This chapter is finally done! I apologize for this chapter being two days late. This is the finale of the Melody and Kaidon Rating Game. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.
On the third floor of the replica of the main Morag residence, Misaki was keeping her eyes on a staircase leading to a higher floor while hiding herself in a nearby room and concealed her presence. Eventually, she could make out Kaidon walking up to the staircase, accompanied by a woman around the same age as him. She had long, scarlet hair, a mature face for someone her age, rainbow eyes and was wearing a strapless, billowy maroon dress that exposed and highly emphasized her enormous breasts. Misaki could make out that Kaidon was speaking with the woman and when he was finished, the woman bowed, and he headed up the staircase. The woman remained by the staircase and kept watch on the corridor.
That's Kaidon-san's Queen, Delmi-san. Misaki thought. No one can face him until she's dealt with first.
Misaki had met the woman before, Delmi Istreth (Age 20). After about a minute had passed, Misaki came out of hiding and approached the enemy Queen. Delmi noticed Misaki coming near her and with a wave of her hand, a wall of flames of many different colors appeared in front of her and blocked her path. Misaki created a tall sheet of ice in front of her and made it fall over the wall of rainbow fire, giving her an opening toward Kaidon's Queen.
"Your flames won't be enough to melt my ice!" Misaki proclaimed as she stood in front of the Queen.
"I won't lose to you, because if I win…" Delmi closed her eyes and reopened them with hearts and sparkles within them. "Master Kaidon will make me his bride!"
Misaki just looked at Delmi with a deadpan expression. "… Did… he actually say that?"
"Well, no, but he did say he was counting on me to keep anyone from heading up this staircase. This is just the next step in our relationship!"
How many steps is this now? Misaki questioned in her head. She should realize by now that Kaidon-san has no interest in her. "Delmi-san, you should really think about finding someone else? Perhaps someone who will actually listen to your needs?"
Delmi's expression became dark and rainbow flames emitted from her body. "At least I have a man! I heard you don't even have a boyfriend yet!"
Misaki looked enraged at that last comment and ice-cold air surrounded her entire body as she growled. "Take that back!"
The Queens blasted each other with ice and rainbow flames.
In the middle of the east wing corridor, Issei and Asia were being confronted by Kaidon's Pawn, Grencin.
If she's Kaidon's Pawn, I might be able to defeat her. Issei thought. Especially if I can use the new techniques I came up with during our training camp.
Issei made his Boosted Gear appear and he readied for battle.
"Whoa, is that one of those Sacred Gear things I've heard so much about?!" Grencin looked at Issei's gauntlet in awe. "That must mean you're human!"
"Don't underestimate me just because I used to be human!" Issei got into a fighting stance.
"Why would I do that? Being a human reincarnated into a Devil has no bearing on your strength." Grencin claimed. "Hell, I've heard stories of humans whose power exceeds those of Cadre Fallen Angels even without a Sacred Gear. I don't care if they're a Devil, Angel or human, I never underestimate an opponent!"
Grencin's question took Issei by surprise.
"You're a Pureblood Devil, aren't you? But… maybe you're of a different class?" Issei asked.
"I am a Pureblood, but I'm also a Low-Class commoner." Grencin answered and then closed her eyes. "But if I can be promoted to a High-Class Devil, I can achieve my dreams. To make my name known for becoming the Ultimate Pawn… and…" Her eyes then lit up like stars. "Become a Harem Queen!"
Issei and Asia looked at Grencin in disbelief and were rendered speechless.
"I want to be surrounded by men and have sex with them at my beck and call!" Grencin proudly proclaimed.
"Heheheheh… Ahahahahaha!" Issei began chuckling and then started laughing.
"Don't laugh at my dream!" Grencin shouted.
"I'm not laughing at your dream…"
"Huh?"
"I'm laughing because… I want to become a Harem King!"
Grencin then had the same look of disbelief on her face that Issei had just a moment ago.
"I want to become a High-Class Devil and create a peerage of women I can do ecchi things with!" Issei said with great pride.
"… Hahahaha!" Grencin laughed heartily. "I like you. What's your name?"
