High School DxD DX

This happened one day after school.

Rias and Ravel showed up at the ORC club room talking to each other while playing chess. They were concentrating on playing chess a moment ago but it seems like they are having more fun talking to each other now. Sometimes they would be laughing while other time, being serious.

“…If Xenovia-sama or Rossweisse-sensei were there at that time, maybe at the pool side….”

Ravel said in an excited voice and….

“That sounds fun but if it was up to me, I would have made Gasper…”

Rias thought while she placed her piece with a smile on her face.

It seems like instead of actually playing chess against Ravel, she is only using the chess pieces as tool to explain her thoughts. Maybe because of this, all chess pieces roam freely around the board rather than just following their designated moves.

“What are you two talking about?”

I got curious and asked Rias. Rias and Ravel looked at each other and giggled to themselves.

“I was talking to Ravel about the Rating Game, the one that is considered as one of our fondest memories.”

Ravel continued.

“Yes, we are thinking back to the fight between Rias-sama and Riser-oniisama.”

Ah, you mean the Phoenix fight.

Watching Rias, who was directly involved in that event and Ravel, the younger sister of the main culprit of the whole event, talking about it with smiles on their faces; I can’t help but think that it has become more peaceful…. even if that was a huge problem back then.

But I just heard Xenovia, Rossweisse-san and Gasper’s name and they didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the fight…. Having realized what I was thinking, Ravel explained,

“We aren’t just simply reminiscing our memories of the fight.”

Then Rias continued while nodding her head and said in a slightly heated tone,

“I was talking to Ravel about the matter of what would have happened if we fought against him with our current members. It was a bitter experience for me and the question of what would have possibly happened made us become even more immersed in our talk.”

What would have happened if we had a re-match between the Phoenix and our current members?! That… sounds really fun! Guys whom we didn’t meet before will be partic.i.p.ating, and since the experience of the last fight was bitter for me as well, our imagination of what could happen ran wild.

That battle determined Rias’s future regarding her engagement at that time with her status as a [King]. Not only that, it was also a battle which we lost so no wonder would she be so heated thinking about it.

Ravel continued after sipping her tea,

“This is interesting. If the current Gremory servants, including those who weren’t there at that time, had partic.i.p.ated in that match, we would have seen different match.”

“The rules and the field would have been different as well.” Rias spoke.

That’s true. If we had Xenovia and Rossweisse-san, the pace of the game would have been different, and since they are known for their power attack, the field in which we were fighting in would also have been different as well.

Hmm, so they had been talking about this while also having fun doing so. It really is fascinating! I decided to join them and sat down on the couch.

Just then, Xenovia walked toward us.

“What? Did you guys just mention my name?”

She was talking to Asia and Irina about going shopping during weekend, but it seems like she heard her name being said by us and got interested in the conversation. After we explained to her what we were discussing about, she nodded her head as if she understood what we talked about

“Ah, so you guys were talking about the Phoenix Battle. The truth is, whenever I hear someone talking about that, I feel disappointed in missing out on something like that.”

She does say that she would have loved to be there whenever Rias and I were talking about the battle and would as a result, join in the conversation.

“If you were there, the outcome would have been very different”

I told Xenovia… Just then, Koneko and Gasper, who were playing Chinese checkers, came towards us.

“…Ise-senpai had not yet achieved full Balance Breaker at that time, and Akeno-san and I did not use our true powers as well. Ah, thinking about it, Gasper wasn’t there too.”

“H-Hey, Koneko! You just mentioned me like I’m just a side character!”

He called her out when his friend treated him like he wasn’t important. As Koneko mentioned, I had not achieved my full Balance Breaker at that time, as I was only able to use it for 10 seconds at the engagement party.

Furthermore, Akeno-san and Koneko never used their full powers…. Not to mention Gasper wasn’t there either. Ah, although he was totally reclusive towards strangers meaning there’s doubt in whether he would have been useful at all, we could still maybe have used him to patrol around when he turns into bat?

Gasper suddenly made dark expression,

“…but, I also regret not partic.i.p.ating. If I have been able to join then, results might have been different…”

…so this guy is also thinking about it in his own way. He did say something like this when we first met.

The atmosphere around here got gloomy. Rias made a bitter smile and said,

“Oh my, don’t be so pessimistic. Thanks to you guys back then, I can be here with you all…. I’m really grateful.”

Since our King gave us words of appreciation, we all made a smile. Rossweisse-san joined us and added to the conversation,

“Whenever I hear about the story, I get interested. The battle against Phoenix is like a fight for destiny. If Rias-san ended up marrying him back then, we wouldn’t have been able to meet each other.”

Irina nodded her head and continued,

“That’s right. It could have been that Rias would have already got herself a husband when Xenovia and I first met.”

I don’t want to think about it but if Rias took Riser as her husband, our lives here would have been totally different and Xenovia and Rossweisse-san might not have joined us. If we think about it like that, that rating game was a fight for destiny.

Kiba made a bitter smile and said,

“But if Riser Phoenix-san did become Rias-zenbuchou’s husband, that would have been a disaster. After the incident between those two, Kokabiel attacked us, then we had peace between the three factions. We then had to fight against the Old Maou faction and Loki so the trouble would just keep continuing.”

It is quite funny imagining Riser partic.i.p.ating in those fights. But as Kiba suggested, there were no shortage to dangerous fights after that incident…. Riser would have moaned a lot if he had to partic.i.p.ate in those fights.

While we were discussing about ‘what if’ situations, ‘that’ person joined in our conversation.

