Chapter 41: Shout It Out

While Twilight Healing could handle physical injuries, mutilated ki was a different story. After the conflict with the Ultimate-class senjutsu users, both combatants were placed in an isolated room to recover. Fortunately, the party proceeded without a hitch with the additional barrier surrounding the building to keep everyone unaware of the fight. The only reason why the ORC found out was because of their friends' absence for a long time.

The slight tremor caused by Daisuke's new power which distorted space also played a small part in it.

Apparently Koneko overheard Daisuke's little meeting with the three leaders when she got worried and went to search for him. She must have been the one who Daisuke sensed before quickly sneaking away while concealing her presence with senjutsu. Tumultuous emotions overwhelmed her though she ultimately decided to find her older sister alone to not get the others involved. Too bad the SS-ranked criminal didn't take no for an answer.

Luckily, there was no uproar or panic from the terrorists' successful infiltration. They were excused for the rest of the night to recuperate, giving whatever reasons to anyone who wanted to meet the Aoi Arashi in person. Koneko kept healing the two's ki the whole night, barely stopping to eat or for a toilet break. She silently focused on learning to restore ki as fast as she could to the point everyone had to persuade her to sleep. And now it was morning, the day before the Rating Game against Sona.

If only they had more time, one night of crude healing from someone who hasn't used senjutsu in years was nowhere near enough to get them back at full health. At least they've recovered enough to walk a little.

Sirzechs and the others arrived to ask for Daisuke and Miho's testimonies before going to their meeting with the Norse god. The infiltration would be classified as a secret of course. Rias and the others were exasperated from being withheld in the dark but understood when it was to help the little nekoshou.

Daisuke went for a walk, mulling about what to do with another big change compared to the original timeline, leaving Miho alone with Koneko. The white haired Rook was behind the pinkette, hands on her back.

"It was not your fault."

Koneko's strained features twitched, her ears and tail drooping, "... But you got hurt saving me."

"Hanwei-sama and I knew of the consequences and chose not to tell you. The blame partly falls on us."

"Even still, after all my training... I still needed to be saved." Koneko had her head down, too shameful to even look at Miho's back, "When I woke up to see you injured, I almost gave up. I almost surrendered myself to go with nee-sama so you and senpai will be safe, and then I heard senpai's words. He believed in me, everyone believed in me."

"You were hurt but so was nee-sama, you showed me courage to take a step forward. I have always idolized and feared nee-sama's strength at the same time, yet you showed me there was a way to win."

The familiar turned around and wrapped the little nekoshou in a hug, her warm body temperature and heartbeat soothing the guilt, "I did not win, though my desire to become stronger still burned brightly. We all have our own fears but we help each other. Because of you, we could force them to withdraw."

"You're so much stronger now Miho-san. Strong enough to fight nee-sama."

Smiling wryly, "Second-shishou was more ruthless tormenting us in my perspective."

"What was nee-sama like? Was she really consumed by senjutsu?"

"Do you mean she is truly evil and killed her former master in cold blood?"

Scared, Koneko still lightly nodded to finally see whether her nightmares were really reality. All this time, the memory of Kuroka slaughtering people just for the heck of it has plagued her dreams for far too long, thinking that the old kind sister was forever gone. However after truly seeing the criminal in person again, she saw hope that maybe her sister didn't really turn into a homicidal maniac.

"Kuroka was powerful indeed. Not only because of senjutsu, her skill and speed of conjuring spells were formidable." Miho felt the pain on her body from the fight as she remembered, "Yet I sensed no malice, your elder sister may be attempting in her own way but she loves you. So much that I could see the pain from abandoning you. I am sorry though I cannot disclose any of her secrets."

"It's okay." Her lips curved upwards, the tension leaving her body all at once. Her heart beating smoothly as if a weight has been lifted, "Knowing nee-sama didn't kill out of evil is good enough. I'm sorry for getting you caught in my problem Miho-san. We're not as close to you like Daisuke-senpai yet you still came to help me."

Miho blinked, soon smiling like a sister or mother figure. She cupped Koneko's face to make eye contact, "True, we may not be as close but our time together was not meaningless. Even without my master's request, I would still help a friend."

Taking a few seconds to process those words, Koneko's eyes moistened a bit and drew a small smile, "Miho-san, do you think I can become stronger and help everyone as well?"

"Of course. It takes time and I am the living example of that."

"Maybe. Daisuke-senpai is always so decisive, when he makes mistakes he still quickly gets back up to find a way. I always see him as the perfect Rook I always want to be. Miho-san, can I become like Daisuke-senpai, even just a little?"

She giggled, "You found the resolve to take a different path from your sister, to become a senjustu user to help everyone. You are already on your way to be a splendid Rook like Hanwei-sama."

"Thank you Miho-san. That means a lot to me."

They felt more comfortable in each other's presence. Perhaps it's because of the nekoshou has at long last come to terms with her youkai blood, the two youkais felt the distance between them shortened. Koneko wrapped her arms around Miho's neck to hug back, passionately gazing into each other's eyes with happiness... before the younger Rook noticed her counterpart by the door.

Daisuke's aghast stare darted from Miho's cupped hands on Koneko's face to the close proximity and cheery atmosphere around their bodies. He coughed in his hands, retreating away from the room with more than a little sadness in his tone, "Sorry for disturbing you."

"Senpai wait! It's all a big misunderstanding!"

