"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Flashback"

"Attack/Name"

"Narrator"

"Lovely… the tea prepared by my Rias' Queen is most delicious." Riser commented, taking a sip from his cup, Akeno responded with, "Thank you for the compliment, sir."

'What a fucking asshole, no way twat face is gonna marry Rias!' Issei thought to himself, watching as Riser was playing with Rias' hair, his left hand stroking her thigh on the couch opposite from where the rest of the group was standing. The only one who hadn't chosen to stand behind the opposite couch was Sekaino, who was sitting without a care in the world. Rias, in a surprisingly bold move, stood from his grasp, announcing, "That's enough, Riser.

Let it go. Why don't you understand? I have no intention of ever marrying you!" Rias declared, however, Riser simply shrugged his shoulders, and rebutted, "But my darling, Riser believes your family's circumstances are still such that you cannot afford to be so selfish."

"I will not bring my family to ruin! I have no intention of denying you the right to our name, however, let me be clear. My husband will be my choice!" Rias announced, standing up for herself with dignified reservation. Riser, still unphased, simply reminded the girl, "Remember, it's imperative for Devils to remain pureblood. We're still recovering our numbers from the last war.

Both your father and Sirzechs decided on this arrangement with the future of Devils in mind." Rias, still holding her resolve, argued, "My father, my brother, and my whole clan made this decision because they're in too great a rush.

For the final time. Riser, I will not marry you!" Rias finished, however, Riser stood, forcefully planting his hand on her chin, silencing the girl before he stated, "For the final time, Rias. Riser bears the reputation of the House of Phenex. Besmirching our good name is unacceptable…"

"Hey!" Issei yelled, the rest of Rias' Peerage leaning forward to defend the redhead. With a cruel smirk, the blonde stated, "Riser doesn't care if he has to incinerate everyone in this room. You will return to the Underworld with me!"

"Neither of you children will be doing anything," Sekaino stated, watching as the respective red and orange glows disappeared from the two. Riser's cocky demeanor returned before he asked, "And who might you be? Another one of Rias' pawns?"

Sekaino glared at the man, a blue miasma of energy forming as he stood. Riser watched in curiosity at the man, listening as he replied with, "Someone who won't allow either of you to taint my Earth. Especially your meager flames, Phoenix…"

Flames burst from the blonde man, forcing the Devils to turn away, Sekaino stared at the sight, unintimidated by the sight as he said, "I've faced far worse than you, boy."

Riser's face grew a sudden righteous fury, before the man's arm sprouted into a blazing torrent of orange flames. In one swift moment, he hurled a wave of energy at Sekaino, who calmly twirled his blade in front of him, creating a disk of energy before absorbing the little Heavenly Energy within. The blonde looked at him in disbelief, before threatening, "You'll pay for disrespecting the House of Phenex. Be glad I'm merciful enough to give you a warning."

"Maybe try and give some substance behind your claims." Sekaino responded, further angering the posh Devil, however before either could go on, the gray-haired woman stated, "There's no need for a fight. My Lady Rias, Lord Riser. As you know, I am here by order of Sirzechs, which means, there will be no disruption of peace."

"When told such an ominous thing by one who is known as the Ultimate Queen, even Riser can become somewhat fearful." The blonde admitted, shrugging away his anger. Sekaino glanced at the woman, ignoring her before sitting back down, closing his eyes as he did so. "My Master anticipated there would be a conflict of some sort, as such he has assigned me a last resort, should communication break down."

"Yes, of course, he did. Would you care to be a little more specific?" Rias asked, impatience leaking through her tone. The woman answered, "If my Lady were to put her personal preferences above those of her family, she is to settle this via a Rating Game with Lord Riser."

"Wait, what's a Rating Game?" Issei asked, Kiba answering, "It's a game Noble Devils play with each other. Long story short, they and their Servants compete in battle to determine who wins."

"Like the chess thing?"

"Exactly, it's the reason we have individual powers that are inspired by what we call Evil Pieces in order to play the Rating Game." Akeno explained, taking over for Kiba, Issei replied, "Okay, that's good to know."

