Chapter 32: Two Demons decided to meet....
200 gems = bonus chapter
Fully support the story at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
Rias Gremory sat in her desk chair at the Occult Club. It had been a few days since all the werewolves and mages had left the suburbs of Tokyo. There had been a huge number of casualties, not only among humans but other creatures as well. But the loved ones of the deceased will no longer remember this loss.....
The houses were rebuilt, the roads were repaired, and the local authorities commented on it as a terrorist attack by the nationalists, who are gaining popularity every day. Of course, they could have said that terrorists did it, but the Demons that sit in the government decided to further divide people among themselves.
These days have been hard. Many are tired not only physically, but mentally. Now everything was back to normal: children continued to go to school, demons also continued their training - everything was as before. If it weren't for a few 'buts...'
If Rias has a problem with a servant, who is not affected by hypnosis or even by the influence of Figura, then Sona's problem is much more complicated. Of course, Rias isn't stupid and suspects why Issei doesn't obey her. There's a reason why she's been sitting in the House's library for twenty-four hours a day studying the magical world. Sona, on the other hand...
Rias had never seen her friend so depressed. She had always seen her in action, in motion, always doing something, never sitting idle, and now....
Lying down. Lying there, staring up at the fascinating black ceiling.
And then there's her new Figure, who's taken on a Rook. Sona probably hadn't given it much thought, but Rias thought it was a mistake to reincarnate a werewolf. They'll have an excuse to come here again, and then...then there'll be trouble. There were no troops of Gremory, Sitri, or the churchmen who'd taken the werewolves' first strike.
Rias sighed, adjusting her skirt. She had been trying to help Sonya for days now, but all to no avail. Right now, she had her own problems too. And one of them was Issei.
Dragon bearers have always been difficult to deal with, too willful and free-spirited. And the Dragons, needless to say...
Dragons have always been known for their stubbornness and insubordination. They didn't care about structures, they just broke those barriers. They didn't care about the squabbles of the magical races, they would simply stop the fight with their mere presence and force everyone to bare arms against themselves.
Unfortunately or fortunately, their bearers had adopted these...traits. Where once the prestige for Lords or Gods was the Dragons, now it was their bearers. At least most of them. A few centuries ago, there had been a Red Dragon Emperor bearer under Sazex's subordination, but for some unspecified reason that Sazex had not told Rias about, he had not become a Former Gremory Figure.
Lelouch Lamperouge, a Super Demon, had once had a White Dragon Emperor host who, during a deadly battle with the Red, had activated the Juggernaut Drive and destroyed several small cities of Hell along with his rival.
Though Rias wasn't around then, but her parents had told her about it. What a lot of time Sazex and Lelouch had spent trying to appease the demons....
Though maybe everyone had their own goals and motives from such a spectacle...
At the thought of the head of House Lamperouge, Rias blushed slightly. Lelouch is probably one of the few 'old' Demons who is still a conqueror of young maiden's hearts to this day. Although Sasex is also a ladies' man, he hasn't been interested in the opposite sex yet. At least, Rias hasn't noticed that....
Lelouch Lamperouge is Hell's greatest diplomat and reformer. He had done so much for the demons that Rias wouldn't be able to list it all at once. Lelouch is credited with keeping the Inferno from fighting or getting into armed conflicts with other factions.
Hell is one of the strongest and most technologically advanced races in the magical world - Lelouch's merit. Hordes of demonic creatures of the Gorge do not pass into the main lands of Hell - again a credit to Lelouch.
He is incredibly popular among the Lower and Middle Class demons. He has an incredibly huge amount of support from the Highs and the Upper Class. To put it simply, he is loved. For his intelligence, determination, charisma, and other traits that girls like so much. Including Rias.
And as Rias had found out recently, so did Sonja....
Rias shook her head, pushing away unnecessary thoughts. She crossed her arms and looked around at her servants.
Kiba wasn't as friendly and smiling today as he usually was. He stood at the window with a book on sword techniques. Rias though she had seen this outer shell, but she had known Kiba for a long time. He was more focused now than ever before....