The door closed before Koneko could finish, now the little Rook was depressed for another reason.

Tilting her head in confusion, "Was Hanwei-sama still feeling ill?"

Koneko face palmed, 'Right... both of them are dense...'

Miho was early for her hot spring session, there will be a meeting for tomorrow's Rating Game in a while. Despite her chances of participating are slim due to the rules, the familiar still wants to attend in hopes of picking up something.

Though that's not the real reason. Things were still bad between her and Rias, the former trying to avoid meeting the latter if possible to keep her anger in check. Her master still has important business to settle and internal conflicts would make everything more complicated right now. Miho only wonders how much longer she needs to put up with that stuck up attitude.

One wash of her body later, Miho slowly sank into the springs. A blissful moan escaped her mouth, feeling her body relaxing and healing a little. With some alone time, she didn't need to feel shy about the presence of other people, especially with anyone trying to grope her or watching her boobs floating on the water. Freely releasing herself always felt the best during resting.

A thoughtful visage appeared on the pinkette's face, thinking about her master. He's not on the other side but she wondered that maybe he wants to poke her nipples again. Miho never did find out as to why he did it yet a perverted idea crossed her mind. Saying it out loud would never happen since it sounds like something Rias and Akeno would say, but there's no doubt the sensation of Daisuke's fingers made her super horny.

At this rate, she'll taint the water with her own fluids. Taking a deep breath, Miho imagined anything to turn her off like-

*slide*

... that. Oh yeah, that did the trick...

Standing wide eyed with a towel covering her was a certain red head devil, staring at the salamander. And the stare dragged on uncomfortably for a while before Miho continued back to her relaxation.

Rias had the same thought as her love rival, arriving sooner than the other girls to avoid Miho as much as possible. Her dazed state must have distracted her from noticing the clothes outside.

A dilemma occurred, weighing her mind over whether to stay or leave. Rias has been meaning to talk to Miho yet whenever she tried to approach her, a sudden excuse always popped up and she delayed it. But now there was no one to interrupt them, no problem to distract them. And Rias really wished that it wasn't the case.

Desperately calming her nerves, the King might as well gather up whatever honor she could muster and slowly dipped into the hot springs. Next to Miho.

Now the pinkette couldn't even ignore the situation anymore, the additional presence perturbed her more than it should. What Miho hoped for a tranquil bath to sooth her soul and body, has turned into a highly awkward silence which could devolve into another argument the moment either one agitate the other. Why couldn't Rias simply-

"I'm sorry."

... The familiar watched as the spoiled rich devil squirmed while peeking at her with slightly frightened gaze. Miho looked around to confirm that Rias was talking to her, and she would have used her heat sensing too if her ki wasn't so injured.

"Did... did you apologized to me just now?" Miho asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting the grace of a maid she learned from Grayfia. This was the vixen Miho was talking to. The red head never bowed down to anyone if they oppose her ideals. Not to her family when they set up an arrange marriage, not to a Cadre-class fallen who could obliterate her in an instant, and especially not to Miho whenever the familiar warned her to not be so bold towards her master.

The only occasion she could remember the prideful devil in this state was when she apologized for attempting to revert Daisuke into a hatchling. And even then, she immediately cheered up as if nothing happened when he so easily forgave her!

Miho was very tempted to use her advance sensing ability to check if the girl in front of her was an imposter.

"Y-yes. I've thought about our time together with Daisuke and maybe- No, I definitely..." Rias squeezed out whatever words she could. Although she knew she was largely at fault, it still felt very strange and degrading of her prideful self to admit her blunder. The feeling something so foreign and disgusting that it almost made her want to take it back, "... didn't consider his feelings. Or yours. I know I can't make amends for what I've done, but I promise to be better from now on."

Quite a sight to behold for the salamander. If only Rias wasn't pinching her thigh underwater to force her words out, she would actually believe her.

"I got frustrated and jealous of how close you two are. You didn't deserve all those stuff I said. I'm sorry."

It took a while for Miho to digest everything. She sighed, mentally exhausted further by Rias' meek behavior. Her words were not lies considering how arrogant she could be under normal circumstances, though Miho did need to rub her temples, "To be honest, I do not know whether your words alone are enough to simply forgive you."

"Although there may be exceptions, pure-blooded devils including yourself are inherently selfish creatures regardless of what you would like to believe. Ignoring Hanwei-sama's feelings, invading our territory. Minor as they may be, your impatience was what fueled your own rage. You may speak sweet words such as acknowledging us as family but you neglect his deepest desires when you knew he wished to return back to his world."

Rias flinched, already knowing it wouldn't be that easy but it still hurts. And the memories of her other peerage members suffering from their own traumas surfaced to her mind. She never did try to understand their pain, did she? Daisuke wouldn't have to endeavor so much to help Yuuto, Gasper and Koneko otherwise.

"However, Hanwei-sama most probably would if you are sincere. It would take time but not impossible. How my opinion of you would change depends on your future actions."

Shining faintly in Rias' heart was hope and joy, eliciting a grateful smile, "Thank you Miho. I promise you, I won't repeat the same mistakes again."

"For everyone's sake, I hope you do not."

They fell into a relatively more cozy atmosphere, restoring back some of their friendship, "I know this will sound unreasonable but I still haven't given up on Daisuke, though now I'm not so sure about how to approach him without being a bother."

"Do you really not know any other methods of earning a male's affections?"

