Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

30. Chapter 30

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

…..

30- Destruction Vs Immortality: Opening Salvos

…..

The residents of Shirou's house needed only a few minutes to learn two things about Grayfia; she was relentless in her duties as a maid and she enjoyed them.

Taking control of the house and having it clean with only Liz's assistance, Grayfia's presence dominated the whole place not as a mighty Queen throwing her power around but of a woman on a mission to make sure that everyone else was comfortable.

Since the house was huge, Medusa actually offered her assistance but Grayfia not only dismissed it as unnecessary but also would be frowned upon since Medusa was a goddess. Such thoughts just had everyone else, with the exception of Beowulf who was already used to Queen's way of doing things, to look at her dumbfounded since Grayfia was literally the Queen of the Underworld as Sirzechs was considered its true King even if only on paper.

As wife of the main leader of the Underworld, Grayfia's position was something that Medusa considered superior to her own as she had no lands or followers while Grayfia could call reinforcements from a whole faction for assistance with a snap of her fingers.

It was Beowulf who told everyone that "If she is that powerful and wishes to be a maid, you all should let her be a maid." And so Grayfia kept working with only Liz's assistance, even forcing Leysritt to use her white and blue uniform complete with her hat. The Queen also made sure that Liz was working to the best of her ability and giving no chance to the short haired maid to slack off.

In record time the whole house was clean, even more spotless than usual as the dust that had accumulated on ten days was completely eradicated. Nobody saw Grayfia using any magic, even if sometimes she moved so fast that the majority believed she was teleporting, and yet the house was impeccable like if a fairy had come around to solve all issues with a wave of a magic wand.

There was something that Grayfia didn't challenge anyone around; who was going to cook. Shirou received full permission to step into the kitchen once it was clean, the second room the house to be taken care of after the living room.

Even if the living room was clean for her to have a place to wait, Medusa was curious and watched the long haired maid work and was so impressed by it that she called Grayfia 'The Ultimate Maid'.

A combination of the title and the goddess cuteness was able to make Grayfia smile and pat her head for a second before going back to work.

While the cleaning got done, Shirou worked on a simple dinner for everyone. He could already guess that Liz was going to be exhausted after cleaning so he made sure to make a lot of food. "Do you have any preference, Beowulf-san?" Shirou was asking the question to the tall brown haired man that was sitting in the living room.

The devil was surprised but recovered quickly. "You need not to worry about me, lord Emiya. I shall eat whatever food you serve."

"Please, there is no need to call me lord. Just Shirou is fine or my family name if you want to remain formal." The redhead starts separating the dishes when the man enters the kitchen.

"Then just call me Beowulf too. I heard that the 'san' is just for politeness anyway." The tall man started with a smile before moving closer to some cabinets. "Do you need any help setting up the table?"

"Don't worry, I got this. You guys are pretty much guests so just sit down and relax." Shirou replies back but Beowulf shakes his head.

"My Queen may be upset if she notices me standing still and doing nothing. The least I can do is help setting things up." The man says with a smile as he receives some plates. "Also I should apologize for her intensity but she hates leaving things unattended. Especially on the domestic side."

Shirou chuckles. "No problems, I have met her before."

"Oh, right. Lord Sirzechs visited once. I almost forgot." Beowulf moves to the table and starts to set it up.

"Can I ask something?" Shirou asked temptivally, he really didn't know how to approach the subject.

"Of course. Regardless of how we treat each other, you are the magician of the young mistress…I believe the term in your country would be 'ojou-sama'? Sorry but I am not really familiar with these separate terms despite how many times ojou-sama insisted on some of them."

"No problem for me. I also mostly use them to be polite." Shirou admitted before moving to his question. "Do you have anything to do with the original Beowulf? You don't have to answer-"

"Of course. I am his direct descendent." Beowulf can see Shirou's eyes grow wide. "Surprised?"

"Well, didn't his legend say that he… you know…"

"I understand but you should remember that those times things were different and his legend doesn't really talk about his 'accidents' does it?" Beowulf comments in a playful fashion. "Actually we would have met much sooner if I wasn't busy on a mission at the time but opportunity seemed to favor us this time around and we could finally meet."

"I remember Rias mentioning you once or twice." His sword, more than the man himself but Shirou wasn't going to say that.

"Yes, she also told us a lot about you last time she visited the Underworld. That was a while ago." Beowulf lamented a little before smiling again. "Either way, she said you study Noble Phantasms, swords that are Noble Phantasms to be more exact."

"I do more than that. I am sure Rias told you." Lifting his hand, Shirou produced his Muramasa and immediately Beowulf was examining the katana.

"That is amazing. A true Noble Phantasm made with just magic." He then looks at Shirou with curiosity. "If I remember correctly you also have the original."

"'Had'. I got rid of it because it was too dangerous." Beowulf nodded his head. Even lacking all details he understood the decision. "As you can see, if you allow me to study your sword, I will be able to Trace it. If that bothers you-"

"Not at all." Beowulf shrugged off Shirou's concerns. "I am actually curious to see if you can… you called it 'Trace' right?"

"Yes, Tracing is my own branch of magecraft, a different kind of Projection." Shirou didn't think the man wanted a proper explanation.

"Honestly, I don't mind. You are ojou-sama's magician and I believe my lord would be upset if I didn't show it to you." Beowulf raises his own hand and a magic circle appears. "It takes a while for this old thing to leave the pocket dimension. Did you know my ancestor broke it the first time he used it? Talk about a monster with just how strong he was." His smile grew wild. "But then again, the legendary Beowulf did beat a monster to death with just his bare hands."

And before Shirou's eyes showed up a pitch black blade taller than his arm and his eyes quickly filled with mana as he began to Analyze its form.

It is true that it was broken once but it was reforged with magic but it recovered fully and time made it stronger. It was imbued with the power to 'pursue' something and made it so that the blade could track anyone who his master wished to target for the most optimal swing.

While the sword, a huge thing with a guard smaller than the blade and with many openings on its design to deflect other weapons, was black now it was because it was in its weakest state. Seeing through its history, Shirou could see it at its strongest, a huge blood-crismon sword that can easily cut huge monsters when used by someone strong enough to take advantage of its capabilities.

For this sword was all about optimization and its user must be like Beowulf, strong enough to challenge monsters with his bare hands. Only then can the blade use its full potential.

But Shirou can also see it as a hunter, a wild hound or wolf that won't hesitate to go for the jugular for its master's sake with precision regardless of the strength of the swing. It may fail to kill but it will hit nonetheless for that was what it existed to do.

Stronger than Muramasa, easier to use than Caladbolg, the sword that killed the Mother of Grendel. "Hrunting." Shirou said the name with reverence as Muramasa disappeared and a copy of it took its place.

"Amazing, you didn't even need to touch it." Beowulf holds his sword closer to Shirou's for comparison.

"Holding it would help but as a Noble Phantasm the main aspects of its legend are easier to grasp." At Shirou's words, Beowulf offers him Hrunting. "Are you sure? If I dig more deeper I will see even your history with it."

"I already said I didn't mind and if it is going to help you then you can hold it." Beowulf reassures him and Shirou accepts the weapon. "I will finish setting up the table, take all the time you need."

Shirou didn't waste any time and used Structural Analysis on Hrunting, his mind and soul devouring every scrap of knowledge the sword was willing to give him.

And the sword gave plenty, he saw first and foremost the moment it was forged; it was a dwarf's weapon, forged by them with rune magic and a mineral that could only be found deep on the earth close to volcanoes.

Their techniques on heat manipulation were some of the best that Shirou had ever seen, just watching the creation of Hrunting was enough to convince Shirou that the dwarfs of legend could forge weapons to the gods themselves.

It was then stolen, Shirou didn't know by whom since the man died before using it and it didn't take long to end in the hands of Beowulf himself or to be sacrificed to kill the Mother of Grendel. Even feeling Beowufl's power by proxy told Shirou that he wasn't able to use this sword to its full potential like him while the mythical warrior could have used something like Caladbolg easily if he had it or even Muramasa itself but would be in danger of losing himself to bloodlust.

He saw the blade being reforged and traded many times, some of its owners used it to slay monsters, others didn't hesitate to turn it on mankind. Violence followed that sword or it followed violence, Shirou couldn't say for certain.

But he saw all of it, all the fights that Hrunting took part in and all the blood it spilled. Yet none of its users could compete with the fury and power of the original Beowulf, except one.

Shirou wouldn't be able to say if it was luck that made a man similar to the one now inside his house find the weapon, all that he knew was that he did and it was passed to his son, named after the original owner of their blade, Beowulf.

After many fights, many victories while searching for new tests of his strength, of becoming someone worthy of his namesake legacy, Beowulf crossed paths with Sirzechs Gremory and challenged him to a fight.

Once more Hrunting did its duty and showed the path to victory to its owner and where to cut for the sake of killing its target. Beowulf still lost, there was no winning against Sirzechs at that time despite having done the most optimal attack and the devil having held some of his power back.

And yet the brown haired man was happy. He had found someone or something that he was looking for and asked to become the devil's servant.

A wave of satisfaction hits Shirou as he blinks a little when he returns to reality. 'Did you show him someone he could follow? Were you trying to give meaning to his life?' The sword didn't reply but the magus had a feeling that even if that fight was lost, the sword still showed the most optimal path for its owner to reach his goals. 'Was it luck or was it fate that you were found? Or maybe you were also looking for someone similar to your original master?'

"I see that Beowulf has already lent you his sword." Grayfia's voice snaps Shirou out of his thoughts as she approaches him. Even after all the work she did the Queen remained pristine and didn't look bothered or tired. "That means that he already accomplished one of our objectives here."

"What do you mean?" Shirou can't say he knows Grayfia well but he doubted that she would be in his home without reason. From the corner of his eye he watched Medusa sit down on the table to get ready to eat and Liz positioning herself to do the same.

Until Grayfia grabbed the collar of her uniform, having suddenly moved behind the younger maid. "As a maid, you must not sit down until the master of the house says you can." Her voice was calm but also sounded like the worst of winters. "You must remain diligent, vigilant and ready until you are dismissed or on your own time."

Leysritt's face was distressed and she was too exhausted to say anything else. Grayfia had not given her a break or allowed her to make a single mistake and the house was so polished that it was possible to eat from the floor if someone wanted and all that was because of both women's combined efforts.

But after all that work, Liz's reserves of energy are done for and just remaining standing, even with the Queen holding her easily, was taking too much just for her to keep her head up and not just lose conscience.

After dealing with Grayfia for what felt like an eternity, Liz wanted to just drop down and sleep after eating something. Her eyes turn to Shirou who immediately reacts. "Let her sit down, Grayfia. Dinner will be ready shortly and you two have already done enough."

With a nod, the Queen lets the short haired woman go and Liz takes her place at the table with the last of her strength before resting her head in her arms. It was clear she was only going to get up again when the food was on the table.

"As you wish, Emiya-sama." Shirou shakes her head.

"Shirou is fine." At that it was Grayfia's turn to shake her head.

"Unfortunately I am here in the capacity as the Queen of my King. I have a duty to accomplish and so I shall treat you with the proper respect." Her nose twitched a little and Grayfia took her seat. "I can also tell that dinner is almost ready and these kinds of talks are better with food on the table."

Still not feeling any danger and noticing that Beowulf was doing most of the work himself, Shirou got moving again.

The magus was still a little concerned by what Grayfia wanted to talk about but he agreed with her that the conversation would be better with food.

…..

Plans were made and preparations were done, now all that Rias Gremory's peerage can do is wait. They are all mingling in the main office of the ORC, drinking tea and just sitting around.

Issei can't stop his feet tapping the floor, Asia was at his side dressed in her nun clothes with all the crosses and other symbols from God removed in contrast to everyone else who is just using their normal school uniform in their winter variation. When the game begins, all of them may change if they want or need.

"Ahh! This is nerve wracking!" Issei suddenly exclaimed out loud, startling Asia and getting everyone's attention. "Buchou, how long before it begins?"

Looking at the clock on the wall, Rias replies with "Another hour or so." before taking another sip of her tea. Contrary to many present who looked to the clock nervously, the redhead was calm.

"Maybe they should have started this a little sooner." Issei complains with impatience but Akeno shakes her head.

"This is a show as much as a dispute between Kings." The Queen begins explaining. "There are guests probably still arriving, spectators, preparations to make sure everyone can see the game properly..." At that point Akeno just smiled and waved her hand to indicate there were more reasons that she wasn't saying.

"So we are going to be watched by all the Underworld? I was not ready for that." Issei shivers a little, much to Rias' amusement.

"It isn't all the Underworld. Just the families involved and their close allies." Rias places her chin over her fist and smiles sweetly. "Didn't I already explain that this is a close affair, Ise?"

"Try to not think too much about it. It doesn't matter who is watching or how many there are. Focus on the fight." Kiba already had one of his swords ready and waiting while Koneko was eating some sweets at his side.

"What an unreliable senpai." The white haired devil's words pierces Issei's heart and he almost falls from the couch.

"Excuse me but how many will be watching, Buchou?" Asia asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm, if I was to give a number I would say twenty or so people. Give or take." Rias replied with a shrug. "Mostly it is going to be our direct families, with some wanting to watch the fight to alleviate their boredom or to legitimately show support."

"So just the Gremory and Phenex?" That brought the nun some relief but Rias shook her head.

"I think some of my mother's family will come." Rias said with a smile. "I know that at least my cousin, Sairaorg, will come to offer his support. He is a good man like that."

"'Sairaorg'?" Issei was curious about Rias' family, she didn't talk much about anyone besides her brother.

Before Rias could reply there was a knock on the door. Since they were going to be directly transported to the dimension where the Rating Game was going to happen, the boundary fields around the club were 'turned off' so she didn't know who it was. "Enter." She doubted there was going to be any sabotage with so many nobles watching so she decided to accept the visit.

Two of the people entering the room were no surprise for Rias, she was waiting for Sona to make an appearance the whole day and her arrival with Tsubaki was expected.

Who wasn't expected and even made Rias' heart skip a bit was her magus turned lover Emiya Shirou who entered the office with a new set of clothes that she didn't fully recognize.

Rias never really had much interest in men, she lived most of her life surrounded by some of the best looking ones around but she never felt lust or even curiosity towards them. After her first night with Shirou, she started to feel attraction to him but looking at him dressed in red and black lit a flame in her that had her licking her lips.

"Shiro!" Rias says quickly looking at a small box in his hands. "Please tell me that these are your cookies!"

"Baked for the occasion." Opening the box allows the office to be filled with the sweet aroma of his cookies while Shirou stepped closer to her desk and placed them on it. "Go ahead, dig in." Everyone, even Sona and Tsubaki got one quickly before Koneko, who got to the box first, devoured all the cookies by herself.

And while she bit her cookie, Rias' eyes didn't leave Shirou. 'He looks like a true noble warrior.' It was the clothes, she realized.

Shirou was dressed in his special armor with Medusa's Jewel on his chest, the only part of his wardrobe that Rias was familiar with. The pants looked new, black like the armor and complimenting the boots, those she recognized as his creation but she had no idea they were ready. Shirou's new boots didn't look like those of the knights of old, there was a modern touch to them and the black of the leather met with a brand of steel weaker than the armor's but similar.

What really caught Rias' attention was the red coat, or at least what looked like a coat for her since she couldn't see space for any pockets or anything else typical of a coat or even a cloak. The heiress would call it a cape if anyone asked, a cape with sleeves would be an apt description in her opinion but Rias wasn't comfortable with it.

The red coat hugged Shirou's body nicely in a way to not impair his movements, the sleeves perfectly aligned with his arms and his legs were completely free while the lower part of the coat seemed to not be able to get between them.

All in all Rias saw in Shirou's change of clothes someone that could be comfortable both on the battlefield and in a high society party. Her newly awakened lust towards him practically demanded that she took him then and there but instead she just smiled to show she was pleased. "New clothes, Shiro?"

"Grayfia showed up at my house yesterday and told me that if I wanted to watch your game I would have to dress the part." Her sister-in-law's presence at Shirou's house didn't surprise Rias, she could see that her brother wanted her to have as much support as he could give silently.

But Akeno moving closer and starting to feel his arms bothered her a little more than she wanted to admit. "I don't believe I have ever seen this kind of cloak before. Did you Alter it?"

