章 47: Chapter 47: Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess
Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi
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-Hachiman POV-
The 'Rating Game' has already started, Grayfia gave the go, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Rias had prepared for this fight.
Riser had a full set with his Queen, who went by the moniker of the 'Bomb Queen', her magic was a powerful one, able to launch explosive spells which detonated on impact. Alongside Riser was his sister, Ravel. Both were basically unkillable firebirds who could just regenerate from any given injuries, no matter how lethal. Not to mention, despite his peerage looking more like a collection of girls, each representing a different fetish; despite this, they still were capable fighters.
On Rias' side, they numbered five in total and from the screen, I could see Rias somehow convinced Gasper to join the match. Granted, I haven't really met the guy, according to Akeno he was extremely shy and didn't wish to even leave his room.
Both Sirzechs and I observed the match closely, paying attention to everything that was about to happen. While the former had his usual smile, making it look like he wasn't worried about the fate of his sister—I was continuously tapping my feet on the floor in anticipation. Kinda hard not to get stressed when one of your closest people life depends on this match.
"You are quite tense, Hachiman-kun," Sirzechs said while taking a sip of his wine. Now that I took the time to observe the man, he was quite freakishly tall, and that armor just made him look more intimidating than his already frightening aura, kinda reminded me of a demon lord 'Well he is a Maou after all.'. If Sétante was that of a mountain capable of crushing me to paste, then this guy was a black hole that destorys anything it touches. There was no beginning nor end to his power, in my perspective, he was a true monster—I didn't even see him as a devil.
"It's kinda hard not to be. There are many unknown factors that I haven't taken into consideration, the fact that Rias' chance of winning isn't a hundred percent bothers me."
The Maou proceeded to laugh at my words.
"Hahahaha! You're a funny guy, Hachiman-kun." Which part of that was funny? "Though I do agree with you that the idea of having my sister's future depend on the outcome of this match is indeed nerve-wracking. I cannot predict the ending, anyone can win."
"You certainly don't look that worried yourself."
"That is the beauty of life, isn't it? Uncertainties and unpredictability are a constant factor, even while being the current Lucifer and one of—if not the—strongest Devil out there… I still can't control every aspect of everyone's lives. But that is what makes living interesting, it's what gives life that distinctive flavor that makes living through all these trials and tribulations worth it. In the end, all I can do is trust my sister's power and hope she can take hold of her life with her own hands." Sirzechs spoke philosophically, catching me off guard with his speech. Like why did he need to go on such an extensive talk about life? A simple yes or no would have sufficed, buddy.
'I still feel sleepy.' This was my bad mood acting up. Being chased around at spear point for days only to finally rest for less than six hours and then get teleported in the middle of Riser's peerage room, yelled at and getting attacked soon after—didn't put me in a good mood at all. Secondly…
"You truly deserve your title as Lucifer, the Prince of lies—I nearly believed you there." There ain't no way one of the biggest siscon I knew would let his sister do all of this on her own… it just wasn't logical at all for this guy, especially from all of the stories that Rias told me about him. "I would request you to not treat me like a gullible fool, please. It can get annoying at times."
His smile widened and this time eyes turned towards me. "I don't think I understand what you mean there, Hachiman-kun."
Yeah, and I am the main protagonist of a hentai world.
"Tell me, just what are you hiding here?"
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"I believe we have some guests." Instead of answering me, Sirzechs turned his attention to the person behind me. I followed suit and nearly choked when an older Riser look-alike. Like he looked exactly like him, except he had a well-trimmed beard as well. He was accompanied by another Riser look alike, both having blond hair and dark blue eyes. And another man with red hair who looked frighteningly similar to Sirzechs, but with a goatee was walking with them.
'He must either be Rias' other brother which I never heard about… or her father.' That last possibility scared him even more, wondering if they knew the relationship between Rias and me. Why the heck do these guys look so young!?
"Ah, Lord Phenex and Ruval, it is an honor to have you both here," Sirzechs spoke politely, nodding to the new guests. "I believe father has given you a tour of this school."
Oh…
"Please Sirzechs-sama, as a Lord it would have been rude if I did not come for this occasion. Not to mention, both me and my son Ruval here were curious to see the young girl's capabilities. And yes, Zeoticus showed us around the campus. I must say, it's quite impressive, I might enroll my daughter into it, give her a school life experience." The man spoke equally politely while also offering a bow. This was to be expected, Sirzechs was a Maou and unless you were either his parents or Bael himself, then showing the proper level of respect was a necessity.
