I don't own DxD. Ishibumi does.
Frustration. That and fatigue. People praised her as the Ultimate Maid, Wife of Lucifer, Ultimate Queen, and Queen of Hell. However, even she had limits to how much she could handle. And this situation was one of them. Grayfia slammed her hand on Rias's desk, sending splinters everywhere.
The redhead was thoroughly cowed into fear as she shrank in her chair. Never in her life had Grayfia expected Rias to commit something so stupid. Even the boy she tried to give it to was utterly confused.
"Of all the stupid, inconceivable, hair-brained schemes, this takes the cake," Grayfia said.
"But One-"
"No! You've lost that privilege for now. You will call me Ane-ue until I see fit," Grayfia said.
Rias's mouth snapped shut. Grayfia must have been extremely disappointed in her if she refused to be called Onee-chan by Rias.
"Look, Rias. You're giving me the biggest headache of all. First, your brother has to go investigate something regarding the Church and left me in charge of his position until the Princess gets here. On top of that, I now have to babysit you? I thought you were better than this!" Grayfia scolded.
"I just thought that-"
"You didn't. That's the problem!" Grayfia said. "And on the day your fiancee is visiting too? What could have possibly gone through that thick skull of yours in order to conceive such a plan?"
Rias remained silent. Grayfia would not allow her to speak for any rebuttal Rias came up with would be viewed as complete bullshit by her sister-in-law.
Grayfia was about to open her mouth to tear Rias a new one when there was a knock on the door. She narrowed her eyes and sighed. Grayfia looked down at her wrist. Two more minutes until the third son of the Phenex Family arrived. "I'll drop this for now. Your peerage is here and your fiancee will arrive in 2 minutes. Make yourself and this room presentable, understood?"
Rias nodded meekly and waved her hand. A magic circle appeared on the floor and began to fix everything. Grayfia walked over to the door and opened it. No sooner than she did, three of her younger sister's peerage members spilled onto the floor. It appeared that they had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
Issei looked up and saw the regal, yet terrifying gaze of the maid. He paled and backpedaled into the hallway. "H-Hey! N-Nice to see you again!" Issei said.
Shin and Sophia raised an eyebrow.
"Please, come in." Grayfia stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. Akeno bowed in respect to Grayfia before walking in. She walked over to Rias's side and placed a hand on her lady's shoulder to calm her down. Kiba and Koneko took their usual spots on the couch. Shin, Sophia, Issei, and Asia entered the room and stood off to the side, unsure of what to do.
There was a tense silence. Grayfia looked down at her watch. Their guest was running three minutes late. She sighed. "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions at this impromptu meeting. Some of you may have contracts to deal with. Do you want me to answer their questions, Rias, or should I…?"
"No, it should come from me. The newest member of my peerage will get dragged into this so I'll take over. The truth is that-"
Rias was interrupted by a bright orange light that engulfed the entirety of the Club Room.
An unfamiliar magic circle appeared in the middle of the room.
What impeccable timing, Grayfia thought. She felt another headache about to come on. Truly, her husband thought of everything. He even knew to run when things were about to get dicey.
The magic circle was not that of House Gremory's. The image of a flaming bird was inscribed into the innermost circle. Around the series of concentric circles that encircled the symbol, different profane and arcane symbols were etched into them. A pillar of flames erupted from the circle. However, the flames emitted no heat nor consumed any material.
"Shin, which clan is this?" Issei whispered.
"I think it's-"
"Phenex," Sophia interrupted.
"It's been a while since I've been here. The human world hasn't changed a bit," a voice said. The flames suddenly dispersed to reveal a young man with messy blonde hair standing in the center. The man wore a red blazer with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath was a white button-up shirt that parted at the top to reveal part of his chest. The man gave off the vibe of a delinquent or a member of the Yakuza to be more accurate. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed.
"Rias, it's been a while," the man said.
"A while. Riser, it's been two weeks," Rias said.