"Kinda had to." Shirou replies with a chuckle. "It was a cape before but it was a little too big for me. Capes also aren't really my style so I changed it."

"A 'cape' you say?" Rias had a sneaking suspicion that her brother wanted them to match somewhat since capes are more his thing but Shirou possibly ruined those plans.

"Truly Sirzechs-sama wanted you to look more like devil nobility." Sona commented. "Since you are human, using armor gives a more powerful image of a warrior while a cape represents someone that can also find their place outside the battlefield."

"Exactly what I was thinking, Sona." Rias told her best friend, her eyes not leaving Shirou. "It would either be that or the clothes of a sage or a fine suit, things that you wouldn't be comfortable with."

"I wonder if he talked with my father about it." Shirou thought out loud and Rias couldn't help but agree.

"Wait a minute. What is this made of?" A surprised Akeno felt the texture of the red coat but couldn't identify it. When she tried to use magecraft she failed in grasping anything. "Structure Analysis isn't working on it properly."

"I tried something like that after Grayfia left, this thing is really stubborn with magic." Shirou explained while Sona, Tsubaki and Kiba got closer to him and started to feel the coat. "Even Reinforcement wasn't wasn't enough for it, if you can believe that."

"How did you turn it into a coat then?" Kiba asked, much to Sona and Tsubaki's confusion. Only the members of the ORC really knew how Shirou used his magecraft and even if the Sitri group knew about the basic spell they don't know how Reinforcement could be used to change the shape of something.

"Thanks to this little thing." Shirou points to the red jewel on his chest.

"Didn't it only work for your armor?" Rias asked in surprise. She knew that the Medusa's Gift must have powers beyond just fixing an armor but bypassing magical resistant clothing was something she didn't see coming.

"After five minutes or so of trying to change it I was about to quit when someone suggested that I used the jewel with it saying that 'technically the cape was part of the armor'." Everyone notices how Shirou avoided saying Medusa's name which made Rias chuckle.

"Don't worry Shiro, while it's true that someone is keeping an eye on us, they are all loyal to my brother as Grayfia is the official judge of the Rating Game. Most of them, if not all, know about Medusa in a way or another." Rias watched as Shirou frowned a little. "But why are you worried? If you are here, isn't she around too?"

"She is at home with Liz and Beowulf. Your brother sent him to guard her so I could come." And Shirou can admit that the taller man was stronger than him and was also a good person so he wasn't concerned for Medusa. "I still don't like that this many people know about her."

"It was either that or she wasn't staying in Fuyuki." Sona mentioned while fixing her glasses. As a stickler for the rules and with a goddess as a subject there was no way she wasn't making things official with Medusa.

"Thanks for the cookies." Koneko commented and Shirou pats her head.

"I just wanted to make something that would help." And Shirou still wanted to do more but that was the best he could come up with in short notice.

"It helped the nerves." Issei said after finishing his.

"If I had more time maybe I could make armor for everyone." Shirou laments his lack of highsight.

"Rushed jobs are usually the worst for anything and may even get in the way during the fight." Sona bluntly states to Shirou, who feels slightly offended to the idea he would rush a job and ruin it, before turning back to Rias. "Can you win?"

"Of course I can. Who do you think I am?" Rias replies playfully and Sona looks unconvinced. "I may not be like you with a plan for everything but trust me. We have a… game plan that will help us win depending on the battlefield." She specifically smiled at Shirou to show who helped her with that game plan in the first place.

Sona calmly turns her eyes to Issei before looking back to her oldest friend. "I see." It was all she was willing to say on the matter.

"I think I figured out what the material is…" Tsubaki says out loud. "It is made from the Amon Clan's chimera spiders' silk if I am not mistaken."

"Hmm, makes sense." Sona approached to touch the cape again.

"As expected of my brother." Rias was pleased that her sibling didn't save any expense to give Shirou the best protection.

"Can anyone elaborate for me please?" Shirou was starting to feel a little embarrassed that everyone kept touching him. "I recognize the name, one of the 72 Pillars correct?" Issei and Asia both nodded their heads to show they also needed some sort of explanation.

Eager to take the role of a teacher, Sona clears her throat. "That is correct. The Amon Clan, like my own and Rias' Clans, is one of the 72 Pillars of the Underworld and was one of the strongest clans during the days of the Great War, holding the same rank as Phenex Clan of Marquis." Taking a moment to fix her glasses, she continued. "After the Civil War of the Underworld, the Amon Clan turned their attention to the procreation of chimeras. Does everyone here know what a chimera is?" Rias rolls her eyes as Sona looks around to make sure that everybody is on the same page. "In case you aren't sure, chimeras are a combination of two or more creatures, usually from different species, born by magical means. The best ones are those that can become true animals and reproduce between each other while the more artificial ones are those unable to reproduce and because of that they will always be chimeras."

"So like a centa- I mean centaur? Is that the word, centaur?" Issei asked with a frown and Sona didn't give anyone else time to answer.

"A centaur may look like a chimera, they aren't one. The original Chimera was a berserker child of Typhon and the Echidna, a monster whose only goal was to destroy and kill while the centaurs were born from different beings." Sona wished that she had something to help in the presentation but she noticed that her words were being enough as it was. "The main reason why the name chimera is used to refer to the hybrid creations is because the original Chimera was unique and a much more obvious amalgamation of animals. These characteristics are what made the term 'chimera' the one to be used to classify most of these beasts."

"Not that I don't appreciate the lesson Sona but I think you got sidetracked." Rias told her friend gently but still amused. She could tell exactly where Sona was trying to get at but she didn't want to interrupt her friend, just direct her a little.

"Right, of course, my apologies." Sona fixes her glasses again, this time a little faster. "Chimeras are strange beings, powerful ones too depending on the animals used. On the other hand they can be extremely dangerous because of the odd combinations. Despite that, people still create them. Why? Two reasons; muscle for certain situations, a loyal chimera may have the track abilities of a dog while fighting with the same ferocity of a lion, and what the creatures themselves can be capable of creating, like a magical resistant silk."

"So you are saying this was made by a chimera?" Shirou looked at his clothes with new eyes.

"After the civil war, most clans needed to restructure their assets and find new ways of making money. Some succeeded, others didn't." Rias decided to speak. " The Amon Clan, who already had some work in reproduction of strange animals, started to expand on chimera research." She noticed Sona fixing her glasses again but said nothing. "It was there they found most success. Different combinations of chimera produce different results; hides capable of surviving cannon balls, fangs strong enough to break stone." She points to Shirou's boots. "Or extremely resistant leather."

"But most of their works are failures." Sona decided to take it from there. "Unlike the Phoenix Tears, which are relatively easier to produce, making a decent chimera is not an exact science. Even when using the same ingredients by the same devil, the end result may end in completely different for unknown reasons or simply down to luck." The process of birthing a chimera wasn't something Sona was privy to but that was because she hated the randomness of it. Her voice even had some of her disdain about the subject. "Without a definitive source of income, the Amon Clan started to lose some prestige because of the ascension of Rating Games. Unlike the Bael and others, they failed to produce Kings who reached high positions or even break into the Top 50."

"And since the process of creating a specific chimera boils down to luck, they can't make many of those silks or leathers." Rias remembered a time when the Amon Clan was the one trying to get her hand in marriage to attempt to use the Gremory Power to improve their odds. "The Amon can barely keep themselves afloat with the few successes they have but those successes were great despite being just a few."

"Like a chimera made using different kinds of spiders that can produce a silk that is extremely resistant to both magic and weapons." It was clear that Sona was talking about the red coat that Shirou now wears. "Unfortunately both creatures capable of creating such a thing are actually incompatible. My understanding was that there were three or four of such spider chimera born even after hundreds of attempts. What Shirou is wearing now probably costs a fortune."

The word 'fortune' didn't sit well with Shirou. "How much would you say it costs, Kaichou?"

"In yen?" Sona stopped for a moment to do some quick math. "I would say that a small piece of the silk would cost at least somewhere between one hundred thousand or so. Since your shroud was a cape, probably ten times more. With the consideration that Sirzechs may have received some discount, of course."

"A shroud! That was what that was reminding me of. It covers your body perfectly like a shroud." Rias exclaims after Sona finishes speaking. "It really doesn't have enough to be a coat and it's too small a cloak." The redhead devil nods her head in approval at her conclusion.

"Couldn't it also be a mantle?" Akeno asked her King but Rias shook her head.

"'Mantle' just sounds too generic. A shroud has more gravitas in my opinion. What do you think, Shiro?" It is then that Rias notices the horror in his face. "Shiro?"

"This costs too much." Shirou says in panic. "I can't believe that I turned it into a shroud," Rias giggles at how Shirou called his new piece of clothing contrary to Akeno who pouted, "I should have kept it as a cape to give it back after the game."

"Don't worry too much about it, Shiro. My brother probably intended for you to have it anyway." But Rias can see that her lover didn't like the idea which made her sigh. "You really were never good at accepting gifts."

"Not of the expensive kind." Shirou retorts while looking at the shroud. "I think I can change it back."

"How did you change it into a shroud in the first place?" Sona asked with a little wonder. "If this is truly made from the Silk of Amon then there is no way that magic could be responsible unless you had a considerable amount of power behind it."

"You could say that this Gift," Shirou points to the jewel in the center of his armor, "Is the better of the two." No one was going to disagree that an Artifact made by a goddess was priceless.

"Don't let my brother hear that. He will take it as a challenge and bury you with gifts." While Rias was speaking from experience, she can't help but find herself amused by how Shirou flinched at the thought. "It doesn't matter how expansive the shroud is anyway, while you have that jewel then you can fix it if destroyed."

"He can?" Sona's curiosity officially peaked.

"Oh, yeah. We never told you what that little Gift can do." Rias suddenly realized with a chuckle.

"I don't think I know what that jewel does either, Buchou." Issei felt himself out of the loop but his eyes were on the red gem surrounded in black.

"An explanation for another time." Rias told her Pawn and she could see how Issei's face fell at being excluded from something that all his companions know about.

"It is so pretty." All except Asia who found herself enchanted by the jewel.

"I don't see any problems telling you what it can do." Rias decided but said nothing else, leaving Shirou to explain if he wished.

Which her fellow redhead didn't mind much. "It is a Gift I got after an adventure." The details Shirou had long decided to not dwell on. "It allows me to do many things with my armor, whose material was too stubborn to modify by myself. The silk of the shroud had exactly the same problem but apparently this little thing works in more than just my armor." The jewel shines with a soft glow and the shroud color changes to white. "Besides being able to fix my armor I also discovered that it can change its colors."

"You were better in red." Rias commented with a small, almost imperceptible frown on her face.

"Hmm, I actually agree with that." Sona's input about the topic was unexpected. "Red and black are the colors of Gremory. As a human it would be better if Shirou was in those colors to show his allegiance. Safer too."

"Indeed. He is going to be surrounded by nobles." Akeno reminds everyone of the fact. "If you are in the Gremory colors, at the very least, Rias' family will receive you with open arms."

Shirou flinched a little at the thought but Rias actually laughed. "Haha. Don't worry, Shiro. They would receive you with open arms anyway. You are my magician."

'I am also the guy that potentially made all this for nothing to the 'devil nobility'.' Shirou doesn't dare to say it out loud as he changes his shroud's color back to red. He avoids saying anything to not let it out that what Akeno suggested wasn't his main concern.

"Anyway, we better get going." Sona announced with a frown. "I still need to take Shirou to join the other spectators and it would be better if we left you for your preparations... Some may take offense if he arrives late."

"He could say he was just fashionably late." Rias said as a joke that only received a deadpan stare from Sona.

"You are really in high spirits for someone whose rest of her life is being betted on this game." The Sitri heiress points out with some concern in her voice. "Are you sure everything is ready? I understand that you already have a plan but if you aren't confident…"

"My, my, Sona. I didn't expect you to be so worried about me." Rias knew that her words weren't helping her friend so she decided to be sincere. "Don't worry. You only saw one of my plans and I have plenty, maybe even more depending on the battlefield Raiser had chosen."

A concerned Shirou noticed something on Rias' turn of phrase. "You don't have any idea of where it is going to be yet?"

Rias giggles at that. "Remember those books that you called useless? The ones about Rating Games?" Her question made Sona glare at Shirou a little but he didn't notice as his eyes were still on Rias. "They state clearly that 'in case of a Rating Game for a contract or to settle a debt, the challenge party has the right to define the battlefield'. Riser has known it for ten days, we will only know once it begins."

"That sounds unfair." Shirou folds his arms with a frown.

"Most Rating Games only have their rules and battlefield revealed at the moment of the battle. To help build suspense." Sona elaborates, still looking a little cross at Shirou. "Usually neither side has a definitive advantage but in cases of disputes, the challenged party gets some benefits 'for the sake of fairness'." She spoke in a way to say that it wasn't on a case by case basis. "Which brings me back to my question;" Her attention returned to Rias. "Can you really win?"

"Whoa, I never knew I had so little faith from you." Rias teased Sona but the short haired pureblood shook her head.

"I am not joking, Rias. This is your future at stake and I fear you aren't taking things seriously." Those words had Rias blue eyes fixed on her oldest friend in a glare that impressed Sona.

"Oh, believe me, I am taking this seriously." The determination on Rias' eyes shone in a way that Sona never saw from her before. "I know that I am not like you Sona, I already admitted that I don't have a plan for every little thing like you always do." Rias closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them again, Sona was sure that she wasn't looking at her. "But I have reasons to win; so I won't lose." Looking back at Sona, Rias gave her a smile that the Sitri heir never saw before. "You don't have to worry, Sona."

"You changed." Sona spoke so fast that her mind barely had time to catch up with her. "Something about you is different… you are different. What happened in the last ten days?"

Outside of everyone's view Shirou looked a little nervous but only Rias could see it as he was standing by Sona's side. The redhead devil found his expression cute. "A lot can happen in ten days. It was an illuminating and pleasant experience." Rias felt that she could watch Shirou making cute expressions all day and not get tired. "Even with all the training, those ten days were some of the best of my life. Now all that we need to do is win this Rating Game."

Realizing that Rias wasn't lying to her, even if she was omitting something, Sona can also understand that the Gremory King was ready for the fight that was coming and was intending to win.

With a small nod, Sona offers her friend a smile. "I shall be waiting for you to tell me the highlights of your match over a cup of tea in the student council room." Sona has decided that if Rias believes in victory then she will believe in it too, to an extent.

"Can't wait." WIth just a few words Rias was expressing her excitement and happiness to just do something normal for them after the Rating Game was over..

"Wait a minute, Kaichou. Aren't you going to watch our game?" A curious Issei managed to ask.

"I can't watch the game, this is a matter of families between the Gremory and the Phenex. While our families are allies, I was not invited. None of the Sitri were since we technically are just business partners." Sona could almost hear Shirou mumbling something about 'politics'. "Instead I came here to just wish luck to my friend on the way to escort our mutual acquaintance to the spectators lounge at Grayfia's request."

Or, what those that could understand the subtlety of politics noticed, Grayfia wanted to give Sona a chance to talk with Rias and Shirou needing directions for a proper teleportation was a good opportunity even if the maid could have guided him directly there if she wanted.

Rias closes her eyes with a small grin. 'I doubt she will admit sending my friend here while on duty. Grayfia is kind like that but 'as a proper maid' she should only do the job given.' Not that she will complain. "I thank you all for coming, the three of you."

Tsubaki shakes her head since she was only there to accompany her King but Sona nods and accepts the gratitude.

Shirou gives Rias a firm nod. "I suppose that all I can offer is 'good luck'."

"I have that to spare." Rias declares confidently. "Now get out of here. Sona is right that some people will complain if you arrive too late."

And so the magus left, the two Sitri devils escorting him out of the ORC and towards the school. "You said I am going to be teleported right? How?" Shirou never could use teleportation since he wasn't a devil.

"Some teleportation circles can be adjusted to teleport anyone to another of the same kind." Sona glances at Shirou for a moment. "They use a lot of mana so they either need a ley line or someone to act as an anchor. In this case I believe that lady Grayfia is the one connected to it as one of the judges of this Rating Game."

"I suppose her as a judge is something else in the book I dismissed." Sona paused for a moment, looking at Shirou almost like she didn't comprehend his words. Even her Queen looked a little surprised.

