Disclaimer : I own Nothing.
Chapter 6 : Summons, Talks and Chaos.
- Shin –
Yesterday was really productive.
As I watch the two shining orbs in my palm, I can't help but let a smile appear on my lips at success of my first plan.
Now, the second part. I don't know how the summoned companions will react to me. They can be anything from a subservient to downright hostile for potentially kidnapping them from their worlds.
The Game is also being a bitc…..stubborn about this and not giving me any hints about it. Something about ruining the fun of it.
Morgiana. The only one that I know with that name is from Magi. The red head fanalis who kicks butts and is quite good at hand to hand combat.
Fanalis is something of a super powerful tribe in the Dark Continent. Basically that's the gist of it.
She can be a great asset to my peerage if I can get her to join me.
Second one is someone i don't know much anout. I have watched very few of Touhou Project. I know that Sakuya Izayoi is a human maid in Scarlet Devil Mansion under Remelia Scarlet. She can stop time and uses knives to fight.
Not much to go on about. I tried searching this world's internet for Touhou and Magi but got nothing. The Game has been thorough in messing with me this time.
I will still take my chance. If anything I can handle Morgiana, so summoning her first will be the smarter move. I have to make sure that I am ready for any retaliations though. Especially depending on what part of the anime she is from, she could be extremely dangerous.
Crushing the Companion Gen in my hand, I summon the first companion.
The glass pieces turn to dust before that dust turns into the form of a girl, something between 15 to 16 years old. Finally after a brief flash of light, a girl with beautiful red hair, and matching red eyes stands before me. She is wearing a white gown which is of extremely poor quality. So she was probably still a slave. Gives me something to work out with.
Morgiana
Level : 35
Rank : Veteran
Race : Fanalis
Affection : 0
Obedience : 40
She has high Obedience already although no Affection, not surprising as I have just met her. Let's see how this plays out.
"Are you the one who helped me?" she asks in a soft tone of voice.
"Help you? Can you please explain what you were doing before you got here? It would really help me piece out the situation properly." It really will. It is better to talk out with her since she is not showing any hostility right now. It will be much better if she stays like this but I won't take any chances.
She slowly nods at me before she starts to speak. "I was in the cages where Jamil keeps his slaves, praying that someone would help me out. It was then that I heard a voice inside my head. It offered me to leave the place to a better place if I serve someone he wants me to. Are you the one who saved me or the one he wanted me to serve?" wow, Game I didn't know you had that savior God complex in you.
Oh, please. If I wanted to 'save' her I wouldn't have handed her to a literal devil. And I am stronger than most gods in existence. Why would I need to have a complex over something so simple.
I am a gentleman devil, I will have you know.
Yeah, a gentle man indeed. You have been hard like a rock ever since she was summoned. I wonder how long it will take you to notice…nothing. I guess that will be my fun to wait and watch.
You are cooking something up aren't you?
Nope, I am not cooking anything.
Putting my conversation with Game on hold for a while, I turn my attention back to Morgiana again. "The one who saved you is a Friend….at least I think I can call him that since we are both kind of stuck together. I needed some help with an event in the future and wished for it. It seems our wishes connected us. Hello, my name is Shin Kageyami. You can call me Shin." I say putting my hand in front of her. She takes the hand without any hesitation in it.
"Now, we need to wait till I summon one more person to help me. After that I will explain to both of you about our current situation." I say to her as I prepare to summon the dangerous one.
Getting ready for any eventuality, I prepare myself as I crush the companion gem summoning Sakuya. The glass pieces turn to dust as they take the form of a young girl in her late teens. Sakuya Izayoi, has beautiful Grey hair arranged nicely with two braids coming down from between them on both sides of her face. She is in her French Maid uniform which has a shorter skirt than normal because of her fighting style. She has a stoic look on her face and doesn't look fazed by suddenly being summoned to a different world at all.
"Good Day Master. I hope summoning me wasn't too inconvenient for you. I look forward to doing my best to serve under you. Please take care of me as well." She says with a bow.
….WHAT?
Observe.
Sakuya Izayoi
Level : 45
Rank : Elite
Race : Human
Affection : 40
Obedience : 85
You said you weren't cooking anything Game.
I wasn't. This was already cooked.
…
Moving on.
"You look quite confused Master. Though it is obvious that you won't know about it since you will come to Gensokyo in the future. You had saved the lives of the members of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and in return I had offered my services to you. I was waiting for you to summon me. I hope to serve you to the best of my abilities." That's some high level time travel shit going on.
Everyday life of a Gamer. Get used to it.
"Uggh….Hi, I guess you already know me then. I am Shin Kageyami. You can call me Shin if you want"
"That is unacceptable Master. I cannot use your name. It is against the etiquette of a Maid to do such a thing." She cuts me in between. This is going to be a pain later. I just hope people don't think I am a pervert with shady fetishes….i mean I am, but I'd rather not broadcast it to the world.
"Okay, if that's what you want. Let me explain our current situation to you both. We are in a different world, so I would like the two of you to keep your knowledge about your worlds to yourself. Morgiana, you can tell others that you were captured and kept by an underground fighting ring to fight against other people and beasts since you were young. I saved you from there and you joined me. The illegal ring was somewhere in the mid-east countries and you were not told where exactly you were. I will have someone teach you the ways and general knowledge of this world." I need to prepare a convincing background for the two of them which cannot be tracked back to anyone else. A slip up might give others an inkling about my abilities. This is going to be difficult.