"It is an honor to meet you Lucifer-sama, and you as well Hikigaya-san." Ruval followed his father's example and showed a level of politeness that I never thought possible from someone related to Riser. Even his clothes looked stunning and noble like, unlike Riser's flamboyant fashion style and playboy attitude.
"Oh my! So you must be the famous Black Dragon King! It is truly a wonderful chance that I get to meet you today."
Wait, he was happy to see me? "You don't mind my presence here?"
When I said that, he gave me a weird look. "Now why would I mind your presence?"
"Riser."
"Oh, of course! These last few days my son couldn't stop shouting colorful words at you. I don't know what you did to him but I had never seen him get so angered in my life hahaha!" It was hard to imagine that this jovial guy was the father of one of the biggest douches I know. "But do not worry about such trivial details, I harbor no ill will towards you—in fact, I feel a bit indebted to you instead."
Wait, what? "Indebted?"
I had a bad feeling about this.
"Why yes, never in my life have I seen Riser so focused on a rating game. It is a welcomed change compared to how much time he spends around his peerage and just partying in general." He shook in disappointment, taking a seat next to me, along with his eldest son.
Wow, I did mess up that guy's psyche the last time we met… and his parents don't even look like they mind it.
'Devils are weird.'
"My son has a good heart but it is hidden away through layers of his arrogance and superiority view he built up over the years. In a way, this is our fault, as parents, we failed to put the boy in line as we did with his siblings. Please, don't hate him too much, I am sure someone like Rias will be able to change him for the better."
"..." Was this guy trying to say something? Was he that confident of Riser's victory? "You speak as if Rias had already lost the fight, without it even starting." Was everyone in the Phenex family blind by their natural abilities that they don't even consider most of their opponents as any threat to them?
"Well that is a given, even with Riser's rather… frivolous lifestyle, he is still a formidable opponent to any high-class devil. Not to brag but I would put my son in the top 10 strongest devils of the younger generation." He boasted rather proudly.
Emboldened he was by his words, to speak of his son's superiority and guaranteed win in front of the infamous siscon brother.
"Lord Phenex, I believe we have some matters to talk about concerning the recent happenings in Lucifaad." Sirzechs reading the mood immediately came to my rescue and took the lead. "Father has come across some issues with some of the local community."
I just let him take Lord Phenex's attention and start having a conversation while Ruval and I turned our attention to the battle.
If things do not go smoothly in this fight… then I only had a single move up my sleeve to solve everything.
I just hope Akeno will not hate me for it.
{Break}
-Rating game Arena-
"Is everyone clear on their role?" Rias asked her peerage members inside the replica room of their club. They all nodded their heads and before they left, Rias had one last thing to give them. "Also, everyone, will you all please put these radios in your ears?"
Akeno handed out an earphone-type transceiver. For a species based in a world of magic and spells, this small action would surprise anyone watching. But why bother with intricate magic spells when modern technology did all work just as well?
Saves enegry, and time.
"Now, be sure to not lose them, or else I won't be able to communicate with you." She said while putting it in her ears. "On the battlefield, we will be using this to communicate with each other."
Ring
Ring
[The Rating Battle will begin…
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… Now.]
After they got the signal, no one moved or flew off anywhere. Everyone took a seat while Akeno began preparing some tea to calm her fellow peerage members' nerves—especially Gasper's. The poor boy was already shaking like a leaf in his box.
"First we have to take down Riser's Pawns. It will be troublesome if they were all promoted into a Queen, and we don't want that," Rias said with confidence while sitting on the sofa. "Yuuto."
"Yes."
Kiba spread a map on the table after she urged him. It was a bird's eye view of the entire school compound divided into many grids, just like a chessboard with the lettering and numbers to the side.
She took a red highlighter and drew two circles around the old school building and the new school building. She and Riser's base respectively.
"There's a forest near our base. It's safe to assume that this our territory. In other words, the new school building would be Riser's territory. There may be an ambush when you enter their territory. The school field is visible from the new school building and leaves you wide open for attacks. So it's dangerous to pass through here."
During any rating game, teleporting from one base to the enemy's was against the rules. The only way to get anywhere was either flying or running.
"Knowing that it's Ravel making all the moves she'll have her brother's servants positioned at the sports ground. His Knight or Rook will be most likely positioned in one of the clubrooms located on the sports ground. Now, if it's a sports ground, you will need a person with "mobility". So she'll have one Knight and three Pawns, a total of four servants positioned here. Thus having control of the whole sports ground."