"You are spending too much time with Rias and Akeno." Sona's comment made Shirou chuckle.

"Ever thought they are the ones spending too much time with me?" At Shirou's question Tsubaki shook her head.

"You are too nice to be the one who started any teasing." Was the Queen's immediate response.

"I don't know. I have been told that I have a mean streak on me and could be a sarcastic douche." Neither of the two girls believed him.

Until Sona decided to take things a little more seriously. "Do you think they can win?"

"I thought we already had that discussion." Shirou replied but Sona stopped to look back at him.

"Before I was asking RIas, now I am asking you." The trio fully stopped as Shirou gave Sona his full attention. "You helped them during the last ten days and aren't as involved with the Rating Game itself. I am sure your perspective is not as biased."

'Except that if Rias loses, odds are that I will either have to run away or end up dead.' Sweating and with a frown, Shirou took him a few seconds before he finally said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't sincerely believe that Rias was going to win."

Sona frowned a little but said nothing as Shirou looked her in the eyes. His hope was that the student council president thinks too much about his words and failed to find their true meaning. Since he can't lie, his only way to escape the situation while replying and avoiding saying anything compromising was to be deliberately vague.

"So you wouldn't be here to watch them fight if you knew they were going to lose? That sounds a bit cold coming from you, Emiya." Sona confirmed that she understood what he wanted her to.

But Shirou wasn't out of the woods yet and a reply was necessary. "It would be painful and I don't like seeing anyone suffer." In case Rias had no chances of winning Shirou would march and confront her father before the Rating Game or, in the worst case scenario, engage in one of his own father's plans to escape. "But I believe they will- No, that is wrong. I know they will win."

"Why?" Sona has no idea of what happened in the last ten days for Rias and was fishing for information. "Let's be realistic here; the odds are far from being in her favor, Riser's side is stronger and more experienced, he chose the battlefield and the Power of Destruction, the only thing that can probably counter his Immortality, cost too much mana for Rias to win a straight fight." If she was in the same situation, the Sitri King was sure that she wouldn't be winning that game. "So what gives you all so much confidence. You, Rias, her whole peerage believe that victory is possible. Why?"

"I think that the best answer that I can give you is 'wait and see'." Shirou can see that Sona didn't like the answer. "A lot has happened in the last ten days, especially for us- for Rias." Almost had a slip of the tongue but Shirou pushed forward. "To tell you everything, even just Rias' side, it would take a good while. That is not even accounting for the others."

"You make it sound like you guys didn't train together?" Tsubaki found the notion his words were impling odd.

Shirou found her question amusing. "We didn't. To be more specific we trained mostly in pairs to strengthen everyone individually during these ten days."

"That was unwise." Sona bluntly stated as she began to walk again in the direction of the main school building. "Without knowing how to work as an unit, and against a more experienced enemy to boot, there is no way for them to win."

It was the sadness in Sona's voice that prompted Shirou to say something. "While it is true that teamwork is important, you shouldn't underestimate the strength of the individual." She stopped to show she was listening but Sona wasn't turning around. "Working together, enacting a plan, combining strengths, all of it is important on a battlefield, I won't deny that. But there are times that the act of working with someone can be detrimental, especially when there is a great difference between strengths not only on the opposite side but on their own side as well. If the difference of power is too great, it is better to leave the stronger member of the group to deal with the enemy than risk someone dying unnecessarily."

With a determined glare, Sona turns to Shirou with anger in her eyes. "I refuse to believe that. With the right strategy, even someone weak can defeat the strong and only with a team truly working together victory can be seized."

"Only if everyone is strong enough to enact their part of the plan in the first place." Shirou said back with a grin and he could feel Sona's glare grow more intense.

"A good plan accounts for all possibilities and takes into account every resource available, including the strength of allies." While her glare was intense, Sona's voice was cold and resolute.

"True, but a plan can't account for everything. Never heard the saying, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'?" Shirou was having fun seeing Sona want to refute him but failing. 'Maybe she is right, I am hanging around Rias and Akeno a little too much.' Not that he was going to stop. "The stronger the individual is, the better they can accomplish a task which is why most of the training during the last ten days was separated. I personally helped Rias develop a new way to use her mana and together we worked on strategy."

"So you are a strategist now?" Sona raised an eyebrow but her voice was neutral. "Then you must realize they must fight together against Riser's peerage and that without proper preparation, Rias' chances are close to none."

Shirou chuckles a little. "More than you think but they had all their time to rest yesterday and today before the game. Time they used to plan and prepare."

"But with no training and no practice; how do you expect them to work together?" Sona was worried about her friend, she didn't want Rias to end in an unhappy marriage for the rest of her life and she could do nothing to help.

Realizing her concerns, Shirou shrugs. "Rias is smarter than you think and with the right motivation she can do wonders. Give her some credit." With a 'humph', Sona turns around, believing that Shirou had nothing important to tell her. "We should have these kinds of conversations more often."

Hearing the magus' words had Sona curious again. "What kind of conversations? A discussion where we talk about the odds of my friend losing a match that will define the course of her life?"

"Discussion, debate, call them as you will. We should have more of these, Kaichou. This one kinda reminded me when I used to debate with Angelo." Shirou rubbed his chin when he said that.

"You mean the descendant of Gilgamesh? You debated combat with him?" Tsubaki was the one who asked but Shirou knew Sona also wanted to know the same thing.

"Combat, philosophy, we used to trade all kinds of ideas. I kinda missed that, talking with someone with a different opinion which wasn't necessarily wrong." Sona was surprised by the softness of Shirou's tone but when she looked at him she just saw a gentle smile. "Don't misunderstand, Rias and I… we tend to fight about one thing or another but we always end with someone stepping back when the other has the reason or with the other admitting defeat… silently since neither of us is really good at saying that we lost." His smile didn't diminish as he spoke fondly of his time with Rias. "Even within our group of friends we don't fight much or even debate, we spend time together enjoying similar things or working or training. While you and I, we are different, our ideas are different. But that doesn't mean that either of us is wrong."

Sona realized that she couldn't disagree with him, at least not entirely. "Maybe you are right. Doesn't mean that I agree with what you are saying."

"And that is the point. Two sides talk but neither is right or wrong." Shirou said with a shrug. "I wouldn't mind discussing more later if you want?"

Shirou began to walk ahead to the main school building but something he said bothered Sona. "When you said that our discussion reminded you of him, what did you mean?"

"That I missed talking with a friend that disagrees with me on something." Shirou didn't stop walking and both devils started to follow him. "I believe you were there for our first discussion, right? When we pretty much said that it was good to bounce ideas around with someone that disagreed with them?"

It was almost a year ago but Sona could never forget a debate that involved Noble Phantasms and the merits of reincarnation on a devil. "Yes, you said something about 'testing if your ideas could hold under scrutiny'."

"Not in such flowery language but yes, that was mostly what we did; we traded ideas to see if they were good or not. I miss doing that." The redhead didn't have the same expression that he had when talking about Rias but Sona noticed a certain nostalgia.

"And I am like him? Someone you disagree with?" Sona wasn't going to let Shirou stomp on her principles.

Never realizing that wasn't his intention. "No, you are like a friend that I can have a hard conversation with." Shirou stops and turns back. "Because you think something different from me and you care enough to defend it." The King of Sitri now could understand that Shirou wasn't trying to step on her principles and pride but he just had a different point of view.

'What a novel experience…' Sona thinks to herself as even on her peerage most of them just agree with her ideas and ways to do things. Only Rias truly disagreed with her and both mostly ignored each other's advice and stayed out of each other's problems. "We never truly had much of a conversation before, did we?"

"Formalities and such. Usually you just want to play and talk with Rias." Shirou quickly waves his hand. "Nothing wrong with that, we just didn't have an opportunity."

"Fine." Sona accepted Shirou's words with a smile of her own. "I still prefer teamwork, the development of a unit together as one while you prefer the power of an individual before an unit. I can accept that both our ideas are right… to an extent."

"Of course." Shirou replied with a smile before pointing to the school with his thumb. "So, I deduced that the magic circle is on the main school building but in which room?"

"Follow us." Sona replies and takes point with Tsubaki once again.

The rest of the walk was silent, since it was a Sunday there was nobody around at night and any night worker was dismissed for the day. Yet Shirou knew the three of them were not alone.

Each hallway had a presence, weak and almost undetectable but his nose twitched at every new smell. It made sense on Shirou's mind since some of the high nobility of the Underworld were now easily found with the magic circle he was about to use so it had to be properly guarded.

As such the magic circle wasn't in any true important place of the building, it was a simple classroom on the first floor and when he entered the place he could tell that there was more than one presence inside it but they all lost to the strongest person whose power darfed everyone else's. And she was clearly waiting for him.

"Welcome, Emiya-sama." Grayfia was dressed exactly the same way he saw her the day prior. The Ultimate Maid, as proclaimed by Medusa, even offered him the same bow she did when he invited her to his house. "I see you managed to modify the cape that was given to you."

Not detecting any reprimand but still feeling a little guilty now that he knew the price of the material he was dressing, Shirou could only give her a half depressed smile. "I apologize. I didn't know how expensive the material actually was. I think I can change it back."

"I don't know why you would do that, Emiya-sama. The cape was a present for you and you can do as you see fit with it. The fact that you actually managed to modify it was what really caught my attention." Grayfia remained polite and nothing indicated that she was anything other than stoicism but Shirou took her comment as an indication that she was curious.

Unfortunately with so many presences around the school, Shirou still didn't dare to even utter Medusa's name and decided to be subtle. "I thank you again for allowing Beowulf to take care of my home while I am here. I really appreciate it." His hand touched his jewel as he did a small bow.

As the Queen of Lucifer, Grayfia was aware enough to read between the lines. "Of course, Emiya-sama. You possess many valuable treasures that my King knew you would feel better if there was someone there to protect them." Shirou was glad that she understood the message and the maid turned to look at Sona. "I thank you for escorting the Magician of Gremory here, lady Sitri."

"It is no problem, Grayfia." Sona replies politely but a part of her wanted to treat Grayfia as the Queen she was but the woman detested being called by anything other than her name especially on the job. "I saw no issues in escorting Emiya and will do anything else if lord Lucifer requires."

"I will be sure to inform my King of your disposition and prepare a suitable reward for your services." The reply felt staged for Shioru but still sounded natural from Grayfia's lips.

"It is not necessary, Queen Grayfia. I just did my duty." Sona spoke a little submissively but once again the words felt staged to Shirou with Sona clearly having less practice in speaking like that.

After a while his mind caught up with what was happening. 'God I hate politics, this theater is just annoying.' Shirou understood that the people around may not all be exclusively loyal to Sirzechs and that some demonstration of fidelity may excuse Sona having been his escort, she was a volunteer trying to look well for her leader instead of a concerned friend. 'Kinda dumb when you remember that she and Rias are childhood friends… then again maybe the average devil isn't aware of that and rumors can spread if the wrong thing is said.'

Finally after a little more time trading pleasantries, Grayfia's attention returned to Shirou. "Emiya-sama, please move to the center of the circle. We shall be moving to the spectators lounge."

"Of course." Shirou replied a little fast for his tastes, he wasn't used to the situation but kept his head held high as he stepped towards the center of the room. His eyes turn to the Sitri devils for a moment. "Thank you for the escort and… I hope to see you guys later." He had to think quickly on what to say and hope that it was good enough.

Sona face twitches, she found Shirou's attempt amusing and was gentle enough to not call him on it. "Thank you, magician Emiya. I hope to see you again soon, hopefully under better circumstances." With Tsubaki offering him a small bow of respect, everything still felt rehearsed for the redhead.

'Good grief, it sounds like we don't even go to the same school.' Shirou just stepped to the center of the magic circle and waited as Grayfia took his side and it shone in a bright light before both were teleported somewhere else. "Huh."

"Something is wrong, Emiya-sama?" The both of them had appeared somewhere with a huge door with two guards dressed in light black armor positioned to its sides.

"It was my first time teleporting, I expected to feel something." The devil nodded at his words with understanding.

"It is supposed to be a smooth experience since the circle was created to teleport a VIP." Grayfia steps forward and the guards, both in heavy armor and with spears to their sides, open the door for them.

"I am flattered." Shirou tried to sound like he really was but his nerves were getting in the way even if he did appreciate the thought. "Where are we, by the way?" The smell of the whole place was odd but he quickly noticed they were in a balcony of some kind and even as he looked ahead all he saw a huge building with dozens of windows in front of him but failed to see the stars in the night's sky even if the moon was already present.

Stopping before entering the building, Grayfia turns to him. "That is true, you have never been here before." Turning fully towards him and offering a bow of courtesy, Grayfia speaks with in her usual even tone. "Welcome, Shirou Emiya, to the Underworld." Shirou was surprised by the words and hearing one of the guards chuckle meant his face showed it. "To be more specific, this is the main castle of the Gremory Clan, simply called Gremory Castle. It is here where the Rating Game between the actual heiress and her opponent shall be exhibited as a private match."

Shirou couldn't help but feel his throat dry a little. 'Straight into the belly of the beast huh?' Looking around he saw mountains and forests but little else. "I didn't expect that." Either be teleported there or how the Underworld actually was he couldn't say but Shirou couldn't deny he was surprised by the turn of events.

"Be as it may, we must keep going. The game will start soon." Grayfia starts walking and Shirou rushes a little to catch up. "Didn't Rias explain that we adjusted the sky to match the one from the Human World for the reincarnated devil's sake?"

"She did once or twice when she tried to convince me to come here for the school break." In the past Shirou refused, preferring to stay at home and work or because of problems with his family or because he was still settling down in his new residence.

"A pity you didn't come here earlier, the rest of the Gremory Clan was looking forward to finally meeting you." Grayfia's tone sounded a little more relaxed as they kept walking. "Emiya-sama, I shall use this little time we have now to give you some warning, pay attention to avoid creating any unnecessary enemies out of the devil's nobility." The strict tone returned and Shirou nodded to show he understood. "The Underworld may be divided somewhat but everyone here is part of a great alliance that supports the actual government. The families that are present here include representatives of the Gremory, the Bael and the Phenex. While the Gremory and the Bael are tied together by marriage, the Phenex Clan hopes to join that close knit alliance which also has direct connection to my King, the actual Lucifer. Not only that but the Bael are considered the strongest Clan and their Great King Faction is the central Pillar that supports the actual regime."

'That explains why the wedding is important to them at least.' And Shirou felt more nervous by the fact that it technically can't happen. 'Maybe I should have denied watching the game. Especially since most of the people here will want my head once the truth comes out. If it comes out.'

Not knowing about the magus' thoughts, Grayfia talks a little about the three clans' history together and how each would behave about him, or at least their leaders. "If you can Emiya-sama, please stay away from Zekram Bael." She even stopped to make sure Shirou was paying special attention to these words. "He is the original Bael, the oldest devils alive and a man who won't hesitate to kill you if that will secure his power. Make sure to not grab his attention at any cost." After a nod, Grayfia returned to walk, not even waiting for a reply. "My King and the actual leader of the Gremory, Zeoticus, will be there as well. You can trust them to take care of you and keep you away from anyone with harmful intent." A silent nod from Shirou was all he was willing to give.

'Knowing my luck, odds are that I will stumble on the guy sooner or later.' As they advanced, Shirou could see that the castle had lots of rooms and once and a while he would see a guard or a servant doing something or another. 'This place is huge, and all this is just one floor! If I get lost here I would either have to blow up a wall or hope someone finds me. Else I may never find an exit other than a window.'

And the windows themselves gave everyone who passed a good view of the surrounding lands. It was thought then that Shirou realized he wasn't on the second floor or on the third, otherwise he would think the castle was built on a mountain.

With his sharp eyes and with some assistance from the artificial moon it was possible for the magus to go to a small village far away from the castle right after the woods. The territory itself seemed to have mountains around it, or at least in the direction he could see which helped him to understand where Rias got some of his materials from.

'If I am not mistaken, in the Lesser Keys of Solomon, the Gremory is described as a hoarder of treasures. Considering the castle and the territory, I can believe that.' After turning into a corner Shirou can see a huge door and by focusing on his ears he can hear the sounds of a party going.

