10 Chapter 10 - Blitzkrieg Of The Sekiryūtei

Chapter 10: Blitzkrieg Of The Sekiryūtei

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I glanced at the clock, it was almost midnight - the match against Riser was just about to commence.

The abilities of the Phenex Clan are nothing to scoff at, though at its core it's simply pseudo-immortality, the advantage it provides is the real deal.

My affinity for manipulating [Water] should help me deal with Riser's [Fire] - but the oxygen from his [Wind] could easily make it considerably more troublesome to deal with.

I glanced around the room with the intent to observe the expression of my peers, and to my delight - they seemed to be calm and collected.

Gremory-san and Akeno were leisurely sipping on tea acompanied by a side of biscuits, whilst Koneko was simply reading a book as she lounged on the couch.

Kiba, whom I decided I'm comfortable communicating with on a first-name basis, was wearing some sort of gauntlet alongside shin armor as he polished his blade.

A magic-circle glowed from beside me and the silver-cladded maid I encountered during our first meeting with Riser appeared.

She spared a quick glance towards me before addressing the room.

"Has everyone finished their preparations? The match shall begin shortly"

Gremory-san nodded as she continued to articulate.

"Once the [Rating Game] initiates, you will be teleported to a separate dimension in which you will be permitted to use your abilities as freely as you like - the area is disposable so there's no need to worry about any potential damages"

Sounds straight-forward enough.

Though something still bothers me.

"Gremory-san, remember that other [Bishop] you mentioned?"

She looked at me as if she already knew what I was to inquire about.

"Unfortunately they can't be here for this [Rating Game] - you'll meet them eventually but now is simply not the time"

What use is a servant if they aren't present for something as important as this? If I ever meet them they'll surely get a stern talking to.

"I see"

Grayfia, I think her name was, butted in seemingly having more to add.

"Note that the game is going to be broadcasted to the members of both households, and among those spectators Maou Lucifer-sama will be watching"

The features of my colleagues tensed up, I guess it's to be expected considering he's not only a Maou but also Rias' elder brother.

"Is there any hidden agenda we should be made aware of?"

I'd imagine he's mostly here to view his sister's performance, but you can never be too cautious.

As she looked at me I felt as if there was a slight hint of disdain surrounding her, she was clearly a professional so it was hard to detect, but that hunch loomed over me nonetheless.

"Even if there was, you wouldn't be entitled to know about the wishes of Maou Lucifer-sama"

Looks like someone's on their period, though it may have been slightly uncouth of me to pry like that, no need to hold a grudge over it.

"Fair enough"

At the end of the day I'm still a [Low-Class] Devil, maybe I should consider applying for an early promotion test, if I can get Gremory-san to vouch for me it might be possible considering her position as heiress.

"Onii-sama's going to be watching, I see"

Issei seemed to be bewildered by the revelation, his knowledge on the Underworld is seriously lacking.

"Hold on a minute, Buchou, your brother is a Maou!?"

Perhaps my teachings were wasted on him, this probably means he doesn't know that the Student President's elder sister is a Maou as well.

Gremory-san went on to explain to this blockhead how once one becomes a Maou they abandon the last names of their families and take up the mantle of the original Maou's.

.

Shortly after, it was time for the match to begin.

An unfamiliar seal appeared on the magic-circle, yet we were still in the clubroom.

In that case, I presume the match is taking place on a replica of the campus - an odd choice, but at least I'll be familiar with the terrain.

An announcement began to play through an untraceable PA-system, something I can attribute to the wonders of technology I suppose.

[Greetings participants, you may refer to me as Grayfia, a maid from the Gremory-household - I will be this game's overseer].

I let her voice drown out and paid more attention to the landscape, trying to locate any suitable advantage points.

[As you have noticed the battlefield is a carbon-copy of Kuoh Academy, the institution that Rias-sama attends].

Fighting indoors probably isn't a good idea, there are too many choke-points which make the possibility of traps being present likely.

Ensuring that my fights take place outside should be prioritized, I'll have much more room to move and more opportunities to take advantage of my speed.

Hit-and-run tactics are also a possibility, but won't be necessary for anyone other than Riser or his [Queen].

[The locations that you were teleported to are your bases, Rias-sama's territory is the clubroom in the old school building, and Riser-sama's is the Student Council chambers in the new building - pawns must reach the enemies territory if they wish to promote].

Gremory-san might disagree, but I have no plans to use promotion during this fight. Conserving stamina is paramount, and harnessing the power of a [Queen], [Knight], [Bishop] or [Rook] is unnecessary and a waste of energy.