"W-w-well," Rias stuttered out, embarrassed by her love rival's dubious look, "I never had any interest in boys before, but I have been researching about love from books."

"Ah..." Miho recalled the day she found the material about love and mating back when she was still adjusting to human society, only for Daisuke to be completely abashed. It actually explains Rias' forwardness a lot, "I suppose there is no need to change as long as it is not excessive. Hanwei-sama once said there is no need to emulate other women, you can shine at your brightest by staying true to yourself."

"I guess you really do have the best chance of ending up with Daisuke." The red head smiled wryly to herself, "You see and accept everything about Daisuke when I couldn't, I really do envy you."

"Perhaps not, Hanwei-sama deserves a mate better than me."

The pessimistic response threw Rias off, she cast a worried glance. Miho is denser than Daisuke but that tone suggested something more than just lack of confidence, "You know, Akeno and I already confessed to Daisuke about how we feel. And by the way Koneko has gotten more attached to him, she may confess earlier than you. Don't you want to be with Daisuke?"

"Of course, I would give anything to be with Hanwei-sama. But..."

Miho trailed off, melancholic and discouraged. There are many aspects of her still not suited to be in the human world, to be with the man she loves. While lessened, the salamander still has her fiery temper, her distaste of large crowds, and not to mention life span. How could she possible be by his side when she'll die of old age first?

Leaving him alone in this world would reopen old wounds. No mater how much she denied the truth she would always be a fire spirit, not a devil. She wanted him to be happy with a lifelong mate, Rias and the others would fit that role perfectly. Harems are common among devils, Miho had no right to deny Daisuke of that luxury if he changes his opinion in the future, there will always be a mate to support him after all.

Yet, her instincts screamed at her to not let anyone else have him. Her mind logically accepted the other girls' emotions, though her heart commanded her body to act before she even fully realized what she was doing. In all of Miho's life, she now regretted to be born as a salamander instead of a devil.

"Under a condition imposed by myself, confessing was only allowed after I had achieved Awakening. However, Hanwei-sama's new power far eclipses my own. Can I still stand by his side like this?"

"No, that's not the only reason is it? Even I know that emotion but I still try my best regardless." The red head fixed her gaze on her love rival, "You're not acting like yourself Miho. You of all people, should know Daisuke would stop at nothing to find a solution to any problem, including yours."

A confused frown donned on the pinkette's face, "Why would you help me when you desire Hanwei-sama as well?"

"Because I got depressed when Daisuke rejected me." The frown vanished. Rias continued her stare directly into her eyes, smiling softly now that she had the familiar's full attention, "It happened a few weeks before I moved in. Akeno cheered me up and said giving up was not like me, I've decided that even if he doesn't see my way it would be more painful to not be with him at all."

Rias was a real pain in the neck to Miho though she has to admit, the red head has quite the resolve to bounce back from that.

"It hurts even now, but I don't want to live with the regret that I couldn't convey my feelings to him. I want to do everything I can to make him see my way." The devil's grin was small and sheepish, awkwardly trying to get her message across, "It's not only the guys, we girls have to be strong too you know."

Miho cast her gaze upwards to the sky, complicated emotions of desiring to take action and to keep them buried were both present at the same time. The salamander could take on enemies stronger than her any day yet here she was agonizing about romance of all things. Rias and Akeno make love confessions look so easy.

Heaving a sigh, "You are right, I do not want to cower from anything in life or live with regrets, that is not my pride. Thank you Rias."

"You're welcome Miho, it would not be satisfying to win if one of my rivals don't give it her all."

"I see that your arrogance has not completely disappeared. Do try to give me a challenge."

The two young maidens stared at each other before giggling merrily, their strained relationship slowly being fixed.

"So Daisuke, Miho, how are you two holding up?"

"Like we're gonna collapse if we take one direct hit. I'm starting to get why senjutsu is so feared in the Underworld."

"Our bodies are still heavily damaged and require more time to completely recover."

"Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping to see you destroy the competition tomorrow." Azazel remarked in disappointment before flippantly dismissing our conditions, "Not like it would help anyway, the King needs to take charge and use the entire peerage to full potential to earn a good evaluation."

He cleared his throat and turned on the projector, showing a chart where the extent of our abilities are compared. Miho and I are more of the technique type with power, next is wizard, and support as our weakest class. Since Miho can't participate in Rating Games freely, the ORC is more than a little inclined to power types as a whole.

"So this is what I've summarized from you after receiving reports and supervising your training. Sona knows more or less what all of you could do from watching your first game but you don't know what they can do, unless a certain dimension traveler can give some info."

"My King wishes for a fair fight with Sona-kaichou just like the time against fire chicken and I won't go against her orders. Besides, I don't know that much about them anyway."

"Thank you Daisuke." Rias smiled pleasantly.

"And they were also trained by the 7th ranker of the Rating Games, we cannot let our guard down." Akeno added.

"However, we do know they are technique and wizard types oriented. As technique types, Hanwei-kun and I are more compatible against them."

"That's only if he's at 100%." Azazel countered, "Another crazy rumor came to life when you didn't attend the party last night, a lot of the higher ups wanted to meet you."

"Wait, how did they find out? I thought Sirzechs-san kept everyone from noticing."

"Almost the entire forest near us was absolutely decimated." Xenovia pointed out, "There was also the small earthquake and many devils got suspicious."