"Riser has played through numerous Rating Games and has scored several wins for himself. Unfortunately, my inexperienced bride has never even qualified for an official game." Riser boasted, Rias grunting in response.

On the other side of the room, Akeno continued, "He knows only mature Devils are allowed to participate, so it's not as if she's had much opportunity."

"S-so, you're saying we're at a disadvantage?"

"We've got more to worry about than that," Koneko commented, catching Issei's attention.

"Rias I have to ask, is this adorable group the extent of your Servants? They're all you have?"

"And so what if they are?" Rias responded, deflecting Riser's insult. However, he just laughed before snapping his fingers. Behind the so-called Ultimate Queen, a secondary orange magic circle formed, before a group of 15 women were shown from the flames.

"Riser has 15 pieces, in other words… I have a complete set." Riser bragged as the flames began to die down.

'15?! And they're all hot as hell! Dammit!' Issei thought to himself, before saying through gritted teeth, "Issei hates him so much."

Grabbing him by the collar, Sekaino dragged the boy closer before whispering, "I swear to god, Issei…"

Snapping the pervert out of his stupor, Sekaino dropped him back onto the floor, returning to his seat. This action caught Riser's attention, made apparent when he asked, "My dear? Why do you have to rely on your subordinates to control each other?"

"He's not one of mine…" Rias answered, sighing as she did so. This caused the man to laugh, before stating, "Really? And here I thought Riser's bride finally had a powerful Servant."

Sekaino opened his eyes, focusing on the blonde who still stood smiling in place, before saying, "Fine then, since you wanna talk big…"

Kicking the coffee table out of the way, Sekaino walked over to Riser, both swords in hand.

"Mira!" The Devil called out, a woman from his Peerage dashing to put herself in between both men. Looking her over, he saw a young girl with blue hair and light brown eyes. Her hair was styled into six short ponytails. The front of her hair featured split bangs going across her forehead, with side bangs framing her face.

Her outfit consisted of a white haori with a red obi, which was worn under a red happi coat. She wore bandages on her forearms and shins and black guards over her hands. For footwear, she had on a pair of zōri.

"What are you supposed to do?" Sekaino asked, without a response, the girl slammed her wooden staff into the man's abs. However, he stood completely still, not even flinching. Sekaino looked down at the staff, before grabbing it and snapping the wooden pole like a chopstick between his fingers. The blunt end clattered on the dusty wooden floor, causing the girl to reel back in wariness. Sekaino walked past the girl, his aura flaring up around him with each passing step.

"Before both of you kill us all, I should mention that there is one more caveat to this arrangement. Specifically regarding Sekaino." The woman added, garnering everyone's attention. The man in question looked over, and with an annoyed curiosity on his face, he asked, "And what is that?"

"Sirzechs knows of your strength, and the fact that you're training Lady Gremory's Peerage." She added, Sekaino sighing before commenting, "I'm assuming you sent your Devils to spy on us, that'd explain why I sensed the presence of them near the mountain we're on…"

At that, everyone in Rias' Peerage, including the king herself, froze. The Ultimate Queen relaying the news also had a slight look of surprise as she stated, "How did you sense them, they should've been able to conceal their presence, how did you sense them?"

"Because I feed on what makes up their presence, as well as the magic you use to cover it up. It's like hiding a desert from a kid with another treat." Sekaino explained before sighing, "Regardless, what were you going to say?"

Clearing her throat to gain her composure, the woman stated, "Originally I had planned to give Lady Rias a 10-day buffer zone to train her Peerage as a handicap. Something that all of us can agree on is fair."

"Riser will permit this." The nobleman commented before the woman continued with, "Sirzechs will allow both you and Lord Riser to have a non-fatal sparring match within the Underworld. If Lord Riser is to win, there will be a three-day reduction in the time Lady Rias' Peerage has to train. However, if Sekaino were to win, the time Lady Rias' has to train would be increased to 15 days, as opposed to 10."