"Sakuya, you were living in the outskirts of Romania serving under a Vampire Mistress, who is not in this world anymore. Not a lie, so don't worry about it. I took you in after I met you, again not a lie. I will have someone update the two of you in the general knowledge and other stuff of this world. After that we will train to work as a team. But first I need to make the two of you my peerage members."
"I am currently a devil. No, not the bad kind who eats souls and stuff. Just from the race of devils. This world has many other races. Devils are a part of them. There was a Great War between Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels and by the end of it, devils lost a great number among them. To increase their numbers once again one of the 4 Devil Kings invented Evil Pieces. They are used to change any races except Gods and Buddhas into a devil. They gain the powers and long life of a devil and in return they serve their masters until they are high enough rank to get their own Evil Pieces." taking a deep breath, I look at them and give them some time to collect and accept the information they were given.
Morgiana looks a little tensed but Sakuya looks like she accepted it as a part of the job. Did the future me inform her about all of these facts? Good for me I guess. Less work for me.
"As I already explained Morgiana, Devils are just a different race of people, just like the Fanalis. They have higher strength and magic compared to normal humans. Please don't let what you knew from your world affect you. if you are reluctant to change then I can promise you that I will find a way to change you back in the future." I assure her to the best of my abilities.
Some light returns to her eyes at this. "No, I will serve you as I have promised. It was just a lot to accept at once. Please forgive me for hesitating."
"There is nothing to forgive. Anyone would be nervous if they find out something like this. I understand your hesitation on this matter perfectly."
Before turning them to devils though, I have something to do. I take out one of the shining orbs from before. "This is an artifact that contains the power of a very strong dragon. It can greatly increase your strength if you master its use. Morgiana, you don't have a weapon so I would like you to have it." So saying I shoved the crystal in Morgiana's chest….Soft.
+20 Affection with Morgiana (20/100) for giving her an important item
+20 Obedience with Morgiana (60/100) for trusting her with such an important item.
"How dare you rip me off from my rightful host and use me as a tool." shouts a rough draconic voice from a gauntlet that appears on Morgiana's Hand.
Wow, that was fast.
"Hello, to you too Draaig. Why are you so upset?" I ask casually. Yup, I was already prepared for such a conversation from the very start.
"Why am I upset? You took me away from my rightful host and killed him in the process and gave me to this girl like a tool to be used. Tell me one reason why I shouldn't just tear you into two right now." roars the gauntlet, which kinda looks funny when you think about it for a moment.
"Okay, let's start with the explanations. First reason why you won't tear me into two is because you can't. Being sealed kinda does that to people." I reply casually.
-10 Reputation with Draaig (-10/100) for the low blow on his state.
What, he deserved that. Tear me into two, have you seen the guts of the idiot.
"As for why I did that, it's simple because I wanted to have your power to help me. Isn't that what dragons do? Do what they want and don't give a fuck about what others think." Yup, this guy is going to entertain me a whole lot.
"Why should I lend you my power? You can do whatever you want and I will do whatever I want. I won't actively help you and wait for the first chance to screw you over that I could get." Oh, still have some fight left. Good at least he is talking to me. The point of getting him mad was so that he won't stop talking and cut off the connection. I am not into Neglect Play. I don't roll that way.
"Good thing you asked. Well for one if you lend me your power I can assure you that this time around you will be the one that wins your fight against Albion. The current host of Albion is the strongest one to ever exist. If you miss this opportunity, then you might never find the chance to get back to him again." I stop for a while as I give him a moment to grasp the information.
"Second, if you help me out, I will find a way to change the Boosted Gear to an independent avatar type of sacred gear. You will be able to move around on your own at the very list. You could fly circles around Albion's wielder while he is stuck in the wings of the Divine Dividing. How does that sound?" Yup, tempting a bored Dragon with his petty rivalry.
"How do I believe that you even have power like that? For all I know, you could be spewing out lies to get my help and back out from your words when you are done with your work." he is an easy one. Of course he had to show some resistance, it is a matter of pride after all. One couldn't just toy with the red dragon emperor even if he is sealed inside a gauntlet. Petty pride.
"You can see the memories of your current host and talk to me after that. I will talk with my other subordinate till then." That should give him some idea about my means. If he overestimates it, my luck if he underestimates it, I will just have to put him in line.
"The evil pieces are based on the game of chess. Each piece has their special power. I am the King of the Peerage. There will be a queen, 2 bishops, 2 kinghts, 2 rooks and 8 pawns. Bishops get a boost in their magical powers when the change into devil, knights get a great boost in speed, rooks get a boost in their strength and defense and queen is the combination of these three pieces. Pawns are the most versatile piece because they can promote to any one of the other pieces except the King, when they meet certain conditions. This makes them able to adjust to any given situation. No piece is weak and each of them have a certain value. A pawn in general has a value of 1, bishop 3, knight 3, rook 5 and queen 9. There are however exceptions. Mutation Pieces are special anomalies in the Evil piece system. They can have any value inside them but generally higher than the normal value. A mutation pawn can have a value higher than queen. I hope you are all clear with this." I gave them the explanation to get the basic idea of what they can expect from their changes.