"Like it or not, you're almost like a celebrity in the Underworld but we managed to suppress most of the rumors. You need to be more careful of what you do," The fallen's seriousness melted away, replaced with childish glee, "but this is you we're talking about, as if you care about what some old coots think of you."

"Actually, I kinda do now. I found a reason to score points and reach High-class quickly."

"Now for the moment I've been fucking waiting for." He ignored me, clasping and rubbing his hands together while fiercely staring at me as if he found a lab rat, "Tell me in full detail about your Balance Breaker. Every. Last. Bit of it."

"If I wasn't so tired right now, I'd slug you." Rolling my eyes in exasperation, "Alright, my subspecies is called Supra Burst and like Astral Vector Aura Burst, two of its powers are similar yet upgraded."

"The first is All Boost. Unlike the normal variant which simultaneously boosts my strength and speed, this one boosts all of my stats together. Immune system, mind processing, sensory perception, everything about my natural physiology is enhanced. It was this technique which fortified my ki to help me endure those senjutsu punches and keep me going. Normally I had to focus on which prowess to amplify with Double Burst aside from strength and speed, Supra Burst automatically augments everything at once."

"Next is Energy Compression. The typical Balance Breaker's Energy Consolidation allows the user to summon a battle avatar to level the playing field against a stronger opponent, but mine is condensed to my body from the inside out. Not just my physical stats, muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues can now handle a whole lot more stress no problem. I can still summon the battle avatar but it takes a lot of energy and I haven't gotten any practice with it."

"But the real kicker is the final ability: Spacetime Burst. A completely new power which allows me to have limited control over space and time." The ORC's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Don't know the extent of how much I can do but my crimson half can slow, stop, or accelerate time around me, giving me unparalleled speed. Time Burst was what allowed me to snatch Koneko back right under their noses before they literally knew it."

"Space Burst is from my gold half, giving me insurmountable strength to tear through everything, though I have to be careful to make sure not to kill anyone. I pulled in space while collapsing it inward before striking it with a punch strong enough to cause an earthquake and break Kuroka's barrier. All defense is useless if I tear through space itself, though I'm putting that option on the back burner unless there's an emergency."

"This ability is absurdly powerful and just as taxing, four times from using either of them in one day would drain me dry. I can combine both space and time for more options but definitely not in my current state, I'll need to be at least Satan-class before that can happen."

"Wait wait wait! Hang on!" A flabbergasted Issei called out to me with his facial muscles twitching, "Aren't those powers totally broken already!? And that's without your new and improved spells! How the fuck am I suppose to compete with that!?"

"S-stopping time? Senpai, isn't th-that the same as my Sacred Gear?"

"At least you can use yours more than four times a day."

"Normally I'd comment about how you guys are overreacting but here I am doing worse than you!" Azazel howled in laughter, "With the analysis I've done and the report of your fight, this pretty much confirms it!"

Confetti popped out of nowhere and a banner that says 'Congratulations!' appeared on the ceiling. I blinked, "Did not see that coming."

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we're looking at the user of the latest New Longinus, the 14th Longinus!"

""""""""14th LONGINUS!?""""""""

Ravishing the utter shock of everyone, Azazel examined me with critical eyes, "You don't look all that surprised."

"Considering I was able to sneak into Second-shishou's guard and sucker punched him through an entire mountain in my half dead state, can't say I didn't expect something like this. I already had this crazy growth rate and Spacetime Burst exceeds Satan-class. To be honest, there might be no limit to what I can do once I master this."

"Which brings me to my next question, how long can you stay in Balance Breaker and Awakening respectively? And the rest of you close your mouths, you're gonna catch flies."

"Give or take two hours, five seconds if I had to spam Spacetime Burst."

"Roughly the same though at my current level, I require Awakening to access Funkanekken."

"Don't get overconfident with yourselves. From the report I got from Second, both of you are wasteful when using your new powers. The new increase messed up your control, getting exhausted quicker and easier. That's to be expected anyway, you unlocked those powers near the end of your training so it's back to control exercises. You've barely scratched the surface of your potential, there's still a lot of room to grow. Forcuis' gonna shit his pants once I tell him the news."

"I always knew you would achieve greatness Daisuke but this is... this is beyond what I could imagine." Rias said which could almost be mistaken as a whisper, still trying to wrap her head around the facts.

"Subspecies yes, New Longinus? I didn't foresee that either and I think I know the reason for it." The Sacred Gear enthusiast calmed down with still some madness on his face, "Given how compatible you are and how much potential you drew out from Double Burst, I suspected you should have attained Balance Breaker at least one month ago. Yet that didn't happen because it was feeding off from your emotions and desires to evolve into something else, something impossible since you shouldn't exist in this universe."

"Daisuke, what was your number one objective you told us three weeks ago?"

"To go back home in my own... universe..." The gears in my mind whirled, putting together the pieces from what Azazel just said, "... by traveling through space and time!?"

"That's right! Among all the factors, your love for your family held the most influence in evolving your gear into a high-tier Longinus. Keep it up and you might become one of the strongest person in history, including gods."

"Love..." I whispered out absentmindedly, turning my gaze towards the girl next to me.

"Hanwei-sama, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." My face grew red, quickly replying which elicited Miho to tilt her head in confusion, "Azazel, how much of a fight can I put up for tomorrow's Rating Game?"

