Chapter 8

It's Riser Phenex, sir! He's dead!

Those words sucked all the good cheer from the room like a vacuum. None of them liked Riser, not in the slightest, but a member of one of the surviving families of the 72 Pillars dying due to a Rating Game was not the kind of new that left you in a good state of being. For Issei and Zakaria, who hadn't been demons that long, it was different. Issei was shocked because he didn't have much experience with death and was very new to all of this, so the news that one of his friends had killed somebody hit him hard. Zakaria, on the other hand, could count death as his oldest companion. Everyone he had ever known back home had died, and that was before the apocalypse ravaged his home universe. Death was not even remotely new to him. He didn't care for Riser, either.

The thing that brought Zakaria's spirits down was the knowledge that this would cause others pain. Riser's parents and brothers, who he had never met. Riser's sister, who he had only recently set alight with holy flames. Riser's Familia, all of whom clearly held at least some affection for the man, and a few of whom Zakaria had just horrifically mangled in the interest of winning the Rating Game. That was to say nothing of how the denizens of Hell would take this. Riser had said himself that pure-blooded demons were becoming rarer and rarer, and now, Zakaria had taken another one from them.

This would create ripples. Whether what Rias said about legal responsibility for deaths during Rating Games was true or not, this would somehow come back to bite Zakaria in the ass. He didn't give a damn about Riser Phenex, but the knowledge that Riser's death would cause others a kind of pain Zakaria himself could empathise with was already eating at him.

The guilt was only the beginning. But then, shame, like death, was an old friend.

Sirzechs had been speaking with the servant who delivered the news for several minutes outside the room. Grayfia was still inside, apparently with instructions to calm things down if she had to, but there was no need. The feel of the room was somber. Akeno hugging Zakaria to her now had a less lustful feel about it and appeared to be an attempt at comfort. If that was the case, his emotional walls were slipping. But he was grateful for her company.

Sirzechs stepped back into the room. "I need to have a meeting with Father and Lord Phenex right away," he informed them. He made eye contact with Zakaria. "You won't face any legal backlash since the laws regarding Rating Games make it clear that deaths are the fault of the system, not the participants. However, I should still warn you that the law does not stop the Phenex family from seeking personal vengeance; it merely means they must be more careful about doing so. I'll smooth things over between the families to the best of my ability, but I want you to be prepared for anything."

"I understand," said Zakaria.

"You won't have to stand alone, no matter how this turns out," Rias spoke up. "We'll all be here to help you through whatever comes of this."

"Damn right, we will be," Issei concurred.

"I couldn't call myself much of a Knight if I left my comrades high and dry," said Yuuto.

"Bring them on," agreed Koneko.

Akeno chuckled. "I won't let anything bad happen to you," she said in a teasing tone of voice. "Not when we haven't even had any naughty fun in your office yet."

"Of course, that's what you'd focus on," Zakaria said, amused.

Sirzechs smiled at them. "It's nice to see my little sister's Familia have such a sense of camaraderie," he said. "But I'm afraid Grayfia and I must leave you for the time being to try and sort out this mess. We shall be back when we have news for you."

Farewells were exchanged, and Sirzechs and Grayfia left.

"Snrk," Rias uncharacteristically tried to suppress a laugh.

"What is it, Prez?" Issei asked.

"I-I shouldn't laugh," Rias said. "I really shouldn't. This situation is dire. But I just can't help thinking about the sheer irony of it. My parents set up this engagement to unite the Gremory and Phenex families, but it looks like it may end up causing a feud between our clans instead."

"But would they feud with the family of a Satan?"

"Lord Lucifer wouldn't be a factor," Yuuto explained. "The old Satans giving their own families special treatment was one of many factors that led into the Underworld Civil War. As part of his duties, the Satans have to be completely impartial, especially when it involves their own families. To do otherwise would be considered an abuse of power."

Zakaria almost envied Sirzechs. A job that required neutrality sounded like a dream come true at this point.