"I do have some thoughts about who should get which piece though I would like to hear your ideas. I have a bishop or a knight piece that might suit Sakuya and a mutated bishop or a mutated pawn piece that will suit Morgiana. Morgiana will take Draaig's piece too as they are counted as one."
After some thought, Sakuya answers "I would like the knight piece Master. The speed of the Knight would suit me much better. I do use magic but I think that the knight's attribute will suit me much better."
Good Decision. I wanted a healer for the second Bishop. Probably Asia, if I don't get anyone better than her.
I pick up one of my Knight pieces and push it lightly against Sakuya's chest. The rise in her magic is much more evident than Meredith's because she was already strong. 45 elite is level 180. She is currently the highest level in my peerage and probably the strongest if you consider her magic.
"She is really from a different world. But how, I thought that Great Red doesn't let anyone pass through the Dimensional Gap. How did you bring her here? And who was that voice that talked to her?"
"Wow, wow hold your horses Draaig. Yes she is from a different world, yes I summoned her. I have some powers that only I can use in this world. I would like it if you kept that to yourself. That should give you some idea that I might not be lying to you. currently I might not be able to fulfill your deal but very soon I will be able to change even the Boosted Gear according to my wishes." It is best that I can expect from him. If I had a way to just devour that power, I wouldn't be listening to his crap. Good for him, he agreed.
"How about it, you can see me training your host first. See the increase in her strength. It will give you a good idea about how your host can match up against Albion. Morgiana is Fanalis. They have extreme strength and speed, a perfect match for someone with your powers to boost." Almost about done. He already had no options in this matter. The sacred gear will make him give his powers to Morgiana. This way he gets to keep his pride and one up his rival. A win-win if you would call it one.
"Very well, I shall see how you two work. My decision will depend on the progress of my host. Just keep your end of the deal."
"Of course, My word is my bond." Damn I am loving this line already. I always felt Lucifer sounded awesome when he said this and I make it quite close to home with my British accent.
"Morgiana, which piece do you think you would like? Mutated rook or pawn."
"Mutated pawn, it can help my speed when I need it. Much better for me." She did think about it.
I repeat the same process with her. A mutated pawn used to reincarnate the current red dragon empress. Vali is so fucked. He just hasn't realized it yet.
A mutated pawn, a mutated bishop and a knight done. Should be enough. I don't have enough backup to survive bringing back Ingvild yet. A Leviathan descendant is not just someone I can keep under one, especially someone with a Longinus sacred gear. It will cause too much suspicion of people to focus on me.
I need to make my influence on the Devils greater before bringing her in. I could always shift her under my custody until then.
With decent training, the four of us can take down the chicken shit and his peerage easily, without revealing the full extent of our powers.
That is the most important part. If I wanted to, I could win the rating game easily myself. My Fire God Slayer has upgraded and is now at Expert rank, any flames of Master rank or below won't hurt me while I can beat the crap out of him.
But I am really stressing on hiding my strength. There will be people coming after me considering some of the talents that I am preparing to reveal. It is best that they know as little about me as possible.
This gives me an element of surprise when facing them and I need every advantage that I can get in this world. Tits and asses in the anime doesn't cover the dark shit that goes on in this world. Not even close to it.
"Let's go out and get something to eat before we get some clothes for Morgiana. You can borrow some Meredith until then. You two are about the same age. It might work for you too for then." I say before I leave the room and go to Meredith's room. I got a separate room for the two of us because I didn't want to reveal all of my powers to her at least until she has 75 Affection with me or 90+ Obedience.
Meredith was reading magazines in her room. She is a teen too. It is absolutely normal. Just because one can use magic doesn't mean they stop having hobbies. Stop judging please.
"Hey, Meredith. These two are my new peerage members. The one with red hair is Morgiana, my pawn and the one with gray is Sakuya, my knight. Please lend some clothes for them and teach them the basic knowledge of the world. They don't really much about it. Long story, I'll explain later. Also please tell Morgiana about sacred gears. She has the Boosted Gear." And with that I dum…..assign the work of explaining everything to another girl who would do it better. I am not running away mind you. I have other things to prepare.
This Rating Game is more than just the match to break Rias' engagement with the chicken. It is also my debut in the underworld. I have to make an impression on them, so that I am not forgotten easily. I have to make it so that no one can underestimate me even if they don't see my full strength. Sometimes strength is not everything in this world.
Off to my workshop for now.
- Next Day –
Last evening the girls had too much fun while shopping. God….ouch. apparently Gamers Mind doesn't protect you from the mental exhaustion that accompanying a girl can cause. It is still the same as it was in my old world. The saving grace was that all three girls were hot. I could sit outside the dressing room for hours and not get bored at all. The millions of galleon I had in my inventory helped too. My wallet was barely fazed even with the bill that would make a normal man have a stroke.
Today we are going to be training.
Last day I made some equipments that need testing today before I use them in the rating game. The rating game rules have tones of loopholes in them. I could use any of them and grind them until my opponent has nothing left. Equipments can be used if they are not holy weapons or any other holy product. If the holy item is a sacred gear they are allowed so Meredith is clear.
