Was it Petty?
Absolutely.
Would I do it again?
Most assuredly.
Venelana just patted my leg with a barely held back chuckle.
I knew the lines to not cross; she wasn't going to get upset if we just casually sniped at each other. Besides, I didn't intend on that becoming the atmosphere here.
"Hello, Dears," Venelana greeted them.
"Sirzechs and Serafall. Did you two come to join us? I thought you were sitting up top with Lord Bael and the Ancestor." Zeoticus asked.
Serafall's eye was twitching, like she wanted to retort at me, but I ignored it. "Well, there was one little problem with that."
"Which was?" He asked.
"That Lord Bael and the Ancestor were there together." My birth father deadpanned.
"Ah."
Weirdly, I sympathized.
I spent what, a few hours with her?
It was something.
"Where's Ajuka?" Venelana asked.
"He drew the short straw." Serafall chirped happily.
I noticed both of them had their eyes drawn to the sword at my hip. I shouldn't be surprised; for them, it was probably fairly obvious even if I wasn't trying to broadcast it. But seeing how it was just sheathed at my side, they didn't say a word.
I didn't say anything either.
Even as we both stared at one another, it was as if there was a silent agreement to stay in our own lanes.
The two of them quietly sat down on the other side of Zeoticus.
Enough distance that we didn't have to brush shoulders, metaphorically speaking.
It might have been odd that the de facto 'leaders' were able to just get up and walk away during such an event, but I remembered that this wasn't an official event. It was being treated as a spectacle, but it was technically a private affair.
"Sirzechs, did you just drop the mess into Grayfia's lap?" Venelana took that motherly tone, like, "Answer carefully."
He flinched slightly, forcing a smile before clearing his throat. "She's taking Millicas around to the other houses and doing their greetings."
Venelana let out a small sigh, shaking her head.
Despite the new weird, if not tense, atmosphere, I could tell that Venelana was happy right now. She knows I don't like him; she knows he doesn't like me, yet we're sitting in a room together without fighting.
To her, we're both family.
I couldn't bring myself to ruin it for her.
"Wilhelm, how is Youkai Japan?" Zeoticus asked, clearly just making small talk.
"It's doing well. They're settling things after the war. It'll probably take some months before things return to normal. Though, it seems that a large portion of the ones who fought don't want to go back to their regular jobs. There are plans to expand and consolidate the remaining soldiers into long-term positions."
Obviously, I didn't say anything that was supposed to remain secret.
And a thought occurred: was the proper nomenclature 'soldier'? Was 'warrior' a more proper description?
I would have to ask later on what they prefer.
But after fighting, a lot of Youkai realized that they were born for it, some maybe literally. After fighting in the Fae Realms, who would want to go back to mundane jobs?
Well, quite a few of them. Perhaps fewer than twenty percent wanted to remain professional soldiers.
But even so, Yasaka wasn't unwilling to expand its own military power.
It was just the logistics of it.
And hopefully, my future gift will help with this even more.
Thankfully, there wasn't a need to continue with the small talk because the speakers boomed to life as things were finally starting.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" An announcer's voice erupted over the speakers—magical in nature—so that everyone in the arena could hear it plainly. "Are you all ready for an exciting match!?"
I could make out the one speaking, a man with a…pompadour. A rather large pompadour, impressively so.
Not my taste, but I will give credit where it's due. As someone who takes care of their own hair, I could understand the time and effort they put in to taking care of that thing.
"Oh my, he's always so excitable. I'm glad we were able to get him to do the event today, even if it's an unofficial rating game." Venelana smiled brightly.
Seems he's rather famous as an announcer.
"Let's get our teams out!" The announcer threw her arm to the side, and a teleportation circle sprang up. "On one side, we have Riserrrrrr Phenex!"
I recognized him from the previous times.
He was a cocky little shit.
Venelana glanced over to Trisha and Olga. "That's Riser; he's part of the Phenex clan. The name isn't just a coincidence; their regeneration and ability to spring back from 'death' is comparable to that of the mythical bird."
