Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Rating Game Begins
"If Kira gets caught, he is evil. If Kira rules the world, he is justice."
— Light Yagami, Death Note
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When it came to dedication and effort, Saeko was undoubtedly the most diligent among them.
Her statement resonated with the others.
"Hmph! I definitely want to participate in this Rating Game!" Saya declared, confidently holding up her Poké Ball and looking at Roy.
According to the rules of a Rating Game, only one Queen, two Bishops, two Knights, two Rooks, and eight Pawns could participate, along with Roy, the King.
Roy had five potential Bishops: Saya, Shizuka, Asia, Yuriko, and Alice.
That's why Saya was the first to volunteer. Having obtained a powerful Familiar as Gyarados, she naturally wanted to showcase her strength.
Shizuka, Asia, and the others hadn't realized this limitation yet.
Roy considered Saya's request for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Saya, you can participate."
Saya beamed with joy, determined to perform well in the Rating Game.
"Now that Saya has brought up the topic of participants, let's decide on the lineup," Roy said, looking at the girls. "For the Rooks, we'll have Nezuko and Mitsuri Kanroji."
"Leave it to us!" Nezuko and Mitsuri declared confidently.
They were the only ones in Roy's peerage with High-Class Devil strength.
"For the Knights, I'll rely on Saeko and Kanao."
"No problem!" Saeko replied with a smile.
"Mm!" Kanao nodded in agreement.
"For the Bishops, we have Saya, and..." Roy looked at Asia, Alice, Shizuka, and Yuriko.
Yuriko was still quite weak, as was her Charmander.
The same applied to Alice.
Shizuka's healing magic wasn't very proficient yet, and her Chansey wasn't suited for combat.
Asia, with her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, was the most suitable for a support role.
Moreover, her Pikachu was a decent fighter and could protect her.
"So, the Bishops will be Saya and Asia."
"Yay!" Asia was overjoyed to be chosen.
"Saya, you sly fox!" Yuriko grumbled, pouting at her daughter.
Saya must have known about the Rating Game's limitations beforehand, which was why she had volunteered so quickly.
"Hmph!" Saya, hearing her mother's complaint, crossed her arms and let out a haughty snort, unable to hide her smug grin.
"Finally, for the Pawns... we'll have Rika, Kanae, Shinobu, Makomo, and Aoi Kanzaki."
Although eight Pawns could participate, these were the only ones available in Roy's peerage.
"No problem! Leave it to us!" Rika exclaimed excitedly.
Her strength had increased significantly through training, and she was eager to prove herself.
"Roy-sama... what about us?" The three little girls from the Butterfly Mansion approached Roy, their eyes wide with anticipation.
"Uh..." Roy had overlooked them. They were technically Pawns as well, but they were simply too young to participate in a Rating Game.
He patted their heads gently. "You can cheer for us."
"Okay!" The three lolis nodded obediently, their cuteness overwhelming.
"I envy you, Roy. You have so many exceptional servants," Rias commented, her voice laced with a hint of longing.
Roy's servants were not only powerful and promising but also got along well with each other.
In all these years, she only had Akeno and Koneko.
Roy, in just a short time, had assembled such a formidable peerage. Rias couldn't help but feel envious.
"Haha, Rias. You'll find exceptional servants too," Roy reassured her with a chuckle.
Seeing her dejection, he decided to help her recruit Xenovia and Irina Shidou, the Holy Sword users, when they encountered them.
...
"Well then, it's time for me to return to the Underworld," Grayfia suddenly announced.
"Eh? Grayfia-sama, won't you stay a bit longer?" Alice and the other lolis pleaded.
Grayfia smiled and patted their heads.
"The Gremory and Phenex families initially wanted me to be the referee for this Rating Game, but I declined."
"Now that there's nothing to worry about here, I'll accept the referee position after all."
She turned to Roy with a smile. "Roy, I'm looking forward to your performance."
"I'll do my best," Roy replied confidently.
Perhaps because Roy was growing stronger, Grayfia smiled more often now.
Grayfia nodded in satisfaction and activated a magic circle, vanishing before their eyes.
As soon as her magic circle disappeared, another one appeared in the living room.
"Eh? Who's that?" Rias wondered, looking at the glowing circle.
The light faded, revealing two figures.
"Sona?"
Rias and Roy were surprised to see Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra.
"Ara ara, Sona-kaichou has come in person," Akeno greeted them with a smile and went to prepare tea.
"Sona, what brings you here?" Rias asked curiously.
"Of course, it's about your engagement, Rias. This matter has become quite the sensation in the Underworld," Sona replied, glancing at Roy meaningfully.
Roy felt a headache coming on.
He had recently flirted with Sona, promising to make her his fiancée if he defeated her in a Chess Game.
Now, in a short span of time, he was about to participate in another Game, this time for Rias.
Even Sona was surprised by this development. She was a bit jealous, of course.
After all, she had been paying close attention to Roy, and they had that agreement.
But Sona didn't mention it and instead chatted amicably with Rias.
Roy sat quietly, feeling a bit awkward.
After a while, Sona announced her departure.
"Sona-senpai, let me see you out," Roy offered.
He wanted to talk to Sona privately.
Otherwise, she would have just teleported away.
Sona nodded and turned to Tsubaki. "Tsubaki, you can go back first."
"Yes, Kaichou," Tsubaki replied and teleported away.
Roy and Sona left the mansion.
Under the moonlight, they strolled side by side.
