This is it. The day when I see if my efforts were wasted or not. Two weeks were invested into these dumbasses, and I'd be sorta pissed if they fail this now. True, I did say I don't care if Rias won or not, but after her show of genuine determination that time, I'm a little more inclined to root for her.

Though, overall, I think going through this has been a somewhat positive experience. I'm closer to the devils, I've grown more powerful, and so have my human friends. Plus, we have the gravity belts to take home with us. Without the desperation and lack of time, I might've not suggested the idea to Majima.

Also, I actually kinda enjoyed my time here. The sparring matches I had with Sona were great because I almost always came out on top, and the several times we hung out, like the pool party, were a lot of fun, especially teasing and flirting with Ichi. His reactions are oh-so-precious.

So eh, ain't so bad. Now that this place is basically our hideout, I'd say I profited a lot from this little venture.

As everyone gathers around the living room with Sona going over the plan once more, I glance at Rias, who is in her school uniform for whatever reason. You'd think a battle uniform or armor would be better right now, but I ain't judging. I really hope she took my advice to heart. A tranquil heart in the middle of a battle is great and all, but sometimes you have to go apeshit to win. I'm speaking from experience here.

Rias would benefit a lot from that kind of mindset right now, especially when she has so much hatred for Riser. The more she dislikes someone, the more effective said mindset will be. She might not be able to use Shin Youjutsu like me, so emotions aren't going to be that much of a boost for her, but it's not strength she needs right now. She's powerful enough to face Riser and probably pressure him too. No, what she needs is the unbridled rage and will to keep fighting until she's ripped him a few more holes. Fury can go a long way in winning you fights.

We'll see. We're just waiting for her ride so we can go back and watch the match inside the facility.

"Is everything clear?" Sona asks the redhead. "This is your best shot. You must let Riser focus on you for this to work."

"I know."

"He looks down on you and doesn't know what you went through here, so you have a big advantage," I add. "So you also gotta hold back against him to start with, act like you're struggling. He'll be more overconfident that way."

Rias frowns a little at that. I get it, acting helpless can get really fucking annoying.

"I understand it might bother you a little, but Akane's idea is sound." Sona agrees. "He must completely forget about and disregard your ace."

"You can still mock and insult him, though," I advise with a smirk, prompting her to look at me. "If anything, I recommend it. He'll be even more focused on you if you continuously belittle him. Remember, he doesn't view you as a threat, so you should do the same. Trust me, acting like you're so above someone is really fun."

"I suppose it might not sound so bad after all." Rias mirrors my grin. "You have no idea how much I want to say to that chicken loser."

"I can imagine. Trash talk is kinda my thing."

"Don't I know it." Ichi quips, also smiling. "Swearing three times every sentence isn't very creative though, Akane."

I elbow him in the side playfully as he grunts and chuckles.

"I suppose having him lose his cool will make him more susceptible to attacks." Sona nods. "He wouldn't be very aware of his surroundings when mad."

"That said, Riser has a lot of experience in this field. Rating Games specifically." Akeno chimes in. "He might see it coming, no?"

"I doubt it." Rias shakes her head. "Riser doesn't know anything about this place, only that we're training. He'd still be relying on my… well, 'defeatism' to make this an easy victory for him."

"And the moment he realizes that you got over it, it'll be too late," I cross my arms. "You have a lot of advantages over him. As long as you don't get ahead of yourself, this is easy pickings for you."

"I suppose so." Rias responds, then after a second, she suddenly chuckles.

It makes most of us pause in surprise and confusion at that, and Sona is the first to question her.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just– well, just a few days ago, I thought this would be easy pickings for him." The redhead explains. "But now it's the complete opposite. It's so wild just how your outlook can change so much so quickly."

"It happens when you take your head out of your own ass for once." I say bluntly, making her wince but smile all the same.

"That's fair. To be honest, I still think I'm going to lose this. I know this isn't how I should be thinking going into the match, but this nagging feeling refuses to go away." She continues her speech. "Even still, I refuse to go down without a fight anymore. I won't let him win so easily– I'll make him go through unimaginable agony before he takes it all."

"And that's what matters at the end of the day," I reply with a shrug, smirking. "Good job on you for figuring it out finally. Took a while~"

"I guess so." Rias giggles. "I know I haven't been the most diligent around, but thank–"

"Thank me when you win." I cut her off. "This all means nothing if you just end up losing to that moron."

As Rias is about to argue, we hear a knock on the door. We all look at the culprit as it opens, revealing a white-haired woman with red eyes wearing a maid outfit behind Majima. She has a blank look on her face as she stares at Rias her peerage.

That woman looks familiar. A check with Observe tells me who she is, alongside a fairly important note. I know Grayfia is Satan-class – not sure where she compares to Serafall though – so I expected to see more question marks because I'm not at that level yet.

That isn't the case this time. I can actually see her stats.

