— Akane —
A week has passed since I had that talk with Sona, and everything has been relatively quiet. I either trained with my uncle, practiced my magic and sword mastery in the dungeons, or worked on my Engineering skill. It's been relatively difficult to rank up my skills since the zombies are too weak to withstand the full brunt of my attacks, so I've been limited in that regard.
I'm now at Journeyman rank in both sword proficiency and ice magic, and to reach the next rank which is Expert, it's gonna take me approximately two weeks of intensive training in the zombie dungeon for each. I need to unlock the next one, but I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to level up. I have to kill something or activate a quest that specifically gives me EXP.
Leveling up Engineer doesn't give primary levels, which is what's needed to unlock the new dungeon, so that doesn't help. It does give stats though, so I'm not complaining. It's pretty hard to level up compared to Cryomancy when I first started at least. I've just reached level 7 in a week.
What was I leveling it up on? Well, the safest thing I could get my hands on. Dozens of different Pocket Circuit cars, where I'd dismantle and rebuild them over and over. What is Pocket Circuit you might ask? It's a children's car racing game that somehow got popular with adults. You customize a tiny car and let it race against other cars.
That's it. That's the game.
It's not very impressive when you think about it that way, but it got popular for a reason. Ichi introduced it to me when I met him in Kamurocho, and we spent most of our time butting heads to see who's the fastest in town.
It's me of course, but that's because I'm rich as fuck. These things are weirdly expensive. Like, '500,000 yen a model' kind of expensive. I became unbeatable by buying my way to victory every time, and I regret none of it. It was pretty funny seeing every opponent look at me with disdain. I'd do it again if I get the chance.
I like being unapologetically rich.
Back to the subject: I leveled up my engineering like this, and managed to rank up by making the equivalent of a chimera from the different car parts I got. Pretty sure that's not how you're supposed to build a Pocket Circuit car. I used integral parts that aren't supposed to come off to make new cars. I didn't know if it would work at first, but it doesn't hurt to try.
Ichi would either cry in terror or fanboy if he saw this abomination right now.
All I have to do now is keep doing this and work my way up the scale of whatever machine I want to make. Dismantling and rebuilding help my understanding of the basic structure and function of a machine; the problem is finding things to dismantle and rebuild.
It also got old real quick. I have to find something else soon.
I can buy actual cars and work on them instead. I don't know if working on bigger, more complicated things would give me more EXP, but I'm betting it will. Wouldn't make sense otherwise, I think.
Try explaining that to my mother. 'Oops, sorry Kaa-san, but I reaaaaallly wanted that Ferrari I saw on a show once. Just think of it as compensation for all the times you got piss drunk and missed my birthday you alcoholic bitch.'
I stop sketching in my notebook and frown in confusion. Huh, where did that come from?
"Holy shit, who made that?" Ichiban mutters as he leans towards my desk, immediately noticing the highly detailed sketch of a mech suit. "That is awesome! Isn't anything I've ever seen before, though. Is it from an anime?"
"It's my own design. Not like I have anything better to do," I shrug. "Maybe it's just me, but I know most of the things they're trying to teach here. I don't even know why I bother coming to school anymore."
Seriously, what the hell am I doing here anyway? I already established that I don't even need or want any normalcy. Honestly, being in school isn't needed to look over the town if I want to protect it. Yeah, sure, it's in the middle Kuoh, but who cares? My house is close, I can stay there and practice magic or some shit instead.
Also, who cares about formality? People already see me as a delinquent here, even if some of them are still using that same fucking 'Princess Knight' title they love so much. I swear to god, I'm breaking someone's legs if I hear it again.
I mean, not like the Devils would care if I just skipped school. I don't think they care about school either, they're just here to play human or something. For the life of me, I can't comprehend it. Why do you want to be a human? And a boring one no less.
…Hey, Game? Mind giving me a reason to stay here?
Quest added
[Top of the Class] - Quest
Objective: Get 100% in all subjects for the first semester
Rewards: 75 INT, 75 WIS, 75 CHA, Greatly increase reputation with Sona Sitri, Increase reputation with Kuoh Academy, 1 Rare Gacha Token, [Diligent Student] Title
I blink and stare in surprise as the Game actually responds. Wow, okay. Thanks.
Huh, those aren't bad at all. 75 x 2 equals 150, and that's a lot. Not counting the possible skills I might be getting from actually trying.
Fuck it, this is pretty motivating.
"Pass the time? This is literally leagues above what our art teacher can do, and you did this to 'pass the time'," He takes the notebook to inspect the drawing up close. "Goddamn, this is next level shit."
"Yeah, I know."
"Actually, if we're being serious here, I've never seen you be 'bad' at something," He says, going through the pages. "Every time you pick something up, you're immediately great at it. Is it some kind of a superpower?"
