Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil

by TalonAlpha3

"And the Evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall he walk amongst the innocent. And Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth." Aidan Kain was just living a normal school life as a human with nightmares before being sucked into the Devil world as a pawn of Rias Gremory. What further adventures await for this Kuoh Academy student?

11. Chapter 11: Let the Game Begin

I do not own Highschool DxD nor do I own Diablo. All rights respectively go to Ichiei Ishibumi, the series' creator, and Blizzard Entertainment, the company who made Diablo.

---

It was the night of the Rating Game and Aidan woke up from his sleep. It was already late, yet he knew that tonight was the night. The night where everything is decided. Either Rias will come home free from her bondage of forced marriage or all hope is lost and victory goes to Riser.

There were only two hours before the Game. Yet Aidan had a lot of time to think. For the past ten days, everyone trained diligently in the mountains to prepare for this moment. He had worked hard, shed blood, sweat, and tears, and persisted to grow stronger in order to overcome Riser. Although he may have had the initiative back when he first met the Phenex, he had yet to see his true power.

And speaking of his true power, Aidan raises up his left hand, still wrapped up in a now defunct magical bandage. As he takes parts of the bandage off, he sees the full extent of what has become of his arm.

It was fully covered in corruption, unable to reverse the curse. The black veins of corruption from his Sacred Gear can no longer be held back and in check. Aidan will, at some point, have no choice but to let them continue to spread throughout his body without resisting it.

Why?

He had noticed that the veins had given him much more power than just his Sacred Gear alone. If he was going to need power, then he needs to let his entire body be corrupted further willingly. Many people will object to it, including Rias, which is why he intends to not tell her or anyone else in order to not let their concern for him distract them from the goal at hand. If this power can defeat if not kill Riser, then it is a chance he is willing to take. There may be consequences, but it was the only way to free Rias if he was going to defeat Riser.

He could not help but feel a dark and familiar presence of Terror lurking within his soul.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

When someone started knocking on his door, he turned his head towards it and heard, "Aidan, may I come in?"

Aidan wraps up his left arm and says, "Come in, Asia."

The door opens as Asia enters the room, wearing the same nun outfit she wore when they first met but without the vale and the silver cross necklace.

Aidan was surprised. "You're wearing your nun outfit?"

"I've grown more comfortable and flexible wearing this," She said while feeling a little embarrassed. "Rias said it was okay, as long as I was relaxed. So…what do you think?"

"You look as amazing as the Archangel of Hope itself," Aidan complimented. "I can see now why Auriel chose you to spread the power of hope."

Asia blushed and placed a hand on her chest.

"You're sweet." She responded before pausing for a brief moment. "Umm, Aidan. I'd like to stay here with you. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Aidan responded as he moves a bit to the left and Asia takes a seat next to him on his right. Then, out of nowhere, she hugs Aidan's right arm tightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, feeling the trembling within her.

"It's nothing," She responded. "Just a little nervous about the upcoming battle. But that is not what has me scared the most."

"What is it?"

"It's you," Asia said looking into his eyes. "I'm just scared without you at my side. I know that with you, everything will be alright." Asia paused again and loosened her grip on him. "Can I stay like this until we leave?"

"However long you want," Aidan responded. Asia looked up and stared at him, her emerald green eyes gazing into Aidan's blue sapphire ones. For all the times she looked into them she found peace, and he found them to be calmly beautiful like the ocean. They gave him a hardened look, but she knew all too well the wonderful beholder of those eyes.

It gave her peace as the two rested in each other's arms, never letting go.

---

TWO HOURS LATER…

At the ORC clubhouse, everyone was preparing for battle. Kiba sat on one of the sofas, sliding his sword back into its sheath. Koneko was on the other sofa, fastening a pair of fighting gloves with a cat paw print on them. Akeno and Rias were drinking tea elegantly, the former sitting next to Koneko and the latter sitting at her desk.

"Where are they?" Rias asked after sipping her tea. Soon the doors to the room were opened and they saw Asia and Aidan arrive.

"Sorry we're late," Aidan said with Asia behind him.

Rias sighed and asked, "What took you two so long?"

"Just packed up a few things. Healing Potions mainly," Aidan explained with his small stash on his waist. "Along with some words of encouragement from Uncle Deckard."

Rias was at ease of hearing that, accepting the excuse. "Alright then. The battle will begin soon, and it will be viewed in live broadcast so that family members can watch. Sona and Tsubaki will help out with that."

"The Student Council intends to watch this now?" asked Aidan.

"Well, I promise to do everything in my power to make it interesting for them at least," Rias said with a confident expression. Despite her anxiety stirring up within her given that this is her first Rating Game, she believed she will win. After all, she has Aidan, her most powerful piece to play with.

Just then, a red magic circle opened up behind the Devils to reveal Grayfia.

"It is almost time," The maid said with her hands together. "I pray you are ready, my lady."

Rias walks over to Aidan's left side, the two of them facing the maid. The other members of her peerage gathered by the two and stood at the ready.

"We are, Grayfia," Rias answered.

"When it comes time to start the battle, we will use this circle to teleport you to the battlefield," Grayfia explained.

"And where will we be exactly?" asked Aidan.

"In a neutral, alternate space created just for the game," Akeno explained to him. "Because it's not real, we're able to fight with all our powers and do some real damage. Even destroy things to the ground. "She giggled at the last part of the sentence and places a hand on her cheek, but Aidan was confused at that remark.

"This Rating Game will also be viewed by members of both households from a different location through the broadcast. Among them is the Great Satan Lucifer."

Rias stared at her with a shocked expression turned annoyance. "Onii-sama…"

"Sirzechs Lucifer," Aidan revealed the name with a neutral expression, but it surprised everyone in the room, including Rias, as they turned their heads to him. All except for Asia who was confused.

"Aidan, you know of him?" asked a surprised Kiba.

"Not personally," Aidan replied. "But rumors hold that he is close friends with Uncle Deckard. I never asked though, dismissing them as such."

"It's about time. Everyone, please head to the magic-circle."

Everyone gathers to the magic-circle after Grayfia-san urges them to.

"Also, once you get transported, you cannot use the magic-circle until the game ends."

So we can only return here after the outcome.

The magic-circle's symbol changes to another one which is not that of the Gremory's and it starts to emit lights. It's also not the symbol of the House of Phoenix. Perhaps it's the one used for the game.

The light soon covers the room and the teleportation begins.

---

When Aidan opened his eyes, he was confused for it looked as if they had not gone anywhere. It looked as if they were still in the clubroom, but without Grayfia.

But speaking of the devil…

[Hello everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating match between the House of Gremory and the House of Phoenix.]

Grayfia had used the school broadcast to project her voice.

[In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match. By using both Lady Rias and Lord Riser's opinion, we created this battlefield, which is a replica of the school, Kuoh Academy, which Lady Rias attends to in the human world.]

Aidan finally understood that the area they were in was nothing more than a replica of the real deal. As he looked outside, he saw that it looked exactly like the Academy but with a green bright sky, with deformed shape of lights like the Northern Lights.

[The location where both teams were transported will be their base of operations. Lady Rias' base would be the Occult Research Cub's clubroom located in the old school building. Lord Riser base would be the Student Council's room located in the new building. For the Pawns to use promotion, please head to the enemy's base to do it.]

"So be it," Aidan said to himself with a serious expression, deploying the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws on his left arm. Secretly, he allows the black veins to grow from within in an effort to gain more power.

"Aidan, wait," Akeno halted. "Going in to the base for a promotion will be suicide."

"She's right, Aidan," Kiba said. "We need to play smart. Odds are Riser will want to move his Pawns into our territory right away. We need to keep enough play nearby to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Let them come," Aidan agreed, keeping his eyes forward. "They will find only fear waiting in store for them."

Aidan soon felt a tug on his right arm, seeing it was Koneko. She presented him a pink glowing object the size of a marble. "What is this?" He asked, taking the object from the cat girl's paws.

"These will help us communicate with each other during the battle," Rias said, as she installs one into her left ear. Aidan followed suite.

[Now it's the time for the commencement of the battle. Also, this match will continue till dawn in the humans' time. So, Game starts now.]

*RING RING*

The school bell rings. So this is the ring to signify the start of the match. The ORC's first Rating Game had now commenced.

Let the Game…begin.

---

AT RISER'S HOME BASE…

Riser sat in his chair with two of his servants kneeling on the floor on both sides of him. Both seemed to be in bliss of being around him as they gave him exquisite pleasure while Riser kept up his arrogant sneer. These were not women from his Peerage but rather just maids within his servitude.

Behind him stood Xuelan, Karlamine, and Yubelluna. Despite showing stoic faces, they did not care for their so-called master. In truth, they had felt nothing but hatred for that man. Even after he declared his servants replaceable back at the clubroom, most of them seemed to go along with it. It was most likely that they showed utter loyalty to him no matter what he spoke, or he may have forced them to obey his will in whatever he says and does.

For the three girls, they had discovered a dark truth regarding the day they met Aidan. It turned out that Riser became well aware of the Siegebreaker Assault Beast and had lured it over to Aidan in order to kill him if they had failed to kill him. When the three girls discovered this, what they once felt affection for the man was now replaced with intense disdain.

