Chapter 26: One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Bird, New Bitch

In the Arena

"You and I aren't so different, but unlike you, I don't think of Rias as just some trophy to collect, or a girl with a nice body to bang. No, unlike you I see Rias as she truly is. Just a high school girl trying to live life to her own accord. She's not some perfect lady, or some trophy wife you can lord over." I explained with a deep scowl.

[BOOST]

Riser flew into the air hoping to avoid whatever I had planned for him.

"Why! Why are you so determined to get in my way! She is rightfully mine! From the day she was born that has been fact!" Riser shouted.

[BOOST]

"That's where you're wrong. The moment Rias offered herself to me…I vowed to protect her. Not because she's a Gremory. Not because she's an absolute bombshell. But because at that moment I wanted her to be mine. To be my woman and no one else's." I admitted.

[BOOST]

"You insolent shit! I'll burn you and all you love to ash!" Riser shouted, summoning a low breeze that quickly grew into a tornado. A wicked grin consumed his face as a small amount of fire flickered on the tips of his fingers. The fire grew just as quickly, and soon a tornado of fire and wind had consumed nearly the entire arena.

[BOOST]

The familiar sound caused Riser to freeze as he looked down at the blazing inferno below him. He had completely exhausted his demonic power, and barely had enough to fly anymore.

[BOOST]

The sound continued and Riser's face quickly shifted to fear. He waited in the sky as if he was a little kid under his bed waiting for his mom to leave.

[BOOST]

"You spent years holding a dagger above Rias' throat with this marriage knowing she didn't want it." My voice roared from the flames. "Threw her into a hell of your own making, forcing her to give up her happiness for the sake of her family's selfish agenda."

"I give up!" Riser shouted.

[BOOST]

"How dare you try to run away from your punishment!"

"[Riser Phenex has retired the winner is Isamu Satoru!]" Grayfia announced.

[CHAOTIC LONGINUS SMASHER]

My purple [Chaos] aura mixed with Ddraig's own green power and was sent towards the vanishing Riser Phenex and just as it was about to wipe his existence away from all realms he disappeared completely.

'[Ahaha! Now that's how you make an introduction, Partner!]' Ddraig roared in my mind as my eyes remained where Riser had vanished. An explosion erupted seconds later, courtesy of my attack that left a deafening boom in the arena.

'Yes.' Was my curt response. My body started glowing blue and with a flash I was gone from the arena.

—

I appeared inside of the infirmary and deadpanned when one of the nurses offered to give me a check up. Did she not just watch the fight?

"I'm fine." I said, walking out of the room and into the halls of the Gremory mansion. I could sense the ORC, Council, and several powerful devils so I decided to head that way. Before I could though, a magic circle appeared by me and Grayfia stepped out.

I looked at the maid and frowned when I saw no emotion on her face. Though her feelings told me she was happy.

"Lord Isamu, the spectators request-"

"Call me Isamu." I cut her off. I didn't know where this Lord business came from, but it honestly felt weird to hear it.

Grayfia looked at me for several seconds with a contemplative gaze before slowly shaking her head. "I am a maid of the Gremory household, and you are engaged to the next Heiress. Making you the future Lord of the house. It would be completely inappropriate for me to call you anything unbefitting of your status."

Hearing I was engaged to Rias brought a small smile to my face.

"If you must, and to answer their request…I decline." I said as I continued making my way to the room. I just wanted to go talk my shit to the Phenex family and leave. I was already in deep shit with them, might as well make it worse.

Grayfia followed me, and though I wasn't looking at her I could tell she was dumbfounded.

"Although I worded it as a request, It was my King who asked for your presence. Your attendance isn't a choice." She said with a slightly colder voice.

I stopped walking and looked at her again. Once again losing myself in her cold red eyes that were so similar to mine, yet brighter.

"Fine." I said, stepping towards her.

She activated a teleportation circle that was not the normal Gremory circle. It was a silver circle and the crest kind of looked like a robot with wings. With a flash of light we disappeared from the halls and reappeared in the spectator room.

"Hey, nice win! You totally messed that damn egg layer up!" Issei laughed upon my arrival. I walked forward and fist bumped him. A grin plastered on my face.

"Of course. You know I had to." I laughed.

"I didn't expect you to go all out though! How come you didn't use your gear against me?" Issei asked, his smile changing to a daring look.

"I had to make my supernatural debut as great as possible. There was no need to do so against you." I explained, hoping to avoid a hit from the idiot. I really would rather not break out into our normal antics around such highly respected figures.

"And quite the great debut it was." A long crimson haired man said.

I raised an eyebrow as I turned around and looked at all the devils in the room/ Devils I had never seen before. All of them were either very handsome, or very beautiful! One of them even looked like she could be Rias' sister.

"Oh, right. We have not been introduced yet. I am Zeoticus Gremory, Lord of the Gremory house." Zeoticus said with a surprising warm smile. I was honestly touched by the warmth behind the smile. However before I could respond Zeoticus opened his mouth again. "But you can call me father."

"Father!" Rias shouted. When I turned to her, she looked at me and turned her red face away from mine.

"That's quite enough, Dear. After all there is a proper order to these kinds of things." The Rias lookalike said with a loving look at Zeoticus.

"You may be right. Lana, but you must understand my excitement!" Zeoticus giggled like a schoolgirl who had just received a present from her love.

Suddenly a twin tailed woman walked up to me, giving me a serious look. I instinctively stepped back. Her sudden action would be enough to explain such a response, but upon feeling her power I instantly knew who she was. The Devil King Serafall Leviathan. Suddenly her face broke out into a child-like pout.

"Do you know how much work you have given me, Isa-tan!?"

I was completely dumbfounded as I looked at the very powerful woman.

"Isa-tan?" I asked. She didn't answer and instead puffed her cheeks out more. "The fuck is going on?"

Sona walked forward, rubbing her arm shyly and avoiding eye contact with me. "...I'm…sorry."

I didn't know what she was apologizing for, but for some reason I felt inclined to blame her for this new development. I then began to look around the room, trying to find literally anything else to distract me from this current situation. When I didn't see the very people I came to talk to my blood started to boil.

"Weren't the Phenex family supposed to be here?"

"They left." Another crimson haired man answered. I looked towards him and was certain that this was Sirzechs Lucifer. "Upon your victory, they hurried home to check on Riser."

I sighed. I really wanted to tear them a new one for raising such a shitty guy. I honestly had expected him to act a little better once he realized he couldn't win, but that last comment about my loved ones pissed me off.

Although my anger subsided when I felt a tug on my neck collar. I looked behind myself and saw Rias looking up at me nervously. A complete shift from how I would usually see her. My heart dropped seeing the look on her face. I had thought it would be a possibility that she would ask me to cut off the engagement between us, but I was rather optimistic that would not be the case.

"...Do you think we can talk?"