Rias's expression turned fierce.
She took the initiative to issue the challenge, even going so far as to deliver a harsh declaration.
"Raiser, I'll reduce you to ashes!"
Because of this engagement, she had endured far too much humiliation. At this moment, she truly couldn't hold it in any longer.
Under normal circumstances, Rating Games could only be held between adult devils—but there was an exception: blood relatives.
Clearly, her family had already taken this situation into account. It could even be said that they deliberately used the engagement to push Rias toward a Rating Game.
Perhaps they intended to use the Rating Game system itself to force Rias into submission.
That alone showed that, in the eyes of her family, Rias had no chance of winning the Rating Game. That was why she felt so stifled, as though the entire family was working against her.
A displeasing smile appeared on Raiser Phenex's face as he swept his gaze over Ryuya and the other three, letting out a snort of laughter.
"I say, Rias—don't tell me you only have these four servants?"
"So what if I do?"
Rias replied coldly, clearly irritated.
Raiser burst into loud laughter as he looked at his own full roster of fifteen servants, the sound grating painfully on Rias's ears.
"Hahaha… I'm an adult devil who's already participated in several Rating Games. Even so, you still want to compete?"
He laughed confidently, feeling that victory was already firmly in his grasp—and indeed, he had every reason to feel that way.
"Of course I do."
Rias showed no sign of backing down. And for some reason, the calm, composed look on Ryuya's face kept surfacing in her mind, giving her an inexplicable sense of confidence.
"Very well. Rias—if you win, I'll do as you please. But if you lose, you'll return to the Underworld with me and marry me," Raiser declared arrogantly.
Just like that, the Rating Game was decided.
To outsiders, this looked like a grossly unbalanced match.
One side had sixteen participants, while the other had only five. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like a completely one-sided battle.
In practice, the greater a servant's potential, the more chess pieces were required to recruit them. Because of this, even at full capacity, a team didn't always reach sixteen members.
As such, many high-class devils didn't have full rosters either. Someone like Raiser, with fifteen servants all present, was already a rather impressive sight.
And moreover…
Every single one of his servants was female.
A whole flock of beauties—an eye-catching and spectacular lineup.
Ryuya, however, found this entirely unsurprising.
After all, if it were him, he'd recruit only women as well…
No special reason—he just wanted to challenge his own weaknesses.
Raiser sneered and shot Ryuya a glance before turning back to Rias.
"In that case, let's set it for ten days from now. Don't say I'm bullying you—use these ten days to fill out your pieces if you want. If it's you, you should be able to completely transform your servants, right?"
"...Are you giving me a handicap?"
"Don't want it? Do you think I'm insulting you? The Rating Game isn't as simple as you think. If you can't bring out your servants' full potential, you'll lose immediately. I've seen plenty of first-timers lose simply because they couldn't fight at full strength."
When it came to the Rating Game, Raiser still behaved like a proper aristocratic devil, maintaining a degree of combat etiquette.
He sneered at Ryuya.
"Don't disgrace Rias. As her Knight, your offense is Rias's offense."
On that point, Ryuya knew Raiser wasn't wrong.
He was genuinely offering a reminder.
Ryuya spoke calmly, "Please don't worry. In any battle, I will fight with everything I have."
"Then let's set it for three days from now. I'll make sure everyone is prepared," Rias said as she adjusted the timeline. She trusted Ryuya—she knew he had already made preparations long ago, and three days would be more than enough.
Thus, the final time for the Rating Game was set three days later.
During those three days, Ryuya temporarily put aside his commission work and devoted all of his energy to training, gradually pushing himself into peak condition.
Come to think of it, most of his previous battles had been sudden, unexpected encounters. A fight like this—one with ample time for preparation—was actually a first for him…
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the day of the scheduled battle arrived.
The time was 11:20 p.m., and the location was Kuoh Academy's Occult Research Clubroom.
Rias's team had assembled in full. Aside from Raiser's team, two additional people had come to watch the match.
They were the Student Council President and Vice President—Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra.
A flash of magic light shimmered, and Grayfia arrived via teleportation.
"The official start time is midnight. Is everyone ready?" Grayfia asked softly, as calm as ever.
"No problems. Everyone is here," Rias replied with firm confidence.
However, in the eyes of both Grayfia and Sona Sitri, the number of companions at Rias's side felt a little… sparse.
"Very well. This battle will take place in a separate dimension. Other factions will be able to observe through a broadcast barrier," Grayfia announced.
She added as a reminder, "Additionally, Maou Lucifer-sama will also be watching this battle. Please do not forget that."
"Big brother?" Rias froze for a moment, her brows knitting slightly as she murmured, "He'll be watching too…"
Ryuya, on the other hand, didn't care in the slightest. To him, whether the Devil King was watching or not made no difference—he felt no pressure either way.
"One more reminder," Grayfia continued. "Within the separate dimension, the use of personal teleportation magic circles is prohibited. Please keep that in mind."
This warning was mainly directed at Rias's team, as it was everyone's first time participating in a Rating Game.
Next, Grayfia's voice echoed throughout the campus—this time through the school broadcast system.
"Attention, everyone. I am Grayfia, servant of the Gremory household. For this Rating Game between the Gremory family and the Phenex family, I will serve as the referee."
"In the name of my master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will bear witness to this battle between the two families. With reference to both sides' opinions, the battlefield has been prepared as a replica of Lady Rias's school in the human world—Kuoh Academy."
Only then did Ryuya and the others realize that the battlefield had been chosen with Rias's side as the home ground.
"Please note: Lady Rias's faction's Base is the Occult Research Club in the old school building. Lord Raiser's Base is the Student Council Office in the new school building. The Promotion of both sides' Pawns must take place within the areas surrounding their respective bases."
"Now then—let the battle begin!"
As her words fell, Grayfia teleported everyone into the separate dimension.
Ryuya felt his vision blur for a moment. He clearly sensed the fluctuation of magic power, yet the scene before his eyes didn't seem to change at all.
Asia clutched Ryuya's arm nervously. "H-Haven't we arrived yet?"
"No," Ryuya replied softly. "We're already here."
He could indeed feel the teleportation had occurred—he just didn't understand why the scenery hadn't changed, as if they were still inside the school. He guessed it was some kind of elaborate trick.
But in the very next instant, Ryuya's pupils suddenly constricted as a drastic change occurred.
Under everyone's gaze, a faint afterimage appeared over Ryuya's body—and then, before all eyes, another "Ryuya" split off from his form.
"!!!"
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