Name: Grayfia Lucifuge

Title: The Strongest Queen

HP - 800,000

MP - 950,000

SP - 500,000

Race - Pure-Blooded Devil

LVL - 915

STR - 7211

END - 6004

DEX - 5903

INT - 2600

WIS - 2200

CHA - 4000

LUK - 500

Thoughts about you – Looks down on you for being a human. Thinks your unnecessary worth to the Yakuza is ridiculous

Reputation - -15

Affection - 0

Obedience - -100

Loyalty - -100

Okay, first of all, fuck you too you glorified devil cumdump. At least I didn't defect to roleplay as a fucking maid for the enemy.

That aside, she is strong. I've gotten used to these kinds of stats and have been expecting them, but even then, she's much stronger than my uncle even. Seeing that I still can't see Majima's stats means he must be stronger than her though.

Heh, human superiority for the win. Good job, Majima. I want to see him kick her ass one day.

…Okay her thoughts about me might've offended me a lot more than they should've, but damn it, who the fuck does she think she is anyway? She has nothing to be haughty about, and I hate people like her. The nerve of this bitch.

She must be their ride though, meaning the Rating Game will start soon. It's kind of early in my opinion, but I guess time zones are different in japan and the underworld. I think. I don't know how dimensions work.

"I suppose it's time," Sona says, glancing at Rias. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..." She answers with a grimace as she looks at her sister-in-law before whispering. "Did it have to be Grayfia, though?"

"Rias…" Sona frowns.

"I'm going, I'm going." The redhead sighs as she leads her peerage, with Sona walking beside her.

This makes me blink. What, is Grayfia universally disliked or something? Why did Rias look so hesitant all of a sudden?

As the younger devils huddle around the maid, Grayfia first hands Sona something before casting a teleportation circle. Sona steps back to not get whisked away with them, and right before they disappear, Grayfia gives me a cold glare, making me frown in annoyance. Alright, bitch, I get that you don't like me, but what the hell was that for? I don't even know what I did to get her so pissy.

Once they vanish, Sona walks back at us holding some sort of a blue orb. I am about to ask her what it was, but she answers before I can.

"It'll let us see the match from the human realm." She explains. "Instead of having to go to the underworld."

With that, Sona puts the orb in the middle of the dinner table as a holographic screen pops up from it. It flickers a bit before showing Kuoh Academy floating in the middle of a void, but I quickly remind myself that this is where the game is taking place. Mostly to give Rias an advantage.

Majima closes the door as he leans against it, silently watching the screen. Sona and Ichiban sit next to my right and left respectively. We wait for the match to begin quietly after a few minutes, with the announcer – apparently – trying to hype up the match where everyone knows that Riser will win.

Well, they think that he's going to win, but if all goes according to plan and Rias doesn't fuck up in the most crucial part? They'd all be in shock, and I'm gonna get extra points with the devils. The redhead is gonna blab that without me, she wouldn't have stood a chance, and that is going to net me a lot of positives.

I notice from the corner of my eyes Sona looking quite nervous, prompting me to whisper to her.

"What's wrong?"

She glances at me, seemingly debating with herself whether to speak or not, but with a resigned sigh, she does.

"Be honest with me, Akane." She says, looking kind of anxious. "Do you think Rias can truly win this?"

"Are you seriously having second thoughts now?" I raise a brow, a bit surprised that this question came from her of all people.

"No, not that. I would like to think that Rias will win this," Sona answers hesitantly. "But I don't know... "

"She did waste a lot of time moping, so it's valid how you feel about it." I shrug. "Weird how it's coming from you, though. Weren't you the one who kept hyping her up saying how she can easily wipe the floor with him?"

"I know what I said." She replies, clicking her tongue. "It's just– what if I'm wrong? What if all this effort was for nothing?"

"Now you're beginning to sound like Rias." I scoff and roll my eyes. "Relax. Gremory can win as long as she wants to win. Riser might be more experienced and has the numbers advantage, but if that file you gave me when you came here was accurate, Koneko or Kiba alone are enough to wipe them all out excluding Ravel and Riser himself."

"You think so?"

"Please, after what they went through, a bunch of low-tier trash is a breeze to them," I smirk. "And with Rias' ace in the hole? Riser is fucked."

"I see…" Sona relents, leaning back on her chair. "You're the only one in this room who fought Riser before, so I'll take your word for it."

"You should." I nod. "I've never been wrong in my life. Ever. I'm always right."

"You are the source for most of our problems." Ichi deadpans.

"And I'm the one who solves said problems, so it cancels out."

Sona snorts uncharacteristically at our banter but says nothing as our attention gets drawn to the match starting up. I guess with the lack of actual consequences for me, I don't feel as nervous. Sure, now that Rias is motivated to do this, I might be bummed out if she loses, but ultimately? There are no stakes for me.

Then again, I'll be closer to the devils – or Sirzechs specifically – if she wins, so I might have something to gain here after all. Hopefully, she doesn't forget her training and beats his deep-fried ass. Always expect the worst while hoping for the best, though.

I hate being disappointed.

– Koneko –

Once her eyes adjusted to the new location, she realized that their starting position was inside their club room. She spotted the rest of her team – Rias, Akeno and Kiba – and all of them nodded to one another. The plan was simple.

