Hero Academia DxD

by dinocam3

Izuku was told by almost everyone that he was worthless. That he'd never be a hero no matter how hard he tried. But he refused to accept that. So when he's killed and then turned into a devil by the beautiful Rias Gremory, his life changes in ways he never could've imagined. (Izuku x harem) (cover art by knilzy95)

18. Players and Pieces

A/N: Ladies and gentlemen! People of the physical, the metaphysical, and everything in-between! Thank you all so much for waiting. Now, LET THE RATING GAME BETWEEN RIAS GREMORY AND RISER PHENEX COMMENCE!

---

When the light cleared from Izuku's vision, he looked around in confusion. They were still in the clubroom. "Huh? Isn't this the same room?" he asked in confusion.

"Take a look outside," Yuuto told him. Izuku blinked but went to the window anyway. He took a good look outside and was gobsmacked. The sky wasn't the black-colored night anymore, instead, it was covered with a green aurora field. He looked further out the window and saw that it wasn't just the OR club building that was in the new dimension, but the entire school ground as well.

"This is the battlefield they made for us?" Izuku asked. Feedback suddenly sounded in the area as the school speakers went online.

["Hello everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory, and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating Game between the House of Gremory and the House of Phenex. In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match. By using both Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex's opinion, we created this battlefield, which is a replica of the school, U.A. High, which Rias attends in the human world."]

"So Riser's deliberately giving us the home-field advantage," Rias said in an unamused tone, clenching her fist. "He's seriously underestimating us. That's fine, all the more reason to bring him down."

["The location where both teams were transported to their base of operations. Rias' base will be the Occult Research Club's clubroom located at the club buildings. Riser's base will be the Student Council's room located in the main building. For the Pawns to use Promotion, please head to the enemy's base to do so. You are permitted to set enchantments before the fighting begins. The game will begin in thirty minutes and will be signaled by the school bell. The time limit is dawn in the human world. Best of luck to both parties."]

With the time closing in on them, the group took to the center of the room to discuss their strategy. Rias was the first to speak up. "We have thirty minutes, so let's make this quick," Rias explained that Riser's strategies in Rating Games were always simple, being tied to his ability to regenerate. Assuming that he doesn't know about Izuku being the Red Dragon Emperor, or being part dragon, then he's unlikely to change his MO.

She then gestured for Izuku to detail what he thought would be best against Riser. Stuttering for a moment, Izuku explained that the best strategy he could think of was to take out Riser's servants before taking on the King himself. If they were to attack him directly, they'd be out in the open, making it easy for the enemy to finish them off. But if they waited, Riser's Pawns could enter their base first, giving them the chance to promote themselves to Queens.

As such, the best option was to go after the Pawns first, followed by the Queen, Rooks, Bishops, and then the Knights, not necessarily in that order though. With them gone, Riser won't have any backup. "Then I can use Mizu-sama's advice, along with the Yukinoha," Yuuto spoke up.

Izuku nodded. For defense, he suggested that Yuuto set up traps within the surrounding woods, while Momo and Ochako set up defensive barriers and illusion charms around the club building. But there was also the matter of Gym Gamma nearby. Though it was still quite a ways away, it was still the closest building to them. As such it could give Riser's servants an easy route to the clubroom. As such Izuku, Ochako, and Koneko were assigned to clear that route.

Rias herself would stay behind at the base as the commander to give support depending on how the game went, and Ibara would be by her side as emergency first aid. Once they took out all of Riser's servants, they were to regroup and then go after Riser himself.

Momo checked the time and saw that they had about 10 minutes left before the Rating Game began. "Let's get started on those traps and barriers."

"Hai!" Ochako and Yuuto nodded. Before they left, Momo handed each of them a small com-link device to communicate with each other. Once everyone had been given one, the Queen, Rook, and Knight left the room, leaving Rias, Koneko, Ibara, and Izuku in relative silence. The gentle Bishop was sitting across from Izuku, hands in her lap as she continued nervously fidgeting in anticipation of the fight.

"You okay, Ibara-san?" Izuku asked.

"…I'll be fine."

"Try to relax," Koneko deadpanned.

Rias then placed a hand on the Bishop's shoulder. "We're all nervous, Ibara. But we need to focus, okay?"

Ibara nodded. "Oh, I just remembered. I brought these," she reached into her robe and pulled out a cross and a bottle.

"You still have that?!" Rias exclaimed, the skin of every devil in the room crawling. "And is that holy water!?"

Ibara fidgeted her fingers nervously. "I never bothered to get rid of them, and I figured they could be of use some time."

As much as Rias wanted to scold Ibara for keeping a cross and Holy Water, she decided against it. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm a little numb, but I'll be fine."

Rias sighed, before staring at the Church items on the table. She hated to admit it, but these definitely will be useful. "I'll hold onto them," Izuku offered.

Rias looked at Izuku like he'd grown two extra heads. "You can't be serious!"

"I should be fine," green scales appeared on Izuku's right arm as he picked up the cross and holy water. "My scales should protect me for a little while."

As much as she wished he'd reconsidered, Rias knew by now to trust Izuku's judgment. "I sure hope you know what you're doing. But to make extra sure…" Rias went over to the sofa and sat down, softly patting on the seat beside her. "Sit over here."

Izuku's cheeks turned rosy red, slowly gulping, "Uh… sure." He went over to the president and sat down next to her, uncomfortably fidgeting. Ibara watched quietly with wide eyes and red cheeks.

Rias pointed at her thighs, "Lay your head on my lap."

"E-eh?!" Izuku gasped, his eyes widening as he flinched.

"This isn't a time to act embarrassed," Rias chided him. "Just trust me."

Izuku took a deep breath to calm himself down before slowly laying his head on Rias' lap, while Ibara stared at the scene with a pout, not being able to hide her jealousy.

"Now Izu-kun, I'll cast a little spell on you." Izuku's face began to glow red. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I'm just going to unlock a seal is all." She then placed a hand on his forehead.

Thu-thump!

Izuku gasped at the sudden change in his body. Then, an incredible amount of power flooded into his body. It wasn't like the kind that he had gotten from the Boosted Gear, as it was a power of its own. What he was feeling now was something that came from within him, and it felt familiar and comfortable.

"When you became a Devil, I told you it took all eight of my Pawns pieces," she told him. "But what I didn't tell you was how much power you'd receive."

"W-what do you mean?" Izuku asked.

"If I had unleashed everything all at once, your body wouldn't have been able to take it. So I cast a spell to keep your powers at bay. Because of the spell, your abilities come to you in small, manageable stages. What I just did now was unseal another portion of your powers. This is only the beginning of what you're capable of, Izuku. That training we did was meant to have you cope with the power of Boosted Gear and the eight Pawns, you'll be fully able to use Promotion to its full power. Though there are areas you still lack in." She then started patting his head.

"Ah!" Ibara turned her body sideways with her hands together to pray. "There I was, being jealous when all along Rias was just trying to help him," she said. "Dear God, please forgive me for being so stupid and letting awful jealousy get the best of me."

And then the headache came.

"OW!"

Koneko silently stared at the Bishop with a deadpanned face, quietly enjoying a candy bar.

They waited for several more minutes before…

RIIIIIIING!

"Go time," Rias said as she stood up. "Riser is likely to have already sent out his servants, so we need to move. Izuku, Koneko, go help Ochako. She should be at Gym Gamma. Some of Riser's servants are likely already there."

Koneko and Izuku nodded. "Right," Izuku said. Though oddly, he was smiling.

"Good, now get going," Rias smiled back. "We have a game to win. Show them what you can do."

"Hai!" They quickly ran outside.

---

Meanwhile, three of Raiser's Pawns were traversing themselves through a very thick fog, trying to find their way to the club building. The first of the young women, Shuriya, had long, pale blue hair, amber eyes with purple highlights around them, and tanned skin. She was wearing a bikini made up of a metallic underwire brassiere and a silk loincloth that exposed her sides, a silver-colored tiara, and neck rings with a ruby and blue gem respectively. Other accessories include ruby orb earrings, a snake-themed bracelet on her upper arm, and a transparent pink veil across both her arms.

The other two, Marion and Burent, were dressed as French maids. Marion had shoulder-length light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her French maid uniform was a buttoned, sleeveless one with a white laced design, along with a standard maid headpiece, cuffs, and a white half-apron to go with the set. She also wore light gray tights.

Burent, on the other hand, had shoulder-length brown hair and had a maid's uniform that was also sleeveless but exposed her cleavage with a white lace design on the edges, a maid headpiece, half-apron, and forearm-length fingerless gloves.

"Damn," Burent said. "This fog is so thick I can't see anything."

Then a red magic circle appeared a few meters from them, standing tall. With a quick flash, it launched glowing projectiles as long as spears at them. The three Pawns saw the danger and quickly jumped out of the way, letting the projectiles impale trees and the ground.

"A trap," Shuriya said in amusement as she flew through the air. "Did they really think that something like that would work?"

"Looks like the Gremory group are dumber than I thought," Burnet mocked as she and Marion were in the air together.

"A cute trick from a Rating Game virgin," Marion said as she landed, failing to notice the near-invisible wire directly under her foot.

Shuriya did, though. "Marion, wait!"

