Highschool DXD Part 9 Before the Rating Game

Coyote Starrk & Lilynette Gingerbuck were given white Rooks, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck white Bishop, Tier Harribel black knight, Emilou Apacci black pawn, Franceska Mila Rose black pawn, Cyan Sung-Sun black pawn, Ulquiorra Cifer white knight, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez black knight, Pesche Guatiche white pawn, Dondochakka Birstanne white pawn.

Noir bought some cheap bodies from the System shop. High spec bodies would be pointless for them. Staggered the physical growth. He used his ability to create Pure Devils out of the bodies and watched as the Hollows entered them. With the chess pieces working, everything went into overdrive.

*Drain!* Magic and spiritual energy left Noir to boost the change for them. The tattoos on his back glowing.

"Ooh, nice." Medea cooed.

Black Saber looked on from behind Noir. She was happy to see him back fully. All of them could tell he was angry. But he didn't take it out on any of them. Which was great considering the others he brought with him looked like interesting people. No time was wasted on finding out what happened. Newcomers were always interesting to talk to.

"I take it you want us to explain things to them right?" Murasaki asked intrigued. "The Auxiliary System only explains so much to Followers. And seeing as you didn't make them into Companions, there must be a reason."

"Yes." Noir gave her a smile after going through the memories of the part that remained while he left. He was more than happy with everyone here. Just a little time here compared to what happened in Bleach. Despite him coming back way before the time set. "Good job on the stone bath."

"We all worked really hard." Rias said coming up behind them. She had Koneko with her. "Welcome back but it was really like you never left. Just a few days really."

"Muah. A few centuries for myself with me going back and forth to Hell and the.. ah, never mind. Another time to talk about it." Noir gave her a kiss and looked over to Koneko. Before he could ask what was going on with her, the intense look she had drew his attention. "Who are you staring at?" She pointed to Grimmjow. "Oh.. because he is a panther I suppose. Or was it a puma?"

"I feel the same way about her. And those three." Viser pointed to Nelliel and some of Harribel's forces. "It is a very strange kinship. As if our natures are the same."

"Well. They can tell you about themselves later. They need a little time making peace with themselves." Noir rubbed his chin in thought. He moved around on his heels as he felt calmer by the second. "This place is really home." The smile on his face made his forces smile as well. Koneko just blinked at him.

"So weird." She walked over towards Grimmjow. 'Why was this place not be Home? All his loved ones are here. I will ask Rias later.' Stopping above Grimmjow his scent hit her. She couldn't help herself. She gave his face a lick. This woke him up very quickly. He grabbed Konneko by the scruff of her shirt. "Meeow?" Her head tilted slightly at him. Looking very much like a curious cat.

"She thinks you are the same as her. From what I remember a lot of the males are shorter and not as powerful as you are. Or she might be in heat. You are a cat kind of." Noir received an elbow on both sides. One from Rias and the other from Medea. "Hehe just saying. Think they are both.. nevermind." He kept the last part to himself. No reason to make fun right now.

"Grrr, do not give her permission to lick me. I won't have a weak mate." He was about to throw Koneko until he felt her power rise. She felt insulted. "Oh, you want to fight eh? Bring it on!" Grimmjow's face lit up in glee. Murasaki teleported them away from everyone else.

"Take it way over there!" Rias went to supervise. "Ugh she is so rowdy lately!"

Viser was talking to a group of them intensely. Harribel forces interest her too much for her to wait. Saber was talking with Ulquiorra. Coyote moved over to Noir. Lilynette was running around in the open air.

"Sup?"

"Thanks for this. To have others as strong as myself or able to handle my strength is refreshing. And we don't have to fight unless it is needed right?" Coyote asked clarifying.

"Yeah, need defenders for the house and the territory. So that will be the job of the non-aggressors. Now those who want to fight, there are tons of places for them. Which I think is.. Franceska, Grimmjow, and Emilou."

"I will fight as well." Harribel said. This surprised Noir and her followers Franceska, Emilou, and Cyan. "Doing so will allow us to move up. Only at the level of Super-Devil are we truly safe. Even then, we still need to rise to your level."

