What's up lads, hope y'all are well.

It's been a while since my last chapter so I do hope my writing skills haven't dulled, but I believe only you all can judge that so here's another chapter for y'all and I do hope it's to your liking.

One thing I should mention is that I started to edit the previous chapters again, the plot is still the same and so are the events and everything but I do feel as though they could have been worded and phrased better.

Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy.

Start:

"AHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!" Issei worked his lungs to full capacity as he sprinted away from the army of clones chasing after him.

Heavy waterfalls of tears cascaded from his eyes as he ran like never before, snot dripped from his nose, his lungs burned for air, and his muscles were heavy with exhaustion from the marathon he'd been in for quite some time.

No questions behind it, this was a punishment made by the blonde for having almost all the students in Kuoh chase after him.

He apologized for it, did he not!?

Then why was that blonde bastard torturing him like this!?

"One day I will have my revenge!" Issei roared despite his exhaustion, his voice somehow being heard by all the occupants of the estate despite the stampede of clones rushing towards him.

Issei failed to spot the small rock before him and the leader of the perverted trio proved that he had the luck of an anime character as he tripped on the small obstacle, his velocity ensuring that as he fell face first to the ground that his visage would skid on the dirty floor.

"Pwahh! Disgusting." The boosted gear user spat out the dirt that was in his mouth, he looked up by chance and anxiously noted that he was surrounded in a circle by what seemed to be only God (he inwardly winced at the pain.) knows how many clones of the whiskered bastard responsible for this form of training.

"Uhh hey guys, lovely day we're having right." Issei felt the sweat drip from his face as he watched in both morbid fascination and horror as each clone gave a positively dreadful upturn of their lip.

He observed with rapt attention as one clone stepped forward, the leader no doubt.

"A lovely day indeed." The leader clone chuckled, like a domino effect each and every clone followed suit and guffawed, Issei nervously laughed alongside them, internally crying at his misfortune and hoping beyond hope that the day wouldn't end the way he was thinking it would end.

Issei gulped deeply. "You don't have to do this."

The replica nodded. "I know."

The alpha clone raised his hand for all to see and… snapped his fingers. Issei screamed as the clones ran and leapt at him.

Elsewhere in a much more secluded area of the Gremory vacation home, far from where Issei was training.

Naruto sparred with five hundred of his clones while being heavily weighted down by a gravity seal, sweat clung to his form as he weaved and dodged and struck back at his replicas.

The use of the gravity seal on his body as Naruto found out was very effective and handy, already he could feel a difference in his strength and speed, and all this came from simply being on level four out of twenty-five!

Naruto could already imagine it, when he'll finally reach the final level, he would without a doubt be able to match and surpass Tsunade-Baa-Chan in sheer strength alone.

A prospect that deeply pleased the jinchuriki, and that wasn't the only benefit that came with training with a gravity seal.

His speed would also be quite legendary as he'd imagine, the idea of keeping up and even surpassing the famed fourth Raikage in his element was an idea that struck Naruto with excitement and determination.

Being that strong and fast meant he wouldn't need to rely on sage mode extensively like he did when he faced Nagato, sage mode in his eyes should be more like a secret weapon or a hidden tool to use only as a last resort.

As such, Naruto was all too willing to train himself to be a much more capable shinobi than ever before.

Regardless of how he felt though, sparring against five hundred clones while being heavily weighted down wasn't always inspiring and enjoyable, evident with how Naruto found himself on the receiving end of quite a few fists and kicks.

It was impossible to remain unscathed when training in this form but none could deny the effectiveness of such a program.

Maybe he needed Issei to get in on this. He contemplated amusedly.

It would certainly hone his battle instincts, and it would most definitely help increase Issei with his pain tolerance, sadly such a form of training wasn't very functional in the timeframe they were given.

Ducking under the spinning kick thrown by the last remaining doppelganger, Naruto extended his fist and buried it into his clone's liver, watching impassively as his clone popped from existence and engulfed the surrounding area in smoke.

He stood up straight and released the gravity seals. Immediately his body felt much lighter and the shinobi could have sworn he heard his muscles cry out in relief as he headed back to the large mansion quite a distance away.

'Now that's a good way to end the day, I need to train like this more often.' Naruto mused.

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Dinner had ended and everyone had retired to their room.