"Issei Hyoudou, Melody's Pawn."
"Really? How many pieces did you use?"
"Eight."
"No way! Me, too!"
Issei's expression became blank after hearing how many Pawn pieces Grencin used up. … Fuck.
"Hyoudou, the hell are you doing?!"
Just as Issei looked to the voice, Akira had grabbed him by the collar and started violently shaking him.
"You're supposed to be protecting Asia, not flirting with the enemy!" Akira angrily shouted at him.
"What-hap-pened-to-Hi-ra-no-kun?" Issei asked while still being shaken.
"Spiral-kun's taking care of the last Knight. I came back because we didn't see the enemy's Pawn."
"Well-I-wa-sn't-flir-ting-with-her!"
"Will you stop shaking Issei so we can fight?!" Grencin interjected.
"Akira, please let go of Issei!" Asia protested. "He wasn't flirting with Ms. Grencin!"
Akira let go of Issei and he stumbled a little from dizziness before turning back to Grencin.
"Just us Pawns, mano a mano." Grencin requested.
"… You won't attack Asia?" Issei asked.
"On my honor!" Grencin placed her clenched fist against her chest.
Issei then felt someone placing their hand on his shoulder, which was Akira.
"If she's telling the truth and she's a Pawn, then you've got nothing to worry about." Akira said. "I'll take Asia back to our home base and you can take it from here."
"Uuh-" Issei looked at Akira in bafflement and confusion.
"Let's go, Asia!" Akira said to the former nun.
Akira picked up Asia and started running further down the east corridor.
Don't leave me alone! Issei internally pleaded. She's not an ordinary Pawn!
With no other choice but to fight, Issei faced Grencin and activated his Boosted Gear.
Boost!
My demonic power is too weak right now. Issei thought. All I have to do is dodge her attacks until my Boost reaches Explosion, then I might be able to blow her away! We're still far from our home base, so at least she won't be promoting to Queen.
Back on the third floor, Misaki was still battling Delmi. As Misaki shot bolts of ice at her opponent and shielded herself with an ice wall, Delmi tried to melt them down with her rainbow flames to no avail. However, some of the flames managed to get around Misaki's ice wall and singe her a bit.
"Why won't my flames melt your ice?!" Delmi was starting to get frustrated.
"The ice and snow from Eternal Frost can only be melted by dragon or phoenix fire." Misaki explained.
"No! I can't let down Master Kaidon! I WON'T LOSE!"
Delmi released rainbow flames so intense that Misaki couldn't shield herself from having her clothes burned. Misaki hopped up slightly and surrounded herself in a sphere of ice that completely protected her before removing her academy uniform and stomping on it to put out the fire, leaving her in nothing but her black shoes, white thigh-high socks and snow-white bra and panties.
I need to defeat her now before her flames spread throughout the entire battlefield and my allies get caught up in it! She thought.
With a resolve to end the battle quickly, Misaki rolled the ice sphere forward and was stopped by the ice wall she had created earlier. Now that she knew where she was, she continued rolling until she was around and a bit in front of Delmi, who was still too busy shooting her rainbow flames to notice the sphere coming towards her. Once Misaki was certain that Delmi was within distance, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Hokkyoku Bakudan!"
An arctic explosion blasted out from the sphere and froze everything in the hallway, including Delmi. Even the flames were extinguished due to the extreme cold. However, this attack had left Misaki vulnerable as her ice sphere had to be sacrificed in order to use that attack. As she was panting on her hands and knees, she could see Delmi being engulfed in the light of retirement.
"Lord Kaidon's Queen has retired."
Misaki felt relieved after the announcement and lied on her back.
"Even though Melody-sama should have heard that announcement, I should let her know Kaidon's Queen has been defeated."
Before Misaki could relay any information to Melody through Hikaru's powers, she suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over her and her eyes became heavy.
What's going on… Misaki thought. That was a tough battle, but I shouldn't be this tired…
Unable to stop her eyes from closing, Misaki had fallen asleep. From within one of the rooms, a young woman in a white magician's robe with golden eyes, long blonde hair braided in the back and carrying a demonic staff emerged and looked at the sleeping Misaki. This woman is Kaidon's other Bishop, Juphine Thizzen.
