A/N: It seems that the last chapter broke through all the milestones I was hoping for. Since I published it, I passed the 100 mark for both 'followers' and 'favourites' AND I passed 10,000 views overall.

I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

Well, here you go, the fight you've all been waiting patiently for. I hope the suspense I built for it will be well worth your wait.

(*Insert disclaimer here*)

Read and most importantly…

Don't forget to leave a REVIEW!

It doesn't take much. I was ecstatic with the number of reviews I was getting for each chapter and I am still really happy when I get another review, but now…

Look, I've got over 100 people following my story and I only got 4 reviews for the last chapter (that's less than 10%!). I hate appearing like a greedy arsehole that I, no doubt, am doing but I REALLY REALLY want to hear what you guys think.

There are over 100 people who like this story; I just want to know why.

If I'm being to demanding, I apologise. Don't let that stop you reading my story.

Remember, I can't change anything you don't like or continue doing something you like if I can't see you. I'm not psychic you know (no matter how much I want to be).

Moving on…hope you like the chapter!

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Ben and the others were gathered in the front of the mansion. It was the very last day of the training period they were granted with the Rating Game being held that very evening. Ben was currently standing apart from the others, his Sacred Gears already summoned and covering his forearms with the metallic gauntlets.

"For your final day of training I want you to show us how strong you've become as a result of your training," Rias said from the side as she watched him intently.

"How do you want me to do that?" Ben asked as he flexed his arms in preparation for whatever Rias' final test was with a hint of dread. If he had learnt anything from these last ten days, it was that Rias loved torturing him while disguising it as 'training'.

"I want you to only use your Boosted Gear for now. Activate it and keep building up your power until you have reached your limit," Rias instructed him.

He complied and began to slowly build up his power with the red gauntlet on his right arm.

[Boost!]

He continued to do this around eight more times before he noticed that he was doing much better than the last time he did this on the second day of their boot camp. He had only just managed to reach eight boosts in power before almost fainting from exhaustion.

"That's it, Ben! Keep going!" Rias ordered with a smile on her lips, instantly noting the improvement in his abilities.

Ben continued to test the extent of which his limit had increased, reaching his twenty fourth boost before something new and unexpected happened to his Boosted Gear.

[Explosion!]

"Huh? What the heck happened?" Ben asked as he looked down at the Boosted Gear to see it was glowing brightly with golden intricate patterns decorating its scarlet finish.

[It's a new ability you've managed to unlock as a result from your training; one which allows you to release all of your built up power into one single powerful blast,] Azmuth explained from his other Gear. [Just point and shoot, it's as simple as that.]

"Cool," Ben said with excitement in his voice as he brought his right arm up, fingers spread wide, aimed it at the distant mountain and released the massive concentration of power he had built up. The shot had so much power behind it that it knocked Ben off his feet as he fired it. It streaked through the air in a crimson blur until it struck the mountain in the distance. When it did it was like a nuclear bomb going off, forcing all of them to cover their eyes from the blinding light which quickly followed the initial explosion. They uncovered their eyes a few seconds later, once the blinding light had subsided, to see that Ben had levelled the entire mountain!

Scratch that. Levelling a mountain implies that there was once evidence of a mountain standing there in the first place. In Ben's case, however, the mountain seemed to have simply ceased to exist. Ben had completely vaporised the mountain with his attack, leaving absolutely nothing in its wake. The mountain range before them had been split in half!

The only reason Ben wasn't worried about casualties in his attack was because he recalled when Rias had told him and Asia that her family owned all the land in a thirty-mile radius which happened to include the mountain he had just erased from existence.

"Whoa," Ben gasped as he picked himself off the ground to see the result of his explosion.

[Impressive, partner. You have vastly improved. Your training may have been tough but it has clearly made a difference to your abilities,] Azmuth said with pride in his voice.

Ben smiled at Azmuth's compliment before a wave of exhaustion hit him abruptly and forced him to collapse onto one knee and unable to stand up on two feet.

"Wow," Akeno muttered with a sultry smile as she admired the destruction Ben caused. "He's gotten so powerful."

"It appears so," Koneko murmured with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Congratulations Ben," Rias said, catching his attention. "You have become the linchpin for this game. Your new strength and stamina, combined with your transformations will determine the outcome of this match. Trust in us, but more importantly: trust in yourself."

It was time. They had finished their preparations and were finally ready….

Ready to face Riser.

(A hour before the Rating Game)

Ben was resting in his room, lying down on his bed and waiting for the specified time Rias had given them before he headed off to the clubroom. He, as well as the others in the group, had been told by Rias that they weren't restricted to the school uniform for the match and could wear whatever made them feel comfortable. Taking this to heart, Ben had ditched his uncomfortable school clothes for tonight and was now wearing a plain white shirt, dark blue jeans, trainers, and his favourite emerald green jacket.

The reason he was lying on his bed waiting was because Rias had given them all some time to relax and prepare themselves for the big match. He had decided to rest at home with Asia who he guessed was currently in her own room, preparing herself by whatever way she thought worked best.

"Hey Azmuth…," he asked his draconic partner as he stared up at the ceiling. "You think we've got a chance?"

[I can't say for sure, Ben, if I'm being perfectly honest with you,] he admitted after a moment of thought. [You have improved by leaps and bounds since our first meeting, there's no argument there. However, you still have a long way to go before you can say you have mastered both mine and Ddraig's power. Something else that concerns me is Riser. I don't know how you plan to deal with Riser, Ben, but he will be a major problem. His immortality gives him a massive advantage over his opponents, one that I don't know how you can overcome with your current skills.]

Ben looked down at his left hand and clenched his hand tightly and firmly at Azmuth's assessment. "We'll find a way." He looked up at the ceiling. "We have to…for Rias' sake."

Just then, there was a faint knock on the door followed by an equally faint, "Are you there, Ben?"

"Yeah," Ben replied sitting up so that he was sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Asia asked timidly.

"No, of course not," he replied kindly. The door to his room opened to reveal the blonde devil standing in the dark hallway. Thanks to his devil eyesight cutting through the darkness, Ben instantly noticed that she was wearing the same habit she wore when she was still a part of the church.

"Haven't seen you in that for a while," he said, gesturing to her clothing.

Asia looked down at her habit and blushed slightly. "I thought that wearing this would give me more confidence. Rias said I should wear what makes me feel comfortable after all."

"Is it working?" he asked her, understanding why she would feel the need to build up her confidence. He wasn't cocky enough to pretend that he wasn't nervous himself.

"I feel a little better, though I'm still nervous." She started fumbling with the sleeves of her habit nervously. "Umm, do you mind if I stay here until we have to go? I'd rather be with you than on my own."

