Chapter 19: Dragons, A Cat, and Checkmate

The game had begun. The last-minute addition to the rules changed little. Although the match was a 3-hour blitz-style Rating Game, it meant nothing for Rias' plan.

Even if it's not much of a plan, groused Koneko.

She was not happy with the course of action her [King] had chosen. That was not to say it was intrinsically bad; quite the opposite. Sending her and Issei as a distraction while the deceptively powerful duo of Xenovia and Yuuto launched the main offensive would normally have been a good idea. The move would have come as a surprise to almost everyone. Unfortunately, however, Sona knew Rias whole Peerage. That made using the current plan a monumentally bad idea.

To be fair, it was unlikely Koneko would have caught on if she had not trained under Naruto. He had a way of forcing her to improve her situational awareness. His focus on teamwork also made it painfully obvious that the strategy Rias had employed was lacking in it. If Koneko had to guess why that was, then it was that Rias' previous plans had all worked despite the odds.

More by luck than anything, reflected Koneko

She was under no illusion that if Kokabiel had devoted any time to some sort of strategy, she would have been dead by now.

That alone was enough motivation for her to gain the sort of strength that made luck unnecessary. Fortunately, she was already on the way there.

Sage Mode was already engaged. It had been laughably easy since becoming a true Sage. She could gather and balance the natural energy even while moving now; for every force of nature was movement. And that was what she was now: A force of nature. The only thing she had to do was to harness and channel this power.

She was already making use of its passive benefits, such as sensing life.

"Ise, we're about to get attacked. Watch out for strikes from above," she warned.

As if summoned by her words, two figures burst forth, jumping down from a shelf to deliver an aerial attack. Thanks to her advance warning, it was not only her but also Issei who managed to react in time. While she had time to jump backwards, Issei's momentum forced him to roll forward. He then used that roll to do a hand stand and deliver a kick to his attacker. Said attacker managed to evade, but the move forced him out of the initiative. Koneko, having dodged her adversary made her way to Issei to link up with him before the enemy could react. In the end, the attempted ambush had failed to connect, allowing the Gremory Peerage members to take stock of the situation.

"Saji? Damn, you got fast. You too, Nimura," commented Issei.

"Thanks for the compliment," said Saji, his expression determined. "But we're not just faster; we're also stronger and quicker on our feet, all of us."

[Lady Rias Gremory's [Bishop] has retired] announced Grayfia's voice.

"What the Hell?" asked Issei.

Koneko sighed internally. She thought: That has to be Gasper. It was a mistake to send him alone.

There was no more time for regrets, however. The two members of the Student Council pressed the attack. It would not do to have her head in the clouds.

"It's easy. We've exploited Gasper's weaknesses," explained Saji. "We lured him to the grocery store on our side of the field and acted suspiciously to get him to spy. Once enough of his bats were in place, our comrades attacked them, and he transformed back. Too bad for him that it was in the middle of the garlic section."

"Ugh, that guy," muttered Issei. "Done in by garlic of all things."

While the two boys were locked in dialogue, Nimura had tried to advance on Koneko. Sadly for the brunette, the Nekoshou was attentive. She deflected the rapid punches and the occasional kick skilfully and sent Nimura back with a punch to the sternum. Going by the wince on Nimura's face, the blow had landed only partially.

Senjutsu was not to be messed with. Had Koneko's punch landed properly, Nimura would have been taken out of the game immediately. That did not mean that it had done nothing.

"That was… more than I was expecting," said Sona's [Pawn].

"It was also more than you can handle. You're not the only ones who have trained," replied Koneko with a flat tone.

Nimura looked at her in bewilderment. "Wha- ugh!"

She doubled over in pain and coughed up blood. Like a puppet with cut strings, she collapsed. There was a question in her eyes, but her lungs lacked the strength to make her speak it.

Koneko answered it nevertheless: "That punch was infused with Senjutsu. A lot of your blood vessels have burst, your rib muscles are torn, you can't gather demonic power anymore, and I have slightly damaged your lungs."

"Scary…," muttered Issei from the side, even as he fought of Saji.

He was not wrong. Senjutsu was very dangerous. Not only did it manipulate life energy and spirit energy – the form of Senjutsu she had been familiar with since childhood – but it also affected natural energy. Using the latter only amplified the art's proclivity to deal internal damage. A proper Senjutsu-enhanced strike was not just a one-hit-KO like Koneko's attack on Nimura; it was an instant kill. After all, it was not conducive to a living being's health to have one's organs turned to mush.

