Chapter 32 Rias vs Sona Pt 1

I don't own DxD; I just use its characters and techniques. All credit goes to its creator. Same applies for anything that I used from other animes

Welcome to Chapter 32 everybody. Last time Vali's display of dominance stunned most of the ORC but Issei was more focused on his upcoming battle with Sona. Thanks to a talk from Xenovia Issei was now ready to take on Sona despite the fact his affection to her was greater than his loyalty to Rias. With the battle now ready let's see how these two long time allies will fare when they are enemies

(ORC)

The time for the battle between Sona and Rias has finally arrived and everyone was excited. Armed in their usual battle outfits the group was relaxing in the ORC as they waited for Grayfia to teleport them to the battlefield.

"So is everybody ready for battle." Rias said happily. She was looking forward to this battle because it was against her rival and she wanted to prove herself.

"Yes we are. As long as you guys remember the plan everything else will be fine." Issei said with a smile.

"Oh relax will ya Issei. You're taking this way to seriously" Irina said happily. The angel representative was with the group despite the fact that she was going to join Azazel to announce the battles.

"Perhaps but there's something I want to make sure you're aware of Irina" Issei said coldly.

"What's that" Irina wondered.

"My relationship with Sona is still a secret to most of the devil world. Don't say anything stupid while you're announcing the battles." Issei warned knowing his childhood friend very well.

"Don't worry I'm not that careless." Irina said confidently.

"Irina my dear you absolutely are" Issei deadpanned getting a chuckle from everybody else.

"Anyway" Irina huffed. "I'll do my part. Just make sure you don't get distracted yourself."

"I'll be fine." Issei replied before kissing Irina on the cheek causing her to blush slightly. The time for the battle was here and Issei wasn't distracted at all. In fact he was more focused than ever and that spelled trouble for Sona.

(Scene Skip)

The gang had just been sent to the dimension where the battle was going to take place. They were using the model of a department store in Kuoh that Issei knew very well. One of the major rules was that you couldn't damage the stuff around the department store which normally made things rather troublesome. Ironically enough, Rias's base was actually in a comic store, much to Issei's amusement and Rias's annoyance since it was clearly planned to tease her. Sona's was in a department store on the complete other side of the store. With 30 minutes until the battle finally began Issei and gang were more than ready and it was simply a matter of getting to their pre-assigned positions.

Over at Sona's base she was playing the reactive role trying to see what Issei and his group would do next. "Sona are you sure this is wise. We should be going out trying to find their peerage" Tsubaki warned her master as the peerage sat in the base.

"Trust me Tsubaki, that's a bad idea. Issei is no doubt pulling the strings in this battle and scouting will do us no good.

"How do you know that already" Momo asked nervously. Sona had warned her group about just how intelligent Issei was the entire time and it gave the group a healthy fear of the Red Dragon Emperor.

"I know because they've done zero scouting. Rias is the aggressive type and will go after what she wants. Issei would never scout ahead because of the fact that it doesn't do him any good since he knew that he had all the cards" Sona said confidently. Sona knew Issei's personality and figured that his ultimate plan was to send each person to a different store and wait. It was a dangerous game since they could easily ambush the pieces one by one if they so choose. The problem for Sona was the power gap was too high.

"That smug bastard is going down." Saji said with a grin on his face. He was looking forward to this battle because of his long-standing rivalry with Issei. Thanks to Azazel he now had all the Vritra gears and he was finally ready to fight back at least in his opinion.

"Saji calm down. Remember Issei is one of the last foes we take out. We need to work together against him" Ruruko warned. The young woman was a bit aggravated that Saji was still angry at Issei over Sona. Her attempts to win his affection had failed miserably and she was at her wits end. Of course with their new sacred gears that Azazel gave her team there was no doubt they would have a better chance than without them but it was still going to be tough.

"She's right. All we need you to do is focus on where everybody is waiting. Thanks to Vritra you should be able to do that." Sona said sternly. Even with Saji's new power he was no match for Issei and Sona knew it. However she also knew Saji and realized that he wanted to fight him badly.

"Of course" Saji said calmly before focusing his energy and a few minutes later he got his wish. "Alright it looks like everybody is out except for Rias and Asia but the others are in various stores" Saji said calmly.

The fact that Rias and Asia were at the base was a surprise but for now she would work with that "So where are they" Sona said nervously. She rarely came to this department store if ever and unfortunately for her she didn't have a map handy. Luckily for her the battle was all in one area so there weren't too many places to go.

"It looks like Hyoudou is waiting in a book store on the first floor not too far from their base, Akeno is… well she's in a sex shop on the 3rd floor that's halfway between our base." Saji explained

"A sex shop" Momo said in disbelief. Everyone knew of Akeno's tendencies but to be in a sex shop of all things.