"Yeah, course you can," he replied, moving up along his bed slightly to give her room to sit. She sat down next to him and held onto his arm tightly, seeking comfort by his closeness. Ben smiled at her and looked out of the window at the twinkling stars and bright new moon in the sky.

After a few minutes of silence, Ben looked back at Asia. "You feeling scared?"

"Not really, because with you there I know everything will be alright in the end," she said confidently as she looked up at him with a sincere smile on her face. He smiled at her confidence in him and nudged her lightly with his arm.

It wasn't long before they started hearing a faint alarm from Ben's phone. They cast one last glance at each other and left his room quietly so as not to wake his parents in the process.

It was time.

They arrived at the clubroom at around 11:45 P.M. to see everyone else already present and preparing for the match in their own way. It seemed that Ben and Asia were the only two who were not wearing their school uniform. Koneko was sat in her usual spot on the sofa and securing a pair of fingerless gloves while Kiba, who was sat down on the other sofa, was inspecting his sword. Rias and Akeno were drinking some green tea and, just like Koneko and Kiba, were completely silent and collected.

It would be hard to imagine that they were about to fight in a very important match in a few minutes.

A magic circle appeared just as Ben and Asia sat down on the sofa to reveal Grayfia who stepped into the room.

"Is everyone ready? We will begin in five minutes," she announced to the room.

Everyone nodded at the white-haired maid as they stood up.

"When it's time to start the match, you will be transported to the battlefield via a magic circle," Grayfia explained.

"And where is this match taking place exactly?" Ben asked with curiosity. His question was immediately answered by Akeno.

"It's in a specially crafted dimension reserved for the battle. We'll be able to do real damage there without worrying about what we do," she explained with poorly contained excitement at the prospect.

"That's useful," Ben said to himself as the memory of the mountain he obliterated came to mind.

"My Lady may also like to know that the Great Devil, Lucifer, will be watching this match as well as both households," Grayfia added with a neutral face.

"Wait?" Ben asked, confused. "Why would the King of the Devils be watching us?"

Asia looked just as confused as he was. Rias, on the other hand, just sighed with exasperation at Grayfia's revelation.

"So….my dear brother wants to witness this match too? Of course he does," she muttered with a bored tone.

"BROTHER?!" Ben exclaimed, staring at Rias with pure shock on his face. She had talked about her brother before but she had never said that he was the Devil King, the one who rules over their entire race! "Your brother is the king of the Devils?!"

"That's right," Rias replied simply.

He suddenly pieced everything together. So that was why she was the next head of the Gremory House instead of her older brother. He wondered why he didn't realise that sooner. It was so simple, he felt stupid for missing it.

[If I may be bold enough to ask a question,] Azmuth inquired, startling most of the room by his sudden appearance. Even Grayfia seemed shocked though she contained it all to a simple rise of her eyebrow and nothing else.

Ever the professional.

"What is it, Azmuth?" Rias asked from behind her desk.

[What actually happened to your government after the war? One of the last things I can remember before being sealed in this Gear was the fact that all four of the Devil Kings were killed in the Great war.]

"That's true. They all died in the Great war before it reached its current ceasefire state. However, their descendants and heirs were determined to reignite the war between the Angels and Fallen Angels, completely disregarding the state the Devils had been left in before the ceasefire was reached. My brother was part of the Anti-Satan faction which rose up and forced the Satan faction to flee to the end of the Underworld and disappear. They saved our race from extinction and have continued to protect us to this day," Rias explained with sincere admiration for her brother in her voice.

[Intriguing,] Azmuth said in a thoughtful tone. [Then he has my thanks for not subduing this world to further death and needless destruction.]

"I'm sure my brother would be glad to hear that," Rias said with a small smile.

As the clock on the wall began to chime the midnight hour, a magic circle bearing the Gremory House crest appeared behind Grayfia.

"It is time" Grayfia announced, stepping to the side to allow them to step onto the circle.

"Let's do this," Rias stated firmly as she led the way to the magic circle.

Ben and the others followed her lead and stepped onto the magic circle where they were quickly teleported to the predetermined battleground.

"What the hell?" Ben muttered, greatly confusion, as he opened his eyes to look upon the place where they would be fighting Riser.

They appeared to have not moved at all. They were all back in the clubroom; it was as if they hadn't been teleported at all. He was just about to question this when Grayfia's voice suddenly reverberated around the room.

[Welcome everyone. I am Grayfia, a servant in the House of Gremory, and I have been selected for the position of arbiter for today's Rating Game. The teams are Riser of House Phenex, and Rias of House Gremory.]

[After listening to the thoughts of both Lady Rias and Lord Riser, this particular arena has been selected to be the battleground for this match. It is a replica of an educational establishment from the human world which Lady Rias attends, known locally as Kuoh Academy. This will serve as the battleground for today's battle.]

"What does she mean by that?" Ben asked, still with confusion in his voice, as he looked around the clubroom. "We're in the same place aren't we?"

[No, young one. Can't you sense it? This place gives off a completely different aura than the clubroom we just left. Just look out of the window and everything will become clear.]

Ben did as Azmuth suggested and made his way to the nearest window and looked out, his eyes widening in amazement at the sight before him. With the dark, unnatural sky, which was lit up by what looked like an exact copy of the Northern Lights, only a complete idiot would think they were in the same place.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Ben admitted as Grayfia continued with the introduction.

[Where the two teams have been transported will be their designated base for this match. Lady Rias' base will be located in the Occult Research clubroom in the old school building whereas Lord Riser's base will be in the principal's office, located in the new school building. In this match, for a pawn to promote to any other piece they must first enter the opposing team's building for it to be accepted. With all that over with...let the game begin!] Grayfia declared before silence filled the clubroom.

Ben turned back into the clubroom as Rias walked up to him and Asia and handed them both something. He looked down at what looked like a small ball of red light.

He opened his mouth to ask a question but Rias beat him to it. "Put these in your ears. They will allow us to communicate freely during the battle, no matter where we are."

Ben looked down at the ball and doubted that it would fit in his ear and stay there, but he did it anyway and put the device in his ear and was surprised when he felt a slight tingling sensation as it disappeared into his head. He turned to see Asia had done the same and they joined the others who were gathered around Rias' desk and looking over a detailed map of the school, planning their strategy for the battle.

"It will be a challenge to make our way to the enemy base. We don't have enough people on our team to use freely nor without careful consideration. We have to think conservatively and use our forces to the most effective manner possible. A direct charge across the grounds won't work," Rias revealed as she gazed down at the map.