"What can I say? I'm just that great. Keep the praise coming please."
"It's kinda scary actually," He ignores my humble response to his compliment. "Why don't you draw this good in art class though?"
"Don't want to hurt the teacher's ego. I'm nice like that," I say simply, taking the notebook back. "You wanted anything, or just here to gawk at my impeccable drawing skills?"
"Oh right. Guess what I got us?" He grins. "Tickets for the new MCU movie!"
As he says that, he takes out five tickets from his pocket, putting them on my desk. I blink and glance at the tickets before staring back at him.
"Why five tickets?" I raise a brow.
"Well, there's you, me, Issei, Haruka, and Asia," He answers.
"You know, you could've just gotten two for you and me only," I smirk. "I wouldn't have said no to a date with you."
Personally, I don't really want to go. I'd rather work on my engineering skill or practice some ice magic, but fucking around for an hour or two isn't that bad, is it? The possible REP bonuses I'd be getting are pretty tempting after all. Ichi needs just a few more points before I unlock his affection.
Though, it's pret~ty obvious that he has a crush on me. Flirting is hilariously effective on a guy like him, who has barely had affection given to him in general, much less from a hot girl like me.
It's cute.
"Yeah, well, I would've," He smirks, completely unfazed.
"Bullshit."
"Nah, totally would've said no."
"We both know that's not true. Even you aren't resistant to my charm. Admit it."
"Get over yourself, you're not even my type."
"Oh don't worry-" I lean closer and quickly whisper the next part before anyone in the classroom notices how close I am to his face. "I can fix that."
He visibly shivers, looking at me with a red face and a conflicted expression. He tries to muster some bravado and make an equally bold response, but all that comes out were stammers and stutters, which were all the more hilarious and adorable.
1 Reputation with Ichiban Kasuga [96/100]
No matter how hard he tries, he won't beat me at my own game. He's too innocent to even pose a challenge. But I suppose credit where credit's due: he's learning how to handle it now. Guess that just means I'm gonna have to step it up.
"As considerate and nice as this is, have you asked anyone beforehand?" I question, acting as if the past few seconds didn't happen. "They could be busy, Ichi. You could have wasted money."
He pauses and blinks at the abrupt change in the subject before responding. "U-uh, no, not really."
"Of course you didn't," I sigh. "Well, good for you, I don't really have anything to do, even though I'm not the biggest fan of Marvel."
"But I thought you liked their movies?"
"Yeah, the old ones, like the original Spiderman," I say, brushing my hair back. "I'm not saying they're bad, but the newer ones aren't doing it for me. Even the comics are a convoluted mess, feels like the writers don't know what the fuck they're doing. I'd rather stick to anime and manga, to be honest."
"I mean, that's fair, but I can recommend a few issues if you're interested."
"I'm good, thanks," I decline his offer. "So you used the money I gave you?"
"Yeah, thought I'd do something nice for all of us with it," He answers. "Seriously, a hundred grand is a lot. Thanks a bunch."
"Not a dent on my wallet."
"Yeah, you're rich, I get it," He scoffs. "You don't even bother to try to at least act a little humble."
"Being humble is basically lying politely," I shoot back.
"What kind of skewed perception is that?" He questions in bemusement. "Being humble means you don't have an inflated sense of self-importance."
"But I am important," I raise a brow. "I'm the daughter of a Yakuza Legend, I basically command the Tojo Clan, and even the Devils don't want to mess with me."
He looks at me with an exasperated frown before sighing tiredly. "I give up. I'm not gonna bother arguing. You're probably just trying to fuck with me."
"Wow, really?" I roll my eyes sarcastically. "What gave you that idea?"
"You're a bitch sometimes, you know that?"
"Yeah, sorry, that was mean. You want some cash to make up for it?"
"Oh piss off."
My response to that is a simple smug grin thrown his way, making him click his tongue in annoyance.
I said it before, Ichi. You can never win against me in this game.
—Mizuki—
"Any reason we couldn't do this back at the warehouse?" She tilted her head quizzically, looking at Akiyama's gaze as he sat at the opposite side. "I mean, the cafe is nice, but you said you had some news."
"I just like the vibe," He shrugged. "Makes me feel better knowing this is owned by the Majima Family. That's all."
Mizuki, who was still rightfully bitter and annoyed, scoffed. "What makes you think that lunatic won't jump out the window and wildly swing his knife at you?"
"I'm not Kiryu-san," He responded in amusement, prompting the woman to smile slightly. "Though, knowing him, he'd just pay it no mind and accept the duel like always."
"Fine, I'll give you that," She rolled her eyes. "I'm still mad at him. He does that crap again and I'm killing everyone at the Tojo Clan headquarters."