"Yea" Saji replied. Focusing again he tried to find the others. "It looks like Xenovia is in a sporting goods store on the second floor not too far from our base and Koneko is in a sweets shop on the second floor not too far from there's, Gasper is in a women's clothes store that's on the first floor halfway between our base and Kiba seems to be sitting down at the first floor food court."

As Saji explained where everyone was Sona was baffled. Because of the locations of each store the Gremory group was relatively isolated. She could easily ambush the group and there was nothing that they could do. 'What are you thinking Issei? This isn't like you' Sona thought to herself.

"So whose going after who" Momo asked calmly.

"Tsubaki will fight Akeno and Momo Reya you take care of Koneko. There's no doubt in my mind she'll use her nekomata powers so be careful. Saji you take care of Kiba since he's the strongest fighter next to Issei and we need to take him out as soon as possible. Tsubasa you and Tomoe should fight Xenovia. Ruruko, I want you watch Gasper but don't confront him. Even with training he won't be as eager to fight as some of the others and that's our advantage" Sona explained. It took her a moment but she figured out what Issei was after.

"Wait a minute why are we leaving Hyoudou to do what he wants." Saji complained. He clearly wanted to face off against Issei and being denied that chance was irritating to the other pawn.

"We aren't, I will stay with Issei as a precaution since he won't want the battle to end quickly." Sona said with a wry smile. The truth is that if she sent anybody else it would end in a bloodbath and Issei probably wants to let Rias and the rest of the peerage get used to the battles. That's why each person went alone and was isolated. At least that's what she figured Issei was thinking. Her thought process was interrupted when the loudspeakers came on.

"Hello everyone this is Azazel you all know me as leader of the fallen angels and I'll be your MC this evening with my partner Irina." Azazel said in a sarcastic voice.

"Hello I'm Irina Shido and to those who don't know me, I'm the new liaison between devils and angels. You're probably wondering how I can stand to be with a heathen like Lord Azazel but it's because we both have a vested interest in this match. Azazel is one of the advisors at Kuoh Academy where both Rias and Sona go to school and I'm the childhood friend of the Red Dragon Emperor" Irina said with her trademark bubbly expression.

'Good grief Irina' Sona and Issei both thought at the same time since it was an extremely cheesy explanation. Then again, they were fortunate she was smart enough not to mention Issei and Sona's relationship.

"Anyway like my partner so eloquently said, this battle is between Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory, the two are best friends and have known each other for years. Because of that they're both aware of how the other thinks so this should be fun." Azazel joked.

"That's right, the key to remember for each is that damaging the surrounding materials is not allowed so this battle will surely test everyone's ability to fight and adapt. You guys have thirty minutes to plan your strategies so get to it" Irina shouted as the battle began.

"Alright everybody head towards your opponents and prepare for battle." Sona shouted out.

(Issei)

As Issei sat in the bookstore he wondered what Sona would do next. "So Ddraig do you think the little brat figured out where everybody was." Issei smirked as he grabbed a book of Sudoku and sat on a nearby chair and began working on a puzzle using a pen he found at the front desk of the store.

"No doubt about it. Vritra would've surely taught the kid how to use his senses and this place is small enough that finding everybody would be easy" Ddraig replied.

"Good" Issei said with a savage grin on his face. He would only need to wait a few minutes until his 'opponent' arrived though it really wasn't an opponent. Just as he expected, Sona walked over to Issei's location and sat down.

"Really Issei, doing a puzzle in the middle of a rating game, you must think so little of me" Sona replied with a smirk as she walked to where Issei was relaxing. The fact he had a Sudoku was a bit embarrassing and that proved that Issei was just taking it easy.

Issei closed the book of Sudoku and smiled as he turned towards the other girl. "It's quite the opposite actually. I was curious what kind of strategy you came up with and I figured if I was more active I wouldn't be able to tell." Issei replied with a smile on his face.

"So are we going to fight, or sit here and catch up? I haven't spoken to you since Vali's rating game. It's not very nice to treat your lover like that." Sona teased.

"You are aware we're in the middle of a rating game being watched by most of the devil world." Issei deadpanned.

Sona smirked since if she knew Issei, he already did something about that, "Yes but you also cast a barrier around this place so nobody could hear us. Right now that crowd only see's two people talking. So answer my question." Sona insisted.

"It's up to you. I mean if we fight the rating game will be over fairly soon and you know it." Issei replied sarcastically. Sona was very strong, but Issei was far stronger.

"Geez you're an ass" Sona groaned as she grabbed something to read and sat down in a seat nearby him. She figured that sooner or later Issei would be forced to act and that's when she'd make her move.

