Issei felt his breath catch in his throat as he stumbled into a strange, eerie stone chamber. Before him, a young man with dark hair and dressed in a blue hoodie lay sprawled on a platform, his body and clothes soaked in blood, which trickled down to the floor beneath him in an almost ritualistic pattern. The air around him was heavy, thick with the scent of despair as he heard the man groan in pain.
Before Issei could rush to help him, he felt an immense pressure behind him and came to a sudden stop. Without a pause, he snapped around, coming face to face with a towering figure, a colossal statue with a grotesque, twisted grin. Its face was a ghastly shade of blue, its cracked surface barely containing the maliciousness that seemed to radiate from it. The eyes, glowing red and full of malevolence, stared directly at him, as if piercing into his very soul.
"AHH!"
It was then that Issei jolted awake, gasping for breath as his heart pounded in his chest. He was back in his room, lying in bed with his body drenched in cold sweat. The remnants of the nightmare continued to cling to his mind, even as he shut his eyes tightly and lay there for a moment to collect himself.
"What the hell was that?" Issei asked, more to himself than to anyone else before sitting to look around, his gaze eventually landing on his alarm clock. It was almost 4 o'clock in the morning, just in time to prepare for his daily morning routine and quest.
Turning his attention to his right arm, Issei removed the bandages and saw that his wounds had fully healed, with only a few small scars around the area where he had cauterized the bite wounds. It would surely look much worse if Grayfia didn't help him take care of it, but at the same time, it was clear that he healed faster and completely while sleeping, thanks to the Dragon's Physiology passive.
Standing up, Issei hurried over to his wardrobe and grabbed a pair of fresh gym clothes, putting them on to get ready for his daily quest. On cue, his daily quest appeared, and Issei accepted it before quietly heading out of his house, making no sound as he closed the door silently behind him. He took in a breath of fresh air. It was rare for him to have a nightmare randomly like that, but it wasn't as though it had never happened before, so it didn't take long for him to shake it off and focus on the task at hand. He had been keeping up with his daily morning routine, and Issei had no intention of slacking off for a day just to find out what the penalty had been this whole time.
[!] Notice - Daily Quest
[The path toward true might]
Push-ups: 0/100
Sit-ups: 0/100
Squats: 0/100
Run: 0/15km
Reward: 1000 experience points
You may also choose from the following rewards:
1. Full Rejuvenation
2. Random loot box
' I see… the quest is harder now, and no more bonus stat points from now on. The EXP reward is also higher, but not that it matters much for me at this level. Guess this means I can just pick the loot box to try and find another key.'
Issei thought as he read the information displayed on the Notification Window in front of him. It seemed that questing would be much harder from now on.
"If you sense anyone near us, hop back into my shadow right away, got it?"
With a finger in front of his lips, Issei spoke to the shadow Twisting Vortex Wolf, who let out a soft, obedient whimper with a puppy-like face as it nodded his head back at him, making Issei grin in response and rub its head before turning back and getting ready for his daily ten kilometers run. The shadow wind wolf, who Issei had summoned to make his daily morning run more challenging and exciting, moved into position next to him with a dark, greenish aura flowing down its fur, causing the wind around them to pick up a little, but not too much.
"Ready? Go!" With a burst of speed and wind, Issei and his shadow wind wolf took off through the early morning streets.
"Issei-san, what are you reading?" Asia asked while she and Issei were walking towards the Occult Research Club together, having just finished their classes for the day.
"Ah, it's a document about Gates that Akeno-san sent me earlier this morning. It's pretty detailed," Issei answered with a chuckle, while Asia looked at him with a question mark hovering above her head. It wasn't surprising to Issei that Asia didn't know much about Gates either, despite having heard the higher-ups mention the term a few times before. The Church must have tried to keep her away from them due to the dangers they posed.
Regardless, calling it "pretty detailed" was an understatement, as the stack of forty sheets of paper clipped together in his hand felt more like a small book.. After finishing his daily quest and returning home, Issei had called Akeno and asked if she could compile and send him everything she knew about Gates. She delivered, and Issei had been reading it.