Too late. The wire broke the second some of Marion's weight was on it. Up above, a dozen swords rain down upon them. The three Pawns avoided them as best they could, though their clothes weren't as lucky. Once all twelve swords were embedded in the ground, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief… until the swords began to glow.

"Now wh-"

BOOM KA-BOOM BOOM!

The swords exploded. The three Pawns were hit directly with the force, sending them flying, crashing into the trees around them. When the smoke cleared, each Pawn was down on the ground, but not yet out.

All Shuriya could do was look up, where she saw Kiba Yuuto walking down the trunk of a tree. The katana he was carrying had a white mist surrounding it, while frost grew from where he stepped. "I have to give Izuku and Momo credit," he chuckled. "That trap worked perfectly. I never would've thought I could make my Demonic Swords explode like that."

"…Fuck."

---

Izuku and Koneko had caught up to Ochako, the three making their way towards Gym Gamma. They had just heard of Grayfia's announcement, so they sped up their track to the gym. When they finally reached it, they entered through the backdoor as quietly as they could in the hopes of catching Riser's servants off guard if they got there first. Once they entered, though, they found that the gym was both huge but also empty. No place to hide.

And Riser's servants had beaten them to it. Four of them stood not far from the front entrance. "So nice to meet you, Servants of Gremory." One of them challenged.

Izuku remembered them from the first time he saw them as well as the footage Rias had given him. The apparent leader of the small group was a well-endowed girl who appeared to be of Chinese descent, with shoulder-length black hair and blue-green eyes. Her hair has two Chinese-style buns on both sides of her head, while the front features bangs that form a slight V-shape across her forehead. Her outfit consisted of a navy blue qipao with gold accents, with a sash around her stomach, black arm guards on her forearms, and black, low-heeled shoes. The qipao was open at the chest area, giving a view of her breast and cleavage, as well as a split down the left side to show off her long, left leg. Watching them approach, the Chinese woman spoke again. "So some of Rias's servants did come here after all. I am Xuelan, Riser's Rook!" She introduced herself boldly.

There were two twins behind Xuelan, both of them looking like they belonged in middle school. Both of them had turquoise hair with yellow ribbons tied to one side of their hair opposite to one another, likely to tell them apart. They were dressed in gym uniforms; white t-shirts with blue accents, black leggings, and blue sneakers over knee-high socks, no different to how most female gym uniforms were like. They also wore orange wristbands on their right wrists. They were also holding red and blue gym bags. "Ile and Nel! Riser's Pawns!" Both twins introduced cutely.

The last girl had blue hair and light brown eyes. Her hair was styled with four short ponytails, two of them pointing up and the other two pointing down. The front of her hair had split bangs going across her forehead, with side bangs framing her face. Her outfit consisted of a white haori with a red obi, worn under a red happi coat. She had bandages on her forearms and shins and black guards over her hands. She wore a pair of zori under her feet. Gripped in her hands was a wooden staff. "I'm Mira… Riser's Pawn," she greeted.

Izuku, Ochako, and Koneko glanced at each other. The enemy introduced themselves, so it was a courtesy for them to do the same. "Toujou Koneko, Rias Gremory-sama's Rook."

"I'm Uraraka Ochako, Rias-sama's other Rook."

"And Midoriya Izuku, Rias-san's Pawn."

Xuelan gave a gruff nod as she pounded her fists together, "Now that introductions are out of the way, we can get down to business." She switched to a kung-fu stance, gesturing her fingers in a "come here" taunt.

Koneko stepped forward and put up her fists in a boxing stance. "I'll take the Rook."

"I can handle Mira," Ochako gripped her staff.

"Guess that leaves me with the twins." Izuku looked at the two Pawns as they pulled out something from the bags.

GGRRNNGG! GGRRNNGG! GGRRNNGG!

Izuku's eyes widened. The little girls were packing chainsaws!

"Goodie! We get to split you up!" Nel exclaimed… or was it Ile?

The twins were wearing disturbing grins as their chainsaws revved up. Both weapons engulfed in flames as they charged at him.

'Chainsaws?! They never used chainsaws in the matches I saw!'

"Slice 'em up! Slice 'em up! Slice 'em up!" The two chanted happily. When they approached him, the first one swung her chainsaw at his head while the second twin went for his legs. Izuku jumped into the air to avoid the attack… which worked a little too well.

One hit the wall, the chain of her chainsaw breaking the instant it hit the hard concert. The other tripped, tossing her chainsaw in the air, its grip bonking her on the head before landing on the floor, its chain breaking also.

Izuku sweat-dropped. "Oh, maybe that's why…"

Mira sweat-dropped also, forgetting about her opponent… who was desperately trying not to laugh. "When will those two learn?" She groaned.

"That happens often?" Ochako asked between giggles.

Mira didn't answer though. Instead, she charged at Ochako, swinging her staff, which was lit up in flames, down on her.

Meanwhile, Koneko and Xuelan were busy with their fight.

"Hah!"

The Chinese devil's hands and feet were lit with flames, and she swung them at Koneko, but the shorter girl blocked and parried the blows as they came. She could feel the searing heat waving at her face, with some of the flames managing to rip bits and parts of her uniform. Koneko continued to hold her ground as she planted her feet firmly into the floor and rammed her shoulder into Xuelan. Xuelan grunted and recoiled from the hit, struggling to get her senses back, but Koneko pressed on and through a fist into her stomach. The Chinese cried out as she was sent flying, but quickly flipped in the air and landed back on her feet, dashing back at Koneko to retaliate. Koneko quickly backflipped away from the opponent, avoiding the punches and kicks aimed at her.

"Trying to run away?" The Phenex Rook taunted.

"You wish," Koneko said, sinking her fingers into the wooden floor. Without even uttering a word, she threw a chunk of concrete at her. Xuelan gave a small huff before rushing in and smashing the block with her fist. From the smoke, she charged at Koneko with her fist raised, who was also ready with her fist clenched.

Both Rooks ended up nailing the other's jaws. The force of the hits echoed in the air as the fists buried into the other's face. They both stepped back from one another, nursing their faces.

"That hurt a bit," Xuelan admitted, spitting out a loose tooth.

"…Same," Koneko nodded, rubbing her sore face. "Not bad."

*Bonk!*

The two Rooks turned to see Izuku bashing together the twins' heads. The two fell to the ground before disappearing.

["Two of Riser's Pawns have retired."]

"Ile! Nel!" Mira shouted. The Phenex Pawn turned to Ochako with a glare before rushing toward her, spinning her staff around her before swinging her weapon in quick strikes while also throwing several kicks in.

However, Ochako grabbed Miria's leg as she threw a kick. Then, using the Pawn's momentum against her, she tossed her through the air and into a wall, leaving spider cracks behind her. She was only able to let out a cough before she slowly collapsed to the ground, down and certainly out.

["One of Riser's Pawns has retired."]

Xuelan gave out a growl. Her teammates had already been taken out in such a short time. "Damn-!"

["Three of Riser's Pawns have retired."] Grayfia announced.

Xuelan's eyes widened in shock at the announcement. Izuku, Ochako, and Koneko had more pleasant surprised looks in comparison.

"Alright, good news!" Ochako grinned.

"Looks like one of our traps worked!" Izuku guessed.

Koneko didn't say anything but smiled softly at the fact that they were in the lead. The three then noticed that Xuelan was staring at one of the windows. Koneko quickly took the opportunity to attack by leaping forward to deliver a dropkick on the enemy Rook. Xuelan quickly regained focus as she gasped and rolled away from the kick, quickly taking another stance. "My my, look who's getting their ass whooped," Koneko mocked, putting up a guard.

"Don't think so highly of yourself," Xuelan frowned. "We're just getting started." Suddenly two arms wrapped her from behind. "What the-!"

"Maybe," Xuelan looked behind her and saw Ochako. "But we already started!"

"Let go of me!" Xuelan exclaimed.

"Sure!" Ochako let go, but not before using her Quirk on Xuelan. Eyes widening, the Phenex Rook began floating in the air. "Now, Koneko-chan!"

Xuelan looked ahead and saw Koneko having jumped up high into the air before she came crashing down at full force.

SMASH!

The floor was utterly destroyed by the impact, dust filling the air and growing in size. Ochako and Izuku shielded themselves as air blew around them. The smoke quickly vanished, and Koneko could be seen in the center of a large crater, getting up as Xuelan vanished into a glimmer of light after that.

["One of Riser's Rooks has retired."]

"Nice job, Koneko-chan!" Izuku grinned, running up to his teammate. He quickly stopped and blanched. The reason why was that both Koneko and Ochako didn't quite come out untouched. Koneko's outfit was partially torn and burnt from being on the receiving end of the attacks. Ochako's shirt and pants were ripped in various places, exposing her bra which was burned slightly, exposing a nipple. They turned to face him and noticed his embarrassed face before looking down at their damaged outfits.

"KYAH!" Ochako screamed as she and Koneko covered themselves.

"Keep looking and I'll claw your eyes out," Koneko threatened with a glare.

"R-r-right! S-Sorry," Izuku apologized turning away. As Ochako magically repaired their clothes, Izuku took the moment to look out the window. The same one Xuelan briefly glanced out. 'I wonder what she was looking at?'

He got his answer when he saw someone with slamming wings. He recognized her right away and knew what she was planning to do.

"Guys! Look out!" He screamed, running towards them.

