diane, I'm sure you know what I want you to do in the meantime."
Nodding the reincarnation of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne drew the demonic spear Gáe Dearg from her back. "You want me to destroy the magical traps they've set up."
"Correct, after that is done I want the three of you to enter the clubroom and promote once you're sure it is empty. Abigail to Rook, Yukiko to Bishop and Diane to Kight." He turned to Sawney and Florence. "The two of you will secure the gym, I've no doubt that Rias will be sending her Rook and Pawn to do the same."
The reincarnation of the legendary Scottish caibal snorted in indignation. "You think I'm going to get hurt enough to need healing? By those pipsqueaks?"
"No, I'm sending Florence with you to make sure they don't die after they fight you."
Florence tilted her head to the side. "But wouldn't it be counter productive if I healed them?"
"It would, that's why after they have been eliminated I want you to resign and regrow any limbs Sawney may have eaten. I don't want anyone to die, understand?" Florence nodded. Finally Rareteth looked at his Queen. "Alexandra, I want you to take care of your counterpart. And for the love of every powerful being in existence, divine or otherwise, no matter what happens, don't use your Balance Breaker."
The reincarnation of the King of Conquerors nodded in understanding. "Even Asclepius and his daughters wouldn't be able to fix her… Can I at least use Κατάbring?"
Her master smiled and nodded. "Who am I to deny the world the beauty of a blade forged by the collaboration of Brokk, Sindri and Hephaestus?"
"You would be an idiot." Everyone, including Rareteth, laughed at her blunt response. "I'm assuming you're going to be preparing for the showdown between you and Rias?"
"Correct."
"The preparation phase has ended, so let's get this game started!"
The Leviathan's voice briefly sounded once more before going silent. Rareteth looked over his peerage. "Well then, let us show them the power of Eligos, shall we?" He curled his right hand into a fist and placed it over his heart. "We go forth in the name of the Great Duke Eligos!"
His peerage repeated his actions before speaking as one. "For the glory of Eligos! Hell's Goodly Knight!"
As Issei and Koneko walked into the gym they were nearly overwhelmed by the scent of… Roasted meat? "Heh, the boss was right, looks like I get to eat a dragon." Thanks to her heritage that granted her cat like reflexes, Koneko was able to leap out of the way before the Scottish mountain of flesh dressed in dragonscale armor came crashing down from the rafters. Thankfully she had thrown Issei before she did so, because the place they had been standing was now a crater.
Now she didn't show it, but she wanted to throw up. The reason was simple, and obvious to everyone watching the scene at the moment. Sawney smiled as he held up a severed arm, probably from the Stray Devil he had reported killing earlier that morning, and repeatedly took bites out of it, completely devouring the the limb in a matter of seconds, bone and all, before wiping his mouth on with the back of his hand. Koneko, of course, voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Gross."
[Boost!]
The giant man laughed as he began taking steps toward the petite Nekoshou, who, to her credit, stood her ground. "I heard your Sin is Gluttony, I bet you've tasted a lot of things… Wonder if it salted the meat!"
[Boost!]
He charged forth as he spoke, quickly reaching the girl, clasping his hands over his head and bring his arms down on his fellow Rook who leapt to the side at the last second, causing him to hit the floor and create another, smaller, crater. "Hey! Don't move so much! It makes the meat all stringy!" As he spoke, he turned to where the girl had gone, momentarily spotting the enemy Pawn out of the corner of his eye.
[Boost!]
Koneko leapt forward, her first strike meeting his chest, before bringing her leg up and hitting the side of his head with a roundhouse kick. "Headshot."
Sawney was surprisingly pleased when the strike caused him to skid along the floor before hitting the wall. He stood up and shook his head before smiling like a serial killer. "I've always wondered what a non stray tastes like!" As he charged forward once more a voice repeatedly shouted.
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!] "Taste this! Dragon Shot!" Before he could react Sawney was struck with a red beam of light that sent him flying into the wall once more. Even with Issei's nearly non existent magical power he was sure that had to have done some damage, he had boosted eight times! [Reset!] Much to his horror he was proven wrong.
As Sawney stood up he placed a hand to his lips as he felt something wet. Glancing at the hand as he pulled it away, he had to admit he was kind of impressed. That spell had manages to bust his lip. "Well would you look at that, the pipsqueak of a dragon actually has some teeth…"
He moved with a amount of speed that was extremely surprising considering he was Rook, stopping next to Koneko and picking her up with one hand on her chest and the other on her legs before bringing her back down on his knee, a crunching sound echoing through gym, before he tossed her aside. "Koneko!" Issei ran over to his kohai, grimacing at the sight of bone sticking out of her back. A blue glow surrounded her before she vanished and a voice echoes throughout the pocket dimension.