I had half my mind to go and raze them with my gundam. That would be so cool. But one can only wish so much.
My first test product is a magic bomb which detonates when I give the signal. It was pretty easy to test them. The zombies were eager volunteers.
The second was wireless communication devices with work on mana. Basic stuff but useful nonetheless.
Third was me leveling up a different class. If I am going to take down Riser without my main magics, I need something that will let me compensate for it.
Class Gained
[Dismancer] – Lvl – 1/100 [0%]
Gain +5 INT and +5 WIS every level.
Skills Gained
[Curse Magic (Novice)] (Passive)
Increases the power of curses and hexes by 10%.
Skill Gained
[Enhance Pain](Active)
Increases pain by [5*Skill Level of Curse Magic].
Can be controlled at higher levels.
Costs : 200 MP.
Skill Gained
[Increase Pain duration](Active)
Increases pain duration by [5*Skill Level of Curse Magic].
Can be controlled at higher levels.
Costs : 200 MP.
Skill Gained
[Blindness] (Active)
Causes blindness in the target.
Can be resisted if the target has higher INT than the user.
Costs : 500 MP.
This class mostly has curses, hexes and status effects and this will be my key to win this match.
"We will be working on our team work today. Sakuya how are the goblin silver knives I gave you. Hope they are to your liking." I took some of the knives from the Peverell's collection and gave them to Sakuya. I have to get something better for her soon.
"They are perfect Master, well-balanced and sharp. Perfect for my use. Thank you very much for them Master." Good for her. Her normal knives might not be enough to pierce the skin of a devil. Even if she uses time magic to accelerate the speed, it is always better that they are of better quality. I wonder if I could get a Sword Birth or Blade Blacksmith for her. She will be unstoppable with them.
"Are you getting along with Draaig, Morgiana." That's the most important thing about her right now.
"Um, he has been very helpful. He explained his powers and how to use them." Good that he is not being an ass.
"Let's start the hunt then. Remember that you get power only for the ones you kill. No stealing each other's kills. For bosses, we will all work together."
This reminds me of the raids on MMOs I used to play. The good ol days.
- Few Hours Later –
"How is such a thing even possible. No this must be some kind of trick. Devils have always been tricky. After all there is no possible way that someone's strength could increase this much in such a short period of time."
As Draaig was having a reality check with himself, I checked on the levels of my Peerage members and my own self.
Morgiana
The Red Dragon Empress, Pawn of Shin Kageyami
Level – 30
Rank – Elite
Race – Half Fanalis/Half Devil Hybrid (6-Winged Devil)
Meredith Ordinton
Wielder of Alphecca Tyrant, Bishop of Shin Kageyami
Level – 40
Rank – Elite
Race – Devil (6-Winged Devil)
Sakuya Izayoi
Chief Maid, Knight of Shin Kageyami
Level – 50
Rank – Elite (8-Winged Devil)
Race Devil
And finally me, the King.
Shin Kageyami
Level -220
Class – Dismancer – LVL 45/100 [75%]
Race – Devil (8- Winged Devil)
Rank- Mortal
Alignment- True Neutral
HP- 57125 [9140 per minute]
MP – 532000 [126200 per minute]
SP- 57125 [9140 per minute]
STR – 452
END – 457
DEX – 437
INT – 1330
WIS – 1262
CHA – 189
LUK – 257
I did gain some new perks and quite a few skills for this.
Perk Gained
[Mana Reservoir]
+100% MP reserve per INT stat.
Perk Gained
[Demigod's Wisdom]
Increases MP regen by 100%.
Perk Gained
[Lucky Pervert]
You will face situations with the members of the opposite sex that might give to the chance to get lucky.
+300% Luck during perverted situations.
…please don't look at me like that. I was not the one who made the perk.
Some of the important skills that I have gained since I left the underworld are as follows.
Skill Gained
[Enhance Senses](Active)
Greatly enhances all 5 senses to painful degrees.
Costs : 1000 MP
Skill Gained
[Weaken Bones](Active)
Causes the bones of the target to weaken, causing immense pain in movement.
Costs : 2000 MP.
Skill Gained
[Aging](Active)
Temporarily Ages the target, decreasing all the stats of the target.
Costs : 10000 MP
Skill Gained
[Inhibit Healing] (Active)
Inhibits all healing of the target natural or through external means until removed by the caster.
Costs : 2000 MP
Skill Gained
[Mind Haze](Active)
Causes the INT and WIS of the target to sharply reduce.
Effect depends on the difference between the caster and the target.
These were some of the good skill I gained from Dismancer. Some of the important ones I had gained from Umbramancer were as follows.
Skill Upgraded
[Shadow Magic (Expert)](Passive)
Gain instinctual knowledge about shadow magic.
Shadow and Darkness Magic related spells are 60% stronger.
Skill Upgraded
[Shadow Stealth(Expert)]
(Passive)
Increases the chances of being unnoticed by +60%. The skill is canceled when the user moves out of a shadow or attacks a target.
(Active)
Increases the chances of being unnoticed by an additional 120%. The skill is canceled when the user moves out of a shadow or attacks a target.
Cost 50 MP/min.
Skill Upgraded
[Magic Weapon Creation (Expert)] (Active)
Allows the user to create magic weapon using shadows and darkness.
