6 chapter 6

Kuoh Academy.

It has been three days since Kuroka had informed Alex about the identities of his attackers, Riser Phenex and his Queen Yubelluna. Alex had probed his partner and mentor on the information about House of Phenex, which Galeran has gladly provided. According to Northern Dragon Emperor, House of Phenex is one of the surviving houses of 72 Pillars, famous for their astonishing control over fire and their seeming immortality that had allowed them to survive some of the worst possible wounds imaginable. On the part of immortality Alex actually wished to know more, as he had expressed serious doubt in someone being immortal. Galeran only snorted to that one, saying that Alex was right to think that way, because in truth nobody was immortal, as anyone could die.

However, in Phenex`s case, members of that household inherited the abilities of a phoenix, magical creature created from fire and capable of reincarnation and surviving any wound possible through healing. As for the nature of Phenex`s immortality, Galeran said that he didn`t know the details of their family ability, but he speculated that their fabled 'immortality' is nothing more but a very powerful regeneration, which was also bad news, bad that didn`t mean that someone was not able to die. Every fortress has a crack time span, and every ability has a counter and limit. Alex simply had to find out more details about that guy`s abilities and then he would be able to come up with something to take it down. As for his Queen, if Alex could sense out her energy, then he would be able to also analyze it and come up with the suitable counter. However, that was not the primary thought in Alex`s mind currently at the moment.

No, right now he was more focused on Rias Gremory, his King and the person that brought him back to life.

All those three days Alex has been thinking over and over in his head the information that Kuroka gave him and how Rias might know about it. The prospect of Kuroka lying to Alex wasn`t even considered, it was simply impossible and Alex trusted her with his life and she trusted with hers. So, all those days he has been analyzing everything that had happened over his first days in Kuoh Academy, going through every detail imaginable and even relieving those memories to check if there was something that Alex`s senses had picked up back then, but what escaped his eyes. That was when he discovered that a certain red-haired girl was eyeing him back then with a now familiar glint of curiosity and suspicion. Yep, Rias did notice Alex back then. And then Alex jumped up to his last memory as a human being, and that was red magical glow. One that could only come from a magical circle created by some one of Gremory. And that could mean that Rias must`ve known about the attack and the place it would take place, otherwise there was no way that crimson haired princess knew where to look for Alex, but what could be the reason for reincarnating someone as Alex. Only one thing- Forsaken Regalia. Rias knew that Alex had a Sacred Gear and that`s why she decided to take him under her servitude. All of that was of course still a mere speculation and theories. However, that didn`t mean that Alex was more livid than ever before in his life for being manipulated in such a conniving and vile way possible. And others have also noticed Alex`s foul mood as well, especially Raynare and Akeno with whom he spent more time in those three days. They even commented that Alex had a very powerful aura around him in this time and Akeno commented that Alex`s aura was somewhat similar to Rias` when she was angry, only his… was even more dangerous and frightening. That was something that Alex also noted, but didn`t pay much attention. Like he didn`t pay attention to the people around him in hallway when he was moving towards Student Council cabinet. Before Alex would make some irrational actions, he wanted to know the opinion of one his closest and trusted friend at the moment, along with someone who held the equal amount of power and influence in the area due to the ties to House of Sitri and being a younger sister of current Leviathan.

Alex knocked and, after hearing the permeation to enter, Alex went in and saw that inside was not only Sona and Tsubaki, but also, much to his dismay, Rias and, not to his anger and dismay, Akeno. Two of the latter looked with a surprise at Alex who was accompanied by Raynare all this time, as she preferred to stick close to him in school, just because she liked his company. And from one look at Rias, she was clearly upset at something, but that wasn`t something that Alex needed to know why at the moment Rias was upset. He had his own things to clear up and their presence could clear things up more then he initially expected.

"Are we interrupting something?" Alex asked as calmly as possible, but it was noticeable that his voice was cold ice.

Sona and Tsubaki clearly picked it up, feeling a dangerous aura around him and a cold fury being contained inside of him. Both girls knew that Alex was exceptionally good in holding back on his emotions, but right now it seemed like someone had pushed his limit and he was livid. Sona even glanced at Raynare, who, despite preferring to stick close to Alex, was now keeping a moderate distance from him. And then Sona noticed a worried look on Akeno`s face along with a hint of a small scare. Heiress of Sitri was well informed of Alex`s relations within Rias` Peerage and outside of it and Akeno was one of the closest persons to him.