"I'm sorry, Nimura, but I'm a Hell Cat. I don't pull my punches anymore. You're out," said the white-haired girl.

A small lightshow and an announcement confirmed her words: [Lady Sona Sitri's [Pawn] has retired.]

"It's just us then," said Saji.

He shot a surprisingly large bullet of demonic energy at Issei, forcing the boy to dodge. The size of the attack was a shock, seeing as Sai's reserves of demonic power were only marginally higher than Issei's. This attack did not fit his reserves, and it caught Issei on the backfoot.

That was how Rias' [Pawn] ended up with one of the serpent-like lines of Saji's Sacred Gear stuck to his gauntlet. Issei had fortunately been fast enough to avoid the second line, but it was a hit in his opponent's favour. Any future activity from Boosted Gear would end up empowering Saji.

"Heh, that was a good hit," said Issei. "You're a lot more serious than usual."

Saji's voice carried determination as he replied: "That is because this here is serious business. This is my chance to prove myself. Even more importantly, it's Council President Sona's chance to prove herself. Do you even understand how we have been mocked for our dreams?"

"You're seriously asking me that?" asked back Issei.

Koneko nearly snorted. He has a point, she thought.

Saji, too, took a short moment to reflect on the inanity of his own question. "Okay, you do understand, never mind."

He shook his head, getting serious again, and continued: "But that should tell you how much is on the line for me here. I won't back down, no matter the risk. For my dream and for the woman I lo- respect with my very being, I'll come at you with the intention to kill."

"… And to die," replied Issei, his tone as serious as Saji's. "That line going from your Sacred Gear to your heart isn't just for show, is it? You're converting your life force into demonic power."

Koneko had sensed it too. It was hard not to with her current level of Senjutsu. The bullet Saji had fired had already been worth five years of his life. Of course, lost life force could by restored with Senjutsu, but that was not a readily available resource. Furthermore, all restoration techniques were useless if the "patient" had already used up the entirety of their life force in battle. Saji was treading dangerous ground here.

"We can take him," she told Issei, wanting to get this over quickly.

Her boyfriend shook his head. "No, this is a thing between us two [Pawns]. Besides, the public is here for a show; let's give them one. That, and you're our trump card."

Koneko scowled but nodded eventually. "It's not like we didn't expect to get bogged down. Fine then, hit each other like idiots. But you'd better win, Ise."

"I will," he replied. "Thanks for letting me do this."

"My thanks as well," said Saji. "Now come at me, Hyoudou! Let me show you what I've learned!"

Sona's [Pawn] proceeded to shoot more demonic power bullets at Issei. His aim was pretty good too, so he had Issei on his feet. There was clearly a plan behind the barrage; its pattern said as much. Issei's leeway of dodging was reduced in short order. Before long, he found himself faced with a bullet he could not dodge.

Koneko worried a bit at this development. Her boyfriend was on the backfoot, and his stubborn pride was about to get him hurt.

Just as she thought about intervening despite her promise, she spotted a white and blue glow on Issei's right arm. He thrust it forward against the bullet that was about to hit him.

[Divide!]

The Nekoshou simply stared. Is this the power he stole from Vali?

Of course, even if the power halved, the bullet hit Issei, forcing him back a few steps, but he grinned nonetheless.

"You know," he said, "I'm also putting my life on the line here. This ability would shave off years of my life too if it weren't for… well, that's a secret. But I nearly died getting this ability to work. It's still got a few serious downsides, though."

Saji acknowledged that statement with a grunt before he resumed his attack. He shot bullets of demonic power again, but this time, he also closed in. By Koneko's assessment, he knew that with the failure of his initial attempt, his advantage was shrinking with every second. Aggression was the only way to preserve some semblance of initiative at this point.

It was paying off too, she could see. Saji managed to connect one of his lines to Issei again, this time above the red gauntlet on his left hand. The counter for that was a rather nasty punch to the face, however. The disorientation led to Issei's counter. He delivered a few more blows to Saji. That overcommitment turned out to be a mistake, however. Another line shot forth from Saji's Sacred Gear and hit the Gremory [Pawn] in the knee.

"Keep your head in the game, Ise," said Koneko in warning.

The boy in question smirked and said: "That's where it is. And Saji… you've walked straight into my trap."

"What?" asked Saji.

Issei's right hand shot forward and grabbed the other boy's Sacred Gear. Once his grip was firm enough, he squeezed.

[Divide!]