A full frontal assault by all except Akeno, who would be on standby until the perfect moment to attack. Just one clear opening was all she needed to turn the tides completely, but after the words of encouragement from Akane, Koneko thought that it wasn't really needed.

She felt a whole lot more confident, seeing her King so energized and ready for a fight, but like always, it wasn't a good idea to be arrogant. Riser still had a severe number advantage after all. Four against sixteen wasn't fair no matter what anyone says.

But like Sona and Akane said, quality over quantity.

Kiba and Koneko followed after their King, who led them to battle. The only male of the group conjured up a wind-empowered katana for a little boost in speed as Koneko sharpened her senses once they reached the courtyard.

Rias raised an arm and released a powerful blast of demonic energy at the sky, creating a small pillar of magic seen by probably everyone.

"Come out and face me, Riser!" She raised her voice, aiming to lure him out. "Bring your entire peerage with you. You'll need them."

Several of Riser's emerged from different places, prompting Kiba to brandish his blade with a smile as Koneko cracked her knuckles with a frown. Six pawns, one bishop, one rook, and two knights. No sign of Ravel or Riser anywhere, the only threats to them really.

The knights of Riser seemed to be the ones leading everyone. Karlamine and Siris, if Koneko remembered correctly. They didn't look very intimidating– if anything, their power felt kinda disappointing. Compared to the likes of her King, Sona, and Akane anyhow. Those were the real powerhouses of their generation.

Still, even Ichiban looked a lot more capable than their opponents. Had they really grown that much?

"Yes, send the trash our way, why don't you." Rias scoffed, mocking them to their faces. "I'm shaking in my boots."

That seemed to annoy some of them, but none reacted violently yet.

"You look quite confident, Lady Gremory." The one known as Siris said. "When just a month ago, you were begging Lord Lucifer to delay the match."

"Yes, for Riser's sake obviously." Rias lied, but with how confident she said it, she was quite convincing. "Your idiot of a King clearly isn't worth anyone's time. I mean, he's sending you worthless peasants as some sort of 'intimidation' tactic. All this experience is for naught I see~"

"Why you–!" The rook growled, charging first. "How dare you insult my Lord's honor–"

Before she even got close, Koneko rushed forward and delivered a particularly powerful punch to her gut, making her eyes nearly pop out of her skull as she dropped to her knees, coughing violently. Koneko then casually kicked her in the face, instantly knocking her out.

Riser's rook was teleported out, with Grayfia's voice signaling her defeat. This was enough of a warning to the rest as some even stepped back in genuine shock. Rias merely patted Koneko's head before clearing her throat.

"Just as I said." Rias crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. "Worthless peasants~"

Siris flinched and backed away a step, now knowing why Rias looked so confident, but that was not enough to send them all running. Riser's Knight aimed her blade at the three and ordered everyone to attack, prompting them to get in their stances.

Rias jumped back and took a more defensive position as Kiba and Koneko charged forward. Five were on her and the rest attacked Rias' Knight, and the Nekoshou was fairly surprised at just how much she'd improved in the training they went through.

Out of the five attacking her, the other knight was so damn slow. Koneko felt like she could run circles around her without her noticing– it was laughable just how pathetic they actually were.

…Was Riser really carried by his Phenex regeneration? Was that why he had any wins under his belt at all? She overheard Akane once discussing that, but she thought the human girl was just being a bit cocky. Apparently not, if that's the best he has.

After dodging and blocking every single thing thrown at her, Koneko began her counterattack, sweeping a pawn off her feet before smashing her head on the ground, knocking her own immediately.

As the enemy bishop tried to attack them from above, she was struck down by Rias' far superior demonic energy, putting her down fairly easily. If anything, her King had to hold back on that one, because using the Power of Destruction would've killed the poor girl.

More blasts of demonic magic occasionally rained down on them, taking out more and more of Riser's peerage. Rias didn't want to use much of her power because she was saving the good stuff for their dickhead King, but Koneko could handle this easily.

Rias' Rook ducked under a blade and slapped it out of the knight's hands before introducing her fist to the attacker's face, the direct hit sending her through the school's warehouse. Grayfia's announcement told her that that one was also put to bed, so Koneko went to work on the rest, defeating the other pawns attacking her.

That was, until the queen showed up, casting her bomb magic everywhere and forcing Koneko and Kiba back. The two glared at Yubelluna as some of the enemy peerage retreated into the woods, making Koneko smile slightly.

Idiots. They had no idea what was waiting for them there. Though, either way, they were getting wiped out by them or Akeno.

"Well, well, looks like someone finally grew a backbone." Riser's Queen said sarcastically. "Sadly, you'll still–"

"Listen, you're not any better than the idiots we've been beating a minute ago." Rias cut her off with a scowl. "So run back and tell Riser to come and face me right now. Don't waste my time or you'll regret that your King picked this fight."

A slight aura of destruction erupted as her King said that, making Yubelluna flinch.

"I-insolent whelp!" She growled. "How dare you?!"

"You do realize I'm quite literally your superior, right?" Rias countered.

"Not on the battlefield, you're not!" Yubelluna denied, readying her bombs. "Prepare to–"

"Riser's pawns, Ni and Li, have been eliminated."