MP cost varies.
Deal [INT x Level of Skill]/1000 MP Magical Damage.
Skill Upgraded
[Create Shadow Servant (Adept)] (Active)
Creates a shadow servant in the shape of any shadow you use the spell on. The servant will have END/5 HP and INT/5 MP.
Skill Gained
[Shadow Drive](Active)
Enables the user to turn into a Shadow and travel at great speeds. The user becomes intangible to all physical attacks during the duration of this skill.
Costs : 10000 MP/ min.
Skill Gained
[Shadow Realm](Active)
Creates small pocket spaces in shadows.
The space can store both living and non-living beings as long as they have enough mana provided.
Cost : Varies
The last two skills were extremely useful for stealth and assassination purposes.
Finally, I can match Siaraorg in terms of power. His stats were in their 1200s+ for his physical stats.
This gives me somewhat of a reassurance about my position.
Last time I didn't want to fight against him directly because there was no wayt for me to win. The difference in strength was too great to cover using skills.
Now however, my attacks will do major damage to him if I try.
For the next two days, I will help Morgiana and Sakuya get used to this world and then I can go back to the underworld. Sakuya has a great advantage in this regards because Gensokyo is similar to feudal Japan however Morgiana has a lot to catch up. She is however extremely smart. The increase in levels has enhanced her intelligence a fair bit and it will hopefully help her get up to pace quickly.
I did complete Meredith's quest for the bonus objective and the reward was so worth it. I will keep it for another time. Needless to say, she can use the Holy-Demonic attribute now.
I wonder how Rias is doing right now.
- 2 Days Later –
Holy crap….no demonic crap.
Apparently my little lesson for Rias last time caused some great problems. In general Sirzechs was being a big Sis-con that he is.
Investigations were launched in Kuoh one after another. Anyone who might be involved with it was being questioned. Runa was erased from existence from Rias' attack. I was there myself, so I would know better.
After finding no one else involved, the matter was declared as an independent attack by a stray devil. Runa's ability to increase her power by eating stronger beings was considered as the prime reason for her attack. Rias as well as the two people who were killed by her( and here I had to resist the urge to laugh really hard) were said to possess strong powers either their own or in sacred gears.
Rias herself is fine. The poison was non-lethal as it wore down after she was taken for treatment. Like fuck it was non-lethal. If I hadn't given her the antidote, she would have been in a coma right now.
Safe to say, the underworld was on high alert because a Satan was being a crybaby. This could be really useful for me. I did after all think of this and made it so that the attack leaves Rias in danger. Now, all I have to wait for the right moment and snoop in to gain what I want.
Anyways, as soon as I reached underworld, I was received by Siaraorg. He told me about the current situation. Needless to say as a good future husband I was quite worried about her. Hey, don't look at me like that. It wouldn't do if she had some kind of mental trauma from it. That would mess all my plans.
I contacted her and turns out that she was fine by the very next day and it mostly the Sis-con Satan causing all the ruckus.
I still went to meet her anyway. Venelana was quite pleased by my visit. I even scored +5 Affection with her and +5 with Rias and Akeno because of it.
We did spend some good time together. I could tell that she was worried about my Rating Game more than me. Oh, if she knew. My magic power was suppressed the entire time due to my bracelet. She has no idea about my real power level so it is only natural that she will be worried a bit.
"Are you sure you can fight this Rating Game with your current peerage. If you want, I can trade my peerage to you for just this game." Aww, man she looked so cute when she said that, I almost felt slightly sorry for having her attacked.
"Don't worry about it. I have got few members in my peerage. We are quite excited for the match. I think we will manage it somehow. This is my first Rating Game after all. It would count as my debut to the Devil Society. If I borrow your peerage members it wouldn't be good for both your and mine as well as our peerage's image. Moreover it wouldn't be proper sportsmanship if I did that."
Cute as she is, she clearly didn't realize the consequences of such an action did she? If she lend me her peerage members it would make me look weak and that she had been plotting behind everyone's back to fight against Riser who was known as someone she wanted to get away from. It would make Riser look like a victim and me a villain. I can't have that now can i?
"I guess you are right. Best of luck for the game. this is best I can do for now." She says with a small smile.
"Don't worry. You will enjoy the game. I promise you that. I can't let my first match be boring after all." I assure her while being completely casual about it.
"I will wait for it then." She answers with a smile though she seems a bit sad about something else.
"Is there something in your mind? You seem a bit distracted and …sad? Anything I can help with." I already know the answer for this but I wonder which one is the main reason for it though.
"In the last attack, one of the people I had scouted for my peerage was killed. Very little was left of his body and there was no way for me revive him. I feel like I failed the people in my territory. This place is under my protection and people died here and I couldn't do anything to help them. I failed them." She speaks softly. Good at least she is sharing these with me.
"We can't always save everyone. People die. Now or later, it is mostly only a matter of time. I know this might seem too crude and cruel of me to say this but you shouldn't take the blame for all this to yourself. I have let people die, I couldn't protect them. My Godfather would have been alive if I had been stronger. A schoolmate could have lived, if I had been more careful. They were both killed and I couldn't protect them. It will hurt you for sometimes. If it hurts then it means that you care and that is important. However you have to grow over it and use that pain as a motivation to grow stronger. So that if something like this ever happens again, you won't lose someone close." Simple and subtle pushes to become stronger. Sirzechs has done one heck of a job to make her lazy. It will take a lot to get her back on track.
