Trials of the God-Harem King [Highschool DxD/Exalted] (CLOSED)

[EternitynChaos]

Yes, from what I can see

 

[Alexander]

Yes, from what I can see

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Okay.

Brandark, before you asked me an opinion about converting those Sorcery Spells to DxD system:

Thunder Wolf's Howl
Cost: 10m
Target: An area 20 yards across , within 100 yards of the sorcerer.

The Titan's Icy Breath
Cost:10m
Target:Area

Unstoppable Fountain of the Depths
Cost:20m
Target:Area

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My advice, after reading the White Treatise, is that they are more powerful as Exalted Sorcery. DxD Magic can cause more damage, but they have more different effects that what DxD make possible (such as impossible to dodge, impossible to block and ignoring armor). They just cost less as an Exalted Sorcery.

 

[megrisvernin]

I'm guessing that Azazel spoke to Sirzechs-sama on the phone. Their conversation did sound more like that of two peers in retrospect. It's interesting to recall in the conversation that he said ""So, can you do something about it? If you authorize it everything should be fine, right?"

Not command, but allow.

In retrospect it's easy to see how this can benefit Rias. She's went off to the human world to build her own power base, to make a name build on her own ability not her parents. She hasn't managed to recruited Issei directly as a member of her peerage which is a point against her, but she has kept us as an affiliate & we've had a good showing so far. So by having us meet with Azazel & endure his training, she wins a lot of points from the devil factions.

1) For having the Sekiryuutei fight on their behalf in a way likely to leave him bleeding & exhausted, probably humiliated. I'm sure the Devils are still smarting from being forced to ally with the other Heaven Factions to beat Ddraig & any excuse to cause his wielder pain & difficulty is something they'll enjoy watching. Doubly so when it involves essentially no stakes & he'll potentially do damage to a rival faction, the Fallen Angels.

A point was made why 1) wasn't valid.

2) To win a favor from Azazel for what's in their mind a trivial action. Since Issei isn't even a devil he has little to no status in the Devil World. Having him fight on their behalf with no stakes is beneath the notice of the other Great Families. Having a rival faction suddenly become in their debt? A chance for Sirzechs to gain some valuable concession from Azazel for little to no cost.

3) Reinforcing her brother's authority. of Rias. Rias is probably perceived as a curiosity, an eccentric youngster far too beholden to her own interests especially as the remaining Heir of her House. The Elder Devils will see this "request" from Sirzechs as a condemnation of her behavior, and a chance to "show" how her the kind of specimen she can expect from her followers if she recruits outside of devils. Especially when she didn't even bother to make the human in question a devil. It likewise strengthens Sirzechs support among his fellow devils. The decision to accept him as Maou Lucifer requires the holder of that office to cut ties with his relatives. "Humiliating" Rias in this fashion likely reassures those other devils of his willingness to act impartially.

4) This gives Rias strategic & tactical defenses. Firstly If it's clear her own brother will "condemn" her for her choices, especially when they go beyond the pale likely allying with a human of all things the elder devils will be appeased. Thus her parents will have less concerned about a backlash against Rias when she does finally accept her family's power. This reduces likely a major part of the motivation they arranged & insisted on the marriage to Raiser.

Second Raiser attempting to force his marriage with Rias through would be such a violation of propriety it would cause massive blowback against him. It would violate the social hierarchy in a way that would place the Gremory Clan in the best possible light. After all, her brother managed to carry out the duties of his office flawlessly punishing his sister when she deviated from the proper choice, even gaining an advantage for their faction & entertainment(I'm convinced video of Issei getting the hell beaten out him will be a hot commodity among the elder devils). Rias followed the edicts of her brother & reinforced that whatever her personal failings, she would still toe the line whenever officially commanded. Even the violent & uncivilized Sekiryuutei dutifully followed the orders of his Gremory Master, whatever the polite fiction of his subservience is. But Raiser? The arrogant little blowhard has set himself against the entire Devil heirarchy. Attempting to do so after Sirzechs already "condemned" Rias for her interests risks making it seem like he's undercutting Sirzechs's authority. That is to say acting as if the Maou can't be trusted to punish his sister for her indiscretions. He would be slapped down. Hard.

Of course these benefits acrue however we perform in this training. If we actually manage an impressive showing? That would validate Rias's interest in the human world & recruiting others outside her faction. You might very well see some of the younger, less established devils wonder if there's other talent outside their faction they can poach.

