Beta read by Shigiya.
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-Underworld-
"I can't believe this! What the hell is he thinking? This is completely irresponsible!"
A fair amount of time had passed since the end of the party, and as expected, both Sona and Rias were not happy at all with the news concerning my unexpected, and forced might I add, participation in the Rating Game. I myself remained quiet the entire time after leaving that place, just focusing on the chessboard in front of me, lost in my own thoughts, wondering just what pushed Sirzechs into taking such a course of action without informing me beforehand.
That man for all his antics never struck me as someone who took whimsical decisions like these just for the heck of it. The title of Lucifer carried weight and under such a mindset would eventually crumble.
So there had to be a reason.
I hope.
On the other hand, Kuroka and Xenovia didn't show any negative reaction to this announcement—quite the opposite, in fact. One was prepared to show the devils what she was truly capable of and how far she had come since her battle against Kokabiel. Constantly polishing her swordsmanship and eagerly swinging Durandal around while the other just commented, "I can't wait to show Shirone how cool her big sister is!"
Fucking siscons. Always making my life harder than it has to be.
I didn't even feel shocked or disappointed at this rate, having grown used to dealing with such eccentric people. These kinds of behaviors had become normal. I was surrounded by a battle maniac with an oversized sense of pride and a siscon. Other than them, there was a bitch who wouldn't hesitate to backstab me or just laze around the entire time, a secretary more adept with seduction than actually fighting.
'Nothing is stopping me from just leaving and going back to the clubroom.' I wasn't kept here against my will and had no contracts binding me to participate.
Meanwhile, a certain crimson-haired otaku seemed more worked up about this whole mess than I was. "Rias, if you keep pacing like that, you'll make a trench in the floor and sprout white hairs from all of the stress. And next thing you know, Koneko will be calling you 'Onee-sama' instead of me."
"This is not the time to make silly jokes, Hachi!" Rias shouted, clearly not in the mood for my little quips. "You are mine! A member of my peerage and even hold my evil pieces within your soul, so why take such a decision!"
"Well, I don't technically have your pieces inside m—"
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Wow, maybe she was part banshee? Even my ears are ringing despite sitting far away. Focusing on the previous comment, why indeed… "Well, unfortunately, I'm not omniscient nor a mind reader, so best to not make hasty conclusions."
I understood her frustration to some degree, she was prepared to go completely full throttle upon this Rating Game and planned to shock the Underworld. After all, Rias's dream was to rank on top of the billboard and be recognized for her merits alone. So to suddenly be faced with such a handicap of having a 'member' of her peerage suddenly turn into an opponent was visibly disheartening.
This, further damning when the person who pushed her in this situation was her brother.
"Just take a moment to breathe and think about this carefully. You know your brother isn't the type to make your life harder than usual without a good reason."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she said with a sour face. "There were many times in the past he never took a stance to help me out when I needed him the most. Don't forget about his stance when it came to Riser!"
Hmm, I waited for her to bring up that point. "Because he is also a Satan just as he is your sibling. He can't always choose your side over the judgment of those around him. He is required to be impartial, and an biased treatment would only give his enemies more ammunition to use against him." At the end of the day, there was always a reason behind such actions, and throwing a tantrum of any kind wouldn't help. So, it was best to just focus and think about this matter carefully.
"Then again, I'm not defending him. I still think Sirzechs is wrong with what he's trying to do."
"Could he have been pushed into making such a decision?" Akeno, who was handing out tea, suggested. The girl herself had her reservations and opinions about this decision but, surprisingly, hadn't said much the entire time.
Knowing her, she definitely hated the idea just as much as Rias. Just like her King, she waited for an opportunity to have me fight side by side for a very long time… something about how it allowed her to keep a better watch on me so that I don't get myself in another near-death situation.
"I doubt it too. While it is true that Sirzechs has to compromise on many things in his position as Lucifer, that still doesn't mean he can be pushed into making such decisions by anyone so easily. The only person who could push him to do so would be the Bael clan or the Gremory house itself. And I highly doubt that the patriarch of the Bael house is in any way, shape, or form interested in me participating." Though I said that, in actuality, part of me believed otherwise.
