Chapter 86

Inside the ORC Room,

Rias sat solemnly on one of the couches, breathing steadily but deeply, trying to calm herself with her arms crossed and eyes closed, avoiding looking at the person in front of her. Behind her stood her peerage, including Gasper, who had grown less introverted thanks to the support of his childhood friend, Valerie. Valerie, now part of Rias' peerage, was helping Gasper break out of his shell. Having experienced life-and-death battles, Valerie didn't need to prove herself in the upcoming rating game; she had joined Rias' peerage to repay her for taking care of Gasper all those years they were separated.

Koneko, always seen eating or sleeping, now stood behind her king with a serious expression, wearing black gloves with metal plates on the back of her palms. Kiba, on the other hand, had a bright and cheerful demeanor, contrasting with his usual serious self. He smiled to lighten the tension in the ORC room, but deep down, he was ready to unleash his new abilities, courtesy of Oreki, at Rias' behest.

The tension in the room was palpable, with the occasional clink of Akeno's tea set breaking the silence. She remained calm and collected despite the tension, serving tea to their guest, even though this guest was their enemy in the upcoming rating game. She felt confident in the power Oreki had given her, knowing it might attract unwanted enemies. She was prepared to face any situation and possibly kill them in the process as a form of revenge after her Mother was killed, even though her Mother had already been revived thanks to her beloved, Oreki.

Earlier that noon, Rias had been nervous. However, after training in the time chamber with her peerage and Oreki, she had witnessed the extent of her destructive power. But that wasn't all. When Oreki lent her that sword, she had almost become as strong as Sirzechs, if Oreki's words were to be believed. Her thirst for destruction was nearly unquenchable while holding the sword. Fortunately, Oreki had been there to forcefully remove it from her grip, though the craving for destruction still coursed through her veins. 

How could she forget the other ability that Oreki had given to her, even though he said it was a nerfed version and she would not be able to use it on living beings yet, and it was only a melee version. Anyway, now she wore a solemn and serious face, trying to restrain herself from destroying the devil in front of her who had a smug, punchable face—Riser Phenex.

Opposite of Rias was Riser Phenex, a young man in his early twenties with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery on the right side, matching pants, and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer, a white dress shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a slight view of his chest.

"Rias, my dear, it's not too late to call off this charade. You know you can't win against me," Riser taunted, his eyes flicking dismissively over her and her peerage. However, Rias ignored his taunt, treating him like air and avoiding confrontation as much as possible.

"Tsk," Riser muttered, clearly annoyed that Rias didn't take the bait.

"Brother, you should show some respect to your future wife. She clearly wants to give her best in the rating game, based on her concentration right now," reminded the girl beside Riser, chuckling and unintentionally insulting Rias in the process. The girl had blonde hair styled into elaborate twin drills and striking blue eyes, just like Riser. She wore a pink dress with puffy sleeves and a fitted bodice featuring a row of buttons down the front. The dress had a bow at the neckline, and the ruffled hem gave it a whimsical feel.

"Ravel, she will only get my respect if she begs and grovels to me," Riser retorted to the girl, Ravel Phenex, his youngest sibling and a member of his peerage bearing the chess piece Bishop.

"I'm just telling you," Ravel shrugged, replying to her brother. She understood his frustration because of the events that happened over the last two days.

"She's lucky she's protected by her goddamn..." Riser was about to finish his sentence when he realized he was about to insult the current Lucifer. Luckily, he stopped himself, fearing the wrath of the Strongest Queen in the underworld, Grayfia, who was also in the room with them.

Grayfia, her eyes closed and in her usual French maid outfit, stood between the two groups of peerage, preventing them from going at each other before the rating game. If Riser had insulted or cursed Satan Lucifer, she would not have stood idly by and accepted those words. She would have punished him in the name of Sirzechs Lucifer.

"Lord Riser, you shouldn't waste your time explaining things to someone sheltered and naive like her," suggested a woman to Riser, looking at Rias with scornful eyes. She couldn't understand where this girl got all her confidence to challenge her king. The woman thought, "Why the hell is she always in her maid getup?" as she looked at Grayfia weirdly, causing Grayfia to open her eyes and look back at her, making the woman flinch and look down at the floor like a frightened cat.