"I know. Anyway, you know why I'm here. Come on, let's go. I don't have all day. We need to go take a look at the venue," Riser said, walking over to her.
"What? Let me go! Riser, what's going on!?" Rias said. She looked up at Riser in shock.
"You and I both know you have no choice in the matter. Now, let's go," he said.
Issei and the others watched this interaction with mixed reactions. However, Issei's reaction was by far the most noticeable to anyone who was paying him any attention. Issei attempted to move but his arm was grabbed by Shin.
"What are you doing?" Shin asked.
"Telling that jerk to leave her alone. She doesn't want to go, Shin," Issei said.
"Riser, let me go!"
"Hey!" Issei said, whirling around. "Let her go, jerkass!"
To his surprise, he did. Riser let go of Rias's wrist and turned to face the person who had so rudely addressed him.
"And you are?" Riser asked. His voice was somewhat different from how he addressed Rias. Unlike with Rias, who he addressed with a patient tone that had a hint of growing annoyance, he looked down on Issei as if he had just stepped on some gum.
Shin sighed while Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, Shin, next we're beating high society into him," Sophia said.
"There are better ways to teach Issei manners like eroge," Shin said.
The two focused their attention back on the situation when Issei proudly announced that he was Rias's pawn. Riser's face changed to one of slight surprise before returning to indifference.
"Besides, who the hell are you?" Issei asked.
"So she hasn't said anything?" Riser asked.
"I didn't think it was that important," Rias said.
"We're getting married whether you like it or not. The least you could do is introduce me to your peerage. They'll be serving two masters soon anyway," Riser said.
"Why you motherfu-" Issei tried to charge at him but was stopped when Koneko grabbed his arm. He turned around to see the small girl shaking her head. Issei sighed and calmed down.
"Rias, Riser, allow me to clarify to Hyoudou Issei," Grayfia said. She turned to the boy. "Hyoudou Issei, this man is Riser Phenex. He is the third son of Marquis Phenex and a high-class Devil. In addition, he is also the young lady's fiancee."
"Wait… what!?" Issei yelled.
"Issei, you need to calm down," Shin said.
Currently, Rias and Riser were sitting on the couch next to each other. For two people who were engaged, there was an air of hostility between them. Though, Shin surmised that the hostility originated from Rias and not her fiance.
"How can I calm down? I was this close, Shin! This close!" Issei said, pinching his two fingers to show him.
"This close to what?" Shin asked.
"Err, um, last night, Buchou came to visit my room and… umm, I think you can guess what happened?" Issei said.
"No way. No fucking way," Shin muttered.
"What? What happened?" Sophia asked. Asia nodded. The four were now in their own world, ignoring the interaction between Rias and Riser.
"Issei almost lost his virginity but got cockblocked," Shin said.
"That must suck, man. For once, I feel bad for you, Jailbait," Sophia said. As she said this, she gave Asia a slight push towards Issei.
Asia yelped in surprise then turned to glare at her teacher.
"Riser! What the hell!? What happened to our agreement!? Our promise! It's only been 2 years and we both agreed that we'd drag this out for as long as possible!" Rias said, slamming her hand on the table.
Riser sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It wasn't my choice. The Elders of your House and mine are pushing for the marriage even more fervently than ever. There are things are going on that have the Four Maou spooked and that is causing the Elders to move it up. There are talks of a war happening soon," Riser said.
War? Shin thought. He narrowed his eyes at the statement. His eyes drifted over to Sophia. She had her hand on her chin and was deep in thought. It appeared that he was not the only one who was worried about what Riser had said.
"Riser, we've been at an armistice for almost five hundred years. There is no way that there will be a war now or tomorrow. If anything, there should be talks of moving towards a peace treaty!" Rias argued. She knew what she said wasn't true. That lie was clear to everyone who was present that night in the church.
The being that her brother and the others who fought her called her the Biblical God. And she was far more powerful than any of them had imagined. An entity that was capable of negating the powers of both Angels and Devils. A war against a being like that. Even with the two strongest devils in existence on their side, the losses would be horrendous. It would be a pyrrhic victory at most. And Rias understood why they pushed it up. However, she looked into Riser's eyes and realized he had no choice in the matter either.