Naruto laid his back on the king-sized bed and sighed contently, while he did find the size of the mattress to be unnecessarily large, he wasn't really complaining as never had he had a bed like this back in Konoha.

It was also criminally soft and Naruto couldn't help but wonder if he could get away with stealing this mattress and taking it back to his home dimension…

…He was in another dimension with seemingly no way to return and the only link to his home was both his headband and the furry asshole stuck in his guts.

How did he find himself in these sorts of situations he didn't know, unsealing his headband from the seal in his left wrist, Naruto scrutinized and inspected the piece of article that symbolized where he was from.

Memories of the barren wasteland he called home flooded his mind and the jinchuriki found himself unable to look at the headband any longer, feeling unworthy of looking at the object once he remembered how he failed in protecting his home.

Yeah the people of Konoha were alive again but what if Nagato didn't decide to revive the people he had killed in his invasion? Naruto would forever live with the knowledge of knowing that the death of all those shinobis and civilians were because of him, because of his weakness.

Not mentioning that the memory of people dying, of people losing their loved ones… that trauma that they all experienced won't ever go away and Naruto found himself feeling immense shame from being the cause of all that suffering.

It was no wonder why a part of him actually found it relieving that he wasn't there back in Konoha as he could not find it in him to look at anyone without the feeling of intense regret eating away at his soul.

Sealing the headband away, Naruto silently apologized to all the victims that suffered due to Pain attacking because of him.

Now wide awake and unable to fall asleep due to his depressing thoughts, he made his way to the kitchen, finding himself oddly dehydrated and wanting to quench his thirst for water.

The sight that greeted him as he entered the kitchen… Saying he was speechless was an understatement as his eyes drank in the sight before him.

What was before him was one Akeno Himejima attired in nothing but a heavy duty sports bra that barely held her massive perky breasts and shorts short that exposed a whole lot of long creamy legs, Naruto felt his face gain a pink hue and forced the urge to ogle his friend away.

He glanced at her beautiful soul-pleasing visage and was promptly confused by the pout she adorned.

His gaze drifted slightly to the side and suddenly it made sense why the ravenette was pouting. Akeno had a semi-large plate that carried the most delicious cake he'd ever seen in his entire life, it was a triple stacked strawberry cake sprinkled with many bits of M&M's.

A deliciously pearly white substance decorated the cake in the shape of a heart right in the center of the tasty looking food, the shinobi with awe recognized the substance to be vanilla cream. The cake was perfection, a craftsmanship made by the hands of the Gods.

It looked appetizing in its place in the counter next to the fridge, no doubt meant as a surprise to everyone intended for tomorrow.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "My bad Akeno-Chan, if it helps my case, I won't tell anyone that you made cake for us."

"It's for you." She deadpanned.

That caught him off guard. "Huhh?"

Akeno giggled lightly. "Rias is my best friend Naruto-Kun, I see her as my sister in everything but blood and you have no idea how happy and relieved you made her when you decided to join despite not wanting too initially."

Naruto chuckled awkwardly, closing his eyes in faint embarrassment from the sort of compliment. "I didn't realize that but it kinda makes sense."

She grinned. "Kinda makes sense huh?" Akeno couldn't help but tease.

It was the shinobi's turn to pout. "You know you don't have to make fun of me, right?"

"I know but it's fun." She said while still flashing him with her full fledged smile.

"Putting all that to the side." he uttered while walking to her "Thank you Akeno-Chan for baking all of this for me, you didn't have to." He earnestly said, touched by her actions and sentiment.

She shook her head gently, elegant black locks swaying in a manner most fetching. "But I did, I wanted you to know that what you did for Rias, my sister, I wanted you to know that I appreciate it a lot."

"I appreciate this a lot, thank you so much Akeno." He really did appreciate it. This was the first time in his life that someone had ever baked a cake for him as a surprise and just to show that they appreciated him.

It was a profound experience, one that he would never forget and a memory he would most certainly treasure.

Akeno smiled softly. "So tell me, why was Issei-Kun glaring at you the entire time when we've had dinner?"

Naruto snorted and laughed, his body shaking with mirth as he remembered with precise detail what he put the average looking boy through. "You remember how when I first fought you guys how I formed clones, well with his sacred gear thingy I figured that it was reliant on his stamina and…" he drawled out, a fox-like grin on his face.