“Hmm, so everyone is either taking an interest or regretting the Rating game between you guys and Riser Phoenix.”

The guy who spoke with the hand on his chin was Azazel-sensei! This guy always appears out of nowhere.

Sensei looked around us and said,

“But just as Rossweisse said, this is quite interesting, especially since I wasn’t with you guys back then. So I was only able to see the rating game through the video which the House of Gremory and the House of Phoenix gave to me…. Hmm.”

After saying that, Sensei was deep in thoughts.

….I have a bad feeling about this. He likes to put in some of his ridiculous plans into practice when he’s deep in thoughts like this. It looks like everyone was feeling the same thing as me.

“Azazel-sensei, please don’t do anything weird.”

Akeno-san warned sensei. She’s normally strict with him. While I observed Sensei cautiously, sensei made a suggestion to Rias,

“Right… Rias, won’t you fight one more time with Riser Phoenix?”

“…Kuu! Y-You, are you joking?”

Having heard sensei, Rias was really surprised!

As am I! I never thought he would make this kind of suggestion! Sensei continued with a mischievous smile on his face.

“It sounds fun. Back then, it was a fight you could never win but with your power now, don’t you think it would be a different story? I think that fighting against the same opponent is also a good way to measure how much you have improved.”

T-that’s… if we fought against the Phoenix team right now it will be different to back then but….. but aren’t you missing out something?! If we want to fight against the Phoenix team, we will have to make quite a bit of preparation! Not only that, Sensei will do anything to put his plan into motion! Everyone here knew that about him. But there was one person who agreed with Sensei’s plan. It was Xenovia.

“I’m for this. Let’s fight Phoenix with our current members including me.”

She’s enjoying this. She’s fired up! It seems like she’s regretting not being able to be there during our first fight.

Just then, someone unexpected agreed with them, it was Kiba.

“If possible, I would also like to fight again. I won’t be the only one here who lost and have a grudge against them.”

Back then, Kiba had yet to awaken Holy-Demonic sword, and also got ambushed by our opponent’s [Queen] and retired. No wonder he still holds a grudge.

“…If possible, I would also like to partic.i.p.ate.”

Koneko also raised her hand. She was also retired by Riser’s Queen.

“M-Me too, I would also like to partic.i.p.ate this time!”

Gasper had a manly face and also raised his hand. Lastly, Akeno-san agreed,

“Actually, I do have a grudge against the opponent’s [Queen].”

Akeno-san, who gave sensei a warning a moment ago, gave a positive reaction.

“If everyone agrees with this, I will also partic.i.p.ate since I am a [Rook]”

Rossweisse-san said in an interested tone.

Asia also hesitantly raised her hand.

“I will also if everyone wants to…. What about you Ise-san?”

When Asia asked, everyone’s gaze turned towards me.

….I would….

….the truth is, I am also regretting about that fight and was also holding a grudge. I always wondered what would have happened if I had my Balance Breaker back then.

I clenched my fist and said.

“If possible, I would also like to fight once more. With the current me, I will fight one on one with Riser properly and win!”

Hearing my determination, the rest of them nodded their head,

“…Looks like it’s decided then, Rias?”

When sensei said that, Rias, who was quiet until now, sighed,

“…You guys are… but I also…. don’t want to finish it as my loss. If I could fight one more time with all of us, I would like to do so.”

Saying that, Rias had an expression that is filled of fighting spirit.

Seeing that, Azazel-sensei stood up from his seat.

“Ok! Ravel, could you ask your parents and Riser? I’ll prepare the rest. Maybe he might be interested as well.”

It seems like Ravel is also enjoying this situation as she nodded her head enthusiastically,

“Yes, I will ask my mother and father, also my other two older brothers as well. If the servants of Gremory house is willing to help train my Riser-oniisama, I will help you in any way.”

And just like that, the small talk became a re-match!

Our next holiday…

We are at our ORC club room at the old school building. Everyone except Irina and Ravel is here. You ask why we are here during our holiday? That’s because this is not the normal ORC club room. Yes, this is the old school building inside a game field.

After the chat that day, Azazel-sensei’s presentation and Ravel’s persuasion was enough to peak interest between the House of Gremory and the House of Phoenix. It was decided to use the same game field as last year and everything is replicated. They were able to create an exact replica of the Kuhou academy with the exact same detail inside the game field. Servants of Gremory and the Servants of Phoenix are in the field right now with people from the House of Gremory as well as Phoenix apparently watching the match from another place. Well, unlike before, important events such as an engagement is not at stake here so it was decided to have this match to just to kill some time for the higher ups.

For your information, the place where the two teams are based at is also the same. We are at the ORC club room in the old building while the other team is at the Student Council room in the new building. Everything is very similar to before with the only difference being the fact that we have new members, Xenovia, Gasper and Rossweisse-san. It seems like Ravel is not partic.i.p.ating for the Phoenix team though…..

The match starts in 30 minutes and everyone is busy getting ready for the game.

Since all I have to do is make my Gauntlet appear with my armour later on, I have already finished getting ready and am currently sitting on my sofa. I asked Rias,

“So what do you think of the situation, Rias? Comparing us and the enemy, what do you think about the difference between in strength and our other abilities?”

While staring at the map of the Kuhou academy, she replied.

“Well, to say it bluntly, we have significantly leveled up compared to last year when we fought. We’ve got new members, Xenovia and Rossweisse. Also, Akeno, Koneko and Gasper have also unlocked their true powers. You and Yuuto have furthermore unlocked Balance Breaker since then with Asia and I also increased our strength significantly. Not only our individual strength, but looking at the overall strength of our team, we won’t’ lose even if we just fight head on.”

