Thanks to the vacation day I took as well as the fact a friend of mine had something to do this weekend, I was able to finish this chapter sooner than I expected.

It's time for the start of the Rating Game! How differently will things go for the Gremory peerage with Luke on their side and the training Seth and his peerage?

In response to one of the reviews I received from the last chapter, Opheria is not going to be in Luke's harem. They are simply partners, just like Issei & Ddraig and Vali & Albion.

This is also the first time I'll be inserting music into certain scenes. My choices don't just come from me liking a song, but also what I feel would match the situation.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Today was the day of the Rating Game against Riser. After classes ended, Luke was packing up his notes as Fumiko spoke to him.

"L-L-Luke-san? Do-do you m-muh-mind if-if we w-wa-walk h-home togeth-together?" Fumiko hesitantly requested. "I… I j-just… want to talk…"

Luke and Fumiko were walking along the streets of Kuoh Town as they were making their way to their homes.

"Luke-san, are-are you still feeling nervous?" Fumiko asked.

"A little, but n-nothing like the f-first day of training." Luke answered.

"Phew, I'm glad." Fumiko sighed in relief.

"H-hey, Fumiko? Y-you don't have to give me a response i-if it m-makes you uncomfortable. Why-why did you become Rias's servant?"

"W-w-well… You-you know abou-about muh-my sh-sh-shyness, r-r-r-right?"

It's kind of your defining trait.

"There's suh-someone I w-wuh-wanted to t-t-t-talk to, but I c-c-couldn't m-muster the c-courage to spuh-speak to them. So… So, I wished on one-one of those magic leaflets. My d-de-desire was so strong, that I s-summoned R-Rias-buchou. She suh-sensed I had a Sacred Gear inside me, and ag-gr-greed to h-help me overcome my sh-shyness in-in exchange fo-for becoming her servant."

"And how is it going?"

"It… it's getting b-better, but… I still have a-a long way to g-go… I d-did f-finally ask th-them what I wuh-wanted to ask them f-for so long."

"That's good."

"Ahahaha!" Fumiko happily giggled with a blush on her face.

So cute!

"Th-this is my place."

Luke and Fumiko stopped at a rundown, one-floor apartment building. It looked like it hadn't been maintained for decades as the paint was wearing off and there was some vegetation growing over some of the pipes.

I wouldn't think Fumiko would live in a dump like this. "Fumiko, d-do you live here alone?"

"No, I-I live with muh-my parents. They-they're just b-busy at work. I'll-I'll see you at the c-c-cl-clubroom tonight."

Fumiko went to one of the apartments, unlocked the door, went inside, and locked up.

I… feel like I should be concerned…

It was 11:00 PM and Luke was dressing himself in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with black jeans. The game would start at midnight, and he was meeting the rest of the Occult Research Club a half hour before that.

Knock, knock.

"Luke, can we come in?"

It was Seth. Luke opened the door and saw his brother, Annabelle, Alastair, Hana, and Emery standing in the hallway.

"We just wanted to wish you luck before your match starts." Seth said. "Us, Sona Sitri, her Queen, and Melody and her peerage will be watching your game from the Student Council Room."

"Please, do your best, Luke-san." Hana cheered.

"I'll be sure to cook you something extra special when you win, my Little Luke." Annabelle gave him an endearing smile.

"Give them your all, Master Luke." Alastair added.

Nothing snarky this time. Alastair must really mean it.

"Be sure to give Riser a good beating!" Emery smiled while smacking her right fist against her left palm.

"Thank you." Luke said. "You've all b-been training us this past week and a half. I won't let it go to waste!"

Luke met up with the rest of the Occult Research Club at around 11:40 PM in the old school building. Everyone else was wearing their school uniform with a few additions or changes. Yuuto had guards on his hands, wrists, and lower legs, Koneko was wearing fingerless gloves, and Fumiko was wearing leggings. Everyone was doing something different to pass the time. Rias and Akeno were sitting on the sofas sipping tea, Koneko was reading a book, and Luke was just taking deep breaths to clear his head.

"Luke?"

Luke looked up to Rias.