Just in case, Sona has decided to read Alex`s energy level. She knew better than anyone that in terms of magical powers Alex was third strongest magic user in the entire school, Rias and Sona included. He had vast reserves, creative mind and impeachable control over his techniques, and in raw power that he put in his techniques he was even more powerful then Sona and even Akeno, probably matching Rias in it with her Power of Destruction. And right now Sona`s eyes widened slightly as she felt justhow much power was inside of Alex surging at the moment. It was enough to destroy this school twice over with everyone inside, including every Devil with the exception of Akeno, Tsubaki, Rias and Sona in a matter of minutes, that`s how powerful Alex was at the moment because of him being livid. Devil`s powers responded to the emotions and Alex`s were radiating from him.

This was not a good sign.

Rias was the first to speak up.

"As the matter of affect, yes you do." She critically responded instead of Sona, who sent her a clear glare. "Alex, explain yourself, why are you interrupting me during my meeting with Student Council President? Didn`t I say that I wanted each and every member of ORC to be present in our place?"

"You didn`t specify the time." Alex merely responded, not bothering with looking back at Rias and looking at Sona. "Pardon for the intrusion, Sona. I hoped that you could clarify for me a couple of things, if you were not busy at the moment."

"Actually, I was." Sona answered to Alex, but gave a little playful smile. "But, if you don`t mind waiting just a little bit right here, then I`ll answer all of your questions."

"I object to that." Rias chinned in. "This has nothing to do with members of Peerage and Alex needs not to hear of this, Sona."

"Ara, Rias, but we are discussing your own future, along with the future of your Peerage." Akeno reminded with a playful smile, causing Alex to actually turn his head to Rias and Akeno. "That means that Alex`s future also is at stake here and wouldn`t it be fair he knew that his life might just change upside down?"

Rias pondered about for some time, until she gave her answer to Sona.

"We`ll continue this conversation later, Sona." Rias responded, turning to Alex. "Go ahead, Akeno and I`ll wait for you to finish so we all can head back."

Alex didn`t even flinch at Rias staying here to observe and listen to his talk to Sona. She clearly didn`t like the fact that one of her Pawns was getting all chummy with a King of different peerage and spent more time with her then with Rias. More infuriating for Rias probably was the fact that said Pawn has clearly become much stronger under the mentorship of Sona. This was probably even better then he initially hoped. Now he could get some solid honesty from Rias for once. Alex simply moved past Rias and Akeno and was now standing in front of Sona and Tsubaki. After the next second, Alex spoke.

"Sona, tell me." Alex started out. "If Kuoh belongs to Devils then there must be a an appointed governor of this area, am I correct?"

Sona arched her eyebrow at such interesting start. From the looks of it, Alex clearly wanted to know about this for a very serious reason for himself. And if he was asking the person responsible for this area, then… And then a sudden idea appeared in Sona`s mind. Could it be that the reason he was asking her this question was because Alex was suspicions of Rias, who must`ve made it clear that she was in control here? In truth, if that was the case, then Sona couldn`t argue with Alex, as she herself had a growing suspicion that Rias had hand in Alex`s death, as it seemed way to convenient that she knew where and when to look for his dead body, and that is not to mention what Sona actually managed to find out about Riser`s sudden visit here a month ago.

It seems like Riser wasn`t visiting his fiancée for once and came her on the official business of his House to take care of some problems. Details were unknown, but Sona was dead sure it had something to do with Alex. Especially after Sona found out, through her sister`s channels, that Alex`s mother, Helena Black, was suspected to be a runaway Stray Devil, but her death and supposed death of her son stopped all those talks years ago. Sona honestly hoped that Helena wasn`t a Stray Devil, because if she was, the that would not only explain why Alex was so attune with Devil magic, but it would also meant that he, as a child of a runaway Stray Devil, was charged from birth to be either killed or subjugated as punishment for being not only a Stray Devil, but also because he was child of one. And, according to Devil`s laws, all of the children of runaway Stray Devils were affectively found guilty of not just being a Stray, but also of their own parents crimes and would receive the same punishment that his parent. So Sona hopped that Alex wasn`t a son of a Stray, or he would be in very deep trouble.