Even Mozart looked intrigued. "How potent is it? Can they recover from full death?"
"If it's regeneration, then wouldn't 'dying' mean that it would be ineffective? So, it can't be simple regeneration." Olga tilted her head.
I saw the others look at her as she posed the question too.
I had the urge to interject, but it wasn't my place. Venelana was teaching them.
"It's based on their demonic power. Even if their entire body is destroyed, they can spring back to life in a burst of flames as if nothing happened. So long as they have enough demonic power to do so." Venelana explained. "Ironically, a drawn-out fight is both their strength and weakness if you know how to go about it. Their regeneration takes a lot, and they usually base their fighting style around being able to take blows that would be debilitating for others and trading damage to gain the advantage."
It's true that one should play to their natural advantages; they shouldn't blindly follow them without consideration.
"What do you think, Trisha? How would be the best way to go about handling a Phenex member?" Venelana asked.
I think the question was partly directed at Olga, but she didn't want to put the little girl on the spot; she was very clearly still a little timid around all these figures.
"The most direct answer would be to curse them and let them tire themselves out before engaging." Trisha pushed up her glasses. "If that's not possible, some method to cause them soul damage would perhaps cause them significant enough damage that is not possible to mend through their normal methods."
"Oh, that's their weakness, isn't it?" Mozart joined in. "If you attack their soul, that would be the basis of their regeneration. I would bet that they cannot regenerate soul damage. Or if they can, it would be significantly more difficult."
Trisha nodded. "Perhaps illusions to distract and distance ourselves. If we had time to prepare, a large witchcraft ritual to curse the land that leeches onto whoever passes through."
"Based on how they fight, they're most certainly the type to rush in without consideration. Disorientation is key. Disrupt their senses? If their regeneration is triggered from sufficient damage, then the key is a continuous, albeit light, disruption. A melody that causes dizziness and headaches would work wonderfully for an opening performance." Mozart seemed to be enjoying the thought experiment.
"If it's an unconscious, physical response, then it would also gradually drain their reserves, essentially working just as well," Trisha added.
"Indeed, either way, it would serve its purpose."
"If we have time, I believe the cleanest solution would be a quick severing of their soul from their physical body," Trisha said casually.
Mozart rubbed his chin. "That's an interesting direction. If the soul is disconnected from the main body for a split second, then what would the response be? Would it try to regenerate a new body? Naturally, the soul would reaffirm it's connection by itself, but if it were in the process of regenerating a new body, then it stands to reason the action would continue, creating a mutation of some kind? Would it rewrite the regenerative blueprint housed within the soul? Would it cause their regeneration to go out of control? Would it cause backlash and therefore soul damage?"
"Yes, that was my line of questioning as well. I believe it would be worth the effort to experiment with." Trisha nodded.
Olga looked completely at ease, but everyone else, bar Venelana, was looking at the two of them like they had grown another head.
"Wouldn't it be easier just to create a vacuum around them so they choke to death over and over? It would also serve to neutralize their fire elemental advantage," Olga chimed in.
I heard Serafall nearly choke.
"And now, let's give it up for the challenger, Rias Gremory!" The second teleportation circle lit up, and Rias and her peerage arrived.
The timely arrival lessened the awkwardness in the room.
Venelana clapped happily. "Kick his ass, Rias."
No one was surprised at who she was cheering on.
"This is going to be a standard match! Peerage vs. peerage, field battle!" The announcer declared. "Since the advantage in numbers is held by Riser Phenex, the advantage of choosing the battlefield has gone to Rias Gremory! Let's get the arena set up!"
I could see the magic flare to life.
I was honestly surprised.
The hundreds and hundreds of Magic Circles filled the arena and surroundings.
It's not that the fighters disappeared from view; it's that a miniature world enveloped them. I would almost call it a reality marble, but it was significantly simpler than that. Perhaps a pocket dimension would be more apt, but even that wasn't quite accurate.