Koneko and Ochako turned around suddenly, shocked at the seriousness of his tone. As their teammate ran towards them, spreading his wings, a blinding light appeared from out the window.

---

KA-BOOM!

Yuuto stopped in his tracks and looked up in shock. From his position, he saw a thick layer of smoke rising into the sky and flames dancing around. From all the times he visited the real U.A., he realized where the explosion had happened. He also knew who was there when it happened. "Guys!"

"Yuuto, calm down," Rias' voice spoke in his com-link. "Grayfia didn't announce that any of them were defeated so they may be still in play. Still, just to be sure I'm going to send Momo to check. Riser's Queen is likely the one responsible. Only she has that kind of magic to cause such an explosion."

"Right, understood," Yuuto nodded.

"Right, now you have your own job to do. Be careful," Rias ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Yuuto obeyed. He ran off in a full sprint, praying that his friends were safe.

---

Amid the burning and ravaged building that was once the gymnasium, Izuku hugged both Ochako and Koneko tightly, his wings wrapped around them. All three were dusty and bruised from the blast. "You two okay?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ochako nodded. "What about you, Koneko-chan?"

"I'm okay… thanks for the save," Koneko said, a slight smile on her face. Looking up, she suddenly frowned. "We have company."

Izuku and Ochako followed her gaze and narrowed their eyes. Up above them levitating with flaming wings was a busty figure holding a staff, slowly descending before them. "Is that…?"

"That's right," Koneko confirmed. "Riser's Queen, Yubelluna."

Yubelluna gave a condescending smirk. "I'm surprised you three managed to survive my signature attack. I figured that it would be easier to finish you all off after our comrades sacrificed themselves to tire you out. The enemy is most vulnerable during a celebration after all," she said. Her smirk widened at the sight of them. "And I apologize. I didn't intend to interrupt your skinship moment…"

The three Gremory devils blinked at her words, slowly looking at one another before releasing just how close Izuku was holding them. Instinctively, Izuku leaped backwards just as Koneko threw a punch, her cheeks puffing angrily while Ochako's entire face turned red.

"However," Yubelluna continued, her smirk turning into a frown. "I also wasn't expecting for you to be a dragon, boy." She brandished her staff around and pointed it at Izuku. "Although I'm not very fond of the name, it is because of my magic that I am known as the Bomb Queen. Yet you managed to survive a directed hit while shielding your comrades. I'd like to see how long you can last against me!"

He frowned as he looked up at Yubelluna before turning to his friends. "Koneko-chan, Ochako-san, go and help Yuuto-kun."

Koneko looked at him, aghast, realizing what he was planning. "Are you stupid?! She's a Queen! You won't last a minute!"

"I'll be fine," Izuku reassured them, a small smile on his face. "Compared to Tannin-sama or Kacchan, her blasts are just firecrackers."

"You dare mock me?" The opposing Queen hissed. "And you honestly expect me to believe you've faced against the Blaze Meteor Dragon himself?"

Izuku turned to Yubelluna with a determined glare. Koneko and Ochako grimaced but reluctantly nodded. They ejected their wings and flew off into the air. Yubelluna idly ignored them.

"You allowed your comrades to escape so that you would stay and fight me," Yubelluna said, cocking her head. "Very admirable… Foolish, but admirable. Do you honestly believe you can beat me?" The Phenex Queen asked him.

Izuku said nothing, instead clenching his fist. "Promotion: Queen!"

He leaped up into the air, readying a punch, but Riser's Queen blocked it with a barrier. "Nice try," she mocked before creating another explosion. The blast sent Izuku back, but he quickly recovered in the air.

"Damnit!" He hissed when Momo's voice spoke through the com-link.

"Izuku-san, close your eyes."

"Huh?" Izuku did so, but he wanted to ask why when Yubelluna spoke up.

"Sorry, little boy, but you can't beat me alone." Yubelluna mocked.

"He's not alone!"

Several objects suddenly fell around Yubelluna, making her stagger back, but a closer look revealed them to be Russian matryoshka dolls in Momo's likeness. "Hmph, how cute," she laughed, knocking the doll aside. It opened up, revealing a flashbang inside.

*BANG!*

"AHHH!" The Phenex Queen screamed, the incredibly bright hurting her eyes.

Izuku, even with his eyes closed, could still see just how bright the flashbang was. Once the light died down, Izuku opened his eyes and landed on the ground. Yubelluna was also on the ground, crying in agony about her eyes.

"Izuku-san, are you okay?" Izuku looked up to see Momo gliding toward him. She landed on the ground and quickly jogged up to him. "What happened? Where's Koneko-chan and Ochako-san?" She asked, looking up and down at his ragged clothes.

"They're okay," Izuku answered. "We got blindsided by Riser's Queen. I told them to go on help Yuuto."

"Agh! You little bitch!" Yubelluna screeched, sending a volley of explosions at them.

"Look out!" Izuku quickly held Momo close and turned her away from the blasts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Izuku screamed as he shielded Momo from the fireballs. Behind them, Yubelluna rubbed her eyes, clearly still disoriented by the flashbang. "Izuku-san, are you okay?!" Momo frantically asked.

"I'm fine," Izuku groaned as he stood up. He blushed upon seeing the state Momo was in. While she was still fine, her clothes were torn and burned from all the heat and fire. He quickly shook it off, though.

Yubelluna was rubbing her eyes, clearly still disoriented by the flashbang. "This is our chance!" Momo realized. Lightning surged around her as black sand suddenly picked up from the ground and swirled in the air, circling over both her and Yubelluna. When Phenex Queen's eyesight finally returned, she looked up in shock at what she saw.

"W-what is this?!" Yubelluna muttered, unsure of what to make of what she was seeing.

"It's iron sand I made before I arrived," Yubelluna glared at Momo and saw that, indeed, iron sand was coming from her body. "By using my power of lightning, I can manipulate electromagnetism," the Gremory Queen said, raising her hand over her head, "Meaning I can control any susceptible metal, like this!"

At Momo's command, the iron sand stretched down onto Yubelluna and sharpened into spikes. Yubelluna put up her staff and summoned a shield before her. The spikes stabbed and jabbed at the shield, breaking it apart until it shattered. The spikes continued the relentless barrage as the enemy Queen was forced to retreat by gliding backwards, but some of them managed to shred onto her clothing. She screamed and shrieked as a support beam from the wreaked gym slammed into her from behind.

Izuku flinched at what he saw. That looked painful. 'I'm sure glad Momo is on our side,' he thought as he looked at said girl… and noticed the slight blush she had. "Uh… are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yes! I'm fine!" She lied. 'Crap! I got turned on again! Am I a pervert?'

"Okay, I admit, I may have underestimated you two." Their attention was drawn back to Yubelluna, who had just moved aside the support beam. She dug her hand in between her large breasts and pulled out a small bottle.

The appearance of the bottle confused Momo. "What is that?"

Izuku, however, recognized it as something Rias told him about. "Phoenix Tears?!"

Yubelluna opened the vial and poured its contents on her arm. In an instant, Yubelluna's wounds healed. Momo and Izuku could only stare in shock. 'Are you KIDDING me?!'

"Those were impressive tricks, Gremory Queen, but I won't fall for them again," Yubelluna boasted. "I'm glad I brought this along." She toyed with the empty vial of Phoenix Tears in her fingers before tossing it aside. "Now, shall we continue?"

Izuku gritted his teeth. 'If she has the other vial, then beating her won't be easy. Since her explosions don't do much damage to me, she'll target Momo-san.'

'She'll target me, which will force Izuku-san to defend me. If that keeps up, even if we do beat her, we'll be too weak to continue.' Momo mentally continued what Izuku thought. 'Our best bet is to take her out in one shot, but to do that…'

'But how do we do that?' Izuku silently asked, trying to come up with a strategy. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when Momo spoke up.

"Izuku-san," said boy looked toward her. He saw the determined look in her eyes. "I have an idea, but I need you to distract her for a bit. Think you can do that?"

Izuku nodded. "Leave it to me." Izuku took to the air again, energy channeling into his Boosted Gear. "Dragon Shot!"

Yubelluna lazily raised her staff and conjured a shield. "Pointless," she said as the Dragon Shot harmlessly bounced off the shield… only for her eyes to widen in surprise to see Izuku dive-bombing her. Izuku bypassed the shield easily before delivering a swift punch to Yubelluna's gut.

He then kicked the Phenex Queen, sending her a few feet backward before landing on her back. Groaning and moaning in pain, Yubelluna gritted her teeth with one eye closed, glaring at Izuku, as he just stood where he was. He was blocking her view of Momo, who seemed to be doing something.

"Try all you want but little tricks like that won't work on me," Yubelluna boasted as she stood up. She prepared another explosion, one big enough that she was sure it would take both of them out, when…

"Izuku-san, now!"

Izuku jumped to the side. Yubelluna's attention was so focused on him that she forgot about Momo, who had created a large cannon next to her. "What?!" That was all the Phenex Queen could say before the cannon fired.

*BOOM!*

In an instant, something wrapped itself around Yubelluna. She fell to the ground, immobilized by a bola fired by the cannon. Though caught off guard, Yubelluna smirked. "You think this little thing can hold-"

Yubelluna didn't finish, though, when she saw that, in Momo's hand, a ball of lightning had formed. Izuku, realizing what she had planned, landed next to her and placed his Boosted Gear on her arm.