"Riser, you and I have a choice to end this. I don't know what happened to you but two years ago, you said that you wanted to call it off all of a sudden. And now, you're agreeing with them! What the hell happened!?" Rias asked.
Riser closed his eyes. "I know what I said but… these are dire circumstances Rias. No one is telling me anything but from the fear I hear from old granny Phenex… never mind that. A show of unity is what our kind needs right now. This marriage will show our society and the world that the Devils are still united."
"Riser! Think this through! You and I can still make a choice to call this wedding off!" Rias yelled.
It was this time that Riser snapped. He slammed his fist on the table and the smell of smoke wafted through the room. Everyone except for Grayfia went on high alert. Kiba summoned a sword and pointed it at Riser while Akeno had a magic circle pointed at his head.
"We knew the minute we tried to go against this that it was pointless, Rias! We Devils! Especially we who are born in our caste are born without choice. We must play the hand we are dealt, Rias. There is no such thing as look through a deck for a certain card or drawing two. There are no mulligans in real life," Riser said. He calmed himself down.
"Riser, I know you don't want to disappoint your parents or whatever pressure made you cow. Believe me, I know how you feel. But, Riser, please. I beg of you to see that we have a choice in the matter. If we both make a plea to the-"
"You and I don't make the rules, Rias. As someone of our position, we're compelled to follow them even more for the good of our houses and the people within our territories. Noblesse Oblige. As a Gremory, you should know of this concept even better than I," Riser said.
Rias clenched her fist. The thought of her family's creed and very way of life being thrown in her face was nothing short of infuriating. Her power flared around her and the entire building shook in response.
"You're seriously not thinking of doing this now, are you?" Riser asked. The heat in the room rose dramatically, causing almost all of the inhabitants to sweat profusely. Riser stood up and wings of fire appeared on his back.
His flames are good but still, it's nothing compared to Onee's, Shin thought as a bead of sweat trickled from his forehead. However, even with his strength, this man was still above him.
The two stood off for no more than three minutes. And despite the two being High-Class Devils, there was a clear difference in who was stronger. Riser, the older Devil, was clearly more powerful than Rias was if only by a small amount. If Shin and Sophia were to be of equal power to Rias Gremory, then Riser was considered to be a Rias and a half in strength.
"Do you really think that you have a chance to stand against me, Rias? You're just a half-baked Devil who hasn't even appeared in a formal game? Your combat experience is rudimentary at best. For someone related to Lord Lucifer, you're as threatening as a flower petal," Riser said.
Rias's eyes narrowed in anger. If there was one thing Riser was good at doing, it was knowing where to hit her.
A sudden flare of ice-cold power swallowed the room. The heat dropped and the ground shook violently. The sound of wind beating against the building could be heard. The two feuding Devils turned to the silver-haired maid. She had one finger lifted from her crossed arms and both eyes closed. A silver aura enshrouded her. Her aura intensified and the wood floor of the club office cracked along with the walls.
"That's enough," Grayfia said. "Calm down before I force the two of you to calm down. By the honor of my Lord, I shall not hesitate to force you two to bow." Grayfia opened her eyes, revealing an eerie red glow.
An ungodly pressure slammed into Rias and Riser, forcing them to their knees. After a few seconds, Grayfia let her power up and sighed. It was like dealing with children. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"It seems that this interaction has gone downhill since the last meeting you had. You two appeared to have reached an understanding in your last meeting. Which was all but two weeks ago. And now, you two are going at each other like cats and dogs," Grayfia said. She shook her head. "It appears that the worst has come to pass. This was to be your last meeting together before… either Lady Rias went off on her own to pursue her education or in this case, returned to the Underworld to prepare to be wed.