That old skeleton may as well be planning to make a show out of me. 'He wants to showcase how despite everything accomplished with my name attached wouldn't look that impressive?'
'Even that is unlikely, partner,' Vita spoke from within my mind. The dragon itself held the same amount of confusion as I did over this decision. 'Had you been a human this entire time with growing popularity among your species, then that would have made sense. But you are not exactly a normal human, are you?'
'I'm a mess.'
'Agreed.'
Wow, what a supportive partner… but I couldn't deny it.
While everyone continued to speak, another idea came to my mind, which I voiced out. "What if Sirzechs just doesn't want both of you to fight over me?" I asked, my words leading both Riaz and Sona to stop in their tracks and look at me with confusion. So, I continued to elaborate. "Think about it. In this Rating Game, I can only join one side and not help the other. It's just impossible. If I go with Rias, I'll have to confront Sona's group sooner or later. And let's say, by the end, we win — it will not be fair to Sona. Honestly, it would have been better if I just didn't get involved."
The idea of leaving started to get more and more appealing. The train to the human world left in a few hours… and I had to catch up with my duties as a club president and help out Aika.
"But you're my lover and not hers!" Rias didn't back down, pouting with Akeno agreeing with her. "She should just accept her loss and deal with it."
"You know that I'm right here, right?" Sona's annoyed voice sounded from the back, drinking the tea Akeno served with a twitching eyelid. "And I'd like to add that Hachiman here is also my close ally, so please don't forget about that."
"Easy now, let's not turn this into a catfight," I said, raising my hands in a placating gesture. "I was thinking more about the fallout if word gets out about my... unique situation with Sona's Evil Pieces. Can you imagine the uproar? And trust me, Serafall would be the first to raise hell if her precious little sister lost because of it. For big events like this, it's probably safer if I sit on the sidelines." I jerked my thumb towards Issei, who was blissfully unaware of our conversation as Irina hand-fed him sweets. "Besides, you've got your own ace up your sleeve, don't you?"
"What?"
"Come on, it's not like either of you are hurting for firepower. Sona's got the Red Dragon Emperor in her corner, along with her other Sacred Gear users and Rias, your team's a supernatural all-star lineup. A Senjutsu user, holy lightning wielder, and Excalibur user? Not to mention Kiba's ridiculous Sacred Gear and sword skills. Face it, you two could probably take on half the Underworld young devil peerages without breaking a sweat. Me being a measly dragon king would just be a drop in your overpowered buckets."
"I take offense to that," Vritra grunted out with a hint of resentment. "There's nothing to say a Dragon King can't equal or even surpass an Emperor!"
Then Ddraig decided to join the conversation. "Hooo, quite confident of you to say that, Vritra. Are you perhaps willing to rely on external aid from a Dragon God to bridge the gap between us? Can't blame you, it's the only chance you got at beating me hahaha!"
"Laugh all you want, you overgrown lizard—" I held back my tongue from reminding him that he was technically also a giant lizard… or a snake to be more accurate. "Do not forget my previous host did not need Ophis's help to take down your equal; Albion."
"You have quite the audacity to call that fool my equal."
"Oh, forgive me, I meant you're better. I meant no offense, oh great Dragon Emperor."
The green jewel within the Boosted Gear started to glow brightly, and the previously amused dragon's voice turned bone-chilling cold. "Vritra, you haven't been much to deal with in the past, but it seems that getting yourself this new host has turned you a bit arrogant, and are asking for an ass-kicking."
"Can't say I envy you," replied the Prison Dragon without missing a beat, "arrogance has to be earned, I neither feared you nor Albion in the past. Do not believe that has changed now."
"Humph, of course, you do not know the meaning of fear. Only a lunatic without sanity would wage war against Indra's forces and their leader alone. You may appear wise but you and I are not so different."
"We are beings ruled by our emotions, and I became wise because of my failures."
The two dragons continued to bicker at each other like two crotchety old geezerswhile I and the rest of the club listened. No one intended to intervene for it was rare to have either of these two speak to one other person than their host let alone other dragons. One thing I learned after being with Vritra for a long time was how stubborn the guy was, stubborn to a fault.
