Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD.
Chapter 12: Rating Games
'Thinking'
"Talking"
"Talking"
- Occult Research Clubhouse -
-Sora Sakai -
'It's actually a beautiful day today,' I think as a cool breeze blows in through the trees and across the grass of Kuoh Academy's lawns, soothing the warmth on my skin from the sun shining pleasantly down from its place amidst a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind echoing like a gentle melody across the quiet school grounds does wonders to calm my nerves as I near the ORC. 'This is it, Gaia. Are you ready?'
You bet! :)
This is going to be awesome!
'Atta girl.' I'm glad she's excited, because part of the plan for defeating Riser requires her help. And Gaia's excitement hopefully means she'll make fewer mistakes. Not that I'm expecting her to, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
It took a fair bit of strategizing between myself, Ichi, Ni, and Gaia to come up with something that'll counter his regeneration and get us a win. Even Juuichi threw in her own idea on how we should go about it…though it was mostly just her feeding Riser to Growl, her Komainu partner after she roughed him up a bit.
I let out a soft chuckle at the thought. Juuichi is a simple woman, no doubt. An absolute joy to be around, and a wonderful reprieve from the rather soft-spoken and calmer Servants; but she can be quite energetic when it comes to fighting.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
As I walk up to the front entrance of the ORC, I glance back at the school grounds; probably for the last time. I already sent in the paperwork to unenroll from Kuoh Academy now that the main story has started. Which means that once I finish taking down Riser, I'm finally free to work on other projects and not waste my days sitting in classes.
With a pleased nod, I enter the ORC and make my way up the steps to the third floor. As I do, I can already feel a powerful presence inside of the room, almost blanketing the weaker presence of Rias and her Peerage.
Based on the cold tingle that the presence gives off, I can take a guess as to who it could be.
Raising my hand, I knock politely on the closed door to announce my presence, waiting a moment before opening it and stepping inside. The interior is the exact same as before, most dark with lit candles acting as the main sources of light, and Victorian-style furniture where Kiba and Koneko are sitting.
To the right, I notice Rias and Akeno standing next to the lone desk in the room, warm smiles on their faces as Rias greets me. "Good Morning, Sora!"
- Moments Earlier -
-Grayfia Lucifuge -
She isn't sure how to feel about Rias's apparent trust in this stranger, this…Sora Sakai, who had seemingly come out of nowhere.
That wasn't to say he had just appeared, the reports she read indicated Sora was a normal, everyday orphaned teen living in his family's compound that has been part of Japan for centuries. Nothing came up in the reports about him or his family ever interacting with the supernatural world.
While she felt for him, as she too is an orphan, Grayfia couldn't shake the feeling that something odd was going on. A feeling shared by her husband, who was entirely too protective of Rias -in her opinion- and was even now likely combing through the boy's life to find any peculiarities.
According to Rias, the boy was growing stronger at a phenomenal rate. A rate which could be attributed to his Sacred Gear…if it had been a Longinus. The growth rates between Regular-Type Sacred Gears and Longinus-Type Sacred Gears were remarkably different and well documented, and his awakening of a Longinus could explain it.
Which meant she couldn't rule out the possibility that this Sora's Blade Blacksmith could either be a new Longinus-Type, or one that is already known but in a new Sub-Species form.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Before she could continue her thoughts, Grayfia's -and everyone else's- attention shifts to the door at the sound of someone's knuckles rapping against the frame. There is a slight pause before it swings open, giving her the first real look at the young teen in question.
'He's handsome for a child his age,' she thinks. Taking in Sora's pleasant face with neatly groomed short white hair, and uniquely gold eyes that seem to catch the light of the candles within the room. The way in which he walks into the room was entirely too calm, likely due to not knowing the reality of what he was about to face. A mistake that could prove costly. For him and for Rias.
After all, there's a reason why the whole of the Underworld respects the House of Phenex's powers. 'He'll learn soon enough…and yet he must prevail. Lady Rias's future depends on it.'
What surprises her about the boy is the amount of power she can feel coming from him. According to what she knew, he was supposedly even weaker than Rias and Akeno before the allotted ten days of preparation. But now, he's giving off enough power to potentially match that of Riser's. 'Remarkable…'
On her left, Rias calls out in greeting, "Good Morning, Sora!"
Seeing the smiles on Rias and Akeno's faces, Grayfia has to resist the urge to sigh out loud as she realizes that the two girls are undoubtably attracted to the boy. 'Lord Lucifer isn't going to like this.'
Truly, her sis-con of a King-slash-Husband was the very definition of an overprotective older brother, and will not like finding out that his little sister has a crush on her mysterious new savior. Perhaps…if the boy actually defeats Riser and ends the marriage contract, she might just withhold that small bit of information from Sirzechs.
It would be her way of thanking Sora for his efforts…should he succeed.
-Sora Sakai -
"Good Morning." I reply, my eyes almost immediately shifting from them to the older woman standing a few feet away. I knew who she was the minute I saw her, with braided silver hair matching particularly eye-catching silver eyes. And I don't think it even needs to be said what my opinion is of her ridiculously curvy body wrapped in a blue-and-white maid's outfit. The material practically straining against a bust that rivals -and potentially surpasses- Rias's own.
