REVIEWS:

Genomagala: Don't worry, my friend, with how big Issei's harem is, I am going to also need help remembering who's going to be in it just to remember to give them screen time.

PraetorXyn: You have no idea, my friend.

SpartanKing J: Ok, from top to bottom. To answer, people, and definitely, Youkai will sense it and WILL find it strange. However, given his status as the Red Dragon Emperor, few will actually dare to try and capture him for experiments out of fear of challenging his rage. As for the bloodline abilities? Well, that is to be seen.

KaliYugaFan: What can I say? I didn't want to speed through stuff, hence why I also altered the timeline a bit and made other modifications. I also wished to have enough time to include other, new things not shown in canon, hence the slower pace. And no worries about his power growth, I got it covered. Also, is it really larger than an LN? Guess it makes sense, considering the stuff I wanna include. One sentence to say one? Egyptians.

Simmonschr: His Limit Breaker will make an appearance soon.

: He had a third-person speech quirk?

olivermarte15: Ah, right. The Evie...Honestly, as far as taking care of them goes, I am highly thinking of pulling some serious system BS by the time we reach that point. And I am highly debating between getting Issei able to one-shot them, to calling up one of the past gamers via the DLC function.

PTYN: FINALLY! Someone says it. Thanks, man, I needed to hear that.

Akuma-Heika: I mean, Yasaka leads the Youkai all over Japan, right? It has been a while since I heard that detail, but I assumed she led the Eastern Youkai since Japan is the most Easter Country, and the other one leads the West. Nurarihyon, his name was? Also, the levels are fine. If you recall from Kuroka, the EXP Req eventually grows to ASTRONOMICAL values, so really, any being above 100 has spent serious time training or has some EXP bonuses that allowed them to deal with the gap.

Xerzo LotCN: Sweet Mary, mother of Christ, dude! Please! Spare me those long reviews! Anyhow, the way I write chapters is not without measures. You see, I have close friends and DxD sages (LOL) checking my stuff from time to time before posting them, to make sure everything is fine. I am also brainstorming ideas with them, which reminds me-

SHOUT OUT TO MOONBW ON DISCORD! HARSH BUT GOOD!

-So yeah. I got it covered. Besides, I do not need to rewrite entire chapters, as I only need to snipe out the critical mistakes and try to make things work. For example, I could have a character be corrected when telling the wrong information, and make it seem like their own blunder. Like a lapsus, or them getting stuff mixed up. As for Issei's philosophy of his Harem? The thing is, my friend, that a spark cannot last forever. I mean, you got polyamorous relationships out there, and a good chunk of them never work out well. What I did here was not something to open up NTR or anything of like - FUCK NO! but to make it fair to the girls so they do not think or feel like they are trapped. Issei is also still young in his path to being a true Harem King the way he wishes, so, his philosophy could change. Also, the Gremory ability was designed based on information I managed to get on the Gremory DEMON, from Ars Goetia. A duke in rank, if I am not mistaken. Also, the Boosted Gear did get, arguably so, nerfed, but I have plans to make up for the alteration to the Boost Skill. Sub-Species. If you are in the discord, I will say more. Lastly, in regards to Holy Power, he CAN get it from either Akeno or Raynare, given their nature, but it will be inferior to the REAL thing, held by actual angels. Also, Gabriel? Dunno, my friend. I just do not know.

Kgufgo: I know, right? Sometimes, slower is better.

Guest: Well, Issei also made efforts to hide, but now that he is no longer doing so, he is starting to use his position to speak to beings who, arguably, could still squash him on more equal grounds.

Discord: /ZUgnSWnJdG

Edit: I know I messed up Kiba's Gear. It is fixed now.

Tossing and turning in bed, Issei had trouble sleeping tonight. Groaning, he got up on his bed and checked the time using his HUD. 3 AM in the morning, give or take a few minutes. Extremely early, but he couldn't help but lay awake. It wasn't that he was troubled by something, more like he just felt weird. Might be the Demonic Power settling into his body, or even Solomon having issues with it, but he couldn't afford to ponder on it much.

Technically, it was already the second week's fourth day of training. He could get an early start to it, and as a result, achieve an early finish too, giving him time to catch up on lost sleep, but then comes the issue of this possibly happening again. He didn't have any status effects to indicate otherwise, so most likely it was him having trouble sleeping overall.

With nothing he could do about it, he decided to just get out of bed, throwing a jacket on t guard him against the cold mountain air as he went out of his room and into the hallway, then making his way to the mansion's little garden. Perhaps he will fall asleep in the garden since he knows the system is likely to prevent him from getting a cold.

Note: [Gamer Body] prevents illnesses such as colds, but not status effects for hypothermia.