"Yes that is right. But we can get that by training and going to places that need help to." Nelliel added. Her gold eyes watched Noir. "You are a Conqueror, that is what the Auxilary System has told me. Peaceful places that need help, I will gladly go." Ulquiorra nodded agreeing with her.

"Time for that later. Right now you all need to learn things. This is mandatory." Noir looked at Rias that came back with Grimmjow and an out cold Konneko. A smile on her face that would not go away even while passed out. "At least she put in some good licks." Grimmjow had quite a few scratches on his face and new clothing.

"She is alright. Just a lot of suppressed instincts." Grimmjow sneered. "Both me and Franceska can help in the department. She is a lioness after all."

"You could at least ask?" Franceska said. Her expression was upset but her voice was anything but that. Cyan looked at her with a sparkle in her eye. She was already planning trouble. "If I have the time, I will."

"I would very much appreciate it." Rias gave her a bow of gratitude. "Noir, are you ready to help Sona's peerage?"

"Actually, allow us." Harribel said. "The training part anyway. After he does whatever he is going to do. Best way to learn our new power and the scope of others. Will they be able to do that for us?" Medea gave a nod. She had a good understanding of Sona's Peerage strength. "We still rely on our instincts, to be human again will take some effort. Well, Devil seems like a good bit of what we once were. But my memory beforehand is there."

"I agree with her." Coyote said smiling grimly. "A lot of things are hard to get over quickly. Grimmjow was quite fine. "But time is what we have now that we are not in Hueco Mundo."

.

-That Night-

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Noir had retired to the couch in the living room. The talks went fine well enough. Rias felt bad he failed the quest but not as bad till he told her what rewards were lost. That made her really upset. The loss of his personal power to protect everyone is what really mattered to her. She wanted to go to Bleach and throttle them.

Medea got her to calm down well enough. Both she and Murasaki took the young woman away to talk privately. They came back 10 minutes later smirking. A party was then thrown for the new comers. A really terrible drinking game unfolded. A lot of them would feel it in the morning.

Black Saber was the only female left up with him. The only male that was up, was Zaraki. The others were long since passed out from fighting and partying. Even Mysteria cut loose drinking for the first time. It did not go well for her and Nelliel. Both bassed out hugging each other.

"So.. what now for there?" Zaraki asked breaking the ice. Saber turned to look up as well. A very determined expression on her face. "Old man Yamamoto will stick by his new Soul Society that you approved of. It doesn't mean he has full control of everything. I can go there and.."

"No." Noir stopped that right off the bat. "We will handle it. I refuse to just grab sure-win forces to come along. It is distasteful to myself and our forces there. You deserve happiness, my friend. Are you telling me you want to risk Yachiru's fate back there?"

"Hell no!" Zaraki said upset. Teenager suited him just fine with the way he acted. He would never admit it though. "I will not risk losing her again. All the years going without her was maddening. When she came out of the Rift, It hit me all at once. Finally felt what you felt when.." His eyes looked down for a bit. "When we lost our generals... First time in a long time I felt whole again."

"Marked a change in you. A scary one but necessary." Saber smiled sadly. "Paved the way for so much more. I wish everyone could have been there."

"I do not think most would have liked seeing him take those stabs from our so-called countrymen." Genryusai said. He came from upstairs as Rangiku finally went to sleep. "It was... foolish for you to allow them to do so."

"The Stabbing Penance.. allowing those who found fault to stab you with that Sacrificial Dagger. It was not pleasant to watch." Saber blinked in memory. "The Raven Queen and her customs.. I do not miss her. Well.. maybe a little." The different laws of the Underdark made it hard for some of them to adjust. But they did so in time.

"Helped me grow stronger." Noir said as he sipped his drink. The chilled vodka tasted great as he leaned back. He was tempted to break the ice between his teeth. But that was a guilty pleasure that could wait for later. "Helped me push my Titles and Traits to a new level."

Genryusai sat down across from Noir. He was anxious to know what he would do back in his World. Either way he would support him. But he hoped things would not go too badly.