"One more thing I should warn you about. Another Elder Devil decided to come to the proceedings today, a member of the Phenex Clan and its second leader in its history." Grayfia stopped at the door and turned to Shirou with a hard look. "Like many ancient devils, he was supposed to be retired, meaning that he would only return to the public eye in cases of catastrophe and war. Instead he manifested himself for this."

"Do you think he is going to try and attack me?" Shirou was happy he was allowed his armor in any case but the silver haired made shakes her head.

"No, if they did something like this now, both Rias and the rest of the Gremory would have reason to ruin the Phenex Clan, we doubt your life is in danger." Grayfia places her hand on the handle. "However, his presence is odd. When a devil retires from political life they rarely emerge without reason, be careful regardless."

Shirou decided to take the warning at heart, it would be easier if he had faces to go with the names. 'At least I can trust Sirzechs on this.' After seeing the resolution on his face, Grayfia opened the door.

His entrance wasn't really noticed by the devils, most of them standing around and talking with each other over drinks and food. Shirou was unable to count how many people were in the ballroom but he knew there were both nobles and servants mingling around.

Comparing the Underworld culture with the human one was something that the redhead Emiya couldn't stop himself from doing as he noticed how everyone around him was dressed in a more medieval style of refined clothing.

There were some people dressed in armor like himself but the great majority, both men and women, were dressed in light clothes similar to a soldier's uniform but more stylized for their preferences.

Some were using dresses like sages or priests and mostly of the colors ruling the area are mixtures of red, black and orange. 'I can see why she didn't give me pictures to memorize faces. Almost everyone was dressed to represent their Clan. Including me.'

"There he is!" A loud voice gets Shirou's attention and he can only blink as Sirzechs, the Lucifer himself, approaches him with a smile and in his armor followed by a long red cape on his back. In a couple of seconds, the smile turns into a small pout. "Shiro, what have you done with your cape? I wanted us to match today."

Recovering his bearings and noticing other eyes going in his direction, Shirou replied calmly. "I turned it into a shroud, this one to be more exact. Capes aren't really my style." And he tried to smile but the eyes around him were not helping. "Besides, your armor is a little more bulkier than mine. I don't even have shoulder pads."

"Hmm, maybe we should have coordinated more. Not that the shroud is bad or anything, mind you. Can't believe you modified the cape so fast." Sirzechs pats Shirou on the back and starts to push him in a direction. "Come on now, the rest of the family is excited to meet you. I left to talk with some friends and it was lucky that I saw you."

Looking behind them, Shirou notices that Grayfia was missing. The maid's quick disappearance made him suspect that Sirzechs must have planned it and by how the eyes that were staring at him lost interest he could only guess the plan succeeded somewhat.

It didn't take long before the two found themselves in front of a table with drinks and food. There were only two people sitting in it and Shirou knew that they were Rias' family right out of the bat.

One of them was a young boy that looked like a spitting image of Sirzechs with a softer face but with shorter hair and red eyes, red eyes he could tell were extremely similar to Grayfia's own pair. He was dressed in a small suit colored like wine and his small tie was being fixed by a woman with brown hair that almost made Shirou fall back when she turned to look at them.

'Rias? No, but she really looks like her.' Besides the slightly shorter brown hair and the violet eyes, the woman looked like Rias' twin; the smile that she gave was the same Rias gives to her servants, the violet eyes studied Shirou in the same way Rias did when she was trying to determine someone's intentions or solve a problem.

Slowly the woman stops working on the boy's clothes and stands to look at Shirou a little closer, her black dress she was using was an elegant one piece that was held by silk around her shoulder and brought some attention to her breats. "Sirzechs, who is this young man you brought to our table?" Her hands reached the side of his face and Shirou didn't know how to react. "If I didn't know any better, I would say he was a Gremory."

"Mother, this is Rias' magician, Shirou Emiya. Shiro, I would like to introduce you to two of the most important people of my life; my young son Millicas Gremory and my mother Venelana Gremory." Sirzechs introduced both of them and the boy immediately stood up and bowed his head respectfully.

"Nice to meet you, lord Emiya. I am Millicas Gremory, heir of my aunt Rias Gremory until she has children of her own." He introduced himself politely and the woman, his grandmother if Shirou understood everything correctly, placed a hand on his back.

"Your introduction went perfectly, Millicas. But you don't need to bow that much, a short one is all that is necessary if at all. On this occasion I will allow it but it would be best if you kept your head held high and your posture straight at all times."

"Sorry Grandmother." The reply had the woman patting his head.

"There is no need to apologize." She sounds happy with her words as she turns to Shirou. "As my son said, I am Venelana Gremory, Rias' mother and it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Shirou."

Only after Sirzechs patted Shirou's back was that he finally reacted with a bow of his own. "Ah, the pleasure is all mine."

"No, no. That won't do." Venelana said while she placed a hand on Shirou's chin. "I am just teaching Millicas how to bow properly to a new acquaintance and here you come doing it wrong."

"Sorry, I just-"

"It is fine dear, you must be nervous to finally meet your contracted devil's family." She gently guides Shirou to stand properly before continuing. "You must always remind yourself of having proper posture, young man, proper posture."

"Of course. I am sorry." Shirou says back and then looks to Millicas. "It is a pleasure to meet you too, young lord Millicas." He extends his hand and the young devil shakes it with a polite smile.

"I heard that thanks to you the Gremory gained a new avenue of business. As the heir's heir I must thank you for helping with the prosperity of my house." Millicas was clearly trying to sound like an adult by the way he was speaking and Shirou couldn't help but smile as well.

"Of course, young lord." The magus tried to be polite but the boy pouted one more time.

"I don't like being called 'young lord'. Call me Millicas, just Millicas." A part of Shirou didn't want to take the boy seriously but after looking at his grandmother, which he still couldn't help and seeing a brown haired Rias, and seeing her nod her consent, he accepted the request.

"As the young lord commands." He could almost see Millicas pouting. "I am Shirou, no lord for me too since of noble I have nothing." Dropping himself to a knee, Shirou offers his hand again. "Nice to meet you, Millicas."

This time when the young devil took the magus hand he tried to put more strength in it. "Is this what they call 'a handshake between men'?" Millicas asked in wonder.

"Please, sit down, Shiro. That nickname, it was my daughter who gave it to you, yes?" Venelana asked as everyone started to sit on the table.

"Yes, something that I treasure a lot between us both." Shirou replied, still nervous as his nose kept twitching and when he looked around he saw a devil or another doing something with magic to heat their food or teleport something or another. 'Magic is being used all around us so casually that I can't help but react.'

There was so much mana going around that Shirou didn't know who was using their power without his own eyes. Even Sirzechs powerful presence was muted by how many devils were present but that was also because everyone was holding back and using the bare minimum.

Even the servants, Shirou realized, were flying around to not hit each other while serving the guests. Soon a maid dropped by the Gremory table and looked at him. "Does the young lord wish for anything?" She was a pretty thing with green hair that was looking straight to him.

"You should try the eggs of cokatrice Shiro. They are one of the best foods in the Underworld." Sirzechs suggested and Shiro nodded his head.

"If you say so…" Hearing the name of a mythical creature and that he would eat one of its eggs surprised Shirou but he refused to show it. "I don't know exactly what is being served."

"Most of the foods are the same as the human ones but some devils tried to create their own dishes with ingredients found in the Underworld, like the eggs of cokatrice that are boiled in hot water and served in cups." Venelana explained with a smile. "Do you drink wine or would you prefer another beverage?"

"I am not one for alcohol but I will have what you recommend for me." It was easy for Sihrou to lower his guard with Venelana, he didn't know if it was because she looked like Rias with a more mature aura or something else but he couldn't help it.

"The juice is good too if you want some." Millicas told Shirou, even offering his own cup but his grandmother pushed it aside delicately.

"You two can't share the same cup dear." Venelana told his grandson.

"She is right. Doesn't mean I can't try the same type." Shirou is quick to speak before turning to Millicas. "What kind of juice are you having?"

The next few minutes was Shirou trying many types of the culinary of the Underworld and noticing how they were similar or different from the more mundane kind. Since the topic was food he managed to make decent conversation and calm himself a little.

"I was really disappointed when Rias told us you couldn't come here last year." Venelana told him with a frown. "We really wanted to meet you sooner."

"Sorry for that but I was having some problems of my own at the time." Shirou remembered the invitations but in general he was worrying about his family and their own issues.

"Last time onee-sama was in the Underworld," Shirou noticed he called Rias his sister and in Japanese to which made him believe that it was at her request, "she said you didn't come because you were on a trip with your father… then she stopped coming because she and grandfather are fighting." Now the young boy sounds a little depressed but Sirzechs places a hand on his head.

"Worry not Millicas, after today I believe that neither Rias or my father are going to have any more reason to fight and she can come back to visit us on her break." The father consoling his child reminded Shirou it had been a while since he spoke with his own family outside of phone calls.

"But maybe if Shiro had come with her then she and grandfather wouldn't have fought." Millicas, despite the maturity he spoke with, was still a child and it was clear he missed Rias.

"Say, Millicas, do you want to know what I was doing that winter?" Shirou's question directed the young boy's attention but also earned a look from Sirzechs who was confused by his approach. "I was rescuing a princess from a terrible dragon."

"You were?" Venelana was the one who asked but Millicas was clearly intrigued.

"I was." Shirou approaches to whisper in a compiratory manner. "My father and I embarked on a quest to slay the mighty dragon, we had no means of knowing that a princess was stuck on its island, suffering in an eternal prison guarded by the beast." They looked intrigued at Shirou's words, the boy's imagination especially starting to get going as the magus continued. "We gathered information and got into a boat going that direction. Our goal, free the city of the coast from the monster and after making the crossing we fought against its army of serpents together with our companions."

"'Companions'? You had friends with you? Who were they?" Millicas' question made Shirou a little nervous but he didn't stop.

'Technically I ain't lying.' He told himself. "Three mighty warriors who joined our quest with the same goal; a woman who wanted an adventure and her two brave bodyguards who were ready to follow her to hell and back." Shirou knew Millicas was enjoying the story and kept going. "They were strong warriors; the woman was a brawler, her fist strong enough that stone wasn't a challenge, one of the man, a tall bald one, was a master spearman with great skill and the last one was the youngest of their band and could shot darts with a gauntlet."

"Cool. And you all fought together against the dragon?" Millicas sounded much more like a kid than before and his grandmother did nothing to try and curb his excitement.

"Alas, we did and we triumphed. The princess we found was saved and the island sunk to the depths of the ocean as the dragon was the only thing keeping it on the surface, a place to keep the princess locked away from the world. And that was what I did on that winter vacation." Shirou's choice of skipping some of the more gruesome details not only made it a suitable story for a child but also helped him to keep the details of Medusa's 'prison' away from the story itself.

"Oh~" But his goal was reached, Millicas looked completely enchanted and his sadness from Rias' lack of visits was forgotten as the young devil's imagination was running rampant. "Father, can we go on a quest?"

Sirzechs looked surprised by the request but just smiled. "Maybe when you are a little older." Was the best reply that he could come up with.

"Yes. I promise to grow stronger so one day we can also save a princess." Millicas' declaration was full of enthusiasm and the boy looked ready to face the world.

"First you two need to find a princess to be saved, don't you think Millicas?" A voice calls from the side and everyone turns to see two men approach.

"Dear, look who our son found, it is Rias' magician." Venelana's words helped Shirou identify the redhead man dressed in black robes with a small red cape and a suit beneath. The man's hair and eyes were the same colors as his children but his hairstyle was different, more tamed, while he had a little beard on his chin.

The magus quickly stood up and both men shook their hands. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the magician who my daughter found worthy of making a pact for our whole Clan. Zeoticus Gremory, at your service." The Patriarch of the Gremory Clan's words held no malice but curiosity and respect. "I must say that you didn't disappoint and I was impressed by Rias' choice."

"Thank you, sir." Shirou couldn't stop his nerves from making his voice shake a little. 'I slept with your daughter and made all this event a sham and now I am surrounded by devils that may want to kill me if the truth ever gets out.' He was still able to control his body enough for a firm handshake but he was still sweating a little. 'Is this what normal people feel when meeting a girl's family or I am just a special case?'

Fortunately for the magus, any thought of his fears was far away from the devil's mind. "None of this 'sir' business here, Shirou. You are my Clan's business partner and so you are part of our family now. Speaking of family." He turns to the man close to him. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Sairaorg?"

"I was just letting you go first uncle." Sairaorg is a tall young man with black hair and violet eyes. His face was similar to Rias, Venelana and Sirzechs' but unlike all the other devils he saw he wasn't slim as a swimmer but full of muscle beneath his black and white uniform. "Did you really kill a dragon?"

Noticing the offer to shake Sairaorg's hand, Shirou took it. "If it is giant, has scales and shoots lasers capable of melting buildings…" The magus finds something odd about Bael's presence. 'Weird. Unlike the other devils he has no special scent.' And yet Sairaorg's handshake was more firm than his uncle's.

"Sairaorg, I understand you are curious about the story but you should introduce yourself properly." Venelana took control of the situation and the tall young man smiled.

"You are correct, aunt. Apologies for the delay, Sairaorg Bael, recently anointed heir of the Clan Bael and Rias cousin. Nice to meet you." Only when they were a little closer Shirou was able to tell Sairaorg was smaller than Beowulf but still taller than himself if only for a couple of inches.

"Shirou Emiya, Rias' magician." After that final handshake everyone sits back on the table and Zeoticus starts to interrogate Shirou about his daughter's condition; how she has been, if she found any problems in her life, what most interesting thing that happened to her.

The Patriarch of Gremory dominated most of the conversation with his wife asking her own questions once or twice and Shirou can see that both parents love and care for their daughter just as Rias said.

However, considering the reason why so many people were gathered in the Gremory Castle that night, it was only a matter of time before the topic of conversation turned to the main event.

"I understand that she doesn't want to marry now but this match is concerning me." Zeoticus spoke sincerely with his hands close to his face. His tone was pensive but carried a deep sadness. "What if she gets hurt in the fight or any of her servants die? I mean, we have Phoenix Tears and many other safeguards but accidents happen. I would hate to see her sad because of that."

But when the topic ended on the Rating Game the cheerful Zeoticus was completely replaced by a concerned parent and he wasn't the only one. "Riser can be such a good boy. I wish Rias had given him a real chance." Venelana spoke with less worry than her husband but her smile was no longer present. "He cares about his peerage, he cares about his family and is a strong devil in all accounts, someone worthy of being the father of the next generation of the Gremory. It will be hard for her to find anyone else in her generation that can match him."

In a pretense of subtlety, Venelana's eyes were looking at Sairaorg with clear meaning behind them but the young Bael just laughed it off. "Either way, the game is already about to begin so it's too late to change anything. Whether Rias will marry Riser or not isn't a matter of wishes any longer." Sairaorg spoke with confidence and eloquence that made Shirou believe he had a charisma similar to Sirzechs'. "From now on the decision is up to them and their power, that is how us devils truly do things."

"I couldn't have said any better, Sairaorg." Sirzechs affirmed the younger devil's words with a nod.

"But I am still worried. I don't want my daughter to get hurt." Zeoticus repeats his concern with a frown. "I don't know why she denied the marriage so much."

"Because a golden cage is still a cage." Shirou didn't know it was him who spoke but when everyone turned to look at him, he realized that the words came from his mouth. "I mean…"

"Maybe for a human things are different but this is the best for both Rias and the Gremory Clan." Venelana spoke gently and calmly, her tone as serene as her eyes. "Our society is still recovering from the civil war and good matches are hard to find with our low birth rates. Riser was the best candidate close to Rias' age that we could find and he is a good kid."

"That wasn't the issue." Shirou said slowly but Zeoticus shook his head.

"Even if it wasn't, Rias won't find anyone better in the whole Underworld. We just wanted to make sure she would be the main wife of a respectable devil." After Zeoticus finished talking, Venelana took over the conversation once again.

"I don't understand why she was complaining so much about the fact that Riser has a harem, my husband has one and I manage it." Those words did catch Shirou off guard but he recovered quickly to pay attention to the matriarch's words. "Maybe we should have made sure they had more time to talk with each other?"

"Rias wanted to go to the human world. If you had stopped her, she would just be more upset with the situation and done something drastic." Sirzechs reminded his parents.

"Yes, you are right Sirzechs." Zeoticus recognized his son's point.