First Impression:
+8 Affection with Grayfia Lucifuge… Affection: 8 | Obedience: 0
The curious look in her eye tells me she can sense that I've gotten stronger than I was before; likely basing it on what Rias and Akeno told her -or Sirzechs- about me. Before the ten days, I was obviously no match for Riser or even Rias. But now?
Sora Sakai - Level 75 [2%]
Human - Sacred Gear User
Now I'm above Rias and her entire peerage in terms of level. I don't know exactly what level Riser is, but I took every precaution I could and grinded out as many levels as time allowed before coming here.
Glancing at Rias and Akeno for a moment, I double-check that their levels haven't gone up.
Rias Gremory - Level 57 - Princess of Destruction
Devil - High Class
Affection: 47 | Obedience: 0
…
Akeno Himejima - Level 41 - Priestess of Thunder
Devil - Middle Class
Affection: 51 | Obedience: 0
Nope, still the same. Those Affection scores will come in handy in the future, I just know it. Even if it means having to deal with Rias's…less than stellar personality.
Their levels aren't that surprising; with them not needing to go on a training trip. It's possible I could do something to help them out…but I'm still iffy on getting any more involved with the Devils than I am. I've already pushed back my unenrollment from Kuoh Academy to help Rias out, and with what I've got planned for fighting Riser, I know there'll be more eyes on me.
At the thought of eyes on me, I notice that Grayfia is still staring at me -as is everyone else- but now with a calculating look. Likely sizing me up to Riser and his Peerage's level. Which makes me question just how strong she is. '[Observe].'
[Observe] (Active) - Lvl. MAX
Grayfia Lucifuge - Level 227 - Queen of Annihilation
Devil - Satan Class
Affection: 8 | Obedience: 0
Thoughts: Surprise, Confusion
Well damn, she's almost four times Rias and Akeno's levels. That's pretty impressive, especially when you take into account that only describes how powerful she is, not the centuries of experience she's gained in controlling her powers. And to think Serafall is even stronger than her, let alone Sirzechs…crazy.
And yeah, [Observe] is now MAXed out.
That was the easiest of all my skills to get completed, and it came with a nifty little bonus too.
[Artificer's Workshop]
Reach MAX level with a Skill that isn't automatically MAXed.
Adds an Artificer's Workshop building.
The stuff I've been making up until now with my Artificer Profession has been limited by not having an actual workshop to use. I've been stuck with just this little magic circle as my way of enchanting things, and that as it turns out is the most basic of beginner equipment for an Artificer.
Now, with an actual workshop that created a fourth building in the backyard -and subsequently causing the garden and outer walls to expand once again-, I've learned how to do some pretty cool things with my Profession.
[Profession: Artificer] - Lvl. 63 (Adept)
Enchant and Imbue objects with unique abilities.
Once the workshop was added, the Dungeons began dropping more items from the Skeletons, Zombies, and the newly unlocked Human levels. Giving me the option to do more than just enchant things with elemental damage.
Which helps out a lot considering my leveling with Artificer dropped to practically nothing after a while of enchanting [Rusted Swords].
It felt like I was playing World of Warcraft again; being able to use Copper Ore to get Mining and Blacksmithing up a shit ton of levels, only for it to become immediately useless the second I reached a certain point.
"You must be Sora Sakai." Grayfia's voice draws me away from my internal rambling, "My name is Grayfia Lucifuge, Queen of Lord Lucifer, and the one who will be presiding over your Rating Game against Lord Riser Phenex as an impartial judge." At the end of her statement, she gives me a respectful bow.
As she straightens up, I return the bow as best I can. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Lucifuge."
"As a servant of Lord Lucifer, you need not address me as a Lady." Grayfia replies with a small shake of her head. "For your willingness to help my Lord's sister, you may address me as Miss Grayfia."
Adding on to Grayfia's introduction, Rias steps closer to me as she speaks. "Grayfia is both my older brother's Queen, and my sister-in-law. Because my brother is the Head of Internal Affairs, our families thought it would be best if Grayfia took over judging the Rating Game instead of him…to help keep things fair."
"I see." I reply, posing my next question to Grayfia as I smile briefly at Rias in thanks even if I already guessed that. "Is there anything I should know about this Rating Game beforehand, Miss Grayfia?"
"Indeed." She nods. "This Rating Game has been calibrated to include you in the Retirement System, which will activate once you are teleported into the arena. Should you suffer a wound that renders you unable to continue, you will be safely removed from the Rating Game and transported to the medical wing for immediate treatment."
"Sounds good." I respond. At least I don't have to worry about getting killed or holding back anything to keep from killing someone on accident. "So, when does it start?"
"In a few moments. Please take this," Grayfia pulls a small piece of paper from…somewhere, and hands it to me. Glancing down at it, the only thing there is a magic circle that will likely act as a teleportation catalyst. Kind of like the ones that Rias and other Devils pass out to people for potential clients. "When the Rating Game begins, that will activate and teleport you straight into the arena."
"Thank you." I turn away from Grayfia now that she seems to be finished speaking with me, and chuckle slightly at the look on Rias's face as she stands a foot away from me with a smirking Akeno over her shoulder. "What?"
"N-Nothing." She stutters, playfully glaring at Akeno as she giggles at her King. "I-I just wanted to thank you again for doing this. Do you have everything you need, is there anything I can do to help?"