"Mhmm and?"

"And I figured that for his training, stamina is what he needed to work on and nothing is more effective in training than pain, so I created a couple hundred clones who ran after him, their purpose as an army being to each trample on him and inflict great agony." So caught up in explaining his story, Naruto failed to notice the small blush that stained Akeno's cheeks.

She rubbed her thighs discreetly, quite aroused by the idea of involving clones to inflict pain.

"His survival instincts would naturally force him to push his body past its limit in order to avoid being caught in the stampede and from there his stamina would become better. Of course, it was only a matter of time before Issei's body gave out and my clones had some fun from there." Naruto explained cheerfully.

She hummed thoughtfully. "So… just to see if I understand this right, Issei-Kun is mad at you because the form of training you dragged him in involved running away from hundreds of clones, something he did for quite a while until he became fatigued, then your clones…?"

"Decided to switch from stamina training to pain tolerance type training." He nodded deeply.

Akeno shuddered, desire and lust gripping her body and demanding immediate relief.

"That sounds hot" she purred, eyes half lidded and conveying nothing but hunger as she stared deeply into Naruto's sapphire pools.

The shinobi blushed terribly and the ravenette felt her lips twitch into a saucy pleased smirk.

"O-ohh yeah um totally hot." Naruto replied back clumsily, fumbling to structure a proper sentence.

He felt his face burn in embarrassment as a musical giggle danced past his ears.

"Cutie-pie I'm gonna go get some sleep but I do hope you enjoy the cake I made for you, don't finish it all at once okay."

"Yeah about that." Akeno raised an eyebrow, her breath hitched as Naruto unexpectedly hugged her. "Thank you for this, it was really kind of you and I won't ever forget this." He declared resolutely.

Akeno hugged back, enjoying the feeling of the blonde's strong arms wrapped around her body. "It was no problem Naruto-Kun, it was my pleasure." She let go of the hug and he did the same, both inwardly disappointed by the lack of body contact that they quickly grew accustomed to.

"Goodnight." She spoke softly.

"Goodnight Akeno-Chan."

She strolled past him, heading to the exit and leaving the jinchuriki to remain on his own in the kitchen.

Naruto's eyes drifted to the cake, inspecting her work and finding it to be all the more impressive, especially now that he knew that she made it for him.

He already knew that underneath playful and coy persona was a thoughtful and generous person but her actions still took him by surprise.

'She's very nice.'

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Time-skip: Eight Days.

Eight days had passed since then, each member making tremendous progress in their training. Naruto in particular was pleased as he'd finally made some progress with the 'Almighty Push'. It was nowhere near ready to be used in combat but progress was progress and he was happy.

He'd also went from level four to five in the gravity seal and man was it intense, he felt weak like a newborn. The intensity was kinda cool in a I'm going to be super strong kinda way, he liked the struggle he was experiencing but damn.

As of right now though he was taking a break from training, retiring to hang out with the Gremory group in the lounge room.

"Damn Issei, you're starting to look shredded. That's really impressive for just nine days of training." Yuuto Kiba commented with awe.

He heard sniffing and sweatdropped at the heavy tears found in the Oppai-obsessed teen's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Everyone peered curiously at Issei, wondering what exactly about Kiba's statement was so depressing that he'd start tearing up. "NO! I'm not!" the shinobi bit his lips to stifle his laughter.

"This bastard!" Issei roared, his hand pointing towards the blonde Uzumaki. "Had me running marathons everyday for nine days! It was either I run or I get stomped on by hundreds of clones who wanted to use my body as a trampoline! And when I couldn't run any more they'd still jump me!"

The shinobi could no longer hold himself and exploded with laughter, tears present in the corner of his eyes. He was joined by Yuuto who laughed uproariously as well along with Rias and Akeno who both giggled at Issei's misfortune.

Even Koneko smiled and looked to be struggling not to join in on the mirth.

Excluding Issei himself, the only one who didn't look the slightest bit amused was Asia. She had a horrified expression at the prospect of her crush being trained in such a way.

"Issei-Kun! Are you okay? Do you need me to look over you?" she got up swiftly from her seat, striding quickly to her crush to check him over for any lasting injuries.