The conversation was interrupted by the opening of the door. In stepped Sona Sitri and another girl. Much like Sona, she was a bespectacled young woman with black hair, though this new girl's was longer, extending way down to her knees, and had split bangs. Her eyes were hetero-chromic: her left eye was violet, and her right eye was brown. She wore the same uniform as the other girls attending Kuou Academy.

"Sona," Rias greeted with a warm smile. "I take it you were watching the match?"

"Of course, I was," said Sona. "A chance to study your battle tactics for our inevitable future Rating Game wasn't a chance I was willing to miss. Also, you're my friend, and I had to support you."

Rias chuckled. "Like watching us fight would make any difference to my future victories. But I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you."

"U-Um, Prez?" Issei spoke up. "What's the student council president doing here?"

"She's also a demon, Issei."

"Say what!?"

"Not that difficult a concept to grasp, Cannon Fodder," Zakaria sighed.

"Hello again, Mr Holland," Sona said to him. "I must say, your tactics were brutally efficient during the match. Brutality is expected in any Rating Game involving a member of the Phenex family, of course, since trying to power through their Immortality is the only feasible way of beating them for most demons. However, using those same tactics against his Familia seemed somewhat gratuitous."

"I have the experience, but not training," Zakaria explained, shrugging. "Going as brutal as I could as fast as I could was the only way I wasn't going to get my ass kicked."

"Adopting a strategy based on your knowledge of your weaknesses is admirable," said Sona. "You're also, to my knowledge, the only demon who's ever had the nerve to bring holy items into the Rating Game. Considering that it hurts us all equally, I don't believe the thought ever occurred to anyone before." Her tone sounded genuinely impressed, as much as she would let it, anyway. "Oh. Forgive me for not introducing her sooner. This is my Queen, Tsubaki Shinra."

"Pleased to meet you," the girl with Sona said, bowing her head politely.

"Do you not know?" Koneko asked abruptly.

"Do I not know what?" Sona asked.

"… It appears news hasn't gotten out yet," Rias said, troubled. "Sona, from what we've been told, Riser died after he was retired from the Rating Game."

Beyond a very slight widening of the eyes, Sona displayed no outward reaction. "I see … This is troubling news." She refocused on Zakaria. "New and effective your tactics may have been, the Phenex family are unlikely to see it that way. Do you think certain victory was worth the trouble you may have brought down upon yourself?"

"Yes," he responded without hesitation. "It's not like I went in intending to kill him. From what President told me, he should have been transported out of there before anything fatal happened. I went in with the understanding that nothing I did would be permanent. It sucks that he died, but I don't regret the actions I took. I only regret the results post-Rating Game."

The smallest of smiles appeared on Sona's face. "Well said. Not accounting for the damage holy objects can do to a demon was an oversight on the part of the system. For what it's worth, I don't believe you can be blamed for what happened."

"I suppose I have nothing to worry about, then," he replied dryly.

"I demand that Pawn's head on a pike!"

"The law states that my daughter's servant is blameless! You have no right to demand such things!"

"My son is dead, Lord Gremory!"

"My Lords," Sirzechs spoke up. His voice was understanding yet firm, with a hint of a "calm down, or I'll calm you down" threat behind it. "Remain civil with one another, please. I am here as an adjudicator between you, so I do not wish to intervene directly, but know that I will if the two of you cannot speak like civilised demons."

"… My apologies, Lord Lucifer," said Lord Phenex, forcing down his emotions. He had the trademark blond hair of his family, spiked up at the back, and red eyes that burned with his family's fire. He was dressed in formal robes, all reds, oranges, and yellows.

"Yes, I, too, am sorry," said Lord Zeoticus Gremory, Sirzechs' father, though you wouldn't have entirely known it at this moment. Working in an official capacity meant that to Sirzechs, he was merely "Lord Gremory" at this moment, and to Zeoticus, his son was "Lord Lucifer." It had been odd when Sirzechs first ascended to become a Satan, but they had gotten used to this routine in the years since. Zeoticus Gremory was a middle-aged (which by demon standards would put him at about 4,500 or more years old), handsome-looking man with long, crimson hair he kept tied in a loose ponytail with a black headband. He had bright, blue eyes and a short, red beard. He was wearing a black and white suit with golden highlights he was quite fond of.