"Yeah, yeah…"
As pleasant as this little conversation was, Mizuki can easily spot the tense atmosphere around them. To his credit, Akiyama was one hell of an actor- if she didn't know him, she might've not noticed anything weird at all, and it ain't easy to fool a trained assassin, even one who quit over a decade ago.
Not like that mattered. For all the power she sealed, Mizuki's skills never dulled. She could grab a kitchen knife or a wooden sword and her body would remember how to fight as well as she did twenty years ago. Yay for being born for the sole purpose of killing other people. Those fucking lunatics would do anything to eradicate weaknesses, no matter how heinous or insane the method was.
Regardless, her friend looked a bit worried, almost hesitant really. Mizuki didn't want to push him to say anything and opted for him to gather his bearings first, patiently sipping from her tea and gazing at the crowds from the window.
"I went to the Tojo Clan HQ recently, and had a talk with Daigo-san," Akiyama suddenly said, prompting her to look at him. "I have good news, and very bad news."
Mizuki's expression fell, frowning worriedly. "Let's start with the good news."
"Saejima-san has been appointed as Kuoh's shadow overseer," He answered. "He'll be here in case Majima-san pulls another stunt like that."
"Oh wow, actual good news," Mizuki blinked in surprise. "Well, now I can at least rest easy knowing that moron won't go too far again. Haven't seen him in years though. Maybe I should get him a gift?"
"The bad news," Akiyama cleared his throat
"A-ah, right, sorry," She chuckled sheepishly. "Go on, please."
He hesitated for a moment before he decided to spit it out, and Mizuki wished he stayed quiet.
"We have solid evidence that your old family is related to the recent incident with Fallen invaders."
Any mirth and calmness she felt evaporated in an instant, her fist reflexively clenched and her blood froze.
"What?" She whispered.
"We don't know what their goal is, but it's more than likely that they're involved," Akiyama reiterated. "They've found energy suppressor tech surpassing the Yakuza's by decades with them."
She remained silent, a pit forming in her stomach.
"Admittedly, I suspected that this might be the case, but I didn't have enough info," He continued. "After Akane's battle with the invaders was over, I went to investigate, looking for any survivors, and sensed someone with a similar energy signature to yours. I thought I was imagining things, but I clearly wasn't."
"Did you see who it was?" Mizuki questioned, feeling a horrible chill go down her spine.
"Afraid not," He shook his head with a sigh. "Mizuki-san, I know you don't like talking about it, but I need you to help me with this. We need to know more about them, to see if they're a possible threat to Kuoh."
She calmed herself down as her friend asked that, understanding where he was coming from, but then again, she made a deal with the current leader, to be left alone as long as she stayed quiet, and if anything, he was at least honorable enough to keep his part.
He was never as bad as the rest but wasn't better by much either. Still a merciless, sadistic, and egotistical monster, one she was happy to cut her ties with, but one who actually showed mercy to her at some point. Even after so long, Mizuki did not know if it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of deal, or he showed compassion for her due to their blood relation.
And she would've been okay with that. A part of her wanted to forget all about it, live her life with her daughter in peace, but of course, that couldn't happen. It could never happen, she was delusional to think otherwise.
Because he said he'd leave her alone.
Not her daughter.
And if that was the case? Then fuck his stupid deal.
"If it's who I think it is-" Mizuki muttered quietly. "Then he's likely here for Akane."
Fuck him if he was listening.
Akiyama's eyes widened, not expecting her to actually answer. "How so?"
"Due to her blood and latent potential," She muttered. "They're traditional, they value blood and strength above all else. To them, Akane is a part of their clan, so they want to 'reclaim' her."
Fuck living in fear of them knocking on her door.
"Anything else?"
As she was about to answer, Mizuki felt another chill, one so much worse than the previous time. Her instincts screamed and begged her to run, but she remained stuck in her seat. She turned her head to the window, and amidst the crowd, she saw him.
Wearing all black, the chairman glared at her behind his shades with a disapproving face, prompting her to frown at him. Her heart was pounding- she knew what his reaction would be the moment she spoke about it, but, if anything, this was confirmation that she was right.
These bastards were here for her daughter.
With anger fueling her, Mizuki fearlessly continued telling her friend what to expect as she stared down at her twin brother's threatening glare.
"They love to work in silence, in the dark where no one could ever notice," She said. "They view anonymity as a powerful weapon, so they value it. If the Yakuza focus on improving their detection tech, they'll never be able to set foot here."
She would've been fine staying quiet about it, but to interfere in her daughter's life was one thing Mizuki would never, ever forgive, no matter who it was. She didn't care what they could do to her, because she swore to never let those bastards lay a finger on Akane.
So fuck the deal, fuck her shit brother, and fuck the Amon Clan.
— Akane —
"Next time, I'm picking the movie," I say as we walk down the hallway of the school.