Rias looked over the blonde responsible for her pawn's grief and pain, amusement clearly dancing in her teal orbs. "Naruto-Kun why would you train my precious pawn in such a way, can't you see just how much you scarred him? I'm very disappointed in you." She teased.

"But look at him Rias-Chan! Look at the results of all that sprinting and running, he's lost the love handles that were on either side of his stomach, you can even see the definition of his abs popping. I'd say what he went through was very worth it." Naruto cheerfully exclaimed.

"I think I'll be the judge of whether it was worth it or not." Issei darkly mumbled.

"You know what I think Buchou." Akeno spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "We all could use a break, we have been training for nine days now and some rest and team bonding sounds like a good idea."

Rias mulled the thought over before nodding her head. "I agree, I certainly wouldn't mind soaking in the hot springs after all the training we've done."

Blood immediately spurted from Issei's nose, a powerful nosebleed rocketing him to the wall behind him as images of Rias's massive breasts along with Akeno's larger one's all the way to Asia's more modest but still appetizing tits flashed in his mind.

His head bashed the drywall, propelling him to a state of unconsciousness as the impact to his skull along with the vast quantity of blood loss proved to be too fatal for his body.

If there was one bright side for Issei to being knocked unconscious from a massive nosebleed, it was that he didn't get to witness the disgusted expression that marred Koneko's face as she coldly glared at him, perfectly aware of what thoughts went through his head and less than amused with it.

'Pervert' Koneko thought annoyedly.

"Issei-Kun!" Asia screamed as she ran towards his downed form, hands glowing green as she materialized her sacred gear to heal him.

"Ara Ara, that must have been very painful for Issei-Kun." Akeno obviously stated, hand pressed in her cheek as she observed the large lump protruding from the back of the pawn's head.

Rias turned to her queen and deadpanned. "What was your first clue?" The sarcasm in her tone was detected by all.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Issei-Kun is made of strong stuff." Kiba mediated between the two.

Whether it was due to Asia's twilight healing or Yuuto's word about the boosted gear user being true, Issei woke up from his short and less than peaceful sleeping. "Thank you Asia-Chan, you're the best." He exclaimed happily.

Asia blushed madly and twiddled her thumbs. Her gaze dropped from the brown haired boy as his words rang in her head like a mantra, each repeating mantra causing her skin to be more and more inflamed. "It's no problem Issei-Kun."

Rias bit her lips to suppress the squeal at the scene before her, the moment she witnessed being just like that scene in 'Doki-Doki the love of a maiden.'

The Gremory heiress wasn't the only one affected by the sweet display. "Awww Asia-Chan you're so cute!" Akeno gushed, quickly striding to the short blond and pulling her into a big hug. "It's been decided, you're sitting next to me when we relax in the hot springs!"

Poor Asia could not reply with her face being mashed in between Akeno's heavenly bosom, though she would have probably agreed regardless.

"Boys, have fun spending time together okay, us girls." Rias walked away from the group, heading towards the room with the hot springs. Her form quickly being followed by the remaining ladies who all followed after her.

Koneko quickly peered over her shoulder to glare coldly at all three men. "No peeking." Her emotionless stare drifted from one male devil to another. Gaze lingering a tad bit longer on Issei than it did with Naruto and Yuuto.

Issei reeled back in fright while both blondes just shared an uncomfortable look.

It was only after the dull echoes of Koneko's footfalls could no longer be heard did all three let out a collective breath.

"So…" Kiba spoke up, gaining his fellow teammate's attention. "What do you both want to do? I'm down for anything."

Naruto shrugged. "Same here, I'm up for any ideas except for peeking on the ladies."

Both blondes turned to the boosted gear user, interested in hearing his options. "Well I saw an arcade in one of the rooms in this mansion, I'd say we can put that in good use and chill."

Yuuto nodded, pleased with his choice while Naruto looked on with confusion. "What's an arcade?"

The gentlemen of Kuoh Academy along with the leader of the perverted trio snapped their heads to the whiskered shinobi, shock highlighting and permeating their features.

"Y-You don't know what an arcade is?" Yuuto asked, eyes wide as saucers as he gazed at the newest member of Rias's peerage.

The Uzumaki shook his head, curious as to what this arcade is.