Yeah…He had to keep that in mind, there were some status effects that could pop up due to the cold, so maybe allowing himself to fall asleep in the cold, open air was not a good idea. Yet, as he walked, he noticed something, a figure, standing on the patio's fence. [Night Vision] activating, the bright, crimson hair caught his eye instantly.

"Couldn't sleep?" He suddenly spoke, spooking Rias a bit. "Sorry for spooking you."

"N-no, it's ok." She replied, slowly. She was dressed in her tracksuit, and holding some kind of papers in her hands. Yet, the most striking detail was the glasses on her eyes.

"I thought devils had no need for glasses." He remarked.

"They don't. At least in most cases, that is. My vision is 20/20, but I do wear them at times. They help me think and make me feel overall smarter." She replied, and Issei nodded to her answer. Made sense that eye-related issues are rare, seeing as Sona is the only devil he's seen so far wearing glasses. "But what is up with you at this hour?"

"Had trouble sleeping." He replied simply, leaning on the wall. "But I could ask you the same as well."

"I am evaluating everyone's progress." She replied, holding the papers out. "I have to say, they are…staggering, to say the least. Kiba has developed a few new swords, and Koneko - or Shirone as you call her - has been mastering her Youkai abilities more and more thanks to her sister helping. Even Akeno has shown some progress, as her speed of casting went up."

"Yeah, I guess she would be seeing how much I am moving around whilst we practice." He replied, recalling the sessions they had. Akeno had to train her casting speed seeing how he could teleport using his shadow magic all over the place. "But what about you? How goes the training with your new arrows?"

"It's difficult, mostly due to the power being hard to control," Rias replied, then held out her hand, generating one such arrow in it. Yet, Issei could see it was not yet a mastered technique, as Rias seemed to be struggling a bit to maintain it. "The Power of Destruction was always…hard to control. Its nature makes it useful only for offense, and little defense, and no support or utilitarian use in the least. It can even be dangerous to my own allies if I am not careful."

"So you need to hold back with it a lot, is that right?" She nodded. "I see. It would make sense, overall, that such great power is hard to control. The issue is not the output you can put out, but your control over it."

"That is one way to put it and a correct one." She dismissed the arrow. "Sometimes, I just think I should stick with the Gremory Family ability: Charm. But given its limitations, it is the exact opposite of the power."

"Could still be useful. From what I know, it lets you put those of weaker wills under some kind of spell, correct?" He guessed, but Rias continued.

"In a way. Weak will certainly make it easier, but the main, most important detail is affection. Members of my family are expected to make use of their natural beauty and charisma to aid this ability. Charm doesn't hypnotize as much as it enhances the feeling of love and adoration in a person to the point they would do anything for you, but there are ways to break free or resist, which has caused it to lose prestige among the higher devil society over the years."

"Let me guess: They value big explosions over finesse?" Rias offered him a giggle at the crude, yet accurate description.

"You could say that. They have come to value powers of higher destructive nature in favor of more subtle ones. They don't realize that-" Suddenly, however, she stopped, staring at him strangely.

"Do I have something on my face?" He asked, checking himself, but then Rias got up, going to him slowly. "Rias? Rias, I need to remind you, Kuroka and Ingvild wouldn't-"

"How did you gain demonic power?" She suddenly asked, and Issei, in his relaxed and slightly sleep-deprived state, likely forgot to hide it.

"Oh, ummm. Part of my secret? I also have Youkai Ki, so…"

"And you remain human?"

"100%"

"Unbealivable…" She sighed, going back to her spot and slumping down. "This entire trip was meant to help make my peerage better for the upcoming battle, yet it seems you had the most to gain." Oh, she didn't know half of it. "When? Since when do you have it?"

"Not long, I just…I guess you could say acquired it last night." He replied with as much honesty as he could put out, given the circumstances. Damn it, where were Solomon and Ddraig during this?!

"Last night…Issei, see, this is one of the issues I have with you." She began. "Your secrets. I get they are meant to be kept as secrets, but Kuroka and Ingvild do seem to know them, and even Asia and Raynare seem to know more than they let on. Additionally, I also do not wish to pressure you into telling me, but I can't help but be worried. Despite your progress being a massive aid to me come the Rating Game, I can't help but be extremely curious and worried at the same time."

"I get why you'd be curious, but why worried?"

"For the possibility of one day fighting against you." She replied plain and simple, with honesty and not even hesitating once. Issei did see the issue here, he won't lie.

"I guess your worry is justified. Our arrangement is temporary, after all, and I did say before I have no intention of joining your peerage." He stated.

"Couldn't we make this current arrangement permanent then? With you as my contracted magician?" She asked, trying to test the waters.