"You may have defeated Delmi, but I won't let you or your friends reach Master Kaidon." Juphine said to the unconscious woman. "As punishment for your transgressions, I have put you under my Nightmare. I heard you had something of a… traumatic experience in your childhood. Prepare to relive that moment in your life until you're driven into insanity."
The battle between Spiral and Primoir was still raging on. Both Knights were so focused on their fight that neither one of them was paying attention to the retirement announcements
She's really not letting up! Spiral thought as he continued blocking and attacking, only for his attacks to be blocked. I don't blame her, though…
He's strong, but I knew that. Primoir calculated as she kept attacking and deflecting blows. I can't kill him here because of the game's retirement system, but the experience from this battle will allow me to take my revenge next time!
Boost!
Issei had been dodging Grencin's punches, kicks and water and fire attacks using demonic power for a good amount of time now. His fourth Boost had been achieved and only needed to wait a little longer to reach Explosion. Grencin shot some fire in front of Issei to briefly halt his movements and before he could reorient himself, she punched him in the stomach which caused him to spit out blood and force him on his hands and knees.
"I asked for a fight, but all you've done is run away!" Grencin said. "… Oh, I see what that 'Boost' thing is now. I heard a rumor that Miss Melody's Pawn had a Longinus, so you must have Boosted Gear."
"Yeah… Unlike you, I'm normally pretty weak. My demonic power is the size of a grain of rice, I don't have any skill with swords and my close combat abilities leave a lot to be desired. I've got to be the most talentless Devil ever. This Boosted Gear is all I have."
"Then that's your talent!"
"Huh?" Issei looked up at Grencin.
"If you don't have a talent in certain areas, you find ones where you do and train them past their limits! Now, I want you to come at me with everything you've got!"
Issei smiled at Grencin's encouragement and stood back up.
Explosion!
That was the cue that Issei was at his maximum power and now ready to fight back. Both Pawns charged at each other with raised fists. Grencin's fist struck Issei in the face, knocking out a couple of his teeth, while Issei's fist struck Grencin in the stomach which made her vomit blood as the wind was knocked out of her.
"Gotcha!" Issei smirked. "Time for my ultimate technique! Dress Break!"
With a snap of his fingers, Grencin's clothes were suddenly blown away, not even her undergarments were spared. Blood instantly came out of Issei's nose upon seeing Grencin's naked form. He took special note of her breasts which, even though not as large as Akeno's or Misaki's, were still quite impressive in size.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!" Grencin screamed as she ducked down to the floor and tried to cover her private parts with her arms. "What happened to my clothes?!"
"Ahahahahaha!" Issei laughed maniacally. "That was my new special technique, Dress Break! I just used what little talent I have imagining girls' clothes getting blown to pieces!"
Issei then formed a ball of demonic power the size of a grain of rice in his left hand.
"Now! Dragon Shot!"
The demonic power was sent at Grencin and she was suddenly engulfed in a massive explosion. Issei had to shield his face from the shockwave caused by his attack. After things settled down, he saw the nude Grencin lying on the ground.
"That's… more like it…" Grencin groaned before being engulfed in the light of retirement.
"Lord Kaidon's Pawn has retired."
"Yes! I won!" Issei jumped for joy, but then realized he was feeling a little worn out. "… All that training paid off."
"Issei-senpai, are you there?!" Hikaru's voice asked inside his head.
Ueda-chan, is something wrong? Issei inquired back with his mind.
"I've confirmed that Misaki-senpai managed to defeat the enemy Queen, but she hasn't reached out to us. I checked up on her status and she seems to be under an enemy's spell. I doubt it was Kaidon who's responsible and Spiral is still fighting his second Knight. In all likelihood, the cause is the remaining Bishop."
Misaki-senpai's on the third floor, right?
"Yeah-"
I'm on my way there now! Issei started running up toward the third floor.
"What?! Don't just charge in there without thinking!"
But Issei didn't listen to her and continued running.
Issei had arrived on the third floor and nearly slipped on the icy floor.