"If the barbarian wishes to be beaten by my hands, Riser will allow him to." The Devil replied, Sekaino didn't immediately respond. Rather, he thought about it, doing this technically was interfering with affairs within the Higher Planes. Meaning that he couldn't, however, he wouldn't leave Rias, and Issei to die at the hands of the cocky bastard before him. Besides, it would give Issei additional time to train with him, meaning that it could be classified as both foreign and domestic affairs.

"I'll do it. Might as well kick his ass." Sekaino answered, the woman nodding before saying, "Very well, allow me to teleport us all to the Underworld."

Grouping everyone together, she created a massive teleportation circle beneath the group's feet, the only exception being herself, Riser, and Sekaino. In a flash of white, the group disappeared before their eyes. Turning to face the men, she summoned individual circles beneath their feet, before stating, "You'll both be positioned 100 meters away from each other. Both of your respective allies will be watching safely on a nearby ridge, other than them, there are no people within miles of your makeshift arena, so feel free to go all out."

Before either could say anything, a white light took over their view. When it dimmed down, both saw the other 100 meters away, just as the woman had explained. Turning to face his left, Sekaino saw the group of Devils standing on a rocky outcrop that rose above the rest of the dusty planes by a few meters.

Outside of that, the landscape was a deserted wasteland, the barren landscape home to trenches and ravines which tunneled around and beneath the rocky slopes. The valley the two were in was most likely the largest flat plot of ground in the area. Looking closer, Sekaino saw no forms of life, not even the ever-resilient plant species back on Earth. Despite this, he felt the massive amounts of Heavenly Energy present, the Higher Planes always had more compared to the Lower Planes.

Taking a deep breath, Sekaino closed his eyes, before opening them once more and taking a fighting stance. His left foot was in front of him, and his right leg was extended back so he could push off of it. His torso twisted so his right arm could swing into his enemies, with his left arm in front with his first two fingers extended.

In one sudden movement, Sekaino dashed off, appearing directly in front of Riser before the man even began to move. In his right hand, a ball of blue flames conjured as he swung his fist into the Devil's face.

His jaw clattered on the ground, as the Devil looked at Sekaino with one widened eye. The left side of his face was completely obliterated, revealing his charred skull. Flames engulfed Riser's face before healing the wounds, his cocky demeanor entirely gone. Dashing towards Sekaino, Riser yelled, "So, you're going to make Riser exert himself?!"

Without responding, Sekaino snapped his leg up, kicking the man in the chin. With his leg still mid-air, he forced it back down with the same force, slamming down on Riser's head. Lastly, Sekaino used his other leg to push off, kicking Riser beneath the chin before completing the backflip.

While the man could've been on par with Sekaino, he didn't train himself, he doesn't try in life. Watching as Riser struggled to get up, Sekaino dashed towards him, forcing his foot through the man's spine. Riser choked on his screams, blasting magical flames from the wound in a vain attempt to burn Sekaino.

Rolling his eyes in disappointment, Sekaino kicked Riser off his foot, the man's body tumbling towards his Peerage. However, before he landed, Sekaino appeared in front of him once before, his fist behind him. As though to the beat of a drum, Sekaino began punching the man, his movements so fast that the body couldn't even catch up.

Ending off with one last uppercut, Sekaino let Riser crash into the cliff wall beneath the group. However he wasn't done yet, bursting off, he thrusted both feet into the man's chest. Blue lightning crackled off of his legs, his mouth forming into a primal scowl as he tore through Riser's torso, his screams fading into the night.

The cliff wall bowed inwards before the rock shattered around the two. Cracks spread from the source of the impact, the cliff wall threatening to shatter the mass of stone.

Kicking off the wall, Sekaino grabbed Riser's mangled body, watching as it pieced itself together. Flying above the cliff where the group was, he threw the man onto the ground, nearly everyone gasping in shock at the site. The only one there who kept their composure was the gray-haired woman, merely closing her eyes. Even Rias, who had every right to hate the man, looked at his body with a whitened terror.

Issei out of everyone there had the worst reaction, reeled over fighting the urge to vomit. Ignoring their reactions, Sekaino flew down, before stating, "Let me make myself clear.