 

[BFldyq]

I'm guessing that Azazel spoke to Sirzechs-sama on the phone. Their conversation did sound more like that of two peers in retrospect. It's interesting to recall in the conversation that he said ""So, can you do something about it? If you authorize it everything should be fine, right?"

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megris, have you read the series? Or what was said in the conversation?
1) The Devils don't particularly like the Heavenly Dragons, but not to that extent.
2) That "valuable concession" was advise to help beat a video game level.
3) What? My brain breaks trying to follow your logic.
4) The Gremory's are less concerned about their standing, as they are concerned about going extinct as one of the 72 Pillar's.

 

[megrisvernin]

megris, have you read the series? Or what was said in the conversation?
1) The Devils don't particularly like the Heavenly Dragons, but not to that extent.
2) That "valuable concession" was advise to help beat a video game level.
3) What? My brain breaks trying to follow your logic.
4) The Gremory's are less concerned about their standing, as they are concerned about going extinct as one of the 72 Pillar's.

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Your first point is your best one. I don't know how the Devil Factions perceive the Heavenly Dragons.

What's important is not what Rias's brother actually got something from the exchange, but the perception he did. All that has to happen is for the Elder Devils & conservative faction(informally of course) to learn is that he granted Azazel a minor boon in return for a something.

I think you're right about Rias & her brother about them being less concerned with standing. I'm less convinced her parents weren't a bit worried. There really isn't any good reason I've heard for her parents to have insisted on her marriage to Raiser unless they were concerned on some level she would have difficulty eventually wielding her family's authority.

After all, even if they agree with her all it takes is enough of her peers who think her attitude is wrong to cause problems. Rias was pretty overt in her opinions, leaving the Devil Realm to go to the human realm has exclusively only those not originally devils.

Also its entirely possible to be pro-immigrant, but be concerned about cultural loss. Worried that newcomers won't adopt the cultural attitudes you value.

 

[BFldyq]

Your first point is your best one. I don't know how the Devil Factions perceive the Heavenly Dragons.

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From what I gather, they don't like them, but it's not really a big deal unless the current wielder(s) are opposing them. Otherwise, they'll just ignore them, or make them an ally.

What's important is not what Rias's brother actually got something from the exchange, but the perception he did. All that has to happen is for the Elder Devils & conservative faction(informally of course) to learn is that he granted Azazel a minor boon in return for a something.

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That makes sense, but your post made it seem like you believed that Sirzech wrung out a proper concession out of Azazel.

I think you're right about Rias & & her brother about them being less concerned with standing. I'm less convinced her parents weren't a bit worried. There really isn't any good reason I've heard for her parents to have insisted on her marriage to Raiser unless they were concerned on some level she would have difficulty eventually wielding her family's authority.

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Like I said, they're worried about going extinct, or losing their status as one of the 72 Pillars. The requirement of remaining part of the 72 Pillars being they must still be pureblood Devils, or at least the main household.

This is one part a cultural status thing, one part Devil nature, and one part paranoia. The highest classes of Devils are dominated by purebloods, you see, and there's a significant assumption that mixed, lower and reincarnated Devils are "inferior" to them. If there's no more pure-blood heirs for Gremory, the House loses it's status. However, while Sirzech gave up the Gremory name, his son is still considered a member, as will any future children. And as Sirzech's wife is pureblooded, that means they have 2 sources of future heirs(the current head, and Sirzech).

This is where the second part comes in. Devils are by nature greedy, and that's what's got the best of Rias's father. He already has 1 "spare", and more is easily possible, but his instincts are crying out "MORE!" when it comes to anything valuable. As heirs are valuable, he, on a level, wants as many as possible. Or put another way, he wants lots of grandkids. This isn't helped by the fact that the Phenex clan is rich and influential, so his hindbrain is just going "MINE!" and making him try and get it.

And the last part, paranoia, is due to having lived through the Great War. Having seen the number of Devils drop so drastically, and so many Houses become extinct, he's naturally uncomfortable with how small the Gremory's have become. Including his parents, his wife, his daughter(Rias) and grandsom(Millicas), the Gremory's only have 6 actual members. And while it's peace time, there's even skirmishes and accident(genuine or otherwise), he's on edge of having so few members.

