Update on 05/01/2024: Since the Riser arcs's been rewritten to be similar to the anime/manga, this chapter will now be Drake witnessing the result of the Rating Game between Rias and Riser, and then the son of Sparda crashing the wedding.
Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry or High School DxD. I only own the OC Drake Redgrave.
"...Rias Gremory retires. The winner is Riser Phenex."
Drake;s hand clenched and crumpled the can of beer into a crumpled mess of metal as he stared at the projection created by Grayfia, who had arrived earlier at Devil May Cry to connect him to the Rating Game. She hadn't left, she stood by and watched with him though she did not say a word during the game, and neither did Drake as he watched his friends fight valiantly in their efforsts to win and free Rias from her unwanted marriage.
However, Drake also caught hesitance and reluctance on Riser's side, namely Yubelluna, Xuelan and Karlamine as they fought. He didn't know why, at first, until Karlamine entered a duel with Kiba and admitted that Drake had saved them so they owed him a life debt which they wish to repay one day... if that day ever comes.
Issei was doing well. He may not have gotten enough training with his Boosted Gear, but he was doing well as he managed to take out a couple of Riser's Pawns. However, Drake sighed when Issei unveiled his new attack 'Dress Break' which apparently can destroy the clothing of any women he touches. Yeah, Drake did not feel any sympathy whatsoever when he got clobbered for that by Koneko.
At first, Drake thought they were going to win as he noticed them doing well, but then Yubelluna was ordered to attack and she did so. It doesn't help that Riser's sister, Ravel, gave some members something called Phenex Tears which healed them instantly and it gave them a boon in advantage, allowing them to take out Kiba, Koneko then Akeno.
Asia wasn't a fighter and was easily taken out, then Issei did all he could to battle Riser himself along with Rias but not even the two of them were a match for the Phenex heir, who made a show in pummelling Issei while looking around like he was in some gladiator arena... then looked directly at one of the camera displaying the game to those watching and seemed to be looking right at Drake with that damn smirk. He knew Drake would be watching the game and was going to make him watch as he tore Rias' hopes for freedom apart.
Not wanting Issei to be hurt anymore, Rias immediately called forfeit, surrendering with all her hope vanishing and now feeling only reluctant acceptance as Riser boasted about his victory.
Drake stared and stared before he threw the can into the nearby trash can, stood and walked over to where his coat and weapons were hung up. He put them on under Grayfia's watchful eye, before breaking the silence.
"Is there a way to the Underworld?" He asked coldly.
"There is." Grayfia replied. "What do you plan to do?"
Drake turned to her with his eyes glowing demonic red. "Get the girl I love back."
Grayfia stared at him, stared into those blue eyes she knew he inherited from his father who had the same eye colour in his human form. It was like she was staring at Sparda himself. She'd remember that fierce, determined expression when he was commited to something and nobody would convince him otherwise. She saw that look when he was committed to staying in the Human World with Eva, the woman he had fallen in love with and who loved him despite what he is.
Seeing a similar look on Drake's face, the fierceness of it... "Fufufu." Her giggling caught Drake off guard, as he saw her with a smile and blush. "You really are Sparda's son," she said to him. "He would be as determined as you if it had been your mother in Rias' place and your father in yours. And I'm not the only one who thinks so." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and presented it to him. "My sister, Sylvia, and her master, Sirzechs, feel the exact same way."
Drake smirked a little. "Well then, hope you have a nice dress because we're going to a wedding."
"I'm on the job." Grayfia said, shooting him down with a small amused smile but knew he was joking. Though she wouldn't mind, Drake was handsome, but she took her job seriously... and she didn't need her sister spotting her and teasing her about it, she already had enough to endure with the fact Sparda's legacy continues.
Drake just laughed.
Rias sighed in annoyance when she walked up to a tall mirror to look at herself. She was in a large, luxurious dressing room, with six maids standing behind. The redhead beauty with wearing an elegant white wedding dress that fit her hourglass form greatly with her crimson hair tied up. "This is an engagement party," she said, annoyed, "so why the hell am I in a wedding dress?"
"Because Riser wanted it." An all too familiar voice said, making her turn around to see a vortex of flames a few feet away. It died down and was gone, revealing Riser to be standing in its place.