However, regardless of that, Sona knew that Alex needed a straight answer and she wouldn`t hold on to any information on him. Not for Rias` sake, most certainly.

"Yes, Kuoh, being under Gremory control, is governed by Rias." Sona knew what his next answer was and gave the answer already. "Alex, can you tell me why such a sudden interest in politics of Devils?"

Alex made sure to look back and turned the way that Rias and Akeno as well could see his face, Along with Raynare, who was standing beside him in similar to a Queen manner. After Alex confirmed that everyone was paying attention, he spoke.

"Three days ago I was visited by an old friend of mine from my past." Alex informed everyone, seeing curiosity in each one of them. "He informed me of something very interesting."

Sona knew that Alex had very few friends, but all those that he had he trusted with his life. This one, whoever it was, must be one of the closest, if not the closest he has. And Sona also had a strong feeling that this friend of Alex was of supernatural nature, because he did tell her during one of their trainings that he was aware of the existence of Devils, Angels, Youkai and Gods long before he became a Devil himself. Still there was the fact that Alex didn`t reveal the name of his friend right away. Heiress of Sitri deduced that Alex simply didn`t wanted to endanger his friend by revealing his name. A clever move.

"And what did that friend of yours inform you off?" Rias was the first to ask the obvious question.

Alex sent a cold glare to Rias, making her feel uneasy. Sona, along with Tsubaki now, felt how Alex`s energy had just spiked up a bit.

"The identities of my killers." Now that was something that made Rias to widen her eyes, Sona and Tsubaki to look at each other, Akeno and Raynare look in surprise. "Their names are Riser Phenex, a member of Phenex family, and his Queen Yubelluna. According to my friend, those two were the once that attacked me."

"Alex." Sona turned his attention herself. "May I ask you, just how much do you trust this friend of yours and his words?"

"I trust my friend with my life." Alex simply responded, turning back to Rias. "And he also advised me to do something that I should`ve done a long time ago."

Alex saw a clear indication of fear in Rias` eyes, even if it was very well hidden, but the stench of one being afraid of him wasn`t something that he didn`t know. And right now she was clearly afraid of him. Akeno was clearly surprised when Alex brought up the name of Riser and Yubelluna, showing that she must`ve heard them before or even met. Alex made sure to look Rias clearly in the eyes.

"Rias, tell me." Alex didn`t ask, he demanded. "What are your relations with Riser Phenex? And, if you really are the governor of Kuoh, then would you be aware of his presence in the town and his plans if he were to appear here?"

"W-what kind of a question is that, Alex?!" Rias tried to look shocked and insulted, but Alex didn`t buy it. "Are you accusing me here? In any case, I don`t have to answer before one of my own servants, so I refuse to answer it." Rias was already walking towards the exit, until Alex grabbed Rias` wrist with enough force to stop her.

"Not so fast, Gremory." Alex`s voice was cold devoid of emotions, his hold was steel cold and strong. "I`ve put up with your bratty and arrogant behavior for long enough. I think it`s time I get some straight answers from you."

Rias was clearly insulted by those words, as everyone in the room noticed how Rias began to emit dark red energy glow from her body. It was here infamous ability, Power of Destruction, which was she has inherited from her mother, formally of the house of Bael. This power was capable of obliterating anyone into smithereens. This power was enough to scare off anyone who didn`t have enough power to at least block one blast from it, which was something that not many could do. Sona and Tsubaki tensed up, feeling the power emitted by Rias and knew that it was best not to provoke her, Akeno and Raynare decided to take a few steps back just in case, being ready to step in if things were to go ugly.

Rias glared at her insubordinate servant, power circling around her.

"You are crossing the line, Alex." She stated with anger in her voice. "Apologize and follow me to the clubhouse, or else…"

And at that moment Rias had to shut up as she suddenly sensed a very powerful aura coming from Alexander. She didn`t notice earlier as she didn`t pay much attention to his power level, but now she simply had to, as something that nobody could foresee happened. Alex started to emit his own powerful aura around his own body, but this one was not dark red one, but pure white one, enveloping Alex`s body completely and seemingly blocking Rias` Power of Destruction, as everyone noticed that a Alex`s hand should`ve covered up in blood from a contact with Rias at her current state, but, instead, it seemed that it was Rias that was on the receiving end. Sona`s mouth was agape from that, as she sensed Alex`s real power now. Now she understood just how powerful Alex really was when he let loose of his control. Black`s power level right now was easily equal if not surpassing Rias`, as he was able to safely block her power. Sona had a feeling that Alex would keep his true strength hidden from anyone; so that no one knew his real power. But now… Sona had a clear view of Alex`s power and she only now noted that this white aura of demonic power… was familiar to her and was making Sona and her Queen feel something that wasn`t easy.