Also its entirely possible to be pro-immigrant, but be concerned about cultural loss. Worried that newcomers won't adopt the cultural attitudes you value.

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That's actually brought up in the series itself.

After all, even if they agree with her all it takes is enough of her peers who think her attitude is wrong to cause problems. Rias was pretty overt in her opinions, leaving the Devil Realm to go to the human realm has exclusively only those not originally devils.

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Is that last part referring to her peerage? Because having a peerage formed entirely out of non-Devils isn't exactly uncommon.

 

[megrisvernin]

From what I gather, they don't like them, but it's not really a big deal unless the current wielder(s) are opposing them. Otherwise, they'll just ignore them, or make them an ally.

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Ah. Thanks for the clarification.

That makes sense, but your post made it seem like you believed that Sirzech wrung out a proper concession out of Azazel.

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Oh no. Again I think he was the person Azazel was speaking too.

Like I said, they're worried about going extinct, or losing their status as one of the 72 Pillars. The requirement of remaining part of the 72 Pillars being they must still be pureblood Devils, or at least the main household.

This is one part a cultural status thing, one part Devil nature, and one part paranoia. The highest classes of Devils are dominated by purebloods, you see, and there's a significant assumption that mixed, lower and reincarnated Devils are "inferior" to them. If there's no more pure-blood heirs for Gremory, the House loses it's status. However, while Sirzech gave up the Gremory name, his son is still considered a member, as will any future children. And as Sirzech's wife is pureblooded, that means they have 2 sources of future heirs(the current head, and Sirzech).

This is where the second part comes in. Devils are by nature greedy, and that's what's got the best of Rias's father. He already has 1 "spare", and more is easily possible, but his instincts are crying out "MORE!" when it comes to anything valuable. As heirs are valuable, he, on a level, wants as many as possible. Or put another way, he wants lots of grandkids. This isn't helped by the fact that the Phenex clan is rich and influential, so his hindbrain is just going "MINE!" and making him try and get it.

And the last part, paranoia, is due to having lived through the Great War. Having seen the number of Devils drop so drastically, and so many Houses become extinct, he's naturally uncomfortable with how small the Gremory's have become. Including his parents, his wife, his daughter(Rias) and grandsom(Millicas), the Gremory's only have 6 actual members. And while it's peace time, there's even skirmishes and accident(genuine or otherwise), he's on edge of having so few members.
That's actually brought up in the series itself.

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Hmm interesting. So would Rias's father care so much so much about Rias's partner blood status? If let's say Rias had started a relationship with Issei before the engagement with Riaser was set(I realize it may have occured before Issei became a devil but I'm asking hypothetically someone with Issei's characteristics) & it looked like children were likely would he have objected?

Is that last part referring to her peerage? Because having a peerage formed entirely out of non-Devils isn't exactly uncommon.

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Really? I thought at least it would be rare for the heir of one of the 72 Pillars to recruit exclusively nondevils. That it would cause Rias a bad reputation to be a head of her house & be surrounded by former nondevils.

 

[EternitynChaos]

its actually fairly common, its one of the main reasons the Evil Piece system was created after all.

And Rias and Raiser were engaged a while ago I believe, she just wants nothing to do with him, or the engagement.

 

[Brandark]

Snip.

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I am impressed with the amount of thought and time you've put into this. But while you raised some good questions, I don't agree with a few things you've said. I will address them here.

1)The training he arranged with Azazel has more than a few reasons behind it. First, let's talk about how the underworld perceives the Sekiryuutei. A lot of hatred is there, but eclipsing the hatred is their fear.They are scared shitless of the Two Heavenly Dragon, and with good reason. In canon, this fear was diluted a lot because of how Issei acted, his relatively weak power level at the beginning, and his lowly and controllable status as a pawn. Nevertheless, you can still see how wary Lord Phenex and Lord Gremory were about Issei after the cancelled marriage.

By assigning us to train with Azazel, he is assessing our power,behaviour etc. to get a solid understanding of us and what our pact with the Gremory means for the underworld. This may also help him to figure where to factor us in his plans for Raiser and Rias.

2) As BFldyq said , the valuable concession was help with a video game level. In reality, he is promoting good will between the factions. We can consider this as a glimpse of the efforts of various leaders of the Three Factions that led to peace in the conference. It's not like they decided to have peace on a whim. Thousands of small and big things like this lead to the peace decision.