"The horror! How do you not know what an arcade is? Well fear not Naruto because I will save your soul from such evil. Come follow me!" Issei sprinted out of the lounge room, Naruto quickly followed after the oppai-obsessed boy. Leaving Kiba to chuckle before he too bolted after them.

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Time-skip: One day

To say everyone was tense was an understatement, gone was the carefree and joyful atmosphere that pervaded the air.

Each member of the peerage found they could not relax under the stress of tomorrow's rating game, yet neither could they train because they needed to be in their best shape, it was a frustrating day for all of them but none were quite as agitated as Rias.

Located on the balcony of the living room, Rias peered over the starry night. her beautiful curvaceous body dressed in surprisingly modest clothing for the usually indecently dressed devil.

Her form glowed beautifully underneath the gaze of the ethereal white moon, sensuously enchanting features illuminated by the moon light and giving Rias an angel-like look.

She looked at peace.

Yet that was further away from the truth as possible.

Her thoughts were all over tomorrow, fear gripped her heart at the prospect of losing tomorrow's rating game, of being married to a vile being like Riser.

She hadn't even thought of what could happen to her precious servants… no not her servants. Her family, her precious family.

What would happen to them if they lost tomorrow's game?

Rias didn't know and she didn't know whether her lack of knowledge of their fate comforted her or frightened her even more than the idea of being Riser's wife.

Some of that fear transformed into righteous anger and Rias had to avoid everyone lest she unintentionally direct that fury towards them.

The sound of heavy footfalls thudding against the floor reached her ears, the gorgeous red-head tossed a glance over her shoulder, surprised aquamarine spheres meeting welcoming ocean blue.

"What are you doing up so late, Naruto-Kun?"

The shinobi walked over to her, crossing his forearms and laying them across the rails of the balcony to stare into the night. "Just checking up on my favorite red-head."

"That's very sweet of you but you don't need to worry about me, I'm okay."

"Maybe you really are okay but it doesn't feel right letting you stay alone when you have to face the most potentially life-changing battle of your life."

Rias was left speechless at his words, not expecting such a thoughtful consideration at her current circumstance. The surprises quickly faded away and she looked down, breathing deeply in order to steady herself and voice out her true thoughts.

"I am not okay." Naruto's eyes softened as he gazed at the obviously shaken girl. "The man I'm fighting is a cruel, disgusting monster who takes what he wants with no consideration or mercy for anyone. If it meant killing a child to get what he wants, he will most certainly do that."

She took another deep breath and continued. "If he wins, I'll become his plaything for all of my long remaining life, and what's worse is that I don't know what will happen to all of you but knowing my luck…"

"Hey you're worrying over nothing, we will win tomorrow." He declared confidently.

Naruto reeled back as Rias whirled towards him, her eyes furious yet teary as she glared daggers at him. "And how do I know for sure about that! Do you not realize that if we lose then it's not just my life that's in ruin but everyone's as well?!"

"Rias t-" "You have no idea what type of man he truly is, I can scarcely thinker of someone viler than Riser fucking Phenex and that thing." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Won every rating game he's ever been a part of while I still hadn't had even one! I've doomed you all as well!" Rias felt the beginning of tears trickling from her eyes, frustration, guilt and sorrow melding into one single emotion that produced drops of clear salty liquid that cascaded down her rosy cheeks.

Naruto slowly raised his hands and gently wiped the smudges of tears left in her visage, mere moments passed but for the enchantingly beautiful heiress time seemed to stretch on forever.

It was only after Naruto finished wiping away the last of her teardrops did he speak. "Rias-Chan, do you remember that promise I made to you before we came here, that promise from the night you came to my room."

Rias scrunched her nose in confusion, trying to remember wha- 'I promise that you won't be married to Riser or to any other douchebag who you don't want to marry.'

"I remember." She murmured quietly

"… I won't let us lose, I made that promise and I never go back on my word." Though his words were soft-spoken, the conviction and strength behind them was stronger than steel.

It wasn't just his words though, everything about him from the way he stood to how his eyes sparked with determination and resolve spoke of his intention to truly fulfill his promise.

That much was evident to Rias as she gazed at Naruto with a bit of awe and wonder. "…Thank you Naruto-Kun and I'm sorry for yelling at you, I don't kn…" "There is no need to explain anything to me Rias-Chan, you were not just stressed about your life but your precious people as well, there is nothing wrong with that." He interrupted her gently.