"I just don't understand it, Yubelluna!" Riser said in a confused and angry tone while looking back at the woman named Yubelluna. She had a voluptuous body with long, wavy purple hair that fell all the way down her back and matching eyes. Her attire was a navy blue tunic top with gold accents and a pale blue skirt with open sides, red high-heeled shoes, and matching thigh-high stockings with garter belts. The top revealed much of her cleavage and was held with a gold choker with blue and red jewels. Over this, she wore a white overcoat with black and gold accents and matching pauldrons. For accessories, she wore a black headband with a red-orange jewel over her forehead to keep her long hair in place and wielded a staff-like scepter in battle. She wore purple lipstick and nail polish, matching her eyes and hair. She was a member of Riser's peerage and held the Queen chess piece. Other members of the peerage were also present, standing tall and ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"A naive and stupid girl can still honor a promise, but this girl right here," Riser said mockingly, "dishonors my family by using her brother to break off the engagement. And for what? Freedom?!" Riser shouted in frustration, standing up from his seat. "No, you did it to be tied to someone else," he said, walking toward Rias. "And you know what's funny? You replaced me with a weakling of a human!" he shouted venomously, looking down at Rias.

Silence descended in the room, with only the occasional sound of someone breathing. When the whistling of the kettle resounded, Rias broke the silence with an unladylike laugh. "HAHAHAHA, now that is funny!"

Akeno and the rest of Rias' peerage, except Koneko, started laughing, but they covered their mouths to avoid embarrassing Riser further. Even Grayfia chuckled lightly before composing herself again.

Riser, Ravel, and the rest of his peerage frowned, looking weirdly at Rias and her peerage. Some of Riser's peerage wanted to jump in, feeling that their king was being insulted and laughed at, but Riser stopped them.

"You think dishonoring my family is funny, huh? Funny girl?" Riser shouted in anger. Rias' peerage stopped laughing, understanding it was rude to laugh at someone having a mental breakdown.

Rias calmed herself down and stopped her hysterical laugh. "Not that, you buffoon!" she retorted, insulting Riser at the same time. "Ms. Ravel, please tell your family I apologize for all the inconvenience I've caused. I will personally apologize in the future," she said, smiling at Ravel.

"I will tell them," Ravel nodded with a smile.

"And the reason I'm laughing is you're selling my boyfriend short," Rias said with a smirk, standing up and looking straight into Riser's eyes.

"Pray tell, why did you choose that human over a noble devil blood like me?" Riser asked mockingly, crossing his arms and standing in a dignified manner.

"First of all, he's way above you in terms of power, but you don't know that yet," Rias said.

"Oof! That's rough," someone reacted.

"Second, he's a playboy with commitment. You're just a player."

"Ouch."

"Third, in terms of appearance, he's a ten. You're a five."

"Ten is bigger than five," someone quipped.

She circled around Riser, who was fuming with anger, looking at his peerage one by one except for Ravel.

"And last but not least, this one is more personal—I don't want to join your harem of low-tier girls."

"Ooh, burn!" Oreki said, elbowing Kiba lightly. "Ironic, right, Kiba right?"

Kiba and the rest of the devils in the room looked at him weirdly.

"Tsk, you're a slow poke, Kiba!" Oreki turned to Koneko, who was chewing on a fried chicken drumstick in each hand. "It was ironic, right?" Koneko nodded while he patted her.

Oreki then looked at the rest of the devils. "What?" he asked before adding, "Oh, what I mean by ironic is because Riser is a Phenex, and he got roasted by—"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! We get it, Oreki, you don't have to explain," Rias interjected with a sigh, shaking her head.

"Hmph," Oreki pouted in a tsundere manner.

"Oh wow, he really is a ten," Ravel whispered, earning a glare from her brother, Riser. "What? I'm just telling the truth," she reasoned.

"Why didn't you greet us if you arrived already?" Rias asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ooh, right." Oreki stared at Riser and his peerage with a smile, raising his right arm. "Nyanpasu!"