Pure, untainted, fear. That what Sona actually felt from Alex and couldn`t help but sweatdrop a little.

In the mean time, Raynare and Akeno both took a step back again, already aware of Alex`s real potential when he releases his own magical abilities. Akeno, unlike Raynare, however noticed something that she didn`t earlier. Alex`s power and Rias` Power of Destruction were very similar, but the feeling of Alex`s one was not akin to the fear of being obliterated. No, Alex emitted the fear of being annihilated, absolutely destroyed without a trace and never to be recovered, without even an ash to be found. And one more thing: Rias` Power of Destruction was clearly powerful and sent waves of power, but it also felt in consisted and unstable; as with Alex, his power felt stable, calm and collected, being coherent and flowing without spiking up or down as Rias`.

Rias also felt Alex`s power and couldn`t help, but being shocked and frightened. Unlike the others, however, she once had a taste of similar power. From someone, who had decided to teach Rias a lesson after she made her little nephew Millicas cry by making fun of him when she was 12 and he was only 4. That person was Grayfia, Millicas` mother and her brother`s wife, along with being a maid to Gremory household. Rias back then thought that she could get away for that, but Grayfia was not simply one of the most powerful devils in existence, but also a very caring and protective mother, and she couldn`t stand if someone were to treat he little son like that. And then she showed what would happen to those that hurt her son, by obliterating half of their summer house by one simple power burst of her minimal power. And right now Alex was sending out practically the same energy as Grayfia, only his was still nowhere near of Silver Haired Queen of Annihilation. But even this was enough to scare Rias.

"Or else what?" Alex asked Rias, his grip tightening. "I want answer. What are your relations with Riser and did you know that he was in Kuoh the day I was killed?"

Rias was trying to come up with something that would get her out of this mess, but nothing that she thought of was going to calm him down and make him trust her word. Still, she couldn`t let Alex simply know the truth or otherwise she might lose one of aces against Riser if things were to progress to a Rating Game.

And then, something happened that Rias wished didn`t happen.

"Alex, Rias is Riser`s fiancée." It was Sona that betrayed Rias, who sent her frightened look.

In the next second, Alex turned his head to Sona. He didn`t show any sign of being surprised, or simply masked it very well. Sona continued.

"Rias has been engaged with Riser for well over 2 years as per the agreement between the heads of Phenex and Gremory." Sona looked at Rias. "And Rias has been trying to find a way to end the engagement ever since, but she has failed so far. Her only option remaining now is to beat him in a Rating Game, where he has scored several important wins, leaving her with no option but to seek out and recruit in her Peerage those with powerful Sacred Gears, like you and Issei Hyoudou." Sona paused, letting Alex sink in this information. "I`ve had suspicions that Riser might be involved in your death from the beginning, so I`ve investigated it, leading me to the single possible conclusion…"

"Rias knew about me and Forsaken Regalia from the very beginning." Alex ended for Sona, turning his gaze at Gremory. "Let me guess how it all went down: Riser came to you the very same day I arrived in school, informing you that he was after holder Forsaken Regalia and, due to you being in control of this area, he needed your specific permission. As you`ve learned about Regalia, you`ve allowed him to kill me, but what he didn`t know was that you`ve planned to bring me back from the dead right after my murder was carried out. As for how you`ve learned where I would be to look for, you only needed to tract down Riser`s energy and then pinpoint where I would be lying. After that, we all know how it went down, but I suspect that you weren`t ready that I would be far different from Pervy Pants, as you might`ve tried to influence me and make me believe that Riser was the solely responsible, with you just accidentally coming to my rescue, as you did with Issei and told to Asia. I may`ve left out a couple of details, but I think I got the general picture." Alex`s glare was on Rias, his aura now enveloping Rias` arm. "However, there is just one thing I don`t get. And I really hope that you can clarify it for me. Why in nine Hells did that bastard attack me?"