"Honestly, I'd say you can take down at least one of them before retiring, depends on how efficient you can conserve your energy. But Supra Burst is strictly forbidden or you'll tear yourself from the inside out. I don't recommend you participating however." The Governor General crossed his arms with stern visage, "You can barely fight as you are now. Act tough all you want, I know you're still more than sore from your scuffle. Well, the decision is up to your King, not me."

Gauging my condition, Rias took some time weighing her options with a hand under her chin. She schooled her features and made her choice, "Daisuke is a part of my peerage, if he wants to take part then I want all of us to fight together and win, even a little will do." She then smiled slyly, "After all, a certain stubborn someone once said a good King should fight with her servants."

"Ufufu, that is true. Placing our trust in one another in hopes to achieve victory together, that is how we've always won."

"Really, you guys are still salty about Miho and I leaving to fight by ourselves?"

"Yes." They instantly answered in perfect harmony.

"Well, you guys will get your chance." Our teacher smirked in excitement, "Time for everyone to show off the fruits of your training. Remember, don't let your guard down and show them what you got."

"Be careful, Hanwei-sama. I will watch your fights from here."

"Thanks Miho. Still, I wish I could bring you with me."

She lightly giggled, "It would be an unfair fight if you could."

"That's true... Say... um... once the game's over... there's something I wanna ask you in private. Can you meet me at our room later?"

"Of course."

A shy smile formed unconsciously on my face. After Miho wished me good luck, I headed over to the others and we were teleported to the arena which happens to be-

"The shopping mall?" A quick scan of the surroundings told me it was the perfect replica, "Are we gonna fight indoors?"

[Good day everyone, my name is Grayfia and I will serve as the arbiter for this Rating Game. Today, this shopping mall will be the battlefield as both Kings are familiar with this facility.]

"That's a yes."

Like our last Rating Game, the winner is determined by which King retires first though with three extra rules. Destroying the building, Gasper's Sacred Gear, and my Balance Breaker are forbidden. The former is pretty obvious since the place will come down on everyone in a real life battle, the latter two is to avoid messing the Rating Game system since we haven't mastered them yet. At least nobody will think I'm weak when I'm not giving my all. Each team gets a vial of Phoenix Tears and 30 minutes to strategize before the game starts.

Rias pulled out a map, "Our base is at the food court, on the east wing second floor. So Sona's is likely to be on the west."

"However, the path between us is open with no blind spots." Yuuto commented.

"And the rules are a real hindrance. More than half of us can't use any large attacks in confined spaces."

"I got a few ideas to get around it." All attention was on me, "The rule said not to damage the place, it didn't say anything about us not blasting our opponents."

"You mean it's possible?" Rias asked in astonishment before sighing, "Of course it's possible, your intelligence can give a lot of people a run for their money, including Sona's. What do have in mind?"

Once we're done with a quick briefing, we separated to check the surroundings for anything we can take advantage of. It'll take another few days to heal, but limited fighting is good enough for now. Surveying the place, I found a particular tidbit that might be useful.

"Daisuke-kun."

"Daisuke-senpai."

Two girls suddenly embraced me, one pressing her chest on my back and the other snuggling my front. Hope no one's watching this live, "Akeno? Koneko? What's up?"

"Ara ara, for someone who is injured, you are acting carefree."

"Nervous? Yes. Carefree? Maybe a little. Better than outright panicking, I'm not the one going to the frontlines anyway."

"Despite that, you're acting as if you're taking a walk through a park senpai."

"Meh, Bikou must have knocked the anxiety out of me with my ki. Plus I'm not sensing any danger to my life like with Second-shishou."

"Ufufu, it's only been three weeks but you're almost like a different person. An effect of reaching Ultimate-class perhaps?" The Queen let out a sigh, circling her hands on my back, "You're back as well feels so different."

"You've really gotten stronger senpai, just hugging you give us courage."

They grinned softly, giving one last squeeze before releasing me.

"Yet we have grown stronger too, Rias isn't the only one competing with Miho-chan."

"We'll be good enough so you can rely on us more. Please look forward to it senpai."

They headed back with renewed vigor, not wanting to hurt me in my weakened state. There's still some fear in them of using their innate abilities, yet they're doing their best to look forward. Guess Miho had some part in it, she is the strongest girl in the group now after all.

Taking a few deep breaths to energize myself, I returned back to the others.

Gasper went on ahead, Issei and Koneko are heading directly towards Sona's territory while Yuuto and Xenovia are going via the parking garage where they can utilize their speed better. The rest of us are hanging back, not without doing anything however.

"I see Saji and Nimura are gonna meet Issei's group, they're coming from above. Shinra-san, Meguri, and Yura are waiting for our Knights, don't force your way to Shinra-san, she's got a counter for power types. I don't see the rest which means they're staying put."

"Everyone, did you hear that?"

""""Yes Buchou.""""

Turning off my Tenkugan and breathing deeply, I tried to conserve whatever energy I can and sat down. The plan is using my telescopic plus x-ray vision and the King communicates the information with a magic circle, though I'm too weak to see all the way to the other side. Once the fight starts, they can't respond in favor of concentrating on the match.

"Hanwei-san, how are you feeling?"

"Some throbbing in my everything but otherwise fine, better than yesterday."

"I'm sorry, I wish my Twilight Healing could help." Asia said depressed.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to help everyone if we play our cards right."

"Daisuke, please don't overdo it." Rias asked worriedly, "I know you tend to do that."