I don't give a damn what your little master thinks about me. I am not to be fucked with by you Devils regarding your affairs. I need Issei, and that's why I am agreeing to train Rias. Outside of that, I will not, under any circumstances, obey you, people." Sekaino declared, his hair beginning to rise as blue flames erupted around him. The ground cracked as lightning sparked from the flames, his eyes glowing the same color.

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

Several of the Devils fell to the ground, the maid losing her posh facade as concern took over as she finally felt a fraction of Sekaino's power. Quickly nodding, she spoke, "I-I'll let Sirzechs know immediately."

As though to save herself, she teleported away from the vicinity immediately, presumably towards Sirzechs. Turning towards Riser's Peerage, Sekaino stated, "I don't care who dies during your Rating Game, just don't bring me into your affairs.

Let's go, Rias."

Everyone was silent, the tension in the air was palpable. Even after everyone went to their respective rooms, they remained quiet to avoid angering Sekaino. The power he wielded was terrifying, and that was just a small part of what he possessed.

Issei was in the worst mood out of everyone, having had his friendly image of Sekaino turned into a monster. The boy refused to leave his room, having remained silent even after everyone went to bed.

Similarly, Sekaino was silent, his thoughts running wild about Issei just as the boy was thinking about him. He wasn't one to feel guilt, or apologetic, but he felt he should at least talk to Issei. After all, the boy was the closest thing he had to a friend, a connection. Though it's not as if he's made any, this was more or less a trial run, to see how things go and to know what mistakes to avoid.

Creaking open the bedroom door, Sekaino silently made his way over to the boy's room. Grabbing the handle, he twisted the knob before opening the door. Issei looked over, seeing the monster he now feared stepping into his room.

"Listen, boy. I'm not here to harm you if I was…. I'd already have killed you." Sekaino stated in a meager attempt to comfort Issei, though it did little to do so. Issei stared silently at Sekaino, his body shaking from instinctual fear as he whispered, "T-then why? Why do you want me alive?"

"Well for one, I need you alive," Sekaino answered, though it didn't comfort Issei.

"T-then will you kill me after my purpose has been fulfilled?" Issei asked, Sekaino sighed realizing his words failed. Thinking for a few moments, Sekaino stated, "I'm not the friendliest, nor approachable in the world. But I'll tell you now, I don't kill for no reason. I have no reason to kill you, nor do I want to."

Issei relaxed a little bit, though he didn't want to pry, still wary of Sekaino's anger. However, there was one question that he had in mind.

"What are you? You told me you were an 'Outer God'. But the way you said it sounded like it was something unimportant or a lie you repeat." Issei asked, recalling the very first interaction the two had. Sekaino knew he had no reason to hide what he was from anyone. Though the boy already feared his power, he decided to tell him slowly just what he was.

"I am a being of great power, as you saw…" Sekaino started, Issei nodding in response. Continuing, he stated, "I am someone who is meant to defend the Earth you walk on, I can not, do not, and will not get involved with affairs centered around them. The only time I do is if they attack the Earth, outside of this I remain completely indifferent to them, well at least physically."

"Are you? A God?" Issei asked, Sekaino remaining silent before answering, "Many have called me that, but I think a more accurate term is a king."

The room fell silent once more, the only audible noise being the breathing of the two men. Wincing as he spoke, Issei asked, "If you're a king, why did you make such a big deal when it came to Rias babying me?"

"Because I hate it when someone can't face reality when you have to sugarcoat everything to avoid the truth. And that's because I believe people, regardless of their background, should be able to think freely, to live freely." Sekaino stated, but before Issei could give his input, Sekaino added, "To me, purposely ignoring reality is like taking away part of your free will just to remain happy, to remain comfortable. It's also why I hate that habit of yours, feeding your brain useless crap just to stay comfortable."

Issei sputtered out words of defense at Sekaino's last comment, though he knew the man before him was entirely right. Still, he didn't want to admit it. Looking back at Sekaino, Issei asked, "Wait, if you're a king, shouldn't that mean you'd want everyone to pledge loyalty to you and bow down? That kinda contradicts the 'free thinking' message."