Then Kiba decided to share his thoughts. "Buchou, it's about the gym near the old school building. Shouldn't we occupy this location first? If we capture it here then we will have a route to the new school building. The gym is a passage to both of the buildings so we could also restrain the enemy's movements."
Rias nodded at Kiba's opinion.
"Yes, I also have the same opinion. First, we will capture the gym. In terms of location, the opponent may have his Rook positioned there. Since it's inside a building, it would be better to use a Rook with their destructive power over the Knight's mobility."
"Yuuto and Koneko, you two set a trap in the forest. Take another map with you and make sure you mark the places where you set the trap. I will make a copy afterward and hand it to everyone."
"Yes."
"Roger."
"Everyone else will be on standby until they finish setting up the trap. Oh, Akeno."
"Yes?"
"After Yuuto and Koneko return, can you cast illusions and mists around the forest and the sky? Obviously, a trap that only reacts to Riser's group. That's how the start of the match will be, though it seems like this battle will become intense midway through it. So I'll leave the issue regarding the mists and the illusions to you."
"No problem," Akeno reassured her. "But what about Gasper-kun?"
"He'll stay with me for the rest of the fight, he may have one of the most powerful Sacred Gears, but his strength is quite lacking, even by regular human standards." The boy didn't only have the capabilities of a devil alone, he also was Dhampir. He was closer to Akeno's case than anyone in this room, thus having the potential of both races inside him with the added benefit of a Sacred Gear. But his lack of confidence prevents him from using his natural powers to it's fullest.
"Huuuuuu!! I'm sorry for being so useless, Buchou!" The box shook and tried to hide in the corner before Koneko blocked his way.
"Be a man." She threw him back on the couch.
{Break}
-Near the gym-
Everyone left the clubroom, leaving behind their king and bishop. Koneko followed the plan and headed to the gym, accompanied by Kiba.
"Okay then, Koneko. You won't be able to avoid the battle once you get into the gym. Move accordingly as we discussed. That location will be an important place. Kiba, you will continue to follow the plan, move as we discussed."
""Roger."" Both replied seriously, prepared to give their all for this fight.
As they ran, Kiba changed route and split up, just like they decided, leaving Koneko all on her own.
When the Nekoshou reached the building, her senses acted up, she smelled the scent of a slightly sweet aromatic perfume and gasoline. "Enemies detected."
"Well, if it isn't the little one of the Gremory's team! You will fall here!"
Four female Devils were standing on the gym court.
The woman with a dark blue Cheongsam or a qipao, the twin catgirls who were wielding chainsaws, and the girl who tried to hurt Hachiman-senpai with her bo staff.
From her King's words, the woman with the china dress was the Rook. The twins and the bo staff wielder were Pawns.
"Cannon fodders," Koneko muttered under her breath, getting reading to battle.
Brum-brum-brum-brum-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The chainsaw twins turned on their weapons, making a dangerous sound.
"Disassembling time~♪" They both sang a small tune, making the scene more creepy in Koneko's opinion. Not waiting any longer, the Nekoshou, with a single lead, closed the distance between her and Xuelan—both beginning to exchange punches, kicks and swipes using their martial arts. Riser's rook focused more on her legs, unlike Koneko who was using her fists. This gave her a longer range and a bigger advantage.
But Koneko used her small size to move nimbly around her opponent and sneak in harsh attacks on her unprotected areas.
Her ears twitched.
Swish!
Dodging just in time a staff hit from Mira, Koneko reciprocated with a knee kick to the pawn's side stomach. "Gaaaah!" The latter spit out some saliva and blood before being sent away flying by that attack.
Boom!
She crashed through the wall with such force that she nearly tore the entire gym side as well. Unknown to most, that last knee attack had traces of Senjutsu energy infused in it, making it even more devastating.
"Mira!" The other girls cried out in concern, only to be followed by Grayfia's emotionless announcement.
[One of Riser-sama's Pawns has been eliminated.]
The infuriated twins as they revved up their chainsaws and tried to cut Koneko to pieces.
"Split, split, split, split, split!"
Their nonstop frenzied attacks, destroying the floorboard and pillars proved to be a bit of a challenge for Koneko as she also had to be careful of the others.
BBBBRRRRRRRR!!!
"I got you!" Xuelan came in from her blind spot—whether she did it intentionally or not was a mystery—and her attack grazed Koneko's cheeks.