"Of that I am unsure." He looked into her eyes. "Rias, I have my own goals I want to achieve. For one, I want to find the one who took the lives of my parents and make them REGRET planting that fire. Second, I want to become a Harem King, and in that, I am already well-started. Third, I wish to live my life the way I want to live it, unbound to anyone who would call themselves my master. Because truly, that is something I value most - below the womanly charm of course; freedom. Freedom to be and do whatever I desire, with no telling me how to do it."

"That…Makes a lot of sense, and does sound like a beautiful and simple list of goals." She commented.

+2 RP with Rias Gremory.

"I wish I could say the same." She continued a hint of sadness in her voice. "When my brother became Lucifer, I inherited the Heir status by default. But, as you might guess, it can be difficult for women to maintain such a status. Then my brother had a son, and suddenly, the next male Heir was obvious."

"That sounds so outdated, though," Issei commented. "Weren't such practices forgotten and even shunned nowadays?"

Rias shook her head. "Not among the devil society, they weren't. At least, not until after the Civil War. It left our race with a major population crisis, and it doesn't help devils have naturally low fertility. The simple fact my mother and father had me and my brother is quite the feat in itself. They are not being forgotten but encouraged now. All to maintain the remaining houses, and encourage the population to rise again, being a woman of status in devil society has become quite the chore in itself."

"That…Is such a sad way to look at life." He said slowly, slowly coming to understand something. Rias was basically trapped in her position from birth, with no say in the matter, all due to being born a girl. Although he can understand the need to maintain the population, and status quo, he failed to see how sacrificing someone's happiness could be worth it. At least, he thinks he does.

He might also be biased, seeing as he came to know Rias better. His saying he understood that and then going against Riser to stop just that makes him a hypocrite. Arranged marriages almost never work out 100%, and in the rare cases they do, it is due to the ones being the most affected making it work. But those like Riser? He sees only disaster.

"But there is hope," Rias said, perking up a bit. "Thanks to Rating Games and other movements, that kind of arrangements can be contested and rebelled against. In spite of older devils arguing the choice should not be up to us, they find themselves blocked at every turn by my brother and his friends."

"That is what lets you contest your engagement to Riser Phenex," Issei said, capitalizing the point on the I. "But even after he's gone, there will be others, won't they? Removing one suitor only invites more."

"That is true, and Riser is not even the strongest Rating Game player out there." The girl brought her knees up to her chest. "There are others, with more dangerous peerages, who could state a claim on my hand and challenge me to a Rating Game for it. And I do not want to put my peerage through hurdle after hurdle, just to protect myself."

"But Rias, your peerage respects you and wouldn't say no." He pointed out.

"I know that, but still. It would seem like I only have them to act as my shield, and nothing more. And I do not want that. They are more than just that, Issei, I know you realize that."

"I do. And I respect that. I often hear from Ingvild about how devil peerages are, and I can see the stark difference between those and yours." He stated, going closer to her. "But tell me, Rias: What options do you really have?"

The girl remained silent for a bit, pondering on the issue. Then, in one breath, she spoke. "I'd need to find myself a husband that I agree on. If my hand is taken, then most suitors will simply stop pestering me, but there would be others that might be more stubborn and harder to convince, and who would attempt to challenge said husband for my hand."

"So, your only real choice is to either suffer through Rating Game after Rating Game with your peerage or find a husband able to take that burden off you." Issei summarized, receiving a nod from Rias. Then, he saw her smirk slightly.

"It doesn't help I have the power, you know. The ability of the Bael House, which was passed down to me and my brother through our mother, in addition to Charm, makes me highly sought after. Even Riser and his family looked first at those, then at me."

"True, combining their regenerative immortality and the power to destroy anything is a fearsome combination."

"Hey, where the hell were you two this entire time?"

"Partner, you can't expect us to be here all the time. Usually, whilst you sleep, Solomon here does some stuff and summons a karaoke machine. Don't you remember our rap during your birthday?"

"Point taken. Still, care to give me a hand here?"

"Hmm. Actually, I think you have it handled, my student. Keep up the good work."

"Wait, I need some - God Fucking Damn it!" And so, Issei was once again left to deal with the Gremory Heiress. "I…Can't say their sights were wrong, Rias. Combining the bloodlines would result in something very powerful."

"Don't you think I am aware of that?"

-1 RP with Rias Gremory.

Crud, wrong choice of words. "All my life, that is everything devil society has been about: Power. It never mattered the person or their wishes, just their name and ability. I know, painfully so, what could result if I marry and carry Riser's child, but I won't. Just as you said, I want to be free. And this is the first step toward that. I have my dreams, my desires - I want to find a husband who can respect that, not some womanizing pig! Someone who can actually respect me for who I am, not for who my family is or my abilities. THAT, Issei Hyoudou, is the kind of man I want to be my husband."