When they had returned from their failed mission, he informed them that while he was disappointed and expected better in their mission, their failure mattered little as he had other means to accomplish his goal without them. It was as if he had casted them low and no longer cared for their existence, treating them nothing more as tools.

And now they were going up against a Peerage who had the Pawn that saved their lives from the Demon. The Pawn that they owed their lives to and a life debt.

Excluding themselves from Riser's presence as he drunk himself in his own pleasure, the three convened in secret away from his prying eyes and ears.

"What do we do?" Xuelan asked in concern to Yubelluna and Karlamine. "It's not like we can exactly switch sides in this Rating Game."

"And we cannot betray him either," Karlamine bitterly said. "Attacking Aidan will go against the life debt we three swore to him. And even attacking him will be unwise."

"We have no choice though," Yubelluna informed. "Riser will be watching our every move. So we will have to play along. Although, I may have an idea on how to give Aidan the opportunity to confront Riser."

"What are you saying?" asked Karlamine.

"We each confront him separately and at random so as to not make it an obvious pattern for Riser to pick up on. Once he defeats us easily, we will surrender and give him Riser's location. Then he can move in and strike down the son of a bitch himself."

"I like it," Karlamine said. "I gotta say, Yubelluna, you are learning the ropes of strategy."

Yubelluna could not help but smile. Xuelan however still had that concern look on her face but not in terms of Riser nor their botched plan.

"I am more worried for Aidan though. That power we saw of him back at the ORC clubroom was…unnatural. It was as if he lost control due to a sudden influx of power. It may come back again and he may lose himself in the process."

The three were silent as they all agreed on what Xuelan had said. If Aidan's strange power did come back, then they best be ready for it. But the most probably chance of it coming back would be when he confronts Riser. Even then, it would be catastrophic if it did considering how powerful they felt from it.

Finally, Yubelluna speaks up.

"We just need to trust Aidan to finish this. We just need to hope he can hold out long enough to not lose control to whatever took over him."

Karlamine and Xuelan looked at the Bomb Queen and nodded before they all set out, going to play along with Riser's strategy and their feigning loyalty to him.

---

AT RIAS' BASE…

Rias sat down on one of the sofas cross-legged, arms crossed under her chest, as she had the others gather around her. Akeno stood at the office desk preparing tea, Kiba and Koneko stood at front of the table with the former holding some sort of scrolled up paper, and Aidan and Asia sat on the opposite sofa.

"First, we have to take down the Pawns," Rias stated. "It will be troublesome if they came here and promote themselves to Queen."

"You seem calm about this, Rias," Aidan complimented.

"The battle has just started, Aidan. The Rating Game is originally a game that doesn't finish in a short time. There are times when it becomes a blitz, but mostly it's a game that takes very long. Just like the actual game of chess. This game has a meaning only if you use the battlefield to the fullest. Usually the base would be a fortress, a castle, or even a tower. There are forests and rivers between the two bases, and we battle using those areas. This time the school is our stage. Kiba."

Kiba nods and unrolls the scroll he held in his hand on the table. It was a grid map that showed the whole school, with letters and numbers on it, much like a chessboard.

Rias pulls out a red marker and circles the old school building. "The enemy's base is just across the way." She then circled the new school. "Cutting through the school grounds might be quick, but it's not an option."

"…They'll see us coming from a mile away,"Koneko said.

"Correct," Rias confirmed. "And we might as well be sitting ducks."

"We could go through the track field and sneak in the back, giving us the element of surprise," Aidan suggested. "But then again, Riser will have that covered with his Knights and Rooks, being the most obvious entry point."

"That doesn't leave us with very few options, then, does it?" Akeno asked.

"First things first," Kiba spoke up and pointed to the gymnasium on the map. "I think we should secure the gum before we do anything else. It's not too far from us and it will serve as a devious for the other side."

"It's also in the center of the battlefield," Akeno spoke up again. "Whoever gets to it first will control the tide of this battle."

"Riser will no doubt be thinking of the same thing," Aidan said. "Since he is a veteran of the Rating Games, it will be hard for us to counterattack if he gains control. We're just going to have to learn and adapt along the way with whatever he throws at us."

"You're both right," Rias said, while leaning back into the sofa wither arms crossed. "We will have to make sure he doesn't get the gymnasium. And given the options we have, this is out best chance." Turning her head to Koneko, she asked, "Koneko, do you think you can handle getting into the gym and locking it down?"

The cat girl nods.

"All this talk of fighting is starting to scare me," Asia said worriedly catching Aidan's attention as he puts an arm on her shoulder for reassurance

"Don't worry, Asia," Aidan reassured. "You won't have to be on the front lines for this. Trust in Rias and we will win this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Asia said with a smile to him.

Rias then stood up from the sofa. "To accomplish this task, we will need to form a defensive perimeter. Kiba, Koneko. Get out there and set some traps in the forest, ASAP."

"Got it," Kiba said before taking a map and a weird looking tool box with them. Both he and Koneko leave immediately to set up their defensive perimeter.

"Everyone else will be on standby until they finish setting up the trap. Oh, Akeno."

"Yes?"

"After Yuuto and Koneko returns, can you cast illusions and mists around the forest and the sky? Obviously a trap that only reacts to Riser's group. That's how the start of the match will be like, though it seems like this battle will become intense midway through it. So I'll leave the issue regarding the mists and the illusions to you, Akeno."

"I understand, Buchou." Akeno confirms.

The strategy has already begun. Both Asia and Aidan didn't know what we are supposed to do.

"And us?" Aidan asked, referring himself and Asia to Rias.

"Asia, you are my healing support, so in order to keep you safe, I will need you to stay close to the base. If we lose you, then we have already lost."

"Right," Asia nodded with a brave expression.

"Aidan, come over here for a minute."

Aidan did as asked as he sat on the sofa Rias was on. She then patted her lap.

"Now lay your head on my lap."

Aidan obeyed and slowly but surely lowered himself on Rias' thighs. He could feel her softness on his head through his hair and neck, almost as if his pillow was a cloud. He closed his eyes and smiled a little, exhaling through his nostrils as Rias placed her hand on his head and began to pet his head.

"Are you comfortable?" Rias asked.

"For now," Aidan answered honestly. "But I suppose there is one way to work off stress, I guess."

"Well, if you want we can do this again once this is over," She offered with a smile. Asia stared at the scene with puffy cheeks, unable to hide her jealousy. "Now Aidan, I will cast a little spell on you."

"What for?"

"Just a seal that I am going to unlock," Rias said as she placed a hand on his forehead.

Suddenly, an incredible amount of power flooded into his body. This power was different compared to the corruption from his Sacred Gear which was violent and painful. This one felt smooth and relaxing, almost like water, yet it provided a familiar and comfortable feeling.

"When you became a Devil, I told you it took all eight of my Pawn pieces," She told him. "but what I didn't tell you was how much power you had received."

"Explain," Aidan said.

"If I had unleashed everything all at once, your body wouldn't have been able to take it. So I casted a spell to keep your powers at bay. Because of the spell, your Devil magic came to you in small, manageable stages. You had to rely so much on your Sacred Gear's demonic magic that it was virtually tearing you apart. What I just did not was unseal another portion of your powers to counteract that problem. I only hope it will be strong enough to hold back the corruption for you to remain in control."

Rias began patting Aidan's head as Asia looked away in jealousy. She prayed again, only to get another headache.

"I'm counting on you to do your best," Rias said. "I know that those three girls that were with you that day are your opponent, but you cannot hold back."

"I know, Rias," Aidan said. "I do not intend to. And I know they will not hold back either. I told you I would make Riser suffer, but I also intend to sow fear into his heart."

Rias however started to worry. His cold intention on Riser may be justified but she wondered if Diablo will ever take control of him again like in the clubroom. She can only hope the demon does not show itself again, especially at this critical event of her life.

"I trust you, Aidan," Rias said as her favored Pawn sat up. "And I know you won't let me down."

With that said, Aidan departs and sees Koneko approach as the two depart for the forest.

---

SCHOOL GYM…

As Koneko and Aidan wander through the forest, they ran at full speed to get to their enemy quickly before they get to them first. They were not suicidal per se but the faster they take out the Pawns and survive, the better their chances. Since the main entrance to the gym is connected to the new school building, they knew they could not enter from there. So they went to the entrance on the opposite side.

Stopping in front of Koneko, AidAN raised a hand to have her halt. He glances back at the cat girl who was back to back with her before he looked forward to the door and approached cautiously. He opens the door carefully with his left hand as he takes out Dawnbreaker strapped on his back.

Once the door opens, Koneko enters first before Aidan follows suite. They came into the back of the platform and hid behind one of the sides. The lights were off, with only the outside light providing source.

"…They're here," Koneko said.

"And we're surrounded. Get ready," Aidan said as the lights were turned on. Both of them came out of the shadows and stood in the light to behold Xuelan standing with three other girls. Mira was among them.