"—!?!?" Her instincts went full drive and she unconsciously used her full Senjutsu abilities, making a pair of feline ears pop up her head, her eyes became slighted and a wiggly tail appeared behind. "Don't touch me Nyah!"
One aspect which made her hesitate to use her Senjutsu abilities to her fullest abilities like her sister was the lingering fear of losing control still presiding in her head as well as the feeling of no longer having any control over her emotions, which was another main disadvantage to her. She may never become as strong as her sister due to these limitations, but Koneko never wanted to do that in the first place. She didn't want to be the best, but just good enough to use it during the fight.
At speeds beyond anything she showed before, with a combination of Senjutsu and Touki, Koneko obliterated the entire gym ground. The shockwave of the attack being enough to eliminate all three of Riser's peerage girls.
[Riser-sama's Rook and two Pawns have been eliminated]
Boom!
The entire structure collapsed and Koneko barely had time to escape the place with. After she successfully left the place, the girl sat down on the ground and started breathing steadily to regain control of her emotions. The ears and tail vanished leaving Koneko once again back to her monotone self. "Mission complete." She passed on the message to her transmitter before standing back up and heading toward Kiba's location to assist him.
Bang!
But before she could head any further, the ground below exploded and she was launched backward at great speed. Crashing through the trees, Koneko sustained some heavy injuries but was still in the game.
[Koneko!] Buchou's voice echoed from her earpiece. The Nekoshou had to take a moment to respond as her ears were ringing from the loud exploding noise. "I'm… fine." She assured Rias that she was good to fight, but her weak voice didn't help.
[Retreat! You need to get as far away as possible from—]
"—I said I'm fine." Koneko insisted as she stood up and checked her injuries. One broken arm with some burned skin and some cuts all over her body. She removed a bottle of a healing potion that Azazel gave her and Rias, stating that Riser's team will also have Phoenix tears with them—so it was fair. Hachiman-senpai had something similar according to the old crow. The effect of the potion wasn't miraculous, her cuts healed but her broken arm and burns remained.
"How convenient."
Her attacker's voice came from above her. When she looked up, there was a shadow up in the air flying with her devil wings spread. It was that woman dressed up as a mage and wearing her hood, Riser's Queen—Yubelluna. Arguably his strongest servant.
"Fufufu. When you hunt a prey, the best time to take them down is when the prey accomplished something because that's the time when the prey is the most vulnerable. It's enough for us to "sacrifice" many of our pieces to nearly take you down. Your group has a small number of members, to begin with. That alone will be enough to cause a huge amount of damage to your group, right? Even if you defeat us, you cannot defeat Riser-sama. It's useless to resist." She said while laughing.
Fortunately for Koneko, the rescue had come. In the form of a lightning strike that almost hit the Bomb Queen.
"Ara ara, such an arrogant claim. I guess I will be your opponent. Riser Phenex's Queen, Yubelluna-san. Or should I call you the 'Bomb Queen'?" Akeno came flying, clad in her iconic miko outfit. She stood in between them both, trying to protect Koneko.
"Tch, I really don't like that name. Leaves a bad taste, 'Priestess of Lightning'. Though I was hoping I could fight you." A slight twinge of jealousy marred her tone. For a woman as beautiful as her, she was cursed to be bound to such a barbaric-sounding name. While this Fallen hybrid in front of her had such a beautiful title. Yubelluna had to repress a pout, 'It's not fair…'
"You can leave, Koneko-chan, I have everything under control." She said while her body began to be covered in a golden aura. "And I would prefer to not waste any more time with you, Yubelluna-san, I did promise my King to help her out with Riser."
Koneko nodded and carefully made her way back to Kiba. Right after that, a violent roar of lightning and explosions echoes from behind her. Followed by the pained cries from Riser's Queen.
{Break}
-Near the new dorm building-
[Riser-sama's three Pawns retired.]
Kiba heard as he stood in the middle of a field near the forest where three women were on the ground, defeated. He looked calm, not showing any signs of tiredness whatsoever, and even smiled as he saw more of his enemies approaching.
'Koneko-chan should be here soon… though I shouldn't make her waste more energy, after what Buchou relayed, she is wounded.' It would deeply hurt his pride if he was forced to rely on his friend's aid in her injured state.