"Wait, one of Vritra's past hosts defeated that other white bastard's host!?" Issei exclaimed shocked. I suppose Ddraig never mentioned the story, then again, I myself didn't know much and Vritra himself only brought up bits and pieces.
"Both died in the end, but yeah, that did happen. I don't remember that woman's name, but she reminded me a lot of Tiamat."
"Then what happened to the Boosted Gear host of that time? Didn't you say that in every incarnation, both you and Albion always end up killing one another?"
I mentally gave Issei a thumbs-up for that question.
"Oh, that?" Ddraig's voice took on a somber tone. "Don't get your hopes up, kid. That poor sap wasn't some lucky exception who rode off into the sunset. My host back then? Barely clung to life long enough to watch the other two tear each other apart, before dying from his wounds thanks to that white-scaled bastard. Funny how history keeps repeats itself, eh?"
The weight of those words hung in the air, hinting at a deeper narrative. I couldn't help but wonder - was this clash triggered by the fall of Ddraig's host? Could there have been some connection between my predecessor and Issei's? Friends turned foes, perhaps? Or unwitting pawns in a cosmic game? The possibilities were as intriguing as they were unsettling.
As much as I wanted to delve into that mystery, the present demanded my attention.
"I have no doubt that there's much to learn from the past," I said, my voice steady but still filled with curiosity, "and I'd love nothing more than to hear those stories. But right now, I believe we need to focus on the present. You know, the whole fight both Sona and Rias."
"You're thinking too much, Vritra's host. Just treat it as another sparring opportunity to challenge each other. I won't hide it, but I really believe that going against you will help Issei attain new heights… and it will be fun."
Great, another battle maniac. But what more did I expect from a dragon that had all of his fights end with a death battle.
Saji agreed as well, "I still need to punch you in the face for stealing the Absorption Line from me!"
"Well, I can't say I don't deserve that but I can say it's your fault for not being more compatible, so you have no one to blame but yourself for being lazy. But anyway, your brother maybe made me a separate party to be fair to both you and Sona. Another possibility would be for me to just end up as a show of force to the other factions — which I highly doubt, Sairaorg is more than enough for that." At least, this was what I believed and the only explanation that made sense, especially when it came to trying to understand the actions of an eccentric siscon like Sirzechs.
"But it's still not fair!" Unfortunately, Rias still felt wrong. "When was the last time we fought together or participated together in a Rating Game? Never. Back then when I faced Riser, you weren't there but instead gave me moral support from the stands. I can tell that had you been there by my side, I would have been much more confident and capable of defeating that guy much sooner! I was looking forward to this event quite a lot." Her mutters echoed within the room, but I couldn't say anything, nor did I attempt to answer her.
"And I made countless plans and tactics to include your powers with my team's dynamic," Sona added, equally as pissed obviously with her Queen comforting her.
"Well, it is what it is. There's not much we can do right now, so for now, focus on your side and we'll see how this goes."
With that said, I left the room, leaving the redhead and the Sitri heiress to deal with their side of the matter.
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After that discussion, my initial plan was to go back to my room and sleep for the day. Maybe watch some DevilTube about that new show Serafall was making with Katarea acting as a villain.
Not by choice of course.
But fate just had to throw that plan right into a wall, especially when I came to a stop at the sight of a familiar white-haired woman sleeping in the corner of the hallway with drool leaking onto the floor.
"Mmmmn… my precious… yearly bonus…salary… come back… don't run away…"
"..."
I didn't even want to know what kind of dream this woman was having with a face like that. Switching between joyful and heartbroken, I half wondered whether or not she was faking it.
"Oi," no reaction, not even so much as a twitch. The woman just kept snoring loudly without a care in the world — I almost envied her peaceful state. But then recalled that she was sleeping in the corner of a castle for some reason, the heavy stench of alcohol just made the entire scene just sad.
"My… money… come back…"
Hoh, rather fond of money? Couldn't blame her, guess being a female warrior who escorts the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla did not save one from the clutches of capitalism.
"Just leave her, partner, this place is heavily protected."
I sighed, "This feels like abandoning some kittens in a box outside."
"Except this kitten is a full-grown tigress. Valkyries are phenomenal warriors both in physical combat and magic. Maybe even around our level or beyond depending on who she is, the name Rossweisse doesn't ring a bell."