Apparently, the earliest Gates were recorded 18 years ago, with him being born exactly nine months later, a fact that still bothered Issei because his parents had suffered two miscarriages before they had him, someone who now had a power related to them. Long story short, Gates were portals that appeared in a wide range of locations seemingly at random, from highways to abandoned areas and schools. Just like Rias had said, they remained open until the Dungeon bosses inside were defeated, and if not then after a few days, an event called Dungeon Break will occur, releasing the magical beasts from within into the world.
For the past eighteen years, all supernatural factions had been trying to deal with Gates, sending out expeditions to explore them and search for clues about their origins. Some factions had an easier time due to their powerful fighters, who could handle the Gates as soon as they appeared. However, despite their efforts, one thing remained constant across the world: no one had yet uncovered any concrete information about the Gates.
Some theorized that someone was opening these Gates around the globe to invade their world, while others believed the Gates connected to a realm of unnatural and chaotic orders. Given the existence of the Dimensional Gap, a void world between Earth, Hell, and Heaven, no one raised too many questions whether the Gates might be linking them to another world.
The threat level of a Gate was categorized by the standard S-E ranking system, with E being the weakest and S being the most dangerous. The Devil Faction had its own unofficial ranking system for those portals, classifying E-rank Gates as low-class Gates, so easy that even a well-coordinated team of low-class devils led by a single master could clear them without breaking a sweat. S-rank Gates, however, were regarded as Ultimate-class Gates, reserved only for Ultimate Class Devils, the best of their faction. So far, only a handful of S-rank, or Ultimate Class, Gates had been recorded, while countless E to A ranks had appeared worldwide.
There was also the matter of Red Gates, which was why no devils below the rank of middle class were allowed to participate in Gate Clearing Activities, or Raids. Red Gates only occurred in B-Rank or higher Gates and were indistinguishable from normal ones at first. However, once a certain number of people entered the Gate for a raid, it could transform into a Red Gate, sealing both the entrance and exit.
The only way to escape a Red Gate was to either defeat the boss or wait until a Dungeon Break occurred, at which point everyone who had entered the Gate would have been killed or died from the environmental hazards that lay beyond. Such tragedies had happened before, and the Maou themselves had agreed that the risks associated with Red Gates necessitated regulations.
Despite the dangers they posed, the benefits sometimes outweighed the risks within each Gate, especially those of the higher ranks. The minerals found inside were incredibly valuable, as the scientists and researchers of the Devil Faction had discovered multiple ways to make good uses of them, such as alternative energy sources, over the past seventeen years.
Materials that could be harvested from the magical beasts of the highest rank Gates could be used to forge powerful equipment and weapons with special properties, becoming the alternate sources of materials for blacksmiths and alchemists nowadays.
And perhaps the rarest and most valuable drops from these Gates were the Rune Stones—magical items that granted unique abilities linked to the magical beasts from which they were obtained. Each of these stones, regardless of how useful the ability might be, was worth a fortune, far beyond what most people could afford.
Because of these benefits, Raiding had also become a profession. While existing Factions formed their own Raiding Divisions to handle Gates and related matters, numerous independent organizations had also sprung up worldwide. The magicians formed many of those groups, but they still paled in comparison to the Hero Faction, a global organization that were formed entirely of humans, either possessors of Sacred Gears, reincarnations of legendary heroes in the past, or those who were born with special powers or magic that were backed and supported by Shiva, the God of Destruction of Hindu Mythology.
Originally established to live up to their namesake by helping those in need regardless of occupation, the Hero Faction had become humanity's own frontline defense against Gates, with their main headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea, where it was believed the first Gates had appeared. Their primary goal was to keep the Gates hidden from the general public to prevent mass panic, sending teams of elite heroes to clear them out before they could become a real threat to human societies worldwide.
In recent years, they had also started working closely with various other factions, including the devils themselves, who contributed their strength in Raids as part of their Devil Jobs. Only middle class devils could start participating in Raids, however, for reasons that had been stated above.
Still, this led him to his current problem. Apparently, it was illegal for low-class devils to participate in Raids, and although the punishments were usually no more than a slap on the wrist for those who managed to come out alive, just as Grayfia had done no more than berate him for being reckless the night before – although it might be also because he lacked the knowledge of them originally, such actions could still jeopardize his prospects for future promotions, because rule breaking was still rule breaking.