He tightened the hold around his sword. Though this was his first Rating Game, a serious battle between Devil Peerages. Even if this match was a special case, it doesn't change the fact he could not show the slightest sign of weakness. Throughout the years he spent traveling the world with Hachiman in search of Valper and his Order, Kiba racked in a bunch of experience fighting against bloodthirsty enemies that they encountered. The only downside is he would lose control of his rational side whenever that man was mentioned. If every devil was characterized by one of the seven sins, his King would be Greed, Akeno-san Lust and he would be Wrath.
And he would use his anger to make sure his Buchou doesn't end up with such a miserable fate.
"I need to hurry up."
A woman dressed in a knightly gown soon joined him. "I'm the Knight of Riser Phenex-sama, Carlamaine! I've become bored of trying to sniff through each other's strategies! Rias Gremory's Knight! I challenge you to a due—Clang!" Before she could finish her introduction, Kiba came upon her with his sword like a raging warrior. Carlamaine barely had any time to block the attack and was getting pushed back by his brutal combos.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
"D-Do you have no honor!?" She screamed in anger. "To attack someone in the middle of their speech, what kind of Knight are you!?"
Kiba merely smiled at her words. True, a part of him resented his actions just now, but the truth of the matter was that this battle was too important for him to take any risks.
"I'm a vengeful Knight." He didn't hesitate to fight dirty, summoning another sword—Flame Delete, he increased his aggressiveness and began overwhelming Carlamaine. Her previously burning sword is rendered useless and broken apart.
"Another Sacred Gear!?"
"No, just one." He brought up both swords and slashed her torso, eliminating her as well.
[Riser-sama's Knight has been eliminated]
"Impressive." He heard someone comment, looking behind him he saw a woman with a mask that covered half of her face. "Isabella, Rook." She gave a curt introduction.
She wasn't alone.
"Geez, that muscle head just had to go and get herself beaten like that, how humiliating. Carlamaine was making a bitter face when the Pawns were being sacrificed, so does she hate the battle strategy planned by her Master who happens to be her King? Furthermore, when I thought I found a cute boy, he also happens to be a sword freak so I can't stand this… at least you're better than that fished-eyed freak." It was Ravel in her western princess dress, holding a fan as she looked at him with a bored face.
"Something tells me you won't be participating in this fight, right?"
"Oho! A smart one at that. Correct, I am not going to be your opponent. Isabella, why don't you be his opponent?"
"She won't be enough, just like the last one." Kiba taunted, earning a pissed-off look from the Rook and an amused one from Ravel.
"Quite arrogant you are, Knight of Gremory."
"No, I'm just stating the facts." Kiba brought his two swords in a fighting stance.
"Well then… I can't disappoint the Knight of my Onii-sama's soon-to-be wife." She snapped her finger and three more shadows appeared behind her. "Sirius, Ni, and Li. I believe all of them will prove to be more of a challenge to you. Siris, unlike Carlamaine, doesn't fight with honor and Ni and Li both are exceptional close combat fighting duo. With Isabella added to the fray, you don't stand any chance." She pointed upwards where Kiba saw a figure with burning wings landing on the rooftop of the new school building. "Onii-sama is done waiting, he wasn't in a good mood before the fight, so trust me when I say… he won't be holding back." She burst into a fit of laughter. "You lost, your group can't defeat him!"
"I see…" Kiba's face no longer held that easy-going smile. Traces of killing intent bled from his eyes, making the other girls tense for battle. "I need to hurry up then." He dismissed one of his swords, leaving behind Holy Eraser, and pointed at Ravel with his free hand.
"Eh? Is there something you wish to tell me, Knight?"
"Yes…"
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"Die." His hands glowed with a familiar magic spell. "[Magic Arrow]"
"—!!!"
"Ravel-sama, look out!" Two maids came out of nowhere and stood guard in front of her. A single arrow the size of a person pierced both of them but was unsuccessful at hurting the Phenex girl.
Since he had traveled with Hachiman for a while, Kiba picked some of his spells. This one was quite simple and he learned it in a week, which for some reason pissed off his friend. Outside the use of his Sacred Gear, Kiba rarely—if ever—used this spell.
"You bastard!!" Angered, Isabella, Siris, and the twins all ganged up on Kiba who concentrated a large amount of his demonic energy into a single attack.
"[Sword Birth!]"
Schwing!
All around Kiba, hundreds of swords burst from the ground, catching everyone off guard and not allowing them to defend themselves.
Prcht!
"Argh!!"
They were pierced by the many swords with Siris nearly getting her head decapitated if it weren't for the timely intervention of the safety teleportation system from the game.