"W-what–"

With her caught off guard by the announcement, Riser's Queen wasn't given a chance as Kiba wrapped her leg with a bladed whip before dragging her down, signaling for Koneko to rush forward at her, jumping to her level and throwing a heavy kick to her head, flinging her into a building.

Kiba summoned several blades and shot them at her, stabbing her in the arms and legs and pinning her into a wall. Without even one prospect of countering, Rias released a ball of demonic energy that quickly took her out. The redhead had a self-satisfied grin on her face as Yubelluna was teleported away, then glanced back at the remaining Knight and two pawns with a cold glare.

"Riser's Queen and Rook, Yubelluna and Xuelan, have been eliminated."

"Looks like Akeno is hard at work as well, isn't she?" Rias said. "I hope she doesn't tire herself out taking out the trash."

Siris and the two other pawns flinched, looking in genuine fear as only four devils dismantled nearly every one of Riser's peerage, while not taking any losses themselves. Koneko felt proud of that fact.

She also felt proud that her sneaking skills hadn't dulled after two weeks of only strength training as she snuck up on the knight and suplexed her hard. The two pawns, shocked and distracted by what Koneko did, were quickly taken out by Kiba via a large blunted sword to their heads.

With that, only the Phenex siblings remained. Koneko had no idea what Riser was doing right now and why he let his stupid harem take the fall so hard, but she'd lost respect for him – like she had respect for someone like him to start with– why didn't he try to at least fight alongside them? Was he that confident in his regeneration?

Whatever it was, he couldn't win now that they've taken the number advantage away from him.

Should've thought more before sending his lackeys.

– Sona –

She knew she shouldn't be, but Sona was genuinely surprised at Rias' efficiency in just annihilating Riser's peerage. Yes, they weren't particularly strong– low and mid-class do not compare to high-class devils, which all of Rias' team were, but it was still impressive. They did it in the span of three minutes.

Sona glanced at the human girl next to her, who didn't show any outward reaction to what happened.

Akane wasn't as surprised, though. "If that explosion bitch was his queen, then he was gathering a harem, not an actual peerage." Is what she said, which was a fair assessment, all things considered. None of these girls had any notable potential to add to his peerage, and it didn't seem like Riser put any effort into training them to be formidable.

Then again, he won all these games because of himself and his sister, the only high-class devils. His peerage usually got taken out rather quickly, and Sona was fairly sure that Rias held the current record for doing it the fastest.

So far so good. Rias, who was the least trained because of her depressive episode, didn't waste too much energy. Akeno was keeping her distance and hiding in the forest, waiting for the signal to come out. And now only two enemies remained.

He's going to have to show himself sooner or later, and thankfully, as Riser stood up from the principal's chair, he wasn't looking one bit worried. Rias' show of power didn't get him to drop his arrogance and strategize for real, just as they expected.

Ravel, though, was another issue entirely as she accompanied Riser to the battlefield. Unlike her brother, she was extremely intelligent and knew a threat when she saw one. She wasn't as strong or gifted in the regeneration department, but she was definitely smarter than him- as were most devils of their generation, in fact. Plus, while not really a notable trait on the battlefield, she was far kinder than Riser.

"And that's all of them small fry out of the way," Kiba said. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I suppose Amamiya-san's training paid off quite a lot."

"The knights were slow," Koneko added, agreeing with him. "They shouldn't be slow."

"Well, the difference in power between us and them is fairly vast." The Knight of Rias shrugged. "That should be considered at least."

"Ichi is way faster." She stated. "And he's human."

Koneko and Kiba continued their bickering and Ichiban blinked as he heard the praise, looking a little surprised. Akane playfully elbowed his side, wagging her eyebrows with a smug smirk.

"Someone has a fan~" She said.

"She just said I'm better than them." He rolled his eyes. "How does a compliment correlate to her being a fan of mine?"

"It's not easy getting her praise, Kasuga," Sona added as she adjusted her glasses with a smile. "You've definitely made a positive impression on her."

"Ah…" He rubbed the back of his neck, getting slightly flustered. "That so?"

"See?" Akane's insufferably smug grin only got wider. "She's a fan."

"No, I only made a positive impression, like Sona said." He continued to deny it.

The two kept arguing for a few seconds. Well, 'arguing'. It was just Akane lightly making fun of him as he got increasingly embarrassed. She wasn't kidding, he was fun to tease. Sona was starting to see the appeal.

An explosion suddenly sounded from the screen, prompting them all to look at what happened. The Phenex siblings had finally arrived, with Ravel throwing a condensed fireball at Koneko and Kiba, whom only the latter managed to evade.

Koneko could not, however, but that attack didn't easily take her out either, as she managed to block it at the last second, putting her arms over her face. It did damage her, but not by much. The nekoshou frowned deeply as she got back into her stance, regrouping with Rias and Kiba, who glared at the smirking Riser.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect this much defiance from you, Rias." He started. "I thought you'd raise the white flag just as the match starts."

"Give me some credit." She growled. "I haven't caved your face in yet."