Regardless, this predicament put Issei in a difficult position. While he understood the importance of following regulations, especially if he wanted to become a high-class devil and use his own set of Evil Pieces to build his own harem, he wanted to keep grinding Instance Dungeon to become even stronger, especially now that he had obtained his classes. However, it was quite clear that Instance Dungeons were similar to Gate or something akin to it, giving off the same magical signature that experienced devils like Grayfia could sense. Without a doubt, someone as serious and responsible as her would implement additional measures to keep him from risking his life.
And there's also Rias, who was deeply concerned when she found out what he had been doing. He wouldn't feel surprised if she had one of those magic sensor devices with her to scan him and see if he had attempted another Instance dungeon or not the moment that he entered their clubroom.
He needed to figure out a way to be able to get back to Instance Dungeons without having to worry about breaking any regulations or laws. Moreover, he wondered if there had ever been any exception to the rule of middle-class devils, because if he could tackle Gates early then it would be even better, as it would still be awhile before he could take the exam to qualify for the promotion. Keys were quite rare to come by as well. Those random loot boxes had been giving him nothing but trash items.
'Agh... she's here, isn't she?'
As Issei and Asia approached the clubroom, a familiar, cold, and chilling silver aura drew his attention away from his reading. He turned his head toward the door and saw the silver aura seeping through the gap at the bottom like a dense mist. It was a clear sign that Grayfia was nearby, and he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about her presence, while wondering what could be the reason she was there.
When they entered the clubroom, Issei was greeted with the familiar sight of his other club-mates, but almost instantly he could tell that someone was off. No one, not even Kiba and Akeno, could be seen smiling as there seemed to be a heavy atmosphere around, the latter of whom even looked distasteful about something. Koneko was not eating her snacks, leaving them untouched on the table while Rias was sitting on one of the couches in the center of the room instead of her usual desk, with none other than Grayfia standing behind her.
"Uh... what's going on here?" He asked while looking around. Asia looked more confused than ever.
"Come on in, Ise, Asia. Everything will be explained soon enough." Rias said, making Issei nod his head in understanding and walk into the clubroom with Asia to leave their backpacks on the floor "How's your arm?"
"Yeah, I'm healing fast." Issei replied, giving Grayfia a grateful smile as he showed Rias his right arm, which was still bandaged since wounds couldn't just healed and left nothing but scars overnight.
"Good to know that you're doing better, Issei-san." Grayfia spoke to him in a stoic voice, making Issei chuckle softly in response while scratching the back of his head. "So..."
Before Issei could finish, the teleportation magic circle on the floor lit up, illuminating the entire room in a blinding yellow light before wave after wave of fire was unleashed, heating up the room. After a moment of covering his eyes and shielding his face from the fire, pushing Asia behind him with his other hand, Issei then lowered his arms down to see an unfamiliar figure standing on top of the circle, appearing to be a handsome man in his twenties with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery on the right with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer was a white dress shirt that is not fully buttoned, giving a slight view to his chest.
Issei narrowed his eyes. Even though the guy looked relaxed and had a confident smile on his face, there was just something that was off about him that made Issei decide in an instance that he didn't like him one bit.
"Fu... it's been such a long time since I came to the human world. The air here is unclean as I remember."
He said in a distasteful manner, making Issei raise an eyebrow at him, seeing that he had a considerable aura surpassing even that of his master and Akeno, but still paled in comparison to Grayfia. Whoever he was, he was at least rather strong.
Grinning smugly, the man then turned his attention to Rias and marched confidently toward her while speaking to her in a pleasant tone. "Rias, my dear! It's been much too long. I hope you've missed me just as much as I've missed you." He then threw one arm around her shoulder and tried to grope her breast, but Rias immediately smashed his hand away and pushed him back with an elbow.
"Back off, Raiser." Rias stated firmly but there was so much anger and annoyance in her tone Issei and Asia couldn't help but look at his master in surprise. He had never heard her use that kind of tone before.