[Riser-sama's remaining Rook and Knight have all been eliminated, along with two Pawns]
Ravel watched in horror how in less than a second, her entire surrounding peerage members got annihilated so easily. That bastard used her as a target to take out her two bodyguards, Marion and Burrent before taking everyone out with his sacred gear!
"You are despicable… have you no shame!?" She screamed. "I told you that I didn't participate in this fight yet you used me as a target!? How dare you! I will make you pay for that!" She was about to issue another attack from the hidden members but couldn't as more screams came from behind. "What?"
From the forest, Koneko came out holding two people. One by the neck while the other was dragged by the feet.
"Shuriya!"
"Mihae!"
How did that Rook find them!?
"Sorry I'm late, senpai," Koneko said as she threw Mihae in the air and used Shuriya as a bat to take them both out of the game.
[Riser-sama's last Bishop and Pawn have been eliminated.]
"You came just in time," Kiba said.
"Yo-you all…" Ravel was speechless as she began backing away, she wasn't supposed to battle anyone here! But with these swords for brain bastard and the Nekoshou, it was unknown if they would let her go.
"I will go ahead, you're still hurt, Koneko-chan. So you stay here and keep an eye on Ravel-chan, okay?"
"Roger." With Koneko's confirmation, Kiba left the area to join the others at the new dorm building. "Stay safe."
Giving her a last nod Kiba left the area leaving an injured Konekou and a scared Ravel all alone themselves. To say the atmosphere was a bit awkward for the next few following moments would be an understatement. Ravel didn't know if she should start a conversation or not… or should she just retire from the fight?
"You smell…" Koneko spoke, gaining the attention of the young Phenex.
"Hm?"
"...like fried Yakitori."
"Excuse me!?"
[Riser-sama's Queen has been eliminated.]
"What is going on here!?" Ravel was this close to having a mental breakdown, trying her best to ignore the hungry look that the Nekoshou was giving her.
{Break}
Doom!
A large shock wave shook the whole field. Upon the roof of the dorm, Rias and Riser were chucking fire and destruction magic at each other. The clashing of their crimson demonic power and fire demonic power destroyed the area they were standing on.
Riser didn't have a scratch. Even his clothes weren't ripped—the same could be said for Rias.
They were stuck at a standstill.
"I must admit, I did not foresee you getting so much stronger in such a short period, Rias. As expected of the blood that flows within your veins, Bael and Gremory… What a terrifying combination. Adding the blood of the Phenex will only elevate the devil race beyond anything it could achieve on its own."
"Don't mess around Riser!"
His words angered Rias who shot another one of her demonic-power orbs at Riser's face. He doesn't even dodge it and receives it on his face which blew half of it to bits.
Whoosh!
But fire appeared from the part of his blown face and started to form a shape.
Riser's face returned to its original shape since the flame turned into his face and hair. Riser starts to twitch his neck as if nothing happened.
Immortal.
This was the regeneration ability of the firebird, Phoenix.
"Rias, resign. You will make your Otou-sama and Sirzechs-sama who are watching from another place look bad. You have no more choices. Everyone already has foreseen the outcome. It's checkmate, Rias."
"You talk too much, Riser. Always so arrogant and blind to your surroundings. Look at me, all of my precious servants are still in the game while you and your sister stand alone. Tell me, for whom is it a checkmate again?" Rias questioned, feeling confident with her chances of winning.
"Oh, how so naive you are, Rias. You comparing real-life combat to those silly chess games is so cute. Unfortunately, I alone am capable enough to take you all."
"Famous last words." Rias turned around and shouted at the hidden cardboard box behind her. "Gasper, now!"
"Yes, Buchou!" The red lights coming off from the holes intensified, as the Dhampir was motivating himself up. "I can do it… I can do it… I can do it… I CAN DO IT!"
As the possessor of one of the five newly manifested Longinus, Aeon Balor, which evolved from the Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View. Gasper, the cardboard vampire went above and beyond his fears and forced his Sacred Gear to activate at his command.
True to its other name, 'The Evil-Eyed King Who Dominates Space and Time', Gasper's Sacred Gear successfully trapped Riser in a state of a full-time stop. Due to his lack of control, Rias was also caught in it.
But she had planned for this.
"Ara ara~ Now it's my turn." Flying up above the range of the Sacred Gear's influence, Akeno was covered in shimmering golden holy light. Black clouds covered the entire sky as thousands of lightning bolts gathered into a single attack. She planned to give it her all and used up her entire demonic and holy energy for this single attack. "Kiba!"