"How violent." He chuckled. "Did I do something to offend you, perhaps?"

The sarcasm coating his tone only made Rias more irate, but behind that irritation, Sona noticed genuine concern and possibly even fear. Gaining the willingness to fight was one thing, but facing your tormentor will always be a tough ordeal.

"But that couldn't be true." Riser shrugged as he floated down from the building, walking towards Rias. "After all, I'd never do such a thing to my fiancee."

Rias' demonic energy enveloped her as she took a step back, her fists balling into a fist. She was definitely intimidated by him, even though she had a greater level of power. Sona bit her lips in worry as her thoughts began to betray her.

"She's scared," Akane suddenly noted out loud with an annoyed tone, making Sona look at her.

"Naturally," Sona responded after a beat. "This isn't exactly easy for her, mentally."

"If all that build-up leads to her losing it at the most crucial moment, I'm going to personally crash the wedding just to beat her ass again in front of everyone." The human girl promised casually, making Sona sigh in exasperation and – to her own surprise – amusement. "And nobody will stop me."

Sona didn't doubt her as much as she thought she would. She was probably crazy enough to do that somehow.

"Have faith in her, Akane-chan." The Mad Dog, who was silent the entire time, said with a grin, surprising all of them. "She's got this."

"God, I hope so." She muttered, making Sona and every other devil who heard her flinch. "...My bad."

As Riser continued his advance toward Rias, who whispered to her Knight and Rook, Kiba and Koneko both charged forward. Riser was about to push them away with his magic, however, to his surprise, they weren't seeking him.

Kiba waved his hand and several cursed swords made of water formed above him before soaring towards Ravel, who quickly made a wall of fire to protect herself. With another wind sword made, Rias' Knight slashed at the air and created a powerful gust of wind, which launched Koneko through the fire and directly in front of Ravel.

The Nekoshou's fist connected, sending Ravel crashing through several walls and away from their King. Kiba and Koneko both ran past Riser and towards his sister, leaving Rias alone with him. Good, now all the redhead had to do is keep occupied until Akeno made her entrance. Just one perfect attack with her Holy Lightning was all she needed to cripple his rapid regeneration for a time.

"How nice of your friends to give us some alone time." Riser chuckled, looking back at them and not noticing the rapidly approaching Rias. "I must say I'm–"

As he turned his head back to Rias, the redhead's fist made contact with his punchable face, sending him to the other side of the battlefield and into the woods. Sona wasn't sure why her childhood friend started with a punch rather than a blast of destruction– a strange and admittedly stupid decision, Sona judged.

Akane thought the opposite, though. If her quiet laughter was any indication at least.

The screen was now split into three to show everything. Ravel, Koneko, and Kiba in one, Rias and Riser in the next, and Akeno in the third.

With Ravel kept busy, Riser wouldn't have any valid support against Rias, and Akeno whenever she entered the fray. Sona wasn't counting on Koneko and Kiba to defeat her quickly enough that they'd be able to help their King, but as long as she was away from her brother, then they'd done their part.

The real fight started now.

– Ravel –

There was something wrong about this whole thing, and Ravel wasn't sure what it was. Sure, the entire peerage getting taken out was a fairly common happenstance because of how admittedly pathetic Riser's harem was, but this quickly? And by four devils no less?

And it wasn't like they had to try, from the looks of it. Rias' Rook and Knight were shockingly powerful, seeing how they're managing to fight her with relative ease. If not for her Phenex bloodline, she didn't think she would fare as well. Ravel expected them to be at least a little tired after having to deal with fourteen different fighters.

That was not the case.

Ravel unleashed streams of flames at her opponents as she tried to keep her distance. Kiba rushed forward, getting in front of his ally and protecting them both by using his wind sword to redirect the fire away from them.

Ravel clicked her tongue as she flew higher, trying to bombard them with fire and wind, but the Knight was much faster than her and easily caught up, slashing at her devil wing to break her balance while in the air, giving Koneko enough time to fly at her and tackle her back down.

Ravel's concentration immediately broke as Koneko punched her in the face several times until they made contact with the ground, creating a big crater where the Rook continued throwing punches. In her desperation, the Phenex screamed and exploded in fire and wind before directing all of the released demonic energy towards the white-haired girl, getting a clean hit in and knocking the smaller girl off her.

Ravel noticed the swords soaring toward her, prompting her to jump and fly away, hiding behind a tree as she controlled her breathing. She wiped the blood off her forehead as the wound began to close itself, and in this moment of respite, Ravel began to think.

They were so much stronger than they were supposed to be. They were barely on the level of Yubelluna not long ago– how did they become strong so fast? She knew they were training in the human realm, but there was no possible way they could have grown so much in such a short amount of time.

This brought her to the worrying thought she had, which is Rias' weird and out-of-place confidence. Now, Ravel knew what Riser was up to – and for the record, she did not approve – so by all means, the Gremory's morale should've been crippled by now, maybe even causing her to give up immediately.

But instead, she wiped out nearly the entire peerage, and her own left her alone to deal with Riser apparently like it was her own personal vendetta. Did whatever training they went through in the human realm yield so much result that it even got Rias confident?