…..well, yeah that must be true. We even have defeated the previous number one, the young Devil Sairaorg-san’s team and are also currently being judged as a [Power that’s equal to a high ranking team] from the Pro Ration Game scene. Compared to Riser’s team, which is considered as the newcomers, we might be able to win against them in terms of raw power. We did very well in our last fight and we have consistently powered up ever since then. In addition to this, we have three new members since then meaning they won’t be able to be as relaxed like last time.

Rias must understand that but it seems like she’s still worried about something.

“I did hear that Riser’s team has been training as well, Riser also apparently installed training facility in his castle and had been training himself lately…”

…I have also heard that before. Looking at us, the Sitri team and the Bael team, Riser’s been training his team. I also know that Riser himself has been training and increasing his strength. Whenever we talked using communication circles, Riser’s always….

[Look, Hyoudou Issei! My arm’s getting thicker, my muscle looks magnificent right?]

…has been boasting about his muscle…. Because of his pride as n.o.ble, he doesn’t tell people but I realized that he’s been training in secret…. Actually, Riser’s been calling me more often lately so it’s a bit troublesome. It seems like that guy doesn’t have any friends and I’m the only guy around him he can talk about these kinds of things. When this game was decided, he called me out of nowhere and said [What’s happening! Fill me in the details!]….

While I was thinking about the past, Rias spoke.

“The other team’s advisor is Ravel. Since they’ve got someone who knows us through and through, they might come up with some kind of brilliant plan to counter us. There is also a possibility that they might use our technical weakness to their advantage.”

As Rias said, Ravel is the opposite team’s advisor, so she’s giving advice to Riser’s team before the game. Since this is not an official game, but just a friendly rating game between the two houses, they aren’t too strict about these kinds of things. Rias and the rest approved it beforehand and everyone is excited about that kinds of advice Ravel might give to other team.

After finishing his preparation, Kiba joined in the conversation.

“We also haven’t found out about the replacement that is going to fill their empty [Bishop] piece except that she’s a woman.”

Just as Kiba said, they don’t have Ravel this time, so they are short on the [Bishop] piece. Therefore to allow the game to be played as normal, Ravel has asked a special helper for their empty position. Other than the fact that she’s a woman, nothing else has been revealed yet.

Wearing her favourite battle suit, Xenovia pounded her chest and spoke in a confident voice.

“Well, there’s nothing to worry about. You guys didn’t have me back then but I’m here now. The situation is vastly different because of that.”

That’s true, we were short on people last time, but now all the pieces are here now so we can show them our true strength.

…We then heard the announcer’s voice.

[h.e.l.lo everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating Match between the House of Gremory and the House of Phoenix.]

Woah, Grayfia-san’s announcement. It’s nostalgic.

[This match is a friendly match between two houses; therefore the rules has been altered from the official rules. The same rules from the previous match between two houses will be applied.]

Hearing that, I was surprised.

“Ah, so they kept the rules from before. I thought they might put some kind of restriction on us.”

Since we are quite powerful, I thought they might restrict us with rules like ‘don’t break the field’ or something else like that. Having heard me, Rias smiled,

“Reenacting what happened before is the main point of this match so my father and the Head of the House of Phoenix, who will be watching the game, would have agreed on this as well.”

According to Rias, the field became stronger and durable than it was before so it won’t break that easily even if go berserk.

“Which means the number of Phoenix Tears and ownership is also kept the same?!”

Rias nodded her head and said ‘yes’, meaning we don’t have the Phoenix Tear.

“…But we’ve got Asia-senpai with us. Her power has become stronger since then which means we won’t have any difficulties.”

Asia also agreed with Koneko’s words.

“Yes! Leave the healing to me!”

If we have Asia, we will avoid the worst case scenario. Well, this is a friendly match so we won’t have to fight with all our strength though….

“”………………””

Everyone is fired up. This match looks like it’s going to be fun; I’ll try things I couldn’t do before this time!

When we put in the communication transceiver into our ears, we heard Grayfia-san’s voice.

[Now, it’s the time for the commencement of the battle. The time limit for this game is 24 hours. So the game starts now.]

The school bell rang. With the nostalgic atmosphere being felt, the game begins!

Coming out of the old school building, we are heading towards our destination. The destination is…the Gym! That’s right, we are using tactics we used before. First, we head towards the gym, located in the middle! This is Rias’s revenge match, so we decided to use our old tactics.

However, the difference between then and now is that the members heading toward the gym are Koneko, Xenovia and I. This small change has a big impact.

Once we have arrived at the gym, just like the last time we entered using the back door. We then saw four women standing in the middle of the court; there was a woman in a china dress, [Rook] Xuelan-san, a staff wielding loli girl [p.a.w.n], Mira and the twin [p.a.w.n]s Ile and Nel, who both were wielding chainsaws.

……to have your tactics to be the same to this degree, that Riser!

[Rook] Xuelan-san looked at us and gave a hearty laugh.

“So you came.”

I said while setting foot onto the court.

“…. Well, this is a nostalgic situation.”

“Yes, this isn’t too bad right?”

Seeing our opponents just shrugged, they look like they aren’t against this as well.

Xuelan-san got in her battle position.

“Shall we properly finish the fight from before.”

In nekomata mode, Koneko took a step front.

“That is what I also want, I have improved from before.”

Finishing their talk, they got into the battle! Koneko’s attack with her ki is great, but her opponent Xuelan-san is also countering with an improved attack with sharper punches and kicks, both giving impressive fight!