"They'd see us coming a mile away," Koneko muttered in agreement as she checked her gloves once again, securing them in place.

"Exactly. We need to come up with a better plan of attack," Rias said as she continued to look at the map in front of her.

Kiba pointed to the wooded area near the old school building. "There's the forest near us. I can guarantee that Riser will send some pieces through there to reach our base. It would be the perfect place to set up an ambush if we littered the place with traps beforehand."

Rias stroked her chin in thought before nodding at Kiba's suggestion. "That's a good idea, Kiba. We can use that location to our advantage, but what about the school itself?"

"We could go across the track field and sneak in through the back," Akeno suggested, pointing to its location on the map. "We'd have the element of surprise on our side."

"It's the most obvious strategy and Riser knows this," Rias retorted, shaking her head slightly at the suggestion.

Ben raised his hand slightly and spoke up. "May I suggest an idea?" he asked and, when no one said otherwise, he continued with the idea he had been thinking of when he saw the map of the school. He gestured to the gymnasium which resided right in the middle of the map. "It would be, in my opinion at least, in our best interests if we secured the gymnasium before anything else. It's right in the middle of the battlefield and would provide us with both a direct path to the new school building and a barrier to hold off Riser's pieces. If nothing else, it would serve as a good diversion to distract the other side."

He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged his shoulders. "It would certainly grant the team who secured it an advantage, even if only a small one."

"Whoever got there first would get a big leg up over their opponent," Akeno added with a slight nod of her head.

Rias nodded her head. "I was thinking along those very same lines myself. Well done Ben. It seems to be our best option considering our weaker position. Ok, here's the plan: Ben and Koneko; I want you two to head out and secure the gymnasium. Before you do that though Koneko, I want you to help Kiba place traps around our location and create a defensive perimeter."

"Sure thing."

"Got it."

Kiba and Koneko left the clubroom to carry out Rias' orders. Koneko's feline familiar appeared in a little puff of smoke and soon found itself on top of her head.

Rias turned to Akeno. "Akeno. I'll require your expertise for this next part. I want you to cast your illusion magic around our location. That will be integral to the ambush succeeding."

"As you wish Rias," Akeno said politely, bowing her head before following after Koneko and Kiba and leaving the clubroom.

"Asia. I want you to stay with me for this match. You're my healing support so I want you to stay close to me, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Asia muttered.

"I'll go outside and wait for Koneko then," Ben declared and started to make his way to the door but when his hand reached the handle, he heard Rias call out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"You mustn't show any mercy out there. You understand, Ben?" Rias asked as she stood up. "They won't hesitate to take you out, and you are our ultimate weapon."

"You've come so far since we first met and its time to finally show us what you've learnt," she continued as she approached him. "I know you'll make me proud, Ben, but you must remember that, while you have Azmuth and Ddraig's power, you are still inexperienced. The last thing we need right now is a repeat of your rampage against Raynare."

Ben nodded as the faint memories of what he could remember of the time he entered a blind rage with his Tetramand transformation filled his mind. He couldn't remember much but he had been told, by the Rias and the others later that night, what he had done. The thing that worried him the most wasn't what he did to Raynare during his blind rage; it was that he couldn't remember anything during it.

The last thing he remembered was seeing Raynare stealing Asia's Sacred Gear and her life start leaving her body. The next thing he remembered was when he returned back to normal and staring at the large crater he had made.

He realised at that point what Azmuth was trying to tell him about power and responsibility. He never wanted to be in that position ever again. He never wanted to allow himself to lose control of his transformations and potentially harm Rias or any of his other friends, particularly if he had transformed into something even more powerful than the Tetramand.

"I promise I'll make Riser regret the day he decided to mess with us," Ben said firmly as he stared directly into Rias' eyes. He popped his knuckles in preparation for the upcoming fight. "I won't let you down, Rias."

"I know you won't," Rias replied quietly as the door closed behind him and was surprised when she felt her heart start to beat harder after Ben's confident declaration. When the door closed she shook her head firmly, getting such thoughts out of her head. She had no time to be thinking like that.

They had a battle to win.

Ben exited the old school building just as Koneko emerged from the forest. They nodded at each other and quickly made their way towards the gymnasium.

[Let's commence operations. Show no mercy to our opponents for they shall none to you. Good luck to all of you,] Rias' voice called out to them in their ears where they had put the little red communication spheres.

"Alright, let's do this," Ben said as he and Koneko continued to make their way towards the gymnasium. When they finally reached it, they entered through the backdoor as quietly as they could in the hopes of catching Riser's servants off guard if they got there first. They made their way through the back area of the gym for a short while before they found themselves on the raised stage at the end of the hall. They edged forward behind the curtains, being sure to keep their senses sharp for any sign of their opponents.

It turned out they didn't have to wait long.

"They're here," Koneko muttered.

"How many?" Ben asked her but before she could respond they were interrupted by a loud female voice echoing throughout the gym.

"Come on out. We know you're here."

Ben and Koneko gave up the idea of stealth and stood up, stepping out of the shadows to reveal themselves to their opponents. In the centre of the gymnasium there stood four women, all glaring at him and Koneko. He instantly recognised the one who was wearing a red jacket with white shirt and shorts as the one he had handled back in the clubroom though he didn't recognise the girl who stood next to her who wore a blue, Chinese-style dress that had a cut top which revealed a generous amount of cleavage. The final two devils in their little group were twins by their completely identical appearance. They both had fairly short green hair and were wearing shorts and plain-white shirts.

"I thought I smelt Gremory filth," the devil wearing the blue dress sneered as she watched Ben and Koneko reveal themselves. "Allow us to introduce ourselves: My name is Xuelan, a rook of Riser Phenex," she announced herself in an extremely boastful manner.

"My name is Mira, a Phenex pawn," Mira declared as she spun her staff in preparation for battle.

"And we are Ile and Nel," the twins announced in unison, "And we are also pawns."

"How do you want to handle this?" Ben asked Koneko as he summoned his Sacred Gears and took up a combat stance that Koneko had taught him during their sparring/beating sessions.

"I'll take the rook bitch while you take down those pawns," she said stepping forward, making sure her gloves were secured tightly. "Watch my back, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll keep those pawns off your back and on me," Ben replied as he stepped forward to stand beside her. "Good luck."

Koneko nodded sharply, not taking her eyes off her opponent. "You too," she replied as she leapt off the stage, towards Xuelan.

"Right, girls," Ben said as he leapt off the stage and landed a few feet away from the three pawns and returning to his combat stance. "Where were we?"

"I'll teach you to make a fool out of me in front of my master!" Mira snarled as she pointed her staff at him.