"Sit here." Rias beckoned him to her lap.

"… Uh…" Luke blushed at the mere idea of laying his head on Rias's lap. "Eh-uh-okay…"

Luke did as Rias requested and lied his head down on her lap. The fact that he was touching another girl in such a way was making his face red.

Rias placed her hand against his head. "This will release a small part of the seal I placed on you."

"Wait? W-what seal?" Luke asked hesitantly.

Suddenly, Luke could feel power welling up from inside him.

"Don't you remember?" Rias asked. "When I resurrected you, I used all eight of my Pawn pieces. You were too underdeveloped as a Devil, so I placed a limit on your abilities as a Pawn. No normal human could have withstood the full power of eight Pawn pieces so soon after being revived. Your total power is second only to Akeno, but you need to become stronger or else your body will break. So, I sealed that power in stages. I've just released the first one. The training camp wasn't just to enhance the abilities of your Sacred Gear, but your own, too. Although, you still have a long way to go."

"I-is the power you said I had sleeping within me?"

"No, I didn't place any seals on that power. I'm not even sure what that power is." She then gently stroked Luke's head. "Like I said before, it will come to you one day."

Just… what kind of power do I have within me? "President, I'm going to help you win! I won't let Riser take you away from us!"

"I'm looking forward to it, my cute little Luke." Rias gently smiled at Luke.

Ten minutes before the match was set to begin, the magic circle in the center of the room started to glow and Grayfia appeared.

"Are your preparations complete?" Grayfia asked. "The match will begin in 10 minutes."

Everyone in the room stood up.

"When the match starts, you will all be transported to the battlefield through this magic circle." Grayfia explained. "The match will take place in a separate dimension made specifically for this battle. You may fight without holding back. The battlefield will be disposed of when we are finished, so do not worry if you cause too much damage."

"Hey, President? Do you have a second Bishop?" Luke inquired. "Or did Fumiko require two pieces?"

"I do have another Bishop, but I'm afraid he won't be able to join us." Rias answered. "I'll tell you about it another time."

"Representatives from the Houses of Gremory and Phenex will be watching this game via live broadcast." Grayfia stated.

President's parents must be watching it as well. I better not disappoint them.

"Also, the Great Satan Lucifer will be observing." Grayfia added. "Do keep that in mind."

Rias seemed shocked by this information. "Big Brother? I see, so he'll be there, too…"

"President, d-did you just call the Gr-Great Satan 'Big Brother'?" Luke asked.

"She did." Yuuto answered him. "Buchou's brother is one of the Four Great Satans."

"S-seriously?!" Luke exclaimed out of shock. "Wait, none of the Great Satans have the name Gremory. How does that work?"

"The original Great Satans were killed in the Great War." Yuuto explained. "Nevertheless, the Devils were nothing without leadership. So, the surviving Devils decided to grant the names of the Great Satans to their most powerful peers. For that reason, the current Four Great Satans inherited the names of their forebearers from the first generation."

"Okay, so it's more like a title." Luke said.

"To be honest, of the three factions, the Devils are the weakest. The situation has been dire, but the formidable power of the current Great Satans has allowed us to endure."

"And you're saying that President's brother was chosen to be one of those Ultimate-Class Devils?"

Yuuto confirmed with a nod. "Sirzechs Lucifer, the Crimson Satan. He is both Buchou's older brother and the most powerful Devil of all."

"Because her brother became a Great Satan, President became the heir to the House of Gremory?"

"It's about time." Grayfia spoke up. "Everyone, please step inside the magic circle."

Everyone but Grayfia gathered in the magic circle.

"Once you have transported to the arena, you will not be able to return until the game is over."

The magic circle changed to an unfamiliar symbol and emitted light which enveloped everyone participating in the match.

In the student council room, Sona and her Queen, Tsubaki Shinra, had set up a magic projection to display the Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex.

"Thank you for letting us view the game, Sona." Melody said as she entered the room with Misaki. "I want my servants to know how Rating Games work and figured it would be easier to pay attention if it's done with people they know."

"Ah, I see." Sona raised her glasses upon hearing that. "Does that-"

"Shh." Melody motioned her index finger over her lips.