"No, Lord Riser, you mustn't," one of the maids pleaded. "Men aren't allowed in here." But Riser walked past her with a raised hand.
"Just a word with my bride and I'll be out momentarily," he said as he approached Rias, who glared at him with her arms crossed. "Look at that dress. You really are a beautiful bride, my love."
"I'm not a bride yet, sorry to disappoint you," she told him. "Now why am I dressed up?"
He leaned closer to her. "'What's with the dress'?" The blonde man moved to her right side and placed an arm around her shoulders. "I just want you to make a good impression on our esteemed guests, my dear," he told her, bringing his face closer to hers. "After all, we need to demonstrate to the world that our two houses have joined together. Right?"
Rias merely leaned her head back from the arrogant Devil, as she could feel his breath on her right cheek. Riser didn't seem too bothered as he pulled away from Rias, but didn't go far enough away to her liking. The Phoenix heir now stood in front of her, looking down at her with his usual arrogant expression.
"A shame that half-breed friend of yours couldn't have joined in the game." Riser said with faux sadness. "I'd have loved to have seen how much of a fighter he is before putting him in his place. Maybe, if he had done well, I'd have made him a slave to decorate our bedroom when we're done with it, and maybe, if you're a good girl, have him tend to your needs when I am too busy to do so-"
"If you're expecting me to be a 'good wife' and tell you everything about him, then you're dead wrong." Rias said, interrupting Riser, before opening her eyes to glare up at him. "All I'll is say that Drake…" Her mind flashed back to memories of Drake's fights with Stray Devils, demons, even the Fallen Angels. "… is more special than you can possibly imagine."
Riser chuckled, surprising her a little bit. "Is that so?" he asked before turning around. "Most interesting."
Rias couldn't help but have a bad feeling about how he said that. 'What are you thinking?'
"Oh, and don't worry about the dress." Riser stopped a few feet away. "When the time comes, you'll be dressed in a gown of flaming feathers." He opened a teleportation circle, summoning a flaming vortex. "It's only fitting for a lady of the House of Phoenix!" His voice echoed as he was engulfed in the fires, and disappeared.
Rias stayed where she was standing when he left, not very pleased to hear her future wedding dress's design. "'A dress made of flaming feathers'? I'd think I'd be better off killing myself," she said to no one in particular. She couldn't believe that this was having. That she was going to be married to Riser Phoenix of all people.
But, she would've made the same choice over and over again, for her servants.
Her thoughts went to Drake, and her heart gave a flutter at the thought of him... before it turned into heartache as she realized she wouldn't be able to tell him how she feels about him. She'll be busy becoming a glorified sex trophy for Riser to tend to whenever he feels like it. But hope stirred with her, hope that Drake would keep his promise and come for her... yet she was scared that he would be met with hostility by the entire Underworld.
'Drake…'
"Lady Rias, it's time."
"… Right."
The engagement party was held in a large ballroom with two large wooden doors. In the room were many noble Devils wearing elegant dresses and suits talking and greeting one another.
Among the Devils was Ravel Phoenix, dressed in a purple dress with matching gloves and boots, giggling as she held a pink folding fan in front of her mouth. "My incredibly talented brother won himself a bribe by demolishing the Gremorys," she bragged to a few Devils in front of her. Standing around her were Riser's servants, all dressed nicely for the occasion. "Of course, I had no doubt he was going to win from the beginning. But he had to keep it close, so it wouldn't a total bore. Hahaha."
A few feet away, Issei, Asia, Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno were watching her talk, not showing any grudge or anger towards the. All there were doing with drinking from fine glass cups. Kiba and Issei were wearing tuxedos and a black bow tie, Akeno was wearing a black kimono, and Koneko had on a pink dress with white gloves, and Asia was in a green dress.
"She's delightful," Kiba commented.
"Yes. The girl has quite a mouth on her, doesn't she?" said a familiar voice. The three turned their heads to find Sona in a blue dress.
"Sona, what's up?"
"While the outcome of the battle wasn't want we wanted it to be, I thought it was a good match," she responded with a smile. "Although, I won't have complained if the end results have been a bit different."