There weren't even any maids around I could ask for help. I didn't even know where Odin and his group were living for me to drop her off. And I wasn't in the mood to go the extra mile and investigate just for this stranger who I met today.
So I made up my mind, "Hey, wake up."
With a bit more force, I shook the girl back and forth for a few seconds. My efforts led to some success when she groggily opened her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. "I know the carpet on the floor is high quality and comfortable to the touch, but you shouldn't be sleeping on it."
Seeing her half-opened eyelids where silver eyes stared back at me intently, an uncomfortable sensation settled in as memories of what happened in Gremory manor bath resurfaced. But I immediately slapped myself realizing where my mind started to head when it came to the person.
"I'm spending too much time with Akeno. I'm starting to think like her… or maybe it's Aika's fault. Those two are peas in a pod."
Seriously, what kind of sane person would believe that meeting a drunken person in a corridor led to an intimate conclusion? I was becoming the very kind of perverted individual my past self never approved of!
Hah… in any case…
Slap!
My palm struck the side of her face with enough force to produce a crisp sound, an action that would have left some light reddening on a normal woman but left no trace on this person whatsoever. Her skin alone though soft to the touch, felt like steel from the slap.
How strange.
"M-Mmmn-ah…" Smudges of clarity returned, making me smile in relief.
But that smile soon disappeared with her following words.
"M-My wallet…" she said, almost sounding like asking pitifully about her missing item. "Did you… see it?"
She didn't even react to the slap, most likely feeling like a tap if nothing else.
Despite sounding very slurred, I managed to understand most of it with great effort. Wasn't she searching for Odin yesterday? Just how did this lead her to lose her wallet… my impressions of the Valkyries started to plummet with every passing second. "Sorry, I just found you and nothing else. Have you tried asking some of the maids?"
Her eyes grew further teary as she started to stretch near the edge of crying out loud, this alone gave me the answer to my question. Then she genuinely started to cry despite my best efforts to comfort her, barely audible sniffles growing in volume and threatening to turn into a full-on loud wailing any second. So I panicked and did the first thing that came to my head in order to solve this tricky situation. My hand went to the back of my pants where I retrieved my personal wallet before handing it out to the Valkyrie near her breaking point.
"A-Ah, would you look at what I found beneath the carpet just now? This must be yours!"
Her shaking stopped as I pushed the item over to her, she grasped it so firmly that I feared the thing would tear at any moment.
"Uuuuu, thank you… thank you… I won't go hungry…"
Damn it, she still cried in the end.
Where was the dignified Valkyrie said to guide brave fallen warriors to Valhalla?
The person before me just looked like a miserable office worker tethering at the edge of poverty working for a black company struggling to make ends meet! The very person who in the next moment fell down to the ground with a loud thud, having once more lost consciousness from the excessive drinking.
A silly smile on her face, continuously holding onto my wallet as if it were a lifeline. I couldn't even take it back with how she just tightened her hold on it, further pushing to her chest till it slipped through her buttoned shirt and sunk within her cleavage.
"... Is this a Valkyrie capable of holding their own against an ultimate class devil?"
"It would seem so, partner," even Vritra sounded uncertain… or was it embarrassment?
"I was under the impression that everyone in the supernatural world was loaded."
"That's a gross generalization. Not everyone cares about wealth. Living for many centuries does not mean one will be sitting under a mountain of gold. Remember, those exorcists are not any different from your average human when it comes to wealth."
He had a point, hanging around the three factions made my view on certain things become more twisted. "But this is not just an exorcist, you'd think a Valkyrie would be different."
Shaking my head at this, I made up my mind and approached the woman. My arms went under her legs and back. Gently lifting her up from the ground, making sure I didn't bump her head against the wall or on any of the incredibly expensive furniture.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure she doesn't end up getting converted by a random passing devil snob and accidentally turns into a peerage member by accident. I've seen the kind of people attending this banquet, not the best kind of crowd."
The dragon hummed in agreement, my footsteps echoed in the hallway as I thought about where I could drop her off for the night. I couldn't just open a random door in the hallways and just drop in a random bed without knowing whether someone was going to sleep there later on or not.