*Attention! I would like to inform all the esteemed guests that the Rating Game shall begin in ten minutes! Repeating! The Rating Game shall begin in ten minutes!* Grayfia's voice fills the ballroom and Shirou couldn't be more glad that the conversation was over.

"Come with us, Shirou. As the hosts, we have the rights to the best seats in the theater." Zeoticus gently places his arm around Shirou's shoulder and starts to guide him. "I really wish that we had more time to show you around the castle, just looking at hallways, the ballroom and the theater must make me look like I am not treating you well."

Shirou wanted to face palm but managed to hold his composure. "No sense, sir. I never saw a home as beautiful as yours. The view I got from the forest before was breathtaking."

"I am happy you liked it but you didn't even get the best view." Zeoticus says with a smile.

"My husband is right, if you truly want a great view the tower at the top of the castle is the best one without a doubt." Venelana was holding her husband's arm and Shirou found himself falling behind them.

"Shiro, maybe we should show you the garden? That is one of my favorite places." Millicas started with excitement. "Maybe then you can tell us more about the quests you had with your father."

"I fear that I have only gone in one of those. My father is much more of a solo adventure anyway." The human recovered and managed to keep pace with the devils while Sirzechs and Sairaorg talked about something behind them. He couldn't hear it because the rest of Rias' family demanded his whole attention.

Soon they arrived at the theater and once again Shirou wanted to gap at the opulence of the place. It was a huge dome with hundreds, even thousands, of seats, with some of them being already filled by other nobles.

The butlers and maids that were serving them in the ballroom kept doing their jobs without interruption, seemingly unfazed by the sudden change of space. However it was clear that the servants were walking more than flying to not get in the way of the stage on the front where a magic circle was sustaining a giant crystal ball that would serve as the screen for the game.

"Come on, Shiro. The stairs are this way." Millicas starts to pull the magus' arm towards the side where a flight of stairs took them up. "This is the VIP balcony and the best area to watch everything. You are going to love it!"

Millicas' excitement infected Shirou a little as they both arrived at the place. The seats were all huge and made of high quality material. All the Gremory family and Sairog sat right at the front with plenty of space left. 'Well, at least the worst has passed.' Shirou finally felt he could begin to really relax before the game began.

"Ah, I finally found it. It has been a long time since I was in the Gremory Theater." The magus' eyes snapped open as a single man with long black hair and violet eyes landed on the VIP area. What caught Shirou's attention really were two things, first that the man looked older than all the others he saw so far, despite being a devil and age being irrelevant to them, and the second was the smell of his power that was akin to a really old book. "I didn't see any of you in the air so I had some difficulties finding the VIP area."

He was dressed as a noble in black similar to Sairaorg but in a more kingly fashion with a long black cape. When he spoke it was with far more authority than anyone else he heard the whole night from the way most of the devils present lowered their heads in respect, with the exception of Sirzechs who was frowning a little, it was clear he was someone important.

Zeoticus was the first to greet the man. "Honorable Elder, we apologize for not noticing you but we are here with my Clan's magician, chosen by my daughter so we took the stairs." Violet eyes looked at Shirou and the magus felt he was being stared by something truly ancient.

"Huh, no harm no foul. Such is the thing with humans, they can't fly as easily as us." The old devil said almost as a joke but his eyes weren't leaving Shirou. "But I must say, looking from here this magician truly looks like a Gremory from a certain angle. The hair is not as red and the eyes are wrong but I must ask Zeoticus, you didn't have a human bastard in the last few centuries did you?"

"Oh Honorable Elder, If my husband had done something like that to me and the other girls he wouldn't be alive to answer that question. Isn't that right dear?" Venelana had an aura of power around her while her smile remained angelical.

A Power really dangerous and familiar to Shirou who now saw more similarities between mother and daughter than before.

"Yes dear. I wouldn't dare to sleep with another woman without your or the girls' consent." Zeoticus sounded nervous but there was no deception in his tone.

But the ancient devil's eyes didn't leave Shirou yet and the magus was about to say something when Sirzechs placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe that the two of you haven't been properly introduced yet." The actual Lucifer made sure to be at the human's side and the oldest devil alive took notice of it.

"Of course, of course. Where are my manners?" The man began to talk in a king-like tone before motioning to himself. "It has been a long time since I met someone who hasn't heard about me in one way or another. Let us see if this human shall be the exception. I am Zekram Bael, if you have some knowledge of the old scriptures or the Bible you must know me by name."

And Shirou did. "The progenitor of the Bael." He avoided saying anything about Grayfia's warnings but he also didn't like that the devil looked a little too satisfied with himself for his knowledge. "You don't look like a cat and a human mixed together."

Most of the audience was in shock at the reply with Sirzech smiling a little and Millicas not understanding what Shirou ment with it.

But Zekram was amused. "Ah, which book did you read?"

"Ars Goetia." Shirou could tell the devil didn't mind the question but quickly came to control himself to not speak anything out of turn.

"Hmm, yes, one of my favorites." Zekram gave Shirou a pensive glance before turning to Sairaorg. "Are you going to watch here and not with the rest of your family?"

'I am being dismissed?' Shirou didn't mind even if the ancient devil didn't want to know his name and was happy to not get into any troubles. He didn't notice that Sirzechs had a small frown on his face.

Sairaorg found the sudden attention on him a little jarring."My father and brother are not in the mood for my company tonight."

"Bah, weaklings have no right to complain. You earned the position as the Heir of Bael, remember that." Zekram words seemed to cheer his descendent and before he could talk to anyone else another voice caught everyone's attention.

"Lord Gremory, you didn't return to finish our conversation." Three blondes, two men and one woman approached the balcony with fire wings.

The men are dressed as nobles as well with the younger looking man dressed in orange robes while the other, clearly a little older and with a bored expression on his face, had an armor on his chest that also covered his left shoulder. The woman was using an orange dress that was similar to the one Venelana is using but that connected to her neck and better covering her chest.

Zeoticus smiled at the new arrivals and quickly embraced the man with a huge smile. "I am sorry old friend but my son found someone interesting and I just lost track of time." He pulled Shirou closer and presented him with a smile. "This is my daughter's chosen magician, the first proper magician for all the Gremory since the last of Solomon's descendents perished, Shirou Emiya."

Meanwhile Shirou can't help but think. 'The wings of fire are a dead giveaway from which Clan they belong. What did they call it that day? E-Rank luck? I may be starting to believe that is a thing.'

The new couple nod in acceptance and introduce themselves but Shirou barely paid attention to them as his focus was on the glare the older man was giving him, full of contempt but also wariness. This devil felt almost as old as Zekram and his presence distracted Shirou from most of the conversation.

He still managed to hear something that had his blood run cold. '-Phenex and the parents of my daughter's fiance." That was when Shirou's attention turned completely to the smiling couple before returning to the older blond as Zeoticus kept talking. "And this is the oldest Phenex, their Honorable Elder as we call them; Riser Phenex, the First. And yes, the Riser which is fighting my daughter is named after him."

'Bad luck all around.' The redhead magus felt an urge to hit his head on a wall.

"Lets just hope that this little dispute between them ends soon so we can officially call each other family." Lord Phenex said with a smile that held real happiness with it.

"Yes, that would be for the best. A quick match followed by a beautiful wedding." Venelana already had stars on her eyes. "Rias marching down the aisle with a great white dress. She is going to love it."

'Wrong, she would want a white kimono.'

"Riser will be delighted with it too." Lady Phenex exclaimed in happiness. "Oh, do you think we should use the theater for the ceremony?"

"No, such occasions must be in the throne room where the Gremory leaders of old led our legions." Zeoticus affirmed with pride and most of the present agreed with the suggestion.

'A temple where they could see the moon.' Rias had confided that to him a few days before when their conversation had turned from tactics to how she would want to marry. She even joked he was proposing. 'The reception would be outside. The way they want the wedding, isn't like she would want it.'

Once again Shirou can perceive how much Rias' parents care for her but the woman herself wasn't being asked about it and neither of the two realized that their ideas were much different than hers.

Rias more than once proclaimed her love for Japanese culture and after he broke her out of her shell that love grew to a wish to see more places but it was clear she would still prefer many Japanese traditions, traditions that she would be happy to have applied in some aspects of her life.

But Shirou remains quiet. 'That wedding isn't going to happen anyway. It literally can't.' He told himself as the crystal ball began to shine.

The Rating Game had begun.

…

Ravel was ready to claim her victory. Thanks to her brother having decided that the game would be on a replica of Kuoh Academy she was able to ask which areas were going to be used and procure the proper maps from the real thing.

She was given absolute command of her brother's peerage, studied the terrain and even the Boosted Gear, the sacred gear of the Red Dragon Emperor and the only definitive threat on the enemy's side besides the King, Rias, herself.

With all that information and with ten days to get ready, Ravel started to make plans of all kinds, trying to anticipate every possible strategy that Rias could come up with the Pieces she had.

"They need to play defensive." Ravel told her brother's peerage, every single member sitting around the huge principal office, expanded to accommodate them all. Another disadvantage for Riser but one they didn't care much about was that the whole new school was their 'side of the board' or the place where Pawns can be promoted to other Pieces. "Their numbers are lacking, their skills are lacking. If they want any chance to even scratch us then they need to play defensive and hope to weaken us through attrition."

"Then we shall go and take the center?" Isabela asked while pointing to a building on the map. In the principal's table, also bigger than the original, was a map of the areas being used.

Kuoh Academy wasn't used on its full size, Rias' Peerage was estimated to lose easily and a bigger battlefield was disconsidered since she could try to stall for time and bore the audience.

The result was that only the high school area was constructed on the fake Kuoh and that there were only three buildings prepared for the game; the main school building, the old school building which also was Rias base and the gym which was positioned between the two bases.

Besides the building there was also the forest around the ORC which was recreated in its entirety, some courts of sports around the gym and a flat area without cover that extended between the three buildings without covers of any kind, just grass that made no difference on Ravel's strategies.

"That is for the best, once we take the gym we can secure the area with familiars, traps and spells to make sure Rias can't backstab us and take out my brother." Ravel looks to the man to see him sitting comfortably on his chair with Yubelluna on his lap. "I recommend you do not leave this room, onii-sama."

"Hmm. Sure, if that is what you believe is for the best Ravel then I shall play along." Riser said unenthusiastically. "Just remember to make sure to not kill any of Rias' servants accidentally." His eyes were on Karlamine who saluted.

"There is no need to worry, my King. With lady Ravel's strategy we should be easily able to secure victory before I even need to fight seriously." Her hand was on the sword on her lower back, the handle ready to be drawn at any time.

"Speaking of which, we should get ready. This preparation phase is only ten minutes and then the game will truly begin." Ravel gets everyone's attention and she points to their base on the map. "Standard protections must be placed around the entrances, just in case someone manages to breach our perimeter."

"You are worrying too much, Ravel." Contrary to the original intentions of giving his sister's command, Riser immediately questioned her strategy. "Yubelluna will already be with me and I doubt Rias suddenly found a way around my Immortality. Instead of wasting energy in making defenses just tell everyone where to properly position once they can leave the base."

Ravel waited a couple of seconds before she spoke. "Onii-sama, I was ordered to defeat Rias Gremory to the best of my ability, to command your peerage and to bring our Clan victory. I won't risk anything that may cause our defeat." She can see she has her brother's attention. "And so I shall eliminate the risks. Yes, lady Gremory probably has no means to defeat us," she said 'us' to remind him that she also is a Phenex, "but I won't risk something foolish happening when there is no need. Most of our group uses magic so laying traps on the entrances and the hallways coming to this office is just logic and a precaution, a precaution that we won't need but it is good to have anyway."

Remembering the orders that they received, Riser can't disagree with his younger sibling. "Tsk. Fine." His Queen generously hugs his shoulder and her presence is able to comfort him.

Now that her brother realized that there was no holding back on this match, Ravel turned to the women of his peerage, all ready for their orders. "As I was saying; we will secure our territory with traps, the basic ones like explosives and fire will do." Most of the group chuckles at that.

As members of the Phenex Clan, every single one of them was taught fire manipulation to an extent or another both for the sake of combat and pride. The name Phenex carried a reputation and all the servants of that clan tried to uphold it in any way they could, even in small things like using fire.

"Once the grace period is over Xuelan, Mira, Ile and Nel will rush straight to the gym and eliminate any opposition they find there." Hitting her finger over the gym's location, Ravel makes a small frown. "To secure the area that is the rest of the school territory, lady Gremory will also try to take that location. Here is one place where our numbers give us advantage as we can attack with four while she probably can send only one, two at best. Once the area is secured we shall move most of our forces there and establish a perimeter with familiars and sensors so none of the Gremory group can get by us without being burned." There was a particular savagery in Ravel's face when she said the last words. Her finger moves towards the forest area. "Meanwhile most of us prepare, some of our Pawns are going into the offensive to both scout for traps and the forest and to take out any enemy they can find."

Those words did make some of the members of their peerage nervous but they didn't question it, that was after all the main duty of a Pawn; cannon folders and scouts. Those reincarnated with Pawns are usually weaker than the other servants unless they manage to Promote into Queens and since a Promotion can only be conquered on enemy territory they need to be on the front line anyway.

What Ravel was proposing was a common tactic of the top ranked devils, sending a small squad of Pawns to infiltrate the territory to gather intel; if they succeed and manage to breach the enemy fortress, excellent. If they were found and defeated then at least the King will be able to gauge the power of their opponent based on their own Pawns and how much information they manage to pass with the communication spell.

Other advantages include flushing out the enemy from hiding, disabling traps and forcing a counter attack depending on how much damage the Pawns manage to inflict. It was also the equivalent of a suicide mission when the enemy has a strong defensive position easy to trap, like the forest grounds of Kuoh.

"The team is going to be; Marion, Burent and Shuriya." The two maids in skimpy outfits and the dancer look at each other with understanding. Considering the strengths of their peerage they were the logical candidates for this mission; barely stronger than Mira but faster and with more chance to get away if things start to go badly.

"Should we check only the woods or advance straight for the enemy base?" Shuriya, the dancer, asked with a serious face.

Ravel stopped to think for a few seconds before replying. "If the traps are neutralized, wait for reinforcements. Remember that we have the numbers advantage and that there is no need to rush or hurry." She circles around the forest slowly with a confident smile. "Once the woods are clear, we can just send the Pawns in to flux them out slowly. If they don't leave their 'castle' that will just allow you all to Promote once we are set and you all can defeat the Gremory side easily." And now came the hard part, the hypothesis of failure. "If they manage to take the gym by any means," which the ones tasked to take that position didn't like hearing, "we shall go for our 'Blaze' offensive. Our numbers advantage is our greatest asset and we shall use it to the fullest."

'Blaze' was a how Riser called his favorite tactic which consisted of giving up any pretense of defense and throw every member of his peerage at the enemy, Yubella will even leave her post at her King's side to bombard the opposition while the rest of the peerage focused in taking them out while the Queen either dealt with the biggest threat or helped take the enemy out once for all.

It was a strategy developed by the fact that Riser does not need to worry much about surviving by himself, his Power of Immortality means that guards around him are mostly redundant and that all efforts can be directed to just win fast by using the whole power of his peerage.

It is also a strategy that Ravel doesn't like to employ even if her brother loves it, the fact that he can flaunt his Immortality brings him immense joy and even if he didn't want to 'crush' Rias completely, the small smile on his face showed his real thoughts.

'Good, he won't disagree then.' Ravel was satisfied with that amount of planning, the rest will depend on how Rias reacted even if both sides know the best plans on Rating Games in general. 'Attack or defense, Rias, which one will you choose?'

"Lady Ravel, a question if I am allowed?" Kalarmine's voice cuts the noblewoman's thoughts and she nods to the Knight to continue. "Do I wait for special permission to use the Noble Phantasm or-"

"Use at your discretion. In fact," Ravel turns to her fellow Bishop and gives the Japanese girl a clear instruction, "stay close to Kalarmine and make sure that she doesn't let her chivalry get in the way of our victory."

For the next few minutes the Knight is teased incessantly by the rest of the peerage while Bishop, Mihae, makes a face full of resolve. They were in high spirits and quickly moved around to begin and set up the traps.

The Phenex side took their time with the strategy meeting since they didn't fear the opposition, to them Rias Gremory was just an infant while they have already faced true devils in Rating Games that took a considerable amount of blood and tears to win.