"Now, don't be like that my dear Rias." Despite what just happened, Raiser continued to advance forward and tried to put his arm around her once again "Don't you know that the date is set as well, it's better that..."
Before he could try to touch Rias once again, Issei had intercepted, his hand shooting out to grab Raiser by his wrist, stopping him from continuing to harass his master.
"My master said back off." Issei stated firmly, but the taller blond just glanced over to Issei and looked at him as if he was a mere fly, an insect that wasn't worth his attention as the smile left his face.
"Who the hell are you?"
He asked coldly before he casually swung his arm, aiming to throw Issei across the room with his superior strength as he turned back to smile at Rias. However, after a second and realizing that his arm didn't even bulge, Raiser snapped his head back with his eyes widening in shock and saw that Issei was still holding his arm firmly in place.
"Rias, care to tell your servant to let go of my hand?" He asked, trying to shrug it off like it wasn't anything that was worth his attention.
"Why? He's concerned for my well-being. As his master, I should be grateful," Rias replied confidently, though she nodded to Issei, who then released Raiser. The blond glared at him but Issei continued to remain where he was, standing in front of his master.
"Does he even know who I am? Is this one a reincarnated human?" Raiser asked. "Nevertheless, I see that you are spoiling your servant a bit too much for your own good. But no matter, soon I will show you that it's better to discipline those who don't know whose presence they are in, like him."
"And? Whose presence am I in then?" Issei asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking rather unimpressed despite Raiser's speech.
"He's the third son of the current head of the Phenex Devil Household, Issei-san," Grayfia answered, making Issei look at her for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment with a straight face.
"I see."
Around the room, everyone had different reactions to Issei's remark. Grayfia and Koneko remained stoic and emotionless as they had from the moment he met them. Rias and Akeno exchanged a look before both let out a snicker, hiding their smiles behind their hands as they looked away. Kiba looked at Issei in approval, while Asia appeared confused and slightly nervous, as she often did.
"Tch, how disrespectful, not even recognizing your superior. I will make sure to train this dog to be more obedient once we are married, Rias." Raiser said distastefully to Rias as he glared at Issei, who widened his eyes in surprise at what he just heard.
"Married?" He asked, turning around to look at his master to see her rolling her eyes, but otherwise didn't deny it.
"Ah, you should know, Issei-san, that Raiser Phenex-sama is also the fiancé of your master." Continued the silver haired maid, making Issei glance in disbelief at Riser to see the blond smirking smugly at him.
"Hmm... delicious. I expect nothing less from the tea prepared by Rias' beautiful queen", Raiser said, complimenting the tea prepared for him by Akeno as he took a small sip from the steaming cup in his hand. The man himself was still sitting next to Rias, with his hand still wrapped around her shoulder, much to the latter's displeasure.
"I'm glad that it suits your taste..." Akeno simply said, but those who know her well could tell that the smile that she just gave him was a totally fake one.
It was then that Issei decided to start a conversation, stopping Raiser before he could address the fake smile he had noticed on Akeno's face. "Okay, so let me get this straight... this fried chicken wannabe is Buchou's fiancée?"
"So after knowing who I am, you still dare to call me names!?" Raiser asked, his annoyance and barely contained anger evident. Despite remaining seated, Issei could see Raiser's fists clenching and noticed the temperature in the room rising. Not that it had any effect on him, thanks to his Fire Resistance. "Who do you think you are?"
"I'm Hyoudou Issei, Rias-sama's Pawn.", Issei simply introduced himself without any respect in his tone.
"Hmph, I see. So you have finally recruited a pawn, my dear Rias..." Riser ignored Issei to turn his attention over to Rias to talk to her "So I guess I can understand why this pawn has not heard about me yet. But the question is, why have you not told them anything about me yet?"
"It's because I believe that I don't ever need to. And also," She said as she pushed Raiser's arm off of her "Let me tell you once again, Raiser. I will not ever marry you!"
Raiser reasoned in disinterest, as if he had done so so many times now that didn't even care anymore "But Rias, this is not going to do, you know? Isn't your household the one surprisingly pressing about these circumstances?"