"Katherine fell asleep on the way here." Akira entered the room carrying a sleeping Katherine over her shoulder, setting her down in one of the chairs.

"Well, you, Misaki and Katherine have seen your share of Rating Games, so don't worry about it." Melody said. "I really want this for our newer members."

"I hope we're not inconveniencing you, Kaichou." Spiral entered the room with Azusa walking alongside him and they took their seats near the back of the room.

"Don't mention it." Sona replied.

"Kaichou, how many people are coming here?" Tsubaki inquired.

"… 14." Sona answered with a slight sigh.

"Make that 13." Melody said. "Hikaru said she hacked into the broadcast the Gremory and Phenex family are watching from, so she's viewing the game in her room."

"Remind me again why we're at school so late?" Issei asked as he came in with a sleepy Asia. "Can't you just record it?"

"The only people who were given access to watch this match were the Gremory and Phenex families and Council President Sitri." Melody explained. "Since you've met some of the Gremory peerage already, I hoped you would be more willing to paying attention to the match."

"So, Luke-kun, Koneko-chan and the others are playing the game right now?" Issei asked.

"Yes." Misaki answered. "I'd be more than happy to explain the rules to you."

Before Misaki could start explaining the rules of the Rating Game to Issei, Seth and his peerage entered the room.

"Wow! Things are pretty lively in here!" Seth said.

"Oh, it's you, uh Seth-senpai, right?" Issei asked before bowing his head. "Thanks again for helping me and Asia the other day."

"Yes, thank you very much!" Asia also bowed her head.

"Don't mention it." Seth smiled. "I'm just happy you both got home safe and sound."

"Wait, why are you here, too?" Issei asked.

"It's my little brother's first Rating Game, even if it is unofficial. There's no way in hell I'd miss this!"

"By the way, how's Sakuya-san doing?"

"I'm doing very well. Thank you for asking." Hana politely replied.

"Wait, how are you-?!"

"Hana… had to be revived as my servant…" Seth knew what Issei was going to ask.

"Surely this is the blessing of the Lord!" Asia then started to pray and within seconds she appeared to be having a migraine. "Owwww…"

Well, she's a former nun, so I can't blame her for that habit. Seth thought.

"Man, this soda stuff really doesn't do it for me…" Emery groaned as she slightly swung the soda in her hand.

"Alcohol isn't allowed on the school premises." Annabelle stated.

"I was the only one going to drink, so what's the problem?"

As Emery and Annabelle were arguing, Issei couldn't help but turn his gaze to their large busts.

"Hmmmmgh!"

Issei looked at Asia to find her cutely pouting.

When Luke opened his eyes after being teleported, he noticed that they seemed to still be in the clubroom. Everyone but him and Fumiko didn't seem the least bit confused.

"Did… Did it work?" Luke asked.

There was suddenly an announcement being made that everyone could hear.

"Welcome, everyone." Grayfia's voice was the one making the announcement. "I, Grayfia, maid to the House of Gremory, will be the arbiter for today's Rating Game between the House of Gremory and the House of Phenex. In the name of Lord Sirzechs Lucifer, I will ensure that the match is fair. Based on Lady Rias and Lord Riser's mutual wishes, the battlefield will be a replica of Kuoh Academy, the school Lady Rias attends."

So, we did teleport. Luke thought as he saw that the sky outside was whiter than snow. Now it makes sense.

"Both teams have been transported to their respective home bases" Grayfia continued her explanation. "Lady Rias's home base is the clubroom of the Occult Research Club in the old school building. Lord Riser's home is the student council room in the new school building. All Pawns, please proceed to the vicinity of the opposing team's base to use Promotion."

That means I probably won't be using Promotion for a while. Luke guessed in his head. Riser's team has eight Pawns, so they have at least eight chances for any one of them to come here and Promote to Queen. I was told a common strategy was to send out the Pawns first to thin out or gauge the enemy's numbers.

"Everyone, please put these transceivers in your ears." Akeno said as she handed out transceivers to each of her teammates.

Luke did as Akeno instructed and placed the transceiver in his ear.