"Is that so? Sorry to have to tell you this but I've grown so much stronger since you last saw me." He raised up his green gauntlet to his chest.

'You ready for this, Azmuth?' Ben thought as he cycled through his forms.

[Ready. Go get them partner,] Azmuth replied within Ben's head.

Ben found the form he was looking for and slammed his fist down on top of the dial, engulfing himself and the rest of the gymnasium in emerald light.

[Transform: Brainstorm!]

The light diminished to reveal Ben's new form to the three pawns before him. He towered over them with his bulky head and snapped his pincers out of reflex as he stared down at the three small devils before him.

"Let's get this over with, you supernatural delinquents," Ben said in a profound, upper class British accent. He glanced at the three of them, his eyes flicking between the three of them at an incredible speed as he played out the fight they were about to have in his head. An impossible task for a normal being, but Ben wasn't a normal being right now. "According to my calculations, you have less than a 5% chance of defeating me in combat. I would suggest that you surrender to me now and avoid the unpleasantness of a quick and humiliating defeat," he said in his thick accent as he finished his calculations.

Mira stepped back from him and sneered at him as bravely as she could though he could see, as clear as day, that she was unnerved by his towering form. "You think you're so tough, you disgusting monster? We'll teach you not to mess with us or our master!"

They all leapt into the air at the same time in their bid to destroy the enemy before them. The twins were wielding a buzzing chainsaw each as their weapons while Mira wielded a new, stronger steel staff with bulbous ends.

"Slice him up, slice him up, slice him up…," the twins chanted eagerly as they flew through the air to their target, waving their chainsaws at him threateningly.

In the second it took for them to leap towards him, something completely impossible to imagine or even describe accurately was going on in Ben's enlarged cranium. Because of his hugely overpowered brain, he was able to make tens of thousands of calculations and conclusions in that one second. Time seemed to slow down to less than a crawl as he played out the entire fight they were having and all the moves that they would each make during that fight. Based entirely on what he had observed of his three opponents when he first transformed, Ben was making hundreds of thousands of different scenarios play out in his head and was able to determine the entire outcome of the fight he was engaged in based on this impossible method.

His unrivalled intelligence was observed when he easily dodged each and every single blow and slash that Mira and the green-haired twins threw at him with ease. After a few seconds of this, the three Pawns realised they weren't actually hitting him and halted their attack, their breathing slightly heavier than when they started.

"What the hell?" Mira gasped as she glared at Ben with anger and confusion. "How were you able to dodge our attacks so easily? It's like you can see what we're going to do before we do it."

"Tell us, tell us," the twins yelled in frustrated unison as they pointed their chainsaws at him menacingly.

"It was quite simple my dears," Ben replied politely as he tapped the hardened shell which covered his powerful brain with his pincer. "Due to my enlarged cranium, I have the rather remarkable, if I do say so myself, ability to take thousands upon thousands of variables into my head and play them out in my mind. From the moment I transformed into this Cerebrocrustacean specimen, I have calculated what moves you will make and when you will make them."

The three pawns' eyes widened in shock at Ben's statement. "T-That's impossible!" Mira shouted nervously, jabbing her staff in his direction.

"Nothing is impossible, my dear," Ben replied politely as a sly smile formed on his face. "However, while that ability in itself is worthy of praise, it is not the only ability I possess. Do you ladies wish to know what else I am capable of?"

The three pawns didn't answer him, not that Ben expected them to thanks to his remarkably accurate predictions. He had been amazed with what happened when he transformed into his current form. His head had exploded with thousands and thousands of calculations, plans, schematics for inventions he had never heard or thought of before, and many other things he had no clue about.

"Then I shall give you a demonstration of what I am also able to do," he said as he smiled gleefully at them. Their expression turned to one of horror when the front plates of the armoured shell which was covering his head split apart to reveal his large pink, pulsating brain.

"Urgh, that's disgusting!" Mira said with disgust.

"Maybe so…," Ben responded as his brain started to pulsate with electrical energy while he spoke. "…but the fact that you have lost this battle remains an absolute, irrevocable fact."

The electrical energy continued to grow even more intense until Ben suddenly released it all in a single bolt of electrical energy which, while not as powerful as Akeno's, was easily strong enough to strike each of his opponents and send them flying back into the wall of the gymnasium and knocking the three of them out.

He wasn't concerned with hurting them too much as he had been informed the day before, during their training, that when a person is seriously injured in a Rating Game or unable to continue on, they are transported out of the battle to have their injuries taken care of.

[Riser Phenex- 3 Pawns retired,] Grayfia announced as the three defeated pawns disappeared in a small flash of light.

[Ben, are you ok?] Rias' voice called in his head with worry.

"Indeed I am, my dear Rias. The vagabonds who stood in my way have been forcibly retired for the rest of the engagement," Ben replied formally with a slight bow that Rias wouldn't see.

[Umm…is that really you, Ben?] Rias asked with confusion at Ben's peculiar response.

"That is a correct assumption, my dear master," Ben replied in his posh accent. "I merely took on the form of a Cerebrocrustacean to handle the fiends who stood in the way of our victory. Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I returned to my previous form."

With a flash of light, Ben reverted back to his normal form just as Grayfia's voice sounded out above him once again.

[Riser Phenex- Rook retired,] she called out.

Ben turned around to see a battered but victorious Koneko walking towards him, a small flash of light behind her signifying her victory over her opponent. Ben couldn't help but notice that her school uniform had been seriously damaged in her fight with the rook, though her underwear had, fortunately, managed to survive the fight and stay intact.

"Are you alright?" he asked her as he made his way across the gym to join her. She nodded in response to his question. "Good job. She looked tough, even for a rook."

"Her skills were on par with that of a Queen, but I still got her," she said between deep breaths. Ben smiled at her as he put his hand to his ear to contact Rias and inform her about their success.

"Rias, we've secured the gym. What now?" he informed her as he looked over the damage both his and Koneko's separate fights had dealt around the gym.

[Well done. I knew you two could do it,] Rias replied with a sigh of relief. [Now, I want the two of you to get out of there immediately. The gymnasium has served its purpose and we are ready to process to the next part of our plan; you two are to head to the athletics field where you will wait for Kiba who will join you there once he has sprung the trap…which should be any moment now.] Ben and Koneko nodded in acknowledgement of their new task and headed out of the ruined gym in the direction of the rendezvous spot.

They made their way out of the gym just as another announcement echoed above them.

[Riser Phenex-3 Pawns retired,] the silver-haired maid called out.