"It's my fault. If only I was stronger!" issei growled, clenching his fist but Asia held his hand in comfort. "Why aren't we doing anything?"
"Oh don't worry, Issei, I promise this thing isn't even close to being over," Akeno said, surprising Sona a bit.
"We'll get another shot at them, I'm sure." Kiba said. "Only next time we'll be ready for their tricks."
"… Yeah, screw those D-bags," Koneko said before taking a sip of her drink.
Sudden a Phoenix transportation circle formed in front of one of the large doors, and the usual vortex of fire shot from it. Out of it came Riser, wearing a white outfit that exposed his chest. "Greetings, renowned Devils of the Underworld!" He announced to all in the room. "On behalf of the House of Phoenix, I, Riser, would like to thank each and every one of you for coming today. This is a historic moment for the world of Devils, and I want our dear guest to know, two great dynasties are about to become one. Lord Riser of the distinguish House of Phoenix will wed Lady Rias of the illustrious House of Gremory!" He then gestured his right arm and hand to the right of him. "And now, I present to you my new bride—Rias Gremory!"
The redhead appeared next to him.
BAM!
Suddenly, the doors came flying off their hinges with such force that they flew and nearly struck Riser had he not ducked while letting out a girlish yelp, then the doors slammed into the wall, stuck.
Rias gasped in shock after it happened, as did her peerage, Riser, his peerage, and Sona as snapped their heads towards the door. This also included everyone in the room.
Standing there at the door with Rebellion leaning on his shoulder, a casual smirk on his face as his red coat flowed softly, was Drake.
"Drake!" Rias shouted, catching his attention.
"Y-You?!" Riser sputtered in outrage.
"Me." Drake smirked.
"Who do you think you are?!"
Drake took Rebellion off his shoulder and slammed the blade into the marble floor, leaving quite a mark. "My name is Drake Redgrave. I am the son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda... and I've come for Rias Gremory."
Rias gasped as her face formed a bright blush.
"R-Ridiculous!" Riser shouted as several Devils muttered in shock at Drake claiming he was Sparda's son. "There's no way the great Sparda would lower himself to bed a filthy human! Guards! Cease him!"
Not long after, Drake was surrounded by Devil guards. Armed with spears, they pointed them at the white-haired teen.
"Oh, I'm outnumbered. Whatever will I do?" Drake gasped sarcastically before he slung Rebellion across his back, summoned Yamato and unsheathed it then sheathed it in a split second before anyone could even blink. As soon as the katana was sheathed, the spears shattered into several pieces, causing the Devils holding them to look wide-eyed along with everyone.
"That was the Yamato!" A Devil whispered.
"Sparda's legendary sword. The one he used to seal Mundus and his legions into a realm that serves as his prison!"
"And that's the Rebellion!"
"Is this boy really Sparda's son?!"
"It's a trick! Sparda disappeared years ago!"
Soon more guards came in and surrounded the two. Three of them rushed to attack, but they were stopped when Kiba suddenly jumped in front of them with his ice sword. He swung and froze two of them. "We got your back, Drake!" He exclaimed.
BASH!
"… Suck on that, douche." Koneko said to the three guards, who she kicked in the face.
Drake sighed in relief with a smile. "Thanks you guys," he said, before hearing a group of guards coming at him from behind. He turned around to confront them, only to see them be hit with multiple lightning bolts, knocking them out.
"That was like super-hot," Akeno said, making Drake turn his head towards her. He had to admit, she looked very lovely in the kimono. "Go save Rias, Drake." She gave him a smile, along with Issei, Koneko and Kiba.
Drake nodded and turned towards Rias and Riser. His face formed a serious and determined expression, as he started walking towards them.
"Is this your doing?" One of the Devils demanded Riser, who was snarling at the approaching white-haired teen.
"Lord Riser," said another guest, "what is the meaning of this?"
"It's just a little entertainment I've prepared," said a voice to Rias and Riser's right, making them look in that direction. Even Drake, who was a few meters away from reaching them, stopped to look. The person who spoke with a handsome and young man, appearing to be about in his early 20's, with shoulder length crimson hair and blue-green eyes. Standing next to him was a woman who could pass for Grayfia's twin, only she had her hair free and flowing, and wore noble-looking attire. Drake speculated this was her older sister, Sylvia. Behind the two stood Grayfia.