In their minds, despite the many warnings and even Ravel's reservations, this wasn't a real fight. It was practice against someone that never had truly stepped in the real world and not a real challenge.

So they quickly set up some traps, fully confident that the main school was never going to be breached, before everyone directed themselves to the entrance.

With the exception of the King and Queen, all are ready to go. All of them will remain on ground level, flying only if necessary to not give the enemy an opening for a cheap shot. Information about Rias' servants indicated that the Queen, Akeno Himejima, had a talent for lighting magic so flying was dangerous even for their group.

With all preparations completed, they waited for the signal.

*Rias Gremory versus Riser Phenex! No time limit! The condition of victory is the defeat of the opposing King!* Grayfia's voice gets everyone's attention once again, her tone more animated than usual as she played her part as the main judge for the match. *Let the Rating Game… begin!*

Running as fast as they can, the Phenex peerage quickly spreads out around the school area while those with specific duties rush ahead to do their part of the plan.

Xuelan led her group directly to the gym, her in the front while the trio of Pawns kept themselves directly behind the Chinese Rook. Behind her, the twins are getting chainsaws ready for the fight with cruel smiles, practically begging that someone try to take the gym from them so they can have first blood.

The three Pawns delegated to scout don't even hesitate to cross the open area of the school, they had no cover and could only trust that their reactions and speed would be enough to allow them to survive if the Gremory group decided to attack.

Knights rush towards the corners of the fake Kuoh as Ravel keeps an eye out with Isabela by her side. 'No sign of the Gremory at the moment.' A tingle on her ear warns her of an incoming message. "Report."

"The gym is secure, lady Ravel." Xuelan's calm voice leaves a small ball of magic on Ravel's ear.

"'Defense' it is." Ravel smiles satisfied as she strengthens the magic on her ear so all on her team can hear her. "We have confirmation that lady Gremory isn't disputing the center. We can estimate she is playing defensively at the moment."

Now that was determined, the three scouts can feel the pressure of their mission. The knowledge that Rias was playing defensively made Burent a little more nervous than the others but Marion knew her friend and with a quick smile the two assured each other that their advance would be worth it as Shuriya called for them.

"Look alive girls. We are here." The dancer stops just outside of the woods of the ORC and looks at the trees with suspicion. "I can feel some traps already."

"Just like lady Ravel predicted." Marion strides confidently and checks a bush close to them to find a magic circle glowing with energy. Making one of her own, the maid disabless the trap. "Piece of cake."

"But it means we should walk more carefully." Burent reminded her friend who just smiled as the three of them stepped inside the forest.

While the three women are using heels, an open pair for the dancer, all their shoes are made with magic and special material to make sure they are comfortable in any terrain. Their pace was swift as they ran through the woods but they always stopped behind cover and kept themselves in each other's line of vision.

'So far these traps have been easy.' Burent commented with a grin as she disabled another magic circle, that one set up to explode upon contact. 'She really shouldn't have bothered with a Rating Game.' The traps the girls found were basic and soon the old school building came into view.

Looking at each other the three Pawns had a decision to make; press forward or call for backup. Thanks to their leader's warning they knew exactly what to do. "Lady Ravel," Marion whispers, hand close to her ear as the other two stay close and ready to run, "we have opened a path straight to the enemy base."

"Truly? Have you found any traps?" Ravel's question had the three Pawns grinning freely.

"Basic ones, mostly explosive and easy to disarm." Marion's reply didn't mean her guard was down.

"A 'straight path' you said?" Ravel sounded curious and was rubbing her chin to try and figure out what was happening.

"We… could go check the building if you wish?" Marion didn't want to try and approach with just the three of them, the numbers were too uneven.

Fortunately for her, their leader didn't plan to waste resources in a futile attack. "Make your way back out of the forest in the same direction and make sure to clean the path of any remaining traps." Ravel instructed after some deliberation. "We will go as planned and advance with all Pawns."

'Just as planned.' The three looked at each other and Marion's nod confirmed that they were going with the previous strategy, a relief and a guarantee of victory. "We will start making our way back now."

Remaking their steps was easy, the Pawns had been simply walking into a straight line and then they just had to walk back, slower this time to look for extra traps.

They didn't find many. "Why does that redhead bimbo have to be our King's main wife? She isn't competent enough to even make decent traps." Shuriya was irritated but her companions didn't fully disagree with her.

"I mean, she shouldn't have demanded a Rating Game." Marion said respectfully. "But her Power is of Destruction, our King is just a bad match for her."

"Bah, if that is the only thing she has then she shouldn't even have a peerage in the first place." The dancer disarms another trap with a glare. "Look at these things, so weak and easy to find. She clearly knows nothing of combat."

"I mean, she did manage to trap lord Rutal into a contract." Burent tried to defend the future wife of their King but it was begrudgingly. "She at least is smart politically."

"Doesn't mean she is worthy of being Riser's wife!" For a moment the three stopped and looked back in a panic, afraid that Shuriya's had got their enemy's attention. There was nobody. "See. We are freely on enemy territory and that bitch-"

Burent jumps and slaps her hand on her friend's mouth. "She is a Gremory, future Head of the Gremory." She then looks around before continuing. "And we are in a Rating Game being watched by nobles. If they heard you now…"

"They are interested in fighting or strategy, scouts only get watched when they find something or during skirmishes." Marion reminded her fellow maid but the dancer got the picture and when her mouth was free she sounded much more depressed.

"I just expected that one of us would be our King's main wife, you know?" They did, every member of their peerage with the exception of the sister of their King shared that same wish.

But they also knew it was just a dream, Riser was promised to marry Rias since childhood and it was something he made no secret of.

Even still a little part of them wondered if one of them could be chosen; a simple wish, a fleeting fantasy and they all knew that.

"It would have been Yubelluna anyway. You know how our King loves her breasts." Marion commented with a chuckle.

"No way, I was betting on Siris. Did you see how much attention he gave her after Kalarmine claimed the Noble Phantasm?" Burent uses her elbow to try and sound conspiratory with Shuriya which worked and had the dancer giggling.

The small talk also helped them pass the time as they made their way back, any trap they could find they disarmed and most of the way was now clear for their allies.

And soon enough they came, every single one of Riser's Pawns showed themselves from multiple directions at the established position of their scouts. There was the possibility that the rest of the woods were trapped and so going from a single direction was an advantage if they didn't want to search for more traps.

Observing their Pawns advancing was the rest of the peerage, Ravel even had a pair of binoculars of the kind used on an opera to see their positions. "All familiars and spells in place?" She asked Mihae who nodded.

"Yes lady Ravel. We have eyes all around the forest. Once the Gremory Peerage tries to escape we will know exactly where they will be going." Her fellow Bishop answered in a chipper tone, happy that the game was going to end soon and easily.

"Tch. So annoying. Digging themselves down like rats." Kalarmine failed in holding back her frustration as she was glaring at whatever she could see from Rias' base.

"You are just frustrated because maybe you won't have a fight." Mihae giggled at her companion's frustrated face but Ravel gave Karlamine a smile.

"Don't worry. Even with eight Queens, odds are that Rias and some of her peerage are going to escape the initial assault, if only for their King's safety." The noble girl affirmed with confidence. "Since she was wise enough to choose defense then she wasn't put into a corner which means that an escape route is inevitable."

"Shouldn't we then surround the forest, lady Ravel?" Isabela asked as the other Rook.

"They still need to try and take out my brother and here we have complete vision for their escape routes." Their position in the gym was ideal for them to pursue anyone trying to escape. "We can give you space to have some fun."

At their leader's words, Kalarmire grinned. "I hope the Knight doesn't get bodied by the others. He would be the ideal test for my new sword." Everyone chuckled or smiled at their Knight's attitude before Ravel turned her attention to the Pawns.

'This is checkmate, Rias.' "Initiate attack." With the order given, the eight girls dived into the forest without hesitation. "We should get ready for a hunt. Don't you all agree?"

"Of course, lady Ravel." Isabela was the only one who replied but the rest were already positioned themselves on the exits, waiting for the Pawns to do their job.

While the Pawns are confident there was also a nervous energy around their group as they crossed the forest for what they expected to be the last time. Never before have all of them managed to Promote to Queen in a single game and they already expect the last leg of the fight to be the most dangerous one.

All the traps around the forest couldn't compare to what some devils can do to their bases when they have enough time and with Rias playing defensively they already suspected that the resistance wouldn't make things easy when they began their attack.

"That is it?" Mira asked the trio of scouts who nodded to her and the other Pawns.

With a mocking glance, one of the green haired twins replied. "It is the only building in the whole forest, Mira."

"Mira can be so dumb sometimes." The other green haired girl said next and the blue haired Pawn had her staff ready to hit the duo.

"That is their base, dozens of windows, a door on the front and the back." Shuriya relaid her previous observations to stop the others from getting distracted. "Let's just get this over with already."

"Should we enter by the main office?" Marion asked her companions when suddenly Li, one of the former nekomata twins, raised her head and started to look around them quickly. "Something wrong?"

"I thought I felt something?" Li's reply had her twin, Ni, start doing the same before grinning.

"Just more traps around the area. Small like bugs." Was the best she could relay. "All kinda weak and pathetic if you want my opinion."

"She lacks experience." Burent commented but couldn't help but frown at her own answer. 'This is just so easy compared to our other games. Hard to believe she is a noble."

Li looked at her companions with worry. "She probably is better at direct combat. The energy was packing isn't a joke and she can probably one shot all of us."

"We still need to decide from where to enter." Mira reminded everyone. "Should we call lady Ravel?"

"We could go by the front door, throwing our spells and cutting to pieces anyone on our way." Once again one of the smaller twins spoke with no one knowing who was speaking at the time.

Then the other followed next, "Even with traps we can keep going until we take them all out. We are stronger anyway."

"Didn't you hear me when I said that their King was strong? Stronger than all of us even?" Li asked with her fangs showing.

""But the King is never at the door."" Both green haired twins answer together and nobody could refute them.

All the Pawns looked at each other one last time, nobody was disagreeing with the plan and unless Rias herself was behind that door they were confident that nothing was going to go wrong.

"Ni, Li, could the two of you take point?" Marion asked and the twin former nekomata stepped ahead.

Ever since they entered the forest the former nekomatas have been feeling lots of energy all around but they believed that they were the traps their comrades allowed to remain to not waste any time.

They also kept most of their focus on the old school building before them and were feeling a strong presence inside, a reminder that even if Rias wasn't exerting her power she was still dangerous.

When they all arrived at the front door, Li didn't hesitate and punched it with her gloved hand. All the Pawns rushed inside to find magic circles which quickly let out discharges of electricity, small ones that had all the Pawns protecting themselves and taking some damage.

Until one of them remembered that they were officially on enemy territory. "Promotion: Queen!" The shout snapped the others and with quick promotions they decimated the magic circles.

Now they are all Queens and their powers are now at least ten times greater than before with the addition of the main characteristics of all the other Pieces. In this state, even one of them could challenge Yubelluna and hold their ground if their real Queen doesn't take things too seriously.

"To the main office! Let's rush them!" Shuriya wasn't the leader by any means but all of them were excited and started running towards the center of the base. The speeds of multiple Knights tearing the area apart.

Even as they heard loud noises around and explosive magic circles tried to stop their advance but it was for naught. Some noticed that most of the magic circles didn't even activate but were ignored for the fervor of their charge.

They arrived in the last hallway and at that point some of the Queens started to think something was off. Nobody had tried to stop them yet, the traps were decent attempts but not a single enemy devil was around so far.

Li and Ni kept going ahead, the position of the enemy King identified. "The strong energy is still here." Li shouted to her allies and they as they all arrived at the door and both former nekomatas jump kicked it open only to find a magic circle with a red sword carved in the center. "What?"

None of the Queens had time to react as the magic circle started to glow more and more as energy started to be poured on the blade. "It is a delayed spell!" Someone barely had time to scream when the sword received the mana inside the magic circle and let out a huge tide of fire that quickly filled the room and spread around the whole building.

But the girls were Promoted to Queens and they are also members of the Phenex Clan, fire and heat are things they could take. Only for the magic circles around the building to start to explode as well in various ways; lighting, fire, sound, anything and everything to keep them off balance.

'Stupid Gremory! Do you think fire is going to stop us!' The dancer was furious for having fallen into a trap with her team but she got up and started to run towards a window of the now burning office. "The enemy must be outside! Let-" Before Shuriya could jump off, the top of a tree slammed on the window, blocking the exit.

And it wasn't only one as more trees began to fall from outside and block the windows. "They are trying to trap us! Cough, cough." Mira's call gets everyone moving and they try to leave the office.

On the hallway every magic circle they had ignored now tried to keep them in but every single one of them was a Queen and the Rook's defenses were enough that they could run out to another door and break it apart only to see the exit also blocked by a tree.

"Screw this!" With her magic enhanced by her Promotion, Burent created a magic circle on her hands and threw a flamethrower on the tree with the goal of turning it to ash. However the fire began to spread around more and soon the whole room was on fire.

"We have to get out!" "The fire is spreading faster!" "Cough! Can't we destroy the walls? Cough!" "We are- cough cough- trying!"

With the strength of Rooks the Promoted Pawns managed to break some walls only to see more trees covering every window and fire spreading faster than any of them could stop.

"Ile, Nel! Use your chainsaws to get us out!" Marion tried to order her fellow Pawns but heard no response. "Where- cough- are they?" The maid finds the duo a second after, they had tried to break a wall and used fire to rush the process, but were now coughing constantly as one of the twins looked ready to pass out. "What- cough cough- is going on?"

Her question was one that crossed the minds of all Riser's Pawns as they started to slow down in their attempt to escape the labyrinth of fire. They weren't truly members of the Phenex Clan, they could create flames and even resist the heat but none of them was really immune to fire and some of their attempts ended with them burned.

It wasn't long before the announcement was given. *Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.*

The news didn't come as a shock to the other members of the Phenex Peerage, as they could see the smoke leaving the woods and predicted that the fight had really started. Even the fact they lost a Pawn, even a Promoted one, was expected when they invaded the enemy camp.

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.*

Ravel wanted to call her allies to know what was going on but feared that she would get in the way or distract them at a crucial moment. The best thing she could do was wait for the results.

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.*

"What is going on with them? They haven't got a single-"

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.* Ravel was interrupted by the news of another defeat that made her blink in confusion.

"Lady Ravel, look!" Isabela call has the noble girl turning her attention back to the forest to see cloaked figures running out of the trees in different directions.

Of something Ravel was sure, they could only be the enemy. "Marion! What is going on?!" Her panicked shouts got all the pereage's attention and they all lit up their communication spells.

Surrounded by fire and having difficulties breathing because of the smoke, the maid managed to reply. "Lady- cough cough cough- fire, smoke. We need- cough."

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.*

Considering that Marion wasn't answering anymore they knew exactly who had been retired and yet the five cloaked figures were spreading around the battlefield without a clear pattern and at different speeds.

Every single one of them was dressed in a long black cloak that completely covered their features. The distance was also enough that none of the Phenex Peerage could clearly say who was who by size alone.

Their base at the gym was being completely ignored while the fastest one was clearly making a beeline towards the main school building.

"Lady Ravel, should we pursue?" "Two of them just took a turn!" "I am going!" "Siris! Wait for orders!" "Our friends are stuck in the forest!"

The situation was getting worse and Ravel was stuck without knowing what to do. Xuelan was right, their comrades were stuck in a forest, in a fire of all things, without a chance of escaping without support from what the noble could understand.

She could send someone to try to help, probably Siris who was the fastest and more expendable Piece, while the others split to deal with the Gremory group which was clearly still missing one member. Ravel could only estimate that it was Rias and that she was the one taking out their Peerage.

That alternative would also mean completely giving up the numerical advantage since the Knight may not be able to rescue the Pawns and come back fast enough to join in the fight.

She could try to pick them apart one by one but she can't predict what Rias was doing and the moment they attack one of them the rest could move and try to reinforce from behind. Communication spells and wings meant that distance can be considered irrelevant in the current battlefield.

If she wanted to counter whatever Rias was planning, she needed to give up fully on their numerical advantage one way or another. As far as Ravel could see it was all only a matter of if she should send someone to rescue the Pawns, who were promoted to Queens at this point, or not.