Pretending to think about it for a moment, I shrug my shoulders with a smile. "Cheer for me maybe? I've got everything else I need to take this Riser guy on, but I wouldn't mind the support."
"H-Hai!" Rias blushes, nodding in determination as she takes my request far more seriously than I intended. Behind her, Akeno gives her own nod as well, though it's kind of hard to tell with her still laughing quietly at Rias's expression.
+4 Affection with Rias Gremory … Affection: 51 | Obedience: 0
Rias Affection [50] - Perk Unlocked:
[Devilish Desire] (Perk)
Increased Affection and Obedience with all Devils.
Nice. Now that I'm a higher level than her, the [Powers Pull] perk is taking effect. And a new Perk for getting her Affection to 50 too. The number of bonuses to Affection and Obedience is getting crazy, though they're mostly centered around women, so I need to be careful about the lower scores I'll undoubtably get with men.
Suddenly the paper in my hand lights up brilliantly, bathing the room in light as a magic circle forms underneath my feet.
Guess that means it's game time.
Looking back at Rias, I try to ease the worried expression on her face. "I'll see you all soon, yeah? We'll need to find some way of celebrating the end of your engagement after all."
That does the trick in wiping away her worry, causing a beautiful smile to bloom on her and Akeno's faces. "Hai!" "Hai!"
Glancing at Grayfia, the silver-haired maid gives me a single nod of encouragement which I return before the circle lights up, blinding me momentarily as the ORC disappears from sight.
- Rating Game -
When the light finally dies down, I wait a moment for my eyes to get adjusted before taking in the new surroundings that are vastly different from the ORC.
Instead of a replica of the ORC and Kuoh Academy grounds like in the anime, this time the area is a rocky wasteland with some hills and rock formations of various sizes. The purple sky above leads me to believe that they must have just made this into a replica of some area in the Underworld.
A little ways ahead of me, I can barely make out a group of people facing my direction. The fifteen girls -and isn't that a ridiculous number?- all stand around a single male with bright blond hair. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that's Riser, especially when he's wearing the same burgundy suit with a half-unbuttoned white shirt underneath that he was in the anime…who even wears burgundy?
Before anything can happen, Grayfia's indifferent voice echoes across the clearing. "Welcome, everyone. My name is Grayfia Lucifuge, as Queen of Lord Lucifer I shall be acting as the impartial judge of today's Rating Game. The opponents for this match are Lord Riser Phenex and his Peerage, against Lady Rias Gremory's pact magician, Sora Sakai."
I can practically feel more than just Riser and his Peerage's eyes on me at the introduction, undoubtably coming from the spectators for the match.
"This match has been chosen to take place in a copy of an empty landscape in the Underworld, to provide both sides an equal playing field." Called it! "As such, the rules of this Rating Game are simple: the first side to defeat the enemy team by forfeit or removal through the Recovery System, will be the winner. Should either Sora Sakai or Lord Riser Phenex surrender, then the game is automatically concluded."
In other words, I've got to take out either defeat Riser and his whole Peerage, or force him to surrender.
That's fine, I already know what I'm going to do, and that fits in perfectly with my plan.
"With that," Grayfia's voice announces, "Let the Rating Game…Begin!"
- Observation Room -
Inside of a Rating Game Observation Room in the Underworld, several young Devils could be seen gathering together to converse over the large screen surrounded by smaller screens on the far side of the room. The main screen, almost the size of the entire wall, showing an overhead view of the Rating Game, while the smaller screens around it zoom in on each individual participant.
As Rias leads her Peerage into the room, she spots Sona and her Peerage standing off to the side by a table filled with drinks. "Sona! I didn't know you'd be here."
Turning towards her friend and fellow King, Sona pushes up her glances back into place as she replies. "I was curious to see what Sakai is capable of, and if the rumors about his exceptional growth were true." Raising an eyebrow, she gives Rias a knowing look. "I hear that you tried to get him into you Peerage, only to form a pact with him instead."
Blushing slightly at the memory of that day, Rias nods. "H-Hai…Sora was determined on not being reincarnated as a Devil. But he was kind enough to still here me out, and offered another way to support me that worked for us both."
"Really?" Sona asks, "I've never known you to back down from something that you want. I'm surprised you didn't try pressing the issue, especially for a Sacred Gear user at that."
"And normally I would," Rias agrees wholeheartedly. She is a Devil after all, and power certainly wasn't something their kind passed up on just because someone got a little stubborn. "But you know how big of a deal this is to me, and I didn't want to try and force him into something when he's already doing so much for me. Besides, there's always a possibility he might change his mind in the future."
Sona reluctantly agreed with her on that while holding her tongue about her true thoughts. It would have been better in her opinion to get Sakai into a Peerage as soon as possible, but she also understands how badly Rias wants out of her marriage contract to Riser, so she can sympathize with her decision.
And it gave her a chance to feel out Sakai herself, and see if he might be willing to join her Peerage instead. Her and Rias's original agreement states that they can't interfere in the other's first attempt to recruit a new member to their Peerage; after that, it became open season for either of them to make their own attempts.
"Nonetheless, I'm interested to see just what he can do for you to have such confidence in him." Sona states.