Next to them, the twins are holding onto the chainsaw that is making a scary noise.

“Disa.s.sembling time♪”

“Into pieces♪”

Ah, such a nostalgic line! I was scared at their smile back then! The two girls aimed their chainsaws towards me.

“It’s been awhile, perverted dragon!”

“We aren’t going to get naked like last time!”

They are talking about the time when I used Dress Break for the first time in battle. Ah, that was a very stimulating and ground breaking moment and it was also the moment that paved the paths for me from then on!

‘Shall I use that one more time’

As I was thinking that….Xenovia blocked the paths of the two girls.

“…Oh ho, into pieces, sounds interesting.”

Wielding the Durandal and the Excalibur, Xenovia faced the two girls. It looks like the twins are surprised to see Xenovia.

“Ah! The sword onee-chan we didn’t see before!”

“Is onee-chan our opponent?!”

“Yes, I’m also part of the gym raid. Now come, I’ll show you two the taste of Durandal and Excalibur.”

Xenovia and the twins went head on! She blocked the two chainsaws with her swords and pushed them back while looking like she’s enjoying herself!

This means I’m fighting….

“It’s been awhile.”

Staff wielder, [p.a.w.n] Mira stood in front of me.

“You… are Mira right?”

Hearing me, she nodded.

“Yes, you have grown splendidly.”

Mira took battle position with her staff.

Seeing that pose, I remembered something. When Riser first appeared in our club room, the person who surprised me was her. That same person is in front of me right now and she’s a really brave person.

“That’s right, I’ve also gotten stronger. I’m no longer the person who will get knocked off by getting hit with your staff!”

Shouting that, I summoned my armor.

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!!!!!!!]

Boosted Gear Scale Mail is something I wasn’t able to put on before. Now I can fight in this form! I ran towards her head on. Mira dodged my attack, but I quickly moved behind her and fired a dragon shot!

Mira is swallowed by my Dragon shot quickly! For your information, due to getting hit by my Dragon shot, her clothes got ripped into pieces….. I felt sorry for her but I wanted to thank her for the view! My eyes have seen something very nice, thank you!

“….Kuu, so this is….. L-Later….”

Before she fully retired, she blushed and murmured.

“Give me your autograph… I’m your fan!”

..R-Really?! Mira-san is my fan?! I’m surprised!

[Riser-sama’s [p.a.w.n] retired!]

Grayfia-san’s voice rung around the field as Mira-san retired.

I struggled against her last time but…. I was able to defeat her this quickly. I’m able to sense that I have improved so much.

When I turned around, it seems like Koneko and Xenovia have finished their fights as well. I saw [Rook] Xuelan-san and the [p.a.w.n] chainsaw twins enveloped in the retiring light.

[Riser-sama’s [Rook], two [p.a.w.n]s retired!]

The match at the gym has finished with our overwhelming win.

We got out of the gym while being careful of our surroundings.

….Well, if everything is happening like last time, Akeno-san should either be sending her lightning towards the Gym or the opponent’s [Queen] should be ambushing Koneko about now! It seems like Koneko doesn’t want that to happen to her again and so her cat ears are on alert. In the end, the opponent’s [Queen] didn’t show herself.

“Akeno-san’s lightning has. .h.i.t the gym!…..so it isn’t going to happen this time then.”

While I was scouting around with Koneko, I heard Rias’s voice through the communication transceivers.

[I thought it was unnecessary to be the same to that degree. Also….]

I was certainly surprised. When I turned my eyes towards the sky, I saw two women floating in the air.

[It seems like they want to have a fight between [Queen]s only.]

Rias said as such….. in the air, there was Akeno-san, and Riser’s [Queen]…. Yubelluna-san! Akeno-san made a smile and spoke,

“Ara ara, it has been awhile, miss “Bomb Queen”?”

“Yes, it has been awhile, Lightning…. No, it’s [Priestess of Lightning] now right?”

These two were sending out dangerous aura from their body. Well, to be fair, they do have a grudge against each other. Although she had the upper hand at first, Akeno-san lost against her before since her opponent used the Phoenix Tear, and Yubelluna-san nearly lost against someone who’s not even a Pro. They must really have some bitterness against each other.

Akeno-san had her Fallen-Angel wings out, and lightning formed on her hands.

“I will win this time, fair and square. Of course, you can use your Phoenix Tear.”

At Akeno-san’s provocative talk, Yublleuna-san made a confident smile,

“Fufu, I have also trained my powers ever since then. I won’t go down that easily this time.”

After finishing their talk, the two of them fired a powerful magic towards each other! Lightning shines stunningly everywhere and explosive magic also were going off non-stop to show that it won’t’ lose easily too.

At the same time, we heard explosions behind our back and when we turned ourselves around, we saw smoke coming out from the Old School Building.

“Woah, what’s happening over there?”

When I asked, I heard Rias explaining the situation,

[Rossweisse and Gasper defeated the three [p.a.w.ns] from Riser’s team. It was Yuuto’s job last time but we had Gasper and Rossweisse deal with them this time.]

Then we heard Grayfia’s voice,

[Riser-sama’s three [p.a.w.n]s retired!]

Ah, that also happened before. Riser’s reenacting that part as well. But we had Rossweisse-san deal with that. The three [p.a.w.ns], Shuriya, Marion and Bürent might have some trouble with Rossweisse-san’s magic and Gasper’s monsters. Rossweisse-san has been practicing defensive magic and sealing technique and Gasper also has been working out, improving his hand-to-hand combat.