She looked at him blankly before giggling suddenly. "Precious people… I like those words."

Naruto grinned softly. "I like them too. It does sound pretty badass."

Her eyes twinkled in amusement as she appraised the blonde. "Not as badass as when we kick Riser's ass!"

The shinobi burst out in a small laughter, he was quickly joined by the red-head who chuckled alongside him. "That's the spirit Rias-Chan." He cheered. "Now let's get some sleep so we can be at our best tomorrow."

"You make a good point." She agreed and they walked away from the balcony, traveling for an entire minute in comfortable silence until they made it to the hallway that led to everyone's room.

Following the etiquette beaten to him by his beloved Baa-Chan, Naruto walked Rias to her door like a gentleman. It took but a few seconds till they made it to her room. Wishing her a goodnight, Naruto turned around and was just about to walk away until he felt the Gremory heiress grasp his left bicep.

He slowly pivoted his body towards her, curiosity lighting his features as he gave his undivided attention to the woman before him.

"Stay with me." Rias whispered quietly

"Whaaaa?!" Naruto blushed furiously, caught off guard by her quiet demand.

She shushed him quickly and Naruto rubbed back the of his head sheepishly, remembering that they were positioned just meters away from everyone's room. "Uhh did I imagine you saying that?"

Rias felt a smile tug at her lips and didn't bother suppressing the urge to do so. "Yes I asked you to stay with me tonight."

"Ohh." The shinobi gave her a slightly uncomfortable expression. "Not that I really have an issue but why do you want me to stay?"

"This may potentially be my last night sleeping on my own, and before you say anything." She raised her voice just a little bit at the end before the shinobi could interrupt her. "I want to remember my last night before the game to be a memorable one, y'know, just in case I lose and spend all my nights in his bed."

"Rias we won't lose. You won't lose."

"And I believe you despite my worries and fears but Naruto… please… for me."

Naruto didn't have it in him to refuse the woman who was kind enough to take him into her home when hardly any would, but when subjected to the look of a soft and vulnerable set of mesmerizing turquoise orbs gazing at him so hopefully…

Any resistance he felt inside died down at the look. "Alright, I can understand why you feel that way."

A surge of joy and gratitude washed over Rias. "Thank you."

'What did I just get myself into? Well at the very least I know Jiraiya-Sensei would be proud.'

Rias dragged him gently to her room, cheeks flushing pink as never had she ever actually asked someone to sleep with her. It was mortifying for the heiress.

It was so much easier to sneak into a person's room when they were asleep and then sleep with them rather than to ask if they wanted to sleep the night together. That was her opinion.

The red-head hadn't even meant to ask him and wasn't even thinking when she grabbed his arm. The sheer panic she felt when she blurted out her question…

She was just relieved that he didn't really mind.

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Time-skip: Day of rating game. (Satan Conference room)

Sirzech Lucifer was a devil like no other.

Those close to him would know him as a compassionate and affectionate, maybe too affectionate man with his family. Yet such traits weren't all he was known for those who knew him very well.

He could be brutal and merciless for those who really earned his ire. Nicknamed 'The blood devil' during the devil civil war, Sirzech Lucifer was known far and wide in the supernatural world as a powerful being with a low tolerance for disrespect.

Him ascending to the throne to lead the devil race was a natural decision, yet in the light of such a move, he lost his position as clan heir to the Gremory clan.

The title and position itself meant nothing to him, but as a being who loved his family dearly, there were days where Sirzech couldn't help but wonder if he made the right choice as it resulted in his dearest Rias being forced to shoulder the burden of being clan heir.

He didn't regret becoming the leader of the devil race but there were times where he wished he could have intervened on Rias's behalf and stop his father from having Riser marry into the Gremory clan.

But as the Satan Lucifer, he could not interfere in clan related business unless it impacted the sovereignty of the underworld.

Such circumstances was why Sirzech couldn't help but curse his father, curse his decision to become a Satan, and curse his inability to hardly be able to help Rias.

"Sirzech-Chan I know that as Satans we're supposed to be impartial but I say we screw with the rules." The crimson Lucifer diverted his attention to his fellow Satan, Serafall Leviathan, a devil formerly of the house of Sitri. "Let's vote for Rias-Tan to win this rating game!" She declared enthusiastically.