"Good." Sirzechs nodded. Grayfia was standing dutifully at his side, silently. "Now, while I appreciate your position, Lord Phenex, and offer my deepest sympathies, the law states that Zakaria Holland holds no legal responsibility for the death of your son. Any attacks committed against him or others in Rias Gremory's Familia would be unlawful and punished as such."

"I am sorry about your son," Zeoticus said, his voice flowing with genuine sympathy. "Truly, I am. But please, do not let this unfortunate incident destroy the friendship between our households, not when this whole endeavour was meant to unite us."

Any shred of anger or dignity fell from Lord Phenex's face. All that was left was grief. This man, this demon who had lived long enough to father four children with his wife despite their race's abysmal birth rates, was no longer the noble Lord Phenex, but merely a father grieving for the loss of his son. "How could we have let it come to this?" he asked, his voice barely holding up. "Your daughter should have been allowed her refusal. If I had known this would happen, I would have ended the agreement myself."

"Neither of us could have predicted this, old friend," Zeoticus said in an attempt at comfort.

"My colleague, Ajuka Beelzebub, will be investigating the Rating Game system and making changes where they're needed," said Sirzechs. "Though we cannot restore life to your son, Lord Phenex, I can promise you we shall do everything within our power to ensure nothing of this sort happens again."

"That is the best anyone can hope for," Lord Phenex said in agreement. "I apologise for my outburst. This is the first time I have ever known the grief of losing a child. I was not thinking straight. Zakaria Holland will come to no harm under my instructions, although I am afraid I cannot say the same for my other children. They loved their brother dearly. I will tell them not to do anything foolish, of course, but I cannot make promises for them."

"Then, we must hope they see sense in your words." Sirzechs looked between them. "Is it safe to say this matter between you is settled?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Then, I shall take my leave. Come, Grayfia." Sirzechs and Grayfia walked to a magic circle at one end of the room.

"I keep thinking it's somehow my fault," Lord Phenex said abruptly, stopping them in their tracks.

"Nonsense," Zeoticus waved him off. "It is no fault of anyone's. I doubt even young Mr Holland knew what the results of his actions would be."

"I know that, but …" Lord Phenex hesitated. "… I kept hoping Riser would lose," he finally admitted.

"What?"

"Riser was an arrogant boy. We all knew this. I hoped that he would lose and be forced to face the fact that even our Immortality and Hellfire abilities are not absolute. I would like to believe that, had he survived, he would have realised this and become a wiser combatant from it. I think that is why I was so angry before. I needed an outlet, anything to blame but myself. I fear I have brought shame to the House of Phenex with my outburst towards you."

"You did no such thing," said Sirzechs, turning back to them. "If I may speak to you as a demon rather than a Satan for a moment, Lord Phenex: I have a young son myself. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief you are going through. There is no shame in your noble demeanour lapsing during a time such as this." He turned to leave again. "Give my regards and my sympathy to your family, won't you? And Father, give Mother my love."

"Of course," said Zeoticus.

"Thank you," said Lord Phenex.

Sirzechs and Grayfia transported out in a flash of light.

Rias' Familia and Sona and Tsubaki were conversing quietly when Sirzechs and Grayfia returned. "Things appear to have smoothed over with the Phenex family," he told them all, giving Sona and Tsubaki a nod of greeting, assuming they had already been informed of the situation. "Though I would still tread carefully if I were you, Mr Holland. Not every member of the family may be as reasonable as Lord Phenex."

"I've been treading carefully for long enough that it's second nature at this point," said Zakaria. "Thank you, though, Lord Lucifer."

"There's no need to thank me. Maintaining peace in the underworld is part of my duties, after all."

"Do you have any idea what's going to happen to Riser's Familia?" Rias asked. It was just like a member of the Gremory family to be concerned about the servants.

It was a concern Sirzechs had evidently shared. "I asked, and apparently, Ravel Phenex plans to claim her Evil Pieces, something she has avoided doing up to this point, and take them on as her servants," he revealed.