The two were very young twins with turquoise hair, which they keep tied to one side of their head with a yellow ribbon and blue eyes. Both of their outfits consisted of gym uniforms, which were white t-shirts with blue accents, black leggings, and blue sneakers over knee-high socks. They also wore an orange wristband on their right wrist. It was a uniform similar to the one from Kuoh Academy but without the school logo.

"Good to see you again, Aidan," Xuelan greeted warmly with a hand on her left hip. She bore a smile on her face as she had to admit that from a distance, Aidan looked handsome. It made her blush a bit, but she kept it under control. "I didn't think I'd see you in circumstances like this."

"The feeling is mutual, Xuelan," Aidan greeted back warmly. "I had hoped that our next encounter would not have to be something like this. I might have even invited you for a date."

Xuelan blushed heavily, the thought of it went through her head as she imagined her and Aidan by a café eating a parfait together. But she snapped out of it to not let such thoughts distract her from the battle. Riser was watching after all.

"Like that's going to happen, boy," said Mira, stepping forward and pointing her staff at him. "I am going to make you pay for humiliating me in front of Lord Riser. But even if you do defeat me, Lord Riser will never fall to a weakling like you."

Aidan then sees the other two girls and calls out their names. "You must be Nel and Ile, more Pawns from Riser's Peerage."

"That's right," The twins said simultaneously, giving a salute.

"…The Rook is going to be a problem," Koneko said with a serious expression. "Based on her power level, she has the power of a Queen."

"As I understand it though, both you and she are students of Kharazim, though," Aidan said as he readies Dawnbreaker.

Koneko nods, "Yes but our martial arts levels are not close to one another. Can you take care of the Pawns while I deal with the Rook?"

"Sorry, but no thanks," Xuelan suddenly said, taking a few steps forward herself, surprising her comrades and opponents. "I'm not interested in fighting you, cat girl. I will fight Aidan Kain, you three take care of the Rook."

"You can't be serious," Mira argued. "His power level is a lot more stronger than yours."

"If you're worried about my feelings getting in the way, then I should tell you that is not going to be a problem," Xuelan sternly responded. "Besides, I want to see that level of strength he had when we fought together that time."

Koneko stared with eyes widened slightly, but Aidan's was the same. They soon turned to one another as if they were asking the other what to do.

"…Focus on the fight and off of her boob." Koneko advised with a blank expression.

Aidan sighed, "We'll watch each other's back and provide support when necessary."

She nodded, and then the two launched each other off the floor and charged into battle.

---

IN THE FOREST…

Three forms of beings zipped to and from one tree to another at fast speeds impossible for the normal human eye to track. When all three figures landed on the forest floor to look at their surroundings, they found a thick fog covering most of the area.

The first amongst them was named Shuriya, a young woman with long pale blue hair and amber eyes. She has tanned skin and is seen wearing a bikini made up of a metallic underwire brassier and a silk loincloth that exposes her sides. She also wears a silver colored tiara and neck rings with a ruby and blue gem respectively. Other accessories that she wears include ruby orb earrings, a snake themed bracelet on her upper arm and a transparent pink veil across both her arms. Shuriya, notably, has purple highlights around her eyes.

The other two were Marion and Burent, dressed as French maids. Marion is a young girl with shoulder length light brown hair and dark brown eyes, dressed in a buttoned, sleeveless, French maid uniform with a white laced design, along with a standard maid head piece, cuffs, and a white half-apron to go with the set. She also wears light grey tights. Burent is a young girl with shoulder length brown hair, dressed in a sleeveless French maid uniform that exposes her breasts cleavage with a white laced design on the edges, as well as a maid headpiece, half-apron, and forearm length finger-less gloves.

"Dammit," Burent cursed. "This fog is so thick we won't be able to see anything."

A red magic appeared a few meters from them, standing tall. With a quick flash, it launched flowing projectiles as long as spears towards them. All three Pawns quickly jumped away, the projectiles missing them as it implants into the trees and ground.

"A trap," Shuriya said in amusement as she flew through the air. "Did they really think that something like that would work?"

"The Gremory's are dumber than I thought," Burent mocked as she and Marion were in the air together.

"A cute trick from a Rating Game virgin," Marion agreed.

---

BACK IN THE GYM…

"HYAH!"

Xuelan sent a flaming, left side roundhouse kick towards Aidan before he jumps back quickly to avoid it. Landing a few feet away, he prepares to go on the offensive, but the Rook flew through the air and launched a fiery thrust kick at him. Blocking the strike with Dawnbreaker, he pushes her foot to the side but that makes Xuelan follow through with a spin on her right leg and send a backwards roundhouse kick.

Aidan barely dodges out of its way before he recovers up, only to see a flaming punch coming right towards him. Discarding Dawnbreaker for a bit, Aidan deflects the punch and goes for an uppercut. It misses Xuelan by a hair before she swung around with her fist backwards at him. Leaping back for a bit, he charges in but Xuelan turns around, bent over to have her hands almost touch the ground, making her large rear stand out, before she lands a kick at the gut.

But to her surprise, Aidan catches it, but the impact sent him and her back his direction straight to a wall before he grabs ahold of it and slams her to the floor hard. He then throws her away to get some good distance before she pins enough in the air to land on the ground.

"Not bad, Aidan!" Xuelan exclaimed as she approached the man she owed her life to, as he pries himself against a wall to catch his breath for a bit. He then sits back up and walks around in circles around Xuelan.

Truthfully, she didn't want to fight him, but she, Karlamine, and Yubelluna understood that they were still members of Riser's peerage and had to fight to ensure their loyalty, forced or not. It pained her a bit to go against the life debt she owed to Aidan.

"I am impressed you were able to keep up," Xuelan complimented. "You've grown stronger since last we met."

To Aidan, Xuelan was not just skilled in Kung Fu but also in the mixed martial arts of the Veradani, or the Monks of Ivgorod. Practitioners of the Sahptev faith, they are rarely seen outside of their city of Ivgorod, a city-state located within the Himalayas and hidden deep within. These holy warriors undergo intense mental and physical training to hone their minds and bodies into living instruments of divine justice. Serving the one thousand and one gods, he Monks endure harsh trials both physical and spiritual, proving their devotion and attaining unmatched focus in battle. They are an order militant of the Sahptev faith and are charged with carrying out the decrees of the kingdom's leaders, being the most deadly warriors in all of Sanctuary.

Hence why Xuelan is a student, an initiate, of Kharazim from Ivgorod Yoga. She must be a personal student of his.

Knowing that going up against Xuelan up close was a bit suicidal, Aidan decides it would be best if he sticks to the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws. He brings out the arm blades that extend from his forearms.

"Arm blades?" Xuelan asked. "Curious. Just like the ones Master Kharazim makes me practice with. But do you really think they can stop a Rook like me?"

"Only one way to find out," Aidan said.

Xuelan accepts the challenge and charges in with a flaming fist, which Aidan dodges under and rolls to his left to avoid an upward kick. After stopping a few feet away, he turned around and use his arm blades to block Xuelan's persistent fiery left leg kicking at him. Reading her movements along the way, Aidan sees that she was not just focused on close quarter combat with her Kung Fu and pyro abilities, but also possessed such spirit energy, likely from her training with Kharazim, that she focuses it on her legs.

Which meant that Xuelan used mostly her left leg in combat.

After sending one last kick, Xuelan twirled around to the left and thrusted her left foot out again, hoping she would have the same results and send him flying, even if he stood against the force of it.

*POW*

The impact was strong enough to create a small shockwave, but he wasn't taken off of his feet, and only slid back a little. Once again he had caught her leg by the ankle with his right hand and pulled her towards him. With his left fist, he gave one hard sucker punch across her left cheek.

*POW*

Xuelan had manage to grit her teeth enough to withstand the impact. That punch was strong enough to render anyone unconscious, even her. But her training with Kharazim and her Kung Fu prepared for her mentality as well despite blood drawn.

As he lets go of her leg, Xuelan staggered backwards to regain her wits and stable herself after the punch. With her cheek bruised and cut, Xuelan smiled and whipped away a bit of blood from her lips. Then she gasped when she saw Aidan up close and personal with the arm blades.

*STAB*

Aidan thrusts his arm blades into her through her stomach, going all the way through.

"AAAHHH!" Xuelan screams in agony and coughs up a bit of blood.

But afterwards, she smiled a bit, as if she was in satisfaction from the blow dealt to her. Looking up at Aidan, she gave a peaceful look to his cold expression, grasping his head with her bloody hands.

"Well done," Xuelan said. "I… will be taken to a safe place to heal. That's how it works whenever someone is defeated. I… will be treated for my wounds."

Aidan sighed a bit in relief. Although Xuelan was his enemy in this Rating Game, he never hated her and considered her an acquantaince. To her though, he was more to her. Bringing herself over to his right ear, she had some final words to say before she departed.

"Yuàn zhòng shén de yìzhì cìyǔ nǐ shènglì."

To Aidan's limited knowledge of the Chinese language, it translated to "May the will of the gods grant you victory."

Xuelan soon dissipated into white pixels that dispelled her form, bringing her over to the infirmary to recover. Aidan watched as the Chinese girl disappeared from his arm blades, retracting them back into his arms and looking in some awe that one of the Peerage members of the enemy was now done for the count.

