Chapter 17: Riser Phenex (2)

"The tea made by Rias's [Queen] is superb"

Riser genuinely praised tea with a smile on his face, causing Akeno to show a fake smile at him before walking away with the tray with a dangerous aura surrounding her while Rias continuously tried to push his arms away from her shoulders with a frown on her face.

"You're tea is delicious, Akeno"

Lucias tried complimenting her as he held the tea cup in his right hand.

"Ara Ara, Thanks for the compliment, Lucias~"

She said with a genuine smile on her face as she gazed at him with predator like eyes which caused Lucias to shiver from his seat from remembering the same gaze that Kurumi and Flandre gave to him in the past.

"Stop it already!"

Rias angrily shouted as she pushed him away and got up from the sofa, glaring at Riser with a visible frown on her face as she sat down on the sofa next to Lucias causing him to wryly smile as Riser looked at her in shock from her shamelessness.

"Riser! I told you before! I will not marry you!"

She shouted as she moved closer to Lucias who was twitching his mouth from her close proximity with an unamused smile on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Koneko asked as she looked up to his face while holding a cup of ice cream in her hand.

"Nothing... I just felt a disgusting bug touch my skin"

"Should I help you?"

She asked before placing the ice cream cup on the table.

"It's fine, I think it's already gone"

Lucias patted her head as she nodded her head and focused her attention back at the ice cream cup on the table.

"Y-Yeah, Riser heard that before. But Rias, that won't do, you know? Riser think the situation of your household is quite serious"

Riser responded while trying to keep his composure, because her very action can cause a massive war between the devil and the forsaken faction, looking around as he sighed in relief from not finding any of Lucias' fiancées in their location.

"That's none of your concern! If I'm the next heiress for the House of Gremory, then I will choose who will become my husband! My father, brother, and everyone in the clan are rushing it! Also it was a promise that I will be free until I graduate from university of the human world!"

"That's right. You will basically be free. You can go to college and you can do whatever you like with your servants. But your Otou-sama and Sirzechs-sama are worried. They are afraid that your household will become extinct"

Riser pointed out as Lucias was patting his sister-in-law on her head as she happily finished the ice cream in her hands.

"We lost a great number of pure-blood Devils in the last war. Even if the war has ended, our rivalry with the Fallen Angels and God hasn't ended yet. It's not rare for the successors of pure-blood Devil to get killed in the worthless battle against them, which leads to the household becoming extinct. So for a pure-blood Devil that are also happens to be a High-class Devil, getting together would be the obvious solution for the forces of Devils. A pure-blood High-class Devil. Even you know that these children will be important from now on, right?"

Riser explained with a monotonous voice like he was reading a script that he prepared before hand before entering the club room, but by giving facts and reasons stating the current predicament of the devil faction.

'If she doesn't get away from me, then the devil faction will truly lose a lot of numbers'

Lucias thought as he tried to move away from Rias but failed as she clung to his arm, pressing her large breast at him causing cold sweat to ran down Riser's back as he watched their action.

"..."

Lucias waved his hand beside him, indicating for him to not interfere or else, they're cover will be exposed.

Riser's eyes twitched before sighing as he went back to arguing with Rias about the importance of their marriage, causing her frustration to increase while Lucias completely ignored the two of them as opened a box of cake for Koneko to eat, offering Kiba and Akeno a piece before placing one in front of Riser and Rias.

"I'm not going to crush my house. And I am willing to take a husband"

She declared as she moved even closer to Lucias who had a deadpan expression on his face, completely ignoring her existence.

"Oh, to be expected from Rias! Then let's-"

"But I won't marry you, Riser. I will marry the one I acknowledge. Even the Devils from the old noble house have the right to choose"

She said causing Riser to frown at her but not from her statement but from her bold actions towards Lucias, the faction leader of the mysterious faction.

"...You know, Rias. Riser is also a Devil who carries the name of House of Phoenix behind me. Riser can't let that name get tarnished. Riser didn't even want to come to a small old building like this in the human world. Rather, Riser doesn't like the human world that much. The fire and wind of this world is filthy. For a Devil like Riser who rules fire and wind, Riser can't stand it!"

Riser shouted trying to hide the real cause of his anger as he spread his flames around the room.

"I will take you back to the underworld, even if I have to burn all of your servants"

Riser stated as released incredible killing intent directed towards Rias and her peerage causing Issei to shiver in fear as Kiba and Koneko readied their stances to ready themselves if a fight breaks out. While Rias and Riser stared at each other while releasing their magic from their body to try and intimidate the other party.

"... Can't both of you calm down?"

Lucias who lost the warmth of his nekoshou said as he released half of his bloodlust to the devils inside the clubroom, causing them to shiver in fear and terror from his chaotic blood lust, freezing them in their spot as Grayfia tried to compose herself, standing in the same spot while looking at him in shock.