"Ravel Phenex is his sister, right?" Issei asked. "The Bishop?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Rias put a hand to her chin in thought. "It could be that she's compassionate towards her fellow members of the Familia," she said. "Or it could be an indication that she plans to gain retribution. I would like to think it's the former, but only time will tell, I suppose."

"I suppose I'd better put in some more training, just in case," Zakaria said decisively. "Granted, I needed to, anyway. I've still got a long way to go in developing my abilities before I can function here as I'd like."

"I'm sure we'd all be happy to help with that," said Yuuto. Koneko nodded slightly in agreement.

"You and I can help each other," Akeno said alluringly. "I can help with your demonic power, and you can test my flexibility."

"Damn, she's thirsty," Issei muttered under his breath.

Zakaria, for his part, was more surprised that Sona seemed utterly unconcerned with Akeno's behaviour towards him. He figured that if anyone had a problem with the relationship Akeno was trying to initiate with him, it would be the student council president. Yet she didn't seem to care in the slightest. Demons are just like that, I guess, he thought dismissively. It looks like all the excitement for the day is over, so I think I'll just—

That was when the door was practically ripped from its hinges.

"Zakky!" an unwelcome, familiar voice exclaimed from the doorway. "I saw the Rating Game and heard what happened to Riser from Sirzechs! I came to make sure you're okay!"

"Satan, no," both Zakaria and Sona whispered with pale faces.

Wait, "Zakky?" Zakaria thought. When the hell did she start calling me that?

Into the room walked – who else? – Serafall Leviathan. "What you did in there was awesomely brutal, Zakky!" she praised him when she laid her eyes on him. "I would have used more magic myself, but you really knew how to pull out a win! Don't feel bad about killing Riser, though. It's not your fault!" A gasp escaped her lips as she laid eyes on another person of note, Sona, who was currently making her best impression of someone who wasn't just trying to slip out through the door while her sister was distracted. "Soooooooooooooonaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"AH!" Sona released a startled yell as her sister-missile tackled her. "G-Get off me!" Her voice came out quiet and choked as she struggled to breathe, Serafall was hugging her so tightly.

"Nope!" Serafall chirped. "You always think you can escape my hugs, but not today, missy!"

Thank you for taking a bullet for me, Sona, Zakaria thought, relieved and amused. That was until Serafall looked his way again, and they made eye contact. Her smile became a mischievous grin. Oh no …

Before Zakaria knew it, he had been pulled away from Akeno, who fell now that he was no longer within her grasp, and sandwiched between Serafall and her incredibly uncomfortable younger sister. "Hugging both of you at the same time is even better!" she cheered. "Ooh, we're so close together! Wouldn't it be fun if we took this to another room and turned this three-way hug into a three-way?"

"… She is joking, right?" Zakaria asked, his voice muffled.

Sona's incredibly red face and refusal to look him in the eyes was all the answer he needed.

"She said she liked you, so I decided to tell her what happened," Sirzechs said to Zakaria, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "I figured she'd want to know. You can thank me later."

Zakaria managed to get an arm out of the demon-bundle he was in and flip Lucifer the bird.

Then the arm Zakaria stuck out to flip off Sirzechs was grabbed and he was yanked out of the demon-sandwich. He thought this might mean a chance of escape. He was wrong.

"I apologise, Lady Leviathan," said Akeno. Her voice was level and her tone polite, as usual, but there was a significant undercurrent of threat there. Her eyes were full of aggression. "But if anyone here is sneaking Zak off to another room so he can have his way with her, it'll be me."

"Wanna bet?" Serafall asked. Sona managed to wiggle away while her attention was on Akeno, and she made a run for it.

Tsubaki bowed politely and left after her.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect the day to end like this," said Yuuto.

"I wish girls would fight over me like that," Issei moped.

"If Asia is the jealous type, you might get your wish," said Koneko.

"Huh?"

"Because of President."

"What about her?"

"… You dense motherfucker."

"Speaking of, we should get going soon," Rias spoke up. "I'm sure Asia is still waiting up on you, Issei."