[[One of Lord Riser's Rooks retires]]

"Look out!" Koneko's voice calls out to Aidan, snapping him out of his thoughts as he saw the twin green haired girls, Ile and Nel, come after him with roaring chainsaws over their heads.

"Slice 'em up! Slice 'em up! Slice 'em up!" The two chanted happily. When they approached him, the first swings her chainsaw at the head, but Aidan ducks underneath and deploys his arm blade on his right arm to block the second attack that came for the legs. He then kicked the second twin away and tackled the first in the stomach with his shoulder, forcing her to the ground.

Then, with his left arm blade, she stabs at one twin through the gut.

"GWAAH!" Ile (or was it Nel?) cried out before Aidan take shis left arm blade out and retracts the weapon back into his Sacred Gear. Her form soon dissipated into white particles. Aidan soon heard the other chainsaw girl charge forward, in an attempt to avenge her twin.

She goes for an overhead cut but Aidan blocks it with his right arm blade Dawnbreaker and slices her across the stomach. Moving himself behind her, he backstabs her straight through her back and pulls out his sword. She too is dissipated into white particles.

[[Two of Lord Riser's Pawns retires]]

Over on Koneko's side, she was dealing with Mira, jumping over the blue-haired girl after a failed thrust attempt from her staff. She then kicked her in the back to send her away, time enough for Aidan to warp right in front of her and slice her through the chest, breaking her staff.

"AAGGHH!" Mira cried as she felt immense pain from the slice wound. She stumbles and lies on her stomach, groaning in pain and once again humiliated by her defeat at another Pawn. She grits herself and stares back at Aidan, who did not bother looking back at her at all.

Koneko and Aidan met up and nodded to one another. With the gym now secured, they now established a good foothold over the battlefield. Soon, their communicators came online and Rias' voice was heard through them.

"Aidan. Koneko. What's your status?" Rias asked over the comm.

"We're all clear here, Rias," Aidan replied back. "The gym is secured, with one Rook and Three Pawns retired from the fight."

"Good work," Rias said happily. "Akeno is in position. Get out of there before she brings the thunder. She will be able to take out another three Pawns near there."

Aidan and Koneko glanced and nodded to one another, running towards the exit to get clear from the blast. Soon dark thunder clouds with lightning appeared over the gym and when the two were at a safe distance, they saw two maids and another young woman, probably the three Pawns Riser sent, rallying over to the gym, most likely to check on the status of the Pawns and Rook. They entered inside to

But then…

*KA-BOOM*

A large bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and went straight for the gymnasium. In a large and fiery explosion with a shockwave that almost knocked them to the ground reduced the building to rubble with a mushroom cloud.

"Boom!" Akeno exclaimed from above, flowing near the smoke in her shrine maiden attire with her hand raised to the sky.

[[Three of Lord Riser's Pawns retires]]

"Amazing…" Aidan said in astonishment as he and Koneko pick themselves up. "No wonder she is called the Priestess of Thunder."

"…Yeah, that's one way to put it," Koneko agreed. "She knows how to bring the boom… and she likes it."

Watching the Queen fly above them, Aidan would definitely agree with the cat girl. Akeno places a few fingers on her lips as she giggles, blushing slightly was a strange happy look, even when she licks her fingers. Aidan almost forgot she is a sadist of sorts, both on and off the battlefield.

"What now, Koneko?" asked Aidan. "What's our next move?"

"We need to get to the athletic field," Koneko stated. "Kiba is waiting for us there… If we see any bad guys, we crush them. Sound good?"

"Then let's hurry before he gets overwhelmed," Aidan said as he sheathes Dawnbreaker and heads over to Kiba's position.

As Aidan and Koneko head over to Kiba's position, they were informed that some other members of Riser's Peerage were also heading over there. As for who, neither of them knew but they will face them together.

*KA-BOOM*

A sudden explosion went off right by their feet. Aidan was sent flying backwards and hitting the back of a tree hard, leaving a huge dent in it before it toppled, falling over him. Luckily enough for Aidan, his senses pick up to feel the tree behind him fall forward and he quickly rolls to the left side, albeit painfully.

"Ugh…" Aidan groaned. "What the hell was that?"

Sitting up, he looks to see that a casting spell of an explosion went off by Aidan and Koneko. He had seen this before as those explosions were similar to someone he had met before.

"Aidan!" Rias exclaimed over the comm, shooting from her place on the sofa. "What happened to Koneko?! Aidan come in! Do you read me!?"

Aidan takes out a Health Potion and drinks it, restoring his wounds. "I'm alright, Rias. But Koneko…"

And speaking of the cat, he stood up and stumbled over to see the small white-haired girl in the air, falling fatally, with a look of pain on her face. Most of her uniform was gone and left her almost naked, with only a few pieces of clothing hanging onto her, including her fighting gloves, socks, shoes, and panties.

She was about to land hard but Aidan warps over to her and catches her bridal style before landing roughly on the ground on his two feet.

"Koneko…" Aidan ushered up in an attempt to get her to open her eyes, but there was no response.

"I'm sorry, Aidan…" Yubelluna called out, making Aidan see Riser's Queen hovering in the air above them. "But Riser told me to stall you due to your immediate threat to him."

Aidan did not know what to say as he looks at the fallen cat-girl. But his voice for the next few words held discontent. "Once again, Yubelluna, you disappoint me. Obeying the will of a master whom you now despise. He cannot even get his own hands dirty and that infuriates me."

"…Aidan… I'm sorry." Aidan looked as Koneko spoke in a regretful tone, her voice weakened from her injuries. When she looked up at him, it looked as if she was on the verge of tears but was too hurt and exhausted to let them out. "…I just…. I just wanted to be more useful to everyone… and serve Rias well…"

"And you have, Koneko," Aidan calmly reassured. "Rest for now. I will take care of things from here."

Koneko was happy but let out a small cry as her body was enveloped in the same light that Riser's Pawns and Rook were when taken off the battlefield. And just like that, Koneko disappeared from Aidan's arms.

[[Lady Rias' Rook retires]]

As Koneko vanished from Aidan's arms, he stood up. Soon he turned his attention over to Yubelluna above her, who looked as if she held an expression of regret. But Aidan cared not for it as his cold gaze turned to her, the black veins beginning to emerge from his left arm.

"I do not want to go against my life debt, Aidan," Yubelluna said. "But Riser is watching this even now. He hopes to send all of us to weaken you so that he can finish you once you are weakened."

"Let him try, then," Aidan said. "But first, I will take care of you."

Before either of them could act though, Akeno appeared, floating down from above and positions herself in front of Aidan.

"Ara ara. This is getting exciting," she commented. "Why don't I be your opponent?"

"Akeno?" Aidan looked with a surprised expression.

"Aidan," Akeno turned to face hm. "I will take care of this trash. Go on ahead, okay?" She then closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh, and don't worry. I will be sure to take good care of her."

"A Queen against a Queen…" Yubelluna was intrigued. "I've been wanting to fight you for what seems like ages, Priestess of Thunder."

"I'll be okay, Aidan. Go now." Akeno's body was then cloaked in a yellow aura that sent a chill down Aidan's spine a bit, but he shrugged it off and continued moving, warping away to continue to Kiba.

He then heard the sounds of thunder and explosion go off in the distance.

Soon his right arm was grabbed before an individual pulled him underneath the roof of the sidewalk.

"Kiba!" Aidan sighed in relief. "How have you been?"

"I'm good," Kiba said before standing up. "We should keep moving though. They will almost be upon us."

"Agreed. Let's move!" Aidan said. As they did, they were inside a dark storage room that housed many sports equipment. This was their smartest move as it proved to be a blind spot for the enemy for the boys' objective was now the sports courtyard.

"So we've lost Koneko," Aidan said with his back against the wall, next to the entrance door that was cracked open slightly so that he can watch out for any other Phenex servants, all the while secretly letting the black veins spread throughout his body at a slow pace so as to control the volatile power within bit by bit.

"I heard," said a grimacing Kiba sitting down with his back behind a crate. "She must be feeling regretful for being caught off-guard like that. But we cannot do anything about it now."

Remaining silent for a moment, Aidan pushed himself off the wall and stretched out a hand for Kiba to grab. Kiba gladly accepts it as he is pulled up.

"Aidan, Kiba, do you read me?" Rias' voice was heard over the comm.

"Go ahead," Aidan answered with his fingers on his left ear.

"I'm launching a sneak attack on their base with Asia. I want you to draw as much of the enemy away from the entrance as possible to buy us time."

This awfully troubled the two men, especially for Aidan. "Rias, that's suicide. Riser will have expected such a move from you with Koneko now gone. Send me instead and I will deal with him."

"And lose control of yourself?" Rias reminded sternly, remembering last time he had faced Riser. Aidan was caught off-guard as bad memories of his brief possession decorated his expression. "I was planning to give Akeno time to recover so she could blast them one by one, but now Riser has sent his Queen, so I need her focused there."

"I agree with Aidan," Kiba spoke up. "It will be too risky for you to leave the base. You won't stand a chance against Riser one on one."