3)I think you are putting too much emphasis on the devil society's perception of Rias. The only people who would care about her actions would be the Gremory and Phenex clan. Rias is the Gremory heir, true, but she is quite young and her parents are capable enough to lead their house for quite a while yet. And since the Maou title is not inherited, the relatives of a Maou do not gain any boosted social standing officially. Add to that the fact that Maou's have to renounce their family after their ascension. And lastly , neither Sirzechs nor Rias care much about strictly adhering to customs and rules.

4)I don't think Sirzechs' line of thought would be so cold. What he is trying to do is give Rias more credibility in both the Gremory and Phenex clans' eyes by giving her tasks by accomplishing which Rias can show of her achievements. He is trying to give her more ground to argue against the marriage. And if Raiser manages to look like an ass for trying to force the issue, so much the better. The last thing he needs is champion for Rias' cause in case Raiser drags things to a challenge or a fight. Hence our involvement. He is testing us to see whether we suit this purpose and have the necessary strength to accomplish it.

Okay.

Brandark, before you asked me an opinion about converting those Sorcery Spells to DxD system:My advice, after reading the White Treatise, is that they are more powerful as Exalted Sorcery. DxD Magic can cause more damage, but they have more different effects that what DxD make possible (such as impossible to dodge, impossible to block and ignoring armor). They just cost less as an Exalted Sorcery.

Click to shrink...

If you think Exalted Sorcery is better for these, sure, let's go with that. I just thought that these spells looked impressive and wanted an expert opinion on how they will suit Issei best with the different systems. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[megrisvernin]

its actually fairly common, its one of the main reasons the Evil Piece system was created after all.

And Rias and Raiser were engaged a while ago I believe, she just wants nothing to do with him, or the engagement.

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I know she doesn't. I'm just interested if her parents would prefer she married a pure devil, say over a former human one. Raiser's a special case given his family's influence but in a generic sense I'm interested.

I am impressed with the amount of thought and time you've put into this. But while you raised some good questions, I don't agree with a few things you've said. I will address them here.

1)The training he arranged with Azazel has more than a few reasons behind it. First, let's talk about how the underworld perceives the Sekiryuutei. A lot of hatred is there, but eclipsing the hatred is their fear.They are scared shitless of the Two Heavenly Dragon, and with good reason. In canon, this fear was diluted a lot because of how Issei acted, his relatively weak power level at the beginning, and his lowly and controllable status as a pawn.

By assigning us to train with Azazel, he is assessing our power,behaviour etc. to get a solid understanding of us and what our pact with the Gremory means for the underworld. This may also help him to figure where to factor us in his plans for Raiser and Rias.

2) As BFldyq said , the valuable concession was help with a video game level. In reality, he is promoting good will between the factions. We can consider this as a glimpse of the efforts of various leaders of the Three Factions that led to peace in the conference. It's not like they decided to have peace on a whim. Thousands of small and big things like this lead to the peace decision.

3)I think you are putting too much emphasis on the devil society's perception of Rias. The only people who would care about her actions would be the Gremory and Phenex clan. Rias is the Gremory heir, true, but she is quite young and her parents are capable enough to lead their house for quite a while yet. And since the Maou title is not inherited, the relatives of a Maou do not gain any boosted social standing officially. Add to that the fact that Maou's have to renounce their family after their ascension. And lastly , neither Sirzechs nor Rias care much about strictly adhering to customs and rules.

4)I don't think Sirzechs' line of thought would be so cold. What he is trying to do is give Rias more credibility in both the Gremory and Phenex clans' eyes by giving her tasks by accomplishing which Rias can show of her achievements. He is trying to give her more ground to argue against the marriage. And if Raiser manages to look like an ass for trying to force the issue, so much the better. The last thing he needs is champion for Rias' cause in case Raiser drags things to a challenge or a fight. Hence our involvement. He is testing us to see whether we suit this purpose and have the necessary strength to accomplish it.

If you think Exalted Sorcery is better for these, sure, let's go with that. I just thought that these spells looked impressive and wanted an expert opinion on how they will suit Issei best with the different systems. Thanks for clarifying.

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My logic can be touch and go when my assumptions are wrong. In this case, there was a clear character dynamic I was missing. I also thought the Conservative Pure Blood Devils had stronger political pull then apparently they do.