"Holy shit, you're right!"

Sirzechs looked around the room and laughed to himself. "I think these kids will do just fine," he commented.

Grayfia silently agreed.

Elsewhere in the underworld …

A knock sounded at the door of his bed-chamber. "Enter," he said.

It was the doctor who had been attending the wounded from the Rating Game – right on time. "I have done as you instructed, Lord Bedeze," she said.

"So, Riser Phenex is dead?" asked Bedeze Abaddon.

"Yes, sir. I injected holy water into all of the vital veins, as well as directly into his heart. I was the one who declared his cause of death, so everybody thinks it was that reincarnated demon who killed him, just as you planned."

"Excellent."

Bedeze Abaddon went out of his way to look like it was expected noblemen should look like. He had blond hair and appeared to be in his mid-30s by human standards. His clothes were stereotypical noble attire – a black jacket with hose, leggings, and breeches. He walked over to the doctor, who was eagerly awaiting his approval. He touched her cheek gently. "You have done well." He cupped her other cheek with his free hand. "I thank you for your loyalty." Then he promptly twisted.

Snap!

The doctor crumpled to the ground like she was nothing more than a rag doll. Bedeze dismissively waved a hand in the direction of the body, and it vanished into some sort of portal in the floor. That ties up the only loose end, he thought without a hint of regret for what he'd just done.

"Let's see how the reincarnated demons take this hit," he chuckled to himself. He hadn't cared about the Rating Game, merely watching out of curiosity since Riser Phenex was quickly rising through the ranks of the Rating Games and could have potentially reached a league high enough to make him a rival to Bedeze. He wanted to see what the potential future competition had to offer. Then that reincarnated filth had started using holy items to quickly, brutally, and efficiently dispatch all of Riser's Familia. A reincarnated demon doing such things to a pure-blooded demon sickened Bedeze to watch – the mongrels should know their place! But then, during Riser's beating near the end, the gears in Bedeze's head had started turning.

Were Riser Phenex to die, it would inevitably cause the old demons' opinions of the new reincarnated demons to lower. Bedeze himself would help to prompt this once word got around about what had happened. He would attack this Zakaria Holland publicly and use every connection he had to make it clear that reincarnated demons should not be given any rights above their low-class station. The murder – that's what he would call it – of a noble demon at the hands of a reincarnated demon would be his proof that they cannot be trusted to rise through the ranks of the underworld.

The removal of a potential future rival was merely a bonus.

Zakaria arrived back at his apartment via a magic circle. Ignisia was awaiting him.

"Did it work?" she asked excitedly. "Did the plan work?"

"Yes, it did," he confirmed, moving over to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and swigged directly from it. "Thanks for setting everything up for me." He decided not to tell her she had inadvertently helped him kill somebody, even if even he hadn't gone in there intending for it to happen. She didn't need that guilt on her shoulders. "It's been a long night. I'm heading straight to bed."

Ignisia wasn't stupid. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her. But, luckily for him, she didn't pry. She just went quiet for a few moments, then said, "I'll let you use my tits as a pillow tonight."

For once, he was glad of her company.

Did I just introduce Bedeze Abaddon a full 19 volumes before his canon introduction? Yes, I did. Why? Because the villains in this series severely lack agency. They're usually relevant for all of a single volume before becoming redundant. There are a couple of exceptions, but frankly, the fact that it's the norm for villains to have little to no impact on the rest of the series is one of DxD's biggest problems. Hence, I decided to utilise Bedeze's prejudice against reincarnated demons as a prompt for his actions here: having a pure-blooded demon with a good record in the Rating Games killed and pushing the blame onto the reincarnated demon who fought so brutally against him. It also eliminates a potential future rival for Bedeze since he's desperate to cover up just how weak he is by cheating in the Rating Games. I hope all of this makes sense.

Some of you may feel I'm revealing all of this too early, but this is a little something called dramatic irony: making the readers aware of something the characters won't be aware of for quite some time. I hope it pays off.