"Riser will thing along the same lines, Kiba," Rias answered. "I want to take him by surprise. If we can strike him strong and hard enough, we just might be able to fight out of him and win. His body may be immortal, but his heart is not. And trust me, I will have no trouble breaking that devil's black heart."

Rias seemed confident, but Aidan could not concur. As far as he knows, only he can overpower Riser but not so without losing control. But at the same time, Riser's servants needed to be taken care of, Ravel Phenex especially.

Sighing in defeat, Aidan said, "Be careful, Rias. I will join you soon with the others."

With that, the comms were cut off.

"Come on," Aidan said to Kiba. "The faster we take them out, the sooner we get to Rias and assist."

---

SPORTS COURTYARD…

Kiba and Aidan ran out of the storage room and arrive onto the sports court, which was behind the school. They then stopped a few stops as soon as they got on. With their backs against one another, they scan their surroundings to see nothing.

But they knew they were not alone.

"I know you're out there, Karlamine," Aidan called out to them. "Come out now."

At first there was no response until they heard a laughter to the right. A large dirt cloud rolled across the field in front of them before a silhouette of a figure could be seen within. Once the cloud, cleared away, Karlamine revealed herself.

"Aidan," Karlamine greeted, with a hand on the handle of her broadsword. "It's good to see you again. But just to be clear, I am not going to show you any restraint for I will not hold back."

Karlamine soon pulls out her sword and gets into a fighting stance. With her pyro-magic, she ignites her broadsword.

"I'll take care of her, Kiba," Aidan said as he takes out Dawnbreaker. "Go get the others."

"On it," Kiba said as he takes off, leaving Aidan and Karlamine alone.

The two walk in circles with their swords deployed in their hands. "You know, ever since that day with Kharazim, I've always wanted to have a duel with you. You may yet be the most worthy of my blade."

Aidan smiled at that remark. "Funny, you remind me of a certain Crusader I had a contract with. You could certainly be a good apprentice to her one day."

Once they stopped walking, Karlamine speeds towards him. Aidan backs away before he charges in, surprisingly matching her speed.

*CLANG*

With such godlike speed, both the Pawn and the Knight clash their blades. Appearing and disappearing everywhere, their bodies were blurs, with Karlamine and her flaming sword being the only one noticeable. They would only be seen when swords were clashed, which would last for at least half a second before disappearing again.

Kiba in the meantime was dealing with a woman with short, light brown hair and grey eyes. Her hair has three red highlights across and wears a plain white mask which covers the right side of her face. Her outfit consists of a black jacket and matching jeans. The jacket has wide shoulders and a wide collar and features three leather straps on both her arms. It is also slightly open, revealing her rather-large breasts and cleavage, and it is cut off at her midriff. Her jeans have a section (on her right pant leg) cut off, revealing some of her thighs and rear end, and also features three leather straps on her calves, just below the ankles, and two extra straps on her right pant leg to keep it in place. She also wears black fighting gloves and boots to enhance her blows.

That was Isabela, the other Rook of Riser's Peerage.

He also had to deal with a tall young woman with long black hair with a dark blue tint and brown eyes. Her hair features five thin ponytails going around her head, which are held up by a golden hair accessory on top of her head. Her outfit consists of a white top with black accents that are modeled after a Chinese cheongsam, red shorts, and armored knee-high boots with matching gauntlets. The top features a diamond shape on the chest area, giving view of her breasts and cleavage. She is seen wielding a giant Zweihander that is mounted on her back, featuring a black blade with silver edges and a black hilt with a red handle.

This was Siris, the other Knight of Riser's Peerage.

*CLASH*

Both Aidan's Dawnbreaker and Karlamine's flaming broadsword clashed once again. But Karlamine notes Aidan's sword, she sees it gathering power. It was volatile though because red and black lightning sprouted off from it.

Both back off and prepare for another charge.

"Your sword technique is most impressive, Aidan," Karlamine complimented. "It reminds me when we fought that Siegebreaker Assault Beast."

"And you are not so bad yourself," Aidan said. "But it's time to end this."

With that, Aidan freezes the blade of Dawnbreaker with ice magic that he learned from training with Akeno. Over the course of the ten days of training, he had gained better control over how much magic he can conjure up. But that was only for his Devil powers but not his Sacred Gear which was still volatile.

The Knight and Pawn charge at one another, their blades locked once again. But then the flaming blade froze and turned to ice.

"What?" Karlamine was shocked before the broadsword shattered. Then Aidan, with his left hand, takes out the arm blade and penetrates through Karlamine's chest.

*STAB*

Karlamine screams in pain as she is soon lifted up from her position. She tries to reach for her dagger behind her hip but was unable to. Fear crept onto her but that fear only served Aidan's Sacred Gear with power as it glows a malevolent red aura. She looks at Aidan who kept up a cold expression.

"So… that's it huh?" Karlamine said. "Go get Riser. And make him pay."

Karlamine soon disappeared from Aidan.

[[Two of Lord Riser's Knights and one of his Rooks retires]]

"Kiba!" Aidan called out as he rallies over to Kiba. When he arrives, he sees Riser's Knight and Rook disappear but Kiba was also fading away. He had received a terrible gashing wound on his chest.

"Kiba, no!" Aidan rallied over to his fallen battle brother and kneeled to him. Kiba looked up to see Aidan, blood pouring from his mouth. struggled to speak.

"Aidan…" Kiba said. "I'm sorry…

"No no," Aidan reassured. "You did well. I will take it from here."

Kiba smiles with hope as he lifts his left arm up. Aidan grasps it with his hands.

"Don't give up… brother." Kiba said as he closes his eyes and disappears from Aidan, his grip slipping away.

[[Lady Rias' Knight retires]]

Aidan suddenly heard a loud explosion sound coming from the school. Yet he feared the worst upon realizing what it was precisely.

---

RISER'S BASE…

Rias uses her magic circle to shield herself and Asia from a blast of fire from Riser.

"He's so strong," Asia said, hiding behind Rias as she lowers the shield.

"I'd wish you'd make this a little more entertaining," Riser said with a smirk. "This is the worst foreplay I ever had."

"Play this!" Rias extends her arms out to him and fires a large blast of her crimson powers, making Riser counter with a large fireball.

*BOOM*

"Rias, come in!" Aidan's voice came over the comm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Aidan," she reassured him, using her arm to shield her face from the winds of the dust cloud created from the explosion while keeping Asia behind him. "What's your status?"

"Kiba is down and I have not heard anything from Akeno yet," Aidan said. "Riser only has a couple pawns and his bishops left out here."

"Don't worry about me, I can handle this. You got your own battle, so fight! Show them who you are. A favored Pawn to Rias Gremory!"

---

'She's right. I made a promise and I will see it through to the end. And the only way to fulfill it is to get to her immediately.'

With that said, Aidan stands up and looks to see the school where Rias and Riser were battling.

"Aidan!" Akeno called out to Aidan from above. And Yubelluna was behind her for some reason. Both were exhausted of their fight and neither had the strength to continue.

"Akeno. Yubelluna." Aidan rallied over to them. "But what of your—"

"Yubelluna told me everything regarding her and her compatriots' attempted assassination," Akeno said. "She wants to be dealt by your hand so that you can end this."

Aidan was surprised. The fact that Yubelluna told Akeno everything about their battle in the mountains with the Siegebreaker Assault Beast and of their cooperation made them stand down and realize the greater threat.

"Don't worry about the rest of Riser's Peerage as well," Akeno reassured.

"What do you mean?" asked Aidan confused.

"Yubelluna and I took care of them. Now only one Bishop remains on the battlefield."

To Aidan, that must mean Ravel Phenex. Of all of members of the Peerage Riser does not want seen harmed, it would be his little sister. This gave Aidan an idea for when he confront Riser soon. But to do that, he needed Ravel first.

"Aidan, Lord Riser wants you to himself," Yubelluna informed him. "He awaits with you at the school and is engaged with Rias and your Bishop.

Judging from her looks, Aidan noticed she felt worried for him.

"You seem conflicted, Yubelluna," Aidan said, prompting the Queen to come down and met the Pawn face to face.

"It's just…" She began, trying to find the right words and turning her head away to the right hide her concerned expression. "Please be careful. You hold such incredible power to overcome even Lord Riser but that could also be your undoing if used recklessly. I don't want you to-"

She stops speaking when Aidan caresses her right cheek with his left hand to turn her and face him with a smile of peace. "I'll be okay, Yubelluna. You've done more than enough. When I beat him, I will be sure to free you and the other two from your chains of servitude. You've been his slave for far too long."

Yubelluna's heart felt itself at eased and she even blushed at his touch. Taking a very risky move, she moves her head closer to Aidan's and prods a light kiss on his lips. It caught Aidan off guard a bit, thinking she double-crossed him but there was no trace of poison or magic within and he simply kissed back.

Akeno, for some odd reason, looked surprise, if not a bit ticked off by what she had seen. Beneath her smile lied an odd jealous feeling and spite, the latter more towards Yubelluna.

Pulling back, she blushed and said, "For good fortune. Now please, let me leave the battlefield. I trust you to finish this and have no desire to fight you any longer."