Ben stopped for a moment as he listened to Grayfia's announcement and couldn't help but let out a small whoop of joy at the news. "I knew he could do it," he said to himself as he stared in the direction of the wooded area where Kiba was. "Those girls didn't stand a chance." He turned around and made to catch up to Koneko who hadn't stopped for Grayfia's message and was ahead of him. He sped up slightly to catch up with her when….

[Ben, look out!] Azmuth exclaimed abruptly, bringing Ben to a sudden halt. Barely a second after Azmuth's warning, the area around Koneko suddenly erupted in a violent explosion. Ben was close enough to Koneko when the explosion happened that the force of it sent Ben flying through the air a few feet and onto his back.

[Ben! What happened?] Rias demanded in his ear piece but he couldn't hear her clearly as he pulled himself back up onto his feet to see that Koneko had been taken down by the explosion.

[Ben! Talk to me!] Rias called out again with more urgency than before.

"Rias! Koneko's down!" Ben shouted back, unable to hear himself clearly as his ears were still ringing slightly from being so close to the explosion. "She was hit by some kind of explosion!"

He ran over to Koneko and knelt by her side. "Koneko, are you alright?! Say something," he said urgently, sighing in relief when she opened her eyes, albeit slowly and weakly.

"I'm…sorry," she mumbled weakly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Ben replied firmly as he held her hand with his left hand and placed his right hand on her shoulder gently.

"I just…I just…wanted to be of…more use to Rias," she muttered sadly before disappearing in a small flash of light.

[Rias Gremory- 1 Rook retired.]

"Now to take care of you and the rest of your little friends," a condescending voice said from above. Ben's head snapped upwards to see a well-endowed woman with purple-hair, garbed in white robes and holding an ornately decorated staff hovering above him. "It's so worth letting you use up all your energy on those 'sacrificial' pieces so I can finish you off without any real effort." She laughed harshly, taking immense joy in taunting him.

Ben let out a low growl as he glared up at her. He stood up and brought his Transformation Drive up and prepared to choose a form, determined to take her down for what she did to Koneko. However, before he could do anything more than bring up the dial to choose his form, Akeno suddenly appeared, hovering between him and the purple-haired woman.

"Ben, let me take care of this bitch. Kiba is heading to the athletics field and will need your help," she said was poorly contained hostility towards the woman floating in front of her. Ben took a deep breath to calm himself down and nodded.

"Make sure she pays for what she did to Koneko," he said as he started to run off in the direction of the sports field.

"Oh, don't worry about that," the Gremory Queen replied as she turned back to face her opponent. "I plan to."

Ben continued to run through the collection of buildings as fast as he could but came to a stop when he heard Rias calling his name, bringing his hand up to his ear to hear her better. "What did you say, Rias? I didn't catch that."

[I said, you need you to get to the track field as fast as you can. You and Koneko were meant to meet Kiba there to draw out the rest of Riser's pieces so that Asia and I can sneak in and take him out. He's already there and is trying to fight off the rest of Riser's peerage all by himself,] Rias repeated urgently.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he replied and sped off towards the track field with renewed determination. It wasn't long before he reached the very edge of the track field and instantly spotted what Akeno and Rias were both talking about.

Across the field, he could see the Gremory Knight fighting a losing battle against two of Riser's knights, barely able to hold his own against them and even that was by a bare margin which was unlikely to last much longer. If that wasn't bad enough, Ben could see that the rest of Riser's pieces were all gathered around Kiba, waiting for the prime opportunity to strike and take him out of the fight.

"Well at least Rias' plan to draw everyone out worked," Ben sighed as he ran across the field towards his teammate. He came to a stop when he realised that he wouldn't get there in time to help Kiba, at least not in his current form. Azmuth seemed to mimic his thoughts.

[You're not fast enough in your normal form, Ben. You won't get there in time,] Azmuth informed him and Ben couldn't find any fault in his statement.

"I know," Ben relented and stopped running before bringing up his Gear to cycle through his forms and stopped when he came to a form which would be perfect. "I think I've found the perfect form to take out these fiery little birds."

He let out a sly grin as he slammed the dial down, activating his transformation.

[Transform: Appoplexian!]

Kiba was in trouble. Serious trouble

Everything had been going to plan flawlessly until a few moments ago. He had sprung the trap which had been laid out around the old school building perfectly. It was thanks to Akeno's illusion magic that drew the three pawns which entered the forest right into their trap, allowing him to take all three of them out with relative ease.

He had followed the next step in Rias' plan and made his way to meet up with Koneko and Ben who had secured the gymnasium where they would then draw out the rest of Riser's pieces. However, that plan immediately went astray when Riser's Queen, Yubelluna, attacked and took Koneko out of the fight.

He was now completely surrounded by the rest of Riser's peerage, bar Yubelluna who was fighting Akeno, and it was taking him everything he had just to keep the two Knights away from him.

"Any news on where Ben is, Rias?!" he grunted urgently as he blocked another blow by one of Riser's knights who had announced herself beforehand as Karlamine, a knight who had brown hair and wielded a sharp sword and deadly dagger while also garbed in armour. "I could really use his help right about now!"

[He should be there any moment, Kiba,] Rias replied in his ear as he dodged another sword strike. [Just hold out till he gets there.]

'Easier said than done,' Kiba thought as Karlamine brought her sword down on top of him. He blocked it at the last minute though it still caught him on the shoulder slightly, drawing a thin line of blood in the process.

"Looks like you're not as tough as you make yourself out to be," Karlamine jeered as she brought her sword down one more time on the kneeling knight below her and caused him to be knocked to the floor.

"This is where you lose," she sneered, raising her sword arm above her head in preparation to finish Kiba off.

'Anytime now would be good, Ben,' he thought, starting to get desperate.

However, just before Karlamine brought her sword down on him….

"RAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWR!"

Everyone immediately stopped, frozen where they stood, as the loud animalistic roar blew over all of them, sending an unconscious chill up their spine. They spun around in the direction the roar had come from to see a large beast charging towards them on all fours. Karlamine and the other Phenex knight withdrew from Kiba a few steps in preparation to battle this new foe.

When the mysterious beast was around 50 metres away from them it leapt high into the air and brought its fist, which appeared to have a large black claw growing out the back of its wrist, down in between Kiba and the two Phenex knights.

When the claw impacted the ground, a large shockwave was sent out from it, washing over Karlamine and her fellow knight and sending them both flying back and landing in the ground hard enough to leave a small groove in the dirt. The effect of the attack also stirred up a large dust cloud which obscured him from the view of Riser's pieces.