Roy hesitated, unsure how to broach the topic.
"It seems you've forgotten our agreement," Sona said, breaking the silence.
Roy quickly stepped in front of her. "Of course not!" he denied.
Sona looked at him calmly.
"Then why are you participating in a Rating Game against Riser Phenex for Rias?" she asked.
Roy sighed. "Well, I can't just stand by and watch Rias get engaged to that idiot, can I?"
"What about our agreement?"
"Don't worry, Senpai. I'll defeat you and make you my fiancée," Roy assured her.
Sona finally understood.
Her little brother was quite greedy. He wanted both of them.
"You're quite greedy... I've changed my mind."
"What?" Roy panicked, thinking she was retracting their agreement about the Rating Game.
Before he could speak, Sona continued.
"I've changed my mind. Unless you can defeat my sister, I won't agree to become your fiancée."
Roy stared at her in surprise.
Wasn't that the same condition as before?
To win Sona's hand, he had to overcome her sister, Maou Serafall Leviathan, This was something he had already anticipated.
After all, Serafall's siscon tendencies were well-known throughout the Underworld.
"Fine, Not even Maou can stop my resolve!" Roy declared.
'Perhaps I can get a two-for-one deal and defeat both sisters' he thought to himself.
Sona was touched by his words. She was unaware of his current strength and still believed he was a Middle-Class Devil.
He was willing to challenge a Maou for her sake. A smile finally graced her lips.
Under the romantic moonlight, Roy couldn't resist any longer.
He pulled Sona close and kissed her.
...
Two days passed quickly. Roy and the girls relaxed and enjoyed their time together, taking a break from training.
In the subspace modeled after Kuoh Academy, Roy and his peerage appeared in the Occult Research Club.
As soon as they materialized, Grayfia's voice echoed through the space.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Grayfia Lucifuge, the referee for this Rating Game between Roy Lucifuge and Riser Phenex."
"This Rating Game will be held in a subspace modeled after Kuoh Academy in the human world, as per the agreement between both parties."
...
In the Underworld, the Rating Game arena was packed with spectators.
"Oh, the referee is the Silver-Haired Annihilation Queen!"
"She's so powerful!"
The audience erupted in cheers upon hearing Grayfia's voice.
She was quite popular in the Underworld.
"Isn't one of the participants Grayfia's younger brother? Is it appropriate for her to be the referee?"
"Grayfia's brother is that infamous failure in the Underworld, right? I heard he's still a Low-Class Devil. What a disgrace to their family."
"A Low-Class Devil have the guts to challenge Riser Phenex? Where does he get the confidence?"
"Exactly..."
Many Devil nobles had come to watch the match as a form of entertainment, believing that Roy, the "failure," had no chance of defeating Riser.
Only a few individuals, such as the Maous, could perceive Roy's true strength.
"The person Rias has chosen is quite interesting," Sirzechs Lucifer commented, observing Roy and his peerage with amusement.
As Rias older brother, he naturally cared about her.
He knew about Roy, of course, but his impression of Roy was still stuck in the past.
He hadn't expected Roy's strength to increase so dramatically in such a short time.
Sirzechs now acknowledged Roy's Potential.
"Is that the man who's close to Sona-chan? I'll have to observe him closely," Serafall Leviathan, also scrutinized Roy.
To her, Roy was an enigma. Even she couldn't see through his power.
This was understandable, as they were both Maou-Class Devils.
...
After a while, Grayfia's voice echoed again.
"Both teams will be teleported to their respective bases."
"Roy Lucifuge's base is the Occult Research Club in the old school building, and Riser Phenex's base is the principal's office in the new school building."
"Therefore, Pawn promotion will take effect upon entering the opponent's base."
"Pawn promotion?" Makomo tilted her head in confusion.
"Pawn promotion means that once a Pawn reaches the opponent's base, their power will be elevated to the level of a Queen, the strongest piece," Roy explained.
The girls' eyes lit up.
If they could be promoted to Queen, they might even be able to fight High-Class Devils.
"The match will last until dawn in the human world. Now, let the game begin."
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The school bell rang, signaling the start of the Rating Game.
"Roy, what's our strategy?" Saeko asked, unable to contain her excitement.
Roy considered this. He didn't think they needed a complex strategy. A direct assault should suffice.
Just as he was about to say so, Saya interjected. "Leave the strategy to me, the genius and beautiful girl!"
Knowing Roy well, Saya anticipated his response and took charge.
Roy nodded. "Alright, Saya, you're in charge of the strategy."
It was a guaranteed victory anyway. Letting Saya take the lead wouldn't hurt.
The girls turned their attention to Saya.
"Ahem, here's my strategy..." Saya cleared her throat. "I've divided the battlefield into three lanes. This will make it easier to assign everyone their positions."
She unfurled a map.
Three distinct lanes were marked on the map, resembling the lanes in League of Legends, clear and easy to understand.
"First, Kanae, Shinobu, and Rika will take the top lane."
"I'll take the mid lane with Aoi and Asia as support."
"Aoi's Jumpluff has the ability to detect enemies with its radar."
"Kanao, Makomo, and Saeko, you take the bottom lane."
"Finally, Nezuko and Mitsuri will be the junglers. Your task is to support the other lanes as needed."
"I've gathered information on Riser Phenex. The only real threat is his Queen, Yubelluna."
"If she appears, Nezuko and Mitsuri will attack her together."
"That's my strategy."
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