A lot of things happened in that moment. Koneko would only later figure out what exactly these events were, so she panicked when both [Pawns] suddenly collapsed.

When Issei had used [Divide] with his hand on Saji's Sacred Gear, the ability had halved everything the Sacred Gear had been connected to and had added it to Issei. While two lines had connected to Issei's power and had thus had no negative effects on either boy, the same could not have been said for the other two. The line connected to Saji's heart had sucked out half the boy's life force, rendering him catatonic. The last line, connected to Issei's knee, had not latched onto his power but onto his blood. While the [Divide] ability had returned it to him, the rapid replacement of half his blood had put him in a shock, thus leading to his own collapse.

Koneko, who was as of that moment unaware of the details, rushed over to the two. Deciding that the two idiots had done enough harm to themselves, she delivered Senjutsu-infused punches to the serpentine lines of Saji's Sacred Gear. After their destruction, she delivered another punch to Saji, which hurt him, but would get him to medical professionals faster.

[Lady Sona Sitri's [Pawn] has retired.]

This left the [Rook] alone with Issei. She immediately took him in her arms and channelled her Senjutsu. The connection between her ki and his allowed her to feel what was wrong with him. She registered shock as well as minor damage to his blood vessels. Fortunately, a quick application of Senjutsu fixed him up for the most part.

He looked at her somewhat deliriously after she was finished. "W-what happened?" he asked.

"You landed a draw, you idiot," she told him with find exasperation. "Now get back on your feet. This game isn't over yet."

The commenters' box had become a hub of activity as soon as the fighting had begun. Since the game's beginning, many had people had entered, including the Satans, Azazel, and their special guest Odin. The quality of the analyses given by some of the commenters, was debatable, but that was also the point. Animated discussions drew the attention of the audience. So, as many of the commenters and Rating Game experts as possible gave their commentaries. This, of course, also included Naruto.

"If this were a combat exercise, I'd detract points from the Gremory Peerage. Their teamwork is lacklustre, and that 1v1 mindset I'm seeing here isn't something I like. That said, Hyoudou was right; the Rating Games are showmanship at its best. It's kind of like the Chunin Selection Exams back home. Being flashy is expected. So, all in all, I gotta say that it was a solid fight on all sides, except for Nimura, but that was just a bad match-up," he said.

"Oh? I thought you would have most criticism for Nimura, yet you defend her," said the original commenter.

"I wouldn't go that far," said Naruto, "but it's hard to show what you can do when you're up against a Sage. Most people below Ultimate Class just get one-hit killed by a proper punch or kick when it's infused with Senjutsu. I don't blame you for not being familiar with that, though. The art's pretty obscure for most people. So, no, Nimura is more of an open question than a disappointment."

Another commenter spoke up then: "The same cannot be said for Yuuto Kiba and Xenovia Quarta. Considering their achievements and accolades, their performance has been somewhat embarrassing."

The Devil woman who had spoken was referring to the second engagement that had occurred while Issei and Koneko had been fighting Nimura and Saji. It had been a fight between Xenovia and Yuuto on one side against Shinra, Yura, and Meguri on the other. By the end of it, Yuuto had been the last one standing. Since most people in the audience were the sort who considered power to be the only important thing, that had not been the conclusion they had envisioned.

"It was embarrassing, yeah," said Naruto, "but not just for the kids. The analysts were eating rocks when they made the projections for this fight. It's like they never even considered anything other than a straight-up brawl. I get that an inexperienced teenager like Rias Gremory can miss what her opponent's intellectual superiority means, but the analysts too? Didn't those people fight in the Great War? They should know the value of intel. It was clear as day from the beginning that Sona Sitri was going to set up tailormade ambushes."

That shut the others up. Complaining too much about the performance of the two sword fighters of the Gremory Peerage would only highlight their own deficiencies at this point. The situation subtly forced the conversation to steer towards constructive criticism.

One of the recent additions to the commenters' box resumed the discussion: "You may have a point. Xenovia Quarta's use of Ascalon and Durandal's holy aura were inspired, I have to admit. She failed to adapt to the unfavourable circumstances of the match, however."

Naruto nodded and added: "I second that assessment, though I'd add that their combination attack using Durandal and Yuuto Kiba's Sacred Gear was a great display of comradery and synergy. It completely halted the momentum of the ambush and forced Tsubaki Shinra to retreat while she lost two of her own comrades."