While Ravel struggled with the decision the fire got worse and it could be fully seen from the gym spreading around the forest.

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.*

That announcement was enough to snap her into making a decision, she didn't have enough time to think. "Split up! Intercept the Gremory! All of them!" With the magic circle she also shouts. "Blaze! Blaze! Yubelluna we need you!" A part of her knew that she probably didn't need to shout or even call their Queen, she was probably watching the game with her brother with a crystal ball but she was panicking because she knew what she must do. "The rest of you girls… escape that trap! Whatever the cost!"

"I don't-cough cough-"

"Shuriya! Shuriya!" Ravel tried to call for the Pawn but she knew it was worthless.

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.* The announcement was only rubbing salt into the wound.

"How…?" Isabela was the only one remaining besides her mistress inside the gym, all the others had already left to intercept the Gremory group. "How did they take out so many Queens so easily?"

"It doesn't matter how, we will make Rias Gremory pay for this!" Ravel didn't know what happened but she wouldn't accept the humiliation that was her plan breaking apart lying down. "Come Isabela! With our current numbers we all have to fight!"

Both devils unleash their wings, fire wings for Ravel and bat wings for Isabela and they both quickly move towards one of the cloaked figures.

*Riser Phenex's Pawn has retired.* Just as the last of Riser's Pawns was officially retired from the match.

…

Yubelluna was in fact mid way to the rooftop when Ravel ordered the begging of Blaze. Her King and her were spending some quality time together watching Ravel's preparations and the only reason why things didn't get more inclined towards the adult side of things was because other devils were watching.

It was a pleasant time between them and almost enough to make the woman forget that Rias was the one marrying her King. She could also see his disappointment when Riser saw all the pieces of Ravel's plan fall in place and they were sure that victory was at hand.

And then things started to get strange. Her crystal ball couldn't see inside the forest, too much magic around meant too much interference. Usually that was the indicator of a great power or a huge spell.

Yet there was no explosion, no grand attack or counter attack, their Pawns infiltrated the enemy territory easily and things started to go wrong.

Now Yubelluna must hurry towards her young mistress to finish the Gremory group off once and for all. Unveiling her wings and holding her staff firmly, the Queen began to fly at high speed in the gym's direction.

Then she felt a high concentration of energy above her and turned quickly to make a shield to block the attack. Her quick thinking managed to save her from a considerable deal of damage as a lighting bolt slammed against her magic circle for a second before it disappeared.

"Oh my~ what a fast reaction~" A melodious voice announced the arrival of the enemy Queen and Yubelluna couldn't help herself but smile.

"Young girl, such cowardly tricks are the only way your King found to try and seize victory?" At this moment the Queen of Phenex knew that she wouldn't be able to help Ravel as the attack was strong enough to show that her enemy was a real threat.

"Victory is victory all the same, all that matters is the cost and how much one is willing to pay for it." Akeno replied, she was dressed in her miko clothes of white and red and her usual smile. Her ponytail practically danced with the wind as she looked at her opponent. "I expected to take you out with that attack and I was sure you couldn't see it coming."

"I felt it coming. I must admit that you are powerful. Just not powerful enough." Carefully Yubelluna flew higher until both women were meeting each other eye to eye. 'A priestess outfit? Does it hold any significance?' A purple aura starts to surround her as she raises her staff. "I believe that you are here to take me out?"

"You and your King." Akeno's answer makes the older Queen laugh.

"Is Gremory insane? Does she truly believe that you could take us both alone? Hahaha~" Yubelluna controls herself as a magic circle is formed on her staff. "Truly she must be mad."

"Fufufu~ Someone very dear taught us that 'planning for the best and expecting the worst' helps." Akeno replied with a hand over her mouth, almost making her look meek. Yubelluna wasn't falling for it. "But you are too big of a threat to most of our peerage so I have to keep you company~"

"Oh~ We shall see then, if you can keep up with my rhythm." Taking initiative, Yubelluna unleashes three huge fireballs towards Akeno and the Gremory Queen quickly shoots lightning back from her own circles. The explosions pushed the two women more apart but they still could see each other's smiles. "Not bad for a little girl."

Akeno smiled gently before speaking. "Not bad for an old woman." That ticked Yubelluna off and the battle of lightning and fire began.

…

Their plan had gone off without a hitch, Rias' strategy managed to take out all the enemy Pawns and almost completely equalize the numbers but their team was still at a disadvantage.

So he ran towards the main school building, ran in a way and a pattern that was fast enough that only another Knight would be able to keep up. Now that the Pawns were out of the board the second part of the plan was 'divide and conquer'.

Kiba could hear the fast steps coming in his direction, his cloak stopped him from using his wings but he didn't need them to run to the enemy King and that would certainly bring the attention of their enemies, possibly another Knight.

If they are chasing him then they aren't chasing someone else slower. Rias can still be taken out and they can still lose if too many enemies converge on her and that was the best solution they could come up with.

Looking behind him Kiba can see his pursuer, the armored Knight of Phenex, Karlamine. Her sword was already out and she was using her wings to propel herself faster, getting closer to catch him by the second.

'I can't keep my cover much longer. I only hope Buchou is far enough away.' Kiba has no intention of losing the fight but if it happens then he must at least secure his King's safety. That was his duty; defeat the opposition, get to Riser and stick a sword through his chest.

Most of the plans that everyone received, with some exceptions was this; take someone out and then take Riser out. Simple, pure and direct. Kiba liked the plan and wasn't going to disagree.

'NOW!' Shouting on his mind, Kiba quickly summoned a sword and parried the attack of the opposing Knight who finally managed to reach him.

"You're a Knight! Great!" Karlamine has a huge smile on her face. She continues her attack at high speed and Kiba manages to block every strike of her sword. "And strong too!"

"Sorry but I have no time for pleasantries." Kiba replied and his favorite sword Holy Eraser began to push back only for the two swords to end locked between the fighters.

"Don't say that. I want to have some fun!" The short haired woman puts more strength in her arms but Kiba barely moves.

"As I said," by relaxing his muscles, Kiba lets the girl fall while also letting go of his sword, "I have no time for pleasantries." From his coat another sword was revealed, Sword Birth already making another copy of his favorite sword at its master's behest which he grabs and aims for his opponents back.

Karlamine didn't know what was happening but she was experienced enough to understand that she had no time to pull her sword back to block whatever her adversary was trying to pull. But her wings are still open and she uses them to accelerate her fall. "AAAAAAHHHH!" Recovering her balance and turning back quickly she blocks the follow up attack, the whole interaction happening in just a couple of seconds.

Looking at the opposition, Kiba was shocked that the woman had sacrificed one of her wings to avoid the attack. He wouldn't apologize or give his enemy time to recover her bearings, his team was still at a disadvantage and he didn't hesitate to attack again.

Both swords clashed and Karlamine was smiling. "That is how it is supposed to be! If you aren't giving you all it won't be fun!" It wasn't a berserker but a satisfied smile. "I feared that you wouldn't be able to put up any real resistance but your little trick shows you have some experience in fighting."

"Too many life or death situations." Kiba admitted as he can tell the back of the woman was bleeding as result of losing part of her wing but she wasn't detained, on the contrary, she was going at him even harder. "Are you sure you don't want to take care of your wound?"

The attempt to remind her of her pain didn't distract Karlamine. "I will do that after we win!" Both try to push their opponent's sword to the side only for them to clash two more times. The same trick wouldn't work again as the Phenex Knight feet are firmly on the ground.

With a smile and not saying a word, Karlamine does the same thing that Kiba did before and allow his push to through and break her guard however the blond Knight didn't fell for it, his posture was good and he turns his sword to the side, not intending to fall but to cut the woman before him.

But she wasn't trying to win the fight with the same trick as him, she was just getting an opening so she could move her left hand for the other sword on her back and unleash it, Kiba suddenly getting a feeling of danger.

Unleashing her new sword, Karlamine can't help but feel pleased with herself as her attack manages to not only break Kiba's Holy Eraser but also cut the Gremory Knight's arm before he fully retreated. "I was a little afraid, you know? Afraid that I wasn't going to have anyone to try this on."

The presence that Kiba was feeling from that sword was familiar, he felt it more than once in his life when he saw other great blades that have surpassed their limits and became legends.

But this one also gave him a feeling of nausea that annoyed him for reasons he couldn't explain.

Just with a glance, Kiba already knew what it was. "Noble Phantasm?" He said between clenched teeth, the fight just becoming much harder. The pain in his arm also practically confirmed his fears since just a small touch almost took his whole hand off

"That is right! My Noble Phantasm!" Proudly, Karlamine displays the white sword that looked similar to a falchion but clearly wasn't one with a symbol similar to Taijitu or the 'yin and yang' above the handle.

The white of the blade was unblemished, almost like someone had managed to hammer a cloud into the shape of a sword, its size was smaller than Karlamine broadsword but it was still as tall as her arm and the presence that it gave was making the devil side of him wish it could run to the hills.

Unfortunately Kiba felt some disgust to its presence, it was reminding him of something really unpleasant. It was the aura around it, he realized, it spoke of perfection and purity in a way that reminded him of Holy Swords.

Kiba hated Holy Swords.

Swallowing his distaste, Kiba tried to go for a charming smile. "I am sorry, I really shouldn't have been rude earlier." Taking out the coat Rias had supplied him, Kiba shows his school uniform and while his right arm is bleeding the sleeve was practically intact. "My name is Yuuto Kiba, Knight of Rias Gremory and owner of the sacred gear Sword Birth. Nice to meet you."

Revealing the name of his sacred gear was a gamble to try and coach the name of the Noble Phantasm out of Karlamine, something she doesn't need to give since much of a Noble Phantasm power is usually tied with their History.

She doesn't need to tell him a thing but by her demeanor and the way she dressed, Kiba hoped she considered herself a 'true knight'. "Karlamine, proud Knight of the Phenex Clan under my King, Riser Phenex." Her back was bleeding no longer and both swords were ready at her sides but she pointed the white one at him. "And owner of one pair of the Married Blades, Bakuya!"

Another unfortunate thing was that the name wasn't exactly familiar to Kiba but he took the fact in stride as he made a purple sword. "A pleasure to meet you." Was all he could say to disguise how much he didn't want that sword close to him.

"Likewise!" Were Karlamine's last words as she jumped at Kiba at full speed and the blond struggled to block the Phenex's Knight renewed assault.

Kiba's new sword managed to survive the first strike of Bakuya but a single crack told him it was only a matter of time before he had to make a new one.

…

Koneko was close to Kiba's position and felt something powerful in his direction, something that put fear in her heart and her instincts were warning her to stay away from, to keep going and not look back.

While Koneko had a fear inside her that could stop any of her actions and even make her run, danger wasn't that fear and when one of her friends was in said danger she didn't even need to think twice, she just turned her body fully in Kiba's direction and continued running.

She can already see the blond Knight getting ready for a fight against an armored woman and she begins to run faster. Not being able to see what was setting her off so much didn't help matters but Koneko didn't slow down.

Until a woman with a huge sword, a Zweihander, got on her way. "You are not lady Gremory, too small for that." Drawing the sword from her back, Siris raises it with both hands. "You are either the Bishop or the Rook and since you were running almost as fast as a Knight I would say Rook."

Taking off the hood of her cloak, Koneko opens it to reveal her school uniform and gloved hands with cat paw prints on her fists. "Out of my way." The demand just makes the taller woman smile.

"You want to help your friend against Karlamine? Against Bakuya?" Siris lowered her sword once Koneko positioned herself. "Trust me, Rook or not, you wouldn't make any difference."

"If it won't make a difference, let me pass." Koneko's voice was calm but she could see that Kiba was already getting hurt and struggling in his fight.

Siris didn't like the reply. "Tch. I may be a little upset that I am not the one with a Noble Phantasm but it would be rude of me to allow you to interrupt Karlamine's fun." She barely had time to raise her sword before Koneko's foot was planted on her side only for the sword to block it.

Saying nothing else, Koneko uses the side of the blade to jump back and avoid Siris counter. The long haired woman chastises herself for almost getting hit but she pursues Koneko with a mighty slash from above her head.

Part of the older woman expected Koneko to do the typical thing Rooks did in this cases, block the attack and go for a counter, it is the reason why even as a Knight Siris uses a huge sword instead of a smaller one or even just had it as her single weapon in the first place.

If Karlamine was the Knight who challenges Knights, she is the Knight who breaks Rooks.

Even if Koneko was smaller than most opponents Siris wouldn't underestimate a Rook's base defense and decided to try to go for a fast win. Instead of taking the hit as was expected, the white haired girl dodges to the side and delivers a swift kick on Siris' leg.

Astounded and in pain, Siris turns her sword to the side to decapitate the little devil who crouches and then punches her in the stomach. Only her wings stopped the Phenex Knight from flying too far but Koneko was in pursuit with her own pair, cloak fully discarded, and preparing a punch.

Not wanting to take another hit, Siris flew back and took another swing at the smaller devil who reacted faster than anticipated again and hit a kick on the Knight's face so hard she fell on the ground, burying Siris slightly.

Koneko only spared Siris a glance before turning her attention back to Kiba's fight. She can still feel the power threatening her friend and starts heading that way when she feels a strong surge of mana where she had kicked the Knight before.

Irritated by her previous defeat at her friend's hand and annoyed that a small girl had got the drop on her, Siris started to unleash her demonic power and allowed it to cover her body. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

Fire ignites around the woman as she swings her sword with her full strength and a burning blade hits Koneko before the little devil has any time to dodge. She still managed to cross her arms in front of her face to protect it but at the same time the fire itself was still hurting her.

She forgot to protect her wings and Koneko couldn't bite back the wince, instinctively reacting by retreating them back inside her to stop pain and without their support gravity took its due and she quickly began to fall.

Getting up after almost being cooked in the sky, Koneko can see small burns on her arms and feel a good deal of pain on her shoulder. Only the Rook Piece's natural defenses kept her in the game but looking at Siris, who was coming at her with a giant flaming sword, Koneko had no time to deliberate and began to move before the Knight got another free hit.

…

When the members of the Gremory Peerage split up they used the gym as reference with three going towards one side while two had gone to the other. A way to divide the enemy also naturally divided themselves and when the Queens started fighting in the sky both sides knew that nobody was getting reinforcements so easily.

Staying closer to the gym was a duo covered with the black cloaks. Unlike their companions their objective was a little different and more of an extra measure Rias wanted taken care off while the rest of the peerage distracted or dealt with the majority of the Phenex's forces.

But a pair of people catches more attention than just a solitary presence running in another direction that makes them an obvious target.

Ravel and Isabela suspected that the pair had to be Rias being escorted by a bodyguard at worst or her most recently acquired Bishop at best and so that was the target chosen by the daughter of the Phenex.

Usually Ravel doesn't like to involve herself directly in combat and even if it was her plan being used. However she is a devil and quite capable of it. So she prepared a ball of fire to throw at the pair, even noticing that one of them had a red gauntlet with a green gem on their arm.

'The Red Dragon Emperor!' That confirmed in her mind that the other person had to be Rias and she was about to throw a huge fireball when Isabela pushed her to the side, dodging a dark blast that she recognized as the Power of Destruction. "What?"

"Lady Ravel! That one is the Gremory!" And now paying more attention to the third cloaked figure Ravel could see the long red hair and a smile that the blonde was starting to find insufferable.

Ravel refused to allow herself to lose her calm, she already realized that Rias came up with some sort of game plan for the match and because of it their side had already lost too many Pieces while hers was intact.

But taking Rias out was also an opportunity of winning the game all together. That and the fact that Ravel wanted some answers made her decision. "Isabela! After Gremory! Quick!"

Besides, Ravel was sure that the pair she was letting escape weren't going to go very far.

On the other hand Issei was relieved that Rias had managed to save his and Asia's skin. 'But now they are going after Buchou! Should I attack?' He knew that Ravel was a Phenex but the woman at her side wasn't. 'If I can take her out-'

"Issei-san lookout!" Asia's call managed to get to the brown haired man and he raised his left arm just in time to block an ax kick from a woman with really revealing clothings.

"Blue panties!" Shouted the Pawn in surprise to a mildly embarrassed Xuelan.