"We haven't even seen it yet," Ichiban argues. "Can we judge after we're done?"
"Yeah, but I'm getting kinda sick of superhero movies," I shrug. "So what about the others?"
"Issei's down for it. Haruka said she's busy."
"This is why you ask before you buy a ticket, dumbass," I scold, making him rub his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah, sorry. That's my bad," He apologizes. "But maybe Mizuki-san is free? She likes superheroes right?"
"You're lucky that she does," I respond as we stop by the shoe lockers. "Knowing her, she already watched it, though."
"Huh? How?"
"Pirating."
"Of course, why am I even surprised," He sighs as he opens his locker. "You're literally two of the richest people in the world, how are you so damned stingy?"
"Don't you know? Most rich people are greedy bastards," I smirk. "We're no different, but unlike them, we don't pretend that we are."
"At least you're honest."
"I hate lies."
It's funny how true that is, and yet, I never feel guilty whenever I lie. At least, not until I woke up with those stat pages filling my vision. Does that make me a hypocrite? Probably. Do I care?
Heh, no.
"By the way, how's your training coming along?" I ask curiously.
"Pretty good, actually," He answers positively, replacing his shoe. "It's intense, but it's so easy to notice the changes. Feel like I can run an entire marathon without getting tired right now. Working out with at least one Boost active is insanely good for stamina."
He's not lying. Since the fight, his stamina nearly doubled from all the exercising and training he's been doing with Akiyama, and knowing him, he probably trains solo as well. This is good, but it's a bit worrying too.
Good because he's much closer to obtaining the Scale Mail, which makes him strong enough for whenever actual threats show up, like Kokabiel or that dickhead Vali, and bad because I don't want him surpassing me for too long.
My own physical exercise doesn't give stats or exp anymore. Training by myself or with my uncle only increases my hand-to-hand, which isn't enough. Right now, I'm stuck trying to refind my magic, and while that gives me a considerable boost in offence, it's not good enough.
I'm scratching the surface of Expert Rank in my Ice Magic Mastery, but how's that gonna help when my stats are so laughably weak that a single slap from a moderately powerful person can knock me out?
Endurance. I need more endurance. I don't want to be a glass cannon.
"How about you?"
"Okay-ish, I guess," I make a so-so gesture with my hand. "Feels like I've been slowing down recently. I've gotten the hang of my magic pretty easily, but I don't know where to go from there."
"Maybe making new spells could help?" He offers.
"That's what I've been doing," I sigh as I tie my shoes. "Doesn't feel good enough though."
"How about sparring?" He tries again as he leans on the lockers. "I mean, you only really spar with Akiyama, but maybe try someone else? Someone at your level, y'know."
"...Like you?" I raise a brow.
"Hey, if you're offering," he shrugs. "Though, you better get ready to have your ass handed to you."
"Bold claim, but I doubt you can back it up," I scoff playfully. "I'll knock you out in 30 seconds flat."
"Oh, you are so on," He grins. "After the movie, at the warehouse. Whoever loses gets to pay for dinner, and the winner gets to choose what restaurant."
"I am going to empty your wallet," I say darkly. "That hundred grand is gonna go 'poof'."
"We'll see about that."
Quest added
[Currents Too Great to Overcome]
Objective: Defeat Ichiban Kasuga in a sparring match
Bonus Objective: Knock out Ichiban Kasuga in 30 seconds
Rewards: +50 to all stats, Moderate EXP, unlock affection for Ichiban Kasuga, 1 Epic Gacha Token, 2500 Credits
Bonus Rewards: +100 to all stats, Massive EXP, Greatly increase affection with Ichiban Kasuga, Legendary Gacha Token, [Forever a Leader] Perk, 5000 Credits
I am going to kick his ass. Gotta plan from now, though. He's above me in the physical department, but I might be able to use some trickery to knock him out immediately. I have a variety and intelligence advantage, and he has to get close to me to land a hit.
Hell, with how insanely powerful my Ice Magic is, one good hit on his head with a blunt spell could instantly knock him out as long as he doesn't go overboard with boosts. Once he goes over three boosts, though, I lose. So to actually finish the quest, I must do the bonus objective.
This is doable. I might actually get my first ever Legendary Token this soon.
"Amamiya-san," Another voice stops as we're about to leave the building. "Mind if I have a minute?"
We turn around and see Sona, prompting Ichiban to tense at her presence. Right, he did say he had a bad run-in with devils, forgot to ask him about that. I poke him on the side and get to him to look at me.
"Wait for me at the theatres."
"What? But I can't let you stay here alone with them."
"Just go," I say. "I can handle this."
He looks between me and Sona, a bothered look on his face before he reluctantly listens to me and nods. "See you there."