Well, the answer seems to be yes. Ravel couldn't believe that she was struggling this much against only two of Rias' peerage, which brought up another question entirely. Where was Rias' Queen and why didn't she show herself? Akeno was the only genuine threat other than Rias that Ravel acknowledged before the match began, so why was she hiding?

If both Koneko and Kiba gained so much power in a short amount of time, then just how strong had Rias' Queen become? That's why she was hiding, wasn't it? She was the ace of the peerage, and they wanted her to conserve as much energy as possible.

And now that only she and Riser remained–

Ravel's eyes widened as she realized what they were doing. She needed to get to Riser right now.

With her enhanced hearing, Ravel heard the slightest steps and quickly ducked as a fist punched through the tree she was hiding behind. The Phenex girl grunted and shot a torrent of intense flames at Koneko, but she was interrupted when a shortsword stabbed her leg, making her cry out in pain.

Before she was given a chance to recover, Ravel was struck in the stomach by Koneko, who then let loose a combo of heavy punches and kicks. She may be a Phenex, but that didn't mean she didn't feel pain, and by Lucifer those were agonizing.

Refocusing regardless of the weight behind those attacks making her dizzy, Ravel evaded a hook by stepping back and countered by creating a point-blank fire and wind explosion, launching Koneko away. She barely ducked under Kiba's swing and kicked him off before throwing a fireball at him, keeping him busy for a second.

And a second was all she needed to get away. Her wounds began to heal themselves, but she was getting tired. She didn't have much mana left in her and she had to warn Riser before he was taken by surprise. Ravel had confidence in her brother's abilities, but even he couldn't defeat an amped-up Rias and Akeno on his own, especially if they were aiming for a surprise attack.

Ravel flew toward her brother's general direction as fast as she could, but she couldn't exactly outrun Rias' Knight, who easily caught up in less than a few seconds, getting in front of her and swinging his absurdly-large sword vertically, sending her crashing back down into the school's pool.

She gasped as she got out of the water, growling in frustration as Kiba chuckled at her.

"Sorry, but I can't let you go there." He said, politely giving her some time to get back on her feet. "We knew you'd eventually catch on."

"And you're trying to keep me busy." Ravel continued off for him. "You don't think your King can handle me and Riser at the same time."

"Of course not. Rias is powerful, but not strong enough to fight off two high-class devils at the same time." He admitted.

"Your fight is with us." Koneko added as she finally caught up. "You're never going there."

"We'll see–"

Just then, a loud, thundering boom froze the three in their places, especially Ravel, whose eyes were wide as she felt the holy power where the noise came from. She didn't know what that was or who was responsible, but Riser's demonic energy suddenly becoming half as strong as it's supposed to be made her very anxious.

Her heart dropped as Kiba chuckled again. They had something to do with this? Is this their plan all along? But where did they get a hold of–

Akeno was part Fallen Angel. She remembered.

"Well, either way, you're too late." He said. "So how about we end this?"

This Rating Game had turned into a disaster.

– Rias - a few minutes earlier –

It probably wasn't very wise to surprise attack someone with a jab when you had very powerful magic, but by the Devil King, it was so incredibly satisfying to deck that arrogant bastard in the face.

Admittedly, that was partly due to her suddenly panicking when he showed himself. Yes, she was the one who kept calling for him to fight her, but she didn't count on herself getting so nervous when he actually accepted her challenge after most of his peerage had been wiped out.

Her heart was pounding and her throat felt uncomfortably tight and dry. The reality that she was actually facing him in battle after years of trying to delay the match finally caught up to her. This was her last chance of getting out of this stupid wedding, and she was frozen in fear.

You can't win. It's pointless. Just give up, it's easier. Accept your fate.

Those things swirled in her head, beating her confidence and faith down until they were nothing but dust. All the things she told herself before returned, ten times worse than ever. Her knees felt weak, and she was about to collapse.

That was until another voice made itself known, and that one told her to get angry.

She didn't need faith or confidence, not in this particular situation. All she needed to win was overwhelming rage.

Once Riser got distracted by Kiba and Koneko, that familiar voice spoke again, this time screaming at her to get mad. This push was just enough to make her charge first, and now they were here, their fight finally beginning. Rias refused to act helpless, refused to hold back.

She would break him in two.

As she caught up with his flying body, Rias grabbed him by the collar and continued to smash him through several trees and large rocks, fully aware that it wasn't doing much damage. What did damage, however, was when she released an orb of destruction point-blank, erasing his head and everything else that was in front of her.

Riser managed to escape her grip as he flew back, his head regenerating.

"Feisty today, aren't you?" He raised a brow, not particularly bothered that he just lost his head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to kill me."

As a response, Rias shot him, her glare sharpening as every word that came out of his mouth made her angrier. Her attack was quite a bit faster than him and he wasn't expecting it, so the redhead was able to land a few more hits, erasing his arm and part of his torso.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Rias growled, her tone nothing but venomous.

"Very feisty." He reiterated as he regenerated. "You know, as your senior in Rating Games, anger usually has a negative impact on you and your peerage."