{Break}
(Next morning)
(Rossweisse PoV)
"Hmmm," her head buzzed loudly, the after-effect of her drunken state from last night coming back to cause a splitting headache. The hangover was strong enough that she just wanted to block out all light and sound to continue sleeping peacefully in this comfortable bed.
The sensation of her bare skin enveloped by the warmth of the soft blanket made it feel like she was floating in a sea of clouds.
.
.
.
"...?"
Eh?
Wait…
Soft?
Blanket?
Bare skin?
Bit by bit, her senses returned and she noted a few odd points.
First of all, she wasn't wearing her stuffy suit and instead felt the cold morning wind caressing her skin sending a slight shiver up her spine. Secondly, this bed was far too big compared to the small single bed she was given, rather this was clearly a king-sized one!
"Ah!" She hastily pushed herself up, ignoring the headache with her messy hair sprawled everywhere. Her bra barely hangs around her chest about slowly slipping off, the gray suit rolled up into a ball thrown at the edge of the bed along with her pants.
She looked around the place and discovered this wasn't her room!
"What? W-What happened!?"
The distressed Valkyrie jumped out of the bed while clutching the blanket around her figure. She tried to recall what happened last night for her to end up here! "I-I was searching for Odin-sama, t-then someone approached me… ah! It was the Black Dragon King! Yes, he agreed to help me find Odin-sama, I then followed him before everyone's attention was on us…. Then… then he was pulled away by the Gremory heiress and Sitri heiress, then I found those complimentary bottles of wine…"
Wine whose price tag was her entire yearly salary! Given for free to anyone in the banquet she could even take multiple without any limits! "Th-Then I took a few sips just to test the quality while searching the castle then… then… what happened?"
It was at this point that her mind went blank, everything became very blurry after that to the point she didn't even know whether it really happened or it was just her imagination. Focusing, images flashed of a certain person whose face was covered in shadows. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even recall their voice.
A dreadful thought crossed her mind which she quickly dismissed with a firm head shake. "What am I thinking, I would never do something like that even in a drunken st—"
An object fell to the group in the middle of her messy muttering, landing right next to her feet. Her eyes went downwards only to widen with disbelief and horror when she discovered it was a wallet filled with cash that was scattered across the floor.
A large sum enough to make her momentarily green with envy.
"N-No…No… nonono…"
The unfamiliar room, lack of clothing, hazy memories, and wads of bills at her feet, all of this pointed to one outcome alone.
Rossweisse's legs felt like jelly, crumbling onto her knees as she stared at the luxurious ceiling with tears starting to stream down her now pale face.
"WAAAAAAH! I'm sorry grandmother! I SOLD MY BODY TO A STRANGER FOR MONEY!"
Her wails were heard throughout the hallway, scaring some of the passing maids who quickly ran off so as to not get involved with messy matters like these.
…
And so with little life in her eyes, Rossweisse listlessly walked towards the main area where spectators could watch the Rating Game. The mission of finding Odin was now completely at the farthest corner of her mind, she felt hollow.
Only paying half attention to the news of a match that was about to start, and the first one to participate was none other than Rias Gremory's group who would confront the eldest son of the Amon clan; Iolava Amon. A name she did not recognize nor cared to remember, only wishing to find a spot to sit and smash her head a couple of times against the wall.
"I promised to keep my virginity for my one true love… grandmother will kill me."
Useless.
She was so useless!
At the very least her mind should have let her remember the experience of experiencing her first experience! Whether it felt good or not! But there was nothing!
While continuing to curse herself, some of the surrounding Devils spoke amongst themselves about the match. "It's the Gremory group; I bet on them to win given there is nothing standing between them and the king." one of the many people around mentioned.
"I heard she even had a match against the Phenex clan and won."
"You can't be sure about that; it could even be some tall tales. But still, I have to agree with Rias Gremory emerging victorious. The Amon clan's members haven't shown any impressive feats yet"
"Even their second child, according to rumors, is only interested in collecting swords. She even earned the nickname of the weakest devil by her classmates and clansmen."