"Dully noted." I answered honestly, reactivating my Tenkugan, "! Saji's draining Issei's blood with Absorption Line."

"Issei, sever your bindings now."

The Pawn summoned Ascalon and cut the lines. Switching to the other team, Xenovia's wielding a holy sword from Yuuto's Blades Blacksmith imbued with Durandal's aura. The destructive capability is decreased but it's easier to control.

"Yura just used a reversal spell to reverse Xenovia's holy aura into her demonic counterpart. I think that spell can be used on different types of energies and most probably more of them can use it but about two or three times per person, that spell eats away life force. However, normal physical damage still works."

"Xenovia keep on the assault, sword slashes are still effective. Distract them until Yuuto finishes off their Queen."

The blonde Knight broke the enemy Queen's gear, he moved back though to minimize any injuries. Then I caught sight of our Pawn transferring the holy dragon slaying sword's attributes to his fists while Koneko punched Nimura with senjutsu.

[Combatant Sona Sitri-sama's Pawn retired.]

"Wait what? With only one senjutsu enhanced punch? That's it?"

Rias and Akeno smiled wryly, "Please don't measure us to your standards Daisuke. To us, you and Miho are the outliers who can endure much more than most."

"Um... I blame Second-shishou for raising our standards."

Recovered with one of our healing tags, the Knights combined their techniques to erupt copies of Durandal from the ground. Durandal Birth was it? Lip reading is a bit different from seeing the enemies' movements.

[Combatant Sona Sitri-sama's Rook and Knight retired.]

The rest were getting desperate and confused, wondering how our movements are so well coordinated. Saji's now spouting sad stuff about not doing any perverted stuff with Sona or winning her affections. I sweatdropped "Shinra-san retreated, and Issei's finished boosting."

[Combatant Sona Sitri-sama's Pawn retired.]

"So far, everything is going to plan." Akeno stated uneasily, "However, it seems we're winning almost too easily."

"To tell you the truth, we've grown stronger than I anticipated." That was a hidden message saying they're better than their canon counterparts, can't risk exposing myself on magic television, "What I don't understand is where are the Bishops? They would be much more suited for using that reversal spell and I still can't find anyone else."

"Thank you Daisuke, you've done enough. It is time we go."

At our King's command, we calmly walked to enemy territory, mostly because nobody would notice how weak I am. Hope the judges will give me enough credit to promote to Middle-class devil, I wouldn't keep my hopes too high though, those old devils prefer firepower than supportive potential. Still better than appearing helpless in front of everyone however.

Once we reached there, our team was gathered in front of Sona herself. I briefly used my eyes and finally found out the reason for the Bishops' lack of action, "Buchou, the kaichou in front of us is a fake, Hanakai and Kusaka are supplying magic to the projection."

"What!?"

"How did he know?"

Grimacing, the fake Sona scowled in anger and disappointment of herself, "Your optical prowess are far more developed than I expected Hanwei-kun and not only you, the rest have new prowess I did not foresee. We could not even carry out all our countermeasures before retiring, Saji trained harder than anyone yet he couldn't complete all his duties."

"Ngh."

"Ugh."

"What's wrong you two?" Shinra questioned in panic as the projection blurred for a second, "Wait, it can't be-"

A swarm of bats slowly trickled out of the vents, "Buchou, everyone, it took a while but I did it!"

Sona facial expression finally changed from calm to terror, "Ultrasonic sound waves!? Impossible, Gasper is emotionally unstable and should be incapable of functioning alone for so long!"

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But Gasper is a hikikomori who feels more confident in confined spaces such as air vents. Once you all split up, Gasper mobilized to your base. The real distraction was both of our offensive teams together. If the real you was here from the start, you'd probably feel nausea like your Bishops and noticed the magic enhanced ultrasonic waves."

A glare of begrudging respect was on me while the others saw their opportunities and went on the offense. Rias confidently stepped forward, "What now Sona, do you surrender?"

"Surrender?" She whispered, brows furrowing and eyes burning with emotion, "We have endured mocking and criticism for our dreams. If we surrender now, we'd surrender our dreams. Neither I, Saji, or anyone in my peerage is weak enough to surrender for the sake of our future. We will fight to the very end."

Reciprocating her childhood friend's passion, Rias grinned in high spirits, "Then we won't hold back, I will come at you with everything I got."

"In that case," Issei held his hands over his ears, "for Buchou and my otherworldly desires, come to me voices! May you share your secrets and show us victory! Pailingual!"

Friends and foe alike paused in whatever they're doing and stared at the pervert as a mysterious space expanded with Issei as the epicenter. Everyone was in silent agreement to hold a temporary truce to avoid whatever emotional damage that could be inflicted by the Pawn, especially the girls.

"Uh huh, I see. Buchou, Sona-kaichou's oppai are telling me that the real one is on the roof."

"Kyah! No! He trained himself to become a bigger pervert!"

"Why am I in the same school as him!? I can never look at Hyoudou ever again!"

"I'll kick senpai's balls once this is all over."

"... Sona, my apologies. I will punish him later."

"It is fine Rias, it must be difficult to have him in your peerage."

"Why are you all looking at me like I'm trash!? Daisuke, you're with me right?"

"PFTHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I collapsed on the floor, legs kicking in the air and arms hugging my body in pain. My lungs begged for reprieve yet my mind and body were too hysterical to listen, "HOLY SHIT! THAT SPELL WORKS ON PROJECTIONS TOO! THIS IS SO HILARIOUS THAT IT LITERALLY HURTS! PFTHAHAHAHAHAHA- GAH I CAN'T BREATHE BUT I CAN'T STOP EITHER! AHAHA AHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-"

A light enveloped me.

[Combatant Rias Gremory-sama's Rook retired.]

...

"That's it!? That's all it took to beat him!? By making him laugh!? Give me back my hard work! Weehh!"

Hearing Sona's oppai cry made even Issei awkward from using his move.

Two Kings had a stare off on the roof, the wind blowing their hair which shows the audience a tense atmosphere around them. With Gasper disorienting the Bishops, Akeno and Xenovia made quick work of them while Yuuto retired the Queen. The ORC were letting their King have a one-on-one, and they were more unimpressed with Daisuke's loss than anything.

"Why are you hiding on the roof?"

"It is the King's job to survive to the very end, isn't it?"

"I once thought that as well, but one cannot be King if she losses her servants."

"Hanwei-kun's naivety has influenced you I see, not necessarily a bad one however."

"Then let us settle this."

Rias fired her Power of Destruction while Sona summoned a defensive water wall. Despite the former's superior magic quality, the latter has worthier technique and control. The Sitri heiress sent fierce swirling currents which were obliterated by spheres of destruction. Both of them were relentless to find any opening to strike, fueling with desires to win.

"You've gotten stronger Rias. I expected no less from you."

"Quite the large amount of water, you are more resilient than ever."

"Are you s-sure we shouldn't help Buchou?" Gasper asked timidly, back to his old self now he's out in the open, "We'll win faster if we work together."

"No Gya-kun, this is something Buchou feels like she needs to do by herself. If we get in her way now, she won't be happy with her win."

"Rias is determined to prove herself not only to everyone watching but also herself. Sona-kaichou is her childhood friend and stopgap to reach greater power, to reach Miho-chan."

"Rias-buchou is giving her best and more. As a female warrior, I can tell she is very adamant in winning with her own power. We've already cleared a path for her, now it is time for us to see it to the end."

"We have done all we can for Buchou-san. She believed in us and now we need to believe in her."

The three males watched the girls spectating the showdown intensely. They may be fighters but for some reason, the girls are exuding a different mood compared to the guys when they fight to win. Intervening to help is the correct option but they decided against it since it's probably a girl thing.

Because of expending so much magic, both were wearing down fast. Neither were sustaining a direct hit, Sona's suffered injuries which weakens her body while Rias was soaked and the cool water is dwindling her body temperature. Both knew they need to end fast before one of them goes down.

Torrential water coalesced and formed into various beasts. Dragons, serpents, tigers and other wild animals moved fluidly to prey on the red head who brought out her own new technique, something she's been trying to create after watching Daisuke's innovative moments. Power of Destruction blasted out to obliterate the water yet it didn't stop there, the spell travels through the water and the air to track down Sona.

"Go! Traced Annihilation!"

Over time, Rias found out Miho was developing rapidly, not as much as Daisuke though faster than almost everyone else. The salamander flourished her innate abilities better than the King and now she's on a completely different level. Staying and progressing by Daisuke's side was what the King yearned for and she refuses to give up now.

Despite the praises showering the Gremory heiress, she knew that she could not match up to her brother. Daisuke has finer brains and brawn in the battlefield, even now she still relied on him for his plans. All Rias had going for her was lower quality in both, so she'll put everything she had into destroying anything in her way, she'll let out everything she had to win a spot by her beloved's side. She was Rias Gremory and she refuses to get left behind forever dammit!

Sona panted as another stream of Destruction eradicated her water serpent and is pursuing her at the same time. She dodged and gasped to find Rias suddenly closing the distance between them, the red head never engaged in close combat before so it astonished her. Quickly deploying a water barrier, the Sitri partially negated the Destruction but the Gremory brute force her way through and tightly latched onto Sona's forearm.

"Hyaaahh!"

With a deep breath, the red head drew out her physical strength to fling her opponent up into the air, opposite to where the building is located. Now that she didn't need to worry about destroying the building, Rias exploded her remaining magic right towards Sona in a devastating blast large enough to blanket the sky.

[Combatant Sona Sitri-sama retired. The game is settled, the winner is Rias Gremory-sama.]

'I did it... I did it!'

The ORC ran towards their King and cheered.

"Way to go Buchou!"

"That was a magnificent fight!"

"Congratulations Rias, you won."

Rias knew she still had a long way to go after taking the first step, but that step will be the foundation for her to strive even further. She beamed with an almost childlike manner, proud of every last one of her pieces, "No. We won."

That has got to be the most humiliating moment in my life, at least it didn't affect my scores too much and a lot of them find it humorous. After we had a small feast as celebration and visiting Sona's group, we turned in slightly earlier than usual for the night. I was outside of the room Rias' parents provided for us, gripping the door knob before releasing my hold. This occurred for a while, wondering whether Miho will think less of me because of my immature behavior.

In the end, I shook my head to get it over with. I've secretly practiced countless times with my clones before saving Koneko, "If I back down now after my promise, when will I man up?"

Entering, I found the pinkette sitting on the bed in deep thought. She perked up and walked towards me, "Ah Hanwei-sama, what did you need of me?"

Fuck, my legs are quivering as we speak and my muscles are damn rigid.

"Hanwei-sama?"