"As such, the Elders of House Phenex and House Gremory along with your brother have all decided to come up with this. Lady Rias, if you really want to push for your freedom, then why not challenge Sir Riser to a Rating Game," Grayfia said.
"A Rating Game?" Issei asked.
"It's a battle between Devils. Where High-Class Kings pit their servants against each other in combat," Kiba explained.
"It's a glorified dog-fighting scheme," Sophia said, crossing her arms.
"Grayfia, you said this was approved?" Rias asked.
"Yes, Lady Runeas approved of it herself."
Riser and Rias's eyes grew wide. "Grandmother did?"
"Runeas?" Issei asked. No one answered the question. No one in the Peerage knew who she was and Shin was not familiar with the name. The ones that did know were either in too much shock or too busy contemplating why.
"So you're saying, Grayfia. In other words, Otou-sama and Loli-baba decided to have a game as a last resort if I ever declined? Do they think I'm just some pawn they can move across the board?" Rias demanded. Her demonic power burst from her body once more, shaking the entire room.
"Calm yourself, My Lady," Grayfia said, raising a hand. Rias felt an immense pressure slam into her and force her to her knees. Rias clenched her jaw. Grayfia was not pulling her punches at all. The maid was rightfully pissed at her for her actions. The pressure vanished as soon as it came, allowing Rias to breathe. She looked up at Grayfia with some fear in her eyes.
Grayfia softened her gaze and sighed.
"Well?"
Rias and Riser glanced at each other. The two turned back to Grayfia and nodded.
"I see. Very well then, I, Grayfia Lucifuge, swear on the Morning Star that I have witnessed the agreement between the House of Gremory and the House of Phenex to proceed with this. So mote it be," Grayfia said.
"Wait," Riser said.
Grayfia raised an eyebrow. "What is it, young master?"
"Give her two weeks to prepare," Riser said.
"Are you looking down on me?" Rias asked, clenching her fist.
"I'm giving you a chance to even the odds. If you didn't notice, I've made my appearance in society already. You who had just had her debutante ball only two years ago have yet to even participate in a Rating Game. Face it, Rias. Your Peerage. I could swat them all with a flick of my wrist, especially that pawn of yours with the creepy face. So are you really comfortable with sending your servants out to die?
"Therefore, I'll let you train your servants up to par. Lucifer knows that your Queen is the only person capable of matching my peerage in combat," Riser said.
Rias gritted her teeth. It was not simple arrogance that fueled Riser's statement. It was a mere fact. Compared to him, she was a wet behind the ears devil.
"If that is all for today, I believe I'll be leaving now," Riser said. He ran a hand through his hair and made to leave.
"I see. Is there anything else you wish to do before leaving, Young Master?" Grayfia asked.
Riser stopped and turned around to face Rias's peerage. His eyes roamed around the room, assessing each of the occupants until his eyes landed on Shin. His eyes widened for a brief second before he composed himself. "Have we met before?" Riser asked.
"Who? Wait, are you talking to me?" Shin asked.
"Clearly, you're the only human in this room," Riser said.
"No. Why?" Shin asked.
"You look familiar but I can't place my finger on where I've seen your face before. What's your name?" Riser said, placing a hand on his chin in thought.
"Shin," he replied.
"Shin huh…" He shrugged and his gaze turned to Sophia and Asia. "I see that you have Angels in your club. How quaint…"
He turned his gaze back to Rias and Issei.
"You better not be a disappointment on the field, Rias. A [Rating Game] is not something you can win with your feelings. Life isn't an anime. And you, Pawn. You have balls standing up to someone of my status. I hope you have the strength to back that bravado because the next time I'll see either of you is on the battlefield."
With those words, a pillar of flames engulfed Riser and he vanished from the room without a trace.
"You have two weeks to prepare yourself, My Lady," Grayfia said. She turned to Issei with slight disdain in her eyes. "You. Red Dragon. I hope that you can live up to the bold actions you've taken here today. The attack of the Pawn is that of their King. As Sir Riser said, you are Rias's sword in this game. I'd do my best to not embarrass her."