[Transfer!]

ZAOORRN!

The attack came so quickly that Yubelluna was unable to react at all. Even if she did have time, the attack was so large and powerful that it would've been impossible to avoid. All she could do was scream as the boosted lightning bolt destroyed her surroundings. The blast was so bright Momo and Izuku had to shield their eyes. Once the light faded, all that was left was a badly burned Yubelluna in the center of burnt concrete with hot glass surrounding her before she disappeared in a white light.

["Riser's Queen has retired."]

Izuku and Momo collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. "We… we took her out…" Izuku heaved.

"Yeah… we did…" Momo sighed. "I think… I'm gonna rest… here for a bit."

"Are you sure?" Izuku asked her. "Should I take you to Ibara? She can-"

"I can manage for a little bit." Momo interrupted him, pulling out a chocolate granola bar from her pocket. "If I need to I'll go to Ibara-san by myself. You still have strength. Go help the others."

Izuku reluctantly nodded. "I'll be back with the others. I promise," spreading his wings, flew up into the air.

Momo smiled as she watched Izuku fly off. "Good luck, Izuku."

---

Izuku flew just above the canopy at full speed, the trees blurring past him. Though he was concerned for Momo, he knew they had to focus on the other enemy servants. "I hope Momo-san will be okay."

Eventually, he spotted Koneko, Ochako, and Yuuto hiding behind some bushes. Several meters away he saw seven of Riser's servants making their way through the forest. Quietly, Izuku landed behind his friends, making sure not to be seen. He didn't give away their position, or his. "You guys okay?" He asked in a whisper. The three were nearly startled by Izuku's voice.

"I managed to get three of Riser's Pawns into one of our traps. The explosive swords made it too easy. Of course, this only made the rest of the enemy servants cautious of their surroundings." Yuuto told him, also in a whisper.

"What about you?" Ochako asked. "What happened to the fight with Riser's Queen?"

"Momo-san finished her off but is resting now," Izuku answered. "Once we're done here we should go check up on her."

"They don't look like they'll be falling for our traps, though," Koneko said, looking on in concern. "We might have to confront them ourselves if things don't go as planned."

"So, what's the plan, Izuku?" Yuuto asked.

Before Izuku could answer, however, a voice suddenly called out to them. "We know you're out there, Servants of Rias Gremory. I, Karlamine, Knight of Raiser Phenex, challenge you, Knight of Gremory, to a duel!"

Yuuto's eyes narrowed as he stood up, grabbing the hilt of the Yukinoha. "What are you doing?!" Ochako hissed.

Yuuto gave them a calm smile. "A Knight just challenged me to a duel. As a fellow Knight, I must respond." And with that, Yuuto stepped out into the open to accept the challenge.

Izuku and Ochako continued to stare at Yuuto while Koneko stared at him with the same half-lidded, impassive face that she always had. Eventually, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Guess we better follow him."

Nodding, the three followed Yuuto out of their hiding spot. Out in the clearing, seven girls were opposing them, including the Knight who challenged Yuuto.

"I am Kiba Yuuto, Knight of Rias Gremory-sama," Yuuto announced as he pulled out the Yukinoha, "I humbly accept your challenge to a duel!"

Since Yuuto introduced himself, the other Gremory devils felt that they had to do the same, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, Rias-san's Pawn!"

"Toujou Koneko, Rias Gremory's Rook."

"And I am Uraraka Ochako, Rias Gremory's other Rook."

"Well met!" The Phenex Knight, Karlamine, nodded. "I am pleased that I will be able to have an honorable duel with a fellow Knight!" The female Knight was wearing a headband that goes across her light brown hair and forehead, green eyes, and quite an endowed body. Strangely though, her outfit consists of a full set of silver armor with black accents that appears to be a cross between a European knight and a Japanese samurai; with a chest plate, gauntlets, greaves, hip plates, and shoulder guards. She was equipped with a broadsword and a dagger, both of which were held with brown belts slung across her hip, with the sword slung on her left hip and the dagger located behind her hips.

"Good grief… there she goes again, acting so high and mighty. I know she's a Knight, but her interest in swords is starting to become an obsession." Izuku quickly turned around toward the direction of the voice. He saw it was the princess-like girl who resembled Riser. "Let's make this quick. Isabela, take the Pawn. Li, Ni, you'll handle the white Rook. Siris, Mihae, you have the other Rook."

"Yes, milady," the women stepped forward.

"Siris, Knight of Riser Phenex," said a tall young woman with long black hair that had a blue tint in it with brown eyes. Her hair looked like it had five thin ponytails spiraling out around her head, which were held up by a golden hair accessory on top of her head. Her outfit consisted of a white top with black accents that was modeled after a Chinese cheongsam, red shorts, and armored, knee-high boots with matching gauntlets. In the center of her top was a diamond-shaped hold that gave everyone a clear view of her breasts and cleavage. She was carrying a giant a two-handed zweihänder.

"I am Mihae, Bishop of Raiser Phenex," the girl had long black hair, blue eyes, and an angelic face. She was dressed in a black and blue kimono that went all the way to the ground, a red sash around her waist, and white tabi-socks on her feet. Her shoes were traditional slippers.

"We are Ni and Li! Raiser Phenex-sama's Pawns!" The two catgirls spoke in unison. The catgirl on the right had pinkish hair, and the one on the left had light bluish hair. They both wore boxing gloves that were the same color as their hair and rather provocative schoolgirl outfits. Their cat ears stuck out of their hairs and their tails were swaying from side to side behind them. Their uniforms had bright yellow ribbons on their chests, the lower half of their shirts were trimmed up high, exposing the bottom half of their breasts, short skirts that barely showed the edges of their butts, and shoes that matched their hair color.

"More twins?!" Ochako exclaimed as Koneko took battle-ready stances, Koneko pounding her fists together.

"Think we can take 'em, senpai?" Koneko asked as she cracked her fingers.

Ochako nodded. "Yep!"

"Looks like that leaves you with me," Izuku turned at the voice. She was a girl with short, light brown hair with three red highlights across and grey eyes. The feature that stood out the most with a plain white mask that covered the right side of her face. Her outfit consists of a black jacket and matching jeans. The jacket has wide shoulders and a wide collar and features three leather straps on both her arms. It's also slightly open, revealing her rather large breasts and cleavage, and cuts off at her midriff. Her jeans had a section on her right pant leg that was cut off to reveal some of her thighs and rear end, and also featured three leather straps on her calves, just below the ankles, and two extra straps on her right pant leg to keep it in place, while also sporting black fighting gloves and boots.

She smirked. "I am Isabela, Rook of Riser Phenex. In my master's name, I will defeat you!" The girl had a manic look in her only visible eye, half mask obscuring her other.

Izuku scowled. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, Rias-san's Pawn. I'm sorry, but for both her sake and ours, I'm afraid I can't let you win."

"You sound confident." The Rook grinned at him, completely devoid of malice. "This should be interesting."

Izuku couldn't help but get excited himself. He raised his hands in a classic boxing stance to perfectly match his opponent's style, something her smile indicated she appreciated. She charged and started throwing punches at him, but Izuku was able to dodge them.

[Boost!]

Izuku blocked one of Isabela's attacks, his doubled Queen strength matching the Rook's. Smiling, the masked Rook spun on her heel, delivering a one-two to his ribs before rolling to the side as he brought a hand hammering down to impact upon her location. She struck again, he grunted at the impact before bringing his forearm to slam into her shoulder. At this, she winced and took two steps back, favoring her bruised appendage.

"Damn, you're good. I'm curious, where did you train?" She asked.

Izuku rubbed the area where Isabela hit him. He wasn't sure, but it felt like he had a cracked rib. "I've had two great teachers."

"Well, then I hope you give me a private lesson sometime after this," she gave him a seductive wink.

Izuku paled a bit as his face went red. "Uh… Well, I, uh, see…"

Isabela blinked in genuine confusion. 'That's… not the reaction I was expecting.'

---

Rias opened the door to the main building, allowing her and Ibara to enter before letting it close behind her. There wasn't a sign of anyone in the building. It seemed deserted.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Buchou?" Ibara asked. "Shouldn't we tell the others?"

Rias gritted her teeth. She knew she should've done so, but her pride had clouded her judgment. Riser had directly challenged her, so she felt obliged to accept. "I know it's a risk, but after what nearly happened to Izuku, Koneko, Ochako, and Momo, it may be our best chance to end this here and now."

As they approached the student council room, a voice called out. "I've been expecting you." The owner of the voice soon stepped out of the student council room. Chuckling menacingly, Riser said, "Hello, my beloved Rias."

---

Ravel was gnawing on the nail of her thumb hard as she watched her unit fight the enemy Pawn, Rooks, and Knight. She had been very anxious ever since the announcement that Yubelluna had been defeated, likely at the hands of the opposing Queen. The large blast of light earlier certainly wasn't hard to miss.

This was not good. Yubelluna was the strongest on their team and with her gone, they didn't have a good chance to win unless Rias decided to forfeit. Not to mention that the Gremory Peerage had yet to lose any of their members and were still fighting hard and strong. It was starting to look as if their unblemished winning streak was about to be broken, all thanks to her brother's ego.

"Dragon Shot!"