Rossweisse shook her head the more she listened. Clearly, some people just couldn't help themselves from spewing ransom gossip as if they were facts — she was taught from a young age that underestimating an opponent always led to defeat. Whilst many were focusing on the battle, a certain green-haired individual approached the depressed Valkyrie. Standing tall, she was a beautiful devil with a pale face, vested in rather formal attire that resembled a military suit. Walking in high heels, her steps clicked as she came closer.
Even if in the Valkyrie Academy Rossweisse was considered to be the school's belle, the woman believed she couldn't hold the candle when it came to these devils. Just in a day alone, she met dozens of beauties all surpassing her in terms of looks and temperament.
"Is this seat available? Mind if I sit?" the woman asked, to which Rossweisse nodded silently, keeping my focus on the projection in front of her.
"I believe we met yesterday, my name is Seekvaira Agares, it's a pleasure to meet you once more, lady Rossweisse."
Heheheh… she was called a lady by someone like her. It made a smile grow on her face till it froze when she recalled the term lady wouldn't fit someone who brazenly slept with a stranger drunk in the middle of the night for some money!
Was she that loose when drunk!?
"I am curious about the legendary Red Dragon Emperor, many are anticipating his arrival; and to see just how powerful he is. Unlike the Black Dragon King and White Dragon Emperor, he has hardly shown a similar level of power or mastery over his Sacred Gear in the past."
"I-I see…"
Red Dragon Emperor?
Oh right, the brown-haired boy who kept staring at her chest last night when she greeted the Sitri group. Rossweisse didn't have any strong impression of him and only believed him to be a youngling who still needed time to reach his full potential. She trained under her grandmother's hellish training regiment from the tender age of five and barely managed to pass her test at eighteen.
Surely someone who unlocked a Sacred Gear a few months ago would reach her level.
"I'm not just talking about Hyoudou Issei. Among Rias's peerage are talented individuals who are capable of making a name for themselves within the Underworld easily."
Not to mention, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri themselves weren't weak by any means. Odin and the Valkyries had seen the match between her and Riser Phenex before coming here amongst other things.
Then again, she knew little about the Amon clan heir to make any accurate judgment. But from the impression she got, he wasn't that impressive.
This of course reflected upon the scene in front of me. As soon as both combatants were ready, the Rating Game started. The first one to make a move was surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly, the impatient Iolava Amon, the very same salmon-haired devil who she remembered sided with Zephyrdor last night and who paid the price at the end. The same person ordered his peerage to instantly attack Rias without any plans whatsoever, leading the front line like a general in the middle of a war.
"Foolish! He is just rushing in like a maddened dog," Seekvaira exclaimed, not even surprised at his course of action and only disappointed at best. "He is too arrogant, relying on his family's powers and collection of few Sacred Gears users in his peerage to throw away so haphazardly," she noted her words; that man was no different from an angered bull rushing in as soon as he saw the color red.
A few of his Peerage members indeed possessed Sacred Gears, but nothing too impressive from the looks of it. Some were minor ones, taking the shape of weapons or pieces of armor, each having different functions.
Meanwhile, Iolava covered his entire being with pure demonic energy, taking a dark color before hurling it at the building. A clear move that he believed would result in his victory was severely short-lived, as in the split second a shadow peered outside, slicing the ball of energy into two as it dissipated in the air soon after. Holding Excalibur Mimic in her hand in the form of a katana, Irina just grinned at the face he made.
"Did he not do any research about who was within Rias Gremory's group?" Rossweisse couldn't help but ask quietly, looking at the person next to her, hoping she had an answer.
"Iolava is much simpler than you imagine. His arrogance comes from his parents over-praising him for his talent since birth. Due to family circumstances, he was given more importance after the birth of his sister who failed to live up to expectations. Of course, this ended up getting to his head and he now believes himself to be amongst the top ten devils in our generation. Idiotic fool, he's nothing more than a lackey for Zephyrdor."
Wow, Seekvaira sure had a strong opinion on this fellow. Rossweisse couldn't say anything in return, just focusing on the scene in front which helped her forget about her sin of debauchery from last night.
"Ah, the Gremory group started their counterattack."