+5 Affection with Rias Gremory (45/100) for cheering her up.
"Thank you Shin. I will work harder so that something like this doesn't happen again in the future." She says with a resolve that I have been wanting to see in her. Good, the plan seems to be going in the right direction.
"Anytime. Take rest and be safe. I will give you a good show for my first Rating Game. The tea was great Akeno. Awesome to see you without the millennium puzzle today. Yami Akeno was good but I like this one better." I take a crack at Akeno's big sister persona.
"Ara Ara, are you saying that you like me Shin-san. Rias might get jealous you know. Are you trying to have an affair right in front of your future wife?" Damn, she really doesn't give up does she?
"I do like you Akeno-san. You are a great girl from what could see in my time here. I am sure anyone who gets to marry you will be a very happy man." I reply with the most innocent and pure smile I could muster. Yeah, bitch that's the counter to the Big Sister tease act. Be oblivious as fuck.
And as predicted, she blushes up a storm and I could also hear Rias chuckling at her reaction. Shin – 1, Akeno – 0.
"Then I have to take my leave for now. See you soon Rias. Let's go to Akihabara after my game. It is a date." Without giving her a chance to reply, I teleport out of her room and back to the underworld.
- Rias –
Shin was really great. She could definitely see herself getting along with him even after they get married. He was funny most of the time but can be mature and comforting when I need it. I have only had Akeno and Mother as such people in my life. Grayfia cares a lot but she refuses to show emotions because of her job as the maid of the House of Gremory and my brother…moving on. I never considered my father in the list of people who cared because he didn't. If he did most of my problems would have been solved already.
Looking at Akeno still carrying the hint of blush she couldn't help but smile. It was quite rare to see her flirty queen blush at someone's comment. Shin really played her in her own game.
"He got you good on that one didn't he Akeno." She says with a smile on her face as Akeno pouts a little.
"I will get him back next time. Although you seem to be quite happy with him. I haven't seen you happy at the idea of being happy with marrying someone. It is certainly nice to see you happy again Rias." Akeno smiles back at me.
"It is. He is a great guy. I just hope that he does well in this match or things might become bad for everyone." I have heard from Siaraorg that Shin is strong but still he is up against Riser who has experience with Rating Games. I can't help but feel worried about him. Maybe if I was stronger, I could have challenged Riser on my own and won. I have to get stronger. Not just my peerage but myself too.
I lost a potential recruit to my peerage and almost failed to avenge him and almost lost my own life as well. I had been extremely pained when I saw his grieving parents when they heard of the news. We had to change their memories because the bodies were not in a condition to present to normal people. We did put everything left of him in his grave. It was the least we could do after all.
Shin was right. I have to use this pain and become stronger for everyone's sake. This is the best I could do for them
Did he feel the same way too when his Godfather die? He did say it was only a week ago before their last meeting. He could still laugh with me and talk normally. I could tell that his Godfather meant a lot to him especially after the way he talked about….. or rather refused to talk about his parents. His eyes were angry but pained at the same time. He did share this with me because he thought that I deserved to know everything about him. He trusted me that much and was working to make this relationship successful.
Maybe it is time that I took an initiative of myself to get to know more about him. I don't even know his name…..or at least the previous name yet. I have had previous experiences with Koneko and Kiba to know that he changed his name because of some unpleasant reasons, so I did not ask him about it. Maybe this time I will ask him about his life.
Yes, I have decided that I will work harder with every aspect of my life.
Maybe I should start by planning for my date. My first date, the thought brings a warm bubbling feeling of excitement in my stomach.
- Siaraorg –
Shin became stronger again. And the peerage members he recruited were extremely strong as well. He could feel his blood rushing when he felt his aura this morning. It was completely collected and his magic was wrapped tightly around him like a thick blanket. It didn't give out any aura or mana leaks to give others an indication of his power but he clearly felt it. Shin was at least near a 10-Winged Devil in terms of Demonic power alone. If he was not there yet, then the difference couldn't be that much either.
His pawn was interesting too. Her life force was extremely strong. Stronger than even what he had felt from Shin during his spar with his peerage. She had a sacred gear too. He could sense it although the presence was a bit hidden but the aura was comparable to his own pawn, Regulus and that was something to look out for in the future. A Longinus. Which one was it? How well could she use it? She didn't seem like a magician so he was pretty sure she was like him. A close range fighter. Maybe he would get a chance to fight her with his full power. He hadn't had the opportunity to use his Regulus Rey Leather Rex against anyone yet.
The knight surprised the life out of him though. For a moment he had thought that Shin somehow managed to get the Strongest Queen on his side. But that was impossible right. On closer look, he saw the differences between them. She had a shorter skirt compared to Grayfia's more conservative uniform. Probably made for easier movement in battle. Her moves were sharp however. Attitude and atmosphere were completely like the strongest queen herself and she was not pretending to behave like her. She was completely natural. He really looked forward to the look on people's faces during the Rating Game. Having a Strongest Queen lookalike with equally sharp attitude in the Game will be something to look forward to. He wondered what her fighting style was. She was speed focused at least he got that much from her knight piece. More surprises for him then.