"Where'd all this ice come from?!" Issei exclaimed as he tried to keep himself from falling. "Misaki-senpai must have had quite a fight."
He looked around and saw Misaki asleep on the ground.
"Misaki-senpai!" Issei shouted and ran toward Misaki.
As Issei got closer, he suddenly felt sleepy. The drowsiness made him slip and he slid right up to Misaki. He tried to get back up, but the sleepiness was keeping him from doing so. He started closing his eyes and through the blurry vision could make out someone approaching him.
"Tell me, how much do you know of your comrade's past?" Juphine asked as she looked down at Issei. "She may have told you everything… or she may have omitted some details… Although, simply hearing about a traumatic event isn't quite the same as seeing it. So, I will have you witness her Nightmare. I promise that you will no longer be friends after this game."
That claim was the last thing Issei head before he finally drifted off into a deep sleep.
Back at the home base in the east wing, Melody was sitting in a chair while being alert of the situation.
"Issei-senpai has just been hit by the enemy's spell." Hikaru reported.
"Dumbass…" Akira groaned as she smacked herself in the forehead.
"One of us needs to take out that Bishop." Melody said before placing her finger against her chin. "But anyone who approaches will just be hit by Juphine's spell…" She then looked at the still sleeping Katherine. "… That's it!"
"Nguhhh…" Katherine slowly opened her eyes and groggily stood up.
As Katherine wiped her eyes, she realized something.
"… BAH! Did the Rating Game start?!" Katherine gasped in shock.
"Yes, but you woke up just in time!" Melody said with a smile as she approached Katherine. "I need you to go to the third floor to help Misaki and Issei. Be sure to drink that."
"On it!"
Katherine pulled out a vial of dark red liquid from her pocket, opened it and drank everything in it. After she finished drinking, her red eyes started glowing.
When Issei opened his eyes again, he was at a playground.
Where… am I? Issei thought as he looked around.
There were a few other children playing not far from him and he felt something was off the moment he stood up.
"Why is everything so big?" Issei then noticed that his voice was of higher pitch than usual. "What-"
He looked down and saw that his entire body felt smaller. To be sure he wasn't just seeing things, he went to a nearby pond and his reflection looked like his eight-year-old self.
"What the hell happened?!" He exclaimed. "Wasn't I in the middle of a battle a minute ago?!"
The words Juphine had told him rang in his head.
"This must be Misaki's 'Nightmare' that lady trapped me in." He muttered to himself. "But this dream seems pretty peaceful."
"Natsuki-chan, over here!"
"Here it comes, Misaki-chan!"
Issei looked toward the voice that called out to another child and saw a younger version of Misaki. She appeared to be around the age of 9 and was playing ball with a similarly aged girl with brown hair tied into braids. At that moment, he recalled what Misaki had told him about when she awakened to her Sacred Gear.
("I was playing ball with the other children.")
The young Misaki caught the ball, and it was instantly frozen.
"Ah!" The young Misaki gasped as she dropped the frozen ball, and it broke into pieces the moment it hit the ground.
("When I caught the ball, suddenly it was frozen solid.")
"Misaki-chan, are you okay?" The brown-haired girl named Natsuki came up to Misaki.
When Natsuki touched Misaki's shoulders, ice started to form from her hands all the way to the rest of her body.
"What's-" Before Natsuki could understand what was happening, her body was completely frozen.
"… Nat… Natsuki?" Misaki just stared at the frozen body of her friend, her own body shaking uncontrollably.
("When my best friend touched me, they were completely frozen.")
After that, various people came by trying everything they could to thaw Natsuki out. However, all of their efforts were fruitless as there wasn't even the slightest drop of water from their attempts to melt the ice.
("No matter what anyone tried, the ice wouldn't melt.")
Misaki, still shaking while still in her friend's arms, reached out and touched her face.
CRACK!
A crack formed where Misaki touched, it spread throughout the rest of Natsuki's body, and she fell apart into pieces. Misaki's eyes widened and stared off into the distance, her mind processing what had just occurred in front of her.
("They… died.")
Having witnessed everything, Issei was equally shocked and speechless.