Aidan complies and stabs his arm blade from his left arm deep into Yubelluna's stomach. But there was no pain from the Queen as a smile of trust and peace etched on her face, even as she closed her eyes. Soon, she dissipated into white particles.

[[Lord Riser's Queen, retires.]]

Everyone was shocked, even Riser who threw a bit of a tantrum of losing his most valuable piece before regaining composure. He was going to make Aidan pay more than the Pawn would ever think.

"Akeno…" Aidan calls out to the Priestess of Thunder without looking at her. "Drink this."

Aidan passes over a large blue potion similar to the red Healing Potions, but this one restored magic. Akeno did not complain as she popped open the corked cap and drank it, though the taste was so bitter. However, she could feel her magic restored instantly.

"Rally over to Rias immediately and assist her. I will join you shortly."

"What about you?" Akeno asked in concern.

"I will join you soon. Just got something to take care of first."

Akeno felt concerned but she nonetheless complied. With Yubelluna out of the way and most of Riser's Peerage now eliminated, she hurried off to Rias by flight.

Knowing where Riser was located, Aidan made his way to the school but went around the backway. When he went to the back, the entrance was open though. Soon he spotted Ravel Phenex leaning against it.

"Are you still going to continue to fight?" She asked with a confident smirk.

Aidan however had no time for this and ignored her. Still, she kept up her smirk of arrogance. "I'm not going to fight any more." She shrugged without a care in the world. "No matter how you think about it, it is your group's loss."

Aidan soon stopped to face her. "Do you really believe that? Or is it just because of your so-called Immortality that your family has which in reality is just an extension of your normal lifespan?"

"That's part of it, but also because both you and Lady Rias barely have ay stamina left, correct? I'll admit, as impressive as you can heal your wounds, your Healing Potions are exhausted, and your stamina is low. In this situation you will lose because you will get even more worn out. Also—" The Phenex girl pulled out a strange bottle which was the same one Yubelluna used in her fight. "Our family's hidden treasure."

"Phoenix Tears." Aidan answered, surprising the young blonde.

"Yes," Ravel replied, her arrogant smirk returning. "Our tears can heal all types of injuries within a matter of seconds. We're only allowed to use them twice in a game. You have a Bishop with the Twilight Healing. She then chuckled for one moment. "Luckily, our family is the only one who can produce these, so we made quite a profit off of them over the years. Face it. With our money, tears, and immortality, the House of Phenex was destined to win every Rating Game we compete in. You and Rias have reached your limits. You have no more moves to play, am I right?"

Aidan however approaches the young Phenex, hiding a dark expression on his face via his hair bangs. Ravel was confused at first before he approached up close to the point he towered over her like a giant.

"…You're wrong," Aidan said as he looks up, his eyes changing to that demonic red color and his black veins reached up to his neck. Ravel was intimidated a bit, her chest shaking up and her heart pounding fast for some reason. "I have one more card to play. And you will be vital towards it."

Without warning, he reaches out with his left hand and grips and chokes Ravel with the Sacred Gear.

"Ack, mgh, Augghhh…." Ravel struggles on the choke, caught unaware of this move. "You coward!" She tries to spite back. "What kind of fool…chokes a noble…so dishonorably?"

He lifts her up into the air, making her drop the Phoenix Tears from her left hand and Aidan catches it with his right before putting it in his pouch. Soon a dark and shadowy power overtakes Aidan's form, and a certain demon's image popped up behind him in a silhouette. But Ravel could not make of who or what it was.

Looking at Ravel, he brings her close to his face and replies, "There are fates worse than death."

He then electrocutes Ravel coldly, making her screams of pain echo across the battlefield, enough for even Rias and Riser to hear. Both were equally shocked; the latter holding disdain for again showing such dishonorable actions towards a noble let alone his little sister, but the former in fear, believing that something was not right for it could be a certain presence overtaking her beloved Pawn.

"Let's see what your brother has to say about this," Aidan said as he casually walks towards the school, with Ravel in tow as he continuously holds her by the beck and tortures her. Although her Phenex powers can heal her, she was also losing air and each red electrical shock was worse than the last. This was going to be one long torturous walk for her.

---

A large stream of fire rushes towards Rias and Asia. The redhead puts up another shield, but she was starting to struggle holding her own against the endless attacks of the Phenex heir. Her uniform was torn in various places, including having her right breast exposed. Her sleeves and cape were gone.

"Rias!" Akeno yelped, making Rias gasp as she turns to see her best friend and Queen come to her aid.

"Akeno! You're okay!" Rias said.

"As fast as I could," Akeno said. "Aidan is on his way here and all the other Peerage members are taken care of."

"Then we can win this!" Asia exclaimed.

"It won't matter," Riser arrogantly said, making the three girls turn their attention over to him. "Once he comes, I will make him pay for stealing my Rias' kiss."

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Rias said in defiance. "You'll have to go through me first before you lay a finger on any of them!" She shot a beam of the Power of Destruction and cut off Riser's right arm. But the Phenex heir merely chuckled and reformed a new one with his flames.

"Resign, my dear Rias," he told her as his new arm forms. "I've got checkmate. I know every move you're going to make, because I know you better than you care to think."

"Screw you!" Rias shouted with a glare. "You know nothing about me. I will never give up and am more than willing to declare war on you as a King!"

"So be it then," Rriser then made a call. "Ravel, do it!"

But there was no answer.

"Ravel, what are you waiting for? Do it!"

Again, no response. And this was irritating Riser indefinitely.

"Ravel, what kind of little sister ignores her dear brother's commands?! I said do it! NOW!"

But again there was no response.

"AAAAHHHHHH…" Screams were soon heard throughout the school. The screams of a little girl that is. Everyone recognized whose voice that was, even Riser. For that was the voice of his one and only cute little sister.

And it was in that moment that he began to fear for her life. The last person he wanted harmed was her and never wanted her on the frontlines. Everyone else was expendable but not Ravel.

The door leading to the roof busted open. And from its dark room was a red glow that emitted a red light and electricity, along with screams from Ravel. Everyone turned their heads to see what was going on.

"I know what it's like to lose, Riser," Aidan's voice echoed from the stairway. "To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless."

To prove his point, Aidan sends more red electricality to his captive, Ravel. Her screams echoing as she was denied release from the Game. Aidan's footsteps echoed as he walks down the hall, the red lightning lighting up bit by bit.

"It's frightening, turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should I say, I am."

When Aidan walks out in the light, he reveals his dark persona of red eyes and black veins covering much of his body except for his head. Once again the veins stopped underneath his chin as the cover his neck. But also that some underneath his eyes showed itself, like his eye sockets were about to become black as the night sky.

Rias, Asia, and Akeno were frightened by the appearance, seeing the corruption spread so fast. That dark shadow of Terror itself looming over him like he watched over him. But that will only be the start of what is to come.

Ravel, somehow getting her voice out of the choke-hold, looks into her stunned older brother's eyes and pleads for help. "Onii-sama…help me."

Ravel's attire was torn somewhat, and her body held a good number of wounds that still needed to regenerate. Her face was riddled with a trickle of blood pouring from her mouth, her forehead, her cheeks, and her nose. But with such a long and torturous walk, her powers were exhausted.

"Tell me, Riser…" Aidan spoke up and getting the Phenex's attention. "What is more valuable to you? Your pride, or your little sister?"

Riser spoke no word, gritting his teeth as he finally saw what Aidan was: a dishonorable low-born Devil who would attack even his little sister and torture her sadistically.

Aidan then asks while holding Ravel upwards towards Riser, "I assume you have a preference."

Riser then spoke up, "I do… Kill away!"

Ravel was so shocked of her brother's declaration, which prompted Aidan to finish the Bishop. Whether he played right into Riser's game or not, he knew he had made him angry by harming Ravel. With a surge of lightning from his left arm, Raiden finishes off Ravel as she fades and disappears from his hand.

[[One of Lord Riser's Bishops, retired]]

Riser was now all alone. All of his Peerage members have either fallen or betrayed him, in the case of Yubelluna. But still, he kept up his cocky attitude, wanting to face Aidan and beat him himself. Although inside, a part of him felt rageful for Aidan destroying his Peerage and even incapacitating his little sister.

The two stood face to face, with Aidan in front of the girls and facing his most hated enemy. Casting Dawnbreaker aside as it dissipates into light, intent to fight Riser with his hands and armblades.

"Now the game truly begins!" Riser exclaimed as he spreads his wings of fire.

"No…" Aidan said calmly yet coldly. "Now it ends. PROMOTION: Grant me the powers of a Queen!"

With that said, the power and demonic energy filled up his body, combining with the corruption from his Sacred Gear. He was now ready, as was Riser.

"So then, boy, are you ready to become an example to those who defy me?" asked Riser.

Aidan felt indifferent, keeping his dark look. "No. I am to make your suffering echo across eternity."

"Empty threats are all you have. Even with that power, you are but a pawn that will beg for mercy. Let met show you the difference between our classes!"

Riser soon conjures a fireball and throws it at Aidan. But Aidan stops it easily with his left hand as he deflects it, the fireball sent over to the side.