The last one was someone who gave him the shivers. The little magician girl was someone who was the most normal among them yet she gave him the most dangerous feeling of them all. Something inside him made he want to run away from her from the very moment he met her. It was not something she was doing. No. it was something much more….. instinctive.
One week. In just one week Shin brought together of three extremely dangerous and equally interesting members. His future members can only be something interesting. He was initially worried about Shin in his Rating Game against Riser. Riser, a scum he maybe, but was experienced in Rating Games and Shin was alone. Although in a one on one fight the Phenex would have no chance of winning against Shin…..he still remembered Shin eating the fire against Kuisha. It still made his jaw fall slightly when he remembered that scene but a Rating Game was different from one on one fight.
Riser could gang up on Shin with the rest of his peerage and take him down after tiring him out eventually. But looking at him and his peerage now, he could only pity Riser for having provoked and challenged the worst possible monster in their current generation. Yes, the likes of him and Shin were not at the same level as the rest of the youth devils. They were levels beyond others of their age. Monster was a more appropriate definition for them. And Shin with his unique magic was the worst monster for Riser.
At least his cousin Rias and aunt Venelana will be happy when Riser gets kicked brutally. He could guess that Kuisha will be happy too. She had been too worried that it was her fault that Shin was in this situation. She still didn't know about the background moves made by Zekram. The Great King did not take walks in common market. That is just common sense.
Why Kuisha couldn't understand this simple fact is still a mystery to him.
Whatever the result maybe, one thing was clear to Siaraorg Bael, the future was going to be very interesting.
- Zekram Bael –
The boy was back in the underworld and he had gathered a decent peerage for himself. Looking at the reports in front of him he could only laugh at the sheer foolishness of it. The fool Lord Phenex was spreading the news of the Rating Game and his association with Shin to every corner of the underworld, inviting them all to have watch the game.
He wanted to make this a symbolic defeat of House Bael against House Phenex. The fool had been making many moves both legal and illegal in the past few decades, from common bribing and blackmailing to threats of stopping the supply of Phenex tears to other houses and other trade agreements to make his position in the underworld stronger. He doesn't realizes that Devils in general don't like being suppressed. His actions have led him to making enemies of a major half of the devils elder council.
It was only the presence of him Zekram Bael that no one dared to start another fight in the underworld. But it was about time that an exception was made. If someone thinks that they have a chance at the seat of The Great King, then they need to be shown their place. He knows all the hidden skeletons buried in every nooks and corners of the Pillar Houses. The current Lord of House Phenex was the younger brother of the first fiancé of Lady Phenex. His elder brother died in an ambush of Fallen during the last great war.
The interesting fact was that he was the only one who had escaped from the battle. His injuries were said to have been healed by the Phenex tears his brother was carrying. The matter did cause some great tremors during the war, but people die in wars and so this matter was buried among other deaths too. No one actually knew what happened in that battle.
At least that is what everyone thinks. He himself had been the head of investigating the said matter under the orders of Lucifer. He had interrogated the Fallen involved in the ambush and found some really interesting information. They were given the information about the supply line's travel routes by an insider. The identity of this insider was none other than Oggan Phenex, the one who then inherited the marriage contract of his elder brother with the Heiress of the House Phenex and thus became the Lord Phenex.
Lucifer had decided to bury the news because it would have caused heavy disturbance in the state of underworld and devils who were already involved in the Great War then.
He did as was ordered but he still had all the information about the said incident along with many others. Illegal occupation of business or other Pillar houses through underground organizations, supply of Phenex Tears to the Old Satan Faction during the Civil war and even now, selling information about important trade routes of other Pillar Houses to impede their business were among few.
The current Heir of the House Phenex was a capable one. Noble but having the strength to back it up. He didn't want to ruin their name if possible so he had been holding back on his judgment on them for a while. But if the fool was pushing towards his own doom, then he wouldn't mind showing him his place.
This would all start with the Rating Game. Shin had to win the game and he had even prepared other measures for it if he hadn't been strong enough. Looking at the King Piece between his finger and thumb, he couldn't help but smile at the boy's progress. It was not needed. He was strong enough even without it.
He wouldn't be surprised by such progress. He wouldn't have been chosen by Death if he was anything less. This much was only expected of him. It was also one of the main reasons that he had pushed the date of the Rating Game so early. It was to test the boy's growth potential and needless to say he was immensely pleased. The underworld and the Devil race will benefit greatly from the boy's presence and power among them. Now all he had to think was how to bind the boy with the devils as a whole. A marriage contract was good but not something he could always rely on. He still didn't know the full extent of the boy's abilities but he won't take any chances. Something to think about in the future.
- Sona –
Sona had been looking forward to this Rating Game for a while. It did involve the future of her best friend after all.
Rias is her best friend. She has always been but sometimes she couldn't help but feel jealous of her. Rias was better looking than her. Sona was not petty enough to not recognize that simple fact or live in denial for such a useless fact.
She had her peerage members almost handed down to her…oh who was she kidding, actually handed down to her. Her own sister, while she dotes on her more than probably anyone else would never pamper her like that.