Izuku landed a punch in Isabela's gut, a ball of green energy in the Booster Gear's hand. The masked Rook was sent flying back, being carried by the ball of energy, slamming into a tree.

Isabela gave a painful groan as she stood back up. However, she soon started the laugh. "That was great!" She looked at Izuku, a smile on her face. "I have to ask: Are those dragon wings a Quirk or are you really a dragon?"

"Uh, well, I'm actually part dragon," Izuku said.

"Hmm, I see now. My master made a mistake then… And maybe I did as well," she sighed, nodding downwards. "I acknowledge your victory. I retire." The girl before him shone like the others before disappearing, but unlike them, there was a smile on her face.

["Riser's remaining Rook and his two remaining Pawns have retired."]

"What?!" Ravel exclaimed. She was so focused on Isabela's fight that she failed to see Koneko defeating Ni and Li with ease.

*CLASH!*

When the Yukinoha and Karlamine's flaming broadsword clashed, the Kamar-Taj blade held strong, to Karlamine's shock and interest. "That is an incredibly well-made sword," she stated while getting ready to charge at him. "Where'd you get it?"

"I'm borrowing it from a friend," Yuuto answered. A cold aura began to surround the Yukinoha. "And she's ready to end this!"

*CLASH!*

The swords once again locked when Yuuto blocked Karlamine's attack. Suddenly, the flaming blade froze and turned to ice, the flames included, before it shattered, falling apart like glass. "What?!" Karlamine exclaimed before noticing ice creeping up her arm. She wasn't able to do anything about it as she was soon complexly encased in ice. She soon disappeared.

["One of Riser's Knights has retired."]

As for Ochako, she found herself in a tight deadlock against Siris, who was trying to push her down with her sword. "I don't plan on failing Riser," said the Knight.

"Same," Ochako retorted. "I don't plan on disappointing Buchou either, and you're not gonna stop me." Siris grinned as she used her sword to create strong winds to push her back. Ochako, however, stood her ground as she kept her stance.

"Reflect!" A pink barrier appeared in front of Ochako right as Siris swung at her. The barrier managed to block the attack, but it cracked from the strain. 'I gotta take her down now!' Ochako aimed her staff at Siris and focused all of her magic into it. "Waterza!" A torrent of water shot out of Ochako's staff, hitting Sirius with incredible force. Mihae, who was giving support to Siris from behind, but hit by the blast as well. The attack sent the Knight and the Bishop flying back before they vanished.

["Riser's remaining Knight and one of his Bishops have retired."]

Ravel stood there flabbergasted that all of her brother's servants were taken down so easily. It was obvious that she severely underestimated the opposing team. Ravel paled as she realized that she was the only one left to deal with as the Red Dragon Emperor turned to face her. It was an awkward few seconds before Ravel said anything, "Well, I suppose it makes sense that Isabela, Siris, and Mihae couldn't beat you. You're quite the wild card," she said, stepping back slightly as she prepared to retreat.

"Um… Thank you…?" Izuku blinked, unsure of what to say or do. "A-anyway, my name is Midoriya Izuku, Rias-san's Pawn. What's your name?"

Ravel blushed and turned her head with her arms folded on her chest, closing her eyes, "H-humph! I already know who you are, thank you very much! Either way, since you've already introduced yourself it should be only polite that I do the same." She pulled on her skirt as she performed a curtsy. "My name is Ravel Phenex, Bishop of Riser Phenex and the youngest daughter of the Phenex Household, one of the 72 Pillars in the Underworld."

Izuku blinked in surprise, "You're a Phenex, too?" Guess that explained why they looked so much alike.

Ravel nodded, "Yes. My master is also my big brother, you see. But the only reason I joined his Peerage is because he said that he wants to fulfill his 'Ultimate Harem' dream. Something about needing a 'little-sister type' to make it happen."

Izuku stared blankly at her for a moment, now understanding why all of his servants wore such… odd clothing. "Your… brother has issues."

"You don't know the half of it." Ravel sighed. She bit her lip nervously as she looked at him, "You're… not going to fight me?"

"To be perfectly honest, you don't look like you want to fight us," Izuku told her. "Especially after you saw what we can do."

Ravel continued to look at the Pawn, trying to stare him down as much as she could. Eventually, she sighed. "You're right. You're too strong for me." She turned back and looked over at the school building, several yards away, "But as strong as you are, I doubt that even you can beat my brother, Red Dragon."

KA-BOOM!

A large explosion was heard from the main school building. Smoke billowed and rosed into the air.

"What was that?" Ochako exclaimed, she and the others looking over toward the source.

Momo's voice suddenly spoke through the com-link. "Buchou! Ibara-san! Come in! What's going on?"

"Momo-san!" Ibara's voice came from the com-link. "Buchou was challenged by Riser, and now both of them are fighting. Please, we need help now!… Oh no!" Static cut off Ibara's voice as another explosion was heard.

"Ibara-san! Ibara!" Izuku called into the com-link. The only thing that prevented him from pain was the lack of Grayfia confirming Ibara's defeat.

"Sorry to say this, but this is what my brother planned from the beginning," everyone turned to Ravel as she spoke. "I have to admit, you people are scary. But in the end, you're only as strong as your King. If she goes, then you go with her."

Izuku grinned his teeth. She was right. Riser must've goaded Rias into fighting him somehow, and she fell for it. If Rias was defeated, then they would instantly lose and be put under Riser's authority. There was no way in heaven or hell he was letting that happen! "I'm going on ahead!" Izuku was about to take off when Yuuto stopped him.

"Izuku, hold on!" Izuku turned to Yuuto, just in time to catch his Flame Delete. "Take this. Help Buchou. We'll go get Momo-san and catch up as soon as we can."

Izuku looked to Yuuto, then to Koneko, then to Ochako before nodding. He then glanced at Ravel, who was still standing there with her arms crossed. It looked like she had no intention to interfere. Sighing, he turned back to his friends. "Alright. Wish me luck." And then, he turned back to get to the school building.

"It's too dangerous to go alone! Take this!" Izuku turned around and quickly caught something thrown at his face. Opening his hand, he saw the familiar vial of Phoenix Tears.

"Ravel-chan?" He blinked, looking at the girl.

"D-d-don't get the wrong idea," Ravel huffed shyly, turning her head, "My brother is the immortal phoenix after all. If he beat you in the state you're in now, it wouldn't be fair."

Izuku smiled before placing the bottle in his pocket. "Thank you." Izuku took to the air and flew as fast as he could to where the explosion had come from.

"Wait, why isn't he taking the vial?!" Ravel asked.

"He wants to give it to Buchou, that's why fried chicken," Koneko answered as she and the others followed Izuku.

It took a second for Ravel to process what the white-haired devil said. "DID SHE JUST CALL ME A CHICKEN?!"

---

BOOM!

Up on the main building rooftop, Rias shot several volleys of her destructive power. Her opponent countered everything she threw at him with fireballs of his own or simply allowed her attacks to hit him so that his limbs would regenerate from the disintegration. It wasn't entirely one-sided though, as Ibara was several feet away.

Her vines tunneling underneath them, they would burst from the ground to block Riser's attacks. Riser grew increasingly angry every time Ibara blocked him with her vines. "WILL YOU STOP IT?!" He snapped.

Rias smirked. "I've never seen you so angry before, Riser. Planning to give up?"

Riser responded with a smirk of his own. "Not at all, my beloved. And don't worry, I look forward to defeating you and your servants, one in particular!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Rias told him in defiance. "You'll have to go through me first before you lay a finger on any of them!" She then shot a beam of her destructive powers at him and cut Riser's right arm off.

The blonde man chuckled at her attempts, seemingly unaffected by the attack. "Resign, Rias," he told her, as flames came out of his severed arm to reform a new one, "I'm calling check. I know every move you're going to make because I know you better than you think, my love."

"Fuck off, Riser!" Rias shouted with a glare as she stepped forward. "You know nothing if you think I'm going to give up that easily! I'll never give up! As a King, I'm ready for war!"

"You leave me no choice then," raising his arm, a large magic circle of the Phenex Family appeared over Riser's hand.

*ROAR!*

A large stream of fire rushed towards Rias and Ibara, the largest one yet. The redhead put up another shield, but she was starting to struggle to hold her own against the end attacks of the Phenex. Then, right as the shield was about to fail…

"Rias!" Ibara leaped to Rias and pushed her aside, taking the full force of the flames.

"Ibara!" Rias cried. As the flames receded, a badly burned Ibara, all of her clothes torched and black, fell to the ground. She soon disappeared.

["Rias' Bishop has retired."]

"Humph, that Bishop was so annoying," Riser said, a smug look on his face. "I look forward to putting her in her proper place soon."

Rias screamed in rage and frustration, sending large blasts of her destructive force at his midsection, vaporizing him from the chest down. He stayed that way momentarily before flames gathered around him and formed everything that was destroyed good as new. That arrogant smirk pissed her off so much.

"This is checkmate, my dear Rias!" Riser boasted arrogantly, "Without your Bishop, you won't be able to recover! There is still one way you can end this. All you have to do is take my hand and swear your love to me. You won't need to suffer any more pain and humiliation that way!"

Rias gritted her teeth as she tried to struggle from her knees. Using so much of her power drained far faster than she expected. Her clothing was charred and burned from Riser's flames and sweat was pouring down her face. However, she forced whatever strength she had to stand back up definitely.