Now THAT left Issei stunned. And he thought his rants about harems and whatnot were impressive, yet he was even more stunned at how passionate Rias was about her desire for freedom. He could respect her desire. "Then that is the man you will get." He replied, confusing her a bit. "Your passion and anger speak loudly in your words, but that in itself is certain to attract the right man for you. Or who knows? Maybe you will set your eyes on someone one day and fight for that person."

"You don't think it's the opposite?" Rias asked him, yet he shrugged.

"That you might chase them away? Possibly, not everyone can handle a woman with a strong personality, but that only works to weed out any unworthy man."

Suddenly, Rias hummed to herself, then a sly smirk grew on her face. "And what is YOUR opinion, Red Dragon? Am I too much for you?"

Red flags! Red flags!

"W-what do you mean by that- Why are you reaching for your zipper?" his question was left unanswered as Rias slowly lowered the zipper on her tracksuit, ever so slowly, until a fair amount of cleavage was left exposed. Go figure, she had little underneath, and not enough to cover that cleavage. He gulped as she took a bold step toward him, pushing him against the wall as her chest pushed against his. "R-Rias, remember, Kuroka and Ingvild are-"

"Not here right now." She concluded his sentence for him. "Now, I know you are no cheater, Issei, but I also know two other things: One, you are not a monogamous person-" Crud, she had a solid point there. "- and you are very honest. So answer my questions, please: Am I beautiful?"

"O-of course! Silly question on that one, really - can you take a step back, please? Your bosom is a bit-"

"Next question." She didn't relent, however. God damn it, he had options to get out of this, but his mind was currently fixed on that cleavage! That, and Rias was truly holding him at gunpoint or rather said, nipple point. Solomon, Ddraig, fuck you guys…"Do you think I'd be too much to handle for you?"

He gulped, seeing where this discussion was heading. God damn it, this is what he gets when he tries to be nice to devil women! "I mean, well, you see - Kuroka can be quite a handful at times, but I-"

"Answer. The. Question." She pushed her chest into his again, and by the heavens above, he felt her nipples through the fabric!

"I don't know, alright?!" He snapped, half-shouting the answer. "For fuck's sake, Rias, you are a devil from high society, and I the Red Dragon Emperor! See the chemistry here?"

Rias took a step back, pondering his words a bit. "I guess it would seem like me seducing the Red Dragon into siding with the Devil Faction. You make a good point, but I am still not satisfied. Tell me, Issei Hyoudou, do you consider yourself a weak man?"

"Only when it comes to boobs, as proven here." Rias actually giggled at his words.

"Fair point. But otherwise? Actually, I think your actions speak for themselves in that regard. You stood up to me and Sona, after all, likely being fully aware of our families, not to mention fighting a small army of Stray Devils which ambushed you and faced the Fallen Angels." She listed some of his feats, then, to Issei's displeasure and pleasure, she zipped her tracksuit back. "Now, I trust you won't tell Kuroka or Ingvild about what happened here, correct? I'd hate to wake up with the two of them breaking down my door first thing in the morning."

"My lips are sealed, I guess…" Issei replied, not much confidence behind those words. God damn it, she played him well. He saw her smile, then she began walking away, saying she was going to sleep. Granted, judging from the sway of her hips, he had his doubts. For one, he certainly knew he won't be going to sleep himself, as right now, he had an emergency to take care of and Kuroka was nowhere near to help him with it.

Manual labor it is.

Rias walked down the hallway to her room, a slight blush on her face. Truth be told, she had not expected him to come to her in the dead of night, but she was not complaining. Having someone listen to her vent like that was very nice, and she felt lighter as a result as well. But she also took some time to ponder on his words, as she couldn't help but admit he might be on to something.

Or rather, she just liked what she heard. Sure, it made her sound picky to some degree, but at the same time, he did state it could be positive to weed out lesser men unworthy of her. He pretty much told her she deserved better than someone like Riser, all the while not realizing that her questionnaire at the end was more or less just to tease him.

It is not every day you get to tease the Red Dragon himself.

But his bit about the bloodlines…Even he admitted the mix would be nigh-unstoppable, but she guessed she couldn't really blame him for that. It was obvious, and from a practical point of view, necessary to strengthen her race even with the reduced population. Yet, such a way of viewing things meant her emotions were being cast aside in favor of the 'better good'.

But she had more options to get out of her engagement. Like, for example, if she slept with some random guy on the street, no longer being a virgin would be a scandal, but it would get her off the hook. A desperate measure she no longer feels might be necessary, compared to how she felt before.

But then comes another issue, which was bound to plague her after the Rating Game: Other suitors trying their luck with her and her peerage. Issei was clear before that this was a one-off deal, meaning she couldn't rely on him constantly. Not to mention there might be at least one or two individuals who will be smart enough to bring counters to him, such as Dragon Slaying Magic.