This… is Misaki's Nightmare? He thought.
The surroundings warped and he was now in front of a house on the outskirts of a nearby town. There was a window he could use to look inside, so he walked up to it and peered into a dark bedroom. No source of light could be seen, but something was glistening from the farthest corner of the room. The entire corner was iced over and curled up there was the young Misaki. She appeared to have been crying and her body seemed weak due to a lack of food.
("I was so scared of hurting someone else, I stopped going to school and locked myself in my room.")
Her friend's death was a lot more traumatic for her than I thought. Issei looked at the sobbing Misaki. … I can't just leave her like this!
After clenching his fist, with all of his strength he pushed the window wide open which startled the young Misaki.
"I… Issei?"
"Senpai…" Issei looked down at the floor. "I saw everything… What happened to your friend was awful… I don't blame you for keeping this hidden from us… But look at how far you've come!"
Misaki was surprised by Issei's response.
"Not only did Melody help you control your powers, but you've also made a lot of friends!"
Issei held out his hand toward Misaki.
"Including me."
Misaki stared at Issei's hand for a few seconds before she started to tear up and cry out of pure happiness. Even though she hesitated a little, she grabbed Issei's hand and both of them were engulfed in a bright light.
Issei and Misaki suddenly woke up and they were back in the ice-covered corridor on the third floor. Juphine became distraught upon seeing them wake from their slumber.
"Impossible!" Juphine started backing away out of fear. "They managed to break my spell?! He should be terrified of her!"
"I'm not the same girl I was all those years ago!" Misaki proclaimed. "I still regret killing Natsuki… but I must be strong for both of us!"
Out of nowhere, something blitzed past Juphine at an insane speed. That thing stopped and Misaki and Issei could see that Katherine was holding a rapier and appeared to have just finished a slashing motion. A slash of red came out of Juphine's body, and she coughed up blood before being engulfed in the light of retirement.
"Lord Kaidon's Bishop has retired."
Issei marveled at Katherine's incredible speed and glowing red eyes. When Melody asked Issei for his blood, she told him that Katherine was a Dhampir, a human-vampire hybrid, and that drinking his blood would provide her with a boost to her power.
"Yay! I won!" Katherine happily hopped.
Misaki giggled at Katherine's childlike behavior before turning back to Issei.
"Issei-kun, thank you." Misaki gave him a warm smile. "I didn't think you would still be my friend after seeing what I did to Natsuki, even if you said you would give me a chance."
"Sure." Issei responded with a goofy smile before his eyes were drawn to her bra and panties, instantly causing blood to drip from his nose.
Misaki noticed his nosebleed and realized she was still half-naked. "Oh, I forgot to put my clothes back on."
She picked up her burnt clothes and put them back on. Issei watched as she dressed herself, trying his best to not get caught.
"Issei-senpai, we heard the announcement about the second Bishop." Hikaru's voice said through Issei's head. "Melody-senpai is on her way now!"
Unfortunately for Hikaru, Issei wasn't paying much attention as his eyes and mind were busy saving the image of Misaki getting dressed.
In the Chamber of Ascension on the fourth floor, which was a large, circular room with a podium on the far end, Kaidon was waiting for any potential opponents to arrive. He was in a foul mood as most of his peerage were defeated, with only him and one of his Knights, Primoir, were still active. After a few minutes had passed, he could hear someone coming up the staircase. Based on the sequence of the steps, only one person was heading toward him. Once he could make out a figure coming up the stairs, he immediately knew who his opponent would be.
"So, you've decided to face me yourself, sister?"
Standing across the room from Kaidon was Melody, ready to fight him one-on-one.
("Here's our plan for Kaidon. I will face him myself."
"What?!" Issei exclaimed at Melody's plan. "That's not a plan!"
"While it would be strategically ideal for us to attack Kaidon with as many of us as possible, I have to prove to him why I'm more worthy of being heir." Melody explained herself. "That is why I won't act until it's time to face him, so I can fight him with my full power. I have my own strategies in my mind for when that time comes, but you don't need to worry about that.")