This didn't last long as the dust cloud quickly dissipated to reveal what had stepped in and saved Kiba at the very last second. It appeared to be a humanoid tiger, a 9ft tall humanoid tiger-like demon with burnt orange fur and black stripes. They could see that it had a similar black claw protruding out the back of its other wrist which were attached to a pair of extremely muscular arms with bulging muscles.

Kiba jumped to his feet and, recognising his male teammate even after his transformation, patted the beast's bulging forearm and sighed with relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you," he said cheerily though also slightly breathlessly.

"Urgh! What the hell is that…thing?" a small devil standing at the back of assembled devils said with barely contained disgust. She wore a pretty pink dress with white frills and a red bow around her neck. She had blonde hair which had been tied into twintails and finished off with drill-like curls keeping them in place. She sighed as she recalled what happened to Mira when they originally organised this Rating Game. "Oh, you must be Rias' pawn," she deduced in a bored tone.

The orange-furred beast growled, showing a row of razor sharp teeth and saliva which was escaping from its jaw. "LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING…," he began to shout, sending saliva everywhere, before stopping abruptly midsentence and pointing at the blonde devil. "Who the hell are you, pipsqueak?!" he demanded with a raised voice.

"Pipsqueak?" the blonde devil repeated, affronted at the audacity of the beast before her. "I'll have you know, you stupid brute, that I am Lady Ravel Phenex and you shall show me the respect I am owed."

Ravel would have said more but the orange beast before her interrupted her abruptly as though he hadn't heard anything she said except what he wanted to know. "LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, RAVEL PHENEX, SISTER OF RISER PHENEX! I AM RIAS GREMORY'S WRATH AND I WILL GRIND THE LOT OF YOU INTO THE DUST!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Ravel only sniffed at his proclamation. "You must be pretty dumb to think you can take us all out at the same time," she sneered condescendingly and started laughing with many of the others around her joining in. Ben's eyebrow twitched unconsciously, indicating that he was very close to completely losing it. The only thing keeping him in control of the rage-driven Appoplexian was the increase in his mental strength, a result of Azmuth's thorough training.

"Huh, I'm bored now," Ravel sighed and gestured to a woman next to her who wore a black jacket which revealed her midriff with a matching pair of jeans and a mask which covered the right side of her face. "Isabela…take care of him, and be quick about it."

"Yes Lady Ravel," the devil now known as Isabela replied as she stepped towards Ben's hulking form which glared at her. "You have displeased my mistress and I won't let that go unpunished."

Ben was unwilling to wait for her to make the first move and suddenly sprang towards her, his right fist drawn back fully and brought it crashing down on top of her…or at least that's what would have happened if the Phenex rook didn't leap over his large fist as it pounded the ground and delivered a vicious, unobstructed roundhouse kick to his face with all her might.

She leapt off his chest, returning to her original spot and felt her eyes widen in shock as she, as well as the other pieces, looked up at Ben who didn't seem fazed by the blow at all. In fact, the only thing it did was make him mad. No sooner had she seen the effect, or lack thereof, of her attack, Ben brought both his arms up above his head momentarily before bringing them crashing down right on top of Isabela, crushing her beneath the weight of his fists. A faint light escaped the gaps between his fists and the small dust cloud to signify her removal from the game.

[Riser Phenex- 1 Rook retired,] Grayfia's voice called out.

Ben's attention returned to his surroundings when he suddenly realised that he was surrounded on all sides by everyone else except Ravel who was ordering the rest of her big brother's peerage from the side-line.

"Ni, Li! Take him down!" Ravel ordered, glaring at Ben as she did so. The two cat-girl Pawns wasted no time in carrying out their orders and sprang into action. They lunged at Ben and began to leap all over him, landing blow after blow on him unobstructed by Ben as their movements were too nimble for him to catch them. They would slide under his fingers whenever he made to grab them which only made him madder.

"STOP SQUIRMING YOU LITTLE FUCKERS!" he bellowed as he continued to catch the cat-girl twins though to no avail.

"Siris! Karlamine! Finish him off!" he heard Ravel call out from behind him with a call of "Yes Lady Ravel" on either side of him.

The two Phenex Knights lunged forwards towards their quarry, their weapons raised to slash him and do what their teammate, Isabela, couldn't. Unbeknownst to them, however, was that Ben's current form had abnormally quick reflexes for something his size and, when they were virtually right on top of him, he sprang into action in the blink of an eye.

His arms shot up and caught both Knights by the waist, disrupting their attack and unable to escape him. This made Ben very happy indeed. With the two Knights in his firm grasp, Ben brought his hands together with both great speed and force, sending the two of them smashing into each other with enough force to render them unconscious and unable to continue with the match. Just to be safe though, Ben pounded them into the ground, leaving a small crater in the field from the impact.

[Riser Phenex- 2 Knights retired,] Grayfia announced as the lights in Ben's hands, which used to be the two Knights in question, disappeared.

While this had been going on, the two cat-girls had continued their furious beat down on Ben but his body was so bulky and muscular that he didn't even register their furious attacks. He was only annoyed by the fact that the "fucking annoying bitches" were crawling all over him and not letting him catch them. Ben could feel the Appoplexian's natural tendency to succumb to rage and had to stop momentarily in order to collect his thoughts again and stay in control.

Perhaps transforming into a demon which was almost driven entirely by rage and very quick to anger was not the best choice when he was still learning to control his powers.

He took a deep breath and immediately felt himself calming down and his mind already becoming clearer. His vision, which had reddened in his building rage, quickly returned back to normal and he looked down at the two cat-girls attacking him and snarled at their annoying behaviour. The claws on his wrists extended further out and he plunged the long claw into the ground as hard as he could. The resulting shockwave his attack caused spread out in 360 degrees, disrupting their attack and sent them both flying to the floor in front of him, slightly dazed and disorientated from the shockwave.

[Boost!]

With his enhanced power, Ben pounced on the twin cat-girl pawns and plunged his claws into their chests, chuckling triumphantly as he did so at having finally caught his prey, and causing them to disappear from sight. Before Grayfia had the chance to announce the result, Kiba used Ben as a stepping stone to leap off him and bring his sword down on the bishop who was right in front of him.

[Riser Phenex- 2 Pawns, 1 Bishop retired,] Grayfia called out as the Phenex bishop disappeared in a flash of light.

Kiba sheathed his sword and turned back to Ben with a smile on his face. "Good work, Ben. You really handled those troublesome pieces, didn't you?"

Ben growled and pointed at Kiba. "LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, KIBA YOUTO! I don't like it when people use me as a spring board!" he yelled, though his rant ended in a massively reduced tone than before, with no real hostility in his words, when he fully realised who he was talking to.