Rias simply refused to answer Alex`s question, turning away from his glare. Alex`s patience was already at it`s critical level, so he decided that if she wanted to play that game, so be it. He had witnesses that will testify that she refused answering him. Alex`s grip suddenly intensified several times over and Rias almost shouted in pain as Alex`s energy was now going through Rias` arm, causing severe pain and damage to the hand. This was Alex`s newest technique, developed for his White Slicer, Phantom Hand. It was supposed to be his first technique, but Alex quickly found the way to produce Slicer. However, he later upgraded Hand and made it into an extremely effective weapon in melee. Through a physical contact, he sent inside of his enemy powerful energetic burst, damaging the inner tissues and nerves of the enemy. Main purpose of this attack: disabling the limps of the victims. And Rias was right now feeling the effects. Alex quickly turned it off, letting Rias loose, redhead grabbing her wrist and witnessing that she wasn`t able to move it. She looked with a shock expression at Alex, who only glared at her. Alex in the meantime took a moment to look at everyone.

And what he saw… It made his anger just go away and energy to drop down.

Black looked at Akeno, Rias` Queen and one of his closest friends in the Peerage. Her expression was of utter fear and unmasked terror. One that she expressed before Alex. Her left hand was shaking, being brought close to her mouth. Her eyes were widened from shock.

Raynare, Alex`s friend and partner, she was now standing against the wall, eyes wide from horror and terror. Her mouth was agape from what she saw.

Sona and Tsubaki, the two who had helped him to reach the current heights… were now dreadfully looking at him and his displayed power. Their usual calmness shifted into a look of a horror.

Alex`s mind then flashed with all those horrors and nightmares that he had experienced many times over the years. Fear, terror, horror… all too familiar and too painful to look at. And at that moment, Alexander Black, simply ran away from there, leaving the girls gaping in question. Rias and Akeno quickly recovered and left the cabinet, but before that it was clear that Rias` wrist sustained damage and Akeno was shaken up with that. Raynare, after she realized what just happened, rushed away from the cabinet as well, trying her best to find Alex. Only Sona and Tsubaki were left with their questions. Student Council President was the first to speak.

"Tsubaki, what in your opinion has stopped Alex?" Sona serious was worried about him at the moment. "I`ve thought, for a second there, he would break Rias` arm with that grip of his, but then…"

"I think it was Alex`s past that stopped him." Tsubaki speculated. "Remember, he did go through hell when he was a child. Those looks and this situation… He must`ve lived through it all dozens of times and it must`ve left in him a lot of bad memories. And in all of them, he was the one looking in horror at the one who was in power."

"Post-traumatic stress… We`ve never even considered the possibility, but we should`ve, after all he went through." Sona sighed. "We better find him quickly. In this state, he might just end up in more trouble than worth it."

"I`ll send out our team, but what about Riser?" Tsubaki asked her King. "If he and Alex meet today, then there sure would be a slaughter, even with Grayfia Lucifuge with Rias there. Alex might be strong, but in direct confrontation with Phenex he doesn`t stand a chance."

"No." Sona simply disagreed. "I doubt that, Tsubaki."

"W-what?"

"Let me tell you something from Devil`s history, something that House of Gremory and House of Bael do not like to talk about." Sona looked at her Queen. "You and I`ve both saw the Power of Destruction, displayed by Rias and her older brother, Great King Lucifer himself. As you know, that magic came to them through their mother`s bloodline of Bael. However, what many of the today`s Devils and some older houses have forgotten is that this Power was simply copied from something far more powerful."

"Copied?" Tsubaki raised a brow at that question.

"Yes, copied." Sona replied. "From the Power of Annihilation, the form of pure and utter destruction, leaving nothing behind, not even ashes. And in all of our kind`s history, only two Devils had ever possessed this power. One is known to us as Grayfia Lucifuge, Rias` sister-in-law and maid to House of Gremory. But the second one, he was known by many names, all of which led to one, his real one. And even now it has a very strong merit in our world, as we are using it as title for the strongest among strongest."

"Wait… you don`t mean that Alex… might be a…" A realization came upon Tsubaki.

"Yes, Tsubaki." Sona grimly said. "I`m afraid that Alex really is his descendant."

On the school grounds.

[Alex, calm down.] Galeran was calling out to his own partner after being forcefully blocked.