"Surely you… jest, Riser…" Rias said between her breaths, grinning proudly, "I've said it once… and I will say it again. The man I want to marry… is not you."

Riser's face twitched and twisted into a scowl. Flaming wings appeared behind his back as the aura of the phoenix rose up behind him. "Is that so? My apologies then, but I'll put an end to your stubbornness here and now, with the purifying flame of the almighty phoenix!" He raised his hands above his head as a large fireball grew out. With a roar, he shot it at Rias with full force. Unable to move from where she stood, Rias closed her eyes as the heat came closer.

But the flames never reached her. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at the back of someone, with red dragon wings and a teal jumpsuit. There were two black, curved horns, each over two inches long, coming from the sides of his fluffy green hair. On his left arm was a red gauntlet with a green gem. His right arm was pointing forward toward the flames, a red and black sword absorbing the fire and heat, embers flowing all around him.

Rias blinked slowly, "…Izuku?" she muttered in disbelief.

The boy turned to meet her with a kind smile. Surprisingly, his pupils had turned into cat-like slits. "Sorry, I'm late, Buchou. But it's okay. I'm here now." Izuku had arrived to save Rias Gremory.

Rias stared in silence, taking in the sight before her. Right now, he seemed completely different. In some way, it reminded her of All Might's debut video.

"Buchou? Hey, hey Buchou!"

Rias shook her head as her mind snapped back, "…W-what?"

"Are you okay? Can you move?" He asked her.

"Oh…" Rias held her head as she collapsed on her legs, "It seems… I've used a bit too much of my magic. I can barely move at all. Sorry, Izu. I got careless."

Izuku smiled. "It's okay. The others will be here soon." He pulled out the vial from his pocket before giving it to her. "Here. You need this."

Rias stared at the vial before her. "Is that… Phenex Tears? How did…?"

"I'll explain later," Izuku placed the vial in Rias' hand. "Just take it and hang back," he then glared at Riser. "I'll deal with him."

Rias, though reluctant, knew Izuku was right. They had come dangerously close to losing had he not arrived. She popped open the vial and gulped it down. Instantly, her wounds began to heal.

Riser looked bewildered that the Pawn managed to stop his fire so easily, but he regained his composure as he folded his arms. "I must admit, I'm impressed that you managed to blow away my flame like that. Though I feel I should really give the compliment to Rias' Knight," Riser said.

He looked at Izuku the same way one would look at a fly or a worm; no threat at all. He then turned to Rias, "You and your servants all managed to defeat my cute servants, Rias. Even Yubelluna and no one has ever defeated her before. To reward you for your efforts, I will patiently wait for you to use the Tears and let the remainder of your servants arrive here…" he then glared at Izuku. "After I burn your Pawn to ashes."

Izuku, Flame Delete in hand, readied himself. "Go ahead and try."

[Boost!]

"Gladly!" With that, Riser lazily waved a hand and set loose another wave of orange flames. Trusting Rias to defend herself, Izuku charged ahead. The flames did sting, but he could manage. As Izuku rushed towards him, Riser only spread his arms in victory. "Come on, trash. Nothing you do can hurt me."

*SLICE!*

Blood flew in the air. Rias watched in wide-eyed shock.

Izuku had diagonally slashed Riser from his right hip up to his left shoulder.

"GAH!" Riser cried out in pain, as he stubbed backwards a bit. He held his bleeding wound, gritting his teeth in both anger and pain. "You filthy low-life," Riser glowed with a snarl, still feeling the pain of the slash. "What did you do to me?!"

"Nothing," Izuku answered. "It's just that this sword was made to cancel out flames, including the ones you use to regenerate." He then rushed Riser.

"Izuku, no!" Rias begged.

Izuku didn't get far when Riser suddenly appeared before him and grabbed him by the neck, instantly cutting off any air circulation. "You insult me, a noble of the House of Phoenix, boy?" He demanded spitefully. "I've had enough of you!"

Swinging his arm out, he threw Izuku over the edge of the top of the roof.

However, Izuku grabbed his arm when he let go so that he could bring him down with him, shocking Riser, and making him also fall over.

But before he and Izuku could hit the side of the roof, Riser opened his flaming wings and stopped himself from falling. He then moved outwards and away from the roof, hovering towards an open court. Izuku tried his best to keep a grip on his right arm but could feel his hand slipping.

With a growl, Riser was able to get him to let go when he blasted him with a fireball. Izuku screamed in agony, as the attack also sent him speeding toward the ground. The result was a fiery explosion.

"Stop it!" Rias begged Riser, tears streaming down her face, but to no response. She wasn't worried for the boy anymore. She was scared for him.

Riser grabbed Izuku by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The sudden choking hold made him drop the Flame Delete.

"I praise you for doing this well for a Pawn." He said with his arrogant smirk, but he didn't seem to be joking. His eyes carried a more serious look in them. His clothes and body looked worn, and his wings were smaller than before. "But it's time to end this little contest." Riser's face changed to where his pupils were dilated, giving him a look that almost bordered on insanity. "I'm going to enjoy crushing the life out of you, and I will make it hurt!"

"Riser, stop it!" Rias begged.

The Phenex looked to Rias. "Right, the reason you're being so stubborn is because of him isn't it?" He asked, getting his answer from how she didn't respond. "If you truly care for him, then there is a way to save him: just surrender, my dear Rias."

Rias was left shocked, unable to properly respond.

"Well, my beloved," Riser asked, a slightly amused expression. "What's it going to be?"

(My Hero Academia OST - You Say Run)

Before she could answer, Izuku, with gritted teeth, yelled out. "Don't listen to him, Rias!" He struggled to speak with his windpipe being tightly crushed, though he continued to glare at Riser.

"Ha! Do you have a death wish, Pawn? Face it, it's over!"

"Not yet… I'm not giving up." Izuku dug into his pocket and pulled out an object. Riser wasn't able to see what it was, but Rias did. It was the bottle of holy water! "I won't stop… Until I save Rias from you!"

[Transfer!]

As Izuku brought his arm back, the Boosted Gear glowed green, and the water in the bottle glowed bright gold.

*SMASH!*

Swinging his arm in an outwards arch, Izuku's hand smacked into the right side of Riser's head, smashing the bottle of holy water all over his head and face. The impact caused it to shatter, and the water to disperse everywhere.

"UGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Riser screamed out in agony. His grip on Izuku's neck was released, to give himself some distance, as the blonde man grabbed his face with both his hands. He howled under the painful effects of the holy water, as parts of his face had major burns and had steam coming off it.

Rias' eyes widen in shock. 'The holy water is severely depleting his stamina and mental strength! Even the Marquis can't regenerate his mortal mind from something like this!' She realized that Izuku let Riser grab him, so he could get the chance to use the holy water. Tears began to swell in her eyes again. Only this time they were tears of joy. "Izuku, you little suicidal genius!"

The steam stopped, leaving Riser's body in a weakened and worn-out state. He panted painfully as he glared at Izuku, "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING!?" He ranted out. It was amazing he even had the strength to still stand. "RIAS AND I BELONG TOGETHER! OUR UNION HAS BEEN DECIDED! IT'S TRADITION! WHY WOULD YOU GET IN THE WAY OF OUR UNION!" He roared, throwing another fireball at Izuku.

Izuku wrapped his wings around himself, which protected him against the flames as it blew harmlessly around him. After the assault from the powered-up holy water, it was clear that Riser was losing. "I don't give a damn about your so-called traditions and customs," Izuku growled, unfolding his wings. "What matters is that you just don't make her happy. That's why I'm in the way."

"Why aren't you getting it?!" Riser shouted as he charged forward, feeling no other option but to fight Izuku fist to fist. He threw his fists at the boy, who stepped to the side, trapped Riser's arm, and threw him into the ground, using the Phenex's momentum against him. Riser staggered up, glaring hatefully at the Pawn. "This engagement is essential for the survival of our kind! It is for our future! Why is a selfish brat you like interfering with this?! Answer me!"

"Because you don't deserve her!" Izuku shouted back. "All you'll care about is treating her like some trophy and it makes her miserable! You don't know the first thing about love!" Izuku took hold of Ibara's old cross, wrapping it around his Boosted Gear. "I'm only going to say this once, Riser…" Izuku glared, readying another punch as green energy surrounded his body. "Never make Rias cry again! DRAGON SMASH!"

Izuku charged at Riser at full speed, his fist colliding with the scarred face of Riser as hard as it could. The force sent Riser flying back, smashing against a wall that shattered upon impact. Izuku panted as he stared at where Riser hit. He didn't see any movement, but he wanted to be ready just in case. Fortunately, he got his answer when Grayfia spoke.

["Riser Phenex, the King, has retired. Victory of this Rating Game goes to Rias Gremory."]

Breathing heavily, Izuku dropped the cross before he screamed with all his might. "AAAAAAAAH!" Izuku's head then began to get dizzy, his legs going limp.

*Boing!*

He didn't land on the ground, though. Instead, his head fell between two soft pillows, the owner of which was wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Izuku… My adorable little Izuku… You saved my life…Thank you so much…" she whispered in his ear, tears of joy welling down her face.

Izuku, of course, was blushing in embarrassment from the fact that Rias was deliberately pressing his head against her bosom. But he just smiled as he returned the hug as best he could, hearing his teammates cheering behind them as they came closer.