After Iolava's attack got cut apart by Irina, the other Knight, and Rook all emerged at the same time and went to deal with the opposing peerage members. Laying waste to their numbers in a matter of seconds.
"Efficient and amazing teamwork."
It was surprising how good they were with so few members in their peerage. Behind the two knights and Rook was where she found Rias herself whose hands glowed a demonic red color with the power of the Bael clan on full display. Iolava did not waste any time and hurled another blast of demonic energy, fully enraged that his Peerage was eliminated so easily.
She looked upwards as if looking at the camera intently and letting out a visible huff.
"Oh my, Rias is not in a good mood, I suppose it has to do with the Black Dragon King not being present in her group." The green-haired devil added, sighing after remembering what happened last night. "Are you familiar with their history?"
"Not much, only bits and pieces from other Valkyries gossiping," Rossweisse admitted with an embarrassed smile. Due to her duties as Odin's bodyguard, the gossip was very limited around her and she only learned about them by pure chance.
"Well, the public believes Hachiman was within her peerage for a long while. But the truth of the matter is that he never truly joined her group nor Sona's. But recently, I heard rumors that this may no longer be the case, but even that I can't confirm given that Sirzechs added him as an independent party."
"Are you… okay saying all of this to me?" While the Norse faction and the devils weren't on bad terms, they could even be considered as allies to some degree while neutral at worst. Still, it felt like she was being told more than necessary.
Seekvaria shrugged, "It's not a secret to begin with, and basic research will give you the answer. I just wanted to put you up to date with the latest news given you are technically part of it."
Ah… right, people misunderstood she was part of Hachiman's group.
"N-No! I'm not part of his group! That would make me a traitor!"
"It's fine, just rumors and anyone with a brain can see what's really going on. Odin is known to be wise, so I suppose you shouldn't be that worried."
Well, she was right. But still!
"Don't worry, let's just focus on the battle."
Well, there wasn't much Iolava could do either way, his constant barrage of spell blasts kept getting devoured by Rias' own spells. Like a small candle getting swallowed by a brazier.
It was almost pitiful to see the scene.
"She is Lucifer's sister, it's not surprising some of his talents were inherited by her."
Tried halted, visibly panicking and trying to retreat — only to have his struck by a bolt of lightning that came from the Queen who floated in the sky with smoke rising from her fingers.
And just like that, his exhaustion slowly started to settle in till Rias just ended his misery by ordering Akeno to summon a holy lighting which instantly shattered any and all struggle put up by the Amon heir, turning him into a stream of light that was transported out of the field before it was too late.
His body disappeared and Grayfia's cold voice sounded across the field.
"Iolava Amon has been eliminated. Winner of the Rating Game, Rias Gremory."
The crowd cheered, Rossweiss also clapping along, amazed by the quick and decisive fight. Not once did the Gremory group show any signs of retreating or losing.
Handling everything expertly.
This kind of atmosphere and jubilance within the audience continued when it was Sona Sitri's turn to participate, this time her opponent being heir to the Paimon clan.
"The Sitri clan, I remember they are experts when it comes to water control." The Valkyrie commented, curious to see what this devil in particular was going to show. "Paimon… I'm not sure what their powers are."
"Similar to the Sitri, but their element is wind. But just like the Amon clan, their house has been on a decline for many years with barely any shining gem emerging from it. "Brena Paimon barely made a name for himself at all in the Underworld, I sometimes forget he existed."
"That's… a bit harsh."
"That's how it is. If you don't have the power then no one will pay you any attention."
As if proving her point, Sona rather than using her entire Peerage like Rias, had instead sent a single Devil to face Paimon.
"The Red Dragon Emperor?"
The young brown-haired boy flew with a giant grin on his face, going so far as to pose in front of the floating eye familiar. "I'll show the world that Kaichou's peerage is the strongest and I'll personally win this tournament even if I have to face that fish-eyed bastard! This is what Ddraig and I were working on!"
The Boosted Gear in his left hand was bathed in an intense emerald light.
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
Each shine from the jewel made the aura around him more tyrannical, if Rias previously was a bone-chilling power that destroyed everything it touched like an all-encompassing raging storm.
Then this boy reminded her of an active volcano.