"As are we…"
Sona and Rias both turn to the newcomer, only for their eyes to widen in shock as they hastily bow their heads. "L-Lord B-Beelzebub, Lord Lucifer!"
Laughing heartily, the crimson-haired man -who looks like a male version of Rias's older twin- waves off their bowing with a smile. "Hahaha! There's no need to bow your heads ladies, especially not from my little Rias-tan!"
"O-Older Brother!" Rias half groans, half exasperatedly complains.
"Sorry, sorry." Sirzechs apologizes unrepentantly, placing a hand on his fellow Satan's shoulder as the green-haired Ajuka ignores their conversation to focus on the Rating Game screens. "Ajuka here was curious to see if the rumors about this Sora's strength were true, and to get a closer look at his Sacred Gear."
Turning his gaze to the screens, he adds. "I have to admit, I myself am quite curious about the same thing."
"Yes," Ajuka mutters, his eyes fixed on the image of a white-haired teen on one of the screens. "From what I can tell, he seems to be around a High-Class Devil in terms of strength; possibly even matching that of the Phenex's own…"
Glancing at Rias and Sona from the corner of his eye, he asks, "And you say that he was even weaker than you a mere ten days ago?"
"H-Hai!" Rias nods, with Sona adding her own nod in confirmation.
"Interesting…" Ajuka utters, falling silent as Grayfia's voice fills in through the speakers around the room, drawing everyone's attention to the observation screens as the match begins.
-Sora Sakai -
I don't know what I expected after Grayfia announced the start of the match, probably an immediate attack by Riser or one of his Peerage, maybe even a massive fireball or something.
Instead, he and his group nonchalantly walk closer to me until we're close enough to speak casually. '[Observe].'
Riser Phenex - Level 77 - Son of House Phenex
Devil - High Class
Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0
Thoughts: Humor, Indifference
"So you're who my fiancé sent to challenge me?" Riser asks in bemusement, "Rias must truly be desperate if she has to resort to hiding behind a simple magician in order to fight the great Riser Phenex."
First Impression:
+5 Affection with Riser Phenex… Affection: 5 | Obedience: 0
D-Did he seriously just refer to himself in third person?
"Though, Riser can't say he's surprised by her decision. After all, not many are foolish enough to take on the immortal flames of the Phenex." Riser finishes his statement with a boastful laugh, echoed by the laughter of the girls around him.
Next to him, the small blonde-haired girl that's obviously his sister laughs just as loudly as Riser, causing my eye to twitch at how annoying their voices are. I'm not sure if it's because of their relation to actual phoenixes, or if it's just them in particular, but their laughter as an almost shrieking bird-like quality to it that grates on my nerves.
"HAH! How much did she offer you in return for fighting Riser?" He grins. "Was it riches? Power? Herself, maybe? Whatever the reward, Riser promises you that it is not worth the humiliating defeat you are about to face."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh loudly as I interrupt his monologuing, "Could you just…like…shut the fuck up already?" Seriously, his obnoxious voice and ridiculous third-person way of talking is starting to get old fast.
-5 Affection with Riser Phenex… Affection: 0 | Obedience: 0
All laughter immediately ceases at my statement. The air practically going still as they stare back at me in shock for a moment before Riser growls out, "What did you just say?"
You know what, fuck this. I'm not waiting around to banter with him. I'm just going to lose more brain cells doing so. 'Gaia, are you ready?'
Yep!
Ready when you are! :)
'Perfect. Let's get this over with.' I think closing my eyes momentarily as I mentally call out, '[Sacred Gear: Innovate Clear]!'
Leveled Up - Skill:
[Sacred Gear: Innovate Clear] (Legendary) - Lvl. 27 (Apprentice)
Activating my Innovate Clear, I watch passively as the ground underneath my feet turns into hexagonal pixels that quickly spread out across the ground, covering the barren landscape with a glass-like layer that continues expanding until it passes Riser and his Peerage.
Once it reaches far enough, the pixels begin shooting up into the air, quickly forming a glass-like dome around us. Moments later, the hexagonal dome is complete, and the landscape quickly blurs until we're now standing on a flat grass field, with a clear blue sky and bright sun shining down on us.
"W-What…?" Riser stutters, his wide eyes swerving back and forth as he tries to make sense of what just happened. "What did you do? Where are we?!"
Glancing around with a satisfied look I reply, "Oh you know…just thought I'd take us somewhere more appealing." I shrug, smirking at the befuddled expressions on his Peerage's faces as they hesitantly step around on the grass, surprising them even more at the life-like texture and response it gives to their movements. "I figure this is a nicer setting to hold our little match."
+7 Obedience with Riser Phenex… Affection: 0 | Obedience: 7
'Really nice work Gaia.'
Thanks!
Really, she did absolutely amazing work. The grass sounds and feels completely realistic, and I can even feel the heat from the sun overhead warming my skin.
To explain what's going on, you have to understand just what my [Innovate Clear] does. It creates an ideal world within a small dimension that lets me create any surroundings I wish.
The only issue with it is that you have to accurately picture what you want to create for your surroundings, including the smaller detains like the sound and movement of grass, the feel of wind blowing through the area, and even the amount of light and warmth coming from the sun.
All that put together makes for a fairly complex problem, that instantly became ten times easier by realizing a single fact.