Not far away in the air with her own set of flaming wings, Ravel Phenex stared in shock. "No way…" she whispered to herself. Her brother actually lost?! She frowned though, remembering that Riser did technically bring it upon himself with the way he was acting. It was bound to happen sooner or later, she just didn't expect it to be like this.

She then turned to look at the boy who defeated him, Izuku. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed with his strategy. She was expecting Rias to have been their strategist, not her Pawn. Ravel then recalled that Rias was studying at U.A. High, Japan's most revered hero school. 'Does that mean the Welsh Dragon is going to be a hero someday?'

Unbidden, bedtime stories and fairy tales of her childhood came to the forefront of her thoughts, and she blushed when she superimposed the boy… Izuku, cute freckles, and all… into those stories. Ravel shook her head, trying to discourage herself from any fanciful thoughts. She had to go check on her brother. After that, she needed to speak with her mother.

---

A few minutes later, the ORC had returned to their real clubroom. Rias was sitting next to Izuku on the sofa, being sure to be as close to him as she could. Kyoka and Mizu were waiting for them, congratulating them on their victory.

"That sure was a risky gambit, Izuku. Nice job," Yuuto smiled, shaking his head humorously.

"To be honest, I'm just surprised it worked," Izuku admitted, looking up at Yuuto.

"Whatever the case may be, our Rating Game was the highest-viewed one since the first," Rias said with a wide smile. "We've already gotten feedback from various members of the royal families amazed by our performance. Some of you even got nicknames. Momo here is being called the 'Princess of Thunder'."

"Really!?" Momo flushed, while Kyoka smiled.

"I think it suits you," Kyoka said.

"You got a new nickname too," Izuku turned to Koneko. In an odd sight, the normally stoic girl was actually smiling at him. It was… cute. "Red Hero Dragon. It works for you. Good job," she said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Red Hero…?" Izuku chuckled sheepishly.

"Izuku-san?" Izuku turned over to Ibara, who was perfectly fine. She was smiling, but her eyes were downcast. "You were amazing out there."

"Hey it was a team effort, Ibara," Ochako smiled. "We all had a hand in beating Riser and his team. Heck, it was because of you that we won. Buchou would've lost against Riser if you weren't there."

"Ochako-san's right. We're all proud of you, Ibara-san." Izuku nodded, causing Ibara to smile back, the shine in her eyes returning. "Also… I need to apologize." Ibara blinked as she looked at him, "I promise that I would protect you, that I would keep you safe. But then Riser took you out like that." He bowed his head, "I'm so sorry."

Ibara smiled and shook her head, "It's alright. There's nothing to apologize for. All that matters now is that we made it home together. Right?"

Izuku stood up and looked at her in surprise. He gave a smiling nod, "Right!"

The door to the clubroom opened up, and two separate groups walked inside. It was the Sitri peerage, followed by the newspaper club. "Sona, Kudelia. What a pleasant surprise," Rias smiled. "What brings you here?"

"We just came to congratulate you on your first Rating Game victory," Sona said, smiling back. "You all pulled off quite a show… especially with your Pawn, Midoriya."

Izuku stumbled as he felt a hand slap against his back. Looking behind him, he saw Kudelia grinning cheekily at him. "I'll say! You fried his goose real good, Izu!"

"Uh, thanks," Izuku smiled awkwardly. He could still feel the sting of her hand.

"Midoriya-san," Izuku looked up to see Milia smiling at him while blushing. "You were amazing."

"Yeah! You should see what they're saying about you in the undernet forums," Saji added.

"Undernet?" Izuku asked.

"The Underworld's Internet," Rias clarified.

"The Underworld has internet?"

"Earth has progressed far," Sona replied. "The humans have their internet so why shouldn't we? We have Lord Beelzebub to thank for that. He's very interested in things humans are creating nowadays."

"Anyway, let's hurry up and party to celebrate Rias' first Rating Game!" Kudelia suggested.

"A party?" Sona blinked, cocking her head.

"Why not?" She pulled out several cases from out of nowhere and flashed them out. "And I brought movies! Got musicals, anime, comedy, romance, horror, action, all the good stuff!"

"Sounds good!" A new voice suddenly said. "It's been a long time since I saw a movie that was made in the human world."

Kudelia comically dropped her discs in shock at the sound of the adult male voice. Everyone turned at the sound of the voice. Standing in the open space of the room under a dimming magic circle was a handsome man in his early 20s with short shoulder-length crimson hair and cyan eyes, making him strongly resemble Rias. He was dressed in an elaborate silver and grey robe with large and elaborate pauldrons that stretched out like a set of eight wings. Standing at his side was Grayfia, who stood by impassive as ever.

"'zechs!" Rias gasped. "W-what are you doing here?" She stuttered, a look of embarrassment appearing on her face.

"Hey, Ria-tan," the man, Rias' brother, winked.

The other devils in the vicinity quickly remembered themselves and got down on one knee and bowed their heads in respect, Mizu doing the same. Only Izuku, Ochako, Momo, Ibara, and Kyoka looked around in confusion before releasing that they had to do the same, quickly doing as such. "Rise all of you. I'm not here as the Devil King tonight," the man smiled kindly, raising his hand. Everyone stood up at his words.

'This is Buchou's brother?' Izuku thought to himself, looking at the man as his face paled slightly. 'He's Lucifer, the Devil King?!'

'This is the Devil King?' Ibara thought to herself as she stared at the man.

'He's not at all what I was expecting…' Kyoka thought.

"Isn't it the duty of the big brother to support his younger sister?" Rias' brother smiled humorously, "Oh, how cold you've become, Ria-tan~."

Ochako began to shake, trying to surpass her laughter. 'He calls Buchou such a cute nickname!'

"But that's… you can't just… gah!" Rias groaned as she held her head.

'I've never seen Buchou act like this before!' Momo thought in amazement.

"So, this is the Red Dragon Emperor I've heard so much about," Rias' brother smiled at Izuku, who visibly flinched.

"H-h-hai! M-my n-n-name's M-M-Midoriya I-Izuku, sir!" He stuttered.

"Please, there's no reason to be scared." Rias' brother extended a hand in friendship. "Nice to meet you. My name is Sirzechs Lucifer, formerly known as Sirzechs Gremory, one of the Four Satans of the Underworld and Rias' older brother."

"R-right! P-pleasure t-t-to m-meet you." Izuku shook Sirzechs hand. 'He's a lot friendlier than I was expecting.'

"The pleasure is all mine," Sirzechs said, retracting his hand.

"Marquis and Lady Phenex were very unpleased with the results of the Rating Game. But due to the arrangement of the wager, they had no other choice but to call off the engagement," Grayfia said. "You're a free woman now, milady."

"Give my sincerest apologies to them," Rias nodded, giving a relaxed sigh, "I know they meant well, but their third eldest son just wasn't the man I was looking for."

"There's no reason to apologize. In fact, Marquis Phenex wanted to thank you, Welsh Dragon," Sirzechs said.

"Eh?"

"He said that Riser needed a good loss," Sirzechs continued. "'He had a bad habit of overestimating the abilities of our family, so I'm sure he learned quite the lesson from the Rating Game. If he has learned that the Phoenix is not absolute, that would be enough.' Those were the Marquis' words."

Izuku nodded. "So is Riser okay?" As much as Izuku didn't like the guy, he'd feel bad if Riser was crippled because of him.

"I assure you, Riser is fine," Sirzechs reassured. "It'll take more than enhanced holy water to take down a Phenex."

Izuku sighed in relief, glad that Riser would be okay. He still considered him a prick, though.

"Very good. Now then," Grayfia bowed before turning to Sirzechs. "Milord, it's time for us to depart."

"But Grayfia, can't we stay at least for a little bit?" Sirzechs practically whined, a feat unbecoming of a Devil King. The maid frowned as she reached up and pitched his cheek, pulling it hard. "Owowowow, dat hwurts!"

"Now, Milord," Grayfia demanded. And Sirzechs had no other choice but to comply as the magic circle glowed again and teleported both Sirzechs and Grayfia away.

"…What the hell just happened?" Kyoka asked.

---

And thus, the three Peerages celebrated that night. Turns out one of the movies Kudelia had brought along was Alien. Kyoka, who apparently doesn't like anything scary, occasionally had to shut her eyes and squeeze grab onto someone's arm, the most often one being Momo, though she did grab Izuku's once. Needless to say, a lot of stuttering and glares resulted from that. Still, it was a very good time and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a great night to be a devil.

Eventually, everyone had to return home for the evening. Izuku volunteered to stay behind to clean up. It seemed like a lot to do at first, but the work went by quicker than he expected. Putting the last of the junk in the garbage bag, he sighed as he tied the bag up.

Once he finished, Izuku made his way to the door. Just as he walked to the clubroom door, the door opened and a figure with familiar crimson hair stepped in.

"Izu?" the figure asked, blinking.

"Buchou? You're still here?" Izuku greeted.

Rias stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Thought you could use some help cleaning up… but it looks like you already took care of that."

"Yeah, it wasn't that much," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head.

The room suddenly fell into silence. The sole occupants fidgeted awkwardly, their faces blushing as they looked away from each other shyly. Both were unsure of what they wanted to say next. And then, they spoke up.

"Izu/Buchou…!"