All of the power gathered at a single point in front of his gauntlet, taking the appearance of a small crimson bead of energy that grew with each [Boost] till it became the size of a basketball.
"Look carefully, Hachiman, I'll win Kaichou's heart with this!"
"Ora!"
[Dragon Shoot!]
With a battle cry, Issei's armored fist slammed forward, unleashing a torrent of power. The battlefield erupted in a dazzling display of emerald and crimson as a massive energy beam tore through the air. It struck Paimon's starting point with devastating force, vaporizing the building and leaving nothing but ash in its wake. The sheer destructive potential of the attack left spectators stunned, a testament to the Red Dragon Emperor's growing strength.
Half of the building disappeared with a circular hole present in the middle and the terrain at the back.
"All of Brena Paimon's pieces have been eliminated including the King himself. Winner of the Rating Game, Sona Sitri."
.
.
.
These younger generations of Devils were terrifying and the Red Dragon Emperor was just as deadly as the legend portrayed him!
Even watching the two matches made goosebumps appear on her skin.
"Can I even block that last attack?" Maybe if she had enough time to set up multiple barriers, but in an intense battle with but a few seconds to prepare… she rather not take the risk and just dodge if possible.
And the Black Dragon King was supposed to be more powerful than that!?
"It ended sooner than I calculated, Iolava… hah, I hope this will serve him as a lesson. Paimon on the other hand couldn't even make a move, he was just far too outclassed. Anyways, lady Rossweisse, are you interested in meeting the winner of this match? Rias is an old friend of mine."
"Oh… um… sure, I don't mind."
She still needed to find Odin, maybe he was somewhere else, so walking around might help.
So both women went to another area, walking towards the teleportation area where contestants gathered. It was there she saw the Gremory group cheering and congratulating the Sitri group. Issei getting a pat on the back from Kiba and Irina jumps on him rather intimately. The other Pawn sulked in the corner, with Momo and Koneko patting him on the back.
Sona massaged her temples while Rias laughed.
Grayfia's voice sounded once more announcing the next contestant of the battle. The names caught Rias and Sona's group's attention immediately.
Before Seekvaria called out to them, both women heard a disgruntled noise from behind.
"Ouch! What is the meaning of this, Kuroka!?"
"Eh?"
From the back, a beautiful black-haired woman wearing a revealing kimono gleefully approached the area while pulling onto a rope. Behind a few people followed along, but most eye-catching of them all was the bundle on the ground struggling to break free from his restraints.
It was the Black Dragon King…
"Hehehe, come on now, Hachi-kun~, I can't have you sneaking away to earth and abandoning your match just because you didn't like Sirzechs' arrangement. How else am I going to show off in front of Shirone?"
"How did you know about my secret plan?"
"I sensed your aura leaving the castle and followed your scent."
"That's disturbing and creepy. I don't want a weirdo in my group."
"Ara~ so hurtful~! Also, you don't need to do anything, just sit back and let me handle the rest~! Also, you won't be able to break free from these ropes so easily, I stole them from the Youkais not long ago."
"I'm technically your boss, so I order you to let me go."
"Nope~ I've been a bad kitty and you can punish me later in bed~!"
Rossweisse did not know how to react to this scene in particular. Seeing the boy get dragged away with an unwilling expression. So he just accepted his fate and looked blankly at the ceiling while muttering something about a 'troublesome woman', it wasn't until their eyes met that she felt something very familiar about him.
"Oh, you woke up I see. Don't forget to give me back my wallet. Just hand it to Rias or Akeno, my student ID is inside and I don't want to go through the pain of replacing it." He said while being pulled away into the teleportation circle and being transported into the field.
His words hit Rossweisse like a punch to the gut. Memories flooded back, bringing clarity to her hazy recollections. The mysterious stranger's face suddenly snapped into focus.
Horror and realization washed over her as the pieces fell into place. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to her knees, drawing concerned looks from those nearby.
"Are you alright?" Seekvaira asked, bending down with a worried expression.
But Rossweisse could only stare blankly ahead, her mind reeling from the shocking revelation. What had she gotten herself into?
"I-I-I slept with the Black Dragon King!?"
"—!?"
Seekvaria, who was next to her, choked as soon as she heard that.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.