Riser was surprised. There was no way a Pawn like Aidan could deflect his fireball so easily. But it mattered little as he had to put up a flame shield to halt an incoming attack of red lightning from Aidan. The lightning however looked different for instead of red and white, it was red and black.

*BA-DUM*

Suddenly, Aidan gasped. Coming to a stop with his lightning attack, he stared at the ground with his body trembling, feeling impossibly heavy, as if he was carrying gigantic slabs on concrete. Suddenly, he vomits out of his mouth and out came blood.

Collapsing onto his hands and knees, Aidan continued to vomit more, his teeth covered in red.

"Aidan!" Rias cried out to him, petrified at the scene before her. She tries to get to him but Aidan holds his hand up in an effort to tell her to stay back. Scared but complying nonetheless, she looks to see something emerge from his back.

Shooting out from his back were a few black spikes. They pierced through his skin and also emerged partially on his shoulders. A new demonic power coursed through him and to Rias, she knew what it was.

"No… No, no no," She said to herself. "Why does it have to happen now?"

"Now is my chance," Riser said as he began to walk towards the downed man. "It's over!"

"Stay away from him!" Rias launches two blasts of her powers and cuts off both arms, making him stop completely about five feet away from Aidan.

"Rias dear, you barely have any magical powers left yourself," Riser's arms grew back. "Why not admit defeat? Riser wouldn't dare think—"

Suddenly, Riser is grabbed by the face from Aidan, who had sprinted up towards him and slammed him to the ground. Dragging and pushing him on the ground to create a trench, Aidan stops and gives powerful punches to Riser, who was able to block it with his hands alone.

Riser then kicked Aidan off of him with his right foot but was able to flip backwards and land perfectly. However, the Phenex was not only hurt physically but his pride was also damaged in that Aidan dared attack him like that.

"You filthy low-life," Riser growled with a snarl, feeling the pain from the punches. "You dare strike me?!"

Aidan remains silent, keeping his focus on Riser. As ever, the silence felt like an insult to Riser, enough for him to charge forward and grab him by the neck. But Aidan for some reason did not resist, as if he was not struggling. This concerned Rias greatly.

"Aidan, no!" Rias begged but it fell on deaf ears.

"You dare make an insult of Riser Phenex by stealing Rias' first kiss, then you harm a noble of the House of Phenex not once but twice?" He demanded spitefully, glaring at the younger man who bore no emotion. "I have just had about enough of your existence!"

Swinging his arm out, he threw Aidan over the edge of the top of the gable roof. But Aidan grabbed his arm when he let go so that he could bring him down with him, shocking Riser and making him all as well.

Aidan position himself where he strangled Riser's arms and pinned his head down so that he could land first. But before either could hit the side of the roof, Riser opened his flaming wings and stopped himself from falling. He then moved outwards and away from the roof, hovering towards an open court. Yet still, Aidan held on tightly, adjusting himself against his grip on Riser.

With a growl, Riser was able to get him to let go when he blasted him with a fireball. But Aidan deflected it once more and charged into Riser superman style, punching through to his stomach and spiraling him down to the ground. The result was a fiery explosion.

"Stop it!" Rias begged Riser, but to no response. She was more than just worried for her man but also scared for him.

Riser lands a few feet away from the crater that he and Aidan created, bruised but still alive. Steam and smoke rises off from him, as does his panting from suffering a blow like that.

Aidan soon emerges from the crater, pulling himself out of the smoke. His right shoulder and arm were burnt and his Sacred Gear on his arm was corrupting his body even further. Luckily his Queen Promotion was still in effect and his wounds began a little to heal thanks to the demonic power from his Sacred Gear.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" Riser said out of frustration before flying towards him. When he was close enough, he tries to throw a left hook but Aidan counters with an uppercut to the chin, sending Riser flying before his leg is pulled and he is slammed to the ground behind Aidan.

Sneakily, Riser uses his fireball to blast one to Aidan's face, stunning him briefly. With that opportunity, Riser gets up, grabs Aidan's shoulders, and rams his knee into his stomach.

"No!" Rias shouted with a scared and worried expression. With her magic now depleted, she was tired and left helpless. Forced to watch the one man get beaten to a pulp and struggle against Riser ached her heart immensely. Although both combatants traded severe blows to one another, Riser was more experienced in hand to hand combat. Had Aidan had more time to train, he would have been evenly matched. But Rias' concern was on Aidan's corruptive power and how it was tearing him up bit by bit.

Both Asia and Akeno were also worried, bearing the same expression as Rias.

Aidan charges in with a spin to land a downward kick on Riser's head, hitting him directly. But Riser counters with a kick to the back and sending Aidan a few meters away.

Tumbling through the ground, Aidan lands on his feet with his fingers scraping the ground. The two charge again and each throw a hook at each other's right cheek. Both stumble back briefly with a few steps before they go back at it again.

Rias lands on the ground with Asia and Akeno. "Aidan, fall back!" She called out to him. "Get away from him!"

The redhead started running towards them, but Aidan did not hear her command, too focused on defeating Riser despite his bloody injuries. Akeno and Asia saw what she was doing and flew right in front of her, blocking her path and holding Rias back.

"Rias, don't!" cried Akeno. "It's too dangerous!"

"Akeno, let go!" She cried. "Aidan is—"

"Buchou, please!" cried Asia, also holding Rias back via holding her waist.

"I've just about had enough of you!" Riser exclaimed before cocking his right fist in flames.

*BAM*

The combined strength of the punch and the power of the flames sent Aidan back a few meters, bouncing him off the ground with a sickening thud, before landing and rolling sideways the rest of the way before coming to a stop. He just laid there, his blood staining his own bare chest, and various places on the ground mostly near Riser where he once stood.

"You're just a pathetic lowly servant," Riser stated as he creates a large ball of fire in his right hand. "You don't even have the right to challenge Riser Phenex!"

"Riser," Rias said, looking between Asia and Akeno, becoming even more scared for her Pawn. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sending this loser to hell, where he belongs!" Riser proclaimed, as a dark look of insanity and arrogance framed his face. "No amount o healing will save this man when Riser's down. Any deaths that occur during the Rating Game are considered accidents anyway!"

Rias gasped in shock and terror, now seeing the true colors behind her forced fiancé. Akeno and Asia continued to hold her back, not wanting her to get caught.

There was still no response from Aidan as he was held up by Riser, laying motionless in the air.

"Now die you pathetic wealking!" Riser shouted as he prepares his cocked back fist, ready to end it once and for all.

"No… AIIDAANN!" Rias screamed for him, being held back by her Queen and her Bishop.

Riser's cocked back fist comes forward, aiming straight for Aidan's face.

*PANG*

In a sudden and shocking turn of events, Aidan's left hand caught up with Riser's flaming fist, stopping it before it even landed a blow onto him.

Everyone, including Riser and even the people watching, were so shocked. Aidan was beaten to a grindy pulp and was now in an exhausted state. Yet he was still able to stop a powerful attack with just his left hand and caught Riser's fist, holding him at bay.

But it was in that moment that everything began to change. More power from Aidan's Sacred Gear, in the form of a red malevolent aura of flame, coursed through his body and the black veins of corruption finally covered his face. His eyes became red with a black sclera instead of white, the pupil becoming vertical like a cat's eye. Bearing a wicked smile, sharp teeth showed like that of a Demon's.

Riser saw this right in front of him, and one could say he looked horrified. He did not scream though but what he saw truly scared him.

*SLING*

In the blink of an eye, Aidan brings out his arm blade from his left hand and severs Riser's right arm. Blood pours forth from it like a geyser.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Riser screamed as he stumbles back. He looks to see his arm severed off and holds it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He uses his Phenex powers to regenerate but for some reason, they did so at a slow pace, unlike previously where he can regrow an arm instantly.

As he looks up, Aidan was no where near to be found. Riser looked around in panic, trying to find his opponent.

*POW*

He soon found himself flying across the field from a punch he received to his head. Aidan used his speed to get to where Riser was flying and kicked him with his right leg sending Riser flying to a different direction.

*PANG*

Aidan waited until Riser landed and fully stopped a good 30 meters away from him. Riser stood up slightly panting from the damage he received. He didn't care just how strong this Pawn was despite the sudden increase in power. In his mind, he was still a low-class Devil and he was not about to lose to him. He flared out his fire aura in anger, his arm starting to reformulate itself.

"It doesn't matter how strong you think you are, you're still not going to beat an immortal—"

*BA-PING*

Riser was cut off as a shot from the Power of Destruction had hit him directly on the face and sent him across the ground. Once the dust settles and he gets up, he recovers. "Rias! You dare aid this monster of a servant like the coward he is?! Come out here and watch how I will burn him to ash!"

But when the dust in front of him clears, he looks to see a semi-demonic Aidan, with his left hand holding the Power of Destruction. Unlike Rias' though, his was a lot more volatile in nature, producing energy whips across the area and tearing it apart. It was as if he was Destruction incarnate.

Riser's eyes widened in shock as he saw the Pawn in front of him using the Gremory's signature power weapon.

"H-How… How can you have the Power of Destruction? Tell me!"

But Aidan remained silent. He kept that demonic look of murder towards Riser, intent to kill him. Riser still remained scared, looking in fear. But that fear only added to Aidan's power.