Maybe calling it a solid illusion would be best?
We could see on massive screens all around what was happening on the inside.
"Huh, Kuoh. Smart of her." I acknowledged.
Rias apparently got to choose the battlefield in a simple fight between peerages.
At first glance, it may seem comical that she literally chose her high school, but when you think about it deeper, it's actually very intelligent. She knows the terrain perfectly, for one, and the most obvious. But for two, there are plenty of places to take advantage of if you know ahead of time. Good places for ambushes, good places for hiding, and good places to get a bird's-eye view.
It's actually not super easy to siege a school.
Schools are built in a way that's supposed to help students sort of migrate in certain directions. That means if you can take certain positions ahead of time, it will give you an advantage because there are only so many ways you can be confronted.
Of course, that's assuming you can't just simply destroy the school in its entirety.
But at their level, it's strategically good thinking.
"Now, on paper, our Power of Destruction is a counter to a Phenex's regeneration." Venelana went into teaching mode again. "Our Power of Destruction allows us to cause maximum damage with minimal effort, meaning that we can beat them at their own game in a prolonged fight. And it means that usual blows that they should shrug off require more energy to regenerate from."
The peerage nodded, having nothing to add.
I noted how she said in theory.
Rias's biggest problem right now is that she lacks combat experience. Riser, despite my disdain for him, apparently has plenty.
"Let the match officially begin!" The announcer shouted, and everyone seemed to lean forward in their seats. "We see Rias Gremory's team all taking out armor! Leg guards and arm guards!"
They waited until right at the start to put them on so Riser's team wouldn't see.
I'm glad they're using the armor I went through the effort of sending their way.
"When did Rias get those?" Her father asked. "I don't remember buying those for her."
"They were a gift from Wilhelm." Venelana leaned onto my shoulder, giving me a bright smile.
That earned a glance from the other Devils in the room.
"Riser's team has taken a spot at the edge of the forest outside the school, while Rias's team seems to be setting up a defensive—what's this? Rias Gremory's rook—Koneko Toujou—is scaling the building towards the highest point."
"Oh, what's she doing?" Zeoticus asked curiously.
"As a Nekomata, she has good climbing skills; perhaps her plan is to take the high ground or survey the battlefield." My birth father mused.
"But she's a brawler; she can't help it if she's away from the fighting." Serafall tapped her chin.
Venelana looked at me, and I think she saw my growing grin.
Koneko had a little pouch on her hip, and she reached her entire arm into it and started to pull it out.
"What's this? Rias Gremory's rook is taking out a weapon—a gun?"
Serafall blinked. "What's that?"
An utterly massive sniper rifle.
With her strength, she didn't even need to use something to keep it level; it was the same as holding a piece of cardboard for her.
The question everyone had: Why is she using a gun?
And the resounding boom answered that question.
Quickly following it was a response from the announcer.
"Riser Phenex's Pawn has been retired!"
There was a moment of silence in the room. Not out of respect for the fallen, but the sheer "what the fuck" that was written across everyone's face.
"What was that?" Serafall asked again, but in a much different tone.
"That is the Anzio Anti-Material Sniper Rifle! It fires 20x102 mm rounds at 1,006 meters per second! Strong enough for piercing through armored vehicles, both aerial and ground! Weighing over 59 kilograms with a length of two meters. With a capability of exploding heads at over 5000 meters!" I declared happily.
Maybe a bit too enthusiastically, because everyone was staring at me.
Another explosive shot reverberated through the speakers.
"A second of Riser's Pawns has been retired!"
"Did you give her a damn cannon!?" Serafall shrieked at me.
"You're goddamn right. "I said proudly.
"That's…that's against the rules!?"
"It's not; I checked."
Serafall facepalmed.
It didn't help that Mozart started cackling in delight.
"Oh my goodness, we're going to get so much hate for this." Serafall let out a sigh. "We're going to have to ban firearms after this because of you."