 

[BFldyq]

Hmm interesting. So would Rias's father care so much so much about Rias's partner blood status? If let's say Rias had started a relationship with Issei before the engagement with Riaser was set(I realize it may have occured before Issei became a devil but I'm asking hypothetically someone with Issei's characteristics) & it looked like children were likely would he have objected?

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Depends. Is she happy, and the partner strong? Would probably accept, but be sad at the lost opportunity. Is she happy, and the partner weak? Probably have it arranged for him to be kept as a partner "on the side", as it were.*

Note that children being "likely" would probably mean "already pregnant", as it were, as Devils have horrible fertility rates, "pure" Devils more so.

About how much pull the Pure-blood faction has: they have considerable amounts in the higher government, but not as much as you imply. This is because a large portion of them were supporters of the Old Maou faction, which got beaten by the New Maou faction in the civil war. The war was over whether the descendants of the original Maou should inherit, or whether the position should be merit based.

*Note sure of correct term to use. Cicisbeo? Gigolo? Boy Toy?

 

[megrisvernin]

On a side note when did we mention Yang & Ruby to Rias? I don't remember in story when we did it.

 

[Alexander]

On a side note when did we mention Yang & Ruby to Rias? I don't remember in story when we did it.

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You didn't. This is both telling her about them and fixing a date to introduce them.

 

[megrisvernin]

So I have a question. Outside of Issei are there any noticeable changes in characters behavior versus their canon selves? Is Asia more outgoing having not been murdered? Is Aika a bit more adjusted having a friend with benefits? What about the two other members of the idiot trio? Were they as insisting on Issei to help give them dates as this point?

Are there any characters off-screen who you think are doing better but we don't see?

 

[Smuthunter]

So I have a question. Outside of Issei are there any noticeable changes in characters behavior versus their canon selves? Is Asia more outgoing having not been murdered? Is Aika a bit more adjusted having a friend with benefits? What about the two other members of the idiot trio? Were they as insisting on Issei to help give them dates as this point?

Are there any characters off-screen who you think are doing better but we don't see?

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There was that bit a while ago where our example of training really hard has been egging on Rias's peerage into trying to keep up with us. Koneko is investigating formal martial arts training, Akeno is branching out to cover all the queen's strengths rather than just the magical ones, and Kiba is using Unlimited Blade Works as inspiration for new tricks. Most noteworthy among those changes is that Koneko seemed to consider trying to tap her senjutsu before she settled on martial arts.

Speaking of which... Alex, how is the training with the rest of the harem proceeding? We haven't seen any stat boosts for Ruby or Mittelt or anyone since we set up the training schedule.

 

[Brandark]

So I have a question. Outside of Issei are there any noticeable changes in characters behavior versus their canon selves? Is Asia more outgoing having not been murdered? Is Aika a bit more adjusted having a friend with benefits? What about the two other members of the idiot trio? Were they as insisting on Issei to help give them dates as this point?

Are there any characters off-screen who you think are doing better but we don't see?

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Asia is an....interesting character here. Outwardly, not much has changed about her, but Issei's stand against Raynare left a deep impact in her mind. It doesn't hurt that he actually succeeded in saving her the first time. Also, I feel that the lack of comedic and perverted antics with her actually added a deeper, more serious layer to her and Issei's romance. There is a touch of of true worship mixed in her feelings, more so than canon, I think.

Aika was Asia's friend, a pervert, and gave her lewd advice often. Other than that she was a blank slate. So you can count anything else as a change, I guess. No, change is not the right word here. We took her personality from canon as the base and added layers to it. Her being Matsu's daughter and having her personality makes a surprising amount of sense if you're familiar with Sekirei.

The other two members of the idiot trio are the same as ever. In fact, you can call their unchanging characters a personal trait of theirs, as integral to them as their pervertedness. This has potential for further characterisation, though. If we do a more serious version of the REVEAL omakes that focuses on their confusion at the odd events and the odder cast, I can see them fitting surprisingly in the tragicomic roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Other than that, I can't think of anybody who deviated from their canon roles noticeably, whether off-screen or on-screen, other than the four fallen angels.