"Haaa, do not worry. I will continue to help end things there. Yhwach, Aizen, and the others will still be dealt with. Just may get messy." Noir cocked an eye at him. "I will not mess your plans up or that grandchild of mine."

"I want to come with." Saber almost demanded. "You need a new Sword Spirit right? Let me be it."

"Out of the question. You can come. But as your own person. Definitely do not want you bound that way." Noir shook his head dismissing that idea. "That is a step back for you. Enjoy being free from the confinement and do not let your ideals as a knight blind you."

"I understand." Saber looked upset but agreed in the end. "But I can come with you and fight by your side right? No matter what happens?" Noir nodded. "Good. I won't fail again."

"It was not your fault last time either. Bad call on my part. I paid for it." Noir gave her a smile but knew it was still something that weighed heavily on her.

She failed to stop a blockade from getting through, it cost them a lot of food. But not much she could do against the endless rush of Gnomes and Goblins.

"I should have made sure they were dealt with beforehand. Showing mercy was stupid of me. Especially during a time of unrest." Noir hated the decision. But the peaceful approach was wanted by the people. They never took a risk like that again. "Filthy little buggers!" He almost spits but the drink would be wasted.

"No sense in dwelling on it. We need to move on." Genryusai said breaking away from the topic. "So this Rating game, how will it go?"

"Should be easy for them. Good chance for them to all get experience. None of them or as strong as Alice. Maybe that Yubelluna can match her. But Riser doesn't have the power capacity." Zaraki said insightfully. "Koneko can handle each of them one-on-one but her experience is lacking. Rias brought her into things and she became a Follower. But she is not really diving into the benefits. She is just understanding herself more. Which is nice. The rest, I doubt it anytime soon anyway."

"Good assessment." Noir sat his drink down thinking it over. Zaraki's natural instincts were honed in the Underdark. He was able to match fighting potential between people quickly. "Rias is coming into her own more and more. I am more than happy with things developing with her this way."

"Haa at least you haven't married any others." Saber sighed. "It worked out well always having one wife."

"Humph!" Genryusai snorted. "Should have taken all those princesses and Queens in. Definitely would have made things easier in the Underdark. No one would not even dare make a move, afraid of any of the wives temperamental notions."

"Yet you refused to marry those Orc women. What was it, 22 clans sent their daughters to marry you?" Noir asked brow raised in a counter question.

"33! The Sundered Isles wanted him to!" Zaraki said loudly. "So many orc women that he ran for it. Ahahahaha!" His laughter was loud and boisterous. "A good bit of them were attractive old man! Ahahaha!"

System: High Pull.. finished. Book: Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.. Shere Khan. The King of Tigers has submitted to your rule.

*Warble!* A golden Rift opened. An old Tiger walked out. It slowly started to revert to a prime age. It was a massive beast and bowed before Noir.

"This King greets his Emperor." Shere Khan's voice came out smoothly.

"Rise. You are among friends. But this form will not do on its own. I am sure you would want to roam around at times." Noir spent some points to allow the Tiger to gain a human form. "Quite costly for someone like yourself. 345,674 well spent, however.

Shere Khan turned into an Indian man. Around the age of 25 or so. His hair was the mixing of what a tiger would be. It draped over his back like a sea of grass. With a wave from Saber, he now had simple clothes on.

"That will take getting use to." Shere Khan marveled at his hands before reverting back to a tiger. The change was a tad bit too much currently. The clothes changing with. "Thank you. Miss.."

"Saber. Just Saber."

"That is quite the interesting Pull you got there." Zaraki got up marveling at the large tiger. "Well, I am going to bed. Night all. Come with me there mittens. I know a good room to set you up in."

"What is this mittens? I am Shere Khan." The tiger followed behind slightly annoyed.

"It is time you retire as well Saber. Rest is good for you." Noir said to the reluctant knight. He could see her eyes dropping already. She got up and excused herself. Leaving Noir and Genryusai alone.

The two talked a few more hours before retiring. Mostly about the changes for Bleach and what to employ to counter what happened. A small change in Soul Society that would cause a problem for a few Captains.