"I can defeat you myself, Kaidon!" Melody proudly claimed. "Unlike you, I spend time training and honing my abilities. I might not have the Morag family's Power of Lava, but I do have the Chernobog family's Power of Sound!"
"Just try it!" Kaidon shouted.
Kaidon held out his hand toward the floor and lava was forming on the floor where Melody was standing. With a sonic burst from under her boots, Melody quickly jumped to the side and avoided a geyser of molten rock before releasing some kind of bubble created from a speaker in her gauntlet up into the air. Melody's Power of Sound allows her to create and manipulate vibrations and sound waves, as well as ultrasonic hearing beyond what Devils are normally capable of. The gauntlets and boots she was wearing were designed to produce sound waves from her hands and feet she could manipulate for additional offense, defense, and maneuverability options. With her enhanced hearing, she could make out the sound of something bubbling from the ceiling. She swiftly stepped back and avoided a stream of lava that was falling from the ceiling.
He's trying to force me into a corner! Melody surmised. This needs to be quick or else there won't be any room for a counterattack.
Melody shot herself forward at high speed toward Kaidon. Unable to react in time, Melody punched him in the face and amplified the vibrations to increase its force, knocking Kaidon into floor. Even though Kaidon took a lot of damage from the attack, but he readjusted his body and delivered a sweeping kick to Melody that made her fall to the ground. Kaidon stood over her and grasped her throat.
"No more dodging!" Kaidon said.
Melody struggled a bit, but then she smirked. "I don't need to!"
Melody grabbed Kaidon and used a speaker on her right boot to launch him toward the ceiling where there was a large bubble. That was bubble she created earlier which had sound waves bouncing around inside of it and building up intensity. Those sound waves were becoming electrical energy and when Kaidon was thrown into the bubble, he was engulfed in an explosion of lightning.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Kaidon screamed in pain as he was electrocuted.
When the lightning stopped, Kaidon's burnt body fell to the floor and he had white eyes, indicating that he had completely lost consciousness.
"The King, Lord Kaidon, has retired. The winner is Melody Morag."
Melody sighed in relief that the battle was finally over.
Spiral and Primoir were completely exhausted, staring at each other while breathing heavily and dropping to their knees.
"This fight isn't over!" Primoir proclaimed in the middle of her breath. "The next time we meet, you'll have a spear through your heart!"
The day after the game, there was a ceremony for Melody's ascension to become heir to the house of Morag. After the ceremony, Misaki had asked her friend for a request, and she accompanied her to the Hyoudou residence with a couple of suitcases. Issei and Asia were surprised to see them on the doorstep.
"Melody-san, Misaki-senpai? What are you doing here?" Issei inquired.
"Isn't it obvious?" Misaki retorted. "I'm moving into your house."
"WHAT?!" Both Issei and Asia exclaimed in shock.
"I just need to talk it over with your parents." Melody told them. "We already discussed it with Misaki's parents. They were fine with it under one stipulation." That stipulation is no children out of wedlock.
Issei wasn't sure why, but he could feel Misaki looking at him with great affection.
A/N: I finally got this chapter done! I'm sorry this took so long as I wrote the last parts of this while feeling very demotivated after a certain event happened this week. That is still no excuse for not getting this chapter out on time. By the way, if you're curious how I came up with the names of Kaidon's peerage, for the given names I used the DxD tradition of combining the names of Pokemon and Gundam characters, which I'll give examples below. Their last names I just used a demon name generator and picked out which ones I liked.
Kaidon – Japanese names for Dragonite (Kairyu) and Charizard (Lizardon)
Delmi – English name for Delphox and Mimikyu
Sawalee – Japanese and English names for Hitmonlee (Sawamular)
Ebichan – Japanese and English names for Hitmonchan (Ebiwalar)
Primoir – English names for Primarina and Gardevoir
Juphine – Named after two Gundam characters I forgot, and I don't feel like going through that massive list at nearly 11 at night.
Giardas – Japanese names for Klink (Giaru) and Garbodor (Dustdas)
Grencin – English names for Greninja and Incineroar)
The next chapter is the familiar hunt followed by the beginning of the Volume 3 storyline. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for next time!
Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Annabelle Wright
Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, 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)