Koneko sat on the couch, shovelling biscuits. Blank eyes, monotonous and practiced movements frustrated Gremory. If she wanted to, no, if she could, then...she wouldn't allow the nekomata to be completely subjugated. She only wanted a family, not...some bedfellows.
Akeno stands behind her back, eyes closed. She stands with her usual smile, already in her head imagining spells for...a special occasion. And considering who's coming to them, well....
That special occasion is bound to happen...
But what worried Rias even more was that there was no Issei.
Ever since the incident at the Church, he hadn't woken up or gone to school. Today, Rias decided to see how her servant was doing. She saw with the help of her familiar that he was awake. From the way Issei was acting, he didn't really understand what had happened to him, but he was supposed to come to school.
He didn't...
She needed him today more than ever. Today was the day Raiser and his entourage would arrive to make a pact for Gremory to join Fenex's personal harem. Sure, on the one hand a wedding, strengthening Gremory and Fenex's relationship, but on the other hand an unhappy marriage, another lucrative offer from Fenex to the 'Royal' family.
Rias' musings were interrupted when a flame erupted in the corner of her room where Gremory's circle was drawn.
Rias snorted defiantly. Fenex had made a spectacular appearance at the Club. When the flames were gone, Rias saw a Demon with blond hair.
He was wearing a purple jacket, trousers of the same colour and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone. Pleasant and aristocratic facial features, dark blue eyes scrutinised the room. Black shoes clattered against the expensive floor of the room as she walked, and her hands were in the pockets of her trousers.
Rias's servants noticed him too, but outwardly tried not to show it, continuing to go about their business. But Fenex wasn't foolish enough to believe such a thing....
- Hello, Rias Gremory,' Raiser said calmly, bowing slightly.
Rias hesitated. Was Raiser's outer shell calm, or had he changed so much in the meantime? He used to stare defiantly at her body when they first met. Rias could already boast of her imposing forms at twelve years old, but Raiser could boast that with the awakening of Dara Fenex, his Fenex junior often stood at attention. Mhm...
Ryzer looked around at everyone in the room and focused his attention on her. He glimpsed a glimpse of her breasts, which Rias had purposely propped up with her hands....
Maybe she was wrong, he hadn't changed, just hiding his vulgar nature behind the mask of an aristocrat.
- Hello,' Rias said without getting up from her chair, 'Now goodbye! You stink!
- Oh, don't start that again, Rias,' he put his hand on his head, 'I've had enough of this, to be honest. Let's just have the wedding, that's all. You can live in my castle in peace, if you like. And if you need to have sex--
- I've said many times I won't marry you! - Rias' hair began to rise, 'I will only marry the man I love.
- Rias,' Raiser sighed, 'You're all grown up now, and you still believe such things. I don't want to explain it to you, but I think you'll understand.
- Explain what?
- Look at you, Rias,' Rias Reiser nodded at the cans, "After you give up the marriage, if you can," Fenex snorted faintly, 'the other heirs of the Houses will pounce on you like wild animals on a piece of meat. I told you before.
- Shut up!' Rias gritted her teeth, 'I know what you are! Don't give me that pathetic pretence, Raiser,' Gremory spat out.
Fenex only looked at her more closely, but the angry expression on Rias's face didn't go anywhere. Ryzer just shrugged. Of course, he wouldn't say out loud the reason for his pretence.
- Well, then congratulations, we're in a stalemate, Rias,' he leaned back on the sofa, 'What are we going to do?
- You're going to leave, and I'm going to continue living in the Upper World. You go cry to your family. That's it,' Rias said, flipping her hair.
Raiser was beginning to get tired of this.
- I think I know what our parents will do,' everyone in the room's ears perked up, 'We'll fight...
Rias rounded her eyes. Before she could say anything, Raiser continued.
- When I win you-and I will,' Raiser grinned, which made Rias even angrier, 'I'll make you lick my feet, make you eat the ground, and then make you apologise for not...
Rias's speech was interrupted by the circle of Dom Gremory in the corner of the room. Rias smiled faintly, all her anger at Raiser gone.
In the teleportation circle was a beautiful girl with long blue hair. Even though she was wearing a long blue dress, one could still see the outline of her gorgeous figure. Indigo-coloured eyes stared unhappily at the Demons.