"Who's he?" Drake asked.
"My brother's here?" Rias gasped. Drake glanced at her with shock, before looking back at the man. So this was Sirzechs Lucifer. The man then spotted Drake and approached him, with his wife and Grayfia following
"You must be Drake Redgrave," Sirzechs said as he approached him. "I've heard a many great things about you."
Unable to resist, Drake smirked. "All good things, I hope?"
Sirzechs chuckled while Sylvia giggled in amusement. "Yes, all good things." Sirzechs nodded. "I must admit, i never thought Sparda's bloodline would be revealed... and that he is friends with my little sister."
"My lord!" Riser called out, not liking that he was being ignored. "What do you mean by entertainment?" Sirzechs turned around to face him.
"I watched the game, Riser, and honestly, I was underwhelmed by you," the crimson-haired man told Riser, much to his sister's surprise. "My sister lacks your gaming experience, yet against your considerably larger force, she nearly had you beaten."
"It's the final result that counts, my lord," Riser argued.
"In the past, the games don't mean what they use to. Besides, Riser, you were nearly brought to your knees by a first time competitor. I can't image your family's proud of the way you preformed. I think you should be given another chance."
This surprised not only Riser, but everyone in the room.
"Well then, Sirzechs, how do you propose to do this?" asked a handsome looking middle-aged man with long crimson hair that was tied in a loose ponytail with a black hairband, bright blue eyes, with a short and red beard.
"And why do you believe this boy is Sparda's son? Sparda disappeared many years ago without a word to anyone." Asked a woman standing next to the man. She looked strikingly identical to Rias—in both beauty and body—only with shorter brown hair and violet eyes, and looked to be a few years older than the crimson-haired girl. She wore a white dress that didn't leave much to the imagination, as her figure easily rivaled Rias'.
"Come now, mother and father." Sirzechs gestured towards Drake, who stood there. "Doesn't this young man remind you of anyone?"
Rias' father examined Drake's feature closely for about three seconds, before his eyes widened. "Could it be?"
The woman next to him nodded with her eyes wide. "He does look like him..."
"And in truth, Sparda told only a select few about the life he was now living in the Human World." Sirzechs said, getting everyone's attention. "Myself, Sylvia and Grayfia were among those to find out that Sparda had met a human woman named Eva, and had not only fallen in love with her... but married her as well. She knew what he was but she never ceased to love him. And when I look at this young man, I see Sparda in his human form. He has the hair and the eyes, as well as the Rebellion and the Yamato, both swords belonged to Sparda and as such belong to Drake as they are his birthright."
Murmurs started up again as whispers of shock filled the room.
"Besides, I want to make my cute sister's engagement party into a flashy one. It's not every day we have a celebration like this one." He turned back to Drake. "I want to see what you're made of, son of Sparda, which is why I had Grayfia bring you here this evening."
"I see," Riser said, bring back his arrogant smirk. "You want a fight."
"The heir of the House of Phenex vs the heir of the House of Sparda. Yes, I believe our guess would quite enjoy a head-to-head match between two powers such as yours."
Drake looked at Riser, and saw how eager he was to fight him. The stage has been set, and the only other opinion left was to fight.
When Rias saw the determined expression on his face, Rias knew that Drake was going to accept the challenge. "No," she begged, "please don't!"
"An excellent idea, my lord," Riser said. "I'd be more than happy to show my last performance before getting married."
Sirzechs nodded to him, before turning to Drake. "And you, son of Sparda. There are many who have quite an interest in seeing your abilities. Especially after cracking the Rating Game dimension with your attack. Would you kind enough to show them what you're capable of?"
"You're damn right I would." Drake smirked.
"Drake, don't do it." Rias again begged him. Riser placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, Rias," he said, not taking his eyes off his opponent. "Mr. Redgrave is a big boy. Riser is certain he can handle himself."
"So tell me, Mr. Redgrave," Sirzechs said to Kenny, "if you are the victor, what would you like to have as your reward?"
"You can't be serious!" The guests criticized.