"None of your business, Raiser." Rias retorted confidently "If I am the next heir to the House of Gremory, then I shall have the freedom to choose who will become my husband! My father, my brother and everyone in the clan are just hurrying too much! It was also a promise that I will be free until I graduate from the university of the human world "
"That's right. You will basically be free." Raiser nodded "You can go to college and do whatever you want with your servants. But your Otou-sama and Sirzechs-sama are concerned. They fear that your family will become extinct. We have lost a large number of pure-blooded devils in the last war. Even though the war is over, our rivalry with the Fallen Angels and God is not yet over, and the pressing matter of Gates isn't something we should underestimate either. It's not uncommon for the pure-blooded Devil's successors to be killed in the useless battles against them, which leads to the extinction of their homes. So for a pure-blooded devil who is also a high-class devil, unity would be the obvious solution to the forces of devils. A high-purity devil. You of all people should know your children will be important in the future of the Devil Faction, right?"
Rias closed her eyes.
"The reincarnated devils like your servants are expanding in strength but then that would make us, the high class devils with a history, lose our place. There are ancient nobles who approach the reincarnated devils because they are very powerful. Well, that may be fine, these newly produced Devils are also important for our future, but can't we allow pure-blooded devils to extinguish themselves? You and I were chosen to prevent the thoroughbreds from becoming extinct. My home is safe because I have my older brothers, but there are only two children in your home, and your brother is Lucifer. The only one who can allow your child to inherit the name Gremory and your household is only you. If you don't take a husband, the House of Gremory will be extinct in your generation. Are you trying to crush the house that has been with the devil for such a long time? Because of the past war, there are not even half the number of devils that have been referred to as "72 pillars". This marriage has the future of devils on the line."
Finally, Rias spoke up, her tone still as strong as before "I know what my duties are, Raiser, so I am not going to crush my own household and I'm willing to have a husband. "
"Oh, what is expected from Rias! So let's get-" At that, Raiser made a big smile, but before he could finish, the crimson haired heiress had already interrupted him.
"But I am not going to marry you, Raiser. I will marry the one that I recognize. Even the devils of the old noble house have a right to choose." She stated it clearly.
Hearing this, Raiser suddenly becomes unpleasant. His eyes become sharper and he even makes a noise with his tongue.
"... You know, Rias. I am also a devil who takes the name of House of Phoenix after me. I can't let that name get tarnished. I didn't even want to get to a small old building like this in the human world. On the contrary, I don't like the human world very much. The fire and wind of this world are unclean. For a devil like me, who dominates fire and wind, I can't take it anymore!"
And with that, Raiser unleashed his flame, making it look like a pair of wings on his back. His fire was so intense, that when he stood up there were flickering sparks all around the room.
"I will take you back to the underworld, even if I have to incinerate all your servants." His hostility and intent to kill filled the room.
The pressure was so overwhelming that Asia had to hide behind Akeno, who raised a hand to shield the girl from the intense heat of the flame and to protect her. Kiba and Koneko were instantly on high alert, but Issei, however, was not amused.
The moment Raiser threatened to kill them, Issei's instincts kicked in. In the blink of an eye, Boosted Gear materialized on his left arm as Issei shot forward and grabbed Raiser by his collar. His eyes glowed with a fierce red light, and a dark red aura surrounded him, completely overwhelming Raiser's flames. The Phenex widened his eyes in surprise, staring at Issei, whose shadow seemed to grow larger, though Raiser believed it was likely due to how bright his flame was.
"Threaten my friends again, I dare you." Issei muttered in a low tone, unleashing even more power, causing the entire building to shake and overwhelming Raiser completely.
But before either of them could make a move, a cold and chilling feeling saturated their auras. Issei's eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at Grayfia, whose silvery aura had intensified to an unreal level, becoming visible to the eyes and overlapping both his aura and Raiser's flame.
"Issei-san, please calm down." Grayfia's voice was cold and devoid of emotion as she spoke. Her eyes narrowed, showing that the professionalism had all but disappeared, leaving only the chilling coldness of a powerful, no-nonsense woman. "If you do something rash here, even I won't be able to stand idly by."
[!] Critical Warning
The Player is being targeted by a being that they are currently no match against.