Of the several people who had entered the room over time one now stood out to Naruto. Well, several did; the Satans were here, after all. This one was special, however, since he had had input in the Gremory Peerage's training. It was hard not to recognise him. The dark hair with the blond streak combined with that face was not something one could misplace. This was Azazel. He had been silent so far, but now the man finally moved.

He said: "Miss Shinra certainly has a good head on her shoulders. She knew she could not win that fight on her own anymore and retreated. That tells me that whatever the young Lady Sona has planned is somewhat adaptable. She really is the superior thinker between her and her opponent."

"A plan that can't be changed is garbage, to paraphrase some important dead guy," quipped Naruto.

Azazel snorted. "Yes, basically. Rias Gremory's plan, as much as there is one, is static and has no fail safes. She is an intelligent young woman, for sure, but she needs to learn how to strategise properly."

"Are you speaking from experience?" asked one of the Devils in the room.

The Fallen Angel nodded and answered: "Yes. It's why I became the leader of the Grigori. Our original leader Yeqon was powerful, even more so than myself, but his planning skills were not adaptable at all. His lacklustre leadership skills cost us more than half of our members within the first year of the war. As a result, his tenure as Governor General of the Grigori was so short that most people assume I was the leader from the start. But when I took over, I was the weakest among the leaders of the Three Factions leading the weakest of said Factions. That we were even relevant during the war was all because of good planning."

"So, are you drawing similarities between Yeqon and Lady Rias?" asked the commenter from before.

"A bit, yes. Yeqon was smart. He made plans that were solid on paper, but they fell apart as soon as one element didn't go as planned. Lady Rias is the same in that regard. That said, a weakness of his that Lady Rias doesn't share was his inability to take criticism. She has the potential and willingness to improve," explained Azazel.

"We shall see if she learns during this match," said one of the other commenters.

"Still," said yet another one, "it runs the risk of public embarrassment."

A third one interjected: "That's still better than not showing up at all."

The commenter who had sat beside Naruto since the start blinked and asked: "What do you mean?"

The one in question answered: "My colleagues and I are here because Diodora Astaroth never showed up. We have no Rating Game to moderate."

"… That is strange," said the original commenter.

"Not really. There is a reason," began Naruto. "You see, he's in a bit of hot water right now. I was in a meeting with the Satans and the Great Seraph Gabriel. There's been a spot of trouble concerning Diodora. The Satans are gonna make announcement about that once the Rating Games of this round are over."

The Satans had been quiet so far. Falbium was lazy and Ajuka too engrossed in the data he was receiving on his handheld computer, but Sirzechs and Serafall had been silent because they were desperately trying not to become cheerleaders for their sisters while an actual discussion was taking place. Naruto's statement, however, necessitated their input, even if it was minimal.

"That is correct," said Serafall.

Azazel's eyebrows shot up. The man was smart, so Naruto was reasonably sure he had picked up on the lack of respectful address for the Astaroth heir. That the Fallen Angel had not been at the meeting would tell him that the reason for said meeting had been a diplomatic incident from before the Kuoh treaty's inception. Considering that the topic was not new at all and had been discussed in Azazel's presence back then, the nature and type of incident were known to him. At least Naruto hoped so. He counted on Azazel's memory being accurate and his wit being quick.

The dark-haired man seemed to have understood the gist of the plan, at least, as he spoke: "Then we should table that topic for now. We have a Rating Game to comment, and I think it is about to enter the hot phase."

[You were incredibly lucky that this fight was as short as it was. It would have become a lot more intense and dangerous] said Ddraig.

Issei was not the smartest of people. He knew that very well. It was why the lectures did not even surprise him anymore.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

[That boy was in a state that would have allowed him to perform what I call a Heavy Blow.]

Issei was confused. "What is that? I've never heard of it."

[That does not surprise me. Your teachers have covered more tangible phenomena so far] said the dragon. He explained: [That boy is a lot like you. He fought with his dreams in his fists. You of all people should know how dangerous that made him. The strength of one's convictions is conveyed by one's aura, after all. The power of this effect cannot be quantified by science; be it mundane or magical. You have profited from it when you fought the Phenex brat and Vali, so you should know that even a weakling can dish out unblockable attacks that pierce through any defence. Only proper preparation and a counter of some sort are a viable response. That is the Heavy Blow.]

"Damn. So Saji has really become dangerous, huh?" asked Issei.

[Indeed. Vritra's fragmented spirit within his Sacred Gear was resonating with the boy's own spirit. It takes great conviction to move that mad dragon to do anything, let alone what you want] said Ddraig.

"Look alive, Ise," said Koneko from the side. "The game isn't finished yet."