'How do you expect me to be calm after they`ve saw me like that?!' Alex was letting out his frustration and anger at his own partner. 'I was… No, I am just like them… All those monsters that tortured me… I`ve become just like them…'

[No, it`s not like that!] Galeran shouted at him with his full voice, snapping his partner. [You are nothing like those creatures that made your life a living hell. You`ve strived, survived and moved forward, becoming who you are right now. They are nothing more but shadows of your past.]

'Shadows… That still keep haunting me to this day to no end.' Alex grimly stated. 'Also, what the hell was that energy I was releasing back there? Did I somehow activated Regalia and was drawing extra power from there?'

[No, you weren`t.] Galeran answered with a grim look. [That was your energy alright, but the signature of it was different from the one you are used to using. I`ll have to confess to you that from the very day you`ve activated me, I`ve been sensing a very unique signature of power coming from you. It was very weak, at first, but with more practice, the power of it increased. And today… I think it was finally released. And I`ve finally realized something that I should`ve a while ago.]

'You sound like you`ve already had a run in with this energy before.' Alex noted.

[Yes, I had a run in with it. Once… and it was the day I was defeated in a battle.] Galeran firmly stated. [Alex, that energy… it`s a very ancient and sacred power that was once wielded by someone that even Great Red and Ophis had to respect, and that was something unseen before. It has been present in this world practically from the very first humanity`s steps as a race, along with Devils and Angels. It`s a power that made even Heavenly Dragons weary.]

'Just what kind of power could ever make Great Red and Ophis respect someone?'

[A power that destroyed The God.] Galeran responded, shocking Alex.

'Wait… You mean The God? The one that has created Adam and Eve? One that is a central figure of both Christianity and Islam?'

[Indeed, that`s the very same person that has created Forsaken Regalia, Divine Dividing, Boosted Gear and all other Sacred Gears and Longinus-class artifacts, not to mention the father and creator of Holy Weapons, Angels, Samael, Lilith… and a person that claimed his life. The one that had also brought me before…] Galeran suddenly ended, suddenly stiffening up. [Alex, I sense 5 sources of energy nearing us. They bear the same signature as Riser.]

Alex quickly snapped back into the reality, getting ready for a fight. Now he also could feel them. 5 sources, Devils from their powers, but relatively weak in terms of magical potential, but they bore the same power as Riser, but if it was him or his Queen, Galeran would`ve informed him immediately. If it`s not them, then it has to be…

And then from the trees came five figures, all moving towards Alex with a killing intent in their eyes. Two of them were Nekomata twins, wearing school`s navy uniform for girls, but with different colors of their hair and uniforms. Two others were also twins, but were a lot shorter and wore school`s sport uniform and had green hair, along with a chainsaw ready. The last one was a brown-haired woman with a mask that covered up half of her face and in torn and rugged clothing, indicating that she was a bad girl from the core. Alex was able to measure up their powers: 4 of them had nearly identical power level, but that bad girl was stronger than all four put together.

'Galeran, it seems like Riser has caught a wind of our existence.' Alex summarized. 'From their respective powers, I`m pretty confident that we are dealing with 4 Pawns here and 1 Rook.'

[Yep, you are correct.] Galeran responded. [In terms of power in chess currency, you lose famously.]

'And in terms of actual power?'

[Heh, it`s like a battle between 5 Raditz and 1 post-King Kai Goku.] Galeran responded in joking manner. [If you know DBZ math, you know how much that means.]

'Good to know.' Alex turned to the girls and spoke up. "Are you looking for someone, ladies?"

The Rook girl was the one to respond.

"Not any longer." She and the others got in the battle position. "In the name of our lord and King Riser Phenex, we shall carry out his command and kill you."

"Yare Yare Daze…" Alex responded in his signature phrase, immediately switching on the Forsaken Regalia. "Well, you are welcome to try, radishes." Alex added the last with a smirk.

25 minutes later. Occult Research Club.

Riser Phenex, third son in the noble House of Phenex and an official fiancée of Rias Gremory, was almost boiling with anger and fury inside of him. All caused by several things. First of all, his fiancée, Rias, was refusing to finally seal their pact and marry him, resisting him with everything she had, and forcing him to accept the proposal of Silver Haired Queen of Annihilation to try and defeat Rias in an unofficial Rating Game. Of course, for him there shouldn`t be any trouble, after all he was a Phenex and his Peerage was complete and had no weak members in it. But, sheer insolence and dishonorable attitude of Rias was making him livid. But, even that paled when compared to the second thing that was making Riser furious.