With that, he leaves, and Sona speaks up as soon as he is out of view. "He looks nervous around me."
"Bad history with devils. Don't mind him," I wave it off casually. "So what's up?"
"I have a favor to ask."
I frown. "And that is?"
After a moment of silence, Sona sighs, looking as if she doesn't believe what she's about to say.
"Help me convince Rias to take her training seriously."
"...I'm sorry, what?" I blink, taken off guard. "You want me to convince her to 'train'? I thought you already had it covered."
"Lucifer, I wish I had," she mutters. "Rias has a bit of a problem concerning her work ethic. It's always been the case since we were little. I've already made a schedule for my peerage and hers, but she still refuses to listen."
"Well, okay, but how the hell am I supposed to help?" I raise a brow. "If you can't do it, how can I?"
"Because you fascinate her. To her, you're a celebrity. A Yakuza princess with Yokai Blood in her veins is rarer than unicorns, and those are extinct," Oh hey, mother said that too. "Even a half-hearted attempt from you might have her apprehension and laziness crumbling. She doesn't want to look bad in front of you."
"I mean, sure, but if she doesn't want to take this seriously, then maybe she shouldn't be here in the first place," I say bluntly, making Sona wince. "Come on, she had you asking me for help. That's enough to say something at least."
"I-I understand that, but could you please try to convince her at least?"
She tries to hide it, but the crack in the stern mask she always wears is pretty obvious. She's desperate.
"I dunno…" I decide to fuck with her a bit. "I'd rather use my time for myself. I'm not her biggest fan."
"I'll be in your debt," She bows a little.
Very desperate.
"You know, you're oddly persistent," I note. "Is there something I'm missing or…?"
After a few seconds, Sona sighs again. "For years, Rias has been trying to get out of an arranged marriage with Riser Phenex."
"...Okay?"
"Short story is that she's running out of time, only two more weeks left, and all she managed to accomplish in the past few years is convincing her father to cancel it if she defeats Riser in a Rating Game," Sona explains something I know already. "Unfortunately, as of now, Rias has no chance of winning against him. He has a full peerage and is very experienced."
"If she has no chance of winning even after years, what makes you think two weeks is enough to change that?"
"Because her potential is vast, but she always refuses to take it seriously!" Sona responds in frustration. "She's put it in her mind that Riser is some unbeatable devil that she can only defeat via a powerful peerage. I've told her time and time again that the only way to get out of this loveless marriage is to train. Just a month or two would be enough to wipe out Riser and his peerage on her own!"
Sona notices her outburst and quickly calms herself down, clearing her throat. "I-I'm sorry, that was… very unprofessional of me."
"I don't mind. Must be annoying, from the looks of it."
5 Reputation with Sona Sitri [40/100]
"It is," She nods. "I can't ask you directly for help because it's an internal issue, but I want to at least give Rias a fighting chance. Please, Akane. I don't want my friend to be forced into a loveless marriage."
"I don't really know how I could even help." I shrug, being honest. "I'm at your level, your age. How am I supposed to get her to become stronger in just two weeks? I've only just gotten the hang of my own magic."
Sona winces but doesn't verbally answer. Even she doesn't know. This is next level kind of desperate. It's not every day you see someone willing to go so far for a friend. It's almost heartwarming really.
Almost.
"Ugh, how sure are you that she's gonna even listen to me?" I fake a sigh. "She might ignore me too."
"Then I can at least say we've all done our best," Sona says, almost sounding defeated. "It'll be her own problem to deal with."
You know, this is actually good timing to start off the whole Riser arc. Sure, couldn't do much with Engineer class, but I did say I needed some level-ups and stats, and when killing isn't an option, Quests are what I need for that.
I got a quest to get good grades and to beat Ichi in a fight, put 'save Rias' on top of it should lead to very substantial growth in power. This could be my own 'training' in a way, seeing the good ol' reliable ways of pumping iron aren't doing it for me anymore.
Already got over the fact that I'm gonna have to help the redhead bitch of all people, so I can't complain anymore. Though, if even Sona is that desperate for help, then that could also mean a lot of REP points with her as well, and as I said before, she's kinda pleasant, weirdly enough.
And to add the cherry on top, I don't even have to do any kind of fighting myself. Don't get me wrong, there's a certain sense of satisfaction that can only be felt via beating the living fuck out of somebody, but when this somebody has superpowers, you tend to be a little more careful.
Unlike street fights, I imagine death is very common in magical duels and Rating Games.
"Alright," I sigh, faking my reluctance. "I won't promise anything, but I'll try to help."
15 Reputation with Sona Sitri [55/100]
"Oh thank you so much!" Sona uncharacteristically beams at me. "I'll pay you back, I promise."