That was when they received a message from Rias: [We will be linking up with you shortly.]

So it was finally time to make the final push. The two-pronged attack had not gone well so far on his and Koneko's side, and Xenovia's retirement from the battlefield told a similar store about the others. At least they had managed to push through. Now, though, was the time to strike at the Sitri Peerage's base.

Issei knew that he would be able to promote. It was the one thing [Pawns] like he were good at. That said, Rias had said that the pawn pieces within him had only recently been unsealed, so he was unsure how stable the power would be. It would be a risk for sure.

Fortunately, he did not have to think about that yet. Rias would decide once they assaulted the Sitri base.

He and Koneko did not have to wait long for that moment. While Akeno was still holding her current position, Kiba, Rias, and Asia arrived at the mustering point in short order. It was time to attack.

The combined might of nearly the whole Gremory Peerage then marched on the Sitri base. What they found there was strange. A barrier had been erected by the two [Bishops] of the Sitri Peerage. Within that barrier were Sona and her [Queen] Tsubaki. They all looked rather serious.

"Something's wrong," said Koneko. "I can sense their spirit here, but their life force is somewhere else. The barrier is confusing my senses, but I'm pretty sure they're on the roof."

The others looked surprised at this, and an annoyed expression came over Sona's face. She sighed and said: "I see that I missed some variables. Reya, Momo, retreat to the roof if you can."

Then, she and Tsubaki abruptly disappeared. They had been some sort of projection, Issei guessed. Like a hologram from one of those sci-fi movies, he thought.

The two [Bishops] did not hesitate in the least and ran. Chasing them was a possibility, but Rias had other ideas.

"The path they are taking is likely riddled with traps," she said. "Sona must have thought about the possibility of a retreat. We need to take another path to the roof, but we should hurry. If they group up before we do, they could dogpile Akeno."

Decision made, the remaining members of her Peerage followed her orders. They ran upwards using the stairwell of the convenience store. They hurried quite a bit since the [Bishops] had a shorter route.

On the way there, a thought occurred to Issei. He asked: "Should I start the countdown for Balance Breaker?"

"That is not a bad idea, Ise. Do so," answered the redhead.

[Countdown!] sounded Boosted Gear in response.

The timer was still at two minutes. It was a weakness during combat as it made using the Sacred Gear's other abilities unavailable for as long as it lasted. Outside of combat, it was quite quick, however. It would be ready by the time the Gremory Peerage arrived at their opponents' position.

Such was eventually the case. They had made it to the rooftop in time to watch the Sitri Peerage mounting their attack on Akeno.

Rias wasted no time and gave her order: "Attack!"

"I'll open up," said Koneko. "Rush in after I'm done."

Issei had seen much of what she had trained in. It was difficult not to be knowledgeable concerning that; they had spent three weeks together on a mountain. He had not seen everything, however. Koneko's opening move thus came as a surprise.

After flashing through a few hand signs, she announced: "Sage Art: Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile!"

A huge burst of flame in the shape of an eastern dragon came out of her mouth. The heat it released was intense, and so was its brightness. The latter aspect was perfectly suited to obscuring the enemy vision.

The [Pawn] seized the opportunity. He sped forward, staying close to the technique Koneko had unleashed to camouflage his armour with it.

But damn, that's really hot! Aren't I supposed to be fire resistant? he asked himself.

[I can guess what you're thinking. You're part dragon, but that is not enough to withstand intense flames. The armour isn't perfect either, Partner. A fire of this level would not harm me, but you are a whole other story] commented Ddraig.

That was good to know. It was not the biggest worry at the moment, however. In front of him were the remaining members of the Sitri Peerage, and they were bound to react. They required his attention.

The first one to react to Koneko's attack was Shinra. She stepped in front of the fire dragon and summoned a mirror in front of her.

"That's her Sacred Gear," warned Kiba, "If an attack shatters the mirror, the power is doubled and returned to the attacker!"

Koneko's flame dragon crashed into the mirror, destroying it instantly. The Sacred Gear's effect was carried out, which led to a wave of fire returning the way the dragon had come. Koneko and the others had more than enough time to dodge, however, since the attack had been distance-based. It had fulfilled its purpose in any case.

Kiba had already closed the distance with the Student Council's Vice-President, and he was already mid-swing when he brought out his last surprise.

"Petro, Basileus, Dionysius, Holy Mary. Please listen to my voice!" he shouted.

His hand dove into the pocket dimension in which Xenovia had stored Durandal. He pulled out the holy sword and continued his attack.