She needed a permanent fix, something that will allow her to keep her freedom after the Rating Game and not worry about suitors popping up left and right to beg for her hand or challenge her.

A smile began to creep on her lips, followed by a devious giggle.

But what if she was taken as soon as the Rating was to be over? By someone whom only a handful of devils would dare challenge no less.

+3 RP with Rias Gremory.

The night made way for the day, and everyone was once again hard at work. Rias especially began to slowly stabilize her arrows, improving her accuracy with them. Shirone and Kuroka upped their training a bit too, and the results were most impressive. For one, they discovered that Shirone's affinities matched her sister, as she too had an affinity for earth, but unlike her sister, she went further, having an affinity for metal! Kuroka's branch from Earth was plant life, but Issei thought it to make sense.

Shirone was more physical than her sister, liking to get closer and up and personal. This newly discovered part of her was bound to help her improve further. As for the rest of the Gremory Peerage, Kiba was still working on his swords. He managed to get the explosions to the point he can control their size and power, but now he was working on a remote detonation method, which was taking him a bit.

Sworth Birth might seem like it can make those swords on the spot, but depending on the skill of the user and the complexity of the sword, it CAN take a while to make something new. Issei was grateful his gear was pretty straightforward in terms of abilities and not as complex, but then again, it is a Longinus. Maybe he should attempt to take a crack at the Sub-Species and make his own.

Maybe.

Lastly, there was Akeno, who was still practicing her magic. She already had a good hand over it, and overall, all she improved was the speed at which she could cast her spells. Whilst not that impressive in terms of development like the rest, Issei decided not to push her buttons too much. Her being half fallen angel might be a sore subject, seeing how she didn't say anything about it.

As for his own lot? Well, Kuroka has been training with her sister, and Ingvild was making leaps and bounds regarding control over her powers and gear. Asia, given her role of nurse for everyone in case they were hurt, did say she found it easier to heal them lately. As for Raynare, well…

"Take this!" Issei decided to hold true to his word, and currently, he was giving her a spar. For that reason, he gave her full permission to hurt him, but not kill him, and she was relishing in the possible chance to put even a scratch on him.

"Woah!" He dodged another spear made of light that she threw at him, thankful for his high AGI.

"STAY STILL ALREADY!" She shouted in frustration, conjuring another spear.

"And give you an easy target? That is not the purpose of training, Raynare!" He taunted her a bit, seeing her growl then launch two spears at him, which he blocked by using his blood magic and barrier spell. "Almost!"

"Are you looking to infuriate me further?!" She raged, already forming more light spears in her hands.

"Well, fair be fair, we could work on your temper."

"My what?! I don't have a temper! This situation is just infuriating!" She argued, albeit with weak logic as she launched yet another spear of light at Issei, which he once again dodged, but was swiftly followed by another. This one, he didn't get to fully dodge in time, and actually ended up leaving a scratch on his cheek. "Ha! Finally, a scratch!"

"Raynare."

"What?"

"Hope you have a change of clothes," Issei said ominously, then put a hand forth. "Since you landed a scratch it is time I struck back!"

"Wait, I am not-" Yet, her protest came too late, as a large [Water Jet] not only knocked her back a couple of good feet but left her utterly soaked. "You-" She coughed. "Fucking bastard! Do you take pleasure in seeing me wet or something?! This was my last dry pair of clothes!"

"Oops." Yeah, he wasn't sorry in the least. Raynare fumed, however, and he honestly expected her to lash at him in some way, but she held her tongue, surprisingly enough. "Well, how about we call it here, then? You did land a scratch on me."

"I made the spears quicker than normal. Back with the others, I used to take my time making them, since none of my usual targets were as nimble as you." She replied with surprising honesty as she got up, looking down at her clothing. "If we are done here, I will go take a shower and see if anyone has some clothes I can borrow, or if my first set of clothing dried up."

"Alright. Make sure you pass by Asia, so she can give you some light healing." He replied, then watched her go back to the mansion.

+1 RP with Raynare.

"Progress is slow, but showing. The speed at which she is able to make those spears improved, however slightly. She might have a talent for them after all." Solomon said, giving his own two bits on Raynare.

"Hopefully, she improves a lot more than just in her combat abilities," Issei said hopeful as he began to make his way to the others. He wanted to check on Rias and see about getting his nerves cleared about something.

Rias Gremory

21/100

A change has occurred in her. Be wary, something new is growing.

It changed last night, after his talk with her. Grew too, recovering the lost point. He noticed it and found it a bit strange, but the increase in RP was always welcomed. It is the message that worries him, so he decided to try and maybe talk with her again, and see what he can learn.

He was about to head to where she was training when something went off in his head. [Danger Sense] and [Aura Sense] both went crazy, warning him of something coming and giving him even an idea of what it was. He felt a powerful presence incoming.