"Right, I guess she's in that creepy old school building?" I point in the general direction, prompting her to nod. "Okay, let's go."
"I still have a few things I must do before that, but do go on ahead," She says. "I'll be right behind you, just a few minutes and I'll be done."
"If you say so…"
"Thank you again, Akane," Sona gives me a thankful smile and nods before heading her way.
Well, now to suffer through having to appeal to that bitch.
Though to be honest, being viewed as a celeb by anyone feels pretty nice.
— Rias —
She thought her week couldn't get any worse than that, but fate decided to take it upon itself to prove her wrong and ruin it further. Rias was a few inconveniences away from erasing somebody, and the smug bastard sitting on her couch looked like a very good target.
First, she gets a message from her father trying to convince her to go back and forget her ideas (read: freedom), which made her mood worsen considerably for a few days, then the botched meeting with one of the Yakuza girls, Sona gloating how she managed to fix her 'mistake', realizing that she fully missed THREE Sacred Gear users, one of them having a Lucifer damned LONGINUS, and now this idiot wants to start a fight with her or something.
This is what the 'observation' lesson her brother taught her resulted in. Rias was so close to turning the tides of the upcoming Rating Game, but because she thought observing and not immediately acting would've been the wiser choice, she missed her last chance. It was her only hope.
Training wouldn't have helped- she refused to believe that it would. How is she able to beat someone who can just easily regenerate from everything she could throw at him? Riser was virtually unbeatable, the only thing that can defeat him is some holy power or a powerful Sacred Gear.
And she has none.
Thank you for holding her back from making a decision, Sona, you stuck-up bitch.
Riser raised a brow as he sat opposite of her, his queen sitting right beside him. "You seem to be in a bad mood. Came at a bad time?"
"No, no, everything is just dandy," Rias replied with an obviously fake smile.
She wanted nothing but to end his miserable life right here and now, but even she knows the consequences of doing such a thing. She didn't want to begin a civil war, definitely not with the Phenex Clan. They were too valuable, them defecting or becoming hostile with the New Devil Faction would be disastrous.
Even pissing him off too much could have repercussions, albeit on a much smaller scale, like canceling the Rating Game as he's the one who decided to humor her anyway, but what wouldn't she do to wipe that smirk off his face. Seeing the cause of her decade-long torment so content with himself made her blood boil.
"I know you don't like me," He smirked in amusement. "But that teacup was innocent."
Rias glanced down at the cup in her hand, realizing that she accidentally erased half of it along with its content as her magic leaked. Yubelluna giggled in amusement as Rias cleared her throat and put the remains on the table in front of her, looking at Riser seriously.
"What do you want?" She started neutrally, barely able to contain her anger.
"Relax, I only came in to check up on my Fiancee and the state of her peerage," He answered casually before eyeing her friends, not looking one bit impressed. "No new members, barely growing in strength, and I'm guessing that Dhampir is still locked in his room? You know, Rias, if you wanted to beat me, you're not making a good case for yourself."
"That's none of your business," Rias responded scathingly.
"Oh but it is~" His arrogant smirk widened. "After all, you want to escape, aren't you? Strange, as much as you seem to hate me, you're not even trying. It's been years, Rias. Literal years, and you didn't make any progress. Why's that?"
Rias clenched her fist tightly, not able to form an argument. Oh, she knew full well why that is. It's because her idiot father decided that she wasn't great enough, so he tried and succeeded in sabotaging her attempts at recruiting any Sacred Gear users she might find, or anyone worth her time really.
She almost couldn't believe that her own father would rather help the Phenex than his own flesh and blood. It felt like getting stabbed in the heart, and it made her depressed for months. Rias refused to even talk to him or her mother, who she suspected might've been in on it as well.
Sirzechs knew, but he couldn't quite help her in that regard. Even if he's the current Lucifer, he must respect Lord Gremory and his own father. Throwing accusations with no proof could damage his reputation after all, and a good rep is very important for a leader of the devils.
On top of all that, she hated when her brother and Sona tried to convince her to drop her search to focus on herself and the current members. It wouldn't work, how the hell would it? Kiba's swords can't damage Riser, Koneko's strength and martial arts wouldn't do jack shit either, and while Akeno's Thunder could damage him, it's not enough.
And when Rias challenged Riser to a duel once upon a time, her Power of Destruction was quickly extinguished by his fire or redirected by his wind. He's a counter to everything, she can't touch him, and that bastard always knew that.
He knew and always subtly mocked her for it, implying that she's doomed to fail, that she'll never surpass him or find strong enough peerage members to defeat him. His voice would play in her head over and over again, telling her that she was weak and useless.
She hated it.
She hated him because he was right.