"Endo, could you put this on please?"

Akeno handed me what appeared to be an ear-bud, good call - communication is a necessary element in order to achieve efficient teamwork.

Gremory-san's voice radiated throughout the transceiver.

"Make sure you don't lose them, we'll be using them to relay orders and status-updates"

[The match shall continue until dawn in the human-world, you may now begin].

Gremory-san started to discuss the game-plan with the others, but I on the other hand - set off immediately to score some kills.

She trusts my judgment enough to know I can make decisions on my own, and my role is pretty simple. Get rid of as many pieces as I can, then engage Riser.

[Rating Games] normally take quite long, just like actual chess - but I'm not one for waiting.

I'd imagine the others are thinking of getting to the new school building through the gym rather than the sports ground out of fear of an ambush.

Riser probably has one of his [Knights] and a [Rook] positioned there, taking those two out would already be a massive loss for Riser considering they have a combined value of eight.

Hopefully, once I engage them more pieces will swarm towards me in hopes of taking me out, as the Sekiryūtei - I'm most likely a high-priority target for Riser.

Two bat-like wings protruded from my waist as I took to the skies, advancing towards the enemy-territory as I surveyed to look for any unsuspecting victims.

Finally, I caught wind of a few presences, sadly I can't pinpoint what pieces they are, but it's still critical information.

"There's two advancing towards the forest, three at the gym and three at the sports ground"

Odd, he has fifteen pieces so there's seven pieces that must still be in the council chambers since that's the only place my senses can't reach from here.

"Understood, are you going to engage them?"

Is that even a question? I'm the Sekiryūtei - it's my destiny to fight, the more experience I gain the better my chances will be at killing this generation's Hakuryūkō.

"Of course I am"

[Burst!!]

Once my [Boosted Gear] had been activated I could feel the gazes of Riser's servants latch onto me, I dove downwards like a falcon and produced a large crater where I stood.

To my surprise, only two of them came rushing towards me, but the purple hair wasn't among them - that means they're plotting something, I can't imagine that Riser is one to waste potential firepower without reason.

The figures finally were within my line-of-sight, one of them was a young girl wearing a sunset-colored kimono, her expression seemed rather tame and void of bloodlust.

Weird, after I pummeled that stick-wielder I imagined they would be seething with rage, I guess that doesn't apply to everyone.

She was accompanied by a young woman with light brown hair and jade eyes, she donned silver armor resembling that of a European Knight - the way she held her broadsword resembled Kiba, but her presence wasn't nearly as domineering.

"I take it you're the Sekiryūtei?"

The Knight was the one who spoke, unlike the one who donned the kimono I could tell her blood was practically boiling - much better.

"That would be correct"

"Normally I'd challenge you one-on-one, but a swine like you isn't worthy of my respect"

"That's fine with me, I have no desire for your respect, only for your fall"

She clicked her tongue and swung her sword horizontally, aiming for my chest.

Her swing was much faster than I anticipated - I'm pretty sure I could hear the sound of the air being cut, not bad.

I noticed a barrier forming around us - it doesn't seem to be doing anything as of now but I should get rid of the caster soon regardless, in case it does prove to be a problem soon.

The Knight's sword began to adopt an orange-hue, the air around us began to heat up as a crescent of flames came speeding towards me.

Woefully - [Fire] is useless against me.

I generated a very simple wall of [Water] in front of me, and once the flames hit - they simply evaporated into steam.

"Whatever, [Demonic Power] never was my strong point"

"All I'm hearing are excuses"

Her strikes slowly became more calculated aiming for my jugular, heart and stomach - but the rhythm was working to her disadvantage, I was beginning to get used to her swings.

"Kuh!"

I responded by driving my fist into her face, knocking her off her feet and forcing her to topple onto the ground, that's when something felt off.

My power was being..sapped?

Not by a large amount, on the contrary it was quite miniscule, but it still managed to bewilder me.

Ddraig, what's happening?.

['It's the barrier, that girl seems to be attempting to drain your power, but as you can see it's to no avail'.]

No kidding, the girl wearing the kimono was bleeding profusely from her eye sockets, nose and pores.

Exactly what is she trying to accomplish? All she's doing is tearing her body apart - does she want to win that badly?

It's not like I don't share the sentiment, but this isn't achieving anything.