Recommended Action: Surrender and obey their request.
Issei's grip on Raiser tightened for a moment before he released him, his dark red aura dissipating slowly. Raiser, scoffing quietly under his breath, straightened his clothes and looked at Grayfia with a mixture of irritation and respect. Issei, still fuming, kept his gaze fixed on Grayfia, knowing that any further confrontation could escalate beyond his control.
"Please put your Boosted Gear away as well, Issei-san. There's no need for you to summon a Sacred Gear of such caliber here." Grayfia said calmly, while Raiser was unable to stop himself from widening his eyes in shock as he glanced at the red gauntlet on Issei's left arm.
"Boosted Gear? Your servant is the Sekiryuutei?" Raiser asked, looking at Rias and Issei in disbelief. He exhaled deeply and made his dragon gauntlet disappear.
"Please refrain from acting so recklessly from now on, Issei-san," Grayfia said firmly before turning her gaze to Raiser. Her voice carried a sharp edge as she spoke, "You too, Raiser-sama. These are the devils that my Ojou-sama greatly treasures, and members of the devil household that I serve. I will not stand by and watch if you intend to follow through with your threats."
"Ah well…" Raiser chuckled, trying to look casual despite the awkwardness in his laugh as he let his flaming wings dispersed, seeing the opportunity to back down without embarrassing himself. "If I am told that by someone like the unclaimable strongest maid of the Underworld then..."
Nodding her head, Grayfia then turned her attention to Rias, speaking to both her and Riser in a calmer tone "Nevertheless, Rias-sama. Your father and Sirzechs-sama has known that this situation with your fiancé and the marriage engagement with the Phenex Devil Household would not be resolved that easily, so they have decided to make a final decision."
"Final decision? What do you mean, Grayfia?" Rias asked, but she looked like she knew what was about to come. In all honesty, even if it didn't she would make it so.
"Ojou-sama, how about you settle your feud with Raiser Phenex-sama in a [Rating Game] match?"
"Very well." Rias stated confidently as he looked at Raiser "If I win this match, then this marriage engagement and all related discussions are over. We will no longer be betrothed to each other and there will be no feuds between our houses. However, if I lose then I will stop resisting and. I will marry you without further argument."
Raiser merely gave a smirk in response, "OH, I can see that you are waiting for this as well, aren't you Rias? Considering that you haven't even participated in a game before, I thought you would have chosen a more suitable challenge."
"I'm confident that we can beat you, Raiser." Rias stated matter of factly.
"Really? I found it hard to believe as you have never ever participated in a game before, while I have had almost a dozen times." Raiser stated confidently "Plus, even if you have the Sekiryuutei at your strength, he's all but a newborn. Strength wise, of all your servants here, your lovely [Queen, the Priestess of Thunder, is the only one who can fight on par with my servants."
With that said, Riser waved his hand and a golden magic circle appeared on the floor shone again with the Phenex crest appearing behind him. With another quick burst of fire and wind, a group of fourteen different and diverse women appeared. Some were young, others looked older. Some were wearing clothes of a different period. Some were wearing fetish appeal outfits, but they were all beautiful and one thing was for certain...
... Raiser Phenex had obviously used his Pieces to create a harem of beautiful women, though Issei could tell that each one was at least a capable fighter.
'Damn, gotta respect this guy!' Issei thought in his mind as he stared at the roster before him. Pretty much, what he was seeing was what he wanted for his own Peerage, his harem.
"Well, these are my cute servants." Raiser introduced confidently, but Issei maintained an unimpressed look as he pointed his finger at the young but very beautiful girl with long blonde hair tied into twintails with large, drill-like curls and blue ribbons keeping them in place. She wore a long, pink dress with white frills and a magenta bow in the front.
"Ayo, isn't she your sister?" He asked. He could see that she had an aura matching that of Riser, unlike the rest of the Peerage. "You disgusted fuck... you turned your sister into your servant and added her to your ha… I mean, Peerage?"
"So? What's the problem with that?" Raiser asked with his eyebrow twitching but his tone was as calm as it could be, as if he felt nothing wrong with that "She's the last piece that my Peerage was missing to become an ultimate harem, a little sister type who is also a Tsundere. Isn't a harem the dream of all men?"