"Let's be civilized, alright?"

Lucias muttered with a smile as Koneko weakly sit back down on his lap with a complicated expression on her face as she couldn't understand why he suddenly interfered.

"... Now then, you kids can continue your discussion"

Lucias said as all of them nodded their head in fear while Akeno stared at him with a masochistic smile on her face while licking her lips causing Lucias to feel a sudden chill ran down his spine.

'This feeling... It feels like how Modeus looks at me'

Lucias thought as he hugged Koneko in his embrace to try and lessen the sudden chill that he felt from Akeno's gaze.

"*cough* ...Master, Sirzechs-sama, and those from the House of Phenex knew it would turn out like this. To tell you the truth this was to be the last discussion meeting. Everyone knew that it wouldn't be solved, so they decided to make a last resort"

Grayfia coughed as she tried to break the awkward atmosphere that built up inside the clubroom before explaining the decisions of their respective clans.

"Last resort? What do you mean, Grayfia?"

"Ojou-sama, if you wish to push your opinion forward, then how about you settle it by having a [Rating Game] against Riser-sama?"

"...!?"

Rias looked at her in shock and disbelief from hearing her words.

"Just as you know, Ojou-sama, only mature aged Devils can participate in official [Rating Game]. But if it's an unofficial match between pure-blood Devils, even immature Devils can participate. However, in this case-"

"When it involves the family and household problems"

Rias said as she sighed in irritation before removing her gaze from Grayfia.

"In other words Otou-sama and the others decided to have a game as a last resort if I was to decline, right? ...Just how far are they intending to interfere with my life to feel satisfied!"

Rias shouted in anger and frustration, glaring at the silver haired maid standing in the middle of the two parties.

"Then Ojou-sama, you are saying you would also decline to participate in the game?"

"No, I won't, since this is a chance. Alright then. Let's settle this with a game, Riser"

She answered with provocation directed at Riser who was smirking while sitting on the sofa.

"Hee, so you're accepting it. Riser doesn't mind. But Riser is already a matured Devil and Riser have already participated in the official game. Right now Riser have won most of the games. Even so, you still want to play, Rias?"

"I will. I will blow you away, Riser!"

She provoked with a fearless smile on her face causing Lucias to silently laugh from seeing her status and comparing it to Riser.

"Fine. If you win, do whatever you like. But if Riser win, you will marry Riser immediately"

Both of them glared at each other with intimidation while Lucias watched them in amusement as the Nekoshou in his arms glared at Riser's direction.

"Understood. I, Grayfia, have confirmed both sides opinion. I will be in charge of the game between the two household. Is that okay?"

"Yes"

"Yeah"

"Understood. I will inform the two households then"

Grayfia nodded her head in confirmation as Issei smiled with excitement as he glared at Riser's direction.

"Hey, Rias. Would the ones here be your servants?"

Riser asked with a large smirk on his face as he gazed at her peerage with disappointment.

"Lucias is not yet in my peerage"

Rias suddenly stated causing Riser to look at her like she was the biggest idiot he has seen in his entire life.

"Of course Riser knows that, Riser isn't stupid"

Riser said causing her to look at him in anger from his insults as he snapped his finger, creating a large magic circle with the emblem of the Phenex Clan to appear on the floor behind him, summoning 15 girls behind him.

"This match will be a laugh. Only your [Queen], the "Priestess of Thunder" can fight on par with Riser's adorable servants"

Riser stated as Issei gritted his teeth while hitting the ground in frustration, glaring at Riser like he found the person that massacred his parents as he cried while kneeling on the ground.

'... Issei...'

Lucias felt his eyes twitch from the embarrassment that he felt for him, causing him to cover his head with his right hand from knowing such a person like him.

"H-Hey, Rias... This servant-kun over here is crying a lot while looking at Riser"

Riser pointed at Issei crying on the ground with the same expression as Lucias as he gazed at Rias standing in front of him with an exhausted expression on her face.

"This boy's dream is to have a harem. I think he was moved after looking at your servants"

Rias said while placing her hand on her forehead from the headache that she felt from Issei's actions.

"Gross~"

"Disgusting"

"Raiser-sama, this person is creepy~"

Riser's peerage muttered in disgust as they looked at Issei on the ground causing Riser to pat their bodies to comfort them.

"Indeed, he is creepy, Lucias"

"Creepy!"

"That is why you should avoid males like him, do you understand, Hanna?"

"Mn!"

Lucias who heard his wife and daughter's voice smiled wryly as he gazed at Issei with pity visible in his eyes.

"Don't say that, Riser's cute girls. Looking up to upper stream folks is what a lowly ones does. Let's show them how passionate we are"

Riser said as he kissed the mature violet haired woman behind him in a deep kiss, causing a bright tinge of red to appear on her cheeks.