I knew who she was talking about.
But I was far too proud of myself to care.
"Just a second, we're getting a complaint and…" The announcer paused, as if receiving a message. "We have an official comment from Satan, Beelzebub. The use of firearms is not prohibited within the rules, so the match will continue."
Serafall dropped her face into her hands.
"It looks like Riser's peerage has adapted; they've taken cover within the school buildings, but they're down three pawns now!"
The cameras, or whatever means they had of recording what was happening inside, were showing both teams running around the school, somewhat like chickens with their heads cut off.
Though, Rias's team looked like they had some semblance of coordination.
They split into groups.
"Rias Gremory's knight and her pawn have entered the gymnasium, and they've come into contact with both of Riser Phenex's knights!"
He continued to narrate, but I sort of drowned it out as I watched.
Kiba and Issei were together as they seemed to anticipate the arrival of the Phenex peerage members.
The two knights, one wielding a large two-handed sword, the other a more traditional knight sword with some armor and a standard English longsword.
Kiba wasted no time engaging the two-handed users, while Issei all but lept at the one with the smaller sword.
For Issei, the girl immediately tried to slash at his neck, but he completely ignored it as it hit his Aura and instead grabbed onto her, refusing to let go. She couldn't shake him off, and she couldn't swing her sword at him like that.
It was incredibly stupid, but also fantastically smart at the same time.
I did tell him to use his aura that way, I suppose.
The knight girl was inexperienced; otherwise, she would have been able to throw him off or deal with him.
But he was able to pin her down despite being weaker than her, based on how I judged the two of them right from the get-go.
Kiba's fight was a bit different.
It took me a moment to realize what he was doing because he was being pushed back. He really shouldn't be getting pushed back because I knew he was much stronger than her. For kids like them, their strength levels were very easy to gauge.
"Now Issei!"
The two had some kind of plan as Kiba called out to him.
Issei all but threw himself off the poor girl as Kiba lured the other one close by. Then, Kiba dropped the sword in his hand onto the ground and dove out of the way.
It completely confused the two Riser Knights and most of the watchers until a crack formed across the sword he just dropped, and a noticeable amount of demonic power seeped out until it glowed brightly and then exploded.
"Riser's Two Knights have retired!" The announcer declared.
Kiba and Issei weren't unharmed; they were partially caught in the blast, but they were standing back up.
Issei is better off considering his aura.
I clapped.
Well done.
Making an exploding sword and using yourself as bait. If you weren't willing to go at least that far, then you didn't deserve to win.
They were both more than willing to take the blast with their enemies too; I could see it in their eyes. They just simply had the opportunity to take advantage of the confusion and clinch a better victory.
"Did…Kiba just make an exploding sword?" Serafall asked.
"I think he did." Sirzechs Lucifer said dryly.
"It wasn't weak either. For that kind of explosion, he must have been pumping it full since the start of the game." Serafall clicked her tongue. "He's going to be exhausted."
"Oh, what's this? Both Rias Gremory's knight and her pawn have taken out potions of some sort? Their complexions look better, they're breathing easier, and they immediately started running again without pause. What could have been in those vials they just drank?" The announcer's voice filled the room once more.
"Ah, Stamina Potions. Not a bad use," I revealed.
Serafall's head snapped to me again. "Stamina Potion?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
"Only one healing item is allowed." She furrowed her brow. "One of each type, isn't that— "
"We have another comment from Satan, Beelzebub, after a complaint was made. After a short analysis and a clarification of the rules. The rules state that only one type of a single healing item is allowed to be consumed by each team. As the potions used do not heal the recipient, they restore one's energy or stamina; they are not against the rules."
They looked at me again.
The rule is a single healing item of any individual healing Item. As in, they can use a Healing Potion once across their team, and likewise use a Pheonix Tear as it's a different type of healing item.
It was an archaic rule from what I understood, because it never got updated. They only really had Pheonix Tears to worry about until this point.