Kiba knew this somehow and held his hands up in a placating manner. "Take it easy, big guy. I promise I won't do it again."

[Rias Gremory- 1 Queen retired.]

The two of them spun around in the direction of the large explosion which went off shortly before Grayfia's announcement. They could only stand there and watch as Akeno fell out of the sky, bruised and battered, and disappeared before their eyes.

"No," Kiba whispered, shocked that Akeno had been defeated as well. Ben's eyes widened as he watched Akeno disappear and felt a deep animalistic growl emanate from his stomach and escape through his mouth. For a split second, the idea of letting all his pent up rage out to take down the Phenex Queen sounded very appealing.

He shook the idea out of his head when he remembered the promise he made to Rias to not let her down or let himself lose control again. He turned his head towards Kiba and was about to suggest they team up to take the bitch down when the very air around the two of them seemed to vibrate for a split second before exploding, consuming them both in a bright, burning light. In all the confusion, Ben thought he could hear Rias calling out to them.

[Rias Gremory- 1 Knight retired,] Grayfia announced as the smoke started to clear.

The smoke finally cleared up completely to reveal Ben, trails of smoke rising from his body which had been singed in places, on his hands and knees and using everything he could to keep himself from completely losing control. It didn't take a genius to realise that it was Riser's Queen, Yubelluna, who did this and that fact only made it worse.

"I. Will. Not. Lose. Control," he growled under his breath firmly as his eyes started flickering between his normal, green eyes and the red eyes, his vision slightly blurring a red tinge around the edge as he felt his grip start to fail.

He took several deep breaths and slowly, but surely, felt his vision start to return to normal. He slowly picked himself off the ground and looked towards the sky where Yubelluna was hovering to see her making her way towards the roof of the new school building. His eyes followed her and narrowed when he spotted Rias and Asia on the roof, facing Riser himself. Asia was hiding behind Rias and healing her as she sent bolt after bolt of her destruction magic towards Riser who didn't seem fazed by them in the slightest.

A uncontrollable growl emanated from the pits of Ben's throat as he looked up at the raging battle above him. He may be injured but he wasn't out of the match just yet. He could still do something. He sprang forward, landing on all fours as he charged towards the entrance to the school building, not noticing the glass door as he crashed through it or even remembering to promote himself for reaching the enemy base.

His thoughts were entirely focused on reaching the roof of the building to take care of the cocky bastard who was the cause of his friends' injuries.

"Akeno! Kiba!" Rias shouted as she saw her beloved servants collapse and be removed from the battlefield. She turned back to Riser, who was smirking at her concerned look, and glared at him venomously.

Riser, on the other hand, was already relishing in what he saw as his inevitable victory over his troublesome bride-to-be. He cast a quick glance at where Akeno had disappeared and his smirk grew. "Looks like you have lost your revered right-hand servant. You may as well surrender to me now, my dear Rias," he sneered.

Yubelluna took this opportunity to lower herself down to hover just behind Riser on his right side. "Please forgive me master," she said, bowing her head in shame for her failure. "The pawn wasn't destroyed from the explosion and is on his way here."

"Is he really?" Riser asked with intrigue, looking back at his Queen. "Well, perhaps it is for the best. I need to make sure I punish him for his insults towards me, my family, and the noble ways of pure-blood devils." He turned back to Rias and shrugged his shoulders as another idea came to mind. "Meh. On second thoughts, I think I'll just end you now to punish you for creating this whole, completely pointless, Rating Game. Prepare to lose, my dear," he said as he created a large fireball in his hands and threw it towards them. Rias was about to send her own ball of destructive magic to intercept it when suddenly….

CRASH!

A large, orange-furred fist broke through the roof and, less than a second later, Ben burst up onto the roof, just in front of Rias and Asia as Riser's fireball soared across the roof, striking Ben on the back.

"Ben!" both Rias and Asia shouted in unison, both relieved and amazed that he didn't seem to even acknowledge the fireball which singed his back very slightly. Ben gave them a small smile and short nod before turning his back on them to look at Riser and his Queen.

"It's time I take you down," he growled, cracking his knuckles. "You and your bitch-of-a-Queen."

"Oh, I don't think so," Riser replied in a bored tone and glanced at Yubelluna. "Do it," he ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, master," she said and rose into the air slightly, bringing her staff up and pointing it towards him and the two ladies behind him.

Ben suddenly started to feel a disturbance in the air…a horribly familiar disturbance which had been the cause of the rest of their team being taken out. Acting instinctively, Ben spun around and lunged towards Rias and Asia who gasped in shock at his abrupt move and threw himself over them in a sort of protective cocoon. He reacted just in time because, a split-second later, the air exploded violently all around him. It had even more power behind it than the explosion which took out Kiba and so hurt a hell of a lot more than last time but Ben refused to be consumed by it.

[Ben! You need to be careful. You have sustained too much damage and are quickly running out of the energy needed to stay in your form,] Azmuth called out in Ben's head but Ben could barely hear his warning over the ringing in his ears from the explosion. He could vaguely hear Rias shouting something underneath him but, like Azmuth's warning, it fell upon ringing ears.

And then, just as quickly as it started, it finally came to an end. The smoke around him cleared a few seconds later to reveal his battered and burnt form. His orange fur had been singed in a lot of places and he was breathing raggedly and heavily.

Ben unfurled his arms to reveal an uninjured Rias and Asia, much to his relief. As his feeling of relief was quickly replaced by pain, Ben fell to his knees, shortly before falling forward onto his hands and knees, propping himself up with his arms which trembled slightly.

"Ben!" Rias shouted with dismay and ran to his side, flinging her arms around his large neck and hugging him tightly, though not too tightly, as he continued to breathe heavily. "How could you do something so foolish?! You're so weak from the battle and yet you still put others before yourself." She buried her face in his orange fur. "You idiot," she said, her voice muffled from her face being buried in his fur.

Their moment was suddenly interrupted by Riser's condescending laughter. "Aww, how sweet. The gentle demon is protecting his mistress. I think I feel sick. It looks like I'll have to deal with this myself."

Ben suddenly felt the blood lust return stronger than ever at Riser's words and doubted he had the strength to suppress it this time. The last thing he remembered before being completely consumed by the Appoplexian's blood lust was that he groggily rose to his feet and gently pushed Rias and Asia behind him as he returned his venomous glare at Riser, his eyes glowing red in his blind rage.

[Ben!] Azmuth called out again in the depths of his head with more urgency than before. [You need to calm down! You've lost too much energy; you can't fight someone like Riser in your state.]

Ben didn't hear Azmuth as all his attention was focused on Riser in his unadulterated rage.

[Boost!]