"I'm here!" Just like planned, Kiba came next to the still stuck in time Rias and carried her over as far away as possible from the area of impact. "Go for it!"
Rias had two hidden weapons, Gasper and Akeno. Together, their ability could smite anything without their opponents even realizing what happened!
[Raiu!]
A thunderstorm of thousands of collective bolts of holy lightning fused into a giant pillar of golden light that descended upon Riser!
Boom!
He and the entire dorm were blown apart by the attack, the surrounding trees were uprooted. The shockwave caused the windows of faraway buildings to explode and even ionized the air around.
"AAAAAAAAAAAA ARRRGHHH!" Riser's scream of agony was lost in the chaos.
Rias who was being carried by Kiba became freed from Gasper's Sacred Gear's effect. "Wha—did we do it!?" She asked Kiba.
Looking back at the sheer destruction caused by the attack, Kiba was astounded at Akeno's power. "I… think so… there is no way he could survive that."
"Rias!" Akeno descended from the sky, sweating and looking completely drained from her attack. She nearly stumbled if it weren't for Rias catching her. "You're not hurt… are you?"
"No…" Rias shook her head. "I'm completely fine, thanks to Yuuto."
"I guess we won?" Akeno asked, taking out the phoenix bottle she stole from Riser's Queen. "Yubelluna-san was quite a capable caster I must say. She just couldn't hit me with her spells." She thanked Azazel in her head for the training, though she'll never say it to his face. He can be quite… annoying when he is praised.
"You did good… you and everyone."
"Fufufufu~ Say… do you think he's watching?"
"Hachiman?"
Akeno nodded.
"I don't know, I couldn't reach him before… maybe he's watching us from wherever he was sent for his mission."
"I hope he's safe." Akeno worried.
"Knowing him, he's probably doing something stupid."
"I guess so."
When both girls were completely relaxed and joking with one another. Kiba said something worrying.
"Umm, Buchou… why hasn't Grayfia-san made any announcement yet?"
.
.
.
Fwish!
"Look out!" Akeno pushed Rias to the side before being engulfed by a large fireball attack. Kiba was caught in the explosion as well, using his body to shield both his King and Queen.
[Rias-sama's Knight has been eliminated.]
""Kiba!"" Both girls shouted in shock as they couldn't believe what just happened.
From the large crater that formed from Akeno's attack, the steaming figure of Riser crawled out of it. His body burned and smoked from the remaining holy damage, blood dripped from his mouth and one of his eyes was completely gone. His left limb was gone replaced by a burning flame that tried to combat the effects of Akeno's attack. His entire body drowned in flames slowly stepped closer to Rias.
"Did you think that would work against me!?!? I am immortal, undefeated and it is not a shitty Fallen who will prove to be my downfall!" Rias' heart shook at this display. Her heart waned and she slowly backed. "Now that your Knight is gone, I will make quick work of that Fallen over there and then… I'LL KILL THE REST OF THEM!"
Akeno was on the floor, the previous attack having heavily incapacitated her. It was through sheer luck that she survived something like that.
"No… stay away!" She threw red orbs of destruction at him, only for the latter to stagger back a bit before continuing to come closer.
"Resign, Rias." He said.
"No… I-I can't…"
"Resign, it is over!"
"I-I ca-can't—" She was feeling powerless.
"RESIGN BEFORE I BURN YOUR ENTIRE PEERAGE!"
It was over.
She lost… Rias couldn't let any more harm come to her servants. She fell to her knees as tears began to fall.
She gave up.
"I… give—"
[Ehem! Is this thing on?]
Her words were stuck in her throat as she heard the familiar voice of someone she never thought she would hear from so soon.
"Ha…Hachi-kun?"
"That bastard!!!??" Even Riser looked like he blew a fuse by hearing his voice.
[Yes it is, Hachiman-sama.] This time it was Grayfia who spoke.
[Are you sure? You could have used a mic instead of such a complicated spell.]
[... You're wasting time.]
[Ah, sorry. Anyways, yo Rias. I see that you were about to do something extremely stupid there.]
Rias looked up to the sky where she knew the others could see her face. "B-b-b-but, I lost."
[Really? I only saw Kiba being eliminated trying to save your ass alongside Akeno. Do you think they did so just so you can give up?]
"Then what do you want me to do!? I can't beat him!"