Clicking his tongue, Sekaino answered, "That's true, then in that case I believe 'king' is the wrong word, how about, alpha? As I said, I keep the Earth safe, I don't rule over it, so I don't think calling me a king is entirely accurate.

That also might explain why you were so scared of me earlier because Ddraig was." Sekaino commented, though this only confused Issei.

"Wait wait wait! What do you mean, 'he was scared, but I wasn't?" Issei asked, the man answering with, "He was merely bowing down, recognizing me in terms of strength. So to you, it felt like fear."

"Huh, I guess that makes sense."

"Speaking of Ddraig, I believe you need to start training for that Rating Game, you have 15 days to do so. Just as much time as you've had up until now." Sekaino added, bewildering the boy.

"How does Ddraig fit into this then?" Issei asked, merely getting a laugh out of Sekaino.

"Because we'll be sparring tomorrow…"

"Please tell me you're not about to go all out."

"Don't worry boy! I won't… yet." Sekaino replied, the two standing a fair distance apart from each other. Pulling his blades behind him, the man lurched forwards, preparing to dash off. Issei bounced in place, something he had seen American boxers do before a fight.

"Dragon Booster!" However he did not remain idle, a red glow surrounded his left arm, before a familiar gauntlet formed in place.

"BOOST!"

The boy had managed to use the power of the Sacred Gear, though he wasn't able to fully activate it as of yet. Before everything went down with Riser, Rias had informed Sekaino about what was 'the ultimate state of a Sacred Gear, Balance Breaker'. Something which Sekaino intended to pull out of Issei, even if it was in an incomplete form.

"BOOST!"

Issei dashed towards Sekaino, his left fist reared back before going for a punch. Sekaino easily dodged right, skimming his right palm along Issei's arm, before grabbing his shoulder and tossing him a short distance away. Luckily the boy was able to twist his body around, and land superhero-style on all fours, small trenches forming as he slid through the lawn.

"BOOST!"

Faster than any human could track, Issei darted towards Sekaino, his left palm extended out as Sekaino sliced down. His right blade was caught in between Issei's fingers, Issei barely managed to hold it in place. Sekaino chuckled, causing Issei to growl before his power escalated once more.

"BOOST!"

Issei managed to put more pressure on Sekaino, causing the man to push back in surprise. However, Issei, in a surprising move, wasn't aiming to overpower Sekaino. Rather, he aimed the gauntlet at Sekaino's head before calling out, "Explosion!"

A massive beam of red energy shot out from the gauntlet and into Sekaino's face. For the briefest moment, the man's eyes lit up red before the energy hurled into his face, exploding upon contact. Issei jumped back, watching as the fireball grew to engulf the radius around Sekaino.

"BOOST!"

He could feel the energy flowing within him, the power behind him. Yet it still wasn't enough, something he realized as Sekaino meandered his way out of the explosion, a content smile on his face. His swords were held at his sides, completely contradicting his fatherly smile. Stopping once he exited the fireball, Sekaino pointed one of his swords at Issei, before stating, "Looks like you're getting better at using that thing! How about I up the ante?"

"BOOST!"

"Sounds good to me!" Issei shouted back, however, his mind was racing. This was the furthest the two had gone, meaning Sekaino was planning something big for him. Inwardly, Issei thought, 'Just try not to kill me…'

A/N: Told you guys it'd be a little more exciting if a chapter. Got to watch Sekaino obliterate Riser, and the start of Sekaino vs. Issei. Luckily this isn't the end of the exciting, as we wrap up this arc, things will get a lot more interesting to watch.

A little side note, how are you guys liking Sekaino? He's definitely not the nicest person in the world, that's for sure. But how is he? Is he consistent? Does he make sense?

Another thing about him, there will be a lot of character development later on in this saga. However this part will merely serve to be setting up who he is now.

Lastly, as for the Doom Slayer, we won't be getting back to him until the Phenex God Arc is finished. I know, it sucks, but once we get back some huge developments regarding Fate/Grand Order will be made.

Word Count - 4,192