"How is this possible?" asked Yura, even as she was hit.

The result was instantaneous.

[Lady Sona Sitri's [Queen] has retired] announced Grayfia.

Although Shinra had already left the field, Kiba still answered her question: "Xenovia transferred the access rights to Durandal before she retired. Achieving my Balance Breaker has enabled me to use holy swords of this calibre."

Even as he listened to their confrontation, Issei was still charging forward. Akeno was still outnumbered, and he wanted to arrive in time to support her. It was not going to be easy, however. He expected to be obstructed, and he was not disappointed. One of Sona's [Bishops] Kusaka, intercepted him.

He wasted no time and charged her, preparing to deal a decisive blow.

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!

"Reverse!" intoned Kusaka.

Instead of doubling his power, the last [Boost] halved it, leaving Issei's attack far weaker than it should have been. It still pushed her back, but it was not enough to force her to retire. The result was still a bad one for Kusaka, however.

The exchange had given Koneko enough time to catch up. She jumped in immediately and attacked Kusaka. Her first kick missed, but that did not deter the Nekoshou in the slightest.

"Ugh!"

Kusaka was launched off her feet.

"What the Hell?" asked Issei.

Koneko answered: "Senjutsu hits even when you miss. Sensei used it on you once."

So that's how he smacked me from so far away back then, he thought.

Grayfia's voice interrupted his train of thought: [Lady Sona Sitri's [Bishop] has retired.]

Koneko then finished her explanation: "Senjutsu also hits really hard."

That was an understatement. It had been another one-hit KO. Koneko was really getting stronger.

"That was awesome," he told her.

Had they not been in the middle of a Rating Game, he would have patted her head. Those cute cat ears of hers practically demanded his attention. Sadly, however, the game came first. There were still objectives to fulfil.

That point was not hard to achieve anymore, however. With Shinra and Kusaka dealt with, Sona was down to just Hanakai and herself. The Gremory Peerage meanwhile still sported six members, and they were about to link up to form a unified front.

They arrived at Akeno's location without further obstructions. She appeared somewhat winded but was in good shape otherwise. In fact, she appeared happy when she spotted them.

"I'm glad you're here," she said.

"It seems we came just in time," commented Rias. "Now we can finish strong."

That was when Issei interjected: "A moment, please."

That earned him a question from the dragon within his Sacred Gear: [Partner? What are you doing?]

"I've been thinking," spoke Issei to Ddraig, "and this whole thing is about reputation too, right?"

[Yes] answered the dragon. [When someone's performance is bad, their reputation suffers.]

"Then what I'm about to do is damage control. Council Prez Sitri's dream isn't mine, but it's one I can get behind. I don't want the higher-ups to badmouth her," explained Issei.

[Then do as you wish] said Ddraig.

The boy then shouted in Sona's direction: "You've trained Saji well. If I hadn't taken him seriously from the start, he would have given me a fight for the ages. Ddraig can confirm."

Fortunately for his "plan," Ddraig played along: [It is true. You have a splendid servant in the boy, Sona Sitri. It was why I told my partner to take him down as soon as possible.]

Recalling Saji's resolve, Issei was impassioned in his speech: "I look forward to fighting him for real next time. Our bout today was short, but I learned one thing from it: He may be down, but he won't stay down, and neither should you. With conviction like his backing you up, there's no way he won't fulfil his dream, and yours. So, don't you dare stop until you succeed."

The slight widening of her eyes spoke of Sona's surprise at this turn of events. A slight smile formed on her face.

"I thank you for the words of praise, Red Dragon Emperor. I shall take them to heart," she told him. A fire entered her eyes, and she spoke: "Now let us finish this Rating Game."

"Yes, let us," said Rias in response.

The two [Kings] of the Peerage made to engage each other in combat. Rias summoned the Power of Destruction, and Sona responded with water magic, the speciality of the Sitri Clan. It was a battle of power versus precision. Yet, while those two were busy, there was still Hanakai to deal with.

The response to that problem became apparent without any input from the newer arrivals. It was all well in hand.

"Then it is time for me to go all out as well," said Akeno. She looked directly at Issei and told him: "Now that you're here, I can show you how far I've come, Ise."

He nodded seriously and responded: "I'll help if necessary, but I really don't think you need to. You've got this."

"We will do the same for Rias," said Koneko, gesturing at herself and Kiba.

Asia gave her input as well: "I will help wherever I need to!"