"LEMME…TELL YOU SOMETHING…RISER PHENEX!" he bellowed through ragged breaths as he approached the cocky devil in front of him. "YOU MESSED…WITH THE WRONG…HOUSE! YOU WANT RIAS? THEN YOU'RE GONG TO…HAVE TO GO THROUGH…ME!"

With his declaration made, Ben pounded the ground with both his fists to issue his challenge to Riser before sprinting towards the immortal devil and, before either he or Yubelluna could react in time, shoulder-charged into Riser with the force of a speeding train, sending him flying back into the chimney stack behind him. Riser coughed up some blood at the powerful blow but Ben wasn't going to let him go that easily. He took hold of Riser by the scruff of his jacket and picked him up off the ground.

Ben pulled his free arm back, building up as much power as he could muster before sending it all towards Riser. He was just about to release his arm when his felt all his strength suddenly disappear. In a large flash of light, Ben returned to his normal form and let go of Riser's jacket as he collapsed to his knees, completely exhausted.

"Ha! Looks like you're not much of a challenge without your transformations, doesn't it?" Riser laughed as he looked down on Ben's battered form.

Battered, but not yet beaten.

[Boost!]

Ben looked up at Riser and stood up with the last of his strength and punched the cocky prick with his right hand. Unfortunately, Riser saw this and easily dodged the blow, causing Ben to lose his balance and send him falling down the roof until he reached the adjoining roof of the building which was connected to the new school building where he collapsed, completely beaten and exhausted.

He didn't stay there long however. Riser appeared in front of him and picked him up by the scruff of his shirt with ease and brought Ben up to his face to see Ben was already coughing up blood. He pulled his own fist back and punched Ben in the stomach…and it hurt like fuck.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Riser sneered as he delivered another vicious punch to Ben's stomach.

Ben looked into Riser's eyes and gave him a bloody, toothy grin, just before spitting the blood that had gathered in his mouth at Riser, covering his face in his blood. "I'll…never…give…up," he murmured weakly as blood trickled down his chin, staining his white shirt and green jacket with his blood.

Riser wiped the majority of the blood off his face with his free hand before glaring at Ben once more. "You just don't know when to die, do you?" he asked as he brought his knee up sharply to impact with Ben's stomach, causing him to groan weakly. Riser continued to punch and kick Ben mercilessly and without any indication of stopping until he was dead.

"BEN!" He heard Rias calling his name with horror as Riser continued to beat him.

Between each blow, Ben kept talking, although with a bloody mouth, "I…will…never…give…up." He received another vicious kick to the stomach. "I…made…a…promise." He was kicked harshly again, this one breaking several ribs. "I must…protect Rias."

"You've done nothing but annoy me since we met, low-born. It's time I taught you what happens when you insult your betters!" Riser shouted as he prepared to punch him again, this time with all his power behind it to finally finish off the troublesome pest.

"NO!"

Rias appeared out of nowhere and tackled Riser, causing him to release his grip on Ben, allowing him to fall to the ground in a bloody heap.

"You win! I resign, you hear?! I resign; just please stop hurting him!" she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Looks like Riser wins again!" he declared smugly as he wrapped his arms around Rias.

"No…Rias." Ben threw up more blood as he rolled down the side of the roof, stopping only a few feet away from the edge by pure chance.

[Rias Gremory's resignation recognised. Riser Phenex wins the game.]

"No…," Ben mumbled weakly as he saw her break apart from Riser's embrace and rush towards him. She knelt down beside him and pulled him into her arms and started stroking his bloody face with her soft hands and telling him how proud she was of him. He tried raising his hand to cup her cheek but couldn't find the strength to do so and let his hand fall limply by his side. She must have known what he was trying to do because he felt her soft hand grip his own bloody hand and bring it up to her face and lean into it, affectionately.

"I'm sorry…," he whispered meekly before his body went limp, his hand falling from her face as he succumbed to the blackness at last. The last thing he saw was Rias' tear-stained face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: If the fight didn't go the way you wanted it to, I'm sorry. This was always going to happen. Ben is a hell of a lot stronger than Issei was in the anime, but you've got to keep in mind that:

1. He is still learning how to control his powers.

2. He needs to get stronger to stay in the forms of creatures as powerful as an Appoplexian (Rath). Even though he can transform into the large humanoid tiger, it doesn't mean he is strong enough to stay in that form.

3. He was hit twice with Yubelluna's explosion attack which was strong enough to take out Akeno (a Queen). Combining that with his constant need to stay in control of the demon, it took a lot out of him.

Anyway, carrying on.

The other reason I wanted this to happen is because the next chapter will focus on Ben's one-on-one battle with Riser which was one of my most favourite battles in the anime to date. I have something epic planned for it and hope that you find it epic too.

You may have noticed how I excluded the scene where Rias unlocked more of Ben's power like she did with Issei in the canon. I deliberately did this because, after listening to several readers, I agreed that the whole premise is a bit silly really. Why would she limit his powers during their training and released it all on the night of the fight where he hasn't gotten used to it yet. With my story, Ben has his power regulated by Azmuth who has an obvious stake in his wellbeing and yearns to ensure he is always equipped with the maximum power he can control and holds back what he believes Ben would be incapable of handling.

Reviews:

Nivek Beldo: Sorry for not answering your review last week. The review page didn't seem to update when I posted it. Thanks for your thoughts on my writing capabilities. I know what you mean with the lemon/lime definitions but I am simply following by example. It seems that it's the unspoken rule in FF and so I didn't want to appear weird.

Temple of the chaos raven: I'm glad you found the irony. I already have something planned in the future to expand on that exact thing.

Ultimatrix bearer: I hope I stayed true to your wish. I wanted to obviously make Rath fit into my story, but I found his canon personality too funny and unique to ignore and hopefully did it justice in this chapter

Fearofvengeance: I haven't got anything planned in the immediate future (nor would I reveal such a thing and spoil the surprise) but I will tell you this; it's definitely on the table somewhere along the line.

Personally, I like your thinking but I came to the objective conclusion that Toepick would be too much for something like this. Even if Riser is, undeniably, one of the biggest arseholes in the DxD universe, I don't think he deserved to experience Toepick.

I have got someone in mind to fight Toepick 'face-to-face' though.

Guest: I'll think about it but I can't guarantee anything. I wouldn't even begin to imagine how I would handle something like that. I prefer to write out stories that are linear, to a certain degree, with a single universes storyline.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who has read my story so far. I hope to get even more readers to follow my story in the future and will continue to write my story for you to the best of my ability.

Please don't forget to REVIEW. I know you're out there, somewhere.

Until next week, Ciao.