- Okay, kids, let's not turn to insults. You are, after all, the future heirs of the Great Houses of the Underworld. Though I dread to imagine the future of Hell, if it's ruled by the likes of you...
Rias recognised the girl, and so did Reiser. And so did everyone in the room. Now things were getting serious....
- Good afternoon,' Raiser bowed more deeply than Rias, 'I didn't think Mr Lucifer would send his Queen.
- Hello, Mistress Tiamat,' Rias rose from her seat and bowed deeply, as did her servants.
- Yes, yes, no more greetings,' the Dragon King waved her hand at Tiamat, who was Tiamat in human form, 'I have a lot of things to do, and you can't sort them out properly.
Everyone listened attentively to the strongest Queen of Hell.
- There's going to be a Rating Game, kids,' Tiamat announced, causing surprise from Rias's entourage and confusion from Raiser, 'It's going to be in a week. Your parents have already talked it over and decided what to do. And-and-and...I guess that's it, for now,' she waved her hand, creating a teleportation circle, if not....
- Wait, Tiamat! - Rias exclaimed, but she wasn't the reason Tiamat stopped teleporting.
She took a sniff. Yes, this was a scent Tiamat would remember forever....
- Tiamat, I want to ask....
The door of the room flew out with a bang.
- Rias, there's a conversation to be had! - Shouted the teenager immediately after entering the room.
Now Rias's entire entourage was in shock....
- Issei?!
Yes, it was exactly him. In the same Kuo Academy uniform he usually wears. But there was no change in his appearance, except for the frown on his face. But his Aura had changed...
- Who's that? - Issei was the first to ask, glancing at Reiser.
But he only glanced at him, and then looked at Rias again.
- I assume this is your last servant,' Raiser said with a grin, 'Seriously, you couldn't even rein in that plebeian?
Rias frowned again, about to respond to the insult, but.....
- LESSONS!
Raiser was already flying into the wall...
Phenex hit the wall of the room, leaving a huge dent there. A dense dragon Aura formed around Issei, attracting the gaze of the opposite sex and scaring away the rest...
Koneko didn't care, but her cheeks turned traitorously red. Akeno, however, continued to look at it with a smile, as if she didn't feel the effects of Issei's Aura on herself. And Tiamat...she's a Dragon, she's not affected by such nonsense.....
Ryzer coughed up his own blood. He began to rise up on trembling hands and with blood on his lips he uttered:
- HOW... HOW DARE YOU, PLEBEY!!!!! - Raiser flashed his Aura, causing Rias's entourage to back away from the window. Kiba stood directly in front of Rias, with Koneko beside him. Akeno's hands shimmered with lightning, making a nasty sound that resembled the clanking of some kind of machine and the screech of a bird together.
Issei arched his right eyebrow.
- How dare I? - Issei thought for a moment, then said with a smile, 'Because I can, because I want to. Would that answer satisfy the invincible Fenex? - He curved his lips in a mocking smile.
Fiery wings appeared behind Reiser's back, and the air in the room was already completely saturated with the Power of the third Fenex heir and the host of the Valian Dracock.
Each of them continued to increase their Aura. Ryzer was sizzling with an angry expression on his face as he sizzled at the brown-haired man. He had been so publicly embarrassed, he couldn't just let it go. Issei, on the other hand, continued to amplify himself with a slight smile. Rias only looked intently at her servant.
Could it be that he remembered the events at the Church?
Before Rias could call out to her brother, his servants had already come to Kuo. They erased all memories of that day, and added a few thoughts about loyalty to the House of Gremory...
Though Rias didn't want to do it, but the servants were doing it on Sasex's orders, so there was no way she could interfere. Go against her brother, the Lord of Hell. If she even wanted to, she couldn't....
Were these changes related to the mental manipulations of Sazex's servants? That was a question that probably no one knew the answer to. Though no, one did...
And that 'one' was in the room right now - Tiamat...
Ryzer and Issei's Auras immediately disappeared, after releasing a different Aura...