Credit where it's due, that Ajuka was able to glean its use from just a glance.
I suppose I should have expected as much.
"You did this again, didn't you?" Serafall looked at me.
"It was so nice of him to give Rias those potions, wasn't it?" Venelana smiled at Serafall.
Serafall's eye twitched. "Yeah, nice. I'm the only one who's going to have to hear all the complaints after this is over. Because Bearded man above, they're pants at this sort of thing."
Another explosive gun shot was heard, snapping their attention back to the screens.
"Riser Phenex's Rook retires! That's four taken down by Rias Gremory's own Rook!"
It showed Koneko looking up at the 'camera,' making a pew-pew gesture with her hands.
I'm so fucking proud right now.
Serafall just let out a groan.
In hindsight, I'm actually glad I agreed to watch some.
This is actually sort of fun; I think I understand why people like watching rating games now.
"Oh no, it looks like we may have a big swing in the favor of Riser Phenex's peerage!" The announcer declared as the screens turned. "Rias Gremory's Queen is surrounded!"
It showed Akeno in the cafeteria with several of Riser's peerage circling her.
I propped my chin up, curious to see what she would do.
She held a finger up to the ceiling, and a small little burst of fire shot out and hit right into the sprinkler system above.
It immediately started filling the entire room with water, making everything wet.
I vaguely recall that she had a moniker of sorts, and it seems like the others there remembered it too because there was a brief moment of panic.
Akeno cast several spells quickly, and the entire room filled with lightning.
"What's this!? Rias Gremory's Queen is using the water from the sprinklers and then using her own lightning magic to shock everyone, even herself!" The announcer shouted in excitement.
And she wasn't stopping.
Her lightning continued even as her skin was being charred.
A couple of Riser's peerage did their best to cast spells in response, but the constant lightning surging through the room made it impossible. They were screaming out in pain and unable to concentrate.
"Riser's bishop, rook, and remaining pawns all retire!" He exclaimed at the torrent of cheers coming from outside our room.
"Holy moly, that was metal." Serafall didn't hold back. "Look at her; she can barely stand. She hurt herself just as much as Riser's peerage. She must be in a lot—"
"What's this? Rias Gremory's Queen also took out a potion, a red potion. After drinking it, we're seeing all her wounds disappear!" The announcer cut her off.
Serafall looked at me flatly.
"Healing Potion."
She scrunched her nose at me.
"Despite the advantage of numbers turning in the favor of Rias Gremory, we see that Riser Phenex has remained unmoving from the same spot this entire time!"
The thing is, they can hear when one of their peerage members gets retired, but that's about it.
So, he knows that he only has his queen and his sister—the other bishop of his—still 'alive.'
"Rias Gremory has now made her appearance in front of Riser! Is this going to be a confrontation between kings!?" The announcer continued. "Riser's queen and bishop stand in front of him, but here comes Rias Gremory's own peerage! Her pawn, her knight, and her own queen stand at her side! It's a standoff!"
Rather quickly, the fighting started.
Kiba charged forward, dodging an explosion cast by Riser's Queen, but his sister came in and clashed with him.
Issei tried to tackle her, but he got a face full of fire.
Riser's sister was startled as he all but shrugged it off and grabbed onto her leg, letting Kiba slash at her chest.
The Phenex girl technically died once there.
Obviously, her regeneration made it a non-issue, but let the two of them win a 'death' on her with such an easy maneuver.
She lacked enough combat experience as well.
She quickly exploded in fire, sending the two of them blown away.
Akeno was trading magic attacks with Riser's Queen. One of them utilizes Lightning, the other using some spellcraft centered around explosions.
It was about even.
I flicked my finger to filter out the other sounds so I could hear Rias.
"You're not going to win; just give up."
"In your dreams, Riser! Fight me, you coward! I bet you have a small dick." Rias blurted out in quick succession. "Small dick riser, small dick riser!"
It was childish, but it was apparently working because Riser got angry and started throwing fire at her.