Both blinked in surprise, both caught off guard from how they called each other's names all of a sudden. They blushed brighter, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. "Y-you first," Izuku stuttered.

Rias looked at Izuku as she took a breath, "Um… I just wanted to thank you again…" Izuku cocked his head at her words. She gazed out the window as she continued talking, "My engagement to Riser has been a burden to me for a long time. I thought that my parents would never let me have free rein over my life; that I'd never be able to live the way I wanted." Then she turned to gaze at Izuku, a beautiful smile and joyful tears on her face, "And then I met you. It's thanks to you that I'm no longer betrothed to Riser. I can live by myself from now on because of you. Thank you."

Izuku felt his cheeks heat up at her gratitude and her appearance under the moonlight. "I'm… I'm glad I could help," he replied. Rias smiled at her bashfulness before her expression slightly downed. She walked over to him and rested her hands against both sides of his head, pulling his face close to hers. "B-B-Buchou?" Izuku blinked, eyes widening.

"Izu…" Rias interrupted again, her voice in a hushed whisper. "I'm free, but only for now. With me being the daughter of the duke, there's still the possibility that there will be another talk of engagement and more to come. When that time comes… will you fight by my side again?"

"Of course, I will," Izuku nodded, still blushing.

"Truly?"

"I'm your Pawn, right?" Izuku told her. "Even if I wasn't and was still a normal human, I'll just come and save you no matter what-!"

His words were cut off by Rias pressing her lips against his. The feeling of Rias' lips on his made Izuku's eyes widen and his whole head burned red. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him, Izuku slowly relaxed and closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Finally, she broke away from him. A saliva trail bridged the small gap between their mouths and flushes on their faces. "Bu… Buchou…" he managed to mutter, out of breath.

Rias giggled, the sly fox-like side of her showing, "That was your first kiss, wasn't it?" Izuku was only able to nod. "It was mine too. Japanese girls treasure their first kisses, don't they?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said, his brain still registering.

"Hm…" Rias licked her lips, a saucy look appearing in her eyes. "One more time, but with feeling."

Izuku only had a moment to blink before Rias kissed him again, this time with intense passion as she pushed him against the wall. Rias' tongue pried into his mouth, lapping the wet innards of his mouth, wrestling his tongue to submit to her. He could feel her tongue brushing up onto his. He could feel how soft and moist it was, how sweet it tasted. His mind shut down as he gave himself up to her, responding to her wiles.

The world disappeared around him and so there was only the hot French kiss. The feeling in his muscles grew weak as he slid down on the wall, Rias quickly taking the opportunity to straddle his waist. They eventually pulled apart, their lips only centimeters apart. Their eyes opened halfway, Rias' glowed in a dim red with black slits, while Izuku's eyes glowed in a soft green with red slits. They rested their foreheads together as they smiled, enjoying each other's company and warmth before continuing.

---

[Brat, you doing okay?]

…

[Izuku?]

Ddraig had grown concerned for his partner once he returned home. Izuku was sitting alone in his bed, his knees held up to his chest as his mind was still something of a blur. It was only a short time after he had returned home that he realized he had his first kiss with a girl and Izuku didn't seem to be handling it well.

"I-KISSED-A-GIRL!I-KISSED-RIAS-SENPAI!I-mean-I-really-like-her-too-but-I-wasn't- mentally-prepared-for-all-that!What-should-I-say?Is-it-too-early-to-tell-her-I-lo-lo-like-her-too?Is-that-going-to-make-things-weird?I-have-to-say-something!"

Ddraig sweat-dropped at his partner's mumbling. It appears that an error has occurred with MidoriyaIzuku DOT EXE.

[This is going to be a thing for a while, isn't it?] He groaned.

Izuku didn't hear the dragon. All he could think about was that he had kissed his master. It felt like they were kissing for at least an hour and Rias was leading him along all the way. She even found a spot at the crock on his neck that made him completely mush in her arms. Without releasing it, he rubbed his fingers on the side of his neck, softly rubbing against a small red spot where she marked him. Maybe it was conditioning between master and servant or something else altogether, he didn't know. But the kiss wasn't the only thing on his mind.

First Ibara, then Ochako, and now Rias! Ever since he became a devil girls had been falling for him one after the other. He had noticed that Ibara seemed slightly protective, and Ochako would occasionally blush when near him, but Rias kissing him like that confirmed it. This was just too much. Sure, he always found them attractive, but he never really thought much about getting into a relationship, even before he began training to get into U.A.

Lying in his bed, his mind went a million miles per hour, trying to come up with a solution. Sure, being in a relationship wasn't uncommon among heroes, but not many actively pursue any or make it public knowledge. In fact, the only heroes he knew of that were in relationships was Endeavor. Though it was likely lots of heroes were keeping their relationships out of the public eye.

[Hurry up and get some sleep, brat. You'll need it.]

Having finally heard Ddraig, Izuku took his advice and closed his eyes, his last thoughts before sleep took him being filled with both excitement and fear of his love life.

---

The next day, a large number of boxes were outside the Midoriya apartment. The reason why made itself clear as Rias talked to Inko. "And that about sums it up. I will now be living here from today onwards," Rias said, bowing towards Inko from her seat, "I'll be in your care from now on."

Inko simply sat there, trying her best to process this. "Of course…" Inko replied, albeit with an awkward smile. "The pleasure is all mine, Rias-chan. It's just… First Ibara, then Ochako, now you… This is a little too much for me. Not that I don't mind the company, but is there any particular reason for you moving in?"

Rias took a small sip of her tea and smiled, "I just want to be closer to my kouhai. Is that so bad?" She leaned into Izuku, who began to blush while Ibara and Ochako glared at Rias.

"You've become very fond of my son, Rias-chan," Inko commented, looking at both Izuku and Rias.

"I suppose I have," Rias answered happily. "The truth is that he helped me out of a jam recently and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that."

Once they finished talking, the four teens began to bring in Rias' belongings. All 20 boxes worth. "How are we gonna fit all this in the apartment?" Ochako asked.

"We'll find a way," said Rias.

Ibara puffed her cheeks as she carried a couple of boxes in. "At this rate, polygamy made be the only option," she muttered. "But that goes against the teachings of the Lord… but if this continues, then…"

"Uh, Ibara-san, what are you talking about?" Izuku asked.

Ibara immediately blushed. "How much did you hear?" she asked.

"Only about it being against the teachings of the Lord part," he answered.

"Then it's nothing," she huffed, turning away.

"That's right, Hisashi! One girl after the other!" Inko spoke through her phone as she watched the four teens bring in Rias' belongings. "I honestly don't know what to do…"

"Izuku," Rias called. "Once we finish, how about we have a shower together? I'll wash your back."

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, quickly turning to her.

Once Inko heard this, she began to pale. "Ri-Rias-chan just offered to wash Izuku's back…"

Ibara fumed as she quickly went to hug Izuku's arm, "Hey! I don't want to be left out! I'm washing his back too!"

"Huh!?" Izuku exclaimed again, turning to Ibara.

"I'm not letting either of you wash his back without me!" Ochako exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Izuku from behind.

"Huh!?"

Inko's already paling face began to become pure white. "Think of a solution, quick!" she yelled into the phone. "The other girls all offered to wash Izuku's back!"

"Ohohoho, is that right?" Rias laughed humorously, hugging Izuku's free arm and being extra sure to squeeze it between her breasts, "Ibara-chan, Ochako-chan, is this a declaration of war? Challenge accepted then. Whoever wins gets to sleep with Izu-kun."

"HUH?!" Izuku shouted for the fourth time, looking back and forth at Ibara, Ochako, and Rias.

Inko, with a mortified look, yelled into the phone. "SEX EDUCATION! OUR SON NEEDS SEX EDUCATION!" She promptly fainted.

---

A/N: *sigh* I stand corrected: THIS is the longest chapter yet! AND IT'S FINALLY DONE! *comically collapses due to exhaustion*

I think the hardest part about this chapter was the scenes with Riser and Yubelluna. Trying to stay true to both series yet be original is not easy.

At least Rias has officially moved in with Deku! And it looks like one little Phenex has developed a crush on our dragon boy. Poor Inko, though. She's not yet ready to handle so many girls in her son's life, though that probably doesn't mean she's not ready for grandkids to spoil. (By the way, the last scene was in part inspired by Rosario + Vampire, where Tsukune's mom was calling his dad about the girls as they ran out of the house.)

I've also decided to share a list of the girls who will be in Izuku's harem. It won't include every girl I currently have in mind and is subjected to change, of course: Rias Gremory (main girl), Shiozaki Ibara, Uraraka Ochako, Yaoyorozu Momo, Tokage Setsuna, Jiro Kyoka, Xenovia Quarta, Ravel Phenex, Asui Tsuyu, Melissa Shield, Hatsume Mei, Toujou Koneko, Milia Takamaki (OC), Kendo Itsuka, Hadou Nejire, and Ashido Mina (16 out of 23, at least!)

Anyway, next chapter we'll finally be moving back into MHA canon with the start of U.A.'s first semester! Wonder who we'll see?

I hope you all look forward to when we get to U.A. See you next time. PLUS ULTRA!

EDIT: Did a retcon here involving Momo. Originally she used One For All to beat Riser's Queen, but after some thinking, I decided to change it to her and Izuku working together.