"You know, I took time to think about it. Why aren't you trying?" He leaned back, scratching his chin in thought. "First, I thought that you might be arrogant, which is fair enough, we are devils after all, but that did not seem like it. You look troubled whenever the subject is brought up. Perhaps you were unlucky? No, that didn't quite make sense either. Luck has nothing to do with practicing your magic or anything of that sort."
"If you have nothing important to say, then leave," Rias growled.
"And then finally, it dawned on me," Riser ignored her. "You must have some defeat fetish, don't you?"
Rias stood up, eyes wide and pupils shrinking as she snarled, barely stopping herself from leaping at him and tearing his throat out. Her Power of Destruction began disintegrating the couch she was sitting on, a red and black aura swirling around her body as her knuckles turned white from how hard she clenched.
"You dare…?" She whispered in a dark tone.
"I suppose that was wrong too," Riser looked completely unfazed. "You still have a lot of fight in you."
Rias calmed herself down as she felt her Queen's hand hold hers, her magical power evaporating quickly to stop the room from being erased, however, she did not sit back down, nor did she respond, as she did not trust herself from saying something she would regret.
To have this upstart practically have her at gunpoint was humiliating, and it pissed her off to no end. She's done a lot to offend him the previous years, promptly ruining any chances of her rightfully retaliating against him. Even her title as a duchess wouldn't help anymore.
Anything that could set him off means possibly having less time to prepare for the Rating Game at best, and the cancellation of it at worst.
"Lord Riser, need I remind you to not overstep your boundaries?" Akeno stated politely. "Fiancee or not, my King is still your superior. Please show some respect."
"Yes, of course. I was merely joking." He sighed, "Rias is a classy lady, and perhaps I might've gone too far. I apologize."
Might've. Rias scoffed internally. He knew full well what he did. Bastard.
"Now-" Akeno continued, smiling warmly at him. Obviously a fake smile, but she's always been good at those. "Could you please tell us why you decided to visit?"
"As I said, I wanted to see if she improved her peerage or not," Riser said. "And I suppose to have some tea. None of the maids come close to making tea as good as yours, Akeno. Could you pour me another cup?"
Does he really have to overstay his welcome? Rias's frown deepened. Is this one of his stupid mind games?
"Oh my~ That is very kind of you to say, Lord Riser," Akeno giggled. "Of course, let me—"
Just then, before Akeno grabbed the teapot, the door opened suddenly, making all of them turn to see who had rudely entered her clubroom. Rias's blood ran cold as her eyes met Akane's, who blinked when she saw the crowd.
There was an awkward moment of silence where Rias felt more worried by the second. She looked between Akane and Riser, the latter having a frown of disdain on his face. Why was she here?! What brought her to this place- she thought the girl wanted nothing to do with them, and her specifically. Why in The Devil's name did she decide to visit now?!
Why does this day keep getting worse?! What the hell did Rias do in her past life?!
Riser cleared his throat, getting the girl's attention.
"You know, it's very rude to not knock on the door before entering," Riser started, making Rias and her entire peerage look at him in horror. Does he not recognize her?!
"R-Riser, she's-"
"Yeah, my bad," Akane agreed, being incredibly reasonable. "I kinda need Rias right now, but I can wait outside till you're done. Sorry for bothering you all."
And another curveball had them once again look at the human girl in shock. Clearly, none of them expected this response- thinking the girl would respond with a rude gesture or insult. Luck was on their side as she merely turned around and grabbed the doorknob, getting ready to exit.
Thank Lucifer…
"Very good. I like it when peasants know their place," Riser remarked offhandedly, almost prompting Rias to pull her hair out. "Run along now, and be more polite to your superiors next time. Now, where were we?"
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!
Rias turned to look at the human girl in a panic, her heart sinking as she saw her completely unmoving. Slowly, she turned around, grip still on the doorknob as she glared at the blond devil. Rias felt the temperature in the room lower as Akane uttered her next words.
"Wanna run that by me again?"
"Hm?" Riser rose a brow. "You're still here? Hurry it up and leave us. You're disrupting a very important conversation."
"Riser!" Rias shouted at him, heart pounding in her chest as she tried whatever she could to prevent anything horrible from happening. "Apologize to her this instant!"
"Huh? Why should I? Is she part of your house?" Riser questioned, and before she had a chance to answer, he spoke over her. "She doesn't look like a devil to me. A human slave?"
As soon as the word 'slave' left his mouth, the temperature in the room plummeted. It became cold enough that Rias was seeing her own breath, and in the next instant, Akane's foot connected with the Phenex's face, sending him crashing into the wall of the clubroom and to the opposite side of the mansion.
It took Yubelluna a moment to register what had happened, and Akane hadn't stopped moving. By the time the Queen had her hand up, palm open in order to release an explosion, Akane had backhanded her into the other wall. Koneko barely avoided being struck by the projectile Akane had created of the other woman's body.