I took another deep breath, much deeper than necessary and got into position. Lowering my head, I spewed a small fireball and held it in my hands like the books said.

Miho's face tinted a new shade of red, her mouth gaping open in shock, "Eh?"

Next step was dividing my fire into two strands and willed them to my sides before encircling my body, finally stopping halfway towards the salamander. Learning the Goukakyu was to expand my repertoire, but the main reason was for the salamander mating ritual. Miho was stupefied for nearly half a minute more before regaining her senses. She held her arms, extending her own two flames to make contact with mine.

Okay, first half was a success and now for the rest of the ritual. The four strands intertwined into one big line of fire as we each held an end in our hands. We then each walked in a semicircle, making a full circle before moving towards each other as the fire slowly disappears until our bodies were nearly touching. My heart's hammering in my chest so much that it hurts, it's all up to Miho whether she finishes this or not.

Without a pause, she buried and snuggled her head into my neck.

'NOW! HURRY UP AND SPEAK BEFORE SHE CHANGES HER MIND!'

"Mi-Miho, you've always helped me when I'm feeling down. I'm not a salamander and I'm not sure if I could ever perfectly be like one, but I promise to make you the happiest girl ever... I..." 'COME ON HANWEI JUST SAY IT!' "Iloveyouwillyoubemy-"

"YES! YES! YES!" Miho jumped to circle her arms around my neck, crashing her lips onto mine.

My balance was knocked off until I supported us both and kissed back. Her lips feel so warm, so soft, setting million jolts of pleasure and happiness to my entire body. My mind melted away, the surroundings stilled as if time stopped just for the two of us. Our hearts beat in one, nothing else mattered as we felt connected.

Eventually we broke the kiss to breath. Miho had tears of joy in her eyes, "I love you too. For a long time, you were always by my side and gave me strength to move forward. Hanwei-sama, I love you so much."

Dammit, now I'm starting to tear up too, that is so not manly. Cupping her cheek, we closed in for another ki-

*BAM*

I reflexively held Miho in my arms in a protective manner, only to find the rest of the ORC falling onto the floor due to crowding against the door too hard. How much did they hear?

"Oh h-hey Daisuke, you're not too mad r-right?"

"Forgive us Hanwei-kun, we were too curious."

"S-s-senpai, please don't k-kill me!"

The guys attempted to play it off yet they were sweating buckets while the girls averted their gazes in shame, except for Rias who strolled boldly towards Miho. The pinkette responded fearlessly and locked eyes. Oh fuck, this is gonna end horribly!

The red head pointed a finger at her rival and declared, "If there is anyone who is most suited for Daisuke right now, it would be you. However remember this, the moment you show an opening, the moment Daisuke gets tired of you, I will steal him for myself. Do you understand me?"

Miho smirked, "Completely."

... Or not. Did something happen between those two?

"Ara ara, congratulations Daisuke-kun, Miho-chan. That doesn't mean I will give up either."

"Watch out Miho-san because this kitty has her cuteness factor senpai can't resist."

"Hanwei-san, Miho-san, may God bless you with eternal happiness."

"Good for you Hanwei, I knew you'd have the guts to confess."

A wave of exuberance washed all over me. Miho returned to my side as we held each other close, "Thank you everyone. This is the best moment in my life and there is nothing that can ruin it."

Me and my big fat mouth. Why the fuck did I had to jinx it? I already learned the universe is out to get me months ago!

"I still do not understand how this is possible however, I have spent many restless days and nights confirming this data." Despite what Ajuka said, he still looks handsome and pristine as ever. He pointed at the two images, "These two represent the genomes of pure-blooded devils and reincarnated devils respectively. I designed the Evil Pieces to reincarnate any none-Gods into devils while retaining their original DNA."

"For example, Koneko Toujou still has all her innate abilities as a nekomata and received properties of a pure-blooded devil at the same time. Her offspring may have a minuscule amount or virtually devoid of devil origins because of her strong youkai DNA. Reincarnated humans also cannot procreate pure-blooded devils as they always contain their human DNA."

"We may use the term 'demonized' to describe the general case. Reincarnated devils have demonized DNA at the end of each chromosome as caps to effectively allow them utilize their original powers to the fullest. In return, they may never master their demonic powers to the level of their pure-blooded counterparts without constant diligent training."

That explains why everyone preferred their innate powers in canon.

"However, you are a different case Hanwei." The scientist brought up a third image and my eyes were wide as saucers, "Half of your chromosomes are not demonized at all, more like they transformed. A perfect blend between two species."

"We've researched to the best of our abilities but we still couldn't find any answers Daisuke." Azazel chipped in his own info, "Neither fallen angel nor devil technology could figure out your clusterfuck."

"Am I a descendant of the original Lucifer?"

"You are a reincarnated devil right?"

No wonder my aura resembles Vali's! Kuroka and Bikou knew what they sensed since they've been with him for so long!

Sirzechs grimaced, "There is also a possibility for you to revert back to what you once were. We do not know what other abnormalities that lies in the future though right now-"

"You mean to tell me that I'm still half human!?"

Guest from chapter 41: Does this answer your question?

AN: Hey guys, I'm done with finals. I thought about splitting this into two chapters but realized I've been dragging this volume out for too long already. The Rating Game against Sona was summarized because the last chapter already had a full fight, plus I couldn't figure out how Sona would act with Daisuke in this universe. Hope you all like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Ja Ne