With their tasks distributed, everyone went about fulfilling them. That only left Rias and Akeno in an active combat role, but Issei was fairly sure that they wanted that anyway. At least he was certain where Akeno was concerned.

She threw him a warm, genuine smile. It was devoid of its usual teasing quality and carried none of the SM traits he was used to from her. In other words, it was completely sincere. For that reason alone, it was one he really liked.

Quick as it had come, the smile disappeared, and Akeno focussed completely on her opponent. Hanakai noticed it too, and she braced herself. The girl tensed as the air around Akeno began to crackle dangerously.

"I'm sorry, but this is the end," announced the [Queen] as her aura rose.

A massive bolt of golden lightning was let loose. It shot in Hanakai's direction at incredible speed, forcing her to react immediately.

"Reverse!" shouted Hanakai.

The bolt changed colour, but it was otherwise undeterred. It slammed into Hanakai. Fortunately for the girl, the her pain receptors seemed to not have the time to catch up with what was happening before she was out.

[Lady Sona Sitri's [Bishop] has retired] came the announcement.

"What happened?" asked Issei. "One of the other Student Council members used that on me and reversed my [Boost, yet it didn't do anything to Akeno's attack."

"Oh, it did; I felt it," said Akeno. "It seems like Hanakai was trying to reverse the damaging effect of my thunder magic. Sadly for her, I did not use thunder but instead holy lightning. The thing she was trying to reverse changed, so what she actually did reverse changed as well. She simply reversed the alignment from holy to demonic, but the damaging properties were left intact."

Issei blinked in realisation. "Oh, so that's how it works! How did you know?"

There was a smirk on her face as she said: "It came up in idle conversation during my training. There was a daytrip to a Grigori facility. The Reverse ability is of their make and is still in testing, so there was gossip about it among the researchers."

So that's how she figured it out. I guess that's why information so important, he thought.

Boom!

The sound of an explosion tore his attention away from Akeno. As he turned to face its source, he found Rias and Sona engaged in the magical version of a brawl. Rias was rapid-firing bullets made of the Power of Destruction at Sona. The other girl's response was to do the same with spheres of water. The resulting clash was the origin of the explosive sounds.

As was the case with anything, this stalemate eventually had to end. Both [Kings] gathered power for a new attack and prepared for the fight's conclusion.

"Time to end this," said Sona.

Rias responded: "This is it!"

They released their attacks at each other.

Boom!

The resulting explosion proved to be a visual obstruction for everyone, but Grayfia's voice cleared up any confusion.

[Lady Sona Sitri has retired. The game has concluded with the victory of Lady Rias Gremory.]

It was over. They had won.

"That was a rather flashy finisher," said Naruto, ignoring the byplay of Sirzechs' shouts of joy and Serafall's sulking.

"Yes. Sadly, ending it like that won't look very good for Lady Rias. A [King] on [King] battle usually means it's a narrow victory," responded Azazel.

"True, but she won pretty handily otherwise. I think it was more about acknowledging her opponent's strength. In the end, it'll be good for Sitri's reputation, which might've been the point. Those two are friends; Gremory wouldn't like to see her humiliated," commented the blond Shinobi.

"I can see where you're going with this," admitted Azazel. "Lady Sona will definitely face an uphill battle trying to realise her dream. Building a school for Low Class Devils will never be a project the current nobility would endorse."

"Because they're a bunch of dim-witted morons," said Naruto drily.

While that statement made the majority of Devils in the room rather uncomfortable, especially since they were transmitting live, someone else found it quite amusing instead.

"Hahaha! How bold of you to say something like that. Is there a reason?"

The question had come from an old bearded man. He had only one eye and appeared somewhat frail to the untrained eye, but Naruto could spot the strong frame and defined musculature hidden beneath the ostentatious clothing. He knew right away who this was.

"You're Odin, right?" he asked.

The old man grunted. "That I am. Now out with it, boy. What makes you question the Devil nobles' intelligence?"

"A lot," said Naruto with a snort. "But where it concerns the school for Low Class Devils, it's basic reasoning. Pure-blooded High Class Devils are rare. The Evil Pieces were created to solve the population problem. Even if you view those as second-class citizens, which the nobles do, it's basic logic to assume that a Devil's Peerage also functions as that Devil's bodyguard. It's only common sense to make those bodyguards stronger where possible. Plus, once they're High Class, they'll expand the bodyguard with their own Peerages. The school for Low Class Devils would definitely make this easier. The fact that the Devil nobles are too bigoted to approve of something that would increase the odds of their survival makes them morons."