"This is how we'll communicate on the battlefield." Rias said as everyone could also hear her voice from the transceivers.

"The battle will now commence." Grayfia announced. "The match will continue until there is a victor or until dawn in the human world. Let the Rating Game begin."

The school bell rang across campus, signaling the start of the Rating Game.

"Our first objective is to take out Riser's Pawns." Rias said as she took a seat on the sofa. "It would be troublesome if all eight of them can Promote to Queen."

Seth had told them everything they needed to know about Rating Games as well as their opponents' capabilities, so Luke knew that this would take some time before things could start heating up. One of the first things teams often did upon starting was formulate a strategy based on the battlefield and take full advantage of the environment provided. Since the battlefield was their school, they had the advantage in terms of knowing which locations were ideal for particular strategies. Upon Rias's command, Yuuto took out and unfolded a map of the school grounds which was separated into grids like a chessboard.

With a red pen, Rias circled the old school building and the new school building. "The new school building has a complete view of the schoolyard, so it will be dangerous if we take a direct approach."

"Are there any routes that are more discrete?" Luke inquired.

"The most obvious route would be the athletic track and Riser knows it. No doubt he has positioned one of his pieces near the athletic clubhouse. Since it's an open field, most likely a Knight along with three Pawns. That will give him complete control over the area."

"Buchou, may I suggest capturing the gymnasium near the old school building?" Yuuto asked. "It's a shorter route, and as it's adjacent to the old and new school buildings, the enemy will have limited movement."

"It would be a useful chokepoint." Luke stroked his chin.

"I've been thinking the same thing." Rias responded to Yuuto's suggestion. "We should occupy the gymnasium first. Given the location, our opponent may position a Rook there due to the smaller space. Strength will be more important than agility in that situation. Yuuto, I want you to lay traps in the forest in our territory. Take another map with you and mark where you set them. I will give everyone copies when you're finished."

"Yes." Yuuto nodded and left with maps and some equipment.

"Koneko, Luke, I want you to head to the gymnasium right away." Rias then relayed her plan to them. "… If the enemy is already there, pull back and come straight here."

"Right!" "Understood." Luke and Koneko nodded as they made their way to the gymnasium.

At the same time, Akeno was casting an illusion spell over the forest and spell that would only affect Riser's peerage and afterwards she was going to get into position. Fumiko was staying with Rias since she was the only healer they had.

Luke and Koneko snuck in through the back door of the gymnasium, which led to an area behind a large stage. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone there yet, so they were able to complete the first stage of their objective and hid behind the walls next to each curtain. After a while, four women entered the gym. An older woman wearing a dark blue cheongsam, a pair of twins with light green hair, and the petite girl that beat up Luke the other day. In total, one Rook and three Pawns.

"We know you're there, servants of Gremory!" The Rook shouted. "Come out!"

While they were hiding on opposite sides of the stage, Luke and Koneko were silent and patiently waiting. Riser's servants took a step forward and they were suddenly engulfed in a large flash. Luke and Koneko nodded and ran out towards their enemies.

(Play Song "Battle!" – Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

"Luke-san, you take care of the Pawns." Koneko said. "I'll handle the Rook."

"Gotcha." Luke agreed. "Gradivus!"

His Sacred Gear took the form of a long spear made of sapphire scales with two bladed portions sticking out from the sides below the tip. The petite girl brandished her staff, and the twins took out and revved a pair of chainsaws.

"CHAINSAWS?!" Luke screamed in shock. "That won't matter if you can't hit me."

"Dismemberment time!" The twins sang gleefully.

Their swings were kind of slow, so Luke was easily able to dodge them. With a swing of his spear, it extended itself and he slashed both twins at once as they were too slow to block the attack with their chainsaws.

"Ile, Nel, why are you so slow?" Mira questioned and when she moved, she realized that her movements felt significantly slower than usual.

"That flash you just experienced… That was a little something I came up with while improving my demonic powers." Luke explained as he continued creating space between him and his opponents. "It's a spell that lowers your attack power, defense and speed. I call it 'Debilitate'. Normally, I would have to touch you to do that, but I came up with a way to set it up like a landmine."