………..By the way, the reason why I’ve memorized all the servants’ name isn’t because of this match or because I hold a grudge against them from the last match. It’s just that whenever Riser and I talk, he mentions them so I naturally memorized them.

….d.a.m.n it! That Riser. He’s trying to discuss about the girls’ problems with me as well! So annoying! But I do listen as well and he’s kept saying how men’s problem gets bigger when he makes a harem!

…ah, this isn’t the time to think about that.

“So Kiba is….”

As soon I mention him,

“Yo, Ise-kun.”

He appeared out of nowhere.

“What, you were here already?”

“Yeah, heh, so Koneko-chan survived and Xenovia is also here too. That’s rea.s.suring.”

He’s right! So far, no one from our side has retired! That’s very important in terms of our tactics and our confidence! We are showing them completely a different team from before! Xenovia spoke triumphantly,

“Yes and we are going to win this way. Soon Rossweisse will join us and Akeno-zenf.u.kubuchou will win against that [Bomb Queen] as well.”

We decided to leave the gym to Akeno-san who is having a magic battle in the air and we headed towards the field behind the new building.

The person who was waiting for us at the baseball team’s practice field is a female [Knight], wearing a body armor. Standing in the middle of the field, she seems like she was expecting us.

I remember her. She is Phoenix’s [Knight] Karlamine-san. As someone who fought her previously, Kiba made a smile towards her while still being very bold. Back then, she also called him in the middle of the field.

Kiba spoke while he walked towards her,

“It’s been awhile, Karlamine.”

“Yes, I wanted to meet you, Kiba Yuuto.”

Maybe they know each other’s feeling as swordsmen. They seem to be happy that they have met again.

I then got curious and asked Kiba,

“Ah, I forgot to ask before, but who was the Excalibur user that Karlamine-san said she met?”

I remembered what those two were chatting about in our last battle. That time, she said she met someone who wielded an Excalibur, and she said that she will tell him the ident.i.ty of the person if Kiba wins. Back then, Kiba despised the Excalibur and emitted a killing intent like he was a completely different person.

Now that he doesn’t hold any more grudges from before, Kiba made a bitter smile and remembered the past.

“Ah, that person is….”

Just then, as to cut Kiba mid-sentence, Karimine-san laughed confidently,

“Fufufu, you will meet her soon. Actually, a reliable sensei has joined us this time! And she will be able to fill the hole created by the absent of Ravel-sama! Sensei, please, do your best!”

At her words, the person appeared in the air is…a Swordswoman who has a brown coloured hair in twin-ponytail style…..

“Ta-da! I’m the helper today!”

“I-I-Irina?!”

I’m so confused right now! Well, Irina just appeared from out of nowhere wearing her battle suit! Xenovia is dumbfounded at this revelation!

“This is surely surprising; I was wondering why you were so quiet…”

“But if Ravel-san asked her to help them…. Ah, so that’s how it is then….”

Kiba nodded his head in acceptance.

Yes, the helper that Ravel has hired for today is Irina! She said this morning ‘I’ve got something so I don’t think I can see you guys off’… so this is the reason!

Karlamine-san said as she greeted Irina,

“She will be our [Bishop] subst.i.tute, Angel Irina-sama! She is also the Excalibur wielder that I met in the past!”

Irina made a peace sign.

“Fufufu, that’s right, the devil swordswoman that I met two years ago in some country happens to be a part of the House of Phoenix. Don’t you think it’s an incredible coincidence?”

Yeah, it’s quite an incredible coincidence. For a truth that’s been kept quiet for more than half a year to be something as trivial as this!

“….Haaaaaaaaaa.”

Irina sent a wink toward me while I was scratching my head.

“Fufufu, the truth is, I really wanted to partic.i.p.ate in a devil’s Rating Game! As a subst.i.tute [Bishop], I will fight Darling and Xenovia!”

That Angel, proclaiming such things and taking her Hauteclaire out…! She’s full of fighting spirit!

“B-Buchou.. No, Rias, w-what shall we do?”

Maybe because the game’s situation is like before, I’m shaken enough to call Rias as [Buchou]. But Rias laughed over through the communication transceiver.

[Fufufu, this became much more interesting. This is only allowed since this is friendly match.]

Culprit Irina fixed her sword towards us and spoke.

“So my opponent will either be Xenovia or Kiba-kun? But I’m also fine with Ise-kun or Koneko-chan!”

Hearing that, Xenovia stepped up and said,

“Interesting! I will be your opponent! I think it’ll be fun fighting her. It’s not bad having a match between me and Irina that never happened because of the peace treaty.”

After the fight against Kokabiel, if we haven’t made a peace treaty, these two might be facing each other as enemies and this situation might have happened.

Hearing Xenovia’s proclaim, Irina made bright smile,

“Come! Let’s have a match Xenovia!”

Finally, Irina and Xenovia, the two swordswomen have begun their match! This is a situation that didn’t happen last time and so it is quite entertaining. Well, there is no doubt that unexpectedness makes matters more interesting. To deceive us into a.s.suming that everything is going to plan as before bringing a surprise such as this, this brilliant tactic must have come from their advisor, Ravel. Kiba and Karlamine-san also went head on!

“Is this the rumoured Holy-Demonic sword? I wasn’t able to fight against this before…..!”

“Well, here’s a taste!”

They seem like they are enjoying themselves! Karlamine-san is using a different demonic sword to fight Kiba’s holy-demonic sword. Now, when Koneko and I was wondering what to do….

“Nyan Nyan…”

“Nyan Nyan Nyan…”

Two cat-eared [p.a.w.n]s, Ni and Li hve appeared! They are also nekomata, huh. But they seem like they are of a different species than Koneko…..