Sirzech, despite his best efforts felt a large grin form on his face, he gave up and chuckled at the effect his best friend had on him. "If someone has an issue with us, they are more than welcome to address it with us."

The former Sitri heiress pumped her fist in the air. "Now you're speaking my language Zech-Tan."

Her bright sunny attitude was infectious. 'That's Serafall for you.'

Cheerful, optimistic, and bubbly were among Serafall's most endearing personality characteristics, yet like him she didn't become a Satan from smiling and twirling her magical wand before the old Satan faction, no, no. Definitely not.

'The Strongest Female Devil.' His female counterpart so to say.

And that statement rang true in not just their power and fearsome reputation, but also in the way they doted on their family and how they both shared the same principles and values.

It was no wonder why Sirzech and Serafall got along really well the way they did.

"I can't wait to see this match! Ohhh I'm so excited to see Rias-Tan win and look so cool while doing it."

"Me too Sera-Chan, after that we need to organize a picnic somewhere in the underworld and ohh, hello Grayfia-Chan."

"Fia-Chan! Hi!" Serafall cheerfully greeted

Said devil bowed her head to the leaders before joining them in watching today's event.

She stood right behind the large and elegant looking couch in which the Satan's were seated. Her upbringing and position as head maid of the Gremory clan and as Sirzech's queen stopped her from joining them on the seats despite both Sirzech and Serafall having no qualms with her joining.

On the contrary… "Grayfia-Chan come join us, there is plenty of room right here." Sirzech patted the space to his left, a small grin sent her way that even centuries later still caused the strongest queen to feel bits of butterflies erupting in her stomach along with a wave of bitterness.

"The invitation is appreciated Sirzech-Sama." The crimson Satan inwardly winced at the cold tone. "But as your queen that would be most inappropriate and would only tarnish your reputation."

"But Fia-Chan we're your friends, I must insist that you join us in watching Rias-Chan's first rating game." Serafall spoke up, lips formed into a pout and hands clasped together as she gave her fellow ice user the puppy dog eyes look.

"I must respectfully decline your generous invitation Leviathan-Sama. It is unbefitting of a servant such as myself to sit side by side with two of the leaders of the underworld." Grayfia replied back coolly.

"Well then as Satan Leviathan, I use my authority to order you to come join us and sit down." Serafall declared haughtily, her eyes quickly darted to her best friend and he got the message right away.

Sirzech cleared his throat audibly. "As Satan Lucifer, I support and second Leviathan-Dono's decision."

If not for the way she held and prided herself, Grayfia would have no doubt rolled her eyes at the stubbornness of the two mules before her, she sighed and walked over the couch before plopping herself on the space her former lover patted on.

"Now was that so hard Fia-Chan." Serafall teased, intentionally trying to push the strongest queen's buttons, luckily she knew just the way to rile up her old rival and friend. "You need to learn how to relax Fia-Chan, with how tense you are it's no wonder why you don't have a lover."

Sirzech cringed heavily and made to get up, he found himself unable to as both women held him down on either side of his shoulder.

What in Maou's sake did he do to deserve this?

A quick nervous glance to his left showed the enormous vein protruding on Grayfia's forehead, she was undoubtedly pissed.

"What was that you overgrown excuse of a woman!?"

Another quick glance to his right revealed the irritated look that now graced his best friend's face.

Knowing that things would spiral out of control with the two, he quickly spoke up before Serafall could utter a word and make this tense situation so much worse. "Ladies please not now, Rias-Chan's game will start any moment now and I don't want to miss a single moment."

Serafall looked at Sirzech with an irritated look, he gave her an apologetic expression and she sighed before nodding.

Having averted the crisis that surely would have followed had he not intervened, Sirzech now looked on at the large screen before him, his entire focus centered on the long crimson hair belonging to his blood relative.

'Rias. Whether you win or lose, just know that I won't let you be married against your own will… Family always stick together.'

End.

Yo

My bad that there are so many scene breaks but this chapter was all about how everyone trained, bonded, and the apprehension that Rias feels the day before the rating game.

There are more chapters uploaded on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n you should check it out if given the chance.

here's the link: www.#patr#eon.#com/Demon_Knight939

Everyone else, thank you for reading this and also for the support.

Peace.