Luke extended his spear towards Mira who tried to take the early reaction to block the attack with her staff, but the spear zigzagged downward and pierced her in the stomach.

"My new Gradivus ability isn't just a spear that extends to attack from any distance, I can also redirect it to attack from any angle."

Gradivus pulled itself out of Mira's stomach and bent around in such a way that it pierced through the twins' chainsaws, breaking them apart with ease.

Luke then had electricity coursing through his left hand. "Zio!"

Lightning made from demonic power shot out of Luke's hand and struck the twins. All three of the Pawns were engulfed in light and disappeared. When he turned to check on Koneko's status, she had already soundly defeated her opponent, who was also enveloped in the same light before vanishing.

(End Song)

"Lord Riser's three Pawns and one Rook retire!" Grayfia announced.

"We… we did it!" Luke happily exclaimed.

"Don't get cocky." Koneko said.

"I-I know." Luke's stutter returned. "There are still quite a h-handful of servants left. And the real threat is Riser h-himself."

"Onto the next stage."

Back in the old school building, Rias confidently smiled upon hearing the report from Luke and Koneko.

"Excellent." Rias said. "We didn't even need to go to the backup plan. Fumiko, we'll be heading out soon."

"R-right!" Fumiko nodded resolutely.

"HELL YEAH!" Seth shouted in excitement upon seeing his younger brother's minor victory.

"BWA! What happened?! Where am I?!" Katherine woke up in a snap and panicked.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty." Alastair remarked.

"It was a bit of an underhanded play, but it was very effective." Melody commented on the skirmish. "Besides, they're going to need as much power as they can to even stand a chance against Riser."

"Is he really that powerful?" Issei asked.

"The Phenex family holds the power of the phoenix, which grants them immortality." Misaki replied.

"That's cheating!" Issei exclaimed in frustration. "How is that allowed?!"

"Special abilities granted by certain bloodlines are legal." Hikaru explained in her comrades' heads. "Besides, that immortality has its limitations."

"Well, for Rias's sake, I hope they can beat him." Melody said.

Koneko ran out from the gymnasium building alone when suddenly-

Bless!

BOOOOOOM!

She was engulfed in an explosion. As a thick smoke rose from her position, a figure floated down from the sky with their Devil wings spread out. It was a woman wearing a mage's outfit and her face was hidden underneath a hood.

"Fu-fu-fu." The woman chuckled. "The best moment to strike your prey is when they achieve a minor victory and lower their guard. If it means capturing some of your pieces, then it is acceptable to 'sacrifice' a few of our own. Your numbers are simply too few. Even one loss is huge blow. Even if you manage to defeat us with all of your members unscathed, you cannot hope to defeat Maser Riser. You should have quit before the match began."

The woman laughed as if she found it amusing but stopped when she noticed something unusual coming from the smoke. Luke watched from inside the building and recalled the information Seth told them about Riser's Queen, Yubelluna. She was the second-strongest member of Riser's peerage, only below Riser himself, heavily favored surprise attacks and specialized in explosion spells, earning her the nickname 'The Bomb Queen'. After analyzing her fighting style from the Rating Games Riser had participated in, Rias's group had an idea of when she would make her move.

Just before the explosion, I used Art Creation's new innate ability, Bless. Luke smirked as he could finally see something through the smoke. Art Creation not only allows me to Create new abilities…

Yubelluna's eyes widened upon seeing that Koneko was completely unharmed as she was protected by a blue bubble with a sapphire scale shield in the center of it.

It also allows me to Bless those abilities onto others! The ability I blessed Koneko with is Svallin, a shield that protects the user from most attacks.

Koneko motioned her eyes toward the sky above the gym and saw lightning crackling.

In case Koneko and I couldn't get claim the gymnasium, we had Akeno on standby to deal with any of Riser's servants placed here. But the original plan was to lure out the enemy's Queen and Akeno would be fully charged to take her down.

As the barrier disappeared, Koneko took a huge jump backwards before a massive bolt of lightning came crashing down on Yubelluna. When the flash of the lightning subsided, her body was smoking all over.