(Akeno)

As Akeno relaxed in the sex store she was amused when Tsubaki arrived. "Ufufufu so it's a battle of queen's huh" Akeno said with a chuckle.

"That's right. I'm sure that you know about my Mirror Alice so you know that I have the advantage" Tsubaki said sternly.

"Maybe, maybe not" Akeno chuckled since it went exactly as Issei predicted.

"So you're not going to fight me?" Tsubaki wondered since Akeno was still looking at some of the toys.

"I will but I want to enjoy this a little longer" Akeno said smiling as she turned towards the queen.

(Issei)

"Seems Tsubaki has arrived at Akeno's position" Issei smirked as he continued with his Sudoku.

"Those senses of yours are something else. Let me guess you know where the rest of my peerage is going also?" Sona wondered. The fact that Saji could sense people given his limited ability meant that obviously Issei could as well. The question that kept popping into Sona's head was why didn't he do anything to stop the progression as it was.

"Well it looks like Saji's about to fight Kiba, that's an interesting call. You've sent Momo and Reya towards Koneko not a bad deployment but given your knowledge that's the safest move. You've sent Ruruko to Gasper and sent Tomoe and Tsubasa at Xenovia." Issei explained answering the question perfectly. Of course he said all of this as he continued his puzzles, which was proof of his skill and calm in battle.

"So now what? We wait for the battles to play out as you work on puzzles." Sona said almost in anger.

"Something like that" Issei smirked in reply. Things were going about as he predicted which was shocking. 'I can't believe she played right into my hands. Oh and these Sudoku are way too easy. I heard Ajuka Beelzebub was a genius. Maybe he can come up with something more challenging' Issei thought to himself. With things as they were Issei was in great position to ensure that Rias came out on top.

(Flashback)

"So Issei we have 3 more days. Shouldn't we begin working on a strategy using those scenarios you mentioned?" Rias said worriedly as the group relaxed before morning training. Rias looked to Issei for ideas since she needed him to bridge the mental gap between her and Sona.

"No need" Issei said arrogantly since he already figured out what Sona would do.

"Explain" Rias growled.

"Do you remember how I lured Riser into a type matchup during our rating game?" Issei asked calmly.

"Yes but that won't work in this case. We were unknown's in that battle and Riser was arrogant. Sona knows us very well and will attack cautiously."

"True but Sona knows her only chance IS a type matchup"

"Ufufu care to fill us in?" Akeno said with a smirk on her face.

"Nobody in Sona's peerage is a match for me and Sona knows it which means she'll target you guys first. She'll send Tsubaki against Akeno because Saji is no match for you even if he has gotten stronger. Saji will fight Kiba because Kiba's versatility makes him the next biggest threat. If Xenovia had mastered Durandal it would be different but Xenovia can only use Ascalon, which I'll lend to her" Issei lectured.

"I understand and thank you for lending me Ascalon" Xenovia added.

"Anyway, she'll send Tsubasa and Tomoe for Xenovia. While she'll double team Koneko with Reya and Momo. Finally Ruruko will go against Gasper"

"Wait so Sona is going to go up against you personally." Rias questioned. It seemed suicidal for Sona to do so.

"Yes because she knows my personality well. I could crush Sona in a second, but if I do that the battle will end and she knows how much I hate boring battles." Issei replied. Plus he did want Rias to show off a bit.

"In other words she comes to you in order to stop you from going after the others. She knows you won't want to end the battle so easily." Kiba revealed.

"Exactly. So now it's time to explain the plan of attack for us" Issei replied with a smile.

(Flashback end)

'So Sona what will you do next?' Issei thought to himself. His senses told him that Saji just arrived where Kiba was waiting

(Kiba vs Saji)

As Kiba sat in the café he was amused when Saji came to fight, "So Saji why are you after little ole me" Kiba said with a smirk.

"You're not the pretty boy I was after, but Sona wants me to face off against you." Saji growled in anger. He hadn't activated his sacred gear yet.

"Is that so" Kiba replied with a smile on his face.

"That's right, Come Vritra" Saji shouted. Soon a purple gauntlet similar to issei's boosted gear appeared on his arm.

"Well that's new" Kiba smirked.

"Yea this is my new power that I got thanks to having all four Vritra gears. You're going down Kiba" Saji said confidently.

(Koneko)

As Koneko looked at the sweets, annoyed that she couldn't buy any because of the nature of the rating game, the nekomata noticed Momo and Reya arriving in the store to greet her, "So it's you two" Koneko said in her usual nonchalant manner.

"You don't seem so surprised to see us" Momo said calmly.

"The pervert figured you'd show up."