"That's draconic energy you're trying to absorb, I suggest you quit unless you want to be a cripple for life"

Her pitiful display was rather disturbing to watch, bravery with a purpose is admirable, but this…I'm not really sure what this constitutes as, if I had to describe it I'd go with a 'futile effort'.

"N…no, for Ri.."

[Riser-sama's [Bishop] has retired]

It was a good try at the very least.

"As pathetic as that was, I hope it hasn't sapped your will to fight"

I still had the Knight to deal with, I wouldn't be surprised if seeing her teammate retire in such a tragic fashion had drained her of her vigor, as disappointing as it would be.

"I wouldn't dream of it, I won't let Mihae's efforts be for nothing"

But they were for nothing - I haven't been weakened even in the slightest.

Though she does deserve some of my recognition.

Mihae was it? I'll remember that name, I should probably pay her a visit after the match, if she managed to retain brain-function that is.

The rage of a Heavenly-Class Dragon has probably already begun to infect her, she better pray that the Underworld's medical-care is up to par.

"So you'll fight me one-on-one, it seems like brave-fools are a common occurrence among Devil's, but don't fret…I'll make it quick"

[Demonic Power] began to gather around me in the form of a purplish-red mass of energy.

"As a show of acknowledgement, I'll be courteous enough to inform you that you might want to block"

Although, I doubt it'll make any difference.

[Suirō-no-Hōkō]

A raging mythological beast of blue covered in streaks of purple charged towards the Knight, her eyes widened in disbelief, I knew that look - she had already given up, and rightfully so.

"Shit.."

[Riser-sama's [Knight] has retired]

Again, an admirable effort - but it wasn't enough, not even close.

I suppose I should continue my rampage, there's no use in gloating over the defeat of two ants.

[Rias-sama's [Rook] has retired]

Koneko huh? Unfortunate.

Sirzechs POV

Endo Masaru, the current host of the [Boosted Gear] as well as my sister's pawn.

Out of everyone in my sister's peerage I'd say the conditions he joined under are the most, unique to say the least.

The rest were rescued out of some state of peril, but he was in no such situation, as a matter of fact - I'm led to believe he would have been able to thrive without joining her peerage.

That forces me to question his motives, though I'm sure he understands that he's in no such position to pose a threat to Rias considering her backing, for now - at least.

His fight against the [Rook] and [Bishop] just now has caused a great deal of confusion regarding my assessment of him, Grayfia's reports have told me that he's the cynical and calculating type - with a mindset that bears a resemblance to the Old Devil's.

However, just now he showed some degree of respect to his opponents, I'm not sure if Grayfia picked up on it, but I certainly did.

Granted there is the possibility that I could be just reading too much into it, but I feel as if this complicates things.

I make an effort to understand what kind of people are being nurtured under my sister's wing, and by that - I'm talking about their desires, ambitions and goals.

Originally, I assumed that Endo Masaru's goal was relatively simple - power, in its raw unadulterated form.

Yet I can't seem to shake the sentiment that there may be more to it, perhaps - he desires a byproduct of what power can offer?

It could be something as grand as an empire of his own, or something as perplexing as the Ouroboros Dragon's desire for silence, I'll have to meet him in person to make a proper conclusion.

"It appears someone has piqued my son's interest"

My mother's voice radiated from behind me, as always, she seemed to read me like a book no matter how hard I try to mask my emotions, it makes me wonder whether I'm really the best fit for the task of managing the Underworld's diplomatic relations.

"I believe he's done the same to you hasn't he?"

Just because you can read me doesn't mean I can't reciprocate it.

"Now that I'm seeing him in action I suppose it just couldn't be helped, so - why don't you tell me what you think of him?"

How should I put this…

"Truthfully, I'm not sure what to make of him, I can't tell whether he's arrogant, confident, respectful, cynical or a flat-out sociopath, his emotions seemed to change at a moment's notice"

My mother seemed lost in thought for a brief moment before sharing some thoughts of her own.

"Perhaps there's no need to single out just one trait, he could be an amalgamation of all of them combined"

Possible, but if that's the case…

"I'm not sure Rias will be able to handle someone like that, according to Grayfia he has something akin to 'free reign' in regards to his duties"

In order to lead effectively one needs to master both the velvet glove and the iron fist - that's a lesson I learned the hard way. For better or for worse, my sister seems to prioritize one over the other.

Sigh, I fear that with things as they are now, it may grow into something that Rias may not only fail to control, but something that harms her in one way or another.

"You're always such a worrywart when it comes to Rias, but it's not like I don't understand where you're coming from - I suggest that we at least meet him before we come to any, rash, judgements don't you think?"