Even the mentioned girl looked offended, blushing in embarrassment but at the same time annoyance and anger. The flame-like aura radiated from her petite but well developed form was the clear proof that she was Raiser's sister.
Issei, meanwhile, found himself answering...
"I mean, that's kinda true but..."
"I know, right?" Raiser asked smugly before he blinked in surprise as he snapped his head to Issei "Wait, what!?"
"But that doesn't change the fact that you are an absolutely disgusting piece of trash, mate." Issei continued before Raiser could address what he just said earlier "No wonder why Rias-sama doesn't want to marry you, you are clearly just one of those disgusting womanizers who has an overinflated ego just because you are born with a silver..."
But before he could finish, a long wooden staff was thrust at his face by the young girl with blue hair and light brown eyes standing at the front. Issei, however, had seen her coming and moved his head back, causing the tip of her weapon to miss his face by mere inches.
The girl widened her eyes in surprise but quickly hardened her gaze. She followed up with a series of precise Bojutsu strikes, each one aimed with speed and accuracy. Issei, however, effortlessly dodged her attacks by moving his body left and right and stepping back. When she charged at him, he sidestepped smoothly and extended his foot, causing her to trip over his ankle and fall face-first onto the floor.
"Still feeling confident that you are going to beat us that easily?" Issei asked as he turned his attention back to Raiser.
"Don't be so cocky. Mira is my weakest servant. The rest have more battle experience and more talent than a lowborn like you." Raiser gritted his teeth in anger at Issei before turning his attention back to Rias, who stared back at him fearlessly "It'd seem that there's no chance for me to change your mind with words. Very well then Rias, you will have this Rating Game match. I will allow you 7 days to prepare yourself and your servants for it."
"Really, just a week, Raiser? Don't tell me you're that scared of losing."
However, the arrogant blond ignored her questions and continued with confidence "Take the time and prepare for the match, Rias. I have no doubt that Sirzechs-sama and our families will be there to watch the fight. I merely want you to put up a decent fight so you won't embarrass yourself and your servants in front of them. You of all people know very well that Rating Games are not something that can be won with brute strength alone."
Raiser declared before looking at Issei, as if he wanted to direct the message at him "If you cannot devise a plan against me and my servants, no matter how potentially strong your servants are, you won't be able to defeat me."
"The next time we meet Rias, it will be at the end of the game where I will personally eliminate you. See you in a week." Raiser left soon after that his servants, not bothering to say another word to anyone else.
"I will inform the two families, Rias ojou-sama." Grayfia said to Rias as she activated her own magic circle, one that was silver. Before walking into it, the maid turned her head around to look around the room, at each and every one of Rias' servants. Her eyes went to Issei, and stayed on him the longest. After a moment, she said with a small smile "I will see everyone in 7 days. Good luck."
And with that, the silver haired maid left the ORC clubroom, leaving Rias to discuss the upcoming match with her servants.
Current Stat:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Class: Level 20 Dragonsworn / Level 1 Shadow Monarch
HP: 3955 / 3955
MP [Current Attribute: Draconic/Demonic: 1255 / 1255
Strength: 90
Vitality: 75
Intelligence: 70
Dexterity: 80
Perception: 60
Charisma: 50
Current Pact: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact Level 1.
Current Shadows: 30 / 30
Current High Ranking Shadow: Lycaon (Knight)
Unique Class Skills: Fire Imbue (LV1), Shadow Extraction (LV1), Shadow Storage (LV1).
Active skills: Doubling (LV2 – Pact Affected), Transfer (LV2 - Pact Affected), Penetrate (LV2 - Pact Affected), Sprint (Max Level), Vital Slash (LV1), Jump (Max Level – Equipment Ability), Observe (LV1).
Items: Boosted Gear (LV3), Abyssal Cloak (LV5), Razan's Blade (LV7), Palace Guard's Boots (LV6), Metal Gauntlet (LV5 – Only one currently in use -Stats Reduced by half), Kamish's Slumber (LV?) ...
End of chapter 7