Ravel is a King now and has adopted Riser's Familia as her own. This change, much like Riser's death, was not planned initially, but it made sense to me. Of course, now that she's a King, she won't be Issei's Bishop in the future, and you can bet your ass Riser's former-Familia will become quite prominent later on as a result of this change.

Serafall is Serafall.

Next up, we have the Kokabiel arc. That should be fun.

I've made some decisions regarding Zakaria's future Familia (thanks to Dharak23 for suggesting a couple of these). Here's how it stands at the moment:

King: Zakaria Holland

Queen: Vali Lucifer

Knight: Xenovia Quarta

Knight: Free

Bishop (Mutation Piece): Kuroka

Bishop: Free

Rook: Rossweisse

Rook: Free

Pawns: All free

He also suggested Arthur as a Knight, Bikou as a Rook, and Fenrir as a Pawn (though he'd take up all eight if this happened). Any thoughts on that?

Someone got added to Issei's harem this time! Granted, I kind of forgot about Ingvild – focusing on High School DxD and putting True High School DxD on the back-burner until it becomes relevant is what I blame for this – but still, his harem is one member larger than before! Someone also requested Valerie Tepes for Issei's harem, so give me a shout if you want to see that. For Zakaria's harem, I've had requests for Lavinia Reni, Tsubaki Shinra, and Falak (a member of Ajuka's Familia – she hasn't shown up in-person, so this would be almost entirely assumptions on my part if done). And, as always, don't hesitate to ask for people in either harem.

Zakaria: Raynare, Kalawarner, Akeno Himejima, Ignisia (OC familiar), Serafall Leviathan, Grayfia Lucifuge, Xenovia Quarta, fem!Vali Lucifer, Katarea Leviathan, Kuroka, Rossweisse, Yasaka,

Issei: Rias Gremory, Asia Argento, Koneko Toujou, Irina Shidou, Ravel Phenex, Le Fay Pendragon, Elmenhilde Karnstein, Ophis, Mittelt, Ingvild Leviathan,

Now, reviews.

Bladewolf101: I answered this one in a PM in case the rest of you didn't want to know stuff from the story's future.

Creature of Grimm: :)

Dharak23: Glad to know you found that so funny. I'm not sorry about the cliffhanger, though if it helps, the original plan would have been without it. I cannot believe having female Vali be his Queen didn't occur to me until you suggested it. Those suggestions are all great, thanks a bunch! The machete is a lot better than you might think – do you recall how it left a scar on Riser's neck that Zakaria just barely noticed while he was punching Riser in the last chapter? It's a bit more special than even Zakaria himself realises. Issei took up 7 Pawns in this version of events, though that's only because he didn't need to be brought back from the dead in this version. I hope that makes sense. Kind of forgot about Ingvild, to be honest, but seeing as she's going to be Issei's Queen, she's in. And yeah, I'm happy to accept suggestions for Issei's Familia as well as Zakaria's, that's no problem at all. He did once kill a unicorn with the machete, yeah, but I'm not sure Zakaria is in a position to benefit from that at this stage. Nevertheless, I'll consider what you've said. Thanks for reading!

AnimeGoji91: Yep, Riser is dead. It's not so much that Zakaria likes to battle and death, he's just used to it.

thermalsnipern7: Yep, the fried chicken is dead.

plums: I'm not going to go that far. Honestly, I didn't notice how many lolis Issei had until you pointed it out. With Ingvild in there now, I guess that's one more non-loli in the list. You'd think so, but in canon, it's stated that Riser's only Rating Game losses are ones that he intentionally lost for political reasons, so I think it's reasonable to assume that he has been allowed to just tank everything up to this point. My logic as to why nobody has used these specific tactics before is that demons are unlikely to risk bringing weapons that are just as harmful to them as their opponents; Zakaria simply isn't concerned enough about his safety to care.

ProfessorSiegfried: Thank you, thank you. I'm delighted you liked it. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story. As you can see above, I have put forth your suggestions, so we'll see how that turns out. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Guest: Pretty much. I'm using it because it's the one printed in the actual English release of the light novels and that's easier for me to work with.

Well, I'll see you next time. Please follow, favourite, and review if you've enjoyed.