Tiamat decided to join their fight, and no sooner had she released even a tenth of her power than the Auras of the children disappeared....
Everyone in the room fell silent. Raiser squinted unhappily at Tiamat, and Issei looked at her questioningly....
Once again, Rias noticed that Issei was not looking at the figure of the woman. And Tiamat's figure was simply gorgeous! Another change?!
And before Tiamat could say.....
- Who are you? - Issei asked the most logical question.
All eyes in the room turned to Issei. How brave do you have to be to snip the strongest Queen of Hell?
But Tiamat's reaction to this was not at all what many expected.
- Ddraig, have you not educated your partner on manners? - Tiamat asked, looking only at the glove.
- 'I taught him everything. Almost,' came a voice from the gauntlet, much to the surprise of the demons, 'Except socialising with you. He doesn't need that, though.
- Why is that? - She arched an eyebrow, 'Your previous host didn't fully repay your debt. So this monkey here will honour it in full. And if he doesn't...
- You're the monkey, you stupid dragoness. Who the hell are you? - Issei shook his hands.
There was silence in the room, but not for long....
The air was now once again saturated with someone else's Force. This time, the Dragon King's power....
Tiamat's black pupil became vertical, and her Aura pinned Issei to the floor. The boy began to gasp for breath.
- Tiamat, stop! - Rias tried to get closer, but the dense Aura prevented her from doing so.
Issei struggled to get up....
- POWER! POWER! POWER! POWER!
Issei's aura tried to resist Tiamat, but the guy was still too weak to resist the Dragon King.
Tiamat took a step towards the guy....
- 'Know your place, you filthy ape,' Tiamat said coldly, 'You are nothing but a pathetic lowlife. Remember that. You are nothing. Your place is on your knees. And when I speak, you don't speak. Get it, monkey?!
Issei's body trembled. Hyodo thought that all his limbs were about to be torn from his body and flung across the room, but it was the Aura of the Sacred Mechanism that saved him from that.
Just as he stood up, Tiamat's Aura became even stronger. What kind of monster is that?!
- I'm asking you, do you understand me? I can't hear you, monkey? - Tiamat said, walking up close to the guy and about to kick him as.....
DANGER! DANGER OF DEATH!!!
DEATH! INSTANT DEATH!
RUN! FLEE!
Tiamat immediately jumped away from Issei. All her instincts screamed danger. But it wasn't coming from Issei....
Ryzer had already wiped away the blood with a handkerchief and stood against the far wall, so that he wouldn't be hit by Tiamat's Aura again....
Tiamat looked at her hands. They were trembling. The hands of the strongest Dragon King were trembling with some kind of danger that she sensed purely by instinct.
- Where? From where? Who? - Tiamat began to look around as that sense of danger hit her again.
From the direction of the door...
- Of course, I knew that Demons subdue their servants...in an unusual way,' the man from the door chuckled, 'But I don't think it's worth mutilating such a valuable specimen...
The stranger entered the room. He was wearing a Kuo Academy uniform. His thick black hair slicked back glistened slightly in the sunlight from the window. He had a cheerful smile playing on his face and round glasses on his nose, under which bright blue eyes scrutinised everyone present.
Tiamat involuntarily took a step back. Her hands trembled slightly, and the vertical pupil changed to a normal pupil.
The sense of danger hadn't gone anywhere, but now it wasn't trumpeting all over the Dragon's head. Tiamat was even slightly taken aback, she had always trusted her instincts, but to be scared of some boy...?
However, Tiamat had always trusted her instincts, as they had never failed her, and had even saved her life several times, so....
- There's a whole salad of Demons in here. Oh, excuse me, and one Dragon,' the man smiled politely as he looked at Tiamat.
- Rei? - Rias exclaimed in surprise, and yes the rest of the servants were surprised at his appearance.
Even Akeno was surprised at Hayato's appearance, it wasn't in their plan after all. Or had he been changed? But outwardly she didn't show her emotions, except for the same smile....
Rei didn't pay any attention to Rias. He walked over to the heavily breathing boy and placed a hand on his back. Issei immediately felt better, and he raised a surprised look at Rei.
