Rias stared at Ryuko as she lay slumped over a chair in the clubhouse, grinning eagerly as Mako snuggled into her. She had been waiting in a cheerleading outfit when the group had returned once the Rating Game was called in favor of Team Gremory, along with enough food to feed an army. Ryuko had promptly devoured half of it before pulling her girlfriend into her lap and plopping into the chair like nothing special had just happened. Satsuki's presence had kept Rias from screaming out her panic over the insane stunt Ryuko had pulled, and she'd sat gathering her thoughts for how to approach this calmly. She finally managed to find words as the others all continued staring at Ryuko in stupefied awe. "Ryuko..."

"Yeah?" Ryuko asked curiously.

"Did you know you'd survive that?" Rias asked calmly, struggling to maintain her equilibrium.

"Nope," Ryuko responded easily.

"What?" everyone - save Satsuki and Mako - screamed out in shock.

"That's how that part of my power works," Ryuko pointed out blandly. "I have to be on the brink of death, at which point my D-Fiber nature takes whatever is killing me and makes it a part of me, making me stronger and restoring me. I have to risk death for it to work."

"And if you hadn't survived?" Satsuki pressed calmly. "What would you have done then?"

"One of three things," Ryuko replied easily. "One, punched the Reaper in the face till he let me go back-"

"You tried that with me," Asia pointed out from her seat next to her where she'd been going over Ryuko with Twilight Healing, making sure she was really in one piece. "It didn't work-"

"Wait, she tried to punch out Death?" Rias asked in surprise...only to sigh as she saw that statement only led to Satsuki facepalming. "And two?"

"Launched off a spore just before I was fully consumed containing myself, Senketsu's consciousness, and Ddraig, like I did when Raynare tried to obliterate me back before we rescued Asia," Ryuko explained easily, shifting the Fibers of her hand until they lifted up, surrounding the Jewels of Ddraig's being.

"Not sure that would have worked with how close we were to those flames," Ddraig pointed out. "I might have been launched free, and possibly taken Senketsu with me with how we were merged together..."

"But there's no guarantee you would have transferred with us," Senketsu pointed out flatly. "And I doubt our soul link would have been enough to keep you from being taken to Mu."

"Even if I had this little lady as an anchor?" Ryuko asked as she lowered her other hand...and a tiny Ryuko toddled over to stand on her palm before unraveling into Fibers and being absorbed into her. "I figured if I made the attempt to absorb Riser's phoenix fire, I'd better have an anchor outside the dimensional space. And my reactive web was there in both realms, so I figured my soul could ride it back out of the dimensional space if worse came to worst, assuming having a piece of me still alive and you two tied to me wasn't enough to pull me back on its own."

Rias and Satsuki exchanged rueful glances. "I did warn you," Satsuki pointed out as Rias buried her face in her hands. "Still, it's good to see you've learned some form of caution, Ryuko...even if it is in the form of trying to give yourself a respawn rather than ensuring your own survival."

Ryuko shrugged. "I figured either I succeeded and trounced Riser, or I failed and got to be taken care of as a tiny me by Mako and Asia. Win-win, far as I'm concerned."

Sighing, Rias got to her feet. "And you didn't think to tell us about these plans beforehand?" she pressed firmly.

Ryuko shrugged. "I was planning on bringing it up when we'd eliminated everyone by your plan before going after Riser with the attempt to absorb enough Fenex magic to spark the regeneration inside me on its own. That was your plan as far as having me feed on their magic, right?"

Rias blinked in surprise, then nodded. "It was...but-"

"Well, once Senketsu recovered enough to Synchronize, I knew the game was over for them," Ryuko continued. "It was just a matter of how quickly the battle would end. And Senketsu synchronized drastically increases all my abilities...and even more so with Ddraig involved too." Her voice quieted. "Honestly...I felt stronger wearing and being worn by the both of them than I did when I channeled all that power through Twilight Healing to try and raise Asia...and at that point I deliberately forced the Boost enough that I had power equivalent to a god..."