A red light erupted from underneath Grayfia's feet and she disappeared in a shower of scarlet sparkles.
Issei clenched his fists and turned to Rias. The girl was staring at the spot where Riser had vanished.
"Riser, what the hell happened?" she muttered under her breath.
"So what now, Rias-sama?" Akeno asked.
Rias looked up and turned to her peerage. "We train. We prepare. Riser… he might have given in to the pressure of his House but I won't cede to the Elders. After all, he was the one who told me that we have a choice. I'll shove those same words down his throat. In ten days, we'll make our Rating Game Debut in the Underworld so all of you, prepare yourselves. I won't hold back in my training."
Shin stood on the balcony of his house, sipping a can of Nepsi. The off-brand soda was something that could only be found in Kuoh. Behind him, clothes were fluttering as they dried in the light of the setting sun. He sighed. Issei was going to get dragged into a Rating Game against the House of Phenex.
"I wish you were here, Onee. You're good at dealing with flaming birds," Shin said, tossing his can into the yard.
"I'll have to admit that when you told me what Issei did, I was impressed."
"Oh, you're here too," Shin said, turning to the floating form of Vivi.
The Lady of the Lake hovered next to him and took a sip of her beer. "His resolve reminded me of him."
"You mean Arthur?" Shin asked.
"Those two have the same stubborn resolve. The world doesn't know this story too well but… the story of Guinevere being kidnapped by the Summer King isn't really correct. Guinevere was the daughter of a local lord. She was slated to be wed to Melwas and like Issei, Arthur stood up for her as well," Vivi said.
"Arthur sounds like a swell guy," Shin said.
"Of course, in our relationship, I was you and Arthur was Issei," Vivi said.
"You must have been very worried about him," Shin said.
"Yeah," Vivi said. The image of a young boy with orange-blonde hair appeared in her head. She closed her eyes and sighed. Oh Arthur, I told you she was bad news…
"I was thinking of going along with them," Shin said, tossing another can into his yard.
"Going?"
"To the training place. Asia is going as their healer. I'm thinking of going with them to continue my training with Issei. Sophia and I aren't done beating him into shape," Shin said.
"Shin, at the rate he's going, Issei is going to catch up to Rias's peerage members in a short period of time. But there are limits to what you can teach him. Some things he has to learn on his own," Vivi said.
"Yeah but like you said, in this relationship, I'm you and Issei is Arthur. I got to have his back on this. After all, the three of us made a promise that one day, we'd all get together again," Shin said.
"The Shidou Girl?" Vivi asked.
"I promised Irina I'd keep her blockhead safe for her and I'll teach Issei until I have nothing left to give," he said, smiling.
"You're every bit as blockheaded as I am," Vivi said.
"Who else could I possibly learn it from?" Shin asked.
Riser walked down the halls of the Castle Phenex. The Phenex Estate was a place in which the family's wealth could easily be seen. A large medieval castle with turrets that towered over the territory.
"Lord Riser, you've returned. You never gave us the signal to enter the room."
Riser looked over his shoulder and saw an extremely beautiful and busty woman running up to him. She was wearing a navy blue tunic top with gold accents. The top did little to hide her cleavage and Riser swore that her running would make her large breasts pop out of her clothes. The girl stopped a few inches from him.
"I didn't need you guys today so you and the others can go rest up, Yubelluna," Riser said.
"Where are you going?" Yubelluna asked.
"Yes, where exactly are you going?" Behind Yubelluna, a young beautiful girl with crystal blue eyes and blonde hair walked out. She wore a pink dress and wore a haughty expression on her face. The girl crossed her arms and looked at Riser with an exasperated expression.
"Big Brother, we were to meet Rias's peerage today. Dare I ask why you failed to summon us?" the girl asked.
"Things got dicey. Besides, you've all met Rias's peerage before. What more could you possibly hope to observe from a half-baked peerage?" Riser asked.
"I heard she had a new pawn," the girl said.