Skill Level up! Your [Danger Sense ] is now level 5!

Fuck! It even made his skill level up from just that! Rushing off, he went to Rias, who also stopped her training, looking worried. "Rias, what is going on? My senses went haywire!"

However, the crimson-haired woman remained silent for a second, her face scrunching in disgust. "Issei, take Kuroka, Ingvild, Raynare, and Asia and go to a room. Now."

"What?" He asked, confused, but seeing the look in her eyes told him she was not playing around. He had to trust her, even if only this once. "Very well." And so, he went away, going to gather his group and then headed into his room to wait for Rias to give them any news. However, while he did that, Rias left the training grounds, her peerage being equally notified, but instead of heading to a room, they followed her to the main entrance.

And right there, standing in front of the door, was the main presence Issei sensed. A young woman appearing to be in her early twenties with back-length silver hair with a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is let down which ends in twin braids and silvery eyes, dressed in what could only be described as a blue and white French maid outfit with long sleeves and a white maid headband over her head with red lipstick as a cosmetic accessory.

And next to her, the bane of Rias' existence. A tall and handsome young man in his early 20s with short blond hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery on the right with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer was a white dress shirt that was one button short of being closed, giving a slight view of his chest.

"Grayfia, what is the meaning of this?" Rias asked right away, facing the woman first. "I told my brother that me and my peerage wish to train undisturbed."

The woman in question was Grayfia Lucifiuge, Rias' sister-in-law, and Queen of her brother's peerage. Nicknamed the Ultimate Queen even, an Ultimate-Class Devil the likes of which should not be challenged foolishly. "And I respect that wish, Rias. However, Riser here has decided to utilize his right to 'check on' his fiancee."

"What?"

"Can you blame me, Rias?" The man, now formerly revealed to be none other than Riser, the one that has been the subject of talks until now, spoke. "I wanted to make sure you are in good health, and coming here seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so."

"The reason I am out here is to ensure you do not spy on my peerage training, Riser," Rias replied sharply, yet, the man simply chuckled at her words.

"Rias, please, your words hurt. Do you think I would stoop so low as to resort to such tactics? When victory is already in my palm?" The sheer amount of confidence he was oozing from his voice spoke volumes of his arrogance. As everyone narrowed their eyes at him, Riser scanned each of them carefully, yet, he seemed irked by something. "Rias, dear…Where is the last one?"

"Last one? If you mean my other bishop, I am pretty sure you were-"

"No, I mean your magician." His words caused Rias to recoil slightly as she heard him. "You see, I heard a rumor that you put up a request, given your inferior numbers, to have your newly employed contracted magician participate in the Rating Game. I had no objections to it, of course, but I was dearly hoping to meet him. Maybe shake his hand."

"Riser, he is none of your concern. As a matter of fact, he is not even here right now." Rias said, lying easily.

"Is that so? Well, in that case, you won't mind if I stay here overnight, do you?" He asked, yet, at this, Grayfia was the one to interject.

"Whilst normally such a request would be reasonable, Riser Phenex, I stand to remind you that your presence here is meant to be highly temporary. Rias' request to have time to train her peerage without disturbance was accepted by you, after all, and going back on your word is not something I think you'd enjoy."

"Guilty as charged." Riser said with a sigh, looking disappointed. "A shame, really. I would have loved to see what my future wife's peerage is capable of. And…" his eyes wondered, going to Koneko and Akeno. "What other skills do they have."

Kiba sneered at him. "Have you no shame, looking at other women despite your fiancee being in the room?"

"Oh, what is this? The knight seems to have spirit, doesn't he? A shame, truly, that it amounts to nothing."

"Why you-"

"Kiba!" Rias half-shouted, grabbing the attention of her knight to calm down. Kiba understood the message and backed down accordingly. She then turned back to him. "If confirmation of my fidelity is what you want, then Grayfia here can check. Other than that, I highly suggest you be on your way, Riser. Your unannounced appearance has already disturbed our training."

"Hmpf." He scoffed. "Regardless of the outcome, Rias, do understand. I always achieve what I desire, one way or another."

"My hand in marriage will be the first thing you won't get then." Rias shot back, then Riser put his hands in his pockets.

"I will be on my way then. It is a long way back to the Underworld." And so, Riser summoned his magical circle, taking him away. The only one left was now Grayfia, who looked at Rias right in the eyes as she spoke.

"5 people." She said, making Rias' peerage tense up. "I can sense 5 individuals in this mansion. 1 human, 1 devil, 1 fallen angel, 1 Youkai, and…One is hard to pinpoint exactly what he is. However, I can tell the genders. Judging from the fact he is the only male I can sense, I assume this is your magician, is he not?"

Rias hesitated a bit with her answer. "Indeed, he is. The others you are sensing are with him. Do not worry about the fallen angel either, she is his captive, not mine, so there should be no issues with the Grigori."