No wonder President said my power is second to Akeno among her servants. She definitely earns the name 'Priestess of Lightning'.

Riser's Queen was on the ground and looked like she was about to collapse, but she then took something out of her pocket. It appeared to be a vial containing some sort of liquid. After drinking the liquid, all of her injuries disappeared, and she was able to stand up straight once again.

That must be the Phoenix Tears that Seth mentioned. The Phenex family has all of the powers of the phoenix, including the ability of their tears being able to cure any wounds. Selling those tears brought great wealth to the House of Phenex. Unfortunately, we couldn't get our hands on any for this game, so our only means of healing is Fumiko's Supreme Aid. On the other hand, teams are only allowed two vials of Phoenix Tears. Due to his immortality, Riser is unlikely to have one. The next likely candidate would be his Queen, and it looks like that calculation was correct. That means one other member has it, and I doubt it's one of his Pawns. So, that just leaves one Rook, two Knights or two Bishops in possession of the tears.

"That barrier must have been that Pawn's doing." Yubelluna's eyes turned toward the gymnasium. "He must still be in that building."

Shit! I can't afford to retire from the match!

"My my, I shall be your opponent, Yubelluna-sama, Queen of Riser Phenex." Akeno said as she descended between the enemy Queen and Luke's position as if to shield him. "Or should I call you the Bomb Queen?"

"That name leaves a bad taste in my mouth, Priestess of Lightning. I've been hoping to fight you."

"Koneko-chan, go and find Yuuto-kun." Akeno ordered her comrade before placing her fingers on the transceiver. "Luke-kun, you know what to do."

"R… right…" Luke hesitantly whispered into his transceiver.

"I'll give it my all to destroy this Queen!"

Despite Akeno's peaceful smile, an intense golden aura of demonic power surrounded her entire body.

"Akeno… don't lose…" Luke muttered back to her as he ran back to their home base.

Koneko took off to find Yuuto in the athletics field. As the battle between each peerage's Queens began, the game had reached the middle phase.

On his way to the clubroom, Luke heard an announcement that three more of Riser's Pawns had retired. Since Akeno was fighting the opposing team's Queen, Koneko was on route to her next objective, and Rias and Fumiko were still waiting in the clubroom which he was heading towards, the only person that could have taken out those Pawns was Yuuto. Once Luke returned to the clubroom, Rias and Fumiko left and made their way to the new school building. While he wasn't too worn out from using his demonic powers and abilities, it was important that he conserve as much strength as possible. If he didn't do that training camp over the last week and a half, he would already have exhausted himself.

President told me that against Riser, I'm our trump card if all else fails. That's why we planned for me to fall back if things went smoothly, to recover a bit of my stamina. Once I receive the signals that my allies' battles have ended, I'll head over to the new school building where President is fighting Riser. I just hope I won't have to use that thing Opheria offered… Even if I have a much longer lifespan now, I'd rather not do anything to trim it down.

In the student council room, everyone was intensely watching the game.

"Rias and her peerage's tactics are overwhelming." Sona analyzed the match.

"They should be." Seth said. "Not only did we research each member of Riser's peerage to understand their fighting styles and formulate counters. I also suggested they have backup plans ready in case things go wrong. As well as backup plans for those backup plans should those go wrong. Honestly, the rest of Riser's peerage are done for at this point."

"But victory is not guaranteed, not against the phoenix." Melody added.

"You seem quite drawn into the game, Issei-kun." Misaki said.

"Well, Luke-kun and I are pretty similar." Issei stated. "We're both Pawns who took in eight pieces and we both wield a Longinus. He might be a year younger than me, but he definitely knows how to use his Sacred Gear and demonic powers much better than I can."

"Don't be like that, Issei-kun." Misaki patted Issei on the shoulder and gave him a kind, reassuring smile. "Everyone grows in their own way. There's no need to rush it."

Issei smiled back with his cheeks a little pink. "Thanks, Shirayuki-senpai."

"You don't have to be so formal with me. We're friends, aren't we? At least call me Misaki-senpai."

"Okay, Misaki-senpai."