 

[Alexander]

To your credit, you manage to close your mouth after just a second or two. Those are important news indeed, and you would probably react strongly if it wasn't for the fact that Rias doesn't seem happy about you learning about it. Why that is you don't know, but she is and that's all that matters. Taking a look at Rias' distressed reaction, you move quickly to reassure her.

"I... see. So Maou Lucifer is your brother? Ah, no need to be so tense Rias, I was just surprised, is all." You reply with a casual air, waving your hand off.

At their stunned looks you raise an eyebrow. "What? I don't treat my friends differently if their parents or siblings turn out to be famous. Doing that would make me no better than those sycophants who act nice only to gain something in return."

Beowulf erupts into laughters. "Ahaha! You have guts kid! Most would start groveling by now, thinking they were disrespectful and shit like that."

"What can I say?" You shrug. "I like to say what I think without mincing words. It's too much of a bother to act like other people expect me to do. I will do my own thing, and treat other accordingly."

To do otherwise would means discriminating, and this is not something a Hero should do.

During the exchange Rias' face visibly relaxes, worry leaving place to relief. Grayfia's face is stoic as before, but you can feel a subtle trace of approval.

"But enough of that." You shift, straightening your back. "Sorry about the interruption. Please go on, I'm listening: what is it that the Maou wants you to do, and how am I involved in this?"

"If I may." Grafyia says before Rias can talk. Upon receiving a nod of confirmation she produces a stack of paper sheets via a minor teleportation. "The Governor of the Fallen Angels and Leader of Grigori Azazel, upon receiving news of the appearance of the wielder of Boosted Gear and how he was contracted with the house of Gremory, contacted Sirzechs-sama to present a request."

"That he wants to train me and collect data of Boosted Gear's developing?" You casually ask. At their questioning looks you answer. "I met Azazel yesterday."

You tell them of your encounter with the Gremory's leader. Rias is frowning deeply and she's clearly irritated, while Grayfia is shaking her head in a disappointed way.

"Trust that man to completely ignore protocol." She mutters. "It is as you said Hyodo-san. Governor Azazel, who is deeply interested into Sacred Gear's research, wishes to personally supervise the growth of the Longinus Boosted Gear and its interaction with the Longinus Divine Dividing. In exchange..." She scrolls the sheets and reads. "He will share the results of those researches with the Devil Faction, along with advanced materials on Sacred Gears that Devils' own researches are lagging behind. In addition, he will provide samples of the [Artificial Sacred Gears] that Grigori developed."

That...That are some very generous concessions. Where is the gain for Azazel? Is he only interested in the research, not bothering about who gains access to it? This doesn't seem something a cunning leader would do, more like a passionate scientist that wants to satisfy his curiosity.

Wait. "If those are the terms..." You look up and tap a finger on your chin. "What was Azazel talking about when he mentioned a [Level 78 Boss] on the phone?"

"Ah that." Beowulf casually comments. "We have troubles with that Boss because beside me and Souji our party is magic-orientated, and that damn Linch is magic resista..ta..."

A dangerous aura fills the room, causing him to stutter. With sweat covering his pale face and trembling he mechanically turns his head to the source of the aura, who turns out to be none other than Grayfia.

"Beowulf." Her frosty tone could make even Arthas Menethil tremble. "Is Sirzechs still skipping his duties to play online games, now even going so far as to involve the rest of his peerage?"

What.

"No?" Beowulf whispers.

The aura intensifies. Grayfia's eyes start giving off a weird light.

"...Yes?"

Sling!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

Quickly and mercilessly the maid releases magic that encased the Hero Descendant in ice, his face set in an expression of pure agony.

"..." Grayfia removes imaginary dust from her sleeves before turning to both me and Rias, who have retreated to the other side of the room together. "What you just heard can be considered a capital secret. Sharing this information, even with close confidents, is deeply inadvisable: if you were to do it, there would be...consequences." She smiles. "Do you understand?"

You and Rias shakily nod.

"Who is she?" You hiss to Rias. "Another Maou?"

"Grayfia-san is Oni-sama's Queen and wife." She replies. "In the Underworld she's called the [Strongest Queen] and a person with the strength of a Maou."

Great Glorious Sun. Forget about Maou Lucifer, this one here is the person you should never piss off!

----

A couple of minutes later, as you calm down, Grayfia is elegantly serving you tea. You take it and politely thank her.