"I'm well aware."

"Good, we're on the same page." Riser said, looking slightly annoyed as his fiery aura exploded. "I've waited so long for this moment, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

That makes the two of us. She thought, responding by flaring her magical aura and flying up to his level.

As Riser started his assault by casting several wind blades and fireballs, Rias had a tough time avoiding all of them, so she opened fire and began erasing the incoming spells with her

Power of Destruction. Even a small orb of that could destroy whatever her opponent threw at her.

The main issue was her stamina compared to Riser, or lack thereof. As a Phenex, he naturally has a bigger pool of energy to support his rapid regeneration, and Rias didn't have that luxury. She couldn't afford to waste energy like he could.

So perhaps a more physical approach was a lot more useful than she thought. She couldn't expect to do a lot of damage with just her fists, but doing damage wasn't her main concern. It was distracting him. Plus, it felt a lot more satisfying.

With that in mind, Rias circled around and sped toward him directly, getting hit by a wind blade but persevering well enough that she crashed into him, landing on the ground. With her on top of him, she didn't give him a chance to retaliate as she smashed both fists on his face.

Riser, who rapidly healed from her blow, rolled his eyes and kicked her away, not one bit damaged, but Rias wasn't done there. Taking his time standing up, Rias kept throwing punch after punch, doing little to no damage. That was, until she coated her hands with her own demonic energy, causing every strike to create a powerful shockwave that seemed to hurt him a little.

"Is this really your plan?" He said after catching her fist. "Letting loose all your anger until you have no more energy to spare? Please, Rias. I thought we were grown-ups here."

The voice returned, demanding to see her wrath.

She gasped as he buried his fire-engulfed fist into her stomach, before letting go of the spell in his hand that exploded, sending her sprawling over the grass. Riser grabbed her by the head and slammed her face into the ground. Acting quickly, Rias shot his leg off, forcing him to kneel and breaking his balance, before standing up and delivering an uppercut.

Riser wasn't letting that go so easily, however, as several fire orbs formed around him. One by one, they all shot toward the redhead, hitting her in different places as she struggled to defend herself. She certainly couldn't stop his punch that sent her flying.

Where's your rage?

Rias quickly flipped and landed on her feet, shooting his face and leg with destruction blasts before charging forward, kneeing him in the stomach. Riser took it without struggle before countering, responding with his own knee to the stomach, making her cry out in pain.

The sharp winds around him cut her arms, legs, and cheek. She couldn't make a distance between them before Riser grabbed her hand and twisted it painfully, getting behind her and releasing a powerful fire blast to her back, burning the uniform and her skin.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" He chuckled. "You know Rias, you've actually impressed me. I seriously thought you wouldn't even try."

Where's your hatred?

Rias grunted and screamed as he twisted her hand even more. He kicked the back of her knee and forced her to sit down, his hand getting hotter and hotter.

"But all that? It felt like it came from the heart." He said. "You really want to win this, don't you?"

Get angry.

A guttural growl escaped Rias' throat, making Riser laugh.

"Defiant till the end." He continued, his grip getting tighter as a sizzling noise filled her ears. She couldn't feel her hand anymore. "Tell you what, give up now, and we won't have to prolong this any further."

For a split-second, Rias' eyes met another's. Focused, violet-colored eyes waited for her mark, and if not for the overpowering anger nearly clouding her mind, she would've smiled, because whatever was on her face was too animalistic to be called that.

Get furious and make him pay.

The growl turned into a mighty roar as Rias' demonic energy erupted, forcing him to let go of her. Quickly, Rias turned around and slipped by him, holding him in a full nelson as golden sparks flickered in the forest.

"What the–"

Riser couldn't even comprehend what happened before a powerful lightning strike hit him, nearly rupturing their eardrums. While not directly hit, Rias felt the searing holy energy make contact with her body, and it was one of the worst things she ever experienced. The ringing in her ears didn't make it any better.

She let go of Riser as he fell down to his knees, gasping in agony with wide eyes almost bulging out of his skull. He tried to get back up, but another strike forced him down, making him scream in pure agony.

Akeno walked towards the two, her fallen angel wing spread for all to see as holy lightning danced around her fingers. A wide, cruel smirk made itself known on her face, making Riser shiver in genuine fear.

"Oh my~ What do we have here~?" She giggled. "An injured bird and… sorry, Rias."

"I-it's fine." Rias flinched, the pain slowly disappearing.

"T-this was your plan all along?" Riser gritted his teeth.

"Is it really that surprising?" Rias scoffed. "I'm not stupid, Riser. Everyone knows I can't beat you in the traditional sense."

"You…" He snarled at Akeno, trying to get up. "You'd spit on your mother's legacy and use this so-called burden? Do you not have any principles to stick by?!"

"A lot happened in those two weeks." She responded casually. "And I've learned to stop clinging onto the past."

"Should've done your research before the match. This is where your arrogance got you," Rias smirked, forcing him down with her foot. "Akeno?"

"With pleasure~" Her Queen understood her immediately.

