55 Chapter 55 Thanks

"No. As much as I would give to have you in my peerage, I am almost certain you would never accept. No. I have something else in mind. Something I do not think you would refuse. Now…do you accept my challenge?" Her eyes swam with hidden intentions, though I couldn't find any trace of malice in her gaze.

I looked over my shoulder at my peerage, wordlessly asking their opinions.

I received stone-faced determination and nods from all of them. Kalawarner and Yubelluna even looked excited at the prospect of facing Seekvaira.

Turning to face Seekvaira once more, I said, "I accept your challenge. Thank you for this opportunity."

Seekvaira's smile shined brightly as she said, "Thanks are unnecessary, Riser. It is an opportunity for us both." Before I could ask any questions about that rather suspicious statement, Seekvaira said, "I will see to arranging the match and ensuring you are informed of the details. Until we meet again, Riser." A teleportation circle expanded out from her and sheparded her peerage away.

I stared at the empty space she occupied for a moment.

Turning to face my peerage, I said, "This is going to be our most important Rating Game yet. We need to be ready."

Expectant grins and serious nods answered my declaration.

X

"You don't need to worry about anyone who is retired." Ruval said, his typical amused smirk was replaced with a surprisingly serious gaze. "Zissa and I will remain here with Phenex Tears. The organizers typically provide healers, but they might as well be incompetent next to these." Ruval finished, hefting a small vial with a dropper at the end.

"Won't helping us this openly cause problems for you?" I asked, genuinely worried. "The last thing I want is for anything to happen that ruins your heirship."

Ruval snorted as he waved off my concerns. "At this point? I could honestly care less. I'm independently wealthy and have made more than enough friends to cover myself if the assholes decide to direct their attention to me. Speaking of…" Ruval heaved a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "They came to watch today's fight. Apparently they're considering being gracious enough to allow you to reclaim your last name so long as you don't 'embarrass them with your application of their power'. If you ask me, you should tell them to fuck off. They're only here to pad their own egos. Talk to Ravel though. They brought her with them and she's been missing you something fierce."

"Ravel is here?" I said, ignoring the rest. I couldn't care less about the people who birthed me, but I'd missed my little sister's antics.

Zissa paused whatever conversation she was having with Yubelluna and placed a hand on Ruval's shoulder. "Ruval, they should be focusing on the match. Please refrain from distracting him."

Ruval nodded. "You're right, Zissa. Sorry, Riser."

"It's fine. Thanks for being here."

"Wouldn't miss it."

Turning away from my brother, I faced my peerage. "Do any of you have anything you need to discuss before we enter the arena?"

All of them shook their heads, their eyes focussed on the task at hand.

"Alright then. This will likely be the most important Rating Game we'll ever compete in. Seekvaira Agares has yet to compete in a Rating Game, so all we know about her peerage is what we've gleaned from our interactions with her. Her queen is exceptionally strong by her own admission and was able to snap a chain I made with his bare hands. Avoid physically confronting him if at all possible. Issei will be our primary target. The Boosted Gear is too great a force multiplier to allow it to stay on the field. I want him gone fast. As to her knight…all I can really say is she has a sword. Kind of useless considering she's a knight, but bare in mind that the Agares trove is where we got Hrotti. I'd be surprised if her knight's sword isn't something special."

A gentle voice touched my mind, surprising me.

No matter the caliber of her blade, it pales in comparison to myself.

"What was that?" Yubelluna asked, spell circles appearing before her.

I looked at her in shock. "You heard it too?"

"I believe we all did, my king." Clarissa said, taking in the wide-eyed looks of Valerie and Kalawarner. "Would I be correct in assuming that was your sword speaking to us?"

"Wait, back up. You all heard what? And since when did you have a talking sword?" Ruval asked with a raised eyebrow, his features showing he was impressed. Apparently neither he or Zissa heard it.

"I'll tell you the story after the match." I promised my brother, drawing my sword and looking down at it. "Why have you suddenly decided to talk to everyone else?"

I have my reasons, Riser. If I have judged your character correctly, you will find out during the battle.

I stared in shock at my sword for a moment. That was the first time it had ever referred to me by name. It was…I didn't actually know what to make of it.

Moving on from my sword's sudden bout of loquacity, I sheathed my blade and turned my attention back to my peerage. "Where was I…? Seekvaira! All we can really be sure about regarding her is her clan's power: Time. I'm not quite sure of its limitations, but their family ability allows them to manipulate the flow of time to a certain degree. Ruval? Do you know anything more in depth about it?"

Ruval shook his head. "I wish I could help, little brother, but Seekvaira is the Lord and Lady's only child. Since the two of them don't participate in Rating Games…"

"Not much is known about their abilities." I finished for him. "Thanks anyway, Ruval."

"Ladies aaand gentlemen! Welcome to the much anticipated match of Seekvaira Agares versus the scorned phoenix!"

The ground shook slightly under the force of the announcer's voice. It wasn't someone I recognized, but that didn't surprise me. I hadn't been in a high profile fight since Rias, and her sister-in-law officiated that match.

I took a deep breath, and faced my peerage with a confident grin. "This is it. We're going to show the whole Underworld who we are."

Determined nods and excited grins answered me.

"In just a moment, the combatants will be transported into the arena. The challenged party, Riser, has decided the battlefield shall reflect a segment of the land he rules over, providing him the home field advantage. Will it be enough to defeat the mysterious Agares Heiress?"

A loud cheer followed in the wake of this announcement. There were far more people here to watch than I'd been expecting. The segment of land he was referring to was the valley between two short cliffs that my peerage and I used for training. We were all familiar with the area, and the two opposing cliffs made for a good place to put either headquarters.

"Ladies and gentlemen…ARE…YOU…READY!"

"Good luck, Riser." Ruval said, having to yell to be heard over the deafening crowd. "Win this one for your big brother."

I smirked at him as my peerage and I were all surrounded by a blue light. The next moment, our surroundings had changed. We were inside a cave on the east side of the valley. We couldn't see the cliff through the thick trees, but we all knew where we were.

"The combatants will now be allotted thirty minutes to prepare for combat. When the bell tolls, the match begins." a different, far more laid back voice said. This one sounded female where the other was male, but ultimately it didn't matter.

"Everyone, make whatever preparations you need to." I ordered, watching the forest from the mouth of the cave. "We're going all out so hold nothing in reserve. The people on the outside of the arena can't communicate what they're seeing to Seekvaira, so feel free to use everything we've been keeping hidden to prepare. She'll find out what we've been hiding when we face her with it."

Want to read 20+ chapters ahead from here or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.

Link ---> patreon.com/Real28

Thank you for your support, your support is our greatest motivation.