“We lost last time, but.”

“We won’t lose this time!”

These two glared at me. If I remember correctly, last time they lost against the combination between Kiba and I.

But the two cat-eared [p.a.w.ns] were stopped by the cat-eared [Rook] Koneko.

“…I want to fight against other cat-eared people. Since all of us use Ki, let’s see who’s more superior this time. “

Oh ho, Koneko also joined the fight! All three cat-eared girls are running around the field. If Kiba, Xenovia and Koneko have already joined the fight, then my opponent is…

“Your opponent is me.”

I heard another person’s voice. When I turned around, I saw a woman whose face is half covered in a mask! Riser’s [Rook] Isabela-san. I did have some exchange with her before.

“It’s been awhile, Isabela-san.”

“Yeah, I never expected to meet you in the same battlefield like this….”

Isabela-san spoke with glee and got into a flicker stance. Ah, nostalgic. I was pushed against her flicker jabs, but now….

From my body and armor, red aura emitted out. Seeing that, Isabela-san exclaimed,

“…That is an impressive aura, it’s so much different than before, Sekiryuutei.”

“…Will you received my improved punch?”

When I asked, Isabela-san smiled,

“I’ve been waiting for this moment! Show me the punch that defeated the Old maou, Loki, Cao Cao and Evil Dragons!”

Aura also emitted out of Isabela-san’s body and it was denser than last time. It was evidence that they have been training much more than others.

Shortening the distance with a few light steps, Isabela-san’s sharp fist came toward me! Flicker jab! Last time, each punch was so powerful that I nearly lost against her, but now….!

I dodged all of her attacks, and I aimed for her abdomen with my hand. Isabela-san tried to defend by switching her hand but it seems like my attack surpa.s.sed her expectation, my attack completely went through her defense. It is completely opposite to what happened before.

…d.a.m.n, I’m so moved…! I was pushed by her last time! And I was able to win after trying everything I’ve got! Maybe because I realized that every fight I had so far wasn’t in vain, my chest tightened.

“That’s a good punch. It is something I want to boast about as someone receiving the attack.”

Not only that, Isabela-san said something so touching! As a reply, I readied to fire my dragon shot! I also defeated you with a dragon shot last time!

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!!]

A voice came out of my gauntlet and a boosted aura is now concentrated on my right fist! Using my dragon wings I went high up in the sky and observed Isabela-san’s movement, and when she showed a gap, I fired the entire shot from my hand.

“GO–!”

Gigantic Dragon Shot! Isabela-san also tried to dodge but…

“Curve! And Dress Break!”

I have also improved! I concentrated on curving the shot, and at the same time, activated my Dress Break! I was able to use that since I touched her body when I punched her.

Dragon Shot made a sharp turn and Isabela-san, who was trying to dodge, got her clothes torn off with my Dress Break.

“Kuu… we are even mimicking this as well!”

Isabela-san looked surprised after her clothes were torn off. Yup, if we are going to do this, we have to do it right!

“It’s great view! Thank you very much!”

I thanked Isabela-san. Her busty figure nearly made me have a nosebleed inside my armour! If I look closely, her mask doesn’t break even if I use my Dress Break! That was also the case last time; it’s the same this time as well! Hmm, maybe it has an anti-spell magic on it? Or maybe this technique only applies to my s.e.xual fetish?

Getting hit by Dress Break as well as Dragon Shot, Isabela-san is surrounded by the retiring light and disappeared quickly.

[Riser-sama’s [Rook] retires!] Grayfia-san’s voice covered the field.

…. I’m finished but what about Kiba and Xenovia….

“Would you like to see my other demonic swords? I can show you the others except for Gram if you want.”

“Oh ho, interesting proposition, but I would like to see your Glory Drag Trooper if possible.”

Kiba and Karlamine-san are chatting while enjoying their fights. Meanwhile Xenovia and Irina…

“A few years ago, during the Evil Spirit Mansion mission, I defeated more evil spirits than you!”

“No, it was me! You were late, Xenovia!”

“That was a different time! That was during the necromancer mission!”

“You were late both times! Why are you always forgetting all those times where I won against you?”

They were now reminiscing about their past from when they both belonged in the Church….this might take some time….

“….Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame[1].”

“AHHHHH! Li, Help!”

The fight between Koneko and the two cat-eared [p.a.w.ns] is basically a catfight and it is quite entertaining to watch as well.

…Hmm, I think we are forgetting someone. When I was thinking that, a girl in Kimono approached me. She’s Riser’s [Bishop]…. Mihae right?

She bowed and said,

“Please, follow me. My master is waiting for you.”

… I left this area to my friends and followed her to Riser.

The place she led me to was a front door of a new building. I got in using the back door last time. There, Asia, Rossweisse-san and Gasper were waiting.

“Ah, Ise-san.”

“Senpai, we were waiting.”

“You came quickly.”

Three of them greeted me but I couldn’t see Rias. If they are here, Rias should be with them….

“Where’s Rias?”

“She’s upstairs.”

“She went in alone at Riser-san’s request.”

….At my question, Asia and Rossweisse-san replied…..

Honestly, for this to be same as last time….. That’s right, Rias came here with Asia last time in order to finish the fight with Riser.

When we were looking up, Mihae-san spoke,

“Riser-sama is waiting for you up there, please go up and meet him there. However, only Sekiryuutei-sama and Asia Argento-sama can go in there.”

We looked at each other. Rossweisse-san and Gasper nodded their head.