Since Gaia is linked to me by the Gamer System, and the Gamer System is how I have [Innovate Clear], she can take over creating the dimension for me and handle all the little details that come with it.
Was it cheating? Absolutely…. Did I care? Fuck. No.
And this is just the opening act.
Time to level the playing field a little bit. '[Summon: Oni], [Summon: Komainu]!'
As thirty golden magic circles -fifteen of each- appear around me, I can't resist chuckling at just how ridiculous this fight is about to become. And for good reason too…
[Class: Summoner] - Lvl. 70 (Adept)
With my Class now all the way up to Level 70, the amount of summons I can bring to the field is astronomical.
My Spirits alone now number 350! Add on another 70 Servants, 35 Oni, and 35 Komainu. That's a total of 490 Summons!
And I'm still not done.
'[Summon: Shinshoku], [Summon: Miko].' As my Oni and Komainu take their places around me, I smile as two new magic circles appear in front of me.
Out of them, comes a single summon of each type.
The Shinshoku are entirely male Summons, dressed in black robes similar to my own kimono, and wearing a silver kitsune mask that covers their entire face. The Miko on the other hand, are entirely female versions of the Shinshoku, with the same silver kitsune masks on their faces.
These two in particular though, are adorned with golden accents on their robes, showing that I've already used [Promotion] on them to turn them into Guardians. Curiously, their masks didn't recede like the others to reveal their faces. And they aren't able to communicate either beyond simple gestures.
Where they truly differ though, is in what they can do. And it's precisely why I feel that I only need to summon 1 of each type for this fight.
[Summon: Shinshoku] (Active) - Lvl. 34 (Apprentice)
Summons robed humanoid priests that wield Defensive Magic.
Able to summon +1 per every 10 Summoner Class levels
[Summon: Miko] (Active) - Lvl. 34 (Apprentice)
Summons robed humanoid priestesses that wield Healing Magic.
Able to summon +1 per every 10 Summoner Class levels
My other Summons up to this point have all been fighting types, but now I've finally got two support types to back me up.
One that can create barriers to protect against damage, and the other that can heal any damage as long as it's not fatal or is a severed limb.
It's complete overkill to have everything summoned all at once, and I've left out my Servants since they're not the best fighters when compared to my Oni, who have their Touki to act as a shield against the Devils attacks. I'm mostly just curious at this point to see how they stack up against actual Devils who have fought in previous Rating Games.
"I hope you don't mind; I brought a couple friends to help me out. A 16-on-1 fight wasn't exactly fair, you know." I tease with a knowing grin, watching as Riser tries to determine whether he wants to glare at me or stare at my Summons in shock.
"These are my trusty summons that I like to add to this little dimension I've created around us. I like to style myself as a bit of a summoner in video games, and thought this was appropriate."
Over my shoulder, I can hear Ichi and Juuichi laughing softly at my comments, though Juuichi's comes out as more of a growl with how excited she is to fight.
+3 Obedience with Riser Phenex… Affection: 0 | Obedience: 10
Finally, Riser seems to collect himself enough to glare angrily at me as small trails of smoke begin to rise from his skin. "It doesn't matter how many of these things you bring out. They, like you, will all fall before Riser's flames."
His power begins climbing as soon as he finishes, signaling his Peerage to do the same. Some pull out swords, staffs, and even a pair of chainsaws as they get ready to fight.
Shrugging uncaringly at the power being directed towards me, I pull out my [Golden Mask] that's been sitting in my Inventory for weeks now. Placing the mask over my face, my voice still comes out crystal clear as I reply. "We'll see about that…"
- Observation Room -
"Is that Annihilation Maker?!" Sona gasps, staring wide-eyed at the dozens of mask-wearing summons that Sora had just created. Around her, everyone else is thinking the same thing until Ajuka spoke up.
"No, that isn't Annihilation Maker." He replies, drawing everyone's attention as he continues to stare at the screen with a calculating look. "If I'm not mistaken, that's another Longinus-Tier Sacred Gear called Innovate Clear. Otherwise known as the Miniature Garden of the Green Tree of Innovation."
There were a few, mainly Sirzechs and Sona, who recognized the name. But the rest of the younger generation continued to stare at him in confusion.
"Which one is that, Lord Beelzebub?" Rias asks, her eyes darting between Ajuka and the screen.
"It's one of the least common Longinus to make an appearance in our world. Typically, it's wielders tend to stay withdrawn from the supernatural world, something which Innovate Clear excels at." He explains. "Innovate Clear allows its wielder to create a separate dimension similar to Dimension Lost, only as an ideal world in which the wielder can create near-perfect imitations of living beings."
Motioning towards the screen he adds, "These 'Summons' that Sakai has created are an example of such an ability. One which is similar in many aspects to Annihilation Maker, though his creations are weaker than that other Longinus' creations and cannot be summoned outside of the dimension Innovate Clear creates."
Hesitantly, Tsubaki speaks up. "F-Forgive me for interrupting you, Lord Beelzebub. But I could swear that I've seen these 'Summons' walking around Kuoh."
At her words Sona, Rias, and Akeno all nod their heads. They had seen similarly dressed individuals with masks walking around Kuoh from time to time, usually carrying bags of groceries or purchasing building supplies.