"Go Koneko!" A shout from Rias as she sprinted forward.
It seems that they all forgot about the cat girl with a cannon.
An explosive gun shot rang out and hit Riser right between the legs.
I was sure that every man watching had winced, myself included.
It didn't matter your race, your alliances, or your origins, but if you were a man, you felt that.
Despite their regeneration abilities, they still feel pain. And you could see the look on Riser's face as he let out a howl before flames burned in his crotch and it returned to normal.
He barely had time to register what was happening as Rias screamed in a high-pitched war cry; I think it was a war cry.
But she ran right at him and tackled him to the ground.
He was recovering from getting shot in the balls; it was enough that he was distracted. Combined with his cocky attitude, it wasn't surprising that this happened.
Rias, while holding him down, pulled out a blue potion and quickly downed it. "Akeno, do the thing!"
Akeno, in her left hand, diverted her attention and cast a spell around Rias and Riser.
I raised an eyebrow because I recognized it.
When I said for her to think outside the box, I didn't mean copy me, but it's also not a bad idea.
A bubble of water surrounded both Riser and Rias as she held him inside.
It became clear what she was doing.
Olga clapped her hands. "See, I was right!"
She was drowning him, which is basically choking him to death.
"I can't believe this; Rias Gremory, after drinking another mysterious potion, is holding Riser rightly in a bubble of water. She's showing no signs of needing air, but Riser is having troubling breathing!"
Serafall looked at me.
"Water Breathing Potion."
Her eye twitched.
The other members of Rias's peerage were doing their best to keep them occupied.
Once a king goes down, that's an automatic win for the other side.
Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy.
Riser was…well, he was an idiot. But he was an idiot that could become the incarnation of fire, and normal water wasn't going to cut it.
His body burned, and so too did the water get burned away.
Rias was thrown off, showing burns across her arms, face, and chest, but she just sucked it up without a single complaint.
"Rias, you're going to pay –"
"Raah!" Rias jumped at him again, her arms ignited with destruction as she grappled him.
Her destruction tore into him, while his flames burned her.
…maybe she took my advice a little too literally. She didn't need to trade like this; she wasn't a brawler.
The smart thing to do would be to stand back and start to drain his regeneration at this point. He still hadn't recovered from his drowning, multiple times at this. She would have been able to take a big chunk out of his reserves.
"Koneko, again!"
"Like I'll let that happen again!" Riser roared, and his flames surged, protecting his groin.
But this time, the bullet went right through his head.
His head regenerated almost immediately; he opened his mouth with a cocky smirk, presumably to taunt, but rather quickly, it was filled with a potion.
Rias stuffed a healing potion in his mouth.
"What the fu–" Riser spit out the bottle, questioning what the hell she was doing as he threw her off him.
But Rias let out a shout, tackling him again, and took out another health potion and shoved it into his panting mouth.
Riser once more spat it out, confused because it didn't do anything.
However, Rias stood up, making a pose. "I win; good game."
Riser paused. "What?"
"You just drank two of the same healing item; that's against the rules. I win. Well played, Riser; it was a good match."
Her words seemed to have an affect on the others, because both sides stopped fighting completely.
"What!?"
"Ahem." The announcer cleared his throat. "We have a ruling from Satan Beelzebub. As per the rules, they make no clarification about how healing items are delivered, only that the consumption of more than one of a type of healing item is grounds for disqualification. Since Riser Phenex was the recipient of two Healing Potions, he has been disqualified. Rias Gremory wins." Though he said that, you could hear the awkwardness in his voice.
You know, it may be debatable, as it's clearly against the spirit of the rules, even if it's following the letter.
But also, her brother is literally Lucifer.
The room was silent.
The stadium was silent.
But I stood up.
While Rias took a very much undeserved pose, depending on your perspective, I couldn't help myself.
And I clapped.
[Line Break]
A/N
Rias wins through pure skill. Is it stupid if it works?
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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