"Hmhm!"

Misaki's cute giggle made Issei's cheeks become red.

When the projection showed Rias confronting Riser, Akira immediately took notice of Fumiko, who was standing next to Rias. Her eyes seemed to have widened.

"Kazuya-chan, I've never seen that look on your face." Spiral whispered to her.

"It… It's nothing…" Akira denied as she continued watching the match.

As time passed, Luke paid close attention to the retirement announcements while restoring his strength. The first announcement was for Riser's second Rook, followed by an announcement for two Pawns, two Knights and one Bishop on Riser's side as well. Only one announcement remained for him to hear, and he could hear the sounds of thunder and explosions elsewhere on campus. Eventually, the noise stopped which made Luke anxious.

"Lord Riser's Queen has retired."

Even if Akeno was the one to retire, Luke knew that was his cue to return to the battlefield. He left the clubroom and passed through the gymnasium until he was in front of the new school building. He could see flames and masses of power on the rooftop, which meant Rias and Riser were currently fighting. Before he stepped inside, he heard a voice speak from nearby.

"I'm surprised you managed to defeat most of Big Brother's members."

Luke carefully turned his gaze in the direction of the voice and saw a girl the same age as him with blonde hair tied into twin-tails curled into drills.

'Big Brother'? This must be his remaining Bishop, Riser's younger sister, Ravel Phenex.

"Your comrades are already on the roof." Ravel continued. "I admit your group has a lot of strong members. The Crimson-Haired Princess of Ruin, the Priestess of Lightning, Sword Birth, Supreme Aid and Art Creation. Such grand-sounding names and amazing powers, but even you are no match for the immortal phoenix."

"Do you want to fight me, so it'll be easier on your brother?" Luke inquired.

"I'm not interested in fighting anymore. Even if you were at full strength, you can't possibly hope to defeat my brother. Besides, I'm only in his peerage because he needed a little sister and tsundere type."

His own sister is in his harem?! That would be disgusting if they weren't Devils…

"The only way to beat my brother is to either keep beating him until he loses the will to fight or blast him with a God-Class finisher. And no one in your group is capable of that. Do you really think you can win? Don't make me laugh!"

Luke ignored her prideful boasting and continued walking forward.

"H-hold on! Are you ignoring me?! You're going to lose anyway, so you're better off staying here and chatting with me!"

"No!" Luke loudly shouted at her without turning back. "We won't lose! For the sake of President's future, we will not lose! I will help her win, no matter what!"

Ravel was taken aback by Luke's response, which lacked any hesitation.

A/N: Luke sure came up with a number of handy tricks during the training camp! Just like how Boosted Gear has Boost, Transfer and Penetrate, Art Creation has Create, Bless and one other ability that will be unlocked later. And there's still one other trick up his sleeve, but that's going to have to wait until the next chapter. I thought it would make sense that they would study up on their opponents and I even had Seth recommend coming up with multiple strategies, especially since Rias and Riser agreed to the layout of the battlefield beforehand. Though, now that only Riser is left, it's not going to be as easy as it's been so far.

This was my first time incorporating a song into one of my stories and I made sure it was a good one that fit.

Melody's peerage also joined to watch the Rating Game, and there's a reason for that which will be clear at the end of the next chapter.

I also finally got to give a little backstory on Fumiko! And I also dropped a couple of breadcrumbs on the rest of it.

Next time is the battle against Riser! Will the Gremory peerage lose like in canon? Or will things turn out differently? Anyway, stay tuned for next time!

Luke Harem: Annabelle Wright

Issei Harem: Asia Argento

Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)

Seth Sigmund Peerage: Seth Sigmund (King), Annabelle Wright (Queen), Alastair Wright (Rook), Emery Belmont (Rook), Hana Sakuya (2 Bishops)

Melody Morag Peerage: Melody Morag (King), Misaki Shirayuki (Queen), Katherine Petrova (Knight), Spiral Hirano (Knight), Azusa Hirano (Rook), Akira Kazuya (Rook), Hikaru Ueda (Bishop), Asia Argento (Bishop), Issei Hyoudou (8 Pawns)