"I'm surprised. He doesn't strike me as the type to put his teammates in such a bad position" Reya replied.

"We'll see about that" Koneko replied with a smile.

"Get ready Koneko" Momo said confidently.

"You're going down" Reya added in. Both girls focused their energy before shouting out the names of their new sacred gear. "DARK MAGIC RING" Soon each girl was clad with a simple colored ring. Momo's was purple and Reya's was pink.

"Twin sacred gears. This should be good" Koneko thought to herself.

(Xenovia)

"So Xenovia are you ready to go" Tsubasa said confidently as she and Tomoe arrived.

"I guess so. It's a shame that we have to fight like this but all things considered I don't plan to lose" Xenovia said calmly.

"I agree but we intend to win" Tomoe said confidently. Focusing a magic circle she was ready with a brand new sacred gear "COME TITANIA" the knight shouted as a silver blade with a gold guard appeared in her hands.

"That's right and we're about to go crazy" Tsubasa shouted as she summoned her sacred gear. "A pair of giant green fists that went over her arms.

"Well this will be interesting" Xenovia said calmly as she summoned Ascalon.

"Unbelievable it seems like the entire Sitri peerage is now equipped with new sacred gears" Irina said in disbelief.

"Yep, Sona came to me after the battle with Kokabiel and asked me to create artificial sacred gears for her team. This is the result of that request. I'd tell you what they do but you're better off watching and seeing. After all the thirty minutes are almost up" Azazel said with a confident smile.

"The sacred gears are definitely a game changer and let's see how Rias and group react." Irina replied with slight worry.

(Issei)

"So you got Azazel to make you sacred gears, huh Sona." Issei said with wry smile.

"That's right and it means that the battles in my favor now" Sona smirked. She hid the sacred gears from Issei to give her a trump card.

Issei put down his Sudoku puzzle and looked at Sona with a savage grin, "You'd think that wouldn't you Sona."

Sona recognized that smile and knew she was in trouble, "What did you do Issei?" Sona said nervously. Issei was too calm and if he was that calm despite everything then it meant she was in big trouble.

Issei got up from his spot and walked over to the Sitri before whispering words that would cause the heiress to panic, "I'm a clone" Issei smirked before walking back to his seat.

"SHIT" Sona cursed knowing that there's only one place he was going and it meant that everything changed. As if things couldn't get worse she heard something that she really didn't need.

"BATTLE BEGIN" Irina shouted out calling everyone to action.

(Kiba)

"So Kiba are you ready to fight" Saji said confidently with his new power flowing and his confidence sky high.

"Not at all Saji, because I'm not your opponent" Kiba said smiling.

"Huh" Saji asked in confusion. Who else could be his opponent if not Kiba?

"Brat we got a problem" Vritra shouted out loud.

"What are you-" Saji started to say before he realized that a new presence had made itself known and was walking towards him and it was one that he was both excited and terrified by.

"Yo Saji, I believe you wanted to fight me. Well now's your chance" Issei said happily as he walked into the café and looked at his fellow pawn.

"That's impossible. You were with Sona" Saji gasped in shock.

Issei could only smirk and shake his head, "You stupid boy. The Issei that's with Sona is a dragonic clone. I'm guessing Vritra here didn't teach you how to do that. As for how I hid myself I used a combination of illusion magic and hiding my own presence.

"Dammit so this was a trap." Saji cursed. On his way to face Kiba, Saji prepared himself mentally to face off against the knight but now Issei was here.

"Of sorts. I truthfully wanted to do this for the entire peerage, but the others seemed to want the matchups. Then again Kiba knew that you wanted to face me so he gave up his fight." Issei revealed with a devious smirk.

"So now what" Saji growled. Now he was in trouble and he knew it.

"Kiba here is going to go back up Xenovia while you and I fight." Issei smirked. As Kiba ran towards Xenovia things were about to change "Here we go" Saji replied as he got in his battle stance. He was eager to face Issei at first but now he wasn't so sure.

"It looks like things have changed in a flash and now the Red Dragon Emperor was poised to face off with Sona's prized pawn." Azazel said with a smile. 'Issei you bastard that was a clever trick' the fallen angel leader thought to himself. He turned the battle on its head with one move and now Saji was at the mercy of the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Oh yeah and from the look on Sona's face it wasn't a battle that she was planning on." Irina said calmly as everyone looked towards the Red Dragon Emperor and the Sitri heiress noticing the panicked look on her face. The first move had been made and now it was time to see which strategy reigned supreme.

That's it for Chapter 32. What a start to the battle and now Issei and Saji are about to face off. Next chapter the battle concludes as Issei and the rest of the peerage show off their power.