"(Rias Gremory, one Rook, retired.)" A second later the voice spoke again, the new statement confusing everyone who was watching the match as well as the entirety of Rias peerage. "(Rareteth Eligos, one Bishop, resigned.)" A blue glow came from behind the curtain on the stage.
"Now then…" A chill went down Issei's spine as he turned and faced the monster that had broken Koneko's back. "Longinus versus one of a kind, let's see which Sacred Gear is stronger!"
Issei stood up and glared at the man before thrusting his right arm up. [Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!] The young Red Dragon Emperor charged forth his fist connecting with the stomach of the giant man he was fighting.
Sawney smiled, this was going to be fun.
Kiba strode onto the sports field, he was confused as the only enemy there was Rareteth's Knight. The girl simply stood there, tossing a knife up and down. "You ready to do this pretty boy?"
Kiba stuck his arm out grasping the hilt of a demonic sword as it burst from the ground. "I don't suppose you would have a sword to cross with mine."
The girl shrugged, caught her knife and drew another one from her coat. "Nah, their too big and slow for my liking. I prefer knives, compact, fast and useful for a variety of everyday activities."
"Still, a proper Knight should be trained in the art of swordsmanship."
The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Like I care, my Great-Great-Great-Granddad was Jack the Ripper, he wasn't proper and neither am I." She moved so quickly that she left a distortion in the air, Kiba almost not having the time to block the strike that caused sparks to fly as their blades crashed together.
"Finally I thought the two of you would be bickering forever!" Kiba saw the air close to where Jacqueline had been standing distort before the Witch and Tsurara-onna faded into existence.
Kiba's eyes narrowed as he blocked another strike from the killer's blades. "Three on one? That's not very honorable."
The frozen Yokai smiled and closed her eyes. "True, but we won't be here for long. Abigail, if you would be so kind?" The Witch rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll cast the spell." She reached for a book at her side that had several colored tabs sticking out the top, red, blue, green and yellow. She opened the book to the blue tab and flipped through a few pages before raising her hand, a magic circle appearing over it. A wicked grin spread across her face. A grin that said 'this is gonna be fun'.
"Hark, spirits of storm and sea, I invoke thee!" Water sprang forth from the magic circle and began to spiral into the air. "I ask for thine aid and power in battle, surge forth and engulf my enemies, taking them into your embrace! Fluctus Cursus!" The water seemed to multiply before beginning to take the shape of…
Kiba's eyes widened. "An Eastern Dragon!?" Said liquid beast gave a mighty roar a mighty roar before surging forward, toward the ground, completely missing the two Knights but covering the ground in water. 'She missed?' His eyes widened as he saw the Tsurara-onna point her palms at the ground. He tried to retreat from the wet area but the ground beneath him froze as he did so, causing him to fall.
As he tried to get up Jacqueline walked over and placed a foot on his back, forcing him down again. "Game over pretty boy." She gripped one her knives with both hands and brought it down into the back of his neck, severing the his spine. A blue glow surrounded him and he vanished.
"(Rias Gremory, one Knight, retired.)"
"... That was kind of disappointing." Jacqueline turned around and frowned at the Witch that had spoken.
"Aren't you supposed to be storming the enemy base?" The Witch shrugged.
"Yeah." The Witch stood there for a second before letting her Devil wings emerge and flying off, leaving Jacqueline all lone.
The Knight looked to the left. Nothing. "..." The Knight looked to the right. Nothing. "..."
The knight looked to the sky. "Hey, voice in the sky, I did everything my Master told me to, so what do I do now?" There was no response. "Guess I'll see if there's anything in the cafeteria…" With that the Knight walked off.
Akeno smiled and dodged to the side as Alexandra charged her in the air once more, her shrine maiden outfit had already torn to shreds by her counterpart's rapid strikes with that strange sword. "Ara Ara Alexandra-chan, are you trying to strip me naked for your Master~? You could have just asked~!"
She was hoping her teasing would catch her fellow Queen off guard. Alexandra was unfazed. "I'm trying to cut off your wings." She said it as if she was saying two plus two equals four. "We, the women in his peerage, have all slept with him multiple times, and yes, I mean that in both ways. He sees tits on almost a daily basis, so he doesn't need me to strip you." Akeno almost dodged another strike, but this time Alexandra managed to cut her.
Because she was a sadomasochist instead of screaming as nerve wracking pain coursed through her body, she gave a light moan, her cheeks flushing.
That gave Alexandra pause. "... That's the first time I've had someone react like that when I hit them with Κατάbring."