Grayfia bowed her head. "Understood." She then turned around, facing the door. "And Rias? Forgive me for bringing Riser here. However, I couldn't deny him the right to check on his fiancee on the basis of suspected infidelity."

"I understand, Grayfia. But tell me, do you believe Riser would resort to dirty tricks during the Rating Game?" Rias asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. However, Riser has shown to hold some degree of honor, so the chances are unlikely. I also do not believe you to attempt such things, yet, your brother doesn't wish to take any chances. If Riser DOES cheat, then the extra measures of security are going to see him caught, and the marriage canceled." She replied, her magical circle appearing slowly. "Be safe, Rias. And I hope your magician-" Suddenly, Grayfia stopped, her magical circle fading.

"Oh no…" Rias felt it too. There was a surge of power, and then the mansion shook slightly. Yet, what followed was mostly unexpected, as what came crashing through the ceiling was not her magician, but rather, a certain Nekoshou crashed through the ceiling.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Kuroka whined, looking up at the hole she just left.

"Is that-?" Grayfia tensed up, recognizing Kuroka as a criminal. However, before she was able to attack, she stopped as Rias stood in front of the fugitive.

"Wait!" Rias shouted. "Kuroka Toujou is part of my magician's group! She is with him!"

"Rias, I did not doubt you for foul play before, but my faith is wavering seeing her here," Grayfia said honestly. "What is your magician doing, associating with such dangerous Stray Devil criminals?"

"Hey! I am no longer a Stray Devil, mind you!" Kuroka pointed out, which further got her attention. Realizing her mistake, Kuroka covered her mouth.

"Quite the powerful magician, I see…" Grayfia said slowly, with Rias' blood pressure rising as the situation grew more tense. "Rias, I demand to meet your magician."

"That- Grayfia, please, understand that the reason I am keeping my cards close to my chest is to prevent any information from reaching Riser." She reasoned, yet, her sister-in-law was not convinced.

"If he is connected with dangerous criminals, Rias, he cannot be allowed to participate in the Rating Game." Grayfia's words hit Rias like a truck, making her eyes widen in utter shock. "Unless I meet him to evaluate the situation, and discern if he himself is a danger or not, I will need to report the presence of this runaway to your brother."

"No!" Rias protested, trying to think of something to do here. Yet, she didn't get the chance.

"I am here." From the same hole Kuroka fell out of, Issei dropped, standing at full height as he took a step forward. He turned to Rias slightly. "Sorry, we saw someone by the window and tried to get them, but they threw something inside the room. Next thing we know, the floor breaks."

Riser…Rias had no doubt about it. Honorable her ass, this was a low blow, even for him. Did he bring a spy along? He knew where the mansion was now, meaning his purpose might have been to learn of her location and attempt to sabotage her, yet she had no proof to make such a claim. And right now, her secret weapon was being threatened.

"So, you are the magician," Grayfia said, looking Issei up and down. "Your appearance leaves much to be desired. Yet, now that you are closer, I can sense more about you, and clearer too…What a strange mix of energies, and…Demonic Energy?" She looked at Rias. "You did not mention he is part Devil, Rias."

"I hold many secrets, Miss…"

"Lucifuge to you, Young…"

"Call me Ise, Miss Lucifuge."

"LUCIFUGE?!" Solomon gasped, eyes fixed on Grayfia. Well, through Issei's eyes, at least.

"At least you are polite." She stated. "However, that doesn't excuse the fact you seem to be harboring a fugitive. Kuroka Toujou is a wanted criminal for the murder of her master, and as such, I'd like to demand her to be arrested and judged for her crime."

"Oh? Strong words there, Miss Lucifuge, when Kuroka acted in self-defense." Issei stated, which seemed to take Grayfia back a bit.

"Self-defense? Forgive me, but the evidence already gathered indicates a sneak attack from behind, not a struggle to justify self-defense." She stated, knowing the laws well.

"I never said it was in her own defense." He turned to Shirone. "As I think you have discovered, the previous master Kuroka had attempted to create a Super Devil by experimenting on her and her sister. Such experiments had to be illegal, were they not?"

"Indeed, they were, and had he not been killed, he would have faced persecution as well. Yet, that still does not excuse her crime." Grayfia pressed on.

"Perhaps. But currently, you hold no authority to take her."

Issei's words were something that seemed to have reached Grayfia in a more sensible manner. "What?" That one word was followed by a surreal presence. He felt something similar only when Kuroka got angry, but this was far more intense. "Young man, your bravado is commendable, but you do not device what authority I hold and which I do not."

"No, but I know you do not hold the authority to arrest Kuroka. Despite this mansion being owned by the Gremory House, it is being borrowed from the local Tengu Clan. I don't think they would be happy if one of their own were to be taken." Issei was gambling so hard right now.