[That sounds like a defeatist way of thinking. Can't beat him? Is he Lucifer? Is he a God? No, he's just a hard-to-kill chicken. You say this because you fear his so-called immortality. But guess what, the Phenex isn't the strongest house in the Underworld for a reason. If their power was so overpowered then why hasn't there been a Maou from the Phenex house? Simple because they are not truly immortal.]
"What?"
[Hard to believe? Well, you're stupider than I thought you'd be, Tomato-head. Use your head for god's sake—oh shit, sorry! I didn't mean to use the G-word. Graifya-san is gesturing me to shut up and not mention anything else or she'll kill me. What? Oh sorry, she meant that she'll freeze me to a popsicle. Like that's any better… Anyways, all I am allowed to say is that his abilities are just as same as any other houses—they all use demonic energy. You can defeat him, without even using holy damage.]
Rias' eyes widened as she deciphered Hachiman's words.
[I can see that you got the idea…or you just came to a completely different conclusion. Oh, and—I know I'm gonna regret this but fuck it—if you win this fight, Rias. I'll… I'll… k-kiss you. Hn? What did you say? I'm not gonna say that your sister on live broadcast you freaken siscon!]
"—!?"
"Ara…" Akeno who was recovering from her injuries by consuming the stolen phoenix tear had a interested expression. "I didn't know that he had it in him… guess I should have expected this from him."
Riser was the only one who wasn't having it. "How dare a human-like you say that to my soon-to-be be wife!? Worst of all, you dare to belittle our house!? Stay put human, after this match, I will incinerate you and everyone you lo—Boom!"
Before he couldn't finish his speech, a condensed orb of destruction came at him and destroyed his upper body completely before exploding behind.
"He's… he's going to kiss me?" Rias was standing there with her face full-on neon red. The previously shown fear was completely gone, and Hachiman's words soon settled inside her head. "Kiss… kiss… date… girlfriend… must… win…"
Rumble
Rumble-Rumble
The ground shook from the intense amount of demonic energy cascading down from Rias' body. Her eyes were hidden away by her hair as more and more red energy began surrounding her and the field.
"Fufufu~ Rias is either full of determination or has lost it completely," Akeno commented as she decided that it would be wise to create some distance between her and the soon to go berserk King. "Moooo, Hachi-kun being a horny playboy again, I really should keep him away from other innocent girls who might fall for his evil and irresitable tactics."
In the field, Riser once again regenerated from being blown up to pieces and snarled at the redhead. "Is this your motivation? The promise from a human who has no relationship with our devil side!? You are bringing sham—Boom!" He was reduced to ashes once again. But this time the blast of destruction was even more powerful than last time, causing more damnage to the surrounding area.
"Kiss… kiss…" Rias was still lost in her fantasies to bother taking notes of Riser's words, while chanting the same word as a mantra.
"You damnab—Boom!"
"How dare yo—Boom!"
"Don't you kno—Boom!
"Let—Boom!
"Me—Boom!
"TALK FOR ONCE!!" The continuous explosions from Rias' dug Riser deeper into the ground till the crater he was in became a dozen meters deep!
A hidden fact about the Phenex's immortality was that it was nothing more than high-speed regeneration that used demonic energy as fuel to continue working. If the devil no longer had any spare magical energy left, then they wouldn't regenerate and die like anyone else.
This is what Riser was experiencing right now. The attack from Akeno and her remaining holy attribute had used up a large part of his reserves. And now, he was running on fumes against Rias' barrage of attacks.
"H-Hold on! Do you even know what you are doing!? This engagement is important and necessary for the future of Devils! Why don't you realize that as the heir of the Gremory house there are some obligations you just can not igno—Boom!!" This time the explosion was the biggest one, causing more damage than even Akeno's lightning strike. The forest was completely gone and in Rias' place was just a curtain of pure power of destruction coating her entire figure.
This was just Rias overproducing a ridiculous amount of Power of Destruction, she hadn't yet reached the level of turning her physical body to destruction itself like her brother…yet.
"My life, the path that I'll walk in the future is for me and no one else to decide. Not you, not Otou-sama, and not even Onii-sama can change that. And you will not get in the way of me getting my ultimate prize from him!!!"
With a final attack, all of her power condensed into a single giant orb which was many times her size, and crashed onto Riser.
BOOM!
Riser's entire territory was engulfed in a crimson dome of pure destruction. Turning everything into ruins.
[Riser-sama has been eliminated. Rias Gremory is the victor of this Rating Game.]
It was at that point that Rias truly earned her title as the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and the Princess of Destruction to the eyes of the Underworld.
---------------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu and Fate are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.
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