“Please go, I’m sure both [King]s are thinking of something.”

“Yes, that must be true… Then our opponent is….”

Having said that, Rossweisse-san and Gasper faces Mihae-san. She, wearing a kimono, is emitting an aura all over her body, clearly showing that she’s not intending to allow Rossweisse-san and Gasper through.

Asia and I nodded at the same time and went inside.

“I’m leaving it to you guys, Gasper! Rossweisse-san!”

I held Asia and flew inside the building. Soon, I heard a loud noise behind us. Rossweisse-san and Gasper must have started fighting Mihae-san.

Flying through the corridor, I remembered what happened back then.

After being beaten up badly, while gasping for air as well as trying to suppress my pain, I ran through this corridor. To save my [King] Rias, to save Buchou, I ran as if my life depended on it. I fall down several times on the way but I always got up…

In this battlefield, there are so many things that make me emotional. The reason for all these is waiting in front of me.

[Riser-sama’s [Bishop] retires!]

As I hear the announcement of the victory of Rossweisse-san and Gasper, I reached the roof of the building.

There, those who were waiting for me was Rias and….. Riser Phoenix!

It looks like those two have not yet started their fight. Their clothes weren’t in a mess and there were no signs of fighting on the roof.

After letting Asia down, I stood next to Rias.

“Buchou! Hyoudou Issei, here at your service!”

I said the same thing I said to her before. Rias must have felt nostalgic hearing those words as she made a small smile.

“Thank Ise, it’s bit embarra.s.sing that this is exactly the same as before.”

That’s right, it’s a bit weird! Riser looked at me and…

“The Dragon brat huh, That Ravel, she let him pa.s.s, huh…that is also what I said last time.”

… and made bitter smile. Ah, he did say that before. While I was thinking about the past…

[Riser-sama’s [Queen] Retires!]

We heard an announcement of Yubelluna-san’s defeat. This means the victory belonged to Akeno-san. Having heard the announcement of the defeat of his servant, Riser quietly closed his eyes.

In our last battle, Yubelluna-san flew towards the roof after the defeat of Akeno-san. I was really shocked to hear that Akeno-san had lost.

Just now, Akeno-san flew towards the roof but her miko outfit was in a mess…. I guess she didn’t win without taking any damage. It means that Yubelluna-san was that strong.

“Yubelluna’s power definitely increased from her training… but she can’t win against Rias’s servants huh… Well, the amount of real fights we had is different from them.”

Riser muttered in a cold tone.

If it was the Riser before, he would have been enraged and insulted everyone but it seems like he’s accepting the result.

Having muttered that, he took his top off. It seems like he’s wearing a fighting suit that’s close to being topless. On his back, wings made of flames appeared…. Seeing the flame, I was really surprised…. The flames were much more dense and larger than before!

I could feel the heat even when I was wearing the armor. If I get hit by that, I won’t be safe even If I am wearing an armor.

Riser said to Rias,

“…Rias, I’m sorry but don’t interfere. I…. want to fight against him. I asked an Angel for help because I wanted this fight for myself…. Ravel also understood my feelings.”

…Ku!

….everybody was shocked after hearing Riser’s confession. Riser…. desires to fight me again right here. Having not allowed Rias to fight against him, he is now looking forward to our fight.

“I am interested in that guy over there and not you, Rias. Unless I defeat him, I can’t really say that I have overcome my fear of dragons!”

Realizing Riser’s intention, Rias sighed and replied,

“Even if you are immortal, it’s still reckless to fight Ise, who had a lot of near-death experience and also defeated strong foes…. You still want to fight him, right?”

Emitting an overwhelming aura, he walked towards us step by step.

“Rias, I… am fine with losing. I will use my defeat as a stepping stone to become stronger. Whatever the case, I realized that fighting those stronger than me has real meaning! Hyoudou Issei!”

Riser shouted while pointing at me!

“Feel the h.e.l.lfire of the undying House of Phoenix with your body and burn up!”

Shouting such lines, Riser enveloped himself in fire and made his body into a Phoenix and flew into the sky! It feels like what happened in that engagement party previously is happening again!

He’s thinking of heading straight onto me in that form!

Seeing Riser I… felt something boiling inside me.

“…Rias, I ask of you, please don’t interfere! I… really want to fight Riser Phoenix right here!”

She nodded her head lightly to respect my wish. Getting her approval, I blasted myself towards the sky! To fight his h.e.l.lfire head on!

“There’s no way I will be defeated by your stupid flame!!!!!”

I was shouting while boosting head on towards Riser!

BANG! With a loud noise, we exchanged blows into each other’s face! The shockwaves from our clash shock the entire building.

We both clashed with each other! Whenever Riser’s attack hit me, I can feel an intense heat but I’ve already experienced this before! I can endure this! Due to him having the traits of a Phoenix, he will always regenerate no matter what happens. This is the troublesome part!

In the past, I was afraid of Riser and I also wanted to run away after having experienced the difference in strength against him. But it’s different now!

Riser shouted while aiming his punch at me!

“Are you scared?! No, you won’t be scared at all, Hyoudou Issei! You are a true warrior who fought countless times with your Boosted Gear! With or without your armor, you won’t die with my h.e.l.lfire! Your true worth is much more than just your Boosted Gear!”

…….Ku!…… s.h.i.t! Are you an idiot?! What the h.e.l.l are you saying?! Insult me like before! Treat me like an idiot! Getting praised by you… I want to cry now!!

Riser’s fist and feet are enveloped in flame and sharply hits my body! Watching the way he dodges my attacks, I realized! Riser learned hand-to-hand combat!