'Did Riser confessed his feeling to them? If that's so... then I guess that explains why they suddenly became shy with his approaches'

Lucias said with a large grin on his face, causing the other girls to avert their eyes from embarrassment, understanding the meaning behind the grin on his face.

"Mn..."

Issei who saw this scene cried while kneeling on the ground, glaring at Riser with envy visible in his eyes.

"You will never be able to do this"

He said as soon as he separated himself from her kiss with a large smirk on his face while looking down on Issei, trying to hide the light blush on his cheeks.

'Nice acting Riser'

"Don't say what I think you were saying! Damn it! Boosted Gear!"

Issei shouted in anger as a red gauntlet with a green jewel and 2 golden spikes manifested on his arm, pointing his finger at his direction.

"A womaniser like you isn't good enough to be with Buchou!"

"Huh? Weren't you looking up to the so-called womaniser?"

"Ugh..."

'So I'm a womaniser?'

"No, I don't classify you as one, Lucias"

"That's right papa!"

Her daughter's cute voice echoed inside his head causing him to unconsciously smile before placing his gaze at the two of them to watch the show unfold.

"S-Shut up! That's different with the thing about Buchou! At this rate, you will continue to flirt with other girls even after you marry Buchou!"

"Heroes love women. That's a saying in the human world, right? A good phrase indeed. But this is just a close relationship with Riser's servants"

"Hero my ass! You are just a bird guy! Fire bird Phoenix? Hahaha! That's the same as Yakitori!"

Issei shouted in provocation causing Riser to angrily glare at him for his insults.

"Yakitori!? Y-You Low-class Deeeeevil! Don't get ahead of yourself! That's not the way you talk to a High-class Devil! Rias, what's going on with your discipline towards your servants!?"

Riser asked as he looked at Rias who avoided his gaze with an interested expression on her face.

"Hey Yakitori-guy! I will just beat the crap out of you with my Boosted Gear!"

Issei proudly stated before pointing his gauntlet at his direction.

"We don't need to have a game! I will just take you all down, right here, right now!"

[Boost!!]

The jewel of his gauntlet shone causing Lucias to look at him interest from seeing the sudden change in his status board.

[Status: Attack power has been multiplied by x2]

"Mira. Do it"

"Yes, Raiser-sama"

A small girl with long blue hair answered as she spun her staff around her body before dashing towards Issei who had a hesitant expression on his face.

The girl then sweeped her staff on his feet, causing him to crash on the ground before she stepped on his stomach in full force causing him to growl from the pain that he felt.

'... Issei... you rely too much on your sacred gear and... you're too proud of yourself'

Lucias thought as he looked at the gauntlet in his arm with a sigh, thinking how such a powerful weapon has gone to waste in his hands.

"You are weak"

Riser said causing Issei to clench his fist and stare at him in anger as he knocked on the gauntlet in his arms with a chuckle escaping his mouth.

"This is certainly one of the invincible and dangerous Sacred Gears. By how you use it, not only Riser, but you can also defeat a Maou and God. There were quite a number of possessors who had that before. But there hasn't been any case where it defeated a God or Maou. Do you know what this means?"

Riser said before laughing out loud, causing Issei to grit his teeth from his words.

"It means that this Sacred Gear is imperfect, and the possessors were also bunch of weaklings that couldn't use it! You are no exception! How do you say this in the human world again? ...Yes, "Pearls before swine". Fuhahaha! Yeah, pearls before swine! It's about you! Rias's [Pawn]-kun!"

He purposely provoked him to ignite his fighting spirit while slapping his face.

"But the match would be interesting if you were to get used to it"

Riser said as he let stood up from the ground while holding his chin with a large smirk on his face.

"Rias, how about we have a match in 10 days? We could do it now, but that wouldn't be interesting"

"...Are you giving me a handicap"

Rias asked with a frown on his face as she crossed her legs before glaring at Riser in front of her.

"Are you against it? Is it humiliating? [Rating Game] isn't something simple that you can win with only your feelings. If you can't use your servant's power to the fullest, then you will lose immediately. So it's not weird for you to train with your servants for your first [Rating Game]. Riser have seen Devils who lost without using their power to the fullest countless of times, no matter how great their potential and power was"

Riser said causing Rias to stay silent as she listened carefully to his words while Issei watched them with a frown on his face.

"...10 days. If it's you, then you should be able to improve your servants"

Riser then looked at Issei with provocation, but deep inside he was jumping in joy from seeing her peerage fighting spirit at its peak.

"Don't be a disgrace to Rias, Rias's [Pawn]. Your blow is Rias's blow"

Riser said before teleporting out of the room along with his entire peerage, leaving the frustrated Issei on the floor.