Instead of outright dismissing her claim, Ajuka hums in thought as he tilts his head from side to side. "It's possible…that Sakai's is a Sub-Species which allows him to create his 'Summons' outside of the separate dimension. There have been more than a few Sacred Gears which develop unique abilities beyond what is believed to be standard."
"The real question is, how strong are they compared to Phenex's Peerage? And will they be enough to help him get past Phenex's regeneration?" After posing the question Ajuka falls silent, causing everyone to break off into small groups and chat quietly with each other. All of them asking each other the same questions Ajuka posed.
Was it enough to defeat Riser?
Slightly separate from the others, Rias and Akeno glance at each other with little smiles. Both believing Sora knew what he was doing, and trusting in him to pull off the impossible and save Rias from her engagement.
'Come on, Sora…Prove that my faith in you hasn't been misplaced.' Rias thinks to herself, her eyes fixed on the screen showing Sora's confident face before it's covered by the golden mask. 'I know you can do this.'
'Ufufufu, who would have thought Sora would be hiding something like this?' Akeno muses, 'I wonder what else he can create in those little dimensions of his? And do any of them include leather?' After all, she had to think of some way to repay him for everything he was doing to save Rias.
Maybe she'd even let him be the S to her M?
'Ooooh, now there's a thought!' She giggles to herself, fantasies involving both of them taking turns being tied up filling her head as she stares at Sora's kimono-clan body lustfully while licking her lips.
-Sora Sakai -
+9 Affection with Rias Gremory … Affection: 60 | Obedience: 0
+10 Affection with Akeno Himejima … Affection: 61 | Obedience: 0
Really not important right now, Game. Got bigger things going on.
"Juuichi…" I call over my shoulder, getting the wild-looking Oni's attention as I keep my eyes fixed on Riser. "I trust you can handle things from here?"
Juuichi steps forward with her Komainu partner Growl, the tall muscular woman slamming her fists together as she replies. "I've got it from here Master, don't ya worry!"
Glancing at her and Growl, I take a second to double-check their levels before using [Observe] to see what kind of threat Riser's Peerage is.
Juuichi (Guardian - Oni) - Level 65
Growl (Guardian - Komainu) - Level 65
…
Yubelluna - Level 44 - Bomb Queen
Ravel Phenex - Level 30 - Daughter of House Phenex
Oh yeah, they'll be fine. I can't imagine anyone other than Riser's Queen being able to stand up to them. And his sister is only a problem because of her regeneration, which we've already planned for.
"Then I leave everything in your capable hands." I take a step back, allowing her to take over directing the Summons. "Remember! Have fun, but not too much fun, okay?"
"Hai!"
-Riser Phenex -
Glaring at his opponent who looks entirely too calm for his liking, Riser barks out to his Peerage. "Don't hold back, any of you. I want you all to crush them thoroughly and shatter their foolish confidence."
Receiving affirmatives from his girls, Riser motions for his sister Ravel to take over. Seeing his nod, the short blonde with drills orders, "Xuelan…take Mira, Ile, and Nel with you. See what you can do about these 'Summons' of his."
"Hai!" The Chun-Li look-alike replies, leading the two girls with chainsaws and the one with a staff away from the group.
"While they do that, I want Ni, Li, Shuriya, Marion, and Burent to attack their flank. See if you can't find a hole through their defenses." She continues, motioning to the twin catgirls, the two maids, and the bikini-clad girl. "If he's hiding behind these summons, then it stands to reason that the magician likely isn't all that strong himself."
-Juuichi -
"Che, as if any of these weaklings could give me a real fight." Juuichi scoffs.
Seeing Riser's Peerage making ready to attack, Juuichi orders the other Oni to get ready, their black tattoos flaring to life as her red ones do the same.
Noticing some of the opponents coming directly towards her while the others move around to the left, she turns to Growl. "Go play with the maids and the catgirls, I've got the ones in front." Without needing to see Growl leadings the Komainu away, Juuichi steps forward with her fists in the air as the first group comes closer.
"So…you little girls want to fight, huh? Then let's see what you got!"
- Observation Room -
"They are remarkably life-like." Sirzechs observes in both of his eyebrows raised. "To think that Innovate Clear could create such detailed beings with their own personalities is impressive."
Turning to Ajuka he asks, "Will the Recovery System still work with them in there?"
"It will." Ajuka replies immediately, "The dimension created by Innovate Clear still exists with the Rating Game's dimension, meaning that all those in there are still subject to it. Though it won't work on Sakai's summons, with them having not been calibrated into it."
"I see…"
Behind them, they overhear Rias and Sona having a heated argument.
"I thought you said he had Blade Blacksmith?" Sona accuses Rias with a stern glare on her face.
"He does!" She replies.
"Then how do you explain his Innovate Clear?" Sona presses, demanding answers from her fellow King for what she perceives to be Rias withholding information from her. Important information that would have affected her lack of efforts to recruit Sora earlier on. "Because that doesn't look like Blade Blacksmith!"
Butting in to their argument Sirzechs adds, "Your report did state that Sora has Blade Blacksmith as his Sacred Gear, Rias."
"I-I did, and he does!" She exclaims vehemently, frowning at what seems to be her brother and bestfriend ganging up on her. "He created a Holy Sword right in front of us, just like Kiba does with his Sword Birth."