"Where do you think you are looking at, you pervert?" Turning her body to the side, the Rook moves her leg and kicks the gauntlet out of her way but Issei jumps back and begins to push Asia with him.

That didn't stop Xuelan who chases the two highschoolers with a sequence of three fast kicks that Issei manages to raise his arms to blocks before she moves her spine to spin and throw another kick aiming for his head.

Issei crouches to dodge the kick but Xuelan wasn't done, she was going for a full offensive and aimed to chop Issei's neck, managing to hit his cheek and push him away from Asia. The Rook identifies the now revealed blonde as the Gremory's Peerage Bishop and throws a fist at the girl who quickly covers her face with her arms.

"Asia!" Issei rushed to get up as Asia was thrown back a fair distance from the Rook but Xuelan wasn't worried about her as she was a non combatant and in her mind Issei, the holder of the Boosted Gear, was the real threat. "You will pay for that!"

[Explosion x2]

A green light leaves the gauntlet that puts Xuelan quickly on guard. "That wasn't a boost." The Rook observed as Issei charged at her, it didn't match the information she had about the sacred gear but she was still cautious until she saw Issei turn to the side, rushing towards Asia. "Amateur."

Xuelan charges to attack Issei's back but then stops and throws a back hand right at the Rook's face. She managed to block with both her hands and was quick to notice that Issei was much stronger than before.

"So that was a boost. You disguised the name in some way." Xuelan concluded and moved fast to finish the brown haired devil before another ten seconds passed and he could boost again.

[Explosion x2]

Came the call again just before Issei managed to grab Xuelan's fist, shocking the Rook. "Compared with the monster I had to train with for the last ten days, you are small fry." He aims a kick for the woman's leg but while the kick was strong, Xuelan was skilled enough to use her own leg to hit stop his before doing a small hop to hit Issei's other leg, making the Pawn's back hit the ground.

"You are still an amateur." Xuelan executes a back flip to get some distance as Issei rolls away from her. "Whoever taught you, didn't show you how to fight for real!" She declared while taking a posture with her right arm and leg stretched and her left in a fist close to her face and her left leg ready to follow the right. "I don't know how you disguised the 'Boost' call from your sacred gear but that won't make a difference."

Getting up and taking a quick glance behind him, Issei can see Asia healing her arms while looking at her with concern. "Heh, like I will tell you anything anyway. Maybe I will if you show me your breasts." He declared while positioning himself on his boxer posture. 'Keep calm and remember your training.' Medusa's voice practically echoed in his head.

Taunting wasn't really a thing he was good at but Issei was honest and the offer was genuine. He also knew thanks to his mentors that something genuine can work just as much as any insult. "My body belongs to my King alone!" His plan worked as Xuelan took his audacity as an insult and rushed to take his head.

Issei didn't have many hopes of winning against a real fighter but for his King he was going to give his best or die trying.

…

Rias can't stop a small smile at the glare Ravel was giving her, even if her plan succeeded and she managed to save Asia and Issei she wasn't able to take Ravel out or even injure her while another Rook showed up to attack them but she was confident in their chances. Now it was up to the Pawn to defeat the Riser's Rook while she dealt with the other one and the younger noble.

"Lady Gremory." Ravel's voice was even and sounded like a respectful greeting but just by looking at her face Rias knew that her fellow noble was beyond frustrated.

"You can drop the pleasantries if you wish, lady Ravel. I can see you are quite upset with me. May I ask what the problem is?" Rias didn't know why but that expression was unmistakable.

"Anyone would be… upset at fighting against a frustrating opponent." Ravel's statement got Rias thinking for a moment.

"Oh. It was your plan to attack our base with all your Pawns, wasn't it?" Rias believed that Riser was making the moves from his base but she was mistaken.

"Yes it was. And your strategy makes no damn sense." Isabela looked at her mistress in shock. Ravel wasn't one to use what she called 'crude language' but the stress was getting to her. "What kind of King abandons their fortress, their castle? Only a fool or a coward would do such a thing."

It was a line of thought that Rias herself had in the past but Shirou convinced her with an argument that she could appreciate. "Oda Nobunaga."

Ravel blinked, she wasn't really wanting a response but the name itself was strange. "Who?"

"Oda Nobunaga, he was a Daimyo from the Warring States Period and one of the main contributors for the unification of Japan. As the leader of his Clan he didn't hesitate in abandoning his castle, his family's home, in favor of a sneak attack that secured his future and his march towards Unifying Japan Through Strength." Japanese History, that was how Shirou managed to make sure his lessons could sink in Rias' head but had the opposite effect in Ravel's. "There are other examples if you want."

Took a few more moments before it finally dawned into Ravel who the person was, what they were. "A human? You used a human's strategy in a Rating Game?" Her tone had a great deal of anger and indignity.

"Yes, I did. Any problems with that?" Rias asked with raised eyebrows that had Ravel growl.

"How? A human could never fight on the level as us, devils! This strategy shouldn't have worked!" Ravel stated her problem plainly; this fight wasn't the same and Rias nodded in agreement.

"You are right but that wasn't the point of the lesson." Rias could understand why Akeno preferred Shirou to Rin when it came to who was the better teacher, he was more patient and had no problem explaining things from different angles. "The lesson was 'if the castle is useless, don't defend it.' It has to do with recognizing an unattainable position, using the terrain and exploiting your opponent's weaknesses." She shrugged her shoulders once she saw that Ravel still wasn't understanding. "The idea of sending only Pawns at your enemy's base is traditional at this point, it is how that Piece can fight at its full potential. So it was a thing that I suspect Riser, or you in this case, would try and so I prepared accordingly."

That was what frustrated Ravel the most, the fact that her strategy, supposedly the best one by professional Rating Game standards, was easily counted to the point that her Pawns failed to take out even a single Piece from the opponent.

But the information that Rias gave was enough for Ravel to understand most of it. "You weren't in your base from the moment the grace period ended."

"Well, we were in the woods around it, staying out of your Pawns' way and planting fake traps for them to find." At least Kiba and Koneko were as they had an easier time hiding their presence. Rias stayed around the area of the club for as long as she could so the nekomatas didn't notice there were two of her power around. "After you Pawns entered we chopped some trees and blocked the windows while they suffocated."

"'Suffocated'?" Ravel couldn't believe the words but they made sense and fitted with the last she heard from the Pawns. She clenched her teeth, trying to figure out what kind of tricks Rias used to trap the half of their Peerage. "How?"

"You are all members of the Phenex Clan." Rias replied, that single line answering everything and infuriating her fellow noble as she couldn't see how. "Lady Ravel, I will give you this chance, retire yourself and leave the battlefield."

"Feh. Do you think I am a coward like you who would abandon her own castle?" Ravel's fire wings spread and Isabela, who remained silent during the whole interaction, prepared to fight.

"I would think you are pragmatic." Rias didn't care about Ravel's insults, she was there to win. "You never fought directly before and always allowed your brother's servants to fight for you. If we do fight, I can't guarantee your safety."

"I am a Phenex. As Immortal as my brother!" Flames cover Ravel's hands as she takes Rias' words as an insult. "It is true that I never bothered fighting but you will pay for underestimating me."

'More like I want to save energy to fight your brother.' Rias knows that she can defeat the Rook, she was sure of that and once she does it then she can help her friends and win the match.

But Ravel was a wild card; while her commanding her brother's forces wasn't really a surprise, she never fought, always letting her brother and his Pieces to deal with the opposition before they ever reached her or retiring herself in the fights where they never had the intention of winning in the first place.

Opening her cloak, Rias reveals her highschool uniform. 'Sorry guys, you will have to hold on without me for a while.' An aura of power covers her body as she prepares. "I won't even try guilt tripping you into retiring, it is clear you will fight for the sake of your Clan."

"As a true devil should." Ravel announced proudly as an aura of fire, clearly weaker than Rias' aura of power, surrounded her. She didn't care that Rias was stronger, their peerage knew the Power of Destruction's weakness. "My brother wanted to go easy on you but forget it! I shall make you regret challenging the Phenex!"

"Very well." Without making a single move that Ravel could see, a magic circle formed in front of Rias and shot a bolt of Destruction in the blonde's direction. She almost had no time to react and throw her flames at it to counter the attack when it happened.

But the fire quickly gave way to the wave and Ravel had to take flight to dodge the attack. Looking for her opponent she noticed that she lost sight of Rias and almost panicked when a red light caught her attention and she saw the Gremory's heiress shoot another blast of destruction from above her.

'She anticipated I was going to jump up?' The idea she was predictable was starting to consume Ravel but she managed to fly to the side just enough for her wing to be hit.

Losing control of her flying path, Ravel focused on accelerating the regeneration of her wing before she hit the ground only to fail and fall shoulder first. Afraid of what Rias was going to do next, she covers her head with her arms and her fire.

Only for nothing to happen after a couple of seconds and then she looks up to see Isabela pursuing Rias back to ground level as the pureblood devil didn't want to fight the Rook hand to hand.

And that was what the masked woman was trying to force; a direct confrontation. Isabela had no intention of doing what Rutal suggested in one of their strategy meetings and letting Rias tire out before attacking. She can feel the power of Rias' aura and knows that if the redhead gets her way it will be hard to avoid the damage she could unleash on everyone.

Besides that, Isabela can easily admit to herself that she isn't much of a thinker and the ideal scenario for her would be to take Rias out with brute force. So once she saw that Ravel had managed to save herself she attacked and Rias quickly moved to block her with a magic circle, faster than the Rook expected, before dropping down to avoid the follow up fist in her direction.

When her feet touched the ground, Rias immediately jumped back as the Rook slammed herself on previous position. Isabela didn't lose her footing during her previous attack and quickly dashed at Rias.

But the redhead already had made a magic circle and fired a blast of destruction at Isabela, fully expecting the woman to be retired the moment the attack connected.

She wasn't as the Rook crossed the remaining distance and managed to hit a punch right on Rias' face. Or that was her intention as Isabela could tell that her fist didn't fully make contact with the pureblood as her aura managed to protect her.

It was still enough to throw her back because while the aura could protect her it couldn't fully stop the impact as Isabela is a considerably strong devil. Rias retreated as fast as she could but the Rook didn't pursue this time, instead she positioned herself with her fists raised and looked at Rias who was examining her nose.

"I see you can use your aura as a shield as well, lady Gremory." Isabela's statement had Rias paying attention to her form and realizing that the Rook had an aura, thin and almost invisible, around her as well. "Since you offered my mistress to retire, I believe that it is only fair that I do the same. Surrender. You cannot win this game."

"Sorry but that boat has already sailed." Rias' response earned a frown from the Rook that wasn't hidden by the half mask. "You think a little pain is going to make me quit?"

"No but I can resist your Power of Destruction, fully ignore it if I wish." That proclamation had Rias raising an eyebrow.

"You should know, lady Gremory, that Isabela here is your ideal counter." Ravel appears behind her bodyguard with a smile on her face. "To be more specific, she is the counter to all Wizard types."

"Oh~ how so?" If her opponent wanted to brag, far from Rias to stop them from giving away her tricks.

And Ravel, confident of victory, just delivered the information freely. "Isabela trained her whole life to harness mana around her in a veil that magic can't easily pass. Combined with the Rook Piece's defense, she is the perfect counter against Wizard types." The woman in question remained silent, it was her hope that Rias would quit once she knew the gravity of her situation. "All devil magic is ruled by mana and mana can be countered with mana, that is a rule that even the Power of Destruction can't escape."

Rias rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes. I know that already. So I can't just throw a little Destruction her way and she will fold. Good to know." Her attitude surprised both members of Riser's Peerage who expected a worse reaction. "Is that ll? Because I can still overpower her."

"Lady Gremory, I assure you that you won't have the chance." Isabela decides to insert herself in the conversation, she actually doesn't want to fight the future wife of her King regardless of the reason. "Lord Rutal told us about your shortcomings and your lack of control. While it is true that you may be able to overpower me directly, I have no intentions of taking such an attack by myself."

"Don't forget that I am also here." Ravel floated a couple of steps back to make sure that Isabela wouldn't have to worry about her. "Sure I can't take you alone but Isabela has been my bodyguard for years. Together, I can guarantee that only my brother and Yubelluna can compete with us."

"Oh so that means that if I can defeat you two I am by default stronger than your whole peerage." Rias can see that the insinuation was enough to make Ravel mad with rage.

But Isabela made one last attempt to avoid the fight. "Lady Gremory, I request that you listen to me, please." The polite way she spoke snapped Ravel out of her anger and had Rias raising an eyebrow in clear curiosity. "While you managed to learn aura defense, you are clearly not a master of it, your power is all over the place, not only that but even at this moment our peerages are fighting and you can tell from here that we are winning." Turning her head to the side, both can see that Issei was managing to hold back Xuelan but he was clearly losing ground by the second.

'Not his fault that his ceiling is still too low and he can't use all the boosts he accumulated.' Yet Rias said nothing, she had faith Issei and Asia would figure something out. "Aura defense? Is that how that technique is called? I confess that I stumbled on it by accident while working on something else."

"Be as it may, we know your powers and we know your tricks." Isabela stepped forward with a thin orange aura around her. "You can't win, lady Gremory. Do the sensible thing and surrender before some member of your peerage gets killed accidentally."

"Is that a threat?" Rias' aura grew stronger but she held back from attacking since the woman was being polite.

"A possibility." Isabela didn't let the pureblood devil intimidate her. "One of my sisters has acquired a new weapon-"

"Isabela! Stop right this instant." Ravel's order silenced the Rook and she took over the conversation. "It is as Isabela said but you have no need to know our capabilities." Rias was tempted to say it was too late for that but she successfully kept her mouth shut. "Just know that some of us are well prepared to deal with you." She refused to underestimate Rias again and she won't give her any more information from then on. "Now what is going to be? Are you going to surrender? I am sure that not a single noble in the audience will complain about it since you did manage a… flawless victory against eight Queens."

"We both know that you are lying." Rias replied with an easy going smile but Ravel didn't react, she was right.

While it was undeniable that Rias defeated eight Promoted Pawns, they weren't true Queens and none of them were really known in the Underworld. Not only that but it wasn't because of power but trickery and strategy that Rias took them all out, something most devils won't approve of.

In fact it could be said that if Rias surrendered her situation would only be worse and she would become a joke in the noble community.

If she had any intention of surrendering in the first place. "I hate repeating myself but this ship has already sailed."

With that declaration Isabebla's lone eye gained an edge and Ravel's smile looked sweet but had a tone of danger behind it. "You heard her, Isabela. She isn't surrendering." The Rook said nothing but that was expected, she was preparing. "Make sure to not damage her face too much. My brother wants her pretty."

"You two won't get the chance." The cloak Rias was using started to tremble, almost as if the Gremory was the center of a storm. "I will defeat the two of you here, then I will deal with Riser." And yet in the back of her mind, Rias knew she would have to hold back. 'I can't let Ravel see my full power, if she does I may be unable to catch Riser off guard."

"As you wish lady Gremory." Isabela's fists hit each other. "Once you are the wife of my lord, I hope you can forgive the pain I'm about to inflict on you."

Rias just smiled. "You can break my bones but you won't win. My resolve won't allow me to retreat." With that declaration, Rias summoned a huge magic circle in front of her, surprising the two members of the Phenex. "Well? Let's begin!"

The explosion that followed next marked the beginning of their fight.

…..

Lots of people trying to guess Rias' new power, everybody wrong so far. By the end of the next chapter people will know for sure what it is so you have until them to comment a guess.

Some of you are wondering why Riser is getting so much attention, the reason is because he is supposed to be the introduction to Rating Games and he is also a devil that is following a path opposite to Rias at the moment.

It is also an opportunity to introduce a 'meta' for the actual form of the Rating Game by showing how some Pieces are used like Pawns who are best as scouts or front line.

Riser's whole strategy is riding on his Immortality to secure him wins while Rias is adapting by recognizing her power is not absolute and that she should refine it while using other resources to grow strong beyond her natural strength and her peerage.

There is also the fact that Riser was supposed to be undefeated(remember that his losses were on purpose) and so his peerage should at least be somewhat strong and their own tricks.

So now we have this match going and I have to say that I was planning to deal with it in a single chapter to celebrate 2000 followers… It got too big and I had no time so we are splitting it up. Maybe it will be 2 or 3, I have to add some scenes to make sure the story flows well.

Until next time.