“I didn’t know that you learned those fighting skills!”

“Well, I’m also training lately! I invited Sairaorg Bael as my training partner! If it’s fistfight, I’m confident!”

Sairaorg-san is your training partner?! So that’s why I felt a bit of déjà vu when fighting him! If you fight against Sairaorg-san, you"d naturally prefer fistfight!

This is what a fight between men should be!

One by one, exchanging blows between the face, abdomen, legs and arms. It only has meaning if you put all your will into each punch and kick! My fist punched his face, and he landed a kick to my abdomen!

….I won’t hold back anymore!

“—I, who is about to awaken, am the Red Dragon Emperor who has discarded the principles of domination. Holding the infinite hopes and unbreakable dreams and walking the path of righteousness, I will become an Emperor of Crimson Dragon. And I will lead you to the path of Heaven, glowing in deep crimson light!”

[Cardinal Crimson Full Drive!!!]

As my armor turn crimson, Riser made a smile full of joy and excitement, enough to send shockwaves through his entire body.

“Here I goooooooooooo!”

My right fist swell! “Solid Impact Booster”! I will pierce through his flame in one punch!

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!!]

With a loud voice, an enormous amount of the Dragon’s power is concentrated on my right fist!

[Solid Impact Booster!!]

Riser moved his flame from his back to put out a defensive barrier in front of him but… My fist pierced through his flame and hit his body!

“Kuaaaaaaa”

Riser screamed while falling down the rooftop! Although he received a lot of damage, he staggered up! Regenerating himself with his flame, his eyes are still sparkling. It seems like he hasn’t given up yet.

Even if he is immortal, it seems like the damage received just then was quite critical as he is staggering. Even with his trait of immortality, his mind isn’t as such. My fist…. must have reached his mind.

“Ise, Riser!”

Although Rias shouted our names, Riser doesn’t seem like he can hear her. He laughed and shouted towards me,

“Hyoudou Issei! I might lose against you tens of times, no, hundreds of time! However, remember this! The lives of Devils are close to infinite! In that time, I will win against you! No, I don’t need 10,000 years! In a few years, I will burn you with the h.e.l.lfire of Phoenix and turn you into ash!”

After re-igniting flames on his back, once again he flew into sky! After getting hit by my attack, his mind should have been exhausted but he did not back off!

“Okay, I like that! I can easily understand that! Riser-san! You are becoming my rival! That’s awesome!”

I fought Riser once again! He was smiling!

“Here I go, Hyoudou Issei! Oooooooooooooooo!”

“I won’t lose! Ooooooooo!”

My fist covered in crimson aura and Riser’s fist covered in h.e.l.lfire. Our fists clashed within the bounds of the game field.

After the fight, I heard from Akeno-san that Rias and Asia were exchanging remarks with each other.

“Asia. Guys are really…. Stupid.”

“Fufufu, but both of them look like they are enjoying themselves.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe it. Riser to target Ise… I never imagined it. But I’m a bit envious… only guys can understand this feeling.”

Talking to each other like this…

A few days after the Phoenix match…

We were victorious in that match. The fight between Riser and I also ended with my victory. The others had finished their fights before, but since I was concentrating on the fight against Riser, I couldn’t hear the announcer.

In the end, the friendly match ended with the flawless victory of the Gremory team.

…Last time, I fought until I became a mess but I lost in the end. It’s not an exaggeration that this match was our overwhelming victory. The only match that ended in a tie was the match between Xenovia and Irina. I heard that they were continuing their sword fight while also arguing with each other as my fight with Riser finished before them. In the end, the match was won after their [King] retired.

“Auuu, it’s not done yet!”

“That’s right, I won’t lose against Irina!”

Those two, who weren’t satisfied with how things ended, often have a match of chess or sport after the fight… My goodness, the both of them don’t want to be a loser.

Nevertheless… that match was proof that we have improved significantly. Also the fight against Riser was…. fun.

Kiba, Koneko, Akeno-san and Gasper felt some resentment deep in their heart but it seems like they were satisfied in the end. It’s quite satisfying to not retire until the end. I also became emotional when I defeated Riser.

After the match finished, Riser spoke to both me and Rias,

“Hurry and come to Pro scene… I want to fight you guys in an official match.”

…Yes, I want to get there quickly. Not just Riser but there is also the Sitri team, Sairaorg-san, and others that we have yet to meet are all there….

Actually, I want to rest for a bit. A rating game takes quite a lot of physical and mental energy so after each game, your body becomes tired. I got tired a lot more this time so I need to take a rest for a few days.

…While I was thinking that, Rias and Ravel are again talking to each other while playing chess.

“….If it was me, I would do this in this situation.”

“However, the opponent might antic.i.p.ate Rias-sama’s movement and therefore…”

…. I got curious this time again so I was looking towards them, suddenly Azazel-sensei came in saying “Hey~”. At that exact moment, Rias and Ravel ran towards sensei.

“Azazel! You know about the fight between Sona and Seekvaira Agares right?!”

“Sensei! If Rias-sama and Seekvaira-sama fought in a Scramble Flag match, what do you think will happen?!”

…Ku! I made a soundless cry! No way! Those two were talking about… the match between former-president Sona and Seekvaira-san!? Were they discussing about [What if the Gremory team fought them instead…] again!

Hearing those two, Sensei was like…

“Oh ho, sounds interesting. Should I ask the House of Agares?” He was grinning while saying such a thing!

No way! Please! Think before arranging a match!

I am very bewildered as I am being involved in these two pure-blooded ladies’ entertainment!