"Hmmm. A fair point, yet flawed. It is because this property is under the House of Gremory that I CAN arrest her." Grayfia stated again, trying to take a step forth.

"Then you will be taking what belongs to the Red Dragon Emperor," Issei said, and Grayfia stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide as he summoned his gear to use it as proof of his identity. Grayfia backed down lightly, now warier about things. Yet, as she took a second to think, the pieces slowly clicked into place.

"I see why you wanted to keep him secret, Rias. True, with him in your arsenal, your odds of winning against Riser have greatly improved." Grayfia stated, then she bowed her head. "Red Dragon, please accept my apologies. Had I known this woman was claimed by you, I wouldn't have moved to arrest her. You may do with her as you wish, as long as she never enters the Underworld's Devil-controlled territories. I will inform Sirzechs Lucifer of your presence, however, but request your identity and presence to be kept secret until you wish to reveal it."

"I also apologize for not making things clearer sooner," Issei replied, offering an apology as well. "However, my desire is to remain free, which implies not officially joining any of the factions. Make sure the current Lucifer knows that whilst he may have me as a friend, I will never swear full loyalty to the Devil Faction."

"Understood," Grayfia replied, then her magical circle appeared again. "I will see you all again when the Rating Game is upon us." And so, she vanished, letting everyone breathe a large breath of relief.

"GOD DAMN IT, SHE WAS SCARY!" Issei shouted from the top of his lungs. He checked her level too, how could he not?!

[Grayfia Lucifuge]
[Level: 132]

If the patch is to be believed, that makes her an Ultimate-Class being, and 60 levels above even Kuroka in terms of power…While Ingvild and Kuroka might be seen as Low-Utimate, she was High-Ultimate. FUCK! Was the gap between them really that high? It was scary to even consider, and he didn't have the courage to check her stats even! Apart from that Danbooru guy, maybe, she was by far the person with the highest level he has ever laid eyes on.

Yet, now, he knew he had some explaining to do. "Ise…Mind telling me what happened?" He could tell Rias was not angry, seeing as things turned out alright, but rather, just shook. And tired.

"We spotted a person spying on us through the window," Kuroka said, chipping in. "We attempted to get them, but they threw some kind of small bomb in that ruined the floor."

"We don't know who they were, and I did not get a good look at them either," Issei added. True, he didn't get them even with his [Observe] skill, meaning he doesn't know who it was. He only saw one thing: A butt. And from that alone, he could tell, the person was a woman, because no man could have such a nice booty. "I could only tell they were a woman."

"I believe you." Rias sighed. "Riser used his right to check on me, as his fiancee, to ensure I was not being unfaithful. But he likely did it to learn the whereabouts of our location, and ultimately spy on us."

"However, that would warrant disqualification from the Rating Game if we can prove it," Kiba added.

Rias nodded. "Chances are it was someone from his peerage, but I do not think they wished to spy. Riser was showing interest in you, Ise."

"Me? R-right, I guess it makes sense. To him, I am a wild card he has never seen before and known nothing about. He'd want to know his opponent as best as he can to prepare properly against them. Granted, aside from Grayfia, I don't think my identity was revealed to anyone else." He reasoned, which seemed to be accepted by Rias and her lot.

"For now, despite this interruption, we should keep focusing on further improving ourselves. For the rest of the day, everyone may rest, but tomorrow I want everyone here working twice as hard. That applies to you as well, Issei. I expect you to be in top shape."

"But of course." He replied, showing a confident smile. "Besides, whilst I didn't see the douche, I more than heard him. Just one more reason to pound him into the ground come the Rating Game."

"Good to see you're motivated. But…" She looked up, seeing the hole in the ceiling, likely present in the floor of Issei's room as well. "I will need to call a repair crew for that. In the meantime, Issei, feel free to get yourself a different room."

Kuroka's ears perked at that. "He can share a room with me!" She leaped at the chance, clearly.

However, Rias gave her a skeptical look. "Kuroka, don't think I didn't notice how tired he looked on the first day of this trip. I cannot afford for Issei to be exhausted from your nightly activities."

"Nya! That only due to one week of being pent-up!"

"If that is one week, I dread to think what an entire month is like," Koneko said, expression blank and unimpressed. "Still, Rias, having him a bit tired is better than my sister being sexually frustrated."

"Fine." Rias relented. "But mark my warning: If your performance is affected tomorrow, Issei, I will personally re-assign the rooms to put the two of you on opposite ends of the mansion."

"Roger that!" Issei said. "Besides, I am pretty sure I build up a good amount of stamina, so all should be fine."

Kuroka giggled at that.

Oh Issei, you poor fool…

You have no idea what this kitty has planned.