"W-what are you–"

His unasked question was answered by Akeno electrocuting him again, using less power as to not kill or knock him out. Riser's miserable cry was music to her ears. He couldn't even say he was giving up because he was too busy screaming, and it was the most beautiful thing Rias had ever seen.

"Riser's Rook, Ravel, has been eliminated."

Would you look at that? Only he remained now, but Rias honestly felt like collapsing too. Akeno's holy lightning took a lot out of her.

…It would've been pretty embarrassing if she was knocked out by her own Queen now that she thought about it.

"That's enough, Akeno." Rias stopped her. "So, Riser? What's it going to be?"

"F-fine, fine! J-just stop, please stop." He begged, gasping and sobbing. "I–I giv–"

Just before he said it, Akeno struck him with lightning again. "Just for good measure."

"I GIVE UP!" He screamed. "YOU WIN! Just stay the fuck away from me you crazy bitch! I never even wanted to marry you in the first place! I was fucking forced into it too!"

And now he's looking for sympathy? That's just pitiful at this point.

Akeno frowned, acting like she was offended, and was going to do it again for shits and giggles before he disappeared, teleporting out. The announcement was sounded, declaring Riser's defeat and Rias' victory, making her heart pound faster.

"Riser and his peerage have been wiped out. The winner is Rias Gremory."

She won. She actually won the Rating Game.

"We won." She muttered, glancing at the smiling Akeno. "We won."

"We did." Her Queen nodded, retracting her wings.

Rias, unbothered by her dislocated shoulder, rushed and embraced Akeno with the biggest smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. She almost couldn't believe it. She felt like she was going to wake up from this dream any second now.

But against all odds, they did it. She won the Rating Game, she was free of this forced marriage.

The nightmare was finally over.

– Akane –

I sigh in relief once I hear the announcement. Okay, that last bit kinda had me worried, but I knew they'd win in the end. If I knew her Holy Lightning was this strong, I wouldn't have had Akeno conserve that much energy. Seriously, only two blasts were enough to bring him down? I thought he'd tank a few more at least.

Rias' reckless idea of tanking some of the damage almost made me scream at her. That could've knocked her out, and I can't believe Akeno went along with that stupid plan. I'd beat the shit out of both of them if the fight didn't end in their victory.

But I guess he was too cocky to take the fight seriously either way. The smart plan would be tanking damage for her peerage as they played a supporting role, but he'd rather have them all be wiped out before flexing his regeneration for no reason.

He's not an idiot, or at least, not a complete moron. If he was able to manipulate Rias for years and make her think she didn't stand a chance then that says enough about him, but as I said, he got too arrogant and fucked it up.

He banked hard on Rias' defeatism, not knowing I've already resolved her issues.

Aside from Rias' profound stupidity at the end, they've won, and that's all that matters.

I glance at the shocked expression on Sona's face and snort in amusement. No faith, I tell you. She was so confident in her friend, but the moment the match began, all that hype went up and vanished.

Everyone begins celebrating, cheering and whistling for Rias and her friends. Even Asia, Ichi, and Issei join in on it, happy with how this turned out.

"Told you," I say, standing up and stretching my arms with a satisfied groan. "You had nothing to worry about."

As I break her out of her surprise, Sona damn near tackles me into the ground as she embraces me tightly. I can see several red laser points suddenly aiming at her head, making my eyes widen in panic, but Majima calls them off as she begins to thank me.

"Thank you." She whispers, making me return the hug. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, sure." I hesitantly pat her head. "Just doing my part of the deal."

At least the rewards are nice. Couldn't do the bonus, but eh, this is good enough.

[Demon Instructor] – Quest

Objective: Make Rias win the Rating Game

Bonus Objective: Make Rias' Peerage come to terms with their past

Rewards: Unlock Affection for Rias Gremory, Tremendously increase Reputation with Rias' peerage and Sona Sitri, Massively increase reputation with Sirzechs Lucifer Gremory, [Natural-born Mentor] perk, +50 CHA

Bonus rewards: Unlock Affection for Rias' peerage, Greatly increase Reputation with Sona Sitri, [Reliable Anchor] Perk, +100 CHA, Epic Gacha Token

100 Reputation with Rias Gremory [100/100]

Affection unlocked

+100 CHA

100 Reputation with Sona Sitri [100/100]

Affection unlocked

+100 INT

Perks gained

[Natural-born Mentor]

Something about you makes it so much easier to teach and mentor others. It comes naturally to you – no matter what it is you're teaching, and your students will always listen to you very intently, absorbing as much knowledge as possible

Your students will always be successful no matter the field

[Celestial Presence] - 1000 CHA

Your mere existence can inspire awe in others– whether it's in the way you walk, talk, or even your natural aura. People are more inclined to listen to you and do your bidding for little to no rewards, and feel very comfortable around you.

All allies receive a 25% to all stats when in battle, and they'll have an urge to protect you even if it means throwing their life away.

Rep gain is increased tremendously.

More than good enough~

Arc is basically over. Took way too long lol.

Anyway, in case you didn't know, I've posted my genshin fic here. Check it out if you have the time

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