She's right, I need a concrete assessment of him before I think of doing anything impetuous.

"I suppose you're right"

My focus returned to the match, watching over to see how exactly the situation would develop, though in my mind I had already made my predictions.

Endo POV

I'm being challenged by a mere single piece.

The woman who stands before me has luscious black hair, brown eyes and dons strange attire consisting of a white top with black accents, shin-guards and a gauntlet.

I don't understand, I made my strength clear during the meeting, having anyone other than Riser or his [Queen] challenge me is lunacy enough, but what could compel one to think they had even a slimmer of hope in defeating me one-on-one?

"I haven't forgotten what you did to Mira, tonight, you'll pay for that"

She wielded a sizable Zweihänder, the venom in her voice was clearly audible - not that she had any intention to mask it, I believe she's referring to the stick-carrier I belabored during the initial meeting.

"You seem like a warrior, or at least you're dressed like one, surely you comprehend that when one attacks it's only within reason to assume the same may happen to them?"

I have no interest in justifying my actions, the fact that I can do them is justification enough - but my engrossment in Riser's peerage has yet to fade.

She pointed her blade towards me as a gleam of anger shone from within.

"Do you take me for a fool? Of course I'm aware of such a simple fact, but you are not the one she attacked"

Touche.

"Tell me, are you able to perceive my strength?"

First a girl naive enough to think her body was one that could withstand the raw energy of Ddraig, and now you - today is just full of wonder.

"I'm well aware that your strength eclipses mine, but I never intended to defeat you from the start, I just have to weaken you enough for Yubelluna"

Honesty - a tool created for those too weak to fight their own emotions, or those too ignorant to understand its flaws.

Even so, it still carries with it a certain degree of respect, call it a "Fool's Honor"

"In that case, your resolve shall be your undoing"

She gripped her armament with both hands and swung vertically with all her might, the air not only felt as if it was being cut through - it was like it was being torn apart and fractured across its surface.

"You have might, but that is only half the battle" I commented.

With the help of Fujita's footwork, I evaded her swing as if it was simply passing wind, though I shouldn't allow myself to get careless, getting hit would result in my bones being cracked at the very least.

"I've yet to show you what my 'might' truly looks like"

She dared to take me lightly, you have guts I'll give you that.

I built up a fair amount of momentum and aimed a thunderous cross at her temple.

She rose her sword and used it to cover her face, the thing practically resembled a shield with how big it was.

To my surprise, her blade did not crumble, the impact should have blown it to bits - but there it stood, perfectly in-tact, for a second I could have sworn it looked better than before.

"I wouldn't recommend undermining the coffers of the Phenex Clan"

I'll say.

She swung her sword once again to which I opted for putting a good amount of distance between us.

"If it makes you feel any better, you've garnered a certain degree of my respect - but it's time to draw the curtains on this farce"

I planned to end the fight prematurely, I saw no benefit in prolonging her inevitable demise.

Whoosh!

To my dismay, she swung her sword once more - causing shock waves to radiate throughout the terrain, my footing ended up being displaced preventing me from continuing the charge.

She produced seismic waves with her brute-force, something I'd imagine requires both immense raw power and technique to pull off, impressive.

I bolted from boulder to boulder, traversing the terrain as best I could.

She repeatedly attempted to stop my advances by catapulting concentrated gusts of wind at me, but they weren't nearly as explosive as her actual swings which allowed me to use my body as a meat-shield.

"I've had my fill, farewell - servant of Riser"

I was finally within striking distance.

Crumble!

All of a sudden - her sword began to tremble as a blinding light began to infect it's surface as if they were veins, her eyes shone in a similar fashion, and the aura she was giving off immediately put me on edge.

And then her sword disappeared - all I saw was a faint flicker and the blade she carried was no longer there.

Splurt!

A mind-numbing sensation of pain overcame me as I looked towards my arm only to see her entire blade lodged halfway through my cartilage.

"Looks like you get to keep your arm"

A shit-eating-grin was plastered onto her face, showing how much she enjoyed basking in the glory of her "accomplishment".

"You…"

I quickly slugged her straight on the temple, knocking her out and causing her body to emit a familiar light I had seen in my previous fight.

[Riser-sama's [Knight] has retired]

Though that was definitely a plus, I could only grimace and feel frustrated at no-one other than myself.

A mere [Knight], with no [Sacred Gear] to their name - had almost lopped my arm clean-off.