But even through all this, Rias had remained her Best Friend because she is just that simple. Sure she is prideful and spoiled but which devil was without pride. Her presence helped her to keep herself in check, from analyzing everything everything as chess pieces. That was why she was so close to her.
That's why she got along so well with her and this was an important event for her best friend. Not to mention, her sister had been very excited about 'Shin-kun' having his first Rating Game. Honestly her sister was really over the top som…..most of the times but she knew one thing for a fact that her sister was by far the sharpest Satan among the four. She was extremely good at identifying talents and if she was insisting so much on Shin Kageyami, then he is someone to keep an eye out for.
He did appear out of nowhere and his supposed Marriage contract with Rias was something surprising too. Even more was the fact that it was brought forward by none other than Zekram Bael. The Great King himself taking initiative for him made him that much more interesting. What secrets was he holding? During their first meeting with him, she couldn't get a proper chance to talk to him herself due to being too busy handling her elder sister. She could really be a handful. All the information she had about him was through others and that is something she could only put so much trust in. or else who in their right mind would believe the rumors that he was a bastard child of Zekram Bael, that he had hidden away in among humans on earth.
If anything the information she could actually trust was given by her sister and Siaraorg Bael. She had respect for the eldest Bael son as he was not someone who would lie to others for common things like this.
Rias also found out that he fought both Kuisha and Ladora, both of whom are fair to say as strong as her and Rias or even stronger. Kuisha due to her constant spars with Siaraorg was much stronger than them. Just her experience trumped theirs by a huge margin. And Shin won against her….as a normal human. They didn't give out the details of the fight except that he won both the fights without any scratch on his body…..which was honestly terrifying. She couldn't think of anyone under ultimate class who could do that. Even Siaraorg, their own King would have at least a scratch on him if he fought the two. He would win just as easily though. Yet, this was a proof that Shin Kageyami was no ordinary boy.
Becoming a devil would have only made him much stronger and not weaker. He was supposedly wearing a self-made artifact which kept his magic contained and prevented any leaks. Truly useful tool for any supernatural. This only further showed his talents in artificing. As such she couldn't get feel of his power but it was bound to be great.
Now all that is left is for them to watch his rating game. She looked around her, Rias, Akeno, her own queen Tsubaki and her and Rias' peerages were all present. Siaraorg and his peerage along with Seekvaira were present too. Lord Phenex didn't leave any means left to publicize this game. Politically this game was much more than the childish fight between two young devils. No, it was a challenge from House Phenex to the Great King and victory in this game would mean as a victory against The Great King Zekram Bael himself.
She watched as both teams take their respective positions in their waiting room.
Riser Phenex surrounded by his bunch of playthings and Raven Phenex who is the real brains for the peerage. She tries to make a plan as Riser stops her stating it too beneath a Phenex to have to plan against a nameless nobody. Oh how she pities Ravel wasting her talents in her idiot brother's peerage.
Shin however looks calm and relaxed. Almost too calm and relaxed. She almost falls down from her chair when she hears his first line.
"We have 30 minutes to pass, so…who wants to watch a new anime?"
Of all things, this was not something she expected.
She can see others having various reactions everywhere around her. Rias looks nervous, Akeno looks confused. Her queen is keeping a great poker face but she knows she is just as confused as him while Siaraorg is holding his guts and laughing like a lunatic.
If anything her sister looks the happiest one at this suggestion of Shin. Sona might finally have an idea why the two of them get along so well. They are both completely and utterly …..CRAZY.
_x_x_
Hey guys, here's a new chapter for The Game Must Go On. Preparations have been made, teams are ready. It is about time for the Rating Game.
Many things have happened in the background and they will affect Shin in different ways. Everyone has their own agenda.
Good thing Rias is finally getting her head straight.
Shin's peerage is ready to kick butts.
And what exactly is he going to do with the anime. At least Serafall seems excited with all this.
Shin will finally be revealed to the whole world and his entrance will be anything but boring.
Man passing 50k words is really something. When I started I had so many ideas but I honestly didn't think that I would be able to write this much. But thing kept coming one after another and the story was shaping up to be decent enough. I think I can live with something like this being my first work. I have gotten a hang of writing now so I can pull off more contents faster.
Thank you everyone for cheering me up with your reviews. I was honestly preparing for a bunch of flames right off the bat for writing the first thing that comes to my mid but you all have been really supportive. I will try to keep up the work. The same pace might not be possible. I was actually under isolation at home due to Covoid-19 after a member of my family was detected with it. I am actually safe. Just taking precautions but while doing so I had plenty of time to write. I am getting discharged tomorrow so I will be a bit busy. The update dates might drop to about once a week at max.
I will try not to let it drop more than that even if I have to post an 8k long chapter instead of a 10k one. The last two chapters have been shorter than normal because part where I finished was the only one possible before I started a bigger part as a whole new pov. Maybe from the next time I will add the wizarding world's pov to keep everyone updated on what has been going around there. It will prevent an info dump when Shin finally returns to the wizarding world after he stabilizes his position in the underworld.
I am also thinking about how I should go about the wizarding world. His quests and his revenge.
Needless to say I need to draw some plans about it. So please bear with me for a little while.
See you guys soon. Have a good day.
Peace Out.