"A reward for a half-breed?"
However, Sirzechs was having none of it. "Silence," he said sternly. "Your king has spoken. he may be a half-Devil, but he is still the son of our greatest hero. Were it not for Sparda, we would've been slaves to Mundus a long time ago. I'm the one that's requested this of him, I must give him my compensation for his troubles. Now then, what would you like? A title? A woman of great beauty? Ask, and if you win, you shall receive."
"I want only one person." Drake said, his eyes staring straight into Rias'. "Rias Gremory!"
Rias' expression turned to a very happy one.
"Very well. If you win, you may have Rias."
"Wait a minute, please." Riser suddenly spoke, making everyone turn their attention to him. "I'd like to double the stakes," he said with a cocky grin. "Just to make this match even more exciting."
"Oh?" Sirzechs raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "And what would that be?"
Riser's grin grew. He pointed his finger towards Drake. "I want for you to serve Riser forever. You'll preform ever task I give you, without question, and without hesitation."
Drake was very wary of the demand, but he had confidence in achieving victory.
"I'm fine with that," Drake agreed, startling Rias and the others apart of their group. "But if you lose, and I win, not only is Rias free from her engagement to you ans is free to choose whoever she wants to be with... you will also Yubelluna, Xuelan and Karlamine from your Peerage." The three mentioned gasped in shock and surprise. "They don't deserve to be punished because you couldn't get your hands dirty and try to kill me yourself."
hands dirty and try to kill me yourself."
Riser scoffed and shook his head before he gave him a nod. "Very well. They're worthless to me anyway. But that is IF you win, remember. If you win, they will be released from my Peerage and I will have my Queen, Rook and Knight pieces back. They can do whatever they want in their independent Devil lives."
"Alright then, gentlemen. Seeing as no further stakes are to be added, I'll prepare the stage." And with that, Sirzechs snapped his fingers, and a teleportation circle formed under the two combatants. In a flash of red light, they disappeared from the ballroom.
The next thing that Drake knew, he was standing at the far end of a ruined arena. The arena with a large one, with statues of chess pieces around the edge. On the other side was Riser. The sky over their heads was dark red, with no clouds in sight.
Then, a selection of the sky slipped open by a white light, revealing Sirzechs' face looking down on the two. "Alright." His voice echoed throughout the arena. "It's time to get started."
"Right." Drake twirled the sheathed Yamato around. "I'm ready if you are, Phoenix!"
The sky slip again to reveal Ravel glaring down at him. "You messed with the wrong family this time, Redgrave! My brother's about to tear you a new one!"
"Yes," Riser agreed from where he was standing. "He's quite the confident one, isn't he? But don't worry, I'll-"
He was interrupted by the sound of yawning and looked to see Drake laying on the floor, letting out fake snores. He opened his eyes and smirked at Riser. "Oh sorry, I started dozing off as soon as I heard you speak."
"...YOU BASTARD!" Riser created a huge fireball and threw it, Drake still smirking as he remained where he was. The fireball struck where the son of Sparda had been laying, causing smoke and dust to obstruct everyone's view of the half-Devil. When it cleared away, the only thing left was a blackened and scorched ground, no sign of Drake. Riser smirked. "Ha! Didn't even last a-"
"Yoo-hoo!" He heard and looked up at one of the giant chess pieces, only to see Drake sitting on top of it, waving at him. "I'm sorry, what were you saying there?"
Riser roared as he created another fireball and threw it, this time Drake jumped off in plain view and landed on the ground as the fireball destroyed the giant chess piece he had been sitting on. Drake turned and whistled at the sight before he faced Riser, dispelled Yamato and reached up to unsheathe Rebellion.
"This party's getting crazy!" Drake said with a grin on his face. "LET'S ROCK!"
Okay, so I'll put the Drale vs Riser fight in the next chapter. I just feel like that line there was perfect to end the chapter on.
Drake's Harem: Rias Gremory (Alpha and main girl), Akeno Himejima, Raynare, Kalawarner, Kuroka, Yubelluna, Xuelan, Karlamine, Serafall Leviathan, Gabriel, Grayfia Lucifuge, Yasaka and Kiyome Abe.