"There are a couple of details I forgot to mention." She says after serving Rias. "Since it would be unwise to just trust you over without insurances, it was decided that the training will be held in a special facility owned by the Fallen Angels that's situated near the city, just outside the Gremory's territory. In addition, Beowulf will act as your bodyguard, ensuring Azazel will not try anything unsavory."

You nod to show you understand. All the while trying very hard to not look at the still ice-imprisoned Pawn.

"Do you get it Ise?" Rias sighs. "What do you want to do?"

"That depends." You takes a sip from the tea." What do you want me to do?"

"W-What? Well of course it would be extremely beneficial to accept Azazel's proposal, and his training would surely be effective. Don't you want to get stronger Ise?"

"Yes. But he isn't my ally: you are." You say with a straight face. "There are some thing I will not sacrifice for power. No, there wouldn't be any meaning in me getting stronger if I have to sacrifice those things."

For some reason Rias' cheek turned red. However, there is something else you need to tell her. "Beside this, there is something else I need to tell you."

You tell her of the visit of the History Compilation Committee and the information you gained. At the end both Rias and Gayfia's face are incredibly serious.

"I thought Japan was a peaceful nation, but to learn there are so many problems. Why wasn't I informed?"

"..." The silver haired Queen seems to contemplate something.

Rias immediately catches on it. "Do you know something Grayfia?"

"Yes, but I can't discuss it openly." She shakes her head sadly. "Sorry Ojou-sama, but I can't talk."

"Ugh, I understand. Please tell Oni-sama that I need to think. I will give him my answer tomorrow."

"Alright. Be well Ojou-sama." With those parting words he disappears in the light of teleportation.

Leaving Beowulf behind.

"What about..." You point to the ice with hesitation.

"Grayfia is very strict with Oni-sama and the other members of his peerage." She massages her forehead. "Give me a hand Ise. Even if we leave him there he will survive, but he would be in no condition to move afterward."

"Right."

An uncomfortable silence settles as you two generates fire to melt the ice.

"..."

"..."

"Things are spiraling out of control, aren't they?"

"Yes."

You sigh. "I wonder if this the effect of the [Dragon's Aura] Ddraig mentioned."

"Do you regret it?" Rias asks suddenly.

"Eh?" You turn to look at her, and find out she's looking at you with intense eyes.

"Becoming part of the supernatural I mean. Awakening your Gear, your Exaltation...do you regret your old life?"

"Hell no." You answer automatically. "I can't deny bad things happened, but when I consider the good things they are a lot more. I never been as happy as I am now. It's like...yes, it's like growing up: everyone change, but changing doesn't automatically mean bad, only different. Moreover I..."

You pause, searching for the right words. "I want to move forward with my own strength. Because, I don't want to have any regrets."

"Moving forward with your own strength..." Rias smiles. "How interesting. The human world is truly interesting if it can give birth to people like you Ise."

"Do you like the human world?"

"I love it."

You both share a rare moment of particular intimacy.

"That's right." You snap your fingers. "There is another topic I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Some time ago I met two people who stumbled into the supernatural world. I didn't mention them before because it was up to them to decide, but now they want to meet you after I told them you're good guys."

"Why, I would love too." Rias smiles. "Who are they?"

"They are Sacred Gear users. They have two of the Magnus, the Sacred Gears of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse: one of Death, and one of War."

Rias' face meets the pavement. Before you can say anything she gets up and looks at you with a strange bewildered expression.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"What?! No!"

"Good. The next time you have yet another monumental revelation to make, please wait until I am sitting down with tea ready to the side."

"Another monumental revelation? You make it sounds like it happens constantly."

"The last two weeks." She remarks.

"...I will try to tone it down..."

"Please do so."

[] Part 1 is done. Please wait for Part 2...
----

In the meantime a little vote:

What to do with Snake?
[] Go to the places Aika told you about.
[] Have Eiko investigate first.
[] Suggestions?

 

[Alexander]

There was that bit a while ago where our example of training really hard has been egging on Rias's peerage into trying to keep up with us. Koneko is investigating formal martial arts training, Akeno is branching out to cover all the queen's strengths rather than just the magical ones, and Kiba is using Unlimited Blade Works as inspiration for new tricks. Most noteworthy among those changes is that Koneko seemed to consider trying to tap her senjutsu before she settled on martial arts.