"Holy Swords!" Kiba chimes in, the words immediately cause a spike of anger in him as he turns to the screen of Sora, his power beginning to fluctuate and leak out him for the others to feel. A dark look passes over his face.
Seeing things were starting to spiral out of control, and wanting to stand up for her King, Akeno poses a thought to the group. "Maybe he has two Sacred Gears, then."
Blinking, Sona turns to Ajuka. "Is such a thing possible, Lord Beelzebub?"
"It is…" He replies, thinking to himself as a hand cups his chin. "But the odds of it happening are so low, that it would be considered a miracle in and of itself. Let alone the fact that one of them is a Longinus as well…"
That got everyone muttering again, questions of how it could happen and what it meant drowning out the sounds of battle coming from the speakers.
As Rias turns to give Akeno a grateful smile, she misses the dark look sent her way by Kiba. His hands clenching and unclenching at the thought of her hiding Sora's Holy Swords from him.
-Sora Sakai -
-20 Affection with Yuuto Kiba… Affection: -10 | Obedience: 0
I'm going to take a wild fucking guess and say that he just found out about my [Blade Blacksmith].
His whole 'I must destroy Holy Swords!' is going to be such a pain in the ass to deal with from here on out. Relations with Rias and her Peerage have generally been positive until now, and getting into a dispute with her Knight will definitely put a strain on things.
On the plus side, Juuichi is absolutely wiping the floor with Riser's Peerage!
-Juuichi -
BOOM!
"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" She roars, cratering the ground with her fist as she sends the two small girls with green hair and chainsaws flying. "COME ON! Y'ALL CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS!"
Shifting her body to the side, she dodges a foot covered in flames, lashing out with a strong backhand that sends Xuelan crashing into Mira and breaking the girl's staff.
Overhead, the wild-looking woman shakes her head in disappointment as she hears a voice announce. "Two of Riser Phenex's Pawns have been Eliminated."
"Che, this is more boring than I thought it was going to be." Juuichi grunts, rolling her shoulders and cracking her knuckles as she watches the other two slowly get up. "Shoulda just let Ichi handle this instead. Bet she's at home relaxing right now, kicking her feet up on the couch laughin."
Huffing, she raises an open palm to catch Xuelan's flaming fist. The fire doing absolutely nothing to her Touki-covered hand as she squeezes, feeling the bones crack underneath her grip.
"AAAAAHHH!" Xuelan screams, feeling her hand get crush by the massive woman's insane strength.
Sighing, Juuichi pulls the hand to the side, opening up Xuelan's guard and aiming her other fist at the girl's face. "Know when you're beat girlie."
BOOM!
The strength behind her punch creates a ripple of air as she shattered the girl's nose, immediately causing her to disperse into motes of light as the Recovery System saves her from a brutal death of shards of bone flying into her brain.
"Riser Phenex's Rook has been Eliminated."
"Hmm?" Juuichi blinks before raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Wasn't there supposed to be another one?" Looking around, she eventually spots the small girl clutching her broken staff on her knees, shaking like a leaf as she stares up at Juuichi in terror.
Deciding to have a bit of fun, she steps closer to Mira, each one of her steps causing the small girl to flinch at the sound.
When she's close enough that she towers over the girl, Juuichi bends over at the waist, unintentionally allowing Mira a clear view down her massive cleavage that's barely contained within her sleeveless suit top.
Waiting until the girl's terrified eyes make contact with her own black orbs behind her red Oni mask, Juuichi grins ferally. "Boo."
"EEEEEEEK!"
THUD!
"Riser Phenex's Pawn has been Eliminated."
"Hahahaha!"
-Sora Sakai -
At least she's having fun.
I could tell the moment she began fighting them that they wouldn't be enough to keep Juuichi interested. That girl packs some serious muscle, and outside of Riser sending all of his Peerage at her at once, there was very little to challenge her.
Turning away from Juuichi's laughing form, I check on Growl and the other Komainu's progress with the ones sent to attack our flank. Only to feel a massive sweatdrop form on the back of my head as I watch him pounce on top of bikini-wearing girl, his massive fangs tearing into her skin thanks to the lack of protection from her clothing.
Honestly, who wears a bikini into a battle?
The other two, the pair of maids, do a little better than their friend. They've obviously never faced a group of Komainu before, but their ability to wield Fire Magic helps give them an advantage.
"Marion, watch out!" One of the maids, Burent, calls out to the other in warning. Unfortunately, there's little she can do but watch on as a Komainu jumps at her friend from behind, its claws digging into her back and shredding through the maid uniform.
"No!" She shouts, turning to save Marion before she is finished off.
Unfortunately for her, the momentary distraction provides an opening for Growl to launch his own attack. His massive red furred body slams into Burent's side, the strength behind it sending her crashing into the ground several feet away.
Moving as one, Growl and the other Komainu calmly prowl up to the downed maids. Bearing their fangs, the two growl warningly at them.
Realizing their situation is hopeless with Marion's back torn to shreds and Burent clutching her side, feeling several broken ribs from the attack, the two promptly surrender.
"Two of Riser Phenex's Pawns have been Eliminated."
Ummm…weren't there six of them?
…or did I count wrong?
