"You seriously challenged the Destroyer to a ratting game?" Azazel scolded Rias for her challenge against Perseus. Rias looked to the fallen angel, telling him, "Yes I did, but we can take him." Azazel pinched the top of his nose and shook his head in disappointment, "Listen, Rias, this isn't going to be easy. He's the Destroyer for crying out loud, not to mention has a top-ranking peerage too. This won't be like Riser." Asia asked, "So this Perseus...what can you tell us about him?" Azazel looked to the blonde healer to explain, "He's the son of the primordial, Tartarus, making him in familiar terms, a demonic-god. He leads the Four Divine Devils, strongest and cruel when he needs to be. He weilds a holy, yet demonic, fire that can hurt even the Phenex family, not to mention has numerous other magics. His peerage involves powerful warriors and monsters he's collected. Now that he has Serafall and Ravel, he could incorporate them as well."
"So who are in his peerage?" Issei asked, cracking his fist. Azazel explained, "Let's see, for his queen is a demigod daughter of Athena named Annabeth. She is the master tactician and has the traits of the knights, bishops and rooks. With all those, and superior smarts, she's a queen even Sirzechs's own queen wouldn't mess with. For rooks, a girl named Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, god of wealth. And a daughter of Thor, Gunilla. Both can pack serious punches." Issei was starting to perv out, "So far seems he has all ladies, like Riser."
"For bishops," Azazel continued, "Piper McLean, a lovely daughter of Aphrodite with powers similar to her divine mother. His second Bishop is Sadie Kane, an Egyptian magician who followed the path of Isis. However, when following Perseus, the goddess refused to lend aid. While she still is following Isis's path, she became the Eye of Set, Egyptian god of deserts and chaos. For knights, his main two are Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus, and Renya Arellano, daughter of Bellona, a Roman war goddess." Irina asked, "Seems like a lot of his peerage are demigod girls, why's that?" The fallen angel tried to think to reply, "Probably because if they were born human, they can be changed to devils, while still having their divine skills. I mean, look at Akeno. She was a fallen angel, but can still use divine lightning."
"For pawns, it's hard to say. So far I've heard of only three, leaving five pieces left. Medusa, the woman cursed by Athena herself. Perseus took pity on her and made the gorgon his pawn, but also undid the curse, making her beautiful again. He did upgrade her gorgon form, making it able to change to and from. Next is Zoe Nightshade, a nymph daughter of the Titan, Atlas. An excellent huntress, given as she use to serve Artemis, but also has super strength like a rook. Finally is Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades." Issei remembered the walked skeleton last time they met and wondered, "Is she like...half dead?"
"With those, and five extra pawn pieces, Perseus has time to fill in the gaps to outnumber and outclass your peerage, Rias. In fact, with Serafall and Ravel, he might. He can promote his pawns at any time, increasing each class more. You're basically strewed unless you get a new addition." Rias sighed to tell the fallen angel, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't have any other pieces left. I used all my knight, rook, bishop and the eight pawn pieces." The fallen angel looked to Issei, "Well, you could get a piece back."
Almost everyone was confused when Azazel explained, "The eight pieces have already settled into Issei after several years, his life is saved and can live without one. If we remove one, you can get an extra pawn to fight for you." Rias looked to Azazel, questioning his plan, "And just who can I get on such short notice?" Her question was answered, "Someone who can be of great use against devils, someone who has friends here and potential to be great," he pointed to the only other person who was different, "Irina."
After Rias Gremory challenged Perseus to a rating game, he took Ravel and Serafall to the Black Palace, the home of the Divine Devils. In the north wing, the three emerged in a hallway decorated with white marble columns, paintings of devils, dark red rugs that stretch along the floor. He led the two tributes to a large, black metaled door engraved with a screaming souls. He told the ladies, "Because you have volunteered, you'll be introduced to my...special group." Both devils looked worried when he opened the doors, but instead of some torture room or something worse, it was a not that bad.
The room had a large pool in the center, two story room with a balcony overlooking the ground floor. Along the marble floors were lounge chairs, sofas, a mini bar, large TV, but running around the whole place were girls from ages 17 to 20 in bikinis and other summer attire as they had fun rather than torment. Ravel was surprised when asking, "Wait...I thought you were taking us to...some sex dungeon?" Perseus looked to Ravel with his red eyes, telling her, "Be lucky you got me. My companion Erinys has a sex dungeon and loves to torture her tributes. This is my peerage, warriors and mages I've gathered for a long time." The two walked around when one of the members came up.
She was a woman about the age of eighteen years old, short black hair, electric blue eyes, black bikini as she walked to kiss Perseus's lips, "Welcome back, my king. These the tributes?" Perseus explained, introducing her first, "This is Thalia Grace, one of my knights. And these two are Ravel Phenex and Serafall Sitri, formerly the Leviathan. And the last house, Gremory, refused and challenged me to a Rating Game. Which means, it'll be time to fight." Thalia rolled her eyes, asking, "How long do we have?" Perseus replied, "I sent a familiar to tell Rias Gremory they have a week to prepare. Now, introduce Serafall around, I need to have a chat with Ravel." Thalia nodded to say, "Very well. Come with me, Sera."
Perseus took Ravel to a room that had a large, queen sized bed, lovely red dressed, some cosplay attire, and a painting of a woman who looked very much like Ravel. Perseus began to speak, "Your father no doubt told you I'm evil. That I'm some freak who'd turn you to some play thing forever. All because he wouldn't let his dear sister come with me. She volunteered, you know. Your dear aunt Ryla came as tribute of her own free will; everyone in the peerage, the servants, even a few of my comrades liked her." Ravel was surprised when she looked to the portrait of her aunt Ryla. She had the blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore an elegant red dress. "Really? I never knew about her. Where is she?" Perseus walked to what looked like a jeweled encrusted egg with rubies and gold on it. He explained, "Ryla is dead."
"But our family is immortal!" Ravel was shocked to hear and wanted to know more. Perseus explained, "But it doesn't work when exposed to holy or exorcist elements. Ryla fought an exorcist named Freed Sellzen few years ago and was killed. However, before she died, she told me of a way to be revived. A way to 'rise from the ashes', Ravel." Ravel was shocked when she recalled that name, "I know of him...my friend Issei and his group killed him." Perseus smirked to respond, "I know," he extended his hand to reveal the exorcist in chains, surrounded in flames, "I torment the prick each day in new ways." The image died away when he picked up the jeweled egg, "As for Ryla, she told me that to revive her, she needs blood; family blood." He screwed the top off to show Ravel a pile of ashes inside. He asked, "Are you willing to bring her back? Give her a second chance of life?" The young Phenex girl was reluctant at first, but nodded in agreement. With some cut from a knife Perseus summoned, a drop of Ravel's blood dripped onto the pile of ashes. The grey ash began to glow gold and erupt in small flames as they rose out, but they took a turn, right into Ravel's nose and mouth.
The girl coughed from the fiery ashes entering her body. However, what began to hurt was her mind. Memories filled her head, ones that weren't hers, while her own began to fade. Her mind felt fuzzy as Ravel stood there with a blank face. Perseus looked to her, "Ravel? Ravel, you okay?" The Phenex girl began to blink before coming to, asking, "Percy? Where am I?" Perseus's red eyes lit up, asking, "Ryla? Is that you?" Ravel's body leaped forward and kissed Perseus's lip, "I'm back!"