"Well, Ravel, if you want to go and meet them, I think Rias is still in her club room," Riser said.
Ravel huffed. "As if I would lower myself and head to the Human World. I think I'd stick to waiting," she said.
Riser smiled and turned around. "Oh right, by the way, do we know anyone named Shin?" he asked.
"Shin? I think so… but I can't… Oh! Didn't she show you a picture of him once?" Ravel said.
"She did?" Riser asked.
"You're a horrible boyfriend," Ravel replied. She gave her brother one last look before walking off.
"Heh? Ravel! What did I say?" Riser asked, walking after her. Yubelluna sighed and followed after the two.
[]
Riser Phenex
The Third Son of the House of Phenex. He is second in line for the title of Marquis behind Ruval for his second brother abdicated the title to pursue a simple life.
Despite his looks, Riser does not share the same personality.
A chance encounter with a certain someone two years ago has slowly changed his views.
Yet he still yields to the pressure of his social position. In the end, a fated encounter with the Red Dragon threatens to overthrow everything he has ever believed in.
[]
Ravel Phenex
The youngest child of the House Phenex and third in line. She is destined to inherit the title, Marchioness, should her brothers abdicate the title.
Wielding the powers of flame and eternity, Ravel's haughty personality is merely a facade for beneath lies a girl who knows naught of the outside world.
Fiercely loyal to her older brother, she followed him into the jaws of death against the Vermillion Star Eclipse.
And now, in the crossroads of fate between the Flaming Bird of Hell and the Crimson Princess of Ruin, Ravel shall have her own chance encounter with her thread of fate being connected to the Red.
[]
House Phenex
The 37th Pillar of the Goetic Pillars of Hell.
They are descended from Raeliana Phenex, the 37th Daughter of Lucifer and Lilith.
Blessed with the power of Deathlessness and Hellfire, the Phenex served their father loyally in his war against the White God.
In the modern-day, the House Phenex is described to be Noveau Riche and dominates a majority of the Devil Economy.
[]
Grayfia Lucifuge
The loyal and absolute servant, as well as Wife of Sirzechs and mother of Millicas Gremory.
Steadfast and unmoving, she is known as the Perfect Queen and is an existence that equals the Four Great Satans of the Modern Day.
While she deeply cares for her husband and sister-in-law, she will not hesitate to put them in their place should they fall out of line.
Coffee Lounge
Another_Jojo: Just finished the story, and I gotta say, that was really good! I love the balance of OC and canon characters and how they interact, and the mystery elements set up in the story, alongside the big changes to canon really lend to this fic feeling unpredictable, which is a great trait to have! I can't wait to see more!
Aww thanks, man! Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for the advice you gave me earlier. It really helped set up... what I'm about to set up, hehe. Writing the relationship between the OC and the canon characters is my favorite part of this entire thing so I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Issei and Shin's relationship is just one of my favorite interactions to write! The two are just two balls of chaos poking fun at each other constantly. Imagine how much chaotic these two will become once Irina is reintroduced into the equation.
And as for the mysteries, well, I have some more coming your way! I'd like to hear your theories about who the Conquest Queen is.
kpop1392as: lol I cracked up at Lady Jingwei just casually sitting on Akane's head.
Hey man! I read your other reviews and I got to say... I'm glad you're enjoying so far. Lady Jingwei is just a fat lazy chicken who likes to sit on her Sponsor's head. And if you thought Akane was badass then, wait til she comes back. She's basically my Chekhov's Gunman at this point.
Alright, so we've met Riser. Like I said, Riser is going to be a bit different in canon. He'll be more a jerkass with a heart of gold rather than... how most fanfiction portrays him as. Trust me, he's not going to be that bad. I swear! Well, we're almost at 10k views so thank you to all the people that took their time to read this fanfic. I admit that I have made some mistakes in the past as a DxD author so I feel like this story is my redemption arc, y'know! Well, please leave a review! I'd really like it to respond to your reviews at some point! Have a good day/night and remember to take it easy.