Nooooo…
"I tried to be nice. I tried to be reasonable," Akane growled as the sheer density of her magical power made Rias shiver. "But clearly this bullshit isn't for me."
Noooooooooo!
Riser's Queen recovered and pointed her staff at the human girl, who snapped her finger, prompting a wall of ice to appear in front of her, taking the full brunt of the explosion. Crystal wings sprouted off her back as she backed away, breaking through the building and flying high in the sky.
This finally prompted Rias to act.
"Get them off each other. Now!" She ordered her peerage as Yubelluna followed after the girl with a snarl. "Before anything severe happens!"
All of her peerage followed after the three, and witnessed as Akane, a human girl, managed to fend off both Riser and his queen. Alone.
Riser returned to the fray, a deep, angry scowl on his face as he threw spell after spell, but all were either blocked by her ice or dodged by her graceful movement in the air. Not even his wind magic managed to reach her as Akane juggled his attacks along with his Queen's.
Of course, she didn't simply dodge and block. She returned the favor with sharp ice weaponry; spears, swords, axes, and arrows. Even with her breath taken away by the spectacle, Rias could still feel the weight of those spells. Those would hurt a lot.
And as if on cue, a fast-moving bullet of ice pierced Yubelluna's arm, making her cry out in pain and drop her staff, but not without sacrifice, as Akane took the full-brunt of a fireball from Riser, who grinned victoriously as smoke covered the sky where the human girl was.
Koneko and Akeno both stood in front of Riser's queen and grabbed her by the arms, keeping her in place as Rias and Kiba went for Riser himself. Rias' heart was pounding as she glanced at the smokescreen created by the Phenex's fireball. She could still sense Akane's magic, which didn't lower by much thankfully, but the damages could be severe-
As she thought that, Akane came rocketing down at Riser, kicking his face and sending him plummeting down to the ground, creating a giant crater in the surrounding forest. Aside from the shock, Rias felt a little intimidated by the appearance of the girl, with a half-burnt school uniform, veins in her forehead threatening to pop, and a terrifying scowl etched on her face.
Same scowl she had when she beat those perverts to a pulp.
As a pillar of fire exploded from the forest down below, Riser let out an angry roar as he scowled back at the human girl. "You whore! How dare a human sow like you lay a hand on me?!"
"You started it, you stupid cunt!" She shouted back at him. "Coulda stayed quiet but had ta massage yer overinflated ego. Have ta compensate for somethin' ya tiny-dicked bitch?!"
"The fuck did you say to me?!"
"ENOUGH!" Rias screamed over them. "Enough! Stop it, both of you!"
"Rias?!" Riser looked at her in shock and anger. "You're taking the side of this human?!"
"I'm not taking anyone's side! If you'd just let me finish my sentence, you'd realize that this is Tatsu Amamiya's daughter!" She revealed to him, making him pale.
The color drained from Yubelluna's face as she heard their shouting match, realizing that attacking this girl could kickstart a war that they wouldn't survive.
Flustered, her coward of a 'Fiancee' merely looked at the girl and scoffed, playing up his bravado further. "W-whatever. I got what I came here for anyway. You have two weeks, Rias. And you."
He glared at Akane, who managed to calm herself down as she glared back at him.
"Don't think this is over," He said, raising his arm to cast a teleportation circle.
In response, Akane whispered loud enough for Rias to hear. "Was that a fuckin' threat?"
Akeno and Koneko let go of Yubelluna as she scurried back to her king, teleporting away with him, likely going back to the Underworld. Rias let out a huge sigh of relief as her head began to pound, making her wince in pain.
"Yeah, that's what I fucking thought," Akane spat. "Limp-dicked loser…"
With the searing headache, Rias honestly didn't know what to do at the moment, but thankfully, someone was already thinking for her at the moment.
"Gremory," Akane's commanding voice forced her to straighten her back.
"Y-yes?"
"You're gonna kick his ass on my behalf," She growled, making Rias shudder in fear. "And I won't settle for anything besides total annihilation, got it?"
"G-got it," Rias nodded meekly.
"Shit just got real fuckin' personal."
Rias wanted to cry. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out.
Why does this always keep happening to her?
Plot is accelerating, which is always nice. I'd love to explore Rias a bit more, but that can happen in the 'training' arc.
I don't really like Rias, but I also really hate bashing characters. It's a sign of poor writing. Don't let your personal feelings get in the work and make it obvious.
So even if I don't like her, I'm still gonna try to do her justice.
Also, new Akane lewd in my server.
Discord Server link: (Discord . gg / Rjjzt8erYK) no spaces. It's a relatively new server, but I might post exclusive content there. No, I'm not bribing you to join.
If you want to support me, here's my pat reon link: (Pat reon dot com / Mirlnir)