'No, you didn't count wrong. There should be two more of them…where-?'
Blinking, I rub my palms into my eyes to check that I'm not seeing things. 'Nope, still there.'
The two catgirls of Riser's Peerage, instead of fighting their way through the Komainu, were…huddled together and hissing at them. My Summons apparently find their actions hilarious, and are playfully growling at them, causing one of the catgirls to reflexively hiss in return. 'I…o-kay~?'
Awww~!
They're making friends :)
I…I can't. "Growl!"
Hearing my call, Growl turns his massive red-furred head towards me.
Motioning to the ridiculous sight, he also stares at it for a moment before giving an animal-like huff, finding it just as odd as I do.
In a manner similar to how Juuichi acts when she gets mad, Growl practically stomps his way over to the other Komainu. As he gets close, they turn to him in confusion, only to immediately bow with their front-side to the ground as he makes a series of huffs, growls, and head motions.
After getting the equivalent of a verbal shouting, they finally stop playing with the catgirls and immediately swarm them. The catgirls barely have a chance to put up much of a fight before their overwhelmed by the massive creatures, and soon their disappearing into motes of light.
"Two of Riser Phenex's Pawns have been Eliminated."
And that takes care of the last of his Pawns.
That didn't take long…
'To be fair, what I did basically made them useless.' Because I locked us within [Innovate Clear]'s dimension, the Pawns had no way of getting to the area that was supposed to be my 'Base'.
Which means Riser's going to be bringing out the big guns now to make up for his back-to-back loses.
-Riser Phenex -
"This is ridiculous!" Riser exclaims, the air around him heating up as smoke begins to rise from his skin. "How are we losing?!"
At his side, Ravel shakes her head at his dramatics. "We haven't lost yet, stupid older brother. Calm down before you burn through your clothes…again."
Grunting, Riser does as she says, causing the air to cool itself down as his anger settles.
"Good. Now that you're done having a temper tantrum, we can get back to actually winning with Rating Game." Ravel turns towards the rest of the Peerage. "Isabella, Karlamine, Siris, and Mihae. The four of you are to go and deal with those beasts before they decide to attack us directly."
Nodding, the four set off towards the pack of lion-dogs as Isabella and Siris -Riser's Knights- ignite their swords with fire.
Glancing at the last member of the Peerage, and glaring at the older woman's massive chest, Ravel adds, "Yubelluna…"
The tall, voluptuous, purple-haired woman glances at the shorter Ravel with the one eye not hidden behind her long hair. "Hai?"
"I need you to deal with the other summons." Ravel replies, looking across the field at the wall of muscular fighters in strange Oni masks. "From what I observed, I don't think any of them can fly. So it would be best if you stuck to the skies…"
Instead of moving to follow her orders immediately, Yubelluna turns her lone uncovered eye to Riser in askance. Getting a single nod, she turns back to Ravel with a sigh. "…Very well."
From her back, two devil wings appear as she takes to the sky, moving across the field quickly as she heads directly towards the group of Oni.
Watching her go, Riser turns to Ravel in confusion. "Why didn't you tell the others to fly as well?"
Scowling, Ravel glares at him as she replies, "Because those idiots are too busy playing Knight and talking about fighting honorably to do something like that." Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffs. "Honestly, older brother! You let them get away with far too much sometimes."
Riser feels his hand creep up to rub at the back of his neck as he looks away in embarrassment, unable to deny the truth of his little sister's words.
Okay…maybe he let his girls get away with a few too many things from time to time, but who could blame him! It wasn't easy handling a harem of thirteen girls -his sister obviously excluded-, and it took a lot to keep them all happy.
So, if that meant he let them pretend to be knights, then so what?
Seeing the unrepentant look on his face, Ravel turns away with an annoyed huff. "Stupid older brother."
- Observation Room -
"It looks like things are finally starting to get exciting," Sirzechs states, watching as the four members of Riser's Peerage engage the massive lion-dogs in open combat. Unlike with the first group, these ones actually begin to take out several of the beasts with their flaming swords. "I wonder what Sora will show us this time."
"Indeed." Ajuka nods, "More and more surprises seem to be revealed by him the longer this Rating Game goes on."
Off to the side, the others have gathered together for their own conversation.
"He might actually do it," Sona observes. Her hand coming up to push in her glasses as she watches the battle, a gleam of desire in her eyes as she starts coming up with plans for how she might recruit Sora into her Peerage. "If he can get past Riser's regeneration, that is."
While the fighting was certainly interesting, it didn't change the fact that Riser was still the biggest challenge that Sora had to get through in order to win. After all, Riser hadn't gone undefeated simply because of his Peerage.
"He can do it," Comes Rias's immediate response, her blue eyes not wavering from the screens for a second as she clasps her hands in front of her, silently praying for his victory. "I know he can do it."
Before anyone to comment on her reply, the sound of a massive explosion from the speakers silences the conversation.
BOOOOM!
- END -
Author Notes:
And that's Chapter 12!
Sorry this one took so long to upload, been a bit busy lately with job hunting and interviews. So I made this one a bigger chapter to make up for it.
I've also made some minor changes to the names/descriptions of some items. Nothing that effects the story in any way, it just makes things easier for me.
Hope you all are still liking it so far! Thanks for checking out my story.