"Wait, Ddraig wasn't exagerrating that?" Senketsu asked in surprise.

"I wish," Senketsu replied. "The healing after that was excruciating!"

"Speaking of," Ryuko spoke up, patting Mako on her rear to get her to hop out of her lap before jumping up herself. "I've really got an appetite just now." She started to make her way towards where the food was laid out, but paused as she saw the floor before her sparking. "Akeno-san?" she asked, confused.

Akeno quickly shook her head. "It's not me."

"That's the security I added," Satsuki pointed out. "Someone is requesting permission to warp in."

"Well, as long as they're polite..." Rias began, shifting the magic to allow entrance.

The Fenex clan circle appeared in a torrent of fire, and Riser Fenex stepped out of the flames as they faded. Satsuki, Rias, and Ryuko immediately braced themselves. "Peace!" he began apologetically. "I do not come to cause problems. I come to hold up my end of the wager."

As everyone settled, Rias raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, Riser," she observed thoughtfully.

"And dishonor myself further by unseemly delay?" Riser countered as flames appeared in the air over his shoulders, revealing to small demonic eye-like creatures.

"Farseers," Ddraig identified for Ryuko. "Primarily used by demons for broadcasting and recording. Apparently, he's...what's the mortal term?"

"Livestreaming?" Senketsu offered.

"Yeah, livestreaming his capitulation," Ddraig observed. "Rather surprising. I wonder why?"

Riser turned to Satsuki and bowed halfway, a bow of respect but not obeisance. "Kiryuin Satsuki," he offered formally. "As the training you and your family gave Rias' Peerage proved so effective, it is plain that my assessment of mortals - everyone's assessment - is mightily flawed, something that I am pleased to be the first to avow to alter. You and yours are worthy of great respect, and by extension humanity as a whole."

Oh that'sclever! Ryko thought silently. He's turned what could have been a disaster for his rep into a PR coup, indicating both that the completely unknown element of Satsuki's interference made the difference in the outcome!

"Salvaging his reputation and leading the Devil Nobles in altering their view of humanity while fulfilling his end of the wager that otherwise would have been humiliating," Ddraig added smugly. "Not bad."

Satsuki nodded in response to Riser's words. "I trust you will be more careful of your words and deeds in the future."

Nodding in response, Riser turned to Rias and bowed, deeper than he had to Satsuki. "Rias-hime," he greeted formally, "regretfully do I withdraw from the contract between our clans, and nullify it. Plainly, your strength and that of your Peerage dwarfs what my own can bring to bear. Surely your passions are the greater guide for the strength of your bloodline than tradition, that you unseat them so easily."

Rias managed a warm smile. "Thank you, Riser," she offered warmly. "I'll be sure to keep your words in mind."

Nodding, he then turned to Ryuko...and to everyone's surprise went down to one knee. "Ryuko-sama!" he declared eagerly before anyone could react. "The flames of your rage, passion, and power have ignited in me a fire that dwarfs that of the legendary Phoenix! I am humbled before your greatness, noble Sekiryutei! Please do me the great honor of being my bride!" On the last word he flung himself towards her.

As jaws dropped all around, Ryuko responded as could be expected. "Get bent!" she snapped out as she kicked him in the face, sending him across the room. "I'm already spoken for!"

"Yeah!" Mako declared as she stepped up beside Ryuko, Asia right behind her. "Leave my Ryuko-chan alone!"

Undeterred, Riser got to his feet and approached Mako, his eyes smoldering. "I assure you, young one, I can be more than enough man for both of you if you desire-"

His words were cut off as Mako's clenched fist met his face, slamming him into the opposite wall and rendering him insensate. As Mako began screeching incoherently in rage - and several different languages - at his unconscious body while Ryuko and Asia struggled to hold her back (though Ryuko also struggled against her laughter), Rias turned to Satsuki in shock. "...and I thought you were speaking hyperbole when you said Mako could take him," she murmured in awe.

"I've never managed hyperbole well," Satsuki observed thoughtfully. "Reality's always been too absurd for it."