"I would like to point out that the threat of a servant going Stray exists. Having strong Peerage members also means having stronger Strays," said one of the commenters.

Naruto's response was dry: "That's on the High Class Devil. They either suck at recruiting and got themselves an ambitious backstabber by nature or a deranged killer, or they suck at being lieges and abuse their servants into revolting. Vassalage's gotta be a two-way-street if it's supposed to work."

"Ohohoho," laughed Odin, "an answer with thought and spine. I think I like you, boy."

"You don't screw around, old man. I think I like you too," responded the Shinobi with a grin.

Odin returned the grin and said: "You're interesting, I'll give you that. Will you be at the Mount Sumeru conference? The stuffy lot there could use your energy there."

The King of the Aesir was referring to an event in the near future. Since the threat of the Khaos Brigade was a global one, more world powers had to be brought into the fold to combat them. For this reason, there was to be a conference between the Three Factions, the Norse and Greek Pantheons, and Indra on Mount Sumeru. The Uzumaki Clan, being a signatory to the Kuoh Treaty, would also send a representative."

"Not in person, no," answered Naruto. "I'm gonna send Vice-Clan Had Gokurou though. I'll be too busy handling the local problems to attend."

"Speaking of local problems," said Ajuka, "I think it is time to reveal the reason behind Diodora Astaroth's absence today."

The Devil boy had been slated to have his Rating Game on this day as well. The other matches were planned to be held on a schedule of one per day, but supposed problems in the agenda of the organisers had placed the first to Rating Games on the same day. Only one had taken place, however, thanks to Diodora's absence.

The one to give the official statement was Sirzechs. As Satan of Internal Affairs, it was his job and responsibility to handle public statements.

He announced: "Diodora Astaroth is currently detained in a high-security detention facility. He was arrested several weeks ago under the suspicion of murder of a High Class Devil from a Pillar Clan, illegal trafficking of Devils, collusion with enemies of the state, deliberate attempts at causing international incidents, and treason."

Serafall continued for the red-haired man: "Furthermore, he shall face trial before a panel of judges which shall consist of a member of the faction he allegedly offended with his actions, an independent Ultimate Class Devil, a representative of the Pillar Clans, a representative of the Satans, and a representative of a third, uninvolved faction. It shall be held in Lilith shortly. A date has not yet been set."

The next Satan to speak was, surprisingly, Falbium. He said: "Security will be provided by members of the army. Attending the trial armed or raising demonic power above the default level shall be regarded as hostile action and responded to as such."

The last of the Satans to make an announcement was Ajuka. He had information the other Satans currently lacked due to the livestream of data he was receiving on his handheld device. Naruto had the same information thanks to periodically dispelling Shadow Clones, but it was not his place to say anything. It was Ajuka's.

"The investigation has revealed collaborators of the suspect, who have consequently also been accused of treason. As such, Houses Naberius and Nebiros are barred from sending representatives to the trial. Arrest warrants have been signed for select members of these Houses and are being executed as we speak," he explained, not mentioning that said warrants had been signed barely a few hours ago.

Chaos ensued.

AN: Greetings, dear readers!

So, this was the Rating Game between Rias and Sona. There were quite a few differences from canon. I feel somewhat bad for not allowing Saji his moment to shine, but thems the brakes. Issei had the opportunity to spar with human-sized opponents, and Koneko on Senjutsu is an OP-pls-nerf radar.

I also took the liberty to change the dynamics of the Dividing Gear. In canon, it has only a 10% chance to activate and costs Issei a chunk of his life force. In this story, he has chakra to connect the opposing energies of Ddraig and Albion safely, but there are other limitations. I did not mention them in the match, but they exist. One of them is already possible to guess.

On the flipside, he had no opportunity to show off Pailingual. The ability still exists; Issei is Issei. That said, it does have a different context and will be revealed in time. The ability is busted, pun intended, and I intend to use it as more than a joke.

The one who really got to show off was Koneko. Senjutsu, battle awareness, teamwork, and a B-rank Fire Release Jutsu. She's not as good with it as the Third Hokage yet, but Senjutsu definitely made it stronger than it had any right to be.

Yuuto and Xenovia have sadly not yet had any changes to their canon skill set yet, which is why I glossed over their part of the fight.

In other news, however, the Diodora situation and the kicked-over hornets nest are finally heating up. Expect more of that soon.

That should be everything for now. Thank you for reading along so far. I really appreciate every follow, favourite and review.

Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!