- 'I only slightly restored the airway in his chest with my Force,' Hayato informed him, 'You don't have to thank me.
- Okay,' Issei replied nonchalantly, but he wasn't going to thank him, 'Why did you come? You said yourself that what happened was my problem, and that I had to solve it myself,' Issei stood up, put his hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened, and moved closer to the sofa, 'I'm grateful to you for telling me, but I'll take it from here.
- That's right,' Rei replied politely, 'But, if you'll excuse me, I have some business I'd like to discuss here as well.
Issei chuckled. Rei caught a glimpse of Rias, who was glaring at him. Rei smirked with the corner of his lips, which infuriated Rias even more.
- So this man is to blame for Rias's own servant's rampage? - Tiamat thought to herself as she continued to study Reyas.
- But I wish Fenex would go away. He'll be in the way,' Rei sat down on the sofa, adjusting his trousers, which made Rias resent his insolence.
- What?' Reiser exploded, 'Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?
- Well, I thought you agreed that the Ranking Game was a week away, didn't you? - He turned towards Dragon, who didn't respond. Rei chuckled, 'Anyway, I heard your whole conversation, which was more like a circus. Now please, Riser-san, leave the office. You will meet again in a week.
The fire completely enveloped Reiser's body, and the fiery wings reappeared behind his back. This time there was no one in his way.....
- It seems, human, you've forgotten yours...
- One more step and you'll die,' Rei said coldly, which gave everyone in the room goosebumps. Even Tiamat was surprised at her body's reaction to the boy's tone.
Reiser felt something on his temple....
- It will completely destroy your brain,' Rei decided to explain, and the others also saw something sharp on Fenex's temple, 'It will leave only your body, but no head. The needle is completely saturated with the Power of Light, such a concentration will not save you from regeneration Fenex. So we'll skip the killing,' Rei squinted slightly, resting his head on his right fist.
Reiser's eyes bulged first in surprise and then clenched his fists in impotent anger. He couldn't feel any energy from this...weapon? Could it be a bluff? No, as soon as Fenex thought about it, all his inner senses screamed that it wasn't.
Reiser tsked.
- I'll leave now, mage. But when we meet, whether we are enemies or not, I will kill you. Meet me in a week, Rias Gremory,' Reiser disappeared into the teleportation circle. Rias didn't answer him, and probably wouldn't have had time.
- Well, I'm impressed. He suppressed his anger and walked away. Thought he'd keep pushing his point. 'Looks like Samui raised him well,' Rei thought to himself with a thin smirk on his lips.
- 'Now,' Rei relaxed, 'let's begin our dialogue.
Tiamat walked over to Rias, keeping her eyes on Rei. Rias relaxed a little, thanks to the presence of the strongest Queen in Hell, and sat down at the table.
The rest of Rias' servants settled into their original seats.
- So, Gremory,' Reyas began, 'How do you want to defeat Reiser?
- What do you mean, how? - Rias had changed her attitude toward mages, so she didn't show off, since she was also the Queen of Sazex. 'I'll just smash his insolent face into the ground, that's all,' Rias crossed her arms over her chest.
- Well, that's a good plan, Gremory!
- What?! - the servants and Tiamat had the same reaction.
- There's just one thing,' Rei glared at Rias, 'Raiser is an experienced fighter who has fought in the Ranking Games with his retinue many times. He's also fought in the Upper World with our mages,' Rey grinned, 'And the face down strategy isn't likely to work.
- What are you getting at? - Rias frowned, she realised what Rei was getting at, but she didn't want to say it herself.
- That your servants won't last against his experienced...harem,' Hayato gave a cheeky chuckle, 'You'll lose, Gremory. And this time,' a barbed glance in Tiamat's direction, which the Dragon noticed, 'You won't be helped....
Rias frowned even harder. It was hard for her to contain her emotions when she was being openly humiliated like this.
- Do you want help? - Rias asked one of her favourite questions. After all, if she got help, she could do nothing again.
- I want to,' Rei answered, causing Rias to smile faintly, 'But I have some...limitations.....
- The figure of Evil,' Tiamat intervened, 'You can be part of her retinue and help her defeat Raiser.