"T-This can't be real! How could Rias have recruited such a monster like you?!" He shouted in disbelief.

*BAM*

A right hook was met to Riser's face from Aidan, before an uppercut was met from the left fist. Then Aidan gives a severe punch over to Riser's ribs, breaking three of them and making him crash far away. The force was so great Riser bounced off the ground, but it gave Aidan the opportunity to speed up and grab Riser's left leg with his left hand, pull him with his right arm's reach and punch him to the face and making the Phenex bounce multiple times away from him.

Once Riser stopped bouncing, he slid along the ground for a few more meters before stopping with the dirt in his face. After a minute of healing his wounds, Riser sat up and looked at Aidan's face. He saw the two red eyes glow bright, yet he also saw some sort of shadow behind him, too difficult to decipher but it looked like some sort of entity with a red crystal jammed into its head.

Riser could not comprehend the situation. To him, he went by the ladder rules. If a Devil was a high-class, then lower classes are simply toys for amusement. Low and middle-class Devils have low powers so they cannot fight back, yet this man proved to be false.

Rias was supposed to be happy that her forced fiancé was being forced into a corner, but for some reason she felt only fear and worry. It was all directed to Aidan though. She had seen him get beaten up by Riser, who was adamant to make him suffer and die for damaging his pride and reputation and for stealing Rias' kiss. Yet now here he was, with more power than ever before and defeating Riser easily.

She then began to process to what was happening with Aidan. And in that moment, true fear crept upon her face as she saw the shadow of Diablo overwhelm Aidan.

"No…" She whispered to herself, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock.

Asia could not bear the sight of such an abomination before her. Thus, she fainted, making Akeno catch her. Grayfia, watching this, declared Asia unfit to continue her participation in the Rating Game.

[[Lady Rias' Bishop retires]]

But when Aidan heard of this, he mistook it as Riser intentionally harming Asia. And boy did this make him purely mad. His eyes glowed blood red, his black veins covering even more of his face and his hands developing claws of demonic origin. The black spikes that protruded from his body also began to grow, becoming longer and sharper. He begins to glow in malevolent power, now seeing the cause of his rage and wrath.

As Aidan charges in with full power and speed, Riser, in one last final attempt with his powers, desperately brings up a flame shield to halt his advance. The flames also did a bit of damage to Aidan and held him off from the Phenex. It worked but Riser was barely able to hold the crazed and demonic Aidan back.

"How?" A stunned Riser asked. "How can he be so powerful?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Aidan shrieked. With his demonic hands, he digs himself through the flame shield in an attempt to rip it away. The pain was excruciating but he did not care as long as Riser was alive and in his sights.

Akeno, from behind him, realizes what he was about to do.

"Aidan, wai…" Akeno attempted to reach out but the sheer force of the clash of powers pushed her back.

Aidan digs in through the pain, trying to reach his arm out at Riser in order to at least choke him. Yet even though he was so far away, he clawed desperately after him, trying to make him suffer in the same manner as he did to Ravel.

Digging both claws in, he demonically screams in defiance despite the awesome power of the Phenex tearing him apart. But it was not Riser's own power killing him, but rather his own.

Rias, in sheer shock and horror, sees Aidan losing it as his demonic power from his Sacred Gear and the black veins overwhelm him. She saw his body break apart in very small pieces, blood gushing out from every cut made due to Riser's shield and Aidan's own power.

"NO!" Rias cried, seeing her beloved Pawn in such pain, teleporting herself between her Pawn and her forced fiancé. Though Riser's flame shield protected her, Aidan was getting closer and closer to his goal and to the verge of death.

"Riii…aaasss!" Aidan screams as he sees her King. Empowering himself more and more, he brings his left arm back and penetrates through the flame shield. Riser struggles to maintain it yet sees, either to his shock or his pride, Aidan's arm slowly disintegrate. But it was not from his flames.

'What is he doing?' Riser surprisingly thought to himself upon seeing this. 'He's going to kill himself! Has he lost his mind!? All this just to kill me?!'

The screaming and semi-demonic Aidan rips out the flame strands that bind the flame shield together. Each strand pulled made the shield weaker but the more power he had used up on himself, the more his life force was being expended.

"Aidan, no…" Akeno desperately cried out as she continuously watches the man she admittedly likes rip out more strands and reach deeper into retrieving Rias and killing Riser. "Don't do this!"

As Aidan reaches out forward, either to Rias or to Riser, his body was starting to disintegrate. Rias was appalled and pleaded with tears in her eyes,

"Aidan, stop… If you use too much power your body will-!

"I…DON'T…CARE!" Aidan screamed back in his crazed, demonic state, tearing away more at the shield as his body begins to fall apart.

"No…No! Aidan!" Rias cried out before he felt his right hand caress her left cheek in desperation.

"Riass…" Aidan calls out as he tries to grab ahold of her. Riser was at his limit with the shield but pushed forward nonetheless, desperate to win this Rating Game, if not slightly desperate to spare Aidan from ending his life just to kill him.

Aidan's body suffers another blowback of power as his body imploded, much to Rias' horror as the next implosion could certainly mean his own death. Blood sprouted from all over, like marks from a flagellum after being whipped onto him. It sprayed out like a geyser in all directions, continuing to do so as Aidan reached ever closer.

Unable to take it any longer at the sight of her favored Pawn being torn to pieces from his own power, Rias had no choice.

"Forgive me…" She whispered tearfully. With her Power of Destruction enveloping her, she hesitates briefly before she lets loose a shot directly at Aidan. Though it was a low powered shot and not enough to incapacitate him, it was enough to send him away from her and the shield.

Aidan lets loose a demonic scream of agony as he is sent flying away from Rias and Riser, his power aura dissipating, and his perception now incapacitated. He was now nothing more than an unresponsive body propelled far away from the battlefield, bloody and exhausted and almost on the brink of death. His body reversed to its normal form but with blood marks everywhere.

Akeno turns in time to see him and charges desperately at him, catching him from behind yet also propelling her back. She turns around to see her best friend now in enemy hands.

"Akeno, take care of Aidan!" Rias called out.

"But-!"

However, she was cut off from Rias.

"Please!" Rias desperately ordered, which made Akeno grit her teeth as she was forced to comply with the order from her King, her best friend. Holding tightly onto Aidan, she and the unconscious and depowered Pawn are sent flying away, defeated.

"Well, Rias," Riser asked as she had her back facing him, standing up despite the exhaustion with a slightly amused expression, though still a bit scarred from what he had seen. "What's it going to be?"

With her fists clenched and trembling, she turns around to face him with a defeated scowl and slowly walks toward him. Stopping only a few feet from him, she bitterly said, "You win, Riser. I resign."

Riser's smirk grew on his face after hearing that. "Checkmate then. Riser wings again."

[Lady Rias' resignation is recognized. Lord Riser Phenex is the winner of the game.]

As Riser celebrates, Rias turns around to the direction where Aidan was thrusted.

"…Aidan" She whispers to herself, as if she was talking to Aidan from afar with tears spilling forth from her eyes. "…You were still planning to fight, even in that state. But it is alright now though Aidan. Do not worry. You did your best and have made me proud more so than you can imagine."

"Liar…"

Rias swore she heard the dark yet miniscule voice of Diablo whisper in her mind, yet she took it in succor of the pain in her heart, as if she was now resigning to her fate. It was probably her imagination, but she could feel Diablo's shadowy form behind her, grasping her shoulders with those claws. For some reason though, Diablo's appearance looked just like her, like the one in Aidan's dream where she tortured Riser.

"He could have ended it, but you rejected him. You betrayed him and allowed fear to take hold of you."

Her mind flashbacks to Aidan's training in the mountains, trying to smile. "You've barely learned how to use your magic, yet you continued to move forward with all your might, just to keep your promise. Thank you, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, and… Aidan. My brave, strong, sweet Pawn. Thank you for fighting for someone worthless like myself. I'm so sorry for everything."

Once more did she hear the voice of the Lord of Terror. "So long as fear binds your heart, I will always remind you of your failure."

And after being said that, she heard the Demon's dark laughter from the shadows as it disappears into thin air. All hope, at least for her, was now lost.

---

And with that the Rating Game is now finished. And the winner is decided. Riser wins by Rias' surrender to save her beloved Pawn from himself. For those who thought the Gremory team would win because of Aidan, well you may want to rethink on that. After all, it was only a matter of time before the power influx brought Aidan out of control and into a deranged state.

And now Aidan in incapacitated and Rias is forced to marry a man she despises greatly. The shadows close in on this dark hour for Rias and it will only get much much worse, especially with Diablo watching. What will happen next I wonder? Let me know what you think will.

A couple of references you guys may have picked up. One is a quote from my favorite Marvel movies by a villain we all know and love. And the second was an influence of the game Asura's Wrath where Asura tries to save his daughter from the god even in a deranged form but gets blown away to be saved without him being killed.

Be ready for the next chapter to come out possibly this week. That is where things start to move away from Highschool DxD and into Diablo. For at least the next three to five chapters.

Like, favorite, follow and review at your leisure!