Alexander Black, that filthy brat and a shitstain on Phenex`s family glorious name… was still alive! That brat doesn`t know when to die, not being killed in the childhood, not broken in his childhood by all those tortures and years of living hell, and somehow surviving Yubelluna and her signature magical attacks. The word of Alexander being alive reached Riser just a couple days ago when his familiar saw it in person. The sheer look at him made Riser livid in a second and in the heat of the moment he sent out his best Pawns and Isabella to take care of that filth once and for all, once he arrived here. He excused his missing Pieces by saying that they were sent on errand of his. An errand to eradicate Alexander once and for all. Now, with Rating Game coming soon and Rias being given a time to prepare for her inevitable defeat, all that he needed to do was to go home and…

A door into the Occult Research Club was suddenly kicked and from there emerged someone that nobody was expecting, and Riser most certainly. Everyone in the room turned their attention to Alexander Black, covered in several deep cuts and blood bruises on his face and blood spilling out of the fresh cuts, his attire ripped in some places and with holes, dragging with his two hands five unconscious girls, looking like they`ve just been through hell, as there was practically no living place on them. Alex silently walked through the distance between him and his Peerage, dragging the girls as well. After he came near Akeno, he finally spoke.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I believe those are yours." He stated, tossing all five in front of Riser, falling on the table and floor like ragdolls. "Your servants weren`t very talkative, but they did name whom and where should I return them in case they were to fail the negotiations."

Rias and the rest of her Peerage looked agape. Alex… has defeated 5 of Riser`s pieces all by himself, with suffering fairly minimal damage. The rest of Riser`s girls were also shocked at that as well, seeing how this seeming nobody took down a near equivalent of a Queen. Grayfia looked curiously as well, seeing that Alex was actually telling the truth and mentally stating that he sure was someone not to mess with. As for Riser…

"How dare you…" Riser rose up, flames also starting up here. "Do you even realize what you filth have done."

"Taught them a lesson." Alex wasn`t afraid of this Yakitori. "As well as provided a preview of what I`m going to do with you, Riser."

Riser gritted his teeth and then lashed out in anger, flames bursting out. He was ready to destroy this filth himself, to hell with all of them. Alex reacted in the similar manner, white aura also burst out of his body. He figured that if it came out when he was feeling his anger and hate, then his pure fury against Riser might serve as good fuel against this bastard. Almost everyone in this room, save for Grayfia and Riser, were astonished at the power Alexander was releasing right now as even Riser`s flames didn`t even touch this aura. Grayfia, however, quickly noticed that this aura was not just familiar to her, but akin of her own. No, it was the same energy that she also used, only…

'No… Could it be…' During this time, Grayfia wasn`t giving out any emotion, but now she decided to step in.

"Enough, both of you." She said with a firm and strong voice, making both stop in their tracks and turn to the Ultimate Queen. "Lord Riser, you`ve already gave your word to wait until the Rating Game and not start up any conflict with lady Rias or members of her Peerage."

"What?! You mean that filth is one of Rias` Servants?!" Riser turned at Alex with a shocked expression.

"Not by my own choice." Alex crossed his arms and glared at Riser. "I may be a simple Pawn like that knocked out pervert here, but I can assure that I`m anything but a weakling your pitiful girls believed me to be."

"You are Rias` Pawn?! But then…" And after that Riser suddenly burst out in laughter, annoying the hell out of Alex and Rias as well.

It took him several seconds to regain composure and walk to his Peerage, disabled girls already near of his other members.

"I see now what game you were playing, my dear Rias." Riser sent Alex and his King a mocking gaze. "You don`t even know what you`ve got yourself into with him, my beloved, but I`ll allow you to keep him. As for you." Alex and Riser were exchanging glares. "You may have managed to escape your death from my hand twice, but the next time I see you, Riser shall finally sent you to your maker." The flames of the portal burst out and enveloped the entire group, transporting them away.

Alex merely stood here. Those last words had finally cleared up everything that was a mystery to him.

'14 years ago… That flame…' Alex now understood it 'So, I`ve finally found the responsible for my mother`s death.'

"Riser Phenex." Alex hissed that name, aura emitting from him. "I swear on my mother`s name and blood, I`ll make you pay tenfold for what you did to her!"