- Exactly! - Rias exclaimed, standing up abruptly, 'I, Rias Gremory, give you my word that I will take care of you. I've seen your Power, you'll be much stronger after you accept the Figure,' she walked out from behind the desk.
- I just summoned the box, and almost no Figure except Elephant responded. But I don't have enough Elephant alone for him to call upon. If I had more Pawns, I could sacrifice them,' she looked at Issei. He, as if he wasn't paying attention to the others in the room, was drilling the girl with a displeased look.
- You will help Lucifer's sister, and Lord Sazex will not be indebted to you,' Tiamat said, "Your joining Rias" retinue will be the beginning of better relations between the Coalition and Hell.
- Or the beginning of a new conflict once you've examined my head,' Rei thought to herself, looking at Tiamat now, 'Tiamat along with Fafnir are the strongest Dragons in the art of Curses, and right now she's casting one curse after another, making me fear as soon as I think of refusing. Well, okay. I'm getting scared already. Take it easy, Rei, it's okay....
- 'I'll think about it,' Rei said seriously, walking away from the answer, 'But I could help you with your training. Or rather, a friend of mine could help....
- No,' Tiamat cut her off, causing Rias to look surprised, 'Rias Gremori is the heir to the Great House of Gremori, we wouldn't trust her to the Coalition mages. If you want to improve relations - there is a Figure of Evil, just accept her, there is nothing wrong with that. If you refuse to accept it, then we don't know whether to trust you or not,' Tiamat's indigo eyes fixed on Hayato.
- Oh, here come the demands. Maybe we should go the other way...
- I will not accept the Figure of Evil,' Rei said with a cold smile, 'Let me remind you that I came to you. You don't want to accept help from a human just because you are unable to subdue him? Choosing nothing but dominance, lizard?
Tiamat's pupil instantly became vertical, and no sooner had Rias' retinue reacted to Hayato's words than the room began to crack....
Sand and rubble began to fall from the ceiling, the walls began to crack, and the windows were already wanting to fly out, but Rei....
He continued to sit there with a cold smile, as if ignoring the heavy Aura of Tiamat....
- I might have been able to fight you, Tiamat. But you Dragons are known for your damned unpredictability, so I don't feel like fighting you. But I wasn't going to...
Before Rei could finish his thought, he saw that Tiamat was already beside him. As if in slow motion, thanks to his glasses, he watched Tiamat's claws strive for his chest. So they don't want to kill...
Three centimetres.
Exhale, concentration...
Two centimetres.
Let Rei suffer.
- JUST SHOOT HER!
One centimetre...
A shot rang out.
Blood splattered Rei not only on his clothes, but also on his face....
Everyone in the room watched in horror as Tiamat's arm just....
Torn off? Now instead of an arm, she had a bloody hand that was already starting to heal. The gunshot had hit only the centre of her palm at first, but a moment later it had eaten away all the skin along with the bone until...completely gone.
Tiamat's eyes darted up in surprise....
- Doesn't it heal? - The same question was asked by everyone in the room, except Rei, who was smiling, 'Special Coalition development,' Rei decided to speak up after three seconds of silence, 'Created specifically to eliminate Demon-Dragons. Especially for the likes of you, lizard...''
Rei released his Aura...
Purple energy raged around him, forming some semblance of spikes around him that wanted to lash out at the enemy. But the host's will wouldn't allow them to do so.
- This Aura is almost as good as the Aura I had before Sazex made me Queen,' Tiamat thought worriedly, she had learnt to control herself over the centuries and the "special" training had helped, 'Or...is he still holding it back? I'm holding back too, but at his age, a man can't rise to that level. You will pay...pay for the insults....
Hayato got up from the couch.
- I will wait for your answer, Rias Gremori,' Rei said loudly, 'Make your own decision. Do something about your life on your own....
And he was gone...
Or rather, he disappeared instantly, leaving all the demons and one Demon-Dragon in the room in a stupor.
But not Akeno...
- Now, it's up to me. It's time to talk you, dear Rias, into your first independent decision, which may turn out to be...unexpected events for Hell,' Akeno smiled inwardly, 'In the Name of the God-Emperor....