Speaking of which... Alex, how is the training with the rest of the harem proceeding? We haven't seen any stat boosts for Ruby or Mittelt or anyone since we set up the training schedule.

Click to shrink...

I am waiting until there is a noticeable increase. One of the next updates will cover that.

 

[Smuthunter]

And that's why you don't mess with Grayfia.

[X] Have Eiko investigate first.

 

[EternitynChaos]

[X] Have Eiko investigate first.
-[X] Check with the others if they want to come along

Well, that was awesome, heh poor poor Beowulf, on the other hand, he probably has it much better then his boss no doubt will shortly.

And that was adorable with Rias ^^ she's so cute /laugh.

and finally we really are pulling strange things out our ass every 3 minutes arn't we, and just think, soon the Mages will be knocking on her door as well /laugh

as an aside, next part later today, or tomorrow? *figure It couldn't hurt to ask, rather then spend the next 6 hours refreshing in empty hope only to fall asleep in my chair... again.

 

[Mu-Sensei]

[X] Have Eiko investigate first.
- [X] From the air, no one suspects the birds.
-- [X] Once you have their position, gather your own gang and show them who's the boss!

Because there's no kill like overkill, and who knows, Rias can even get a couple more talented pawns.

 

[touhou ranfuku]

@Alexander

I would advise not using Jesus or God of the Bible as the "prayer" or "shocking moment" words. Since Issei has Boosted Gear which originally is the dragon who was on par with God, so maybe you should use someone else, like the Unconquered Sun for example, or just the Glorious Sun, Great Red is not bad, too, but Issei at this point might haven't realized how strong Great Red is.

 

[Smuthunter]

[X] Have Eiko investigate first.
- [X] From the air, no one suspects the birds.
-- [X] Once you have their position, gather your own gang and show them who's the boss!

Because there's no kill like overkill, and who knows, Rias can even get a couple more talented pawns.

Click to shrink...

Remember, this doesn't necessarily need to end in a fight. The mooks we fought before were acting against their boss's orders, so let's wait and see if he's a reasonable sort before we charge in guns blazing. The "noble yakuza" character isn't just a thing in the movies.

...although, in that case we should probably give Eiko orders not to start flinging fireballs at people if she sees a crime in progress.

 

[Alexander]

as an aside, next part later today, or tomorrow? *figure It couldn't hurt to ask, rather then spend the next 6 hours refreshing in empty hope only to fall asleep in my chair... again.

Click to shrink...

Tomorrow. I have an assignment to do now.

Remember, this doesn't necessarily need to end in a fight.

Click to shrink...

)

Suuure. Let's consider all possibilities.

 

[EternitynChaos]

Coolies, I, and I'm sure everyone else will be looking forward to it.

And good luck with your assignment.

Also, Berserker, Aka Snake, Not fight... right, and Happosai will become a chaste monk preaching chastity and temperance while Tendo Akane starts a Free Love movement in between teaching anger management classes.

 

[Smuthunter]

Coolies, I, and I'm sure everyone else will be looking forward to it.

And good luck with your assignment.

Also, Berserker, Aka Snake, Not fight... right, and Happosai will become a chaste monk preaching chastity and temperance while Tendo Akane starts a Free Love movement in between teaching anger management classes.

Click to shrink...

I've never heard of whatever series this guy is from, so I know about as much about him as Issei does.

 

[EternitynChaos]

Snake, Aka Berserker of Ragnarok is Shougo Kitsukawa, a character from History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, he's a brawler with a natural talent for combat that puts him at a very high level compared to most others, particularly without any assistance in his training.

http://kenichi.wikia.com/wiki/Shougo_Kitsukawa

theres a link to his page over at the wiki, hope that helps some

 

[Selias]

Kind of a weird picture for his wiki. It's showing like, a third of his face.

 

[Brandark]

I've never heard of whatever series this guy is from, so I know about as much about him as Issei does.

Click to shrink...

Berserker is from History's Strongest Disciple of Kenichi. He's a street fighter to the core, and pretty high level without any formal training. He becomes a friendly rival of sort with the MC later, with emphasis on the rival part. As you can probably guess, with an epithet like Berserker, this man is not an advocate of non-violence and world peace.

Edit: Ninjas, ninjas everywhere.

 

[EternitynChaos]

I just had a thought, When Ruby and Yang meet Rias and Co, we need to thank Dohna, then explain to him why /laugh