"Κατάbring? Is that your sword's name?" Alexandra nodded. "I've never heard of it."
"I'd be surprised if you had, given that Hephaestus only forged it, and Brokk and Sindri enchanted it only a year ago."
Akeno's eyes widened, her eyes drifting to the blade, now weary of it. "Brokk and Sindri? The dwarves that made Mijölnir? They enchanted a sword Hephaestus forged? How did you manage to get them to do that? How did you manage to get a sword made by the God of the Forge?"
"I didn't, the three of them owed Rareteth a few favors. He decided that since I was one of the greatest Conquerors of all time in a past life, I deserved one of the greatest swords of all time. But he said that no existing sword would do, so he called in a few favors." She held her sword up high and the light of the moon shone off of it.
It was slightly longer than a short sword, it made of a silvery metal with a blue edge, and several gemstones embedded into the golden hilt, which was shaped like a horse's head. "It is named in languages of its makers, given a name to honor whom I once was. Its name Κατάbring, the Silver Blade of Conquest, and it shall one day be counted among the likes of legends such as Durandal and Excalibur!" The blade began to glow as she fed it her demonic energy.
"Cleave through the enemy, Κατάbring!" She brought the sword down and a beam of energy followed in its wake. Akeno shot a bolt of lightning at the beam in hopes of canceling it, only for it to wrap around the beam and electrify it. Here eyes widened and as she tried to fly out of the way the blade shaped beam of energy severed her right wing, sending her crashing to the ground.
Groaning as she turned over, she stared at the sword in her counterpart's hand as she landed. "How?"
"In my past life, I added the armies of those I conquered to my own, Κατάbring does something similar, temporarily adding any magic it encounters to its own." Akeno tried to stand up, only to be flipped onto her stomach."Resign, or you shall lose your other wing."
Akeno frowned as she felt the tip of the blade bite into her back. "I'm sorry Rias…" She whispered. "I resign." She saw herself begin to glow blue and the next thing she knew, she was in an infirmary.
"(Rias Gremory, one Queen, resigned.)"
A second later she heard shouting. "Eligos' Rook just ripped the Gremory Pawn's right arm!"
Akeno turned her head and saw on a television that Issei had indeed lost his right arm and Sawney was staring at it. More specifically, the Boosted Gear attached to it.
Now Sawney wasn't an easy man to impress, given that he had killed and eaten two dragons. But right now he was impressed. "Huh, I'd have thought you'd gave passed out from the pain or blood loss by now."
"I won't fail Bouchou, no matter what happens."
Sawney stared at the boy for a second. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed by your loyalty, or concerned about your stupidity." He looked down at the arm the Boosted Gear was attached to before ripping said arm out and tossing it to Issei. "Boss told Florence to regrow and limbs of yours I ate, she probably reattach it just as easily." He stared at the Gear for a second before trying to put on the Sacred Gear… It didn't fit. "Wonder what would happen if I ate it?" He heard a thump and noticed a blue glow out of the corner of his eye.
"(Rias Gremory, one Pawn, Retired.)" Then the Boosted Gear disappeared.
"Aw… I wanted to eat that…"
"We never had a chance, did we?"
"I'm afraid not."
Rias dismissed the Power of Destruction she had summoned and looked at her fiance on the other side of the desk. "A peerage is supposed to reflect the power of their king… Am I really that weak?"
"No, you're just less trained than you should be. There's always someone stronger Rias, I am stronger than you, but not by much. It just so happens that my peerage and I trained harder and as such, we know how to use our abilities to the furthest extent."
"I see…" Stood still as Rareteth stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
He had heard the realization in her voice. "If you want, I suspect that we can grow stronger together."
Rias smiled at him. "That would be nice… But we have a wedding we need to go to before that."
"Indeed."
Rias reached up and hugged him before placing a kiss on his lips. It lasted for a second before she pulled away. "I resign." With those words she vanished a blue glow.
"(Rias Gremory resigns. Victory goes to Rareteth Eligos.)"
Rareteth's Peerage.
King = Rareteth Eligos.
Queen = Alexandra (1), 1 unused.
Rook = Sawney Bean (1 mutated), 3 unused.
Bishop = Florence Nightingale (1), 3 unused.
Knight = Jacqueline (1 mutated), 3 unused.
Pawn = Abigail Williams (1), Yukiko (1), Diane (1), 13 unused.
Rareteth' Harem,
Female peerage members, Rias Gremory.
Next time.
"I can't believe my baby sister is getting married!"
...
"I object to this farce! Rias Gremory is mine!"